Posted on 07/02/2015 6:51:37 AM PDT by xzins
Conservatives are reeling after two outrageous decisions last week by the Supreme Court. In one case they reinterpreted Obamacare so that “established by the state” magically meant “or the federal government.” In another, they redefined marriage—even though nothing in our Constitution gives the court the authority to do that.
What do we do now?
The Obamacare case is the simpler of the two when it comes to next steps. While the court refused to enforce the plain meaning of the text, Congress can still vote to repeal Obamacare and replace it with patient-focused, market-based healthcare reforms that will truly serve all Americans. Obamacare remains unworkable, unaffordable and unpopular. Congress must act to repeal it.
Responding to the marriage decision will be more complicated. It will require a commitment to the long haul. This bad decision cannot be remedied in any single bill, or vote or election cycle—though all of those can certainly soften the blow.
The problem is that right when American citizens were in the middle of crucially important deliberations about marriage policy, five unelected judges shut down that democratic process and declared the conversation closed.
In many ways, we are in a similar situation as the pro-life movement was after Roe v. Wade. Roe didn’t change the truth about unborn children or about our Constitution. And for 42 years the pro-life movement has been reminding us of that—and working to build a culture of life.
We must do the same. We can’t allow the judicial usurpation of politics to go uncontested. We have to commit now to bearing witness to the truth about marriage—a permanent and exclusive union of man and woman, husband and wife, father and mother—and work to restore our constitutional authority as citizens to make marriage policy that serves the common good by reflecting this truth.
How do we do that? Here are five steps.
First, elections have consequences. The marriage ruling was 5-4. Two of the justices voting to redefine marriage were appointed by President Obama. The next president is expected to have the opportunity to appoint as many as four Supreme Court justices.
If you care about the rule of law and our Constitution, you can’t afford to sit out this next election. It is very likely that the court will soon take a religious liberty case deciding whether citizens who do not believe in same-sex marriage will have their constitutional rights protected. Better justices, better outcome.
The next president will also determine which legislation is signed and which is vetoed—and how to exercise leadership in the executive branch in a way that either continues to undermine, or begins to rebuild, the meaning of marriage in law and culture.
Second, policy matters. We The People, and our elected representatives in Congress and state legislatures, can make policy that prohibits the government from violating our rights. This is why the First Amendment Defense Act is so vitally important. If passed and signed into law, this act would prohibit the federal government from ever discriminating against any citizen, charity, school or business because they embrace and act on the belief that marriage is the union of a man and woman.
Just as the pro-life movement ensured that no pro-life citizen would ever have to pay for an abortion or perform an abortion, so too must we work to ensure no one is coerced to act against their conscience on the matter of marriage. Rather than go to court suing for religious liberty exemptions, this bill would prevent the government from ever acting unjustly in the first place.
Third, the states matter. If you are concerned about faith-based adoption agencies shutting down, or bakers and florists and photographers being fined thousands of dollars simply for declining to celebrate a same-sex wedding, then you need to also be concerned about state and local policy.
In each of these cases, it wasn’t the federal government acting on federal law that brought the burden; it was state and local government. We need good policy at all levels of government.
Governors have an opportunity right now to issue executive orders preventing state agencies from discriminating against or otherwise penalizing citizens and organizations that continue to believe marriage is the union of a man and a woman. State legislatures can pass laws doing the same.
Fourth, ideas matter. The judicial redefinition of marriage has no basis in our Constitution, but it didn’t come out of thin air. For the last 50 years, we have not done enough to combat the faulty liberal ideology that has wreaked havoc on America’s families.
Redefining marriage is only possible in a culture that has accepted the results of the Sexual Revolution, like non-marital childbearing and no-fault divorce, and so many other bad ideas about human sexuality and the family.
Already some “progressives” are using the court’s redefinition of marriage to go further. On Friday, the same day that the court redefined marriage, Politico ran an essay titled, “It’s Time to Legalize Polygamy: Why group marriage is the next horizon of social liberalism.”
With few notable exceptions, far too many leaders have been silent on these issues. Far too few scholars have been willing to tell the truth. We need to speak up if we are to win these arguments.
Fifth, our lives matter. Ideas go only so far, but the beauty of lived witness is what moves people the most. It’s not just that for 50 years we’ve bought into a lie about marriage; it’s that we haven’t lived out the truth.
Even if government policy tells a lie about marriage for a time, we must refuse to believe the lie when it comes to how we live our lives and what we teach our children. Raising children and grandchildren to believe the truth—and, more importantly, live out the truth—must be done with all diligence, and we must form communities of virtue to help one another do that.
Of course, communities of virtue will not be allowed to exist in the United States if some activists on the left get their way. These ideologues want to use the force of government to treat ordinary Americans who believe marriage is the union of man and woman as if they are racists.
We must not allow them to succeed. We must work on policy and culture, ideas and actions, to ensure our rights are protected and we have the long-term ability to rebuild a strong marriage culture.
America is in a time of transition. The court has redefined marriage, and beliefs about human sexuality are changing. Will the right to dissent be protected? Will the right of Americans to speak and act in accord with what the United States had always believed about marriage—that it’s a union of husband and wife—be tolerated?
Most Americans say yes, they want to be a tolerant, pluralistic nation. They want peaceful coexistence. We agree with them. But far too many ideologues and activists want to sow the seeds of disharmony by having the government coerce those with whom they disagree. We must work together to protect these cherished American values.
