Ralph Klein vs Gay Marriage
Ralph Klein has always yammered about same-sex marriage, going so far as to say it's OK to discriminate against gays when it comes to marriage. In his rants, he goes on about the 'sanctity' of heterosexual marriage being chiseled in granite, demanded by the Almighty, and even trying to tie it in with Darwin's evolution theories.
Sorry, Ralph, but marriage is just a cultural artifact-nothing more. This means that, like any cultural artifact, it can be discarded or altered as we see fit. We've been discarding and changing institutions for the last seven or eight thousand years and that includes marriage. The only constant is change-nothing lasts-this isn't some kind of mystical cliche, it's really true.
Homophobia aside, and more disturbing, is Klein's brand of political conservatism-it does not bode well for ordinary citizens. If you listen to conservative agendas, they claim to promote less government-"get government off people's back!" they say. Well, I think what they really mean is "get government off corporate backs."
One need look no further than Alberta's garage sale of public services and resources to the private sector over the last ten years and their consequences-skyrocketing insurance and utility rates, reduced benefits for seniors, pay cuts to nurses, teachers and others, an ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor, so on and so forth.
What we do in our bedrooms, what we put in our bodies, how we handle our reproductive choices-these are things they want to control. It's basically a totalitarian agenda-they very much consider it their business.
All governments are guilty of this to some extent, but in conservative ideology it's much more pronounced. What the 'neocons' in the White House have done south of the border is a perfect example of just how wacky conservative ideology can get.
Klein's views on same-sex marriage are predictable and not surprising-just another example of how some people are willing to dig their heels in- resisting any kind of change that threatens their status quo. Klein and his cronies are quite happy with the way things are, and as long as the gravy train stays on track for themselves, their friends, and other well-connected heels, don't expect to see any significant change for the better anytime soon. Personally, I think Ralph should be compelled to officiate at a gay wedding (and kiss the bride).
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