Returning good for evil

I stood on a street corner for two hours today holding a "yes on Prop 8" sign . There was a lot of support in the way of honking, waving, thumbs-up, nodding, etc. I felt more optimistic knowing that there are others out there who support this proposition.

On the other hand, there were also plenty of people who honked just to draw attention to their middle finger. And there were those who talked about discrimination and civil rights. Some bordered on rude.

But through it all, I felt strengthened by returning good for evil. I stood there in the rain with my sign and a big smile on my face. I wanted to make sure that anyone whose views differ from mine at least know that I will not stoop to ugliness to voice my opinion. I will smile and wave regardless of their reaction to my sign.

And I will fight for my rights and for my children.

I feel that there are those who would make this into an issue of rights, but then ignore the fact that if this proposition fails, the rights of thousands of parents will be denied. The rights of churches will be decreased. And the rights of average citizens will be threatened, all in an effort to ensure the rights of a very vocal few.

And since that minority is so vocal, I think there are a lot of people out there who support Proposition 8, but are afraid to admit it. It is an effective strategy to make Prop 8 supporters think that they are alone and that they are on the unpopular side of this issue. Or to intimidate them into silence. But that is not the tactic I will use. I would rather be associated with a happy campaign fighting for the safety of my children than with an angry campaign trying to bully society as a whole to accept and promote my lifestyle.

I'll be fasting and praying that people have the courage to vote for what's right.