Jeffrey’s posterous

As the election has neared, my attention has left the Presidential Election and gone to the Proposition 8. I have donated to the campaign and spent many hours in the front lines of the blogosphere. It has been messy and disturbing to say the least. Who will win tonight, I do not know. But my feeling is that all the big media and money against Prop 8 will not hold when it is placed up against the tight knit communities of churches and close families. My feeling is that family and trusted friends still wield the greatest influence, even over Hollywood and the Media elite.

But even if Prop 8 pulls out in a win, a sobering realization has set in on me, a time of great religious discrimination is not far from us. We have been framed as "Haters", "Bigots", and "Discriminators".  If I was an outsider reading and watching their statements about the Yes on 8 campaign, I would wonder if Prop 8 was the re-institution of slavery. In contrast here are the actual words to be added to the constitution: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

Google (who openly opposes 8) is in hot water for allowing Yes on 8 ads to display on sites that disagree with Prop 8.

I like TechCrunch, but this is just a tizzy-fit. What about freedom of speech? Who says marriage is a "fundamental right"? A few judges? Let the legal process take its path and let people hold their opinions. Influence will not come by banning those who are in favor of it. You are asking for the same thing you claim to be against, discrimination.

Even scarier is this ad showing "Mormon missionaries" invading a home to tear up a marriage certificate:


I take serious offense to this as I served a two year mission in Ireland, paying my own way just to answer a call from the Lord to serve His children. Everyone who knows Mormons knows this is plain false. This ad is just plain WRONG and segregating us because we put our money behind our opinions and beliefs.

What is the result of the unfair labeling and name calling? Homes have been vandalized, tens of thousands of Yes on 8 signs have been stolen and destroyed. People have been attacked in the streets (there have been a little both ways, but very little on the Yes on 8 side). And the Mormon church, whose members should be admired for coming out and standing for their standards even with their wallets in a time of recession and economic collapse, have been attacked with nothing less than hatred.

Actions speak louder than words and the only people I see inspiring words and actions of hate, discrimination, and bigotry is the No on 8 campaign.