This is not a for or against post on Proposition 8, instead, it is a post on the fundamental aspects of our society and democracy at work.
There is a large amount of protest occurring in California over the referendum and in some cases it is turning very nasty. The opponents of the proposition, who lost in a 52.3% for to 47.7% against vote, are claiming that this process is unconstitutional and wrong. There are numerous comments that I have seen stating that the majority should not represent the minority and that this country is awful. Let’s examine the issue here.
If we believe in democracy and the democratic process then we need to stand back and look at the big picture. In May of this year, the California Supreme Court overturned Proposition 22 which prevented California from recognizing same-sex marriages. This move by the Supreme Court went near the fringes of what the court’s role is, to uphold and interpret the law and Constitution. Proposition 8 is a little different in that will actually amend the California State Constitution to restrict marriage to a man and a woman. Whether you agree with that or not, it was voted on and passed. This is where I get confused, enough signatures were attained and enough votes were reached, why does the argument continue?
The idea that since the “minority” did not get their way we should overturn the law is a little extreme by all counts. In that case, the Republicans lost the Presidential election but since their guy didn’t make it to office, they should protest, complain, and stir up violence in the streets. That is an absurd way to go, is it not?
Another example is the town where I attended college, Lubbock, TX there was a big push for legalizing the sale of alcohol within city limits. Residents, who happened to be students, were able to get enough signatures to place the measure on the ballot. The city voted and the measure failed. The students did not stand outside of churches and berate those who voted against the measure, nope, they waited until the next year and tried again.
Democracy works, if we let it, rather than attempting to manipulate the system simply because we do not get our way, no matter how near and dear the issue is to our hearts.