God is very precise about a great many things in the Old Testament including men not shaving, but he is troublingly vague about marriage.
Nowhere does he come out and say in those clear, precise tones adopted by today’s religious bigots, “biblical marriage is between one man and one woman.”
Nowhere.
Let’s do a quick run-down…we have man + woman where bride proves her virginity or is stoned to death (Genesis 2:24); we have man + woman + concubines (Judges 19:1-30); we have man + woman + woman (the most common form of biblical marriage – polygyny); we have rapist + victim (Deuteronomy 22:28-29); we have son-less widow + closest male relative (Gen. 38:6-10); we have male soldier + prisoner of war (Numbers 31:1-18, Dueteronomy 21:11-14; we even have male slave + female slave (Exodus 21:4) and man + woman + woman’s female slave (Gen. 16:1-6, Jacob Gen. 30:4-5) because of course, slavery is also permitted in the Bible – it is not condemned and forbidden, as some southern bigot wishful-thinkers have reminded us.
So admittedly, we don’t have examples of male + male or female + female marriage in the Bible, but we also don’t have any place that says that Biblical marriage is man + woman. Obviously, there are a great many variations. In a strict sense, all these examples above are of biblical marriage and fundamentalist Christians should be fighting for all of them, not only your basic man + woman marriage
Haraldsson declares himself a Heathen and a progressive liberal on his twitter site. His Politicususa profile dubs him a social liberal with centrist political leanings. He has degrees in history and philosophy.
Haraldsson weakens his argument with his own anti-Christian and anti-Republican bigotry: (emphasis added)
God helps those who help themselves is actually attributed to Benjamin Franklin, and like loving the sinner but hating the sin, goes against biblical teachings. The whole self-reliance thing is very popular and chic among conservative Christian Republicans these days but the Old Testament teaches that when you harvest your crops you leave some “for the poor and the alien” (Leviticus 19:9-10). Can you imagine a Republican urging farmers to do this?
No, I can’t either. They won’t even help put out the flames when your house catches on fire. Can you imagine Jesus standing by and watching a house burn?
I know volunteer firefighters who happen to be Republicans. I’m offended for them by Haraldsson’s bigotry. Some of those Republican firefighters are also politicians who have run into burning homes before Newark’s Democratic Mayor, Cory Booker did that, tweeted about it and told the media it was a come to Jesus moment.
I also know quite a few Republicans who are very charitable, leaving large sums for the poor.
Let’s be charitable with Haraldsson and look beyond his bigorty. Are his biblical arguments valid? Is same sex marriage a violation of God’s Word?
State Senator Joe Kyrillos, the NJ GOP nominee for U.S. Senate and Mitt Romney’s 2008 NJ presidential campaign chairman wants Governor Christie to be Romney’s 2012 runningn mate.
“Obviously, I would love for Christie to be the nominee.”
“One, because I think he’d be very good at it for, you know, a lot of different reasons. But also because nothing would be better for my candidacy than to have Chris on the ticket this November. You know, I’ll look like the smartest guy in North America in September for being running for the U.S. Senate if Chris should be the vice presidential nominee.”
Governor Chris Christie is still on Mitt Romney’s VP short list, if we can believe FoxNew’s extrapolation from a list of speakers announced for the Republican National Convention.
Fox speculates that it is “safe to say” that the vice presidential candidate will not be one of the headline speakers announced by the Romney campaign. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, are those speakers.
That leaves Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal for Romney to choose from for VP and the keynote speaker.
New short list same as the old short list, with the exception of Rice and Bush trading places.
Mitt Romney seems to be putting a dent in the Democratic Party’s support coming from Hollywood.
Clint Eastwood made Romney’s day with an endorsement at an Idaho fundraiser on Friday. Robert Duvall is holding a fund raiser for Romney at his home next month where Anne Romney will be in attendance. Neither Gov or Mrs. Romney were present when retired porn star Jenna Jameson announced her support for the Republican presidential candidate at a San Francisco strip club, but Jameson’s remarks to a CBS reporter covering the strip club’s anniversary party have garnered more media coverage than Eastwood’s and Duvall’s endorsements combined.
Eastwood’s endorsement is notable because many in the media spun his Halftime in America Super Bowl commerical for Chrysler as a tacit nod to Obama.
Monmouth County Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon is making statewide waves and generating statewide headlines in his quest to prove that red light cameras are not safety devices, but revenue generating ripoffs.
O’Scanlon makes a compelling case, backed up with engineering, that yellow lights should be timed for actual speeds that motorists are driving, rather than by the posted speed limits. He convinced MMM that’s he’s right on the issue, and that might be the subject of a future post. Read one of these articles if you want to bone up on that issue now. What prompted my call to O’Scanlon was politics, not policy.
There are no red light cameras in O’Scanlon’s legislative district, the 13th in Northern Monmouth County.
As the Assembly Republican Budget Officer, O’Scanlon has one of the highest, if not the highest, statewide profile of his fellow Republicans in the Assembly.
