Discrimination belongs in the past
I’m an old Southern woman. In the time and place in which I grew up, African-Americans were routinely discriminated against in every aspect of life. The majority of voting citizens in my hometown heartily approved of racial segregation and thought it perfectly appropriate to assign all black children to poorly funded schools to keep them away from white children. They were certain that marriage between whites and blacks was “an abomination unto the Lord” and would doubtless lead to further abominations such as marriage between humans and animals.
My dear great-aunt informed me that it was scriptural to discriminate against blacks, as God himself had marked them for scorn with “the mark of Cain.” Not to do so, she said, was to disobey God. Her minister and congregation agreed with this stand.
If the local or state lawmakers had been foolish enough to propose legislation entitled “The Defense of White People Act,” stating that interracial marriage should continue to be outlawed and that integration threatened white sovereignty, I have no doubt it would have passed overwhelmingly. Thankfully they weren’t that stupid, because despite the opinion of the majority of the time, those laws would have violated basic human rights.
My great aunt was wrong then and I knew it. The people who are now denouncing and vilifying gays and gay marriage while thumping their Bibles remind me of her. I cannot conceive of a God who would condone hatred of a large portion of His creation. The God I’ve come to know through scripture blesses those who love and care for one another and stands ready to bless and support their union in marriage. If you feel the need to stand in “Defense of Marriage,” go home, love and support your spouse and your children. Don’t stand in the way of someone else’s marriage.
ó Mary Ann McCubbin
Salisbury
Amendment vs. law
The same-sex marriage issue is a social hot potato for sure. There are those in North Carolina who become incensed over the fact that 30 states have had a constitutional vote for an amendment to their state constitutions, and we haven’t had a vote.
North Carolina legislators took care of the issue quite some time back and made it law that the issue of marriage is between a man and woman, only. Our legislators had the backbone to handle it with legislation. It is a law in North Carolina and not a constitutional issue. Those other states refused to handle the issue, so the citizenry rose up and forced it out in the open for a constitutional amendment. They attained that privilege. They do now have a constitutional amendment. North Carolina has a law.
I suggest that we in North Carolina settle down with the fact that we have the law and enjoy the fact that we have the security of the law to govern us.
ó Robert E. Fisher
Kannapolis
Prejudice alive, well
Monday night the county commissioners took another step backwards to the time of segregation and miscegenation. They passed a resolution restricting marriage to a select group. According to their own Web site, the Rowan County Board of Commissioners has nothing whatsoever to do with such things. The religious bigots bussed people from outside the county who were avowed to spout their vitriolic hatred and ignorance, and then the board unjustly passed said resolution.
Never mind that the state already bars same-sex marriage. Never mind that there is a separation of church and state in the Constitution and this constitutes a promotion of one very small group of one religion against the interests of anyone else.
Notably, this newspaper had no coverage of the issue beforehand, which implies it was negligent or collaborating with the board.
It amazes me that we haven’t learned the lessons of history. For gays, lesbians and the transgendered, just substitute civil rights for blacks, women’s suffrage or a yellow star for my ancestors during World War II. By denying a part of society the same basic rights, the county commission has shown that ignorance and injustice as well as deep prejudice are alive and well and living right here in Rowan County.
ó Mark Dilloo
Salisbury