Stam goes into the belly of the beast, gets gnawed on

Seriously, Mr. Leader.  What good did you think could come from going to Chapel Hill to defend the gay marriage ban constitutional amendment?

Going over there was akin to a cat accepting a party invitation from a pack of pit bulls.  It’s like trying to sell Bibles in Mecca.  It’s like the dentist telling you : “This isn’t going to hurt a bit.”  (It usually does.)

Various media outlets have reported on state House Majority Leader Skip Stam (R-Apex), and state Rep. Rick Glazier (D-Fayetteville) participating in a debate / forum at UNC-Chapel Hill’s law school on Wednesday.  The topic of discussion was the legislature’s recent decision to allow North Carolinians to vote in May on a state constitution amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

When Stam arrived for the event, he was greeted by students chanting: “No on 1. No on hate. Love does not discriminate.”

Nice. Sounds like an open-minded, unbiased crowd ready to give both sides a fair shake. 

You have to love that tolerant, Chapel Hill-Carrboro crowd.  They’re always right.  We’re always bigoted, narrow-minded and uninformed.  (And they will shout you down if you try to tell them otherwise. )

Instead of quixotic exercises like this, the amendment’s supporters need to step outside of the Triangle and talk to people who actually live in the real world.   Point to people like Judge Howard Manning, who believes he has the right to add line items to the state budget — and that there is a constitutional right to government-subsidized nursery school for every kid in North Carolina regardless of their ability to pay.

You can also point to the judge who struck down a Johnston County school system decision to expel a student for repeated violations of a dress code.  The student wore a nose ring, despite the fact that the school had rules against such attire.  The judge ruled that the girl’s First Amendment right to freedom of religion was violated because she and her mother reportedly belonged to something called “The Church of Body Piercing.”

The amendment is necessary because of judges like this — who dream up new constitutional rights and protections and force them on the rest of us.

The Left’s main argument — outside of the screamed references to “Hitler” and “hate” — is that gay marriage is already banned under state law.  A ban is already in place, so how is putting it in the constitution “hateful”?

They are upset because the amendment will make it harder for creative judicial activism to give them what they can’t get through the political process in this state.  If it clearly says “Man and Woman” in the state constitution, that settles the issue.  (Or, it should.)
Judges have already found a constitutional right to wear a nose ring to school, as well as a right to nursery school paid for by tax dollars. I am sure there is a judge out there who can find a constitutional right for Adam and Steve to have the most festive wedding possible.

The Left is also uncomfortable because the referendum is creating splits within the Democrat Party.  A surprising number of Democrats from yellow-dog Democrat districts voted to send this issue to the voters.  Party activists will be trying to force these legislators to go on record about the amendment prior to the vote in May.  No politician, trying to get the vote of those church-going folks, wants to talk in support of a potential wedding reception for Adam and Steve.

It is a sad commentary on the state of our society when we have to go to these lengths to protect ourselves from creative jurists.