No need to fear the voter

Since 2005 there have been 17 state legislatures that have voted on gay issues. A recent study by Freedom to Marry reports that none of the 670 legislators that voted against discrimination lost their seat when next up for election. Part of that is a very high percentage of incumbents are re-elected each time. Even so, it includes those who left one seat (such at the house) and were elected to another (such as the senate). But the opposite is not true, there are those who voted for discrimination who have lost their seats -- in one case to a gay man. Lawmakers should not use fear of voter displeasure to vote against us.


Six months ago a gunman, upset that liberals were interrupting the war on terror so he became a terrorist himself, opened fire during a service at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. Rev. Chris Buice wrote a wonderful Newsweek My Turn essay to defend liberals and to demonstrate the proper response to terrorism.


Economic downturns always bring out the hate groups. The forces that feed these groups are magnified in this downturn with Obama as president and a population that is much more ethnically diverse, even in rural areas. These groups must be confronted because:

* Very few hate crimes (only 8%) are committed by actual hate group members. The problems is their toxic ideas influence the mainstream, giving them more power than their numbers suggest.

* Hate speech is protected free speech. But the group's members assume silence is agreement. We have a responsibility to hold their speech up for public ridicule.

* Where there is smoke, that is enough reason for law enforcement officers to search for the fires.