A very wise man once told me the most important races on the ballot are the judicial races. These judges wield enormous power, issuing decisions affecting the Texas Railroad Commission’s influence over gas utility rate schedules, the application of property tax exemptions to Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDO), Houston Fire Department breach of settlement agreements, and the treatment of marriages and how assets are divided in the event of divorce.
From the Dallas Voice, November 2013:
The Texas Deputy Attorney General for Legal Counsel argued before the Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday that state law requires marriages to be recognized before a divorce can be granted.
The Supreme Court took up the issue of gay marriage, considering whether the law allows same-sex divorce despite it not recognizing same-sex marriage.
The two cases involving two couples married in Massachusetts, Dallas couple H.B. and J.B. and Austin couple Angelique Naylor and Sabrina Daly, were consolidated for arguments.
Meanwhile there’s the gleeful reactions among Parker supporters this week after she …oh, wed is not the right word..a better phrase is pulled a publicity stunt…in California.
She’s never really wanted to make this a political issue,” Rice University Political Scientist Mark Jones said.
Well guess what! She DID make this a political issue; and the issue isn’t helped by Republicans running around Texas screaming “eeck–gay marriage—-eeck”—–the issue the Republican Party is facing is their failure to articulate the issue of using our court system to force legislative respect for lifestyle choices.
Parkers’ publicity stunt is an affront and insult to the intelligence of Texas voters that believe in traditional marriage. To show such disrespect for the sanctity of marriage by using it as a publicity stunt & political tool to force legislative respect for a lifestyle choice is downright repulsive to me.–and even worse we have Republican candidates running for office that can’t articulate the issue.
So as you’re out on the campaign trail and you meet candidates for the Texas Supreme Court..or any court for that matter, ask the candidate about the cases that come before the Court; the judicial races are the most important races on the ballot.
Yvonne, why is same sex marriage repulsive to you? Why shouldn’t Mayor Parker be able to enter into a state sanctioned relationship with the person she loves? You cannot articulate a single valid reason for the State of Texas to not recognize same sex marriage, other than your personal hatred for those who are different. No one is forcing your church to perform same sex marriages, no one is forcing you to marry someone of the same sex, there is no impact on you whatsoever.
Being gay is not a lifestyle “choice”. It’s hardwired into people’s brains by some circumstance we don’t yet understand, and no one deserves to be treated badly because of that.
It’s always great to encourage folks to meet candidates in down ballot races. However, I would be weary of a judicial candidate that tells you how they would rule in a particular type of case – that is a violation of judicial cannons (ethics). Incumbent judges and justices are especicially restrained in what they may and may not say, making it easy and unfair for others to take pot shots at them to which they may not respond. We want our conservative legislators to enact conservative laws in Texas and for our conservative judges and justices to fairly and impartially interpret those laws, not be swayed by opinion – liberal or conservative.
One “valid” reason is that homosexuality goes against the laws of nature. If you believe in a God it goes against his laws. All major religions consider homosexuality to be immoral. Until someone finds a gene that makes one “homosexual” it is a life choice. Using your hardwired argument means that a killer, thief, rapists, can make the same argument (they can’t control themselves).
Does Annise Parker getting married personally harm me, no. People smoking on TV doesn’t harm me either but we prohibit smoking on TV, why? Because it promotes a habit that society has found harmful. Many persons belief that homosexuality promotion effects the children in a negative way.
Homosexuality is harmful as studies have found that homosexuals have a shorter life span. AIDS and homosexuality have been linked. AIDS it is estimated to have killed as many as 75 million people.
Manuel, smoking is not prohibited on TV, advertising of tobacco products is. I’ve never seen anyone “promote” homosexuality. You need to find better strawmen to argue that a secular government shouldn’t provide the same statutory relationship benefits that the rest of us have.
What are role models? What is grinding? Why is advertising of cigarettes on TV products prohibited? Why are people all into tattoos? Why do we put warning on packages? Maybe we can add disclaimers, homosexual activity can lead to AIDS? You do know that AIDS is creeping back up because homosexuals are engaging in non protected sex, right?
Not sure what you mean by another strawmen? Religion may be the reason why some people are against homosexual activity, but that is not the only reason.
Again why is it that homosexuals tend to die at a younger age? Religion has nothing to do with that.
Why is that AIDS initially was almost entirely a homosexual problem? If someone has a contagious disease we quarantine them. It is estimated that 73 million people have been effected by AIDS. What other natural occurring disease may we have not cured if so much money had not been directed to AIDS?
Many of the biblical laws in the Bible, the old testament, are there because of health reasons. Wash your hands before eating, circumcision, homosexual prohibitions …
Again, if it is hard wired in, why is it that we don’t allow rapists, thieves, pedophiles, to use the hard wired argument?
I personally don’t care what people do with their own lives, however, some things should remain in the closet as it promotes unhealthy choices especially for children who are vulnerable. A recent study in Britain found that the Lesbian activity is way up among young girls, why is that?
Did Annise Parker really have to make it a big event, picture in the front page? What was the purpose of that?
Homosexuals have an agenda, not sure what the final desire is but their political actions all point to an agenda.
Ask away. Ask many pointed questions of judge wannabees and note their dissembling, ducking and hiding behind ‘judicial ethics’. You don’t have to ask ‘how would you rule on this and such’, you must inquire pointedly as to their core beliefs and if honestly answered tales will be told. Ask them: ‘What points of law would you change?’. Ask them: ‘What law should be added and what repealed?’
Do not accept the bs answer: ‘Well, I’m a conservative’ as that means nothing.
To show such disrespect for the sanctity of marriage by using it as a publicity stunt & political tool to force legislative respect for a lifestyle choice is what is downright repulsive to me.
Right, because Annise Parker controls the media. A gay mayor of Houston getting married is going to be news, regardless of whether the parties involved want it or not.
Ask the candidates—-all of them—judicial or not—-if they believe marriage is a civil right.
Gee Ross….There was once a time when blacklisting people based on personal and political beliefs was bad….your intolerance for another person with a view different than yours (describing her event as a publicity stunt is my view ) is obvious.