The political side of me has been rather quiet lately. I’ve blogged about the weather, Ray’s high school reunion, music, movies, food, and so on.
No, I haven’t gone soft and no, I won’t comment on how I really feel about the Romney-Ryan Republican ticket that was announced this past weekend. I’ll reserve that for another place and another time.
Okay, I’ll say two things and I start with something nice: They are the best looking duo since the team of Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro lost to Presidential Reagan in 1984.
However, just because one is 65 and is still a good-looking man and the other is 42 and may be considered a stud, that’s not enough to sway my vote.
Because, woman and gay men, you know this first hand, you can see a good-looking man across the bar, the supermarket, or wherever and you can start imagining what they’d be like and then it happens. They walk up to you and they open their mouth! And, then you’re like Romy White (yes, her again, from “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion”) and you exclaim, “Would you excuse me? I cut my foot before and my shoe is filling up with blood” and you’re out the door faster than a gold medalist at the London 2012 Olympics.
Joking aside, this blog is not directed toward the politics of Romney and Ryan or President Barack Obama. You probably already know who you are voting for and why you chose that candidate. I’m not here to say that one candidate could change the direction of the country, because that would be a lie. Neither Obama or Romney can do much with the infighting that is going on in Congress and the Senate. As long as one side of the aisle contradicts the other just for the sake of politics and their political career, we won’t accomplish much in this country.
For today’s blog, I want to take you far from Washington D.C. and the seedy politics that take place there and venture out to Utah. And, I will be talking about a Mormom, but not Mitt Romney.
This is retired General Peter Cooke, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Utah.
In a black and white world, at first glance, I would say, “he’s a Democrat, he’s my candidate”. However, we all know there are gray areas in life and in the world.
Also, consider, it’s Utah, population 2.8 million, slightly higher than Chicago’s population of 2.7 million. How much pull does that little state really have? Well, in theory, not much unless you’re trying to defeat “Proposition 8” in California in 2008 and you’d be surprised how much money comes out of there to take marriage equality rights away from Californians.
As you’ve heard, back in May, President Obama came out in support of marriage equality for all Americans. And, recently, the Democratic party made same-sex marriage part of their platform for the 2012 presidential election.
Utah Governor-wannabe Cooke, who is a Mormon, rejects that platform.
While he and the Mormon church are against discrimination based on sexual orientation and Cooke is even for gays to adopt children, which is against state law, he has me confused about what he calls, “Utah values”.
Cooke says, “To me gay marriage is part of my religious belief and I support that and I respect other religious beliefs and I support and love those who are in the gay community. I think what needs to be done in Utah is for us to all live together, be compassionate. That’s what the Democratic Party is showing.”
So, he’s okay with me adopting a child and he’s compassionate toward the LGBT community, but because of his religious beliefs, he’s against me getting married or having a civil union? (He’s also against abortion, except in rape cases, incest or to save the mother’s life, which are the views of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)
Cooke says that even though he disagrees with the Democratic platform fighting for marriage equality, he will be supporting President Obama this November and voting against Mitt Romney.
I know there are many people, not just Mormons, that are opposed to marriage equality. However, I have a very dear friend that is Mormom and married to a woman who is for marriage equality.
It all comes down to what I’ve said many times before. If you don’t believe in same-sex marriage, don’t marry someone of the same sex. If you don’t believe that men (and women) are created equal, you don’t believe in the principles this country was founded on. And, if the reason you don’t support my marriage is because of God and the Bible, let God deal with me when the time comes.
In my heart and soul on September 30, 2011, God was there with me when I made my vows to Ray and he’ll be with me when I celebrate my one-year anniversary, and he and I will talk about how narrow-minded some people were on Earth when he’s passing judgment on me when that day comes.
Love is elusive and hard to find and hard to keep. Why deny two men or two women that chance if they find happiness? Why?
Anthony
What's Peeps Thinking About Now? It's Probably Random! 
Posted by Dorothy DeMay on August 14, 2012 at 4:53 pm
Just goes to prove that they all say what they think you want to hear and then bite themselves in the arse later when they have to retract when they get elected.
Good blog, Anthony!
Posted by anthonypeoples on August 14, 2012 at 5:06 pm
Doe,
Thank you very much for the kind words.
I agree, promise what you stand behind and you don’t have to backtrack. They’ll say anything to get elected.
AP