A Political Rant

So, for those of you not living in California... we're currently gearing up to vote on one of the more controversial propositions to come down the chute: Proposition 8 - The elimination of the right for same sex couples to marry.

Now, right off the bat I wasn't particularly motivated to vote for Prop 8. Even though it doesn't affect me personally, I don't see any reason to stand in the way of other people entering into a legally binding committed relationship. What's really been annoying me, however, is the pro-8 commercials. They've been claiming that if 8 gets voted down, public schools WILL engage in the process of teaching gay marriage to children, and that parents will not have the right to exempt their kids from said instruction.

WTF?!?!

Last time I checked, public schools didn't teach anything about marriage. We try promote diversity and tolerance, but we do not teach that interracial marriage is okay. We try to encourage gender equity, but we do not preach gender roles in relationships. And what?...... Parent's NOT allowed to exempt their kids from controversial content? What kind of bullshit is that? We can't even speak the words "sex education" without getting signed consent forms in triplicate from the parents. We're also required by law to allow for alternate projects and assignments. I mean political and religious convictions aside.... I find the blatant and ignorant misrepresentation of the intent of the public school system to be staggering.

I know some people find it hard to live in a society that is tolerant of things they find to be wrong... sinful even. After all, we legally allow extra-marital sex, pre-marital sex and all manner of personal habits denounced by various religions and cultures. It just seems to me that a government that allows gay marriage isn't trying to define marriage for everyone. People are still allowed to teach their kids what they think is right and wrong.

In the mean time... leave the schools out of it.