Posted on 12/12/2012 7:35:21 AM PST by Kaslin
Last Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed for the first time to take on the issue of gay marriage. No matter how it rules in the two cases it will hear next spring, polling data suggest it is only a matter of time before legal recognition of same-sex unions is the norm throughout the country.
Something similar is happening with marijuana, which became legal in Washington last week and in Colorado on Monday. With both pot and gay marriage, familiarity is breeding tolerance.
The cases before the Supreme Court deal with popular reactions against gay marriage: the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a 1996 law that barred the federal government from recognizing state-licensed gay marriages, and Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot initiative that amended California's Constitution to eliminate same-sex couples' right to marry, which the California Supreme Court had recognized that year. But something interesting happened after those measures passed: Surveys now indicate that most Americans support gay marriage.
The turnaround was remarkably fast. A 1996 Gallup poll found that 27 percent of Americans thought same-sex marriages should be "recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages"; by last year, that number had nearly doubled. Recent surveys by ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN also put support for gay marriage above 50 percent.
Striking generational differences mean these numbers will continue to rise. In a CBS News poll last month, 72 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds supported gay marriage, compared to 53 percent of 30- to 44-year-olds, 44 percent of 45- to 64-year-olds and 33 percent of respondents who were 65 or older.
The consequences of these changing attitudes could be seen in last month's election results. For the first time ever, gay marriage was legalized by popular referendum -- not in one state, but in three: Maine, Maryland and Washington. Voters in a fourth state, Minnesota, rejected an initiative that would have amended the state constitution to prohibit gay marriage (which is already banned there by statute).
On the same day, voters in Colorado and Washington approved ballot measures aimed at legalizing the cultivation, possession and sale of marijuana for recreational use. The initiatives won by surprisingly healthy margins of about 10 points in both states, in contrast with a California legalization measure that lost by 7 points two years ago.
Nationwide support for marijuana legalization, like nationwide support for gay marriage, has increased dramatically, although not quite as swiftly, rising from 12 percent in a 1969 Gallup poll to a record 50 percent last year. While support for legalization dipped a bit during the anti-pot backlash of the Just Say No era, it began rising again in the 1990s. Public Policy Polling recently put it at 58 percent, the highest level ever recorded.
With pot as with gay marriage, there are clear age-related differences, reflecting different levels of experience with marijuana. In the CBS News survey, support for legalization was 54 percent among 18- to 29-year-olds, 53 percent among 30- to 44-year-olds, 46 percent among 45- to 64-year-olds and 30 percent among respondents of retirement age.
Just as an individual's attitude toward gay people depends to a large extent on how many he knows (or, more to the point, realizes he knows), his attitude toward pot smokers (in particular, his opinion about whether they should be treated like criminals) is apt to be influenced by his personal experience with them. Americans younger than 65, even if they have never smoked pot, probably know people who have, and that kind of firsthand knowledge provides an important reality check on the government's anti-pot propaganda.
Another clear pattern in both of these areas: Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to oppose legalizing gay marriage and marijuana. Yet Republicans are also more likely to oppose federal interference with state policy choices. In light of DOMA's disregard for state marriage laws and the Obama administration's threats to prevent Colorado and Washington from allowing marijuana sales, now is put-up-or-shut-up time for the GOP's avowed federalists.
You are correct. The only place I ever hear of talk about gay marriage and pot laws, is here. Granted I do not have a large social circle, but the people I know, just aren’t interested in these 2 issues. They will comment on it a little if someone brings it up, but I don’t believe it influences anyone’s vote. I am 62yo, work as a defense contractor and get random drug and polygraph tests.
Are you gay?
I read your entire post...
If you knew any libertarians, you would know it is us, not conservatives, that were on the front lines fighting this line of social engineering also..
so, like I said, you do not know any libertarians, do you?
I did not realise that defending against agendas was a FR requirement?
What kind of observations are there, if not personal? Why do you allow atheists and libertarians here then?
Not that I know of.
Encore.
If your personal observations include defending the homosexual agenda (or any other liberal/socialist/Marxist cause), then you may find your welcome here running out, just as many other atheists and liberaltarians have.
I HATE the homosexual agenda (which is just another Marxist tool to destroy our liberty) and all other agendas that I, as a freeper should defend against, and will fight them with my entire being until death.
‘I think the turn-arounds seem fast because to most Americans, these two issues aren’t that important.’
How does the above statement defend the homosexual agenda?
The WOD is fought incorrectly. You cannot fight a war on drugs where 90% of them are imported without closing the border. Period. When the suppliers start losing 7 out of 10 shipments or more instead of 2 out of 10 (and the number maybe lower) then you will see a change. No matter what Holder’s clan say they have no idea how much really comes over the border/ports/aircraft/seas.
I speak from sitting on the border and watching obvious runners come over and get caught taking the under-staffed LEOs off their post and over the next several hours you can see the increase in traffic until they figure the next shift comes on or the arresting officers are back out of the office.
It is the legal system that you and your associates have also implemented that requires insane documentation just to put an illegal Mexican drug runner caught with 200 pounds in jail. It took me 3-5 hours to clear paperwork and arraignments before I was back out. That your honor is BS. Please don’t lecture my on civil rights yada yada. It is a broken system all designed to ensure jobs in the legal community not protect rights of the accused.
Don't play games with me, troll. Your next post defending the above statement may be your last.
Of course I know libertarians, too many of them, I prefer conservatives, and was smart enough in 1975 to catch the leftism of the libertarians.
They are behind conservative lines fighting for social engineering everywhere, they are the commandos of the left, advancing the agenda and erasing conservatism, blurring the lines with a new vocabulary, even Mitt Romney adopted it to justify his radical leftism.
It’s always interesting to hear a liberal react to the idea of pot legalization. Their first words always include “regulate” and “tax”. I think that deep down, their support for gay marriage is really just based on the instinct of wanting a way to tax and regulate same sex relationships.
Please, tell me the words I used that are in defense of that statement? If you explain, then I will know what not to say. What should I have said?
I’ve been here long enough for you to know that I don’t defend anything other than my own personal beliefs about weapons and my faith.
“These two issues aren’t that important”
Don’t be an idiot.
Substance bans are social engineering - it was Progressives who pushed for alcohol Prohibition - and just as that social engineering failed, the social engineering of current drug bans is failing in all the same ways.
That is the funniest thing I have read all week! Thank you for sharing.
Libertarians are also very devoted to promoting acceptance of the homosexual agenda at every level.
Social Engineering on a massive scale, tearing at the deepest roots of human existence.
Yep, that’s the liberaltarians.
Where is the evidence that 90% of drugs are imported?
without closing the border.
Since drugs can be hidden in legal imported goods, how do you propose we close the border to that traffic without bringing all importation to a grinding halt?
No Nation has survive when, as November 6, 2012 demonstrated, the majority is made up of traitors and parasites.
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