One man’s voice

Dude, let’s protest Prop 8 in SF

Posted on November 9th, 2008 in On Politics, Personal Messages, Rants

In keeping with my growing confusion over those that would protest the outcome of a vote, today I was astonished to read an article in the Oakland Tribune outlining a protest that took place in San Francisco on Friday night. It was a protest that again affected traffic and involved the protesting of a church.

When is this madness going to end? Why, in a city that voted close to 100% No on 8, are people protesting? Who are they trying to win over? They are blocking traffic which is raising the costs of their city by making police officers work overtime or making their police department work more officers, they are negatively affecting thousands of people and they are throwing a massive tantrum in a city that didn’t even vote for the proposition they are protesting. What sense does this make?

And what sense does it make to protest the LDS church in any city? So they donated money for a cause they believe in (no, I am not a Mormon, I am a Christian). Would you want people coming after you because they are mad that you gave to a cause you believe in? That is just plain stupid. Actually, it is more mob-like than anything, giving the appearance that they are trying to intimidate people for their support of an initiative that the protesters don’t like.

They are a church. The Christian church did the same thing. They stood behind their values and morals and asked their members to do the same thing. No one can make anyone do anything, not even in the church. Targeting the LDS is plain wrong. Targeting anyone is just wrong.

I wonder when will come a day when those that do not agree with someone can actually peacefully coexist with those they do not agree with, without protesting them, without calling them names, without defacing their property, without any of the foolishness that was exhibited in this campaign. I know both side participated in this type of activity. I know many people that had their “No on 8″ signs defaced, stolen or damaged. One of my “Yes on 8″ signs was stolen from my front yard.

This type of behavior is silly, stupid, immature and wrong. We can disagree without becoming mortal enemies. But for crying out loud, if you must speak up on your opinion, can’t you do so without targeting an individual or organization. Speak your mind. That is awesome. Many American’s have fought many battles and lost their lives in many cases so that we can stand on a street corner and speak loudly against those ideals that we think are wrong. But keep it to that. Speak loudly, speak clearly and make your point your point. You don’t need to storm a church to do that.