Gay Marriage in Texas

Should gay marriage be legal in the great state of Texas?  The Majority of the voting block in Texas would probably agree that marriage is designated between a man and a woman, and would vehemently oppose the legislation which attempts to make this legal. However, there are mounting sums of people, both gay and straight, jumping on the band wagon to legalize it.  Regardless of the opinion, the country is changing and most believe same sex marriage in the state of Texas is inevitable.

Since gay marriage was officially banned in Texas in 1997, many have wondered when their day at equal rights would come.  Things continued to get worse as in 2003, even civil unions were banned.  One could argue that its par for the course in Texas for old white republicans to be against anything that challenges the status quo.  Unfortunately for those old white men, the year is 2014, and the tides are turning.  Since May 2004, when Massachusetts became the first state in the United States to allow gay marriage, slowly the other states have been following suit.  

Lawsuit after appealed lawsuit, state after state, it has become clear that having any form of ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. All these states that have become the stronghold for those that hope to retain a way of life more indicative of the old times, only now serve as a model to future generations of the hardheaded ignorant people, with beliefs that belong in the past.  Most would agree that its only a matter of time until same sex marriage becomes the status quo, and that form of archaic discrimination is a thing of the past.

In the long run, those individuals in the Texas political chain that are the ones holding onto the ban of gay marriage, would be better off realizing that that belief system is futile.  They may feel that doing so appeases their constituents, when what they are really doing is alienating an entire, typically affluent, voting block. When considering gay marriage, not taking into account politics, one could argue, “If you have such a problem with gay marriage, then don’t marry someone of the same sex!” In other words, being that gay marriage is a gay issue, and doesn't directly affect straight people, why should it matter to them that two people in love want the same right to enter holy matrimony just as Britney Spears had the right to her 55 hour marriage?

A same sex couple that is expecting a child by the end of March, now wishes for Texas to expedite the legal process so that they, by the birth of their child, will have the same legal ties to their child as any other expecting couple.  Who in their right mind could object to something so plain and simple as basic human rights? Simply put; Those that have something to gain by opposing.

The plight of the gay community may not have been as extreme as that of the African Americans of the 1960’s, but they do share their similarities.  They are both fighting for what they believe is right.  Similarly, different parts of the country have come around to the idea of equal rights at different times as well. Texas will soon be forced to follow suit as the last 20 states make the switch to acknowledge gay marriage and gay rights.  Hopefully for the residents of Texas, especially those that look back at this moment in Texas history, we aren't  the last state to give equal rights to all its residents.

Ebola and Tom Frieden

The editorial that I chose to critique was, “GOP Lawmakers Call for CDC Director Frieden to Step Down,” written in “The TexasFred Blog” October 16th, 2014.  As the title indicates, this blog entry refers to an article written about how the GOP feels that Tom Frieden, the director of the CDC, should step down.

The target audience would best be described as the right leaning conservatives that already have a chip on their shoulder about the Obama administration and wish to point fingers in his direction every chance they get. TexasFred is written by a man named Fred Witzell who self admittedly is an overly opinionated conservative redneck.  From what can be gathered from his blog, his entire credibility is derived from the numerous followers to his blog.

At points I agree with what Fred has to say, and at others I disagree.  Ebola coming into the US is a major ordeal, and one that, regardless of the cuts to an organization, should have had all the attention directed to.  The one substantial point that is made, is that Ebola coming into the US has shaken people from the idea that because they live in the greatest, and most advanced country in the world, that foreign disease can’t come and spread like we live in a third world country.  Essentially Ebola does not care where you’re from, what you look like or how high on the totem pole you may feel you are.  Everyone here has the potential to catch it if it is not taken care of in the proper manner from this point on.

That being said, the rest of the blog is basically drivel meant to stir up the base into hooting and hollering about how everything is Obama’s fault.  While arguably there is more proactively that could have been done on his part, possibly even micro managing to a degree to ensure that a disease that has the potential to have devastating effects, does not spread.  Fred emphasizes the fact that Tom Frieden was appointed to his position by President Obama, again to imply that everything bad is Obama’s fault.  

Regardless of whether you agree with Fred’s opinion on the article, or the even further extreme opinion that he has for the Obama administration, what would be appreciated in an editorial of this nature, would be something along the lines of possibly proposing another idea of how better to handle the situation.  Yes, getting rid of a bad appointee might help, but what might help Fred would be to give the reader a little insight into what Tom Frieden directly did wrong, and where he could have improved.

Ultimately there wasn’t much meat to the article.  Mainly some deep seeded opinions and anger.  Anger in a situation of this gravity is understandable, but what would help is deeper analysis and less pointing fingers at the other side.