While Americans are free to live as they choose, no one should demand that government coerce others into celebrating their relationship. All Americans should remain free to believe and act in the public square based on their beliefs about marriage without fear of government penalty. After all, protecting religious liberty and the rights of conscience does not infringe on anyone’s sexual freedoms.
The First Amendment Defense Act is one way of achieving civil peace even amid disagreement. To protect pluralism and the rights of all Americans, of whatever faith they may practice, this act is good policy. Liberals committed to tolerance should embrace it.
Not good enough. If America defies God by embracing sodomite marriage, America will lose God’s blessing and protection. End of story.
One problem as I see it is that conservatives are lazy about regaining control of education. We too often don’t bother to vote in races for college administration and state level department of education slots.
So far, and I agree it doesn’t go far enough...but, so far this is the only plan I’ve seen. Jim DeMint strikes me as trying to do the right thing.
A two step Xzins plan:
1. Place locks on ALL televisions, broadcast, commo devices in the home.
2. Send children to Christian school, online school, or home school.
“Congress can still vote to repeal Obamacare”
Stopped reading after that idiocy. ZERO chance they’ll do that. But for 1 or 2 that’s nothing but blather.
See #5. The bible says that the way we train our children is the way they will think. (Train a child in the way he should go, and he’ll not depart from it when he is old.)
IOW, I agree with you.
1. FLOOD public education with Christian teachers.
2. Fully support Christian, online, home schooling alternatives.
Can’t do anything.
McConnell said so — it is fixed law now.
Boehner? He is still giddy over being invited to fly on AF1.
==
Wasn’t it McConnell a couple of years ago claiming Pubbies had learned their lesson from the last time they had majorities in both chambers so now they know how to govern?
It seems that all they know is fold, bend over, capitulate, compromise and give up any leverage they have via The Constitution.
==
Vote Republican?
Again, that isn’t working out so well.
Too bad there isn’t much of an alternative from the Demicans and Republicrats.
Uh, America defied God long ago and only continues to deepen its rebellion:
1. Prayer outlawed in schools;
2. Roe v. Wade = millions of murders since;
3. Being anti-Israel;
At best, this is #4 in the progression.......AND Obama’s 1st election and then 2nd election ARE indeed God’s judgment on us.
Read, “and God gave them OVER.....” in Romans 1. These are just evidences to our being given over.........
But fasten your seatbelt - these are just the birthpangs - much worse is to come........
Marshall law and a full-blown dictatorship are highly likely next year......IMHO........
He said ‘can’, and to be honest with you, this ObamaCare is absolutely flawed. The Dems will start filing constitutional complaints themselves shortly, just so John Roberts can fix it for them. :>)
Premiums are going up, co-pays are going up, and there is zero relief from high deductibles. In essence, people have no health care.
This will have to be completely changed. In reality the easiest change is to ‘replace’ it with what we had before ObamaCare....own doctors, own hospitals, right to buy catastrophic care if we so wished, etc.
It had the best doctors in the world in the best hospitals in the world, and the world came to America for care.
ObamaCare was one concern.
The major thrust of the article is about homosexual marriage and protection of religious beliefs of dissenters.
We MUST NOT quietly allow legislators to pick their cowardly path through a critical issue.
True, but it’s damned hard for conservatives to get involved. Do you think, for example, a public school would EVER ALLOW you, or me, or some other retired or semi retired business person, to come in and teach the young skulls full of mush about the free market? Hell no.
The only way I could get involved with education was thru home schooling, which we did, and we raised 2 solid 100% conservatives and one 80% conservative. Much better track record than the lo fos coming from public schools, and too many private schools too.
now that’s reportedly Costa Rica.....
Seriously?
yes....seriously. Lot of good American doctors ex patriated and are practicing down there. Costa Rica has a booming “medical tourism” industry in fact.
New info to me. Thanks.
:What do we do now?:
May I put forth the radical notion that we collectively, “we” being conservatives rid ourselves here and everywhere of people that spout liberalism in all it’s forms and actually live by the conservative principles we CLAIM we hold?
Because, you know, these psuedocons ARE the enemy within that have done nothing but ensure ‘lesser evil’ is what holds power.
DeMint does not say this explicitly, but rebalancing the USSC could mean that this case could be revisited from a different angle and its mandate undone
So yes, could well BE “good enough.”
> “Congress can still vote to repeal Obamacare and ***replace*** it with patient-focused, market-based healthcare reforms that will truly serve all Americans.”
No Jim. Government should not be ‘replacing’ anything in Healthcare markets. We’ll handle marketing just fine thank you.
Government’s role here is safety and security of medicines and treatments, nothing more.
> “First, elections have consequences. The marriage ruling was 5-4. Two of the justices voting to redefine marriage were appointed by President Obama. The next president is expected to have the opportunity to appoint as many as four Supreme Court justices.”
Jim, it’s ‘primaries’ that have consequences. GOPe gave us Romney. Romney is one of the biggest liars we’ve ever seen and it’s so easy to see through him. Regardless what this cretin says, Romney supports universal healthcare aka socialist healthcare and homosexual normalization of perversion.
Jim, let’s cut to the chaste, you’re not in tune man. Get out, see people and calibrate yourself. Your heart’s in the right place but your perspective is dated.
One thing liberals like to do is blaspheme as many things as possible...
Just a thought for you on the way to your mirror.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.