Unfortunately the 2008 election results were a little bitter sweet. Last night we took a giant step forward in civil rights and in helping to fix the nation. This morning we awoke to find that Proposition 8, along with various propositions in other states, passed. On the bright side, the margin was much more narrow with a 52% -48% loss compared to 61% to 39% for Proposition 22. I feel confident that the next time this is challenged, intolerance and hate will not prevail.
Perhaps more hurtful, but less surprising, is that Arkansas has banned gay couples from adopting in addition to the other three states that banned gay marriage. This is simply legalized discrimination, and nothing more. I don’t know which is more telling, the proposition and those who supported it, or the backers and the people who followed them…
I found out yesterday, after it was too late to put the word out here and elsewhere, that two of the largest backers of Proposition 8, aside from members of the Church of Latter Day Saints, were Elsa Broekhuizen and Howard F. Ahmanson Jr. Who are these people? If you’re like me, you’ve never heard of them, but upon further investigation, they’re not exactly people I think should be in any position drafting civil rights law.
Elsa Broekhuizen is the mother of Blackwater USA founder, Erik Prince. As you may know Blackwater is that mercenary company operating in Iraq with questionable tactics. Their infamous history includes over a billion dollars in government contracts and have been named in a number of illegal activities.
As for Howard F. Ahmanson Jr., he is a recluse who inherited $300,000,000 from his father (founder of Washington Mutual) and has been quoted as saying, “My goal is total integration of biblical law into our lives.” Ahmanson follows the teachings of R.J. Rushdoony, which provides a list of those deserving of exocution, including disobedient children, unchaste women, apostates, blasphemers, practitioners of witchcraft, astrologers, adulterers, and, of course, anyone who engaged in “sodomy or homosexuality.” Did I mention that he has also spent time in a mental institution for Schizophrenia & has Tourette’s syndrome?
While they may not be the reason why Proposition 8 passed, it is curious as to how they remained under the radar and how their involvement, if made public, would have had an impact. The thing to focus on is what the next step is. I’m sure this will be tied up in litigation of some form or another for quite some time and will be challenged repeatedly. The fact remains that, based on poll numbers, Californian’s have gained a fair amount of tolerance over the past several years. And that is a good thing.
