So if I understand this correctly, anyone who wants to work legally, within the system, to change laws is an asshole if they disagree with your opinion?

I don’t speak for Jill (obviously), but maybe I can point out where the nuance is for me. Disagreement is what makes any system good, dissent is a good thing. I fundamentally believe in a small government, other people fundamentally believe in a larger one, if either of us got our way the result would probably suck, so we temper each other and hope that the compromise hammered out is a good one. In such a situation decorum, calm, and general decency are vital to the process.

There are, however, points where the discussion can change, points where harsh words become justified and the normal rules of human interaction fail. Those points come when one party wants to violate the inalienable rights of another. At that point someone has removed themselves from polite society, they have decided to agitate for tyranny, they become a threat to the most basic ideals of modern western liberalism. When that opposition to basic human liberty is based solely in hatred advanced by religious doctrine, the problem is even worse. I don’t think it would be hyperbolic to say that the only difference between NOM and a group like the Taliban is, as Nietzsche put it, “the impotence” of modern Christians. At that point, when someone is arguing that the will of the majority ought to be used to inflict religious doctrine upon and strip the rights from a minority using the force of law, there is no more discussion. One side is arguing for liberty, the other for theocracy. If I saw Prejean or others of her ilk on fire I wouldn’t cross the street to piss her out.

But seriously Pauline, can you take up some sort of hobby? Because you’re getting really annoying, coming in here with the same trope over and over and over again.

If you are trying to deny people basic rights and protections based on things like race, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, etc, then you are an asshole.

Seems Ms. Prejean fits the bill just fine.

But, uhh…can the silicone jokes stop? That seems like a pretty low blow, to mock a woman based on her appearance or her willingness to conform to societal beauty norms…maybe it’s just me.

Well EK, read between the lines. His favorite musicians are miles davis, dylan, and coltrane. What does that tell you about him culturally? His mother practically blead granola. What are the odds he’s actually opposed to gay marriage?

Plus Obama went on record a few years prior to his bid with more unequivocal statements in defense of gay rights:

“I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages.”

ok then where is the outrage that she was demeaned using sexist term, long before she made any appearances.

…in the original post.

It helps to actually read the links before you comment.

so what we have here is double standard. POTUS brings in Rick Warren and I don’t see the A-hole tag applied to him.

See the search box? It helps to use it. Type in “Rick Warren” and see what you come up with. I’ll even help out:

http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2008/12/18/ladies-lets-get-the-painful-part-over-first/

http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2008/12/17/rick-warren-to-give-inauguration-invocation/

Wow, check out which tags are applied to those posts!

Next.

On “Machiavellian” Obama: I think he’s playing it cool, as he does with quite a few things. He took the public position he took at least partly to get elected, sure–but even if he really believes it, one thing we know about the man is that he’s open to having his mind changed by good argument. I think he’ll appoint progressive (and therefore generally gay-friendly) judges and as the national consensus continues to shift, he’ll shift with it–whether privately or publicly doesn’t really matter to me.

Obama was never called the n word b/c he believes the same male/female dicotomy should be involved in marriages.

so what we have here is double standard. POTUS brings in Rick Warren and I don’t see the A-hole tag applied to him. That surely is working to advance gay marriage by sanctioning Warren as a voice of the State.
Face it Obama is playing politics with women and gays!

Unless, of course, you think that there is no opinion which makes someone an asshole, so long as they use legal means to accomplish it. I’ll just point out there that many atrocities and human rights violations throughout modern history have occurred under the full protection of the law, and through totally legal means, within the system.