Two biographical notes about Edwin Meese III:
As Reagan's chief of staff, Meese was instrumental in the decision to crack down on student protesters at People's Park in Berkeley, California, on May 15, 1969. Meese was widely criticized for escalating official response to the People's Park protest, during which law enforcement officers killed one protestor and seriously injured hundreds of others, many of whom were bystanders. Meese advised Reagan to declare a state of emergency in Berkeley, contrary to the recommendation of the Berkeley City Council, which led to a two-week occupation of the city by National Guard troops.
And...
On May 21, 1984, Reagan announced his intention to appoint the Attorney General to study the effect of pornography on society.[11] The Attorney General's Commission on Pornography, often called the Meese Commission, convened in the spring of 1985 and published its findings in July 1986. The Meese Report advised that pornography was in varying degrees harmful.
Wow! That's some career in public life. From forty years ago, using the National Guard to squash the First Amendment rights of student protestors whom I would note were thick on the ground during the then height of the anti Viet Nam war protests to heading up a presidential commission to determine if porn was bad for the mental health of American children to defending the rights of the people of California to discriminate against their fellow citizens. And he capped his career by having a hand in the Iran Contra scandal of St. Ronnie's administration. Kudos, Mr. Meese!
I find it very heartening that in his dotage, Mr. Meese has managed to keep sustain his life-long goal of suppressing the freedoms and rights of American citizens which do not conform to his narrow conservative view of right and wrong. But this time, Meese lets his innate bigotry to spew out across the printed page for all to see. Like the old time racists bigots that still exist in pockets of the Confederacy across the South, Meese can't stop himself from using the tired old mid-twentieth century stereotypes of gays, lesbians, and of course, San Francisco. Really. Just read some of his comments in today's New York Times.
"It’s disquieting that the trial is taking place in San Francisco, probably the venue most likely to support gay marriage. More than 75 percent of San Francisco voters opposed Proposition 8. That’s quite a home-court advantage for same-sex marriage advocates."
And...
"Most troubling, Judge Walker has also ruled that the trial will investigate the Proposition 8 sponsors’ personal beliefs regarding marriage and sexuality. No doubt, the plaintiffs will aggressively exploit this opportunity to assert that the sponsors exhibited bigotry toward homosexuals, or that religious views motivated the adoption of Proposition 8. They’ll argue that prohibiting gay marriage is akin to racial discrimination."
And to show that he is also a Luddite...
"To top it all off, Judge Walker has determined that this case will be the first in the Ninth Circuit to allow cameras in the courtroom, with the proceedings posted on YouTube. This will expose supporters of Proposition 8 who appear in the courtroom to the type of vandalism, harassment and bullying attacks already used by some of those who oppose the proposition."
And it's really all about the children, don't ya know...
"Despite this, during the trial, the supporters of Proposition 8 will work hard to demonstrate that it was rational for voters to conclude that marriage is a unique institution that promotes the interests of child-rearing, and that those interests are broader than the personal special interests of the adults involved."
Don't even bother exercising yourselves over the speciousness of that old chestnut . His argument is so illogical and ancient as to be laughable if it weren't for the fact that the "paper of record" chose to publish this drivel. The editors of the Times should have known better then to give this relic from a time long past a soapbox from which to further the right-wing cause of anti-gay discrimination.