Danforth: Ban on Gay Marriage a Silly Idea

[deadparrot]

WASHINGTON - Former Sen. John Danforth says a conservative push to ban gay marriage through a constitutional amendment is silly, calling it the latest example of how the political influence of evangelical Christians is hurting the GOP.

Danforth, a Missouri Republican and an Episcopal priest, made the comments in a speech Saturday night to the Log Cabin Republicans, which support gay rights. He said history has shown that attempts to regulate human behavior with constitutional amendments are misguided.

"Once before, the Constitution was amended to try to deal with matters of human behavior; that was prohibition. That was such a flop that that was repealed 13 years later," Danforth said.

Referring to the marriage amendment, he added that perhaps at some point in history there was a constitutional amendment proposed that was "sillier than this one, but I don't know of one."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/danforth_gay_marriage

[saltpoint]

1. Ok, John. Now let's move to the next level: a public condemnation of

your own political party whose strategists are setting these very fires.

Condemn their actions and announce you are leaving the GOP. Do a Jeffords or join the Democrats, who are not seeking to divide the populace based on how they have sex.

[w13rd0]

4. Actually, he has...

...he's condemned the present day leadership of the GOP, but since he holds no elected office, and has admitted that he's not voted straight Republican, leaving the GOP would be, for him, a fairly meaningless gesture. He's still VERY respected among Republicans here in Missouri, and he carries more weight with them presently than were he to leave the party.

[saltpoint]

6. It's true. He is genuinely respected, and I hear you also on the point

about having more influence by remaining in the ranks.

OK. Then I'd settle for an endorsement of Claire McCaskill there in Missouri.

A book would also be a great idea. A book from a senior and well-respected Republican like Danforth condemning the Far Right fundy nutcases would be a refreshment. Danforth's got the religious creds to do it, too.

Danforth, a certified minister I think, could offer an adult Chrsitianity as opposed to the shit-fit infantile Christianity of the Far Right.

[w13rd0]

7. Well...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670037877/sr=8-1/qid=1146426490/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-5457053-6936849?%5Fencoding=UTF8

Faith and Politics : How the "Moral Values" Debate Divides America and How to Move Forward Together by John Danforth

[saltpoint]

8. Appreciate the links. I'll save up my pennies and buy a copy.

And by the way, Danforth, although still too conservative for me, would have been a far better choice for the Alito seat than Alito.

A president with sturdier character would not have passed up an opportunity to ask Danforth. The fundies would have squawked, but Danforth would have been infinitely superior as a Court appointment.

[JerseygirlCT]

17. He wrote an excellent op-ed

a year ago? I can't remember the date. I'm pretty sure it was in the NYT.

He's something like the do-do, and nearly as extinct: a moderate Republican.

[Herman47]

2. Danforth is just so much, MUCH better than his replacement...

...the crude pitbull, Bolton.

(perhaps I'm giving pitbulls a bad name).

[w13rd0]

3. Danforth has been pretty outspoken...

...lately, a dramatic contrast to his contemporary Ashcroft...

[IndianaGreen]

5. Danforth is an Episcopelian? They are not real Christians!

The only real Christians are the ones that received the Mark of the Beast that is given by such godlike figures such as Falwell, Robertson, Dobson, etc. Mainstream Protestants need not apply!

[UrbScotty]

9. Yes! Catholics too!

:eyes:

[rodeodance]

10. This is a surprize to me. I am NOT a fan at all of him as I recall his

aggressive support of Clarance Thomas for SC--and his dissing of Anita Hill.

[jbm]

12. That's what I always remember too...

I remember there was quite a bit of controversy about him several years ago, and I think it was because he refused to support the ammendment that would have banned flag burning, but I'm not certain. It's odd to me that the same man who often seems to be fairly liberal would have held hands with Clarence Thomas and prayed for God to give Clarence strength.

http://www.nationalreview.com/document/documentprint060200a.html

<snip>

Clarence remembers that, as we stood up, I said, "This is going to sound a little hokey." I asked them to follow me. Clarence, Ginni, Sally, and I crowded into the bathroom. There was barely room for the four of us to stand in a circle. I closed the door behind us and pressed the play button of the tape player. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang. We reached out to each other and held hands as we listened:

Onward Christian soldiers
Marching as to war
With the Cross of Jesus
Going on before.

I looked at Clarence. His eyes were closed, his head bowed; his foot beat time to the music.

The choir sang two verses of the old hymn. I pushed the stop button, put my hands on Clarence's shoulders, and spoke as a minister: "Go forth in the name of Christ, trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit." Clarence says that by the morning of the hearing he "felt pure." He had asked God's forgiveness for past sins, and he "felt as though God had cleansed me." Now he was ready to give his testimony. As he left my office for the walk to the Senate Caucus Room, he said he "felt as though I was armed for battle then. I was still scared, but I felt that God was with us. That God was going to guide me. That God had given me these words. And that I was going to speak these words. And that if they ran me out of town, I had spoken what I thought God had put on my tongue…
<snip>

[Placebo]

11. Some Republicans have managed to disconnect their brains...

from their crazy base.

[Doctor_J]

13. Its only function is to get fundies to the polls

Like everything else with the Rove administration, it is political. It will get a few thousand of Pat Roberson's loony followers to the polls, and carries no downside. Danforth is trying to put it in terms of actually having something to do with how the country runs; that has nothing to do with why the * WH makes policy.

[HockeyMom]

14. I keep seeing Prohibition in all this Fundie legislation

The Temperance Women and the man who orchestrated the Comstock Laws tried to regulate personal behavior. They failed miserably because the average citizen simply ignored the laws. I can cite personal family history on this. My great-grandfather made bootleg wine in his basement and sold to not only people in the neighborhood, but also to local churches. He made a LOT of money doing this. Prohibition. If we cannot learn from the past, we are doomed to repeat it. It will be the same with laws against gays, abortion, birth control, etc.

You cannot change the constitution to change personal behavior based on some abstract religious creed. People will just ignore them and find ways around it; especially people with MONEY.

[xchrom]

15. ''Danforth, a Missouri Republican and an Episcopal priest,

made the comments in a speech Saturday night to the Log Cabin Republicans, which support gay rights. He said history has shown that attempts to regulate human behavior with constitutional amendments are misguided.''

that he spoke in front of log cabin republicans and made the ''appealing'' gesture of opposing the ban is like ASHES in my mouth.

for my money next to the kkk -- a more reprehensible crew there isn't.

their willingness to stand shoulder to shoulder with evangelicals and support bush through these years fills me with more contempt than i can express here.

for me this is the face of The Deceiver.

[CatholicEdHead]

16. Danforth did a really good show on "Speaking of Faith" on Public Radio

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/danforth/index.shtml

Politics driven by a religious agenda, Danforth says, is true neither to his understanding of Christian faith nor to the traditional values of the Republican party. This veteran politician speaks about the values that have helped him navigate the line between private faith and public life and his current concerns about religion in his own party and in the world.

It is a hourlong show on RealAudio, it is REALLY good.

[JPZenger]

18. He Should be Secretary of State

Danforth should have been appointed Sec. of State. He was the UN Secretary and was the most qualified Republican. He was the main Administration official who actually tried to do something about the Darfur genocide. Then King George picked Condi instead. It was a double loss because Danforth then resigned as UN secretary.