Political Hotsheet
By

Jill Jackson /

CBS News/ March 4, 2011, 5:04 PM

House GOP moves to defend DOMA

gay marriage CBS/ AP

To avoid a messy floor fight on gay marriage, House Speaker John Boehner announced today a path forward to defend a federal law that defines marriage as only between a man and a woman. Boehner will convene the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group -- which consists of the top three Republicans and top two Democrats in the House - to vote on whether House lawyers should defend what's known as the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA.

This move is in response to an announcement earlier this week by Attorney General Eric Holder, who said that the Obama administration would not defend the constitutionality of the law in the courts.

"It is regrettable that the Obama Administration has opened this divisive issue at a time when Americans want their leaders to focus on jobs and the challenges facing our economy," Boehner said in a statement today. "The constitutionality of this law should be determined by the courts -- not by the president unilaterally -- and this action by the House will ensure the matter is addressed in a manner consistent with our Constitution."

President Bill Clinton signed DOMA into law in 1996 when Republicans controlled the House. In addition to defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, it absolves states from recognizing same-sex marriages that are legal in other states. Since 1996, the law has been subject to lawsuits in lower courts challenging its constitutionality.

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi slammed Boehner's decision to defend the law both on its merits and for the money it would take to defend the law.

"Aside from standing up for a discriminatory law and failing to focus on jobs and the economy, this action places Republicans squarely on the wrong side of history and progress," Pelosi said in a statement. "In addition, this decision will burden the staff and monetary resources of the Office of the General Counsel, and given the complexity of these cases and the number of courts involved, it is likely this will cost the House hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars."

The move by Boehner to convene the legal advisory group, instead of bringing a bill to the floor, ensures that Republicans get the outcome they want since Republicans have a majority on the panel.

© 2011 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
66 Comments Add a Comment
linkicon reporticon emailicon
billholahan says:
Our founding fathers proposed castrating homosexuals? Really! That is not written in our history books. Thank goodness our country has evolved since its early primitive days. I get the feeling that some people would love to go back to those days, before the Civil War, before the freedom marches of Martin Luther King Jr., when racizm ran rampant.

Consider the fact that many people have been raised (brainwashed?) to believe it it proper to bash gay people. Those thugs who beat down "****" with baseball bats are fueled by the same evil ideology as R.E. King and other anti-gay posters on this blog.

I am not at war with my own nature. I am defending myself against throwers of stones and spewers of hate speech. Anti-gay people might be at war with gay natured people, but are they acting out of their own sexual identy?
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
billholahan says:
Gay people have always existed, and this will continue ad infinitum. Try to let go of that which does not concern you. If you are gay and self-loathing I feel sorry for you. Be strong, tell the anti-gay people to focus on the sanctity of your own lives.
reply
R.E.King replies:
linkicon reporticon emailicon
Yes, sexual deviants have nearly always existed; as have murderers, rapists, thieves, pedophiles, bestiality, and a myriad of other depravities. But that does not mean that we as a society should embrace, or excuse these activities as just a part of life we must learn to live with.

Your groups biggest mistake was in demanding that our tax dollars be used to indoctrinate other people's children into your 37 year-old religion.
linkicon reporticon emailicon
billholahan says:
You have the right to stand in protest against actions with which you disagree. You don't have the right to deny other people their individual civil rights.

What does it mean to deny oneself and everyone else the source of our freedom? Who is doing that? Are they the gay people or the biggots who are denying?

Your arguments are becoming less and less clear.
reply
R.E.King replies:
linkicon reporticon emailicon
Your civil rights have not been violated in the least; your ability to redefine what it is to be married just to lend the appearance of acceptability to your depravity is what is at issue here.

In the SCOTUS 1967 Loving v. Virginia ruling that declared marriage to be a civil right the word marriage was defined exclusively as (1) man and (1) women. The recently revised definition of marriage was inserted in 1997 after extensive lobbying by same sex activists; which means that your perverted definition of what a marriage is cannot be inserted after the fact to a 1967 ruling on marriage - it is a violation of intent.

You are out to redefine this nation to better reflect your depravity and that makes you a traitor to your nation. What's next; will you insert a reference to conflict resolution into the definition of Murder?

