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restoring our biblical and constitutional foundations
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If Only Bush Had the Moral Courage of the Pope!
The enormous amount of press given to George W. Bush’s recent statements on gay marriage surprised me. It’s really no big deal.
Professional politicians operate on the following premise: Give and take on principle, but hold on to offices. The Christian or anybody else who gets into politics must understand that the name of the game is to win.
That’s why Republican leaders can verbalize pro-family positions and at the very same time abandon the moral high ground. If Bush or anyone in his cabinet really believed that homosexuality was evil, the result would be a mighty, relentless wave of justice and virtue. They would not stop until there was a complete restoration of the time-honored values of this nation, the complete fall of liberalism, and God’s blessings once again upon the land.
The Log Cabin Republicans—the nation’s largest gay Republican organization—certainly doesn’t seem to feel threatened by Bush’s statements. The LCR recently praised the selection of Republican National Committee Chairman Gov. Marc Racicot as chairman of the Bush-Cheney re-election committee.
“Marc Racicot has been one of the most successful chairmen in the history of the Republican National Committee. The election results under his watch demonstrate that the GOP has made great strides under Governor Racicot’s tenure,” said Log Cabin Republican Executive Director Patrick Guerriero.
Translation: It’s all about election results.
“Governor Racicot and President George Bush understand that when the GOP is committed to tolerance, inclusion and a big tent for our party, we win. And win big. We look forward to working with them both to assure the Republican Party stays the majority party in America,” continued Guerriero.
Translation: It’s all about winning big.
Log Cabin Republicans also are pleased with the selection of Ed Gillespie as the new RNC chairman and Maria Cino as deputy chairman. Miss Cino received the “Spirit of Lincoln” award in 2001 from the Log Cabin Republicans. The “Spirit of Lincoln” award is the highest honor LCR bestows on individuals who work to make tolerance and inclusion a permanent part of the Republican Party
“Both Ed and Maria understand that you build a party by addition not subtraction. They are smart and effective political strategists. Their leadership of the Republican National Committee bodes well for all Republicans,” said Mark Mead, political director of Log Cabin Republicans and former deputy regional political director for the Republican National Committee.
Alas, if only the president had the courage of the Pope. Yesterday the Vatican vigorously condemned same-sex marriage and urged lawmakers around the world, whether Catholic and non-Catholic alike, to defend the “common good” of society by fighting the legalization of such unions.
In a 12-page set of guidelines signed by Pope John Paul II, the Vatican said that gay relationships are immoral and deviant, and that only traditional marriages can fulfill God’s plan for human reproduction. It also said that Catholic politicians are “obliged by moral duty” to vote against bills that grant status to gay unions, and to lobby publicly against such legislation. All political leaders, regardless of their religion, who are “committed to promoting and defending the common good of society” should follow suit, it said. Failing to block such laws, politicians must work to have them repealed.
“There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family,” the document said. “Marriage is holy, while homosexual acts go against the natural moral law.” The document also opposed adoptions by gay couples, saying children raised in such households are deprived of mother and father.
Translation: To fight against legitimizing homosexuality is the moral duty of anyone who is fully committed to God’s Word.
I don’t understand why it’s so great to have a president who mouths pro-family platitudes but who compromises his beliefs in order to “win.”
What’s even more puzzling to me is why the American people allow Republicans to gorge themselves at the banquet table just because they’ve been willing to buy conservatives off with a few scraps of concessions.
August 1, 2003
David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com.