Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/117686
6A Daily News ��� Tuesday, March 26, 2013 Opinion The deference and difference of the queer or unusual DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U NTY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes letters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All letters must be signed and provide the writer���s home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submitted will be considered for publication. Letters will be edited. 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These facconstitutionality of tors that for the most part California���s Propofound their genesis and voice sition 8 and the fedat intellectual urban centers eral Defense of and on the internet are now Marriage Act much being recognized across rural of the debate will America and by repressed center upon societies around the world. whether homosexOne should not underesuality is something timate the impact of modern queer or unusual. media including music, When not used as television that Richard movies, andfocus from seean insult ���queer��� have altered means odd or ing homosexuality as queer strange whereas to something that is remark���unusual��� infers able. Rather than providing something is portrayals of homosexuals remarkable or only as deviant drag queens, interesting because strident gay rights protestors, different from or or morally corrupted HIV better than others. What a world spreading sloth, a much more sanof difference such connotations guine perspective has emerged make when ascribed to lifestyles showing them as the creative, carand morality as they are when con- ing, and often discriminated sidering the constitutional rights of against group of honorable Ameriothers. cans that they actually are. The Society at-large, and Ameri- fact that over 80% of Americans can society to be sure, has under- aged 30 or less now support gay gone a sea change of attitudes marriage shows the extent to which where homosexuality and sexual the hyperbole of the anti-homosexpreferences in general are con- ual crowd of old, has given way to cerned. I think this can be traced a more objective assessment of to several factors which include homosexuals as just unusual advances in genetics, the course of because their alternative sexual the HIV crisis, the critical assess- preference constitutes approximent of old world views, the brav- mately 10% of the population ery and persistence of gay and today as it has in recorded history. transgender individuals, a more This important distinction that Mazzucchi Positive Point the Supreme Court and the American people are coming to appreciate alters the debate on gay marriage rights from one of moral acceptability to one of constitutional protection. Just as we demonize members of enemy nations to justify murderous intentions, we also demonize fellow citizens to justify constitutional disenfranchisement. The once derided homosexual enemy is increasingly found to be among us, as our sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters come out of the closet and make their sexual preferences known. It is no wonder that this tide has gained force as more Americans accept and feel comfortable expressing their sexuality, a once taboo subject particularly for those with unusual tastes. I believe that this transition will ultimately make for a better world and America as we judge people less for what they believe and more for who they are. By this I mean we learn to appreciate the innate goodness of people perceived as unusual rather than judge what we perceive as queer behavior. This nuance is not subtle but a sign of the humility of an evolved consciousness that embraces rather than fears diversity and change. While reasonable arguments are made that it is safer to fear the unusual and uncertain, equally valid arguments are made that fear is the root of evil and resistance to change is both futile and counterproductive to improvement. Ultimately the marriage equality debate boils down to a question of human rights, does a human have a right to marry a same sex partner with all the benefits afforded to their more common peers. Individuals will certainly continue to disagree whether such unions are moral or religiously supported just as many churches do now, however this is not germane to the legal and political assignment of constitutional rights. The only question is whether as a nation we shall continue to oppresses individuals because of their sexual preferences, as we did not long ago based upon the color of their skin, or we turn a new page to embrace our diversity, recognize the unalienable rights of individuals, and extend peace and tranquility to a segment of society that for so long has been vilified and subjected to unwarranted discrimination based upon moral indignation. We now await the court���s decision due this June regarding the deference and difference of the queer or unusual. Richard Mazzucchi is a retired research engineer specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. He has travelled extensively and now makes his home in Los Molinos. He can be reached at living-green@att.net. Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN ��� Dan Logue, 1550 Humboldt Road, Ste. 4, Chico, CA 95928, 530-895-4217 STATE SENATOR ��� Jim Nielsen, 2635 Forest Ave., Ste. 110, Chico, CA 95928, (530) 879-7424, senator.nielsen@senate.ca.gov GOVERNOR ��� Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 5583160; E-mail: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE ��� Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, 202-2253076. U.S. SENATORS ��� Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 3930710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Tea Party, polling, tax and budget facts Todd Cefaratti, in ���Americans favor Tea Party principles over progressive ideas by 2-to-1 margin,��� (March 7, dailycaller.com), wrote that the Tea Party is here to stay and is ideologically prepared to advance its agenda for the long haul. Look it up by title or go to Polecat News and Views (DonPolson.blogspot.com); scroll down to that March 13 post. For a lot less scrolling, click on the ���tea party protests��� label and it���s the 4th item down. Cefaratti writes: ���Liberals bounce back and forth between dismissing our efficacy and blaming us for our role in thwarting their agenda. Recently, former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich discussed at length a supposed Tea Party conspiracy to ���eviscerate the U.S. government��� (and called us) ���plotters��� in a conspiracy to ���dismantle pieces of [the government]��������� (DP: Reich is a leftist loon!) ���In a recent survey done by NSON, a non-partisan polling agency, Americans identified with the Tea Party principles of limited government, free markets and personal responsibility by a margin of 2-to-1 over the progressive principles of big government, higher taxes, more spending, more regulations and more government programs. In the poll, 47.8% chose ���Tea Party principles��� while 20.6% chose ���progressive principles.������ Leftists and Democrats took heart back in January, when ���Rasmussen polling found only eight percent of Americans identify as Tea Partiers��� but respondents were quizzed on their active involvement in the movement, not support for Tea Party principles. Media Research Center President Brent Bozell summed up the media/Democrat strategy: ���It begins by ignoring (any conservative organization). Make them go away that way (and) you���re done. Phase two is to ridicule them. Phase three is try to destroy them. Phase four is you have to accept the reality that they���re there.��� Remember, Gallup polling has found Americans self-identify as ���conservative��� over ���liberal��� by about 2-to-1 for as long as the question���s been asked. Other related items I found: In a March 12 bar graph in the Daily News, the results of a March 4-7 poll by McClatchy-Marist revealed that Americans have greater support for the Republican ���approach with the budget deficit��� than for President Obama, by 44% to 42%. Obama���s disapproval was higher than approval, 48% to 45% and both Republicans and Democrats have disapproval numbers twice their approval. Republicans bear more blame for gridlock than Obama (45% to 37%) but this and all polling must be put in perspective. Voters give majority support, in polls I���ve seen, for conservative ideas but will change their minds when told that they are Republican ideas, such has been the effectiveness of the demonization by the Obama/Democrat/media propaganda machine. I would love to see a pollster ask if voters agree with Obama���s dismissal of balancing the budget in an ABC interview. ���President Obama rejected calls to balance the federal budget in the next ten years ��� ���My goal is not to chase a balanced budget just for the sake of balance ��� We���re not gonna balance the budget ��������� Yes, I left out his blather, lies 2012, we topped the list with the and nonsensical plans for ���growing highest rate. Funny thing: that rate the economy, putting people back was 38.9% then, and is 39.1% now; to work (with) controlled spending while America padded taxes up a (and) a smart entitlement program��� bit over 20 years, the other nations all cut and slashed theirs, (cue laugh track). His sometimes by half. Crefabricated talking points ate a favorable tax enviabout the Ryan plan are ronment (are you listennot worth dignifying. He ing, Sacramento?) and strikes me as an extremist businesses will come. wanting to spend us into Finally, I found ���Mileconomic oblivion. lions of fed dollars going Illustrating the futility unused��� (2/26 Daily of trying to achieve a balNews) to be an astoundanced budget via tax ing example of perverse increases, a Daily News fiscal policy and decepbar graph (11/9/2012) tive language. It showed 9 different taxes described open-ended that would have risen in Don food stamp spending, January, together with money borrowed the effective rate increasPolson with China or future taxfrom es. They would have added $536 billion in The way payers, as ���increasing nutrition��� while revenue to the 2013 fed���Tehama County is eral budget. That���s a little I see it missing out on $9.86 more than half of the million in economic annual trillion-dollarplus deficits we���ve had since Nancy activity.��� The endless-welfarePelosi, Harry Reid and Barack spending advocacy cabal is disinObama came to town (Bush never genuously trying to persuade us signed a budget with a trillion dol- that the ���big rock candy mountain,��� lar deficit). The graph stated, ���The with unlimited ���rainbow stew,��� tax changes could cost almost ���free bubble-up��� and money trees, $3,500 per household��� which will bring abundance across the proves how much money (over land and make everyone healthy, $7,000 per household) the big- wealthy and wise. Good grief! spending-Democrats will need to What balderdash! Remember, the deficit can be ascribed entirely to achieve balance with taxes alone. A McClatchy chart, based on income redistributive welfare proOECD (Organization for Econom- grams over 50 years of futile efforts ic Cooperation and Development) to end poverty with ���other peoples data, shows why America has money.��� dropped far down the list of desirDon Polson has called Red Bluff able nations for corporations. In home since 1988. He can be 1992, we were 13th (lowest) in by e-mail at combined federal, state and local reached tax burden on corporations; in donplsn@yahoo.com.