Same sex activity is a choice; the fact that you refuse to acknowledge your part in said choice only proves you know the choice to be wrong.
linkicon reporticon emailicon
R.E.King says:
Being a same sex enthusiast is a choice; the fact that one refuses to acknowledge said choice only serves to prove that that individual is aware of how deprave that choice is.

Asking a same-sex enthusiast if they recall ever making a choice is just like asking the same of an illegal immigrant; the answer will always be no because there happens to be no pay-off for saying yes.
reply
billholahan replies:
linkicon reporticon emailicon
Yes, it's a choice to be enthusiastic about defending the civil rights of gay people. Isn't that better than being pessimistic or self-loathing as homophobics would have it? Having sex with a gross individual just out of uncontrollable horniness is depraved, whether it be gay or straight. Haven't we all regretted some of our choices?

But what about illegal immigrants? Are you talking about the sex slave industry festering in America? I hope not, that is so very sad.
linkicon reporticon emailicon
R.E.King says:
This nation is based on Judea/Christian principles and beliefs; for that reason alone others are afforded the freedom to practice ther religion here.

We do not have to wait for what God will say because he has already said it:

"Leviticus 18:22 - You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.

"Romans 1:26-27 - For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

"I Corinthians 6:9 (NIV) - Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

"I Timothy 1:8-11 (NASB) - "But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted."

This will be the best security for maintaining our liberties. A nation of well-informed men who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved. It is in the religion of ignorance that tyranny begins. Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.

Benjamin Franklin
reply
billholahan replies:
linkicon reporticon emailicon
R.E. You are making an excellent case for all those who follow the rules of the Bible. Your quotations are accurate, but you are ignoring the question of debate. Should our civil laws be determined by Biblical Text? The clear answer is "no". There are too many religions in America to begin that precedent; imagine strict Islamic marriage laws, the banning of the sale of pork, the criminalization of card games, and on and on. You are free to practice your customs. You are not free to deny someone their civil rights. How simple can it be?

The founding fathers were wise to set up a constitution that allowed for the separation of Church and State. Even though they might have been of certain faiths, they set up a government that would not impose their faiths upon the citizens of our new country.
fierce2 replies:
linkicon reporticon emailicon
No one's stopping you from practicing your religion. No one's demanding or mandating you have to marry a same sex partner...
linkicon reporticon emailicon
R.E.King says:
Opponents are also free to vote their conscience; to have their vote counted as equal to every other vote regardless of Race, Religion, or Gender - the three classes protected as immutable under the U.S. Constitution and protected by the 1st Amendment.

What you are advocating for are new rights based solely on what people do as opposed to who they are; to have perversion held to the same high level of scrutiny that is afforded Race, Religion, and Gender.

Your demands carry a notable absents of precedence in support of; you seek to remake this nation to better reflect your depravity just so you can feel less guilty about the choices you made.

I suggest you invest in a dictionary; preferably one written prior to 1990.

Depravity - Immoral

Pervert - An unusual or abnormal sexual act performed repeatedly

Heathen - Godless; uncivilized

Marriage - The joining of opposites; as in (1) man and (1) women
reply
billholahan replies:
linkicon reporticon emailicon
One can be depraved of anything, lack of good sex being one of them. I can think of thousand of perverted heterosexual acts, I think our world would be quite boring without a little godlessness, and marriage - how about the perfect marriage of chocolate and peanut butter?

The obsession with feeling guilty for choices made is a normal aspect of self awareness. But everyone is responsible for their OWN choices, and consequences in their own life. Being gay is not a choice, nor is being heterosexual. Gay people have to choose between being in or out of the closet. After that, gay people and straight people face the same decisions in life. Will they marry or stay single? Will they live extravagantly or modestly? Will they be selfish or generous?

There's no difference between straight and gay. We should all recognize the same rules of good behavior. It's rude to stick one's nose into someone else's personal business without being invited.
R.E.King replies:
linkicon reporticon emailicon
"There's no difference between straight and gay":

Just like there are no differences between Apples and Oranges? Perverts cannot procreate within the construct of their relationship!

You are looking for justifications for the choices you made in a world where no such justifications exist; so now you resort to legislating justification of your depravity...

You have no basis in fact for your demands. Try to remember that the founders of this great nation advocated the death of sexual deviants such as yourself; they did not marry you.

