"FREE AMERICA - Activist for a Better Tomorrow" <freeamerica2004@hotmail.com>
FREE AMERICA - Activist for a Better Tomorrow
The thoughts and ideals of freedom and liberty are again at stake - and
America, I feel, will rise to this challenge as it did with Slavery,
Universal Suffrage, Civil Rights, and Equal Protection.
There is debate in Massachusetts, California, Michigan, many other states,
and even the Federal Government about changing sacred documents to deprive a
group of people of Equality under the law - for the first time in our
history. The debate so far has seemed more about language than about
rights. Many citizens and legislators are opposed to the use of the term
"Gay Marriage", yet many of those same people feel that the use of the term
"Civil Union" is more tolerable. Yet, my feeling on the subject is that I
don't care what term or what language is used as long as, in the end, it
amounts to the same thing. Earlier this week I watched the Massachusetts
Constitutional Convention debating this very issue after being ordered to
"do something about it" by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts.
People must understand this first and foremost, that gays and lesbians are
not asking for special rights, special treatment, or special
classifications - we're simply asking for equality, equal rights, and equal
protection - we just want to be counted as our straight counterparts are.
We're not asking to be exalted, but we're also saying that we are tired of
being second class citizens who have been deprived of their rights of
equality for far too long!
This debate is more about what America is and not about Gay Rights. This
debate will show the citizens of this nation and of nations around the world
if America truly is a Free and Democratic Society that believes in human
rights, equality, and protection of its citizens - or whether it's simply
propaganda and we're not truly a free society at all.
The fight for equality has now touched, in some way, the majority of
American citizens. Women had to fight, Blacks had to fight, and now it is
time for the Gays and Lesbians to stand up and refuse to be counted as
anything less than a full fledged citizen of this great nation.
I believe that America truly is the best nation on the face of this earth
to live in, to raise a family in, and eventually to die in. Generations
upon generations fled their homelands to come to this land for freedom, for
a better life, and for safety and security from oppressive governments the
world over. Shall we harm their dream of America? Should we tell the youth
of our nation that we didn't mean what we said when we told them that
America is the land of the Free; that everyone is equal? Shall we ourselves
become oppressive? Shall we turn our backs on those who deserve America and
all of her freedoms for a backwards way of thinking and a future that will
be less and less tolerant of individuals who don't fit the mold of "normal"?
After all, what is normal? Your idea of normal may be very different and
very strange from that of your neighbor, your family, your clergy, and even
your lawmakers. But, as Americans, we have the ability to address our
concerns to our lawmakers, our Judiciaries, and even our Executives to
compel their redress and when or should they fail to listen to our concerns
and give appropriate redress of those concerns it is also our responsibility
as Americans to remove them from office with the power of our vote and of
our voice.
I understand that change is a slow beast in a democracy, especially one as
diverse as our own. However, being in the generation that I am in, I have
always been taught that we don't dislike our diversity, instead we grad hold
of it and celebrate it with love and with understanding - with compassion
and with joy! I find myself grateful to have been born in this generation
and to be raised with such diverse input that I can whole heartedly say I
love America's diversity and I do celebrate it! I believe those of us in
the Generation X age group, for the most part, feel as I do; that America is
Free, that America is based on the belief of Equality and Protection for
all.
To do anything less than extend equal rights to every citizen of this
nation would be a disgrace to our history, to our founders, and most
certainly to ourselves and our futures. A little more than 40 years ago our
democracy was put to a test like this; to decide if Black Americans were
equal to White Americans and whether our two cultures could come together on
common grounds and build one society - an American Society. The change was
an easy one to make in the eyes of the law, no doubt with a few hitches
along the way. But eventually it came to pass... Yet, to this day it still
proves a challenge for some of our citizens to understand what Equality is
all about and why everyone should have it. For the most part though,
Americans have opened their hearts, their minds, and for some their eyes and
reached out to other Americans who skin color may be several shades
different or whose gender may be opposite from their own.
Progress indeed will be slow, but for futures sake the fight must begin
now. I don't believe anyone thinks that a simple law will change 100% of
the populations prospective on this issue - but it's a start. We must first
change the laws before we can change people's hearts. We must be given the
chance to show that by allowing gays and lesbians to have equality in no way
will diminish equality for other citizens. It will simply expand the realm
of freedom and our beacon will simply shine brighter! We must show that
gays
and lesbians are also people, are also citizens, and for the most part gays
and lesbians are the most compassionate creatures to call America home!
I AM SURPRISED, that gays and lesbians haven't revolted a thousand times
over by now - but that's us... We're willing to let people trample our
rights (for time being) so that in the end we can show what good people we
are - how we rose above the turmoil we experienced - and how we became a
most important part of this American society and all of our prosperity.
We mustn't allow our voices to fall on deaf ears. We must stand up and
demand to be counted. We mustn't allow the creation of second and third
class citizens in this land - the land of the free, the home of the brave -
the birthplace of freedom and liberty for all. We must continue our fight
forwards - not backwards. We owe it to ourselves and our futures to not be
looked at as hypocrites but to live up to our word and to truly be a nation
of all, not a nation of some.
We must extend protection and equality to our gay and lesbian citizens and
to do anything less means that the America I was always taught about - isn't
the America in which we live. Jefferson said that when government becomes
destructive to the freedoms and liberties of its citizens that it must be
reformed or abolished... Reforming sounds to me the better road to take...
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Kenneth R Cooper Jr
Organizer, FREE AMERICA - Activists for a Better Tomorrow
http://www.free-america.us
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