Ugh, totally second that. I hate that woman. "Tolerance" is crap. It means "it's ok that you exist... I guess. Just do it over there, away from me." I thought she was supposed to "love" everybody, as a Christian... *eye roll*

Wow. It really says something if the small town you came from hates you too.

The names kill me. Do you really want to be caught fighting the "Assembly of God?" If you're fighting the Assembly of God, you must be bad and godless.
Aren't all churches assemblies of God? Isn't it a little unfair and nondescript to take a name like that?
It's that loosely applied "Christian" thing that's really getting to me. I'm all for sects putting their differences aside and not treating each other as separate religions, but to generalize the faith as a whole when it's convenient is really annoying.

It's like "Focus on the Family." You're put in a position of saying "It's not that I hate families! I love families, but..."

My neighbor has this hideous lawn ornament in her front yard. It's this creepy looking gnome/mushroom/flower/forest animal fountain thing that drives me absolutely nuts. It's tacky as hell, and yet I tolerate it. I tolerate it because I know that I don't really have the right to get rid of it (though I would if I could) and it could harm my good standing in the neighborhood were I to get caught destroying that damn thing. So whenever I hear someone talking about "tolerating" other people's sexual identity, race, religion, ethnicity, etc. I always think that they are really just saying, "Look, I'll put up with certain people despite their yucky orientation/skin/beliefs/traditions because I have to" when they would gladly get rid of "those people" if they could.

I don't doubt that is also Sarah Palin's true thought process when it comes to GLBT people, and it pisses me off that Obama and Biden know better but are willing to throw certain communities under the bus so as to not upset some moderates.

It really pisses me off that neither of them support anything besides "traditional" marriage. Way to superimpose heterosexism! Any way, I feel like it went almost completely un-noticed that Palin's agreement with Biden on this issue stopped at not believing in gay marriage. She did not say that she agreed with Biden on visitation rights, full marriage benefits, etc. I interpret that as meaning she doesn't support giving gay and lesbian couples any of the rights and benefits of married heterosexual couples AT ALL. I think Palin should have been pushed further to explain herself. Because then I think it would have showed that she has no "tolerance" what so ever, and no problem completely discriminating against gay and lesbian couples. Maybe most of us already think or know this, but I think it needs to come out her mouth, rather than her just beating around the bush.

It's never been a secret that Obama was against gay marriage, and we've all known it from the get-go, so I wasn't surprised or angry at all. It's a sad truth that I got angry about a while ago, but am really numb to at this point.

It's very difficult to get elected president in this country while openly supporting gay marriage, and that obviously sucks. Honestly, I don't know what Biden or Obama, McCain, or Palin believe in their hearts, just what they're saying to get elected. Pandering pandering pandering. That's politics.Which is why I've found it so difficult to passionately support any front-running candidate since I first became eligible to vote 8 years ago.

Gay marriage is a wedge issue used to drum up the social conservative base.

Joe Biden played the politics correctly on this one.

It matters much more what will be done once either is elected, more then how they speak of it now.

Obama and Biden have both previously been vocal in the past that while they don't support "gay marriage" they do support fully equal "civil unions." -- Essentially, dragging the issue out of the realm of social issues, and into the realm of civil rights.

Cheers,
-SPiHC

p.s.- Biden really dropped the ball on not pressing the follow-up, where Palin redefined the question to avoid answering it.

BUT... SARAH PALIN HAS A GAY FRIEND!!!

*sarcastic*

Well that pretty much clears up any lingering doubts or questions I had about the book banning thing. Why on earth haven't we heard about this before? Probably because no one's bothered to ask LGBTQ people and their allies about their opinions.

HRC wears on me sometimes (Their campaigning has a tendency to be a little one-note, and I'm still pissed off about the ENDA thing) but they do a good job of getting some important voices heard, and for that, I'm glad.

Ugh. Gay marriage should be legal, plain and simple. It’s stupid to think otherwise. However, it’s also maddeningly unwise to believe that there isn’t a vast difference between Democrats/Obama and Republicans/McBu$h on gay rights. The fact is that the longer people don’t realize that Republicans can’t stand gay people---the longer gay people will remain second class citizens in these here “United” States of America.

First of all, I think the term "marriage" should be replaced by "legal civil union" for everyone, and bride and groom should be changed to Person1 and Person2. IMO the term "marriage" has a religious connotation. Let the joining couple's faith of choice determine hat defines marriage.

So people are pissed that Biden didn't fully back gay marriage in the debates? I am pissed that women's rights didn't come up. No offense to the Gay Rights Movement, but Women's Rights have taken a back seat to other "hot button" social issues, and personally I'd like to see more focus on why Women STILL earn $0.70 to every $1.00 a man makes, why most of us work full time and bear the burden of the child rearing, housework, etc. Why do WOMEN'S concerns - especially women's healthcare - always take a back seat?

Now, before you all flip, I fully support Gay Rights in every single way. I am just tired of Women's Rights being avalanched by every other social issue. Is over 2,000 years long enough to wait for equality?

I was actually really impressed by what Biden did there - it seemed to me that he came out strong for equal rights (even though he wouldn't call it "marriage") and presented his position in such a way that Palin would look blatantly bigoted if she disagreed. Now she's on record as saying that she supports equal rights for queer couples. I thought it was brilliant!

Of course, I'm also leaning ever more to the view that everyone, gay or straight, can get civil unions, and just give the word "marriage" to religion, which is not the exclusive property of the right, anyway.

I agree with jennyP

Here is a compromise that will never happen:

Let those that get married in a religious institution have the term of 'marriage', let them have it and use it to their own discretion.

Anyone that is bound in a state based institution will have a 'civil union'.

~

As a citizen of the global internet, I find the state of US politics very distressing. As a geographical Australian I can only watch in horror from a distance as the farse grows deeper. Mabye my perspective is distorted by a global tone of anti-americanism but I am often left to wonder what prevents all geographical Americans from becoming jaded and cynical.

Dear Governor Palin was just in my state of Florida yesterday "talkin" to "joe 6-pack" and soccer moms. Talk about noise pollution. Thank-you so much for posting this! I agree with an earlier poster that it really says something when people from your own hometown dislike you.