The last time O’Scanlon made statewide headlines on a issue not related to the budget he was speaking out in favor of medical marijuana and against towns that were using zoning laws to keep happy medicine dispensaries and farms outside of their boundaries. MMM’s unscientific poll indicated that his position on 420 could cause a 180 among his supporters in the 13th.
I wondered if O’Scanlon might have political ambitions that, in addition to his commitment to doing the right thing, are motivating his activities outside of his district.
Garden State Equality is out to convert New Jersey Chick-fil-A franchisees to their pro-gay marriage cause.
GSE President Steve Goldstein sent the following message to email list this morning:
Today, Friday, August 3, 2012 is Garden State Equality’s Dialogue Day with Chick-Fil-A. If you live or work in New Jersey, we’d like you to call the operator of your nearest Chick-Fil-A restaurant in New Jersey today, to ask him or her to meet with a local group of Garden State Equality members. We want the operators to see and hear in person how the national owners’ anti-LGBT advocacy hurts real people deeply – families, couples and children who yearn for equality. We ask you to call today even if you personally may not be able to join such a meeting.
Instructions:
1. Below please find a list of the 22 Chick-Fil-A stores across New Jersey with the store locations, phone numbers and individual operators’ names. Ask for the operator by name. If he or she isn’t there, you can ask to speak to the senior manager on duty.
2. When you call, say: “I’m a member of Garden State Equality and we want equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. We know the national owners of Chick-Fil-A don’t believe in equality, but we hope you may be fair. We believe in talking and mutual respect. Are you willing to meet a group of us in the next few weeks?”
3. If the owner says no, express your pain, not anger, as you conclude the conversation quickly and respectfully. Respond: “I’m hurt you won’t meet us. I’ll let others know. I wish you well.” Please do not engage in hostility. We advocate equality in love.
4. If the owner says maybe, respond: “Then I’m going to call you back on Monday, is that okay?” Then please do call back on Monday.
5. If the owner says yes, respond: “That’s great. Before we set up a day and time, I’m going to talk to others to see their schedules. I’m going to call you back next week, is that okay?”
6. Then please email [email protected]your name and your phone number, the location below of the Chick-Fil-A you called – that’s important so we know which Chick-Fil-A you’re talking about – and the operator’s response, whether yes, no or maybe. If the operator said yes, we will call you and other Garden State Equality members in your area next week so we can coordinate schedules to do the meeting.
We understand that activists in other states are staging “kiss-ins” at Chick-Fil-A stores. We respect everyone who engages in the activism that inspires them. At Garden State Equality, we’re aiming for something beyond one day. We aim to start dialogues wherever we can. We want everyone to see the love and commitment of families with LGBT people – indeed, to see all people as real people. That, we believe, is the basis of winning equality everywhere.
Thank you all so much. Immediately below is the list of the 22 Chick-Fil-A stores in New Jersey with their phone numbers and names of the store operators. If the spirit moves you, please consider making a $13.00 donation today to Garden State Equality – that’s what it would cost a couple to eat a typical Chick-Fil-A meal. A $26.00 donation would represent the cost for a family of four. You can donate online at www.GardenStateEquality.org
Audubon, (856) 547-0815, operator Charles Bohs Cherry Hill, Marlton Pike, (856) 488-9117, operator Dave Curran Cherry Hill, Haddonfield Road, (856) 488-1600, operator Dave Curran Delran, (856) 764-0765, operator Sal Miliziano Deptford, Clements Bridge Road, (856) 853-0425, operator Doug Clark Deptford, Deptford Mall, (856) 848-7712, operator Christian McGrory Eatontown, (732) 542-2243, operator Jeff Bassett Edison, (732) 548-6024, operator Travis Biggs Egg Harbor, (609) 407-4900, operator Amy McCloy Galloway, the Stockton College Chick-Fil-A is closed for the summer. Please call the next closest store. Hamilton, (609) 581-7601, operator John Velarde Howell, (732) 730-9033, operator Ted Reim Marlton, (856) 985-4391, operator Brian Bowman Mount Laurel, Centerton Road, (856) 439-2696, operators Brian Bowman or Bob Mancini Mount Laurel, (856) 778-1900, Nixon Drive, operator Bob Mancini Paramus, (201) 967-9494, operator Ken Walsh Sewell, (856) 464-2277, operator Jeff Price Sicklerville, (856) 262-0002, operator Burley Clark Turnersville, (856) 228-2111, operator Burley Clark Vineland, (856) 327-4414, operator Phil Kelley Voorhees, (856) 772-2201, operator Zach Johnson Woodbridge, (732) 634-8981, operator Jim Strole
UPDATE
The Associated Press is reporting that gay rights activists are planning a ‘Kiss In’ today at Chick-fil-A restaurants throughout the country. Protestors of Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy’s stand for traditional marriage are being encouraged to go Chick-fil-A stores and kiss a fellow demonstrator of the same gender.
AP quotes one organizer, Carly McGehee of Dallas as saying she hopes the protest “helps LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender) youth who feel isolated and are victims of bullying.”
Is isolation and bullying a problem for only gay youth? Are gay activists encouraging same sex marriages for youths?
