H8te Speech

I posted the following on Facebook today. I am tired of feeling like I have a target on my back and that it's okay to call me a hateful person. We've had a yard sign torn down and an anonymous hateful letter put in our mailbox. I invite intelligent debate, but I don't like people calling me hateful:

As I have continued to engage in dialogue with people regarding Proposition 8, I have become increasingly tired of being vilified and mischaracterized as a hateful person. This shows either gross ignorance of the issues or a deliberate misrepresentation of the facts.

As a people, we each have values. We have different values, or we may have similar values that we weight differently. For instance, we may value life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but not necessarily in that order. That’s all okay. I don’t expect you to have the same values as mine. I expect you to vote your values, and I will vote mine.

In the present case, for me, I completely support the individual rights of a person to make whatever lifestyle choices they wish. I promote individual rights and freedoms. However, when your lifestyle choices interfere with my lifestyle choices, we have a problem, don’t we? Does that make my choices wrong and yours right? Vice versa? Of course not.

The larger issues here are not whether or not homosexuals should be able to marry. If you don’t understand that, you haven’t been listening. There are indisputably issues regarding religious freedom, freedom of speech, parental authority, and education of children. They are indisputable and if you think not, you haven’t been listening or you’re being deliberately obtuse. That doesn’t mean you will agree with one side or the other! How the critically thinking individual will choose to vote on this issue will reflect their own deeply held personal values and the relative weight of those values.

For instance, a person who supports gay marriage may understand the impact that this will have on children in schools but feels that parental rights of how a child will be sexualized and educated on this issue are simply less important than the rights of the homosexual population to marry. Okay! Or perhaps that same person may agree with the parents rights regarding this issue, but feels strongly that churches should be stopped from teaching against homosexuality and therefore that person feels that trumping the religious rights is an important part of voting no on Prop 8 because they understand how it will eventually open the doors to hate speech litigation. Okay, that’s a valid strategy. Or maybe that person just believes that the right of the homosexual population to marry simply trumps all other rights! Okay! These are honest assessments and honest reasons for voting no.

On the other hand, a person who supports traditional marriage may feel strongly that individuals should have equal rights and protections under the law, but feels even more important are the rights of parents to oversee what their children are being taught in schools. Okay! Or perhaps they feel strongly that religious freedoms will be potentially jeopardized, causing individuals and businesses to be forced to actively endorse a lifestyle that they do not believe is morally correct; and therefore this value outweighs the equal rights value. Okay!

Values will have to be examined and weighted to make an informed and conscientious decision. These values may not be inherently wrong or right and it is possible for two tightly held values to be in conflict with each other at times. You can see that there are definite compromises that a thinking individual is going to have to make with regard to this issue. That does NOT make it okay to name call and vilify. That does not make it okay to mischaracterize the issues or to label people. That does not make it okay to be intolerant of other people’s values simply because you think you are espousing the politically correct view. My values are not more important than yours, and yours are no more important than mine. That’s why we live in a democracy where the majority will decide. But in the meantime, while we have this dialogue, let us refrain from “hate speech.” Interesting application of the word isn’t it?

See Andy Grow

Jamie posted photos and videos on her blog: Insert clever blog name here _______

Sunday Night

It's official. I have the cutest grandbaby in the universe. You can see photos posted by his parents here: http://onkenblog.blogspot.com/ Nick and Jamie brought my little Andy over today for us to hug and cuddle. This is the first time he's been to Opa's and Nana's house. We were lucky to have the Dubrow women come over and visit Andrew and they always bring such a special vibrancy to our home. Chelsea and Trenton came over and brought that silly dog Frankie with them.

This next week at work starts the new computer system which means that I will have my own personal "shadow" following me to all my work sites and assisting me as I learn the new software. I'm dreading it. I also realize that I will have to call and cancel with Troy this week and maybe the next since I can't very well expect my shadow to keep my usual Wednesday hours.

School seems to be getting more work intensive every week. This week starts week 8 of the semester which means I'm officially at the half way mark. I enjoy the discussions we have about nursing leadership, but I don't enjoy the health care finance stuff and the business planning. I do hate that school is taking so much of my free time, particularly now when I would rather be spending time with my little baby!

Is is SO HARD . . .

to go to work, or do homework . . . when there is a grandbaby calling for his Nana . . .

Nana Isn't waiting anymore . . .

Intoducing Andrew Nicholas Onken born 10/5/08 weighing 7 lbs. 15 oz.

Puppy Love!