Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Kevin James for Mayor? Not so fast....


Thump-thump-thump-thump.
What was that?

That was the sound of a lot of Los Angeles political activists jumping off the Kevin James bandwagon.

I never jumped on that bandwagon in the first place, so I saved myself some travel time.


The former Assistant U.S. Attorney and current KRLA radio show host had previously been seen as somewhat Conservative in his political views, but this news will not sit well with some voters. Like me.

Gay? I can handle that. I have two friends who are gay.
I don't approve of their lifestyle, but I don't condemn them for it.
I just accept them as who they are. It doesn't stop me from being their friend.
Hell, I even have some friends who voted for Obama...and I consider that a crime against humanity.

James being gay probably won't derail his campaign, but I don't think it particularly helps him, either.

What I find particularly offensive is that in the LA Weekly piece it states that James supports Gay marriage and worked against Prop 8. That is, indeed, troubling.

When I was working on the McCain campaign in 2008, I also spent some time and energy working on the Yes on 8 proposition. I even went to their website and endorsed it. So for James to say he supports these goals...well... I can't support him, then.

Does this make me a jerk? Mean spirited? Not really.
Like Obama, James has views and ideologies that I can never accept.
He is entitled to support these views and issues, but I will not.
The race for Mayor will be filled with liberals who cherish these types of ideas.
I don't. It is that simple.

My position on homosexuality is complicated.
Both the Bible and the Torah say that the punishment for homosexuality is death.
But nobody today runs around killing people just because they are gay. That would be crazy.

As a Conservative, you are always concerned about the rights of others. Technically, I think gays already have most rights given to them under the Constitution. There is no reason they shouldn't be able to transfer property, inherit things, share insurance programs, or visit a loved one in the hospital ...etc.
Gays in the military? I think "Don't ask, don't tell " is about the best compromise possible.

But gay marriage? That is a leap they cannot make.

In over 5,000 years of Judeo-Christian history, there has never been such a thing as gay marriage.
But now gays want to snap their fingers and say that this thing now, magically, exists.

What gays are saying is that they have the right to inflict a twisted ideology on others. An ideology that repulses and horrifies them because it betrays and perverts their very religious faith and beliefs.

Legitimate churches and religions do not allow gay marriages to be performed.
For a government to step in and demand that would be a horror show for those of faith.
If the scriptures and the religious organizations themselves say it can't happen, then gays have no right to step into the arena and try to create new doctrines and theologies.

Gays want to share life insurance programs? Go ahead. Be my guest.
Gays want to get married in my Catholic Church? Not a chance. Not going to happen.

One of my funniest memories of the 2008 campaign was about Prop 8.
It was late at night and some of us at the McCain headquarters on Motor Avenue were carpooling home.
We were on our way to dropping off a coworker who lived in West Hollywood.
Spotting an angry "No on 8" crowd at Santa Monica and Robertson, I asked my buddy to drive slowly past them.
I grabbed one of our yellow "Yes on 8" yard signs and held it out the window.
"Yes on 8! Yes on 8!" , I shouted at the crowd.

Jaws dropped. Silence. Then anger...

They didn't like my sign too much. An angry mob chased us down Santa Monica about 300 yards before we finally accelerated away from them. I got a good laugh out of it, but the guy who was driving was terrified of potential vandalism.

It was proof that when it comes to gays, their "open mindedness and tolerance" only work in one direction.
If your beliefs include the Bible, then they really can't stand you.