Earlier this week The Asbury Park Press quoted Goldstein as saying that Garden State Equality does not support the ‘Kiss In.’ Rather, GSE would reach out to Chick-fil-A operators, as they are today. Goldstein said some of the operators are “in deep with us,” according to APP.
GQ columnist Reid Cherlin says Mitt Romney should pick Governor Chris Christie as his running mate over the “milkiest of milquetoast options,” Ohio Senator Rob Portman or former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. Hat tip to Bob Ingle.
Yes, I know the criticisms. Chris Christie is a hot-head and a showboat. He’s overweight. He doesn’t represent a key swing state. He’d be uncontrollable, in the way that Sarah Palin was uncontrollable. He’d suck up all the oxygen and leave Romney fiddling in the wings, or worse, cleaning up his messes. All that is true, to a degree.
But let’s remember the other key truism here: people vote for the top of the ticket, not the would-be VP. As you’ve read countless times, the real virtue of the running mate pick is that he can be nastier on the attack, he doubles your capacity for in-person campaigning, and your selection of him says something essential about your judgment. I think Christie would be a win for Romney on all three fronts. He is an excellent attack dog. He lives for town-hall campaigning. And his pick would make loud and clear—to Romney’s still-unenthused Republican critics, and to swing voters who love moderate East Coast Republicans—that he’s serious about kicking ass. Most of all, though, Christie is damn entertaining. He is disarmingly blunt. He’s a ham, he takes tough questions head-on, and he loves the parry-and-thrust that is weaker pols’ undoing. There’s a reason he remains so popular.
The campaign so far has been an utter grind, and Romney’s VP announcement is our last, best chance for an infusion of something fresh, interesting, and new. Please, Governor Romney: I know you’re a businessman above all else. But can’t we all just have some fun for once?
I have to agree. Portman or Pawlenty will put voters to sleep.
I would love Romney to make an “out of the box” VP choice like Condie Rice, Allen West or Marco Rubio. But Rice doesn’t want to do it and probably would not perform well on the campaign trail. West is a patriotic hero but comes across as angry. Angry scares voters. I don’t think Rubio is ready, for the office or for the glare of negative media attention that would come down on him.
No one articulates the case against Obama better than Christie. Christie has a Reaganesque optimism and ability to communicate it in a way that inspires like no one else on the national scene.
Christie will bring an excitement, and fun, to the race that no one else can bring.
If the presidential race keeps going the way its going, voters will tire of the campaign before Halloween. Christie will engage voters more than any VP candidate since Thomas Jefferson and the media won’t get the better of him like they did of Sarah Palin. ( I can’t believe I just put Thomas Jefferson and Sarah Palin in the same sentence.)
Most importantly, with Chris Christie as his running mate, Mitt Romney can win.
Our condolences go out to Middletown Committeeman Gerry Scharfenberger and his family on the loss of Gerry’s father, Joseph.
A World War II veteran who served in the 323rd Wildcat Division Infantry in Japan, Joseph was 90 when he passed on July 27. He is survived by his wife Irene, 6 children, 9 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren.
Visitation is today from 2-4 and 7-9 at the Kimble Funeral Home in Princeton. Following a funeral mass at St Paul’s Catholic Church in Princeton, Joseph will be buried with military honors tomorrow afternoon at Washington Crossing National Cemetary in Newtown, PA.
In a poll of New Jersey registered voters released by FDU Public Mind this morning, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez leads State Senator Joe Kyrillos in the race for U.S. Senate by a 45%-33% margin. FDU did not poll likely voters.
Despite the 12 point gap, the news is not all bad for Kyrilllos.
Among Independent voters the candidates are virtually tied at 28% for Menedez and 27% for Kyrillos. 45% of Independents are undecided.
57% of respondents said they haven’t heard of Kyrillos. Of those who have heard of him, 22% have no opinion of him, 16% have a favorable opinion and only 5% have an unfavorable opinion.
In contrast, 20% of respondents have never heard of Menendez. 20% of those who have heard of him have no opinion and 23% have an unfavorable opinion. Only 36% have a favorable opinion of Menendez. These are very week numbers for an incumbent.
The challenge for Kyrillos is to get known with Independent voters and to do so favorably. Given Menendez’s $10.3 million to $1.9 million cash advantage (as of June 30) Kyrillos may need to save someone from a burning building or get a gay activist group to attack him unfairly in order to meet the challenge.
Nationwide hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Chick-fil- A restaurants as an overwhelming expression of support for first amendment rights and traditional family values.
Locally, Middletown Committeeman Gerry Scharfenberger called to report that at 2:30 this afternoon there was a huge crowd at the Chick-fil-A in the food court at the Monmouth Mall in Eatontown.
The Asbury Park Press reported that at 6:30 this evening the line for chicken sandwiches would around past several other establishment and reach the AMC Theaters on the opposite side of the court. Nearly 200 people were waiting in line at the Chick-fil-A on Route 9 in Howell at 7PM, according to APP.
Forbes is reporting that Chick-fil-A sold an estimated $100 million of chicken today and that the national media is downplaying the support the company has gotten, focusing instead on the protest against the company’s biblical principles. The video posted here from ABC news is an indication that some national media outlets gave the story fair coverage.