Whenever you take part in an activity you first must make a choice to do so. It just so happens to be that heterosexual activity is a normal and healthy aspect of life and same-sex activity is not.
linkicon reporticon emailicon
1176894 says:
I think it is time the republicans stop thinking they are GOD and stop telling other people how to live their lives and with whom to live.even GOD allows people to live the way they want to.GOD DID NOT APPOINT THE REPUBLICANS AS JUDGE AND JURY.ONLY GOD HAS THAT RIGHT AND HE AND HE ALONE WILL MAKE THAT ON JUDGEMENT DAY.and HE will JUDGE EVERYBODY EVEN THE REPUBLICANS ALONG WITH EVERYBODY ELSE,HOW EVERYONE HAS LIVED UP TO HIS SPECIFICATIONS IS ENTIRELY UP TO HIM.AND NOBODY ELSE,THANK GOD.
reply
billholahan replies:
linkicon reporticon emailicon
Seriously, gay marriage has NOTHING TO DO WITH GOD. If we wait to see what "god" will say, there would never be any consensus on issues and policies. Belief in God is a personal choice regardless whether gay or straight, and everyone will have a different image of what God is, and what he says. The truth is that some people are atheist, Buddhist, Hindi, Muslim, etc. Our government laws are devoid of religion such that people of certain faiths will not be prevented from following the specific rules of their own church.

Whether gay or straight one can be a pervert, or a saint. What are all the dissenters of fair civil laws?
linkicon reporticon emailicon
R.E.King says:
In California alone less the five one hundredths of one percent of the population of that State benefited from the redefining of the word marriage to accommodate perverts.

Make no mistake; this fight is over the 1st Amendments freedom OF religion and freedom of speech.

Pervert: A unusual and abnormal sexual act performed repeatedly

note:

When SCOTUS declared marriage a fundamental right in Loving V Virginia the word "Marriage" was defined as:

The joining of opposites.

SCOTUS will have to keep this in mind when they determine the rational behind this ruling.

I can see why you folks have such disdain for the definitions of words; they do not paint a pretty picture of your depravity.
reply
billholahan replies:
linkicon reporticon emailicon
R.E.King, I'm not sure from what side of the argument you speak. You are fixated on perversion, but keep in mind we are all responsible for our own "perversions" or lack thereof. How does one define unusual or abnormal? It's all relative. How many more straight sex addicts are there? Why don;t you harp on them?

Regarding the joining of opposites, it's obvious that the best relationships are often those of opposite personalities, backgrounds, culture. Gender is just one of the attributes that define us. My boyfriend is black, I am white; he's Baptist, I'm atheist; he's from the South, I'm from the North; and surprisingly we are compatible!

The legalization of gay marriage DOES NOT DEPEND UPON THE SENTIMENTS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE ISSUES WITH GENDER ORIENTATION. Opponents are still free to feel as they choose. That's o.k., gay people are used to that - we've been dealing with this all our lives.

The opponents of gay marriage are the ones who are pushing depravity. How deranged does one have to be to wish to deny Americans their civil rights? Get balanced people!
linkicon reporticon emailicon
billholahan says:
The President has decided not to defend a law that has been deemed unconstitutional. Some people think he is acting on his own whim, and do not realize that he is keeping our country from sliding into a bigoted nation. People are accusing him of opening a divisive issue, when in fact DOMA itself is the divisive issue. Defense of Marriage EXCLUDES and DIVIDES. When the President will not defend it, he is trying to put the division to rest. It is the Republicans who are opening it up in their attempts to continue their persecution of gay people. STOP THE DIVISION, DROP THE DEFENSE.
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
billholahan says:
To the Republicans: OTHER PEOPLES' MARRIAGES ARE NOT ABOUT YOU. When gay people marry, NOT ONE SINGLE CIVIL RIGHT IS TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU. The Republican party is NOT to interfere with the personal lives of citizens. Marriage is a contract between two human adults. Period. The marriage license is issued by the government. Our government does not "sanctify" marriages, that is up to the married couple (and the god they may worship). We are talking about a government issued license. We obtain licenses to drive cars, practice medicine, carry a gun, operate a school, hospital, restaurant, etc.; nowhere does the government deny a license to someone because of their gender, race, orientation, etc. What part of "all created equal" and "freedom and justice for all" do they NOT understand?
reply
See all 66 Comments