Mr. Boone, here's a more striking resemblance: You religious zealots who demonize a segment of the population, tax them disproportionately, deny them basic civil familial rights, and codify your beliefs into state-sanctioned religion are for all intents and purposes fascists. It's baffling to me how Christ's basic teachings about the way we should treat one another have disappeared from your so-called "Christianity." Perhaps we're only supposed to love our neighbors if they go to the same church as we do.
I was going to draw parallels between the current "righteous indignation" of the religious right in this country and the Crusades and Spanish Inquisition, but that would be every bit as unfair as Mr. Boone's analogy. Instead, here is his article from WorldNetDaily:
Hate is hate, in India or America
Posted: December 06, 2008
1:00 am Eastern
© 2008
Pretty rotten thing that happened in Mumbai, huh?
Grand old hotel, in an increasingly progressive and prosperous India: Suddenly, hundreds of innocent, unsuspecting people are hostages, some of them being systematically murdered. Bombs are exploding, people are screaming, military are descending into the chaos, TV crews are coming from everywhere to broadcast the carnage worldwide.
When the dust begins to settle after many horrifying hours, the body count has reached nearly 200, and many more are injured and emotionally scarred for the rest of their lives. The perpetrators? Though no demands were made, and no group immediately took credit for the insane attack, all evidence points to Islamic terrorists, likely from Pakistan.
And why? Well, if current theories and intel are correct, this slaughter was planned and executed by one of many Islamic groups that feel directed by their religion to subjugate – or exterminate – "infidels" like Hindus, Jews, Christians and even other Muslims who don't hew to their extremist views. To them, there is only one acceptable worldview – a theology they intend to enforce on all humankind – and anyone who might disagree or obstruct their goals should be removed, violently if need be.
Thank God, it couldn't happen here. Could it?
Look around. Watch your evening news. Read your newspaper.
Are you unaware of the raging demonstrations in our streets, in front of our churches and synagogues, even spilling into these places of worship, and many of these riots turning defamatory and violent? Have you not seen the angry distorted faces of the rioters, seen their derogatory and threatening placards and signs, heard their vows to overturn the democratically expressed views of voters, no matter what it costs, no matter what was expressed at the polls? Twice?
I refer to California's Proposition 8. You haven't heard about the well-oiled campaign to find out the names of every voter and business that contributed as much as $1,000, or even much less, in support of Prop 8? You haven't heard about the announced plans to boycott, demonstrate, intimidate and threaten each one – because they dared to vote to retain marriage as between one man and one woman? You haven't seen, on the evening news, prominent entertainers and even California Gov. Schwarzenegger, urging the demonstrators on, telling them they should "never give up" until they get their way?
Assuming you have become aware of all this, let me ask you: Have you not seen the awful similarity between what happened in Mumbai and what's happening right now in our cities?
Oh, I know the homosexual "rights" demonstrations haven't reached the same level of violence, but I'm referring to the anger, the vehemence, the total disregard for law and order and the supposed rights of their fellow citizens. I'm referring to the intolerance, the hate seething in the words, faces and actions of those who didn't get their way in a democratic election, and who proclaim loudly that they will get their way, no matter what the electorate wants!
Hate is hate, no matter where it erupts. And hate, unbridled, will eventually and inevitably boil into violence. How crazily ironic that the homosexual activists and sympathizers cry for "tolerance" and "equal rights" and understanding –while they spew vitriol and threats and hate at those who disagree with them on moral and societal grounds.
I was saddened to hear that the estimable Brad Pitt, who has done a lot for the displaced people in New Orleans, pledged $100,000 to his friend Ellen DeGeneris for some campaign to overturn Prop 8, saying something about constitutionally guaranteed "equal rights." I'd like to know – on just what constitutional writ does Brad base this statement?
Every homosexual citizen has the same, identical rights as any other American. The Constitution says nothing about marriage, and shouldn't. Marriage is not a governmental creation; it is a time honored and biblically ordained institution that is subject not to the government but to the will of the people. And the people, down through the centuries, have spoken. Not just the Bible, but Webster's Dictionary, defines this covenantal relationship called "marriage" as a commitment between one man and one woman.
Because this elemental building block of society has been so defined and respected throughout history, elected representatives in our self-government have granted certain supports and tax relief and privileges to marriages and families. Again, these privileges did not originate with some benevolent higher authority – they originated with the people, through the democratic process.
That's how a free republic works. Our people consecrated our Constitution and determined to live within its provisions, voluntarily. It was determined that the will of the voting majority would rule, though it was subject to change if the majority will changed.
There never were any "rights" granted or designated to those who dissented with the will of the majority, other than the same rights all citizens have to work through the democratic process to accomplish their purposes. No "rights" were ever granted to citizens on the basis of their sexual habits or lifestyle. There simply are no such "rights."
Slavery was abolished, blacks and women obtained the rights to vote, and these true rights were not obtained by threats and violent demonstrations and civil disruption (though these things did occur, of course), but by due process, congressional deliberations and appropriate ratification. This was democracy in action, not mob rule. As noted journalist Thomas Sowell has said, there never was "a right to win." In America, at least the America we've known till now, rights are earned and won in a deliberative, legal way – at the polls.
What troubles me so deeply, and should trouble all thinking Americans, is that there is a real, unbroken line between the jihadist savagery in Mumbai and the hedonistic, irresponsible, blindly selfish goals and tactics of our homegrown sexual jihadists. Hate is hate, no matter where it erupts. And by its very nature, if it's not held in check, it will escalate into acts vile, violent and destructive.
Mr. Boone's analogies are every bit as inappropriate and offensive as the argument that compare homosexuality to pedophilia and bestiality. It occurs to me that just like pedophile population is disproportionately heterosexual, the violent acts of intolerance are disproportionately perpetrated by deeply religious people.
Having stripped same-sex couples of marriage rights in California and barred them from any legal recognition in most states, prohibiting adoption and tax benefits, denying guarantees of spousal insurance benefits from employers, and a host of other legal rights automatically bestowed by the government (not a religious institution) upon straight couples who marry (regardless of whether they do it in a church or before a judge), are you honestly suggesting that the first amendment should not apply to gays either?
How dare you? As offensive as your statements are, I would never curtail your first amendment right to make a public asshole of yourself. So keep talking. Twenty years from now, same sex marriage will be legal, the debate will be moot in the minds of rational Americans, and you'll be dead. And when I think back about Pat Boone's legacy, I won't be thinking about those fantastic songs you sang in State Fair. I'll be thinking about this. My grandmother used to tell me how much she liked Bob Hope until he started telling raunchy jokes later in life. And when I'm seventy, sitting in my rocking chair, reminiscing with my grandchildren...I'll probably tell them how talented Pat Boone was until he started making offensive comments about gays. And then we'll all watch State Fair and shake our heads disapprovingly.
