Yesterday, a federal judge ruled that Proposition 8 — the voter initiative that amended the California Constitution to define marriage as heterosexual — is unconstitutional. The usual pro-Prop 8, anti-gay marriage suspects began hollering almost immediately.
Here, the best of the best (or worst, depending on how you look at it):
The Founding Fathers Would Be Shocked
From the chairman of National Organization for Marriage, or NOM:
Here we have an openly gay (according to the San Francisco Chronicle) federal judge substituting his views for those of the American people and of our Founding Fathers who I promise you would be shocked by courts that imagine they have the right to put gay marriage in our Constitution.
Shocked, probably. But $10 says the Founding Fathers would also be shocked by women wearing pants, a black man becoming president and cable news.
But The Judge Is Gay
From the president of the American Family Association:
It’s also extremely problematic that Judge Walker is a practicing homosexual himself. He should have recused himself from this case, because his judgment is clearly compromised by his own sexual proclivity. The fundamental issue here is whether homosexual conduct, with all its physical and psychological risks, should be promoted and endorsed by society. That’s why the people and elected officials accountable to the people should be setting marriage policy, not a black-robed tyrant whose own lifestyle choices make it impossible to believe he could be impartial.
His situation is no different than a judge who owns a porn studio being asked to rule on an anti-pornography statute. He’d have to recuse himself on conflict of interest grounds, and Judge Walker should have done that.
This Will Be Dangerous When We Have A Lesbian On The Supreme Court
From former House Speaker Newt Gingrich:
Today’s notorious decision also underscores the importance of the Senate vote tomorrow on the nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court because judges who oppose the American people are a growing threat to our society.
In other words, “cough cough Kagan’s totally gay cough.”
The Ruling Is A Blow To The Civil Rights Of African-Americans
From Bishop Harry Jackson, a D.C.-based Christian pastor:
This is a travesty of justice. The majority of Californians — and two-thirds of black voters in California — have just had their core civil right to vote for marriage stripped from them by an openly gay federal judge who has misread history and the Constitution to impose his San Francisco views on the American people. The implicit comparison Judge Walker made between racism and marriage is particularly offensive to me and to all of us who remember the reality of Jim Crow.
What Next? Is Jesus Unconstitutional?
From Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC):
Today’s wrongful court decision is another attempt to impose a secular immorality on the American people who keep voting to preserve traditional marriage.
Stick To The Traditional Definition, Just Like The Mormons Have
From Michael Purdy, spokesman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a major financial supporter of Prop 8):
Marriage between a man and woman is the bedrock of society.
Because the Mormon Church has stuck with a traditional definition of marriage all this time?
The Man On The Street
And the kicker, care of MSNBC:
Luke Otterstad, 24, of Sacramento, outside the courthouse with his fiance, Nadia Shayka, 22, wearing T-shirts that read “bride” and “groom”: “I’m very upset. I feel like I don’t live in America.”
