Queried by a gay man about marriage rights at a campaign stop in Missouri Friday, the ever-antigay Rick Santorum said marriage is a “privilege” and that gay relationships do not benefit society in the same way as heterosexual ones.
The former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, now seeking the Republican presidential nomination, made the remarks while appearing at William Woods University in Fulton. He said, “Two people who may like each other or may love each other who are same-sex, is that a special relationship? Yes, it is, but it is not the same relationship that benefits society like a marriage between a man and a woman.” He went on to discuss problems experienced in single-parent homes, not explaining how that is relevant to allowing gay couples to marry.
Watch video below, courtesy of Think Progress.
Enough about santorum. In
Enough about santorum. In less than a month no one will even remember who he is. He's not going to get the Republican nomination, so we should be focusing on people either in- or about to be in- positions of influence.
Who speaks for "S"ociety?
Who speaks for "S"ociety?Apparently the same kinds of folks who speak for God, aka, the other unseen yet all seeing Magic Spirit in the Sky that yet must jarringly have naked sweaty apes speak for what it wants, what it likes, what it dislikes, what benefits it, what doesnt.This is where Santorum loses me. Same old, same old high priest standing in front of the volcano and speaking for the volcano Gods...Just like Obama, Romney, and Gingrich.Paul is the only candidate talking individual freedom, and look how well he is doing.The tribe loves its tribal nonsense, and insists on it-- whether it is based on God, Society, Marx, Durkheim, or even Rawls, there is always an imagined authority safely over the horizon that yet demands to be spoken for, and there is never a scarcity of charatans eager to step up.
Really? A Privilege?
If that's the case then why is it that prisoners can get married? Why would a criminal be able to benefit from marriage? Why should the women who marry criminals in prison be able to benefit from marriage? And, how on earth do either benefit society by being married?Anyone who wants to marry someone of the opposite sex can get married. If it were a privilege then everyone would need to pass some sort of written test and be given permission beforehand. Nope. It's not a privilege. There is absolutely no argument that anyone has ever given that makes marriage between two people of the opposite sex more important or special than between two people of the same sex. There are absolutely no benefits to society that can be claimed by marriage between two people of the opposite sex. Certainly, it's not children because most people who get married don't have kids. Oh, sure, young people tend to have children, but most marriages are second, third and even fourth marriages. Those people already have kids and don't want any more. Marriages between people who are past their child bearing years are still legal, so it certainly isn't the fact that two people of the opposite sex can have kids that benefits society.I'd like to know what those benefits are. What benefits can two people of the opposite sex provide society by being married?
He didn't say that marriage was a priviledge
He didn't say that marriage was a priviledge. He said that government bestows some priviledges on those it recognizes as married because it wants to encourage those structures. If you accept that procreation within marriage is a benefit to society then the other cases, without children, benefit society by standing as an example of a norm for others who will provide direct benefit.
Bigots
jpower-procreation doesnt benefit society-millions are born that need government assistance-even those who have wealth-are you saying humans creating future generations benefits society? by what standard? continuing human existance is desirable because we're vain and egotistical creatures, but there's no real benefit to people if there are kids popping up everywhere. And what about barren couples? shoudl they be denied marriage? All wrong-in the USA, marriage is a secular union bestowed on two consenting non related adults-legal benefits are bestowed. There is no reason to deny this to gays since gays, on average, make more money than straights and thusly pay more taxes-so, gays are entitled to govt benefits. Lastly, marriage was created prior to religion and it was an inheritance issue-nothign to do with love, kids or religion. Santorum is an old, religious bigot who thinks his faith is correct and should dictate laws. NOPE-gays will gain full equality under the law-all court cases are showign this. Just a matter of time.
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