Rick Baxter: Defending Marriage Fail

Back in 2003, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners decided that the pending threat of Gay Marriage was enough to stir them to act so, at the urging of Rick Baxter, they adopted a ludicrous resolution protecting the sanctity of marriage. The resolution, in part, reads: "Whereas, as a matter of public policy, Michigan recognizes that it has a compelling interest in encouraging, supporting, and protecting marriage to promote, among other goals, the stability and welfare of society, its families, and its children..."

When it was in its early reading stages, community members from all walks of life came to both support and decry the measure. The resolution’s author and sponsor, Rick Baxter went on record as saying: "The historical, grammatical and contextual definition of marriage is one man and one woman," he said. "Why is this important? What it means to be married ultimately affects the family unit and what it means to be a family." Rick and his fellow Republicans knew that this issue was a contentious social issue and they knew it would bring out the easily ruffled social conservatives to the polls. Their plan worked, and if you recall the horrific election of 2004 and all the horrible anti-Gay vitriol that it brought, you can guess how the election turned out.

So why am I rehashing all this? Long time readers will know that I am no fan of Rick and my disdain for him knows no bounds. I got into a bit of hot water when I organized the short Spice boycott of 04 and since then, my crusade against him and the store in question has ebbed. Many folks have asked what I have against him, as I have been a frequent letter writer to the Voice of the People, criticizing him and his position in government. I am usually a pretty mellow person by nature, but when someone attacks me, demonizes me, and hurls false accusations at me, my friends, and my family, I go in full defense mode.

• He made it personal back a few summers ago when he painted gays as the downfall of traditional families. Each day when we went to the mailbox, fliers with menacing images of LGBT people were juxtaposed against scared, mostly white, heterosexuals clutching their children and their bibles.

• He made it personal when he wasted time writing needless and unnecessary proclamations against something I felt very strong about, Gay Marriage.

• He made it personal when he stepped on the LGBT community to weasel his way into politics.

And now, I find out that he is now divorced. Thank you Facebook for recommending him as a friend so I could discover this delicious bit of irony for myself, it made my weekend. The Norman Rockwell version of the American family that he shoved down our throats with his ads and mailings featuring HIS family is now dissolved. While I feel sorry for his family and kids, I have to wonder how he feels about his resolution now that he has worked to destroy marriage on his own. Yes, this is a delicious bit of Schadenfreude; I will not deny that fact. The irony that Tod and I are happily married (LEGALLY!) and he is not should not be lost on anyone.

So what to do? I turned to the bible to help understand my feelings: Proverbs says: "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him." (Proverbs 24:17–18, King James Version). Yeah, yeah, I understand... but do YOU understand how much fun I am having at his expense? Back to the bible:  Jesus Himself had nothing but scorn and contempt for the hypocrites of his time. Let's read Matthew 23 “Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

Jesus never once said anything about gays, but he had plenty of things to say about divorce and hypocrites, Rick, I hope you are listening.

Went to the vaults to find this article: http://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=4463