What a Kid Needs

I used to think, back before I became so politically saavy, that Florida was the East Coast's version of California. I couldn't be more wrong. Time and time again am I reminded of the fundamental differences between liberal Cali, and the more and more conservative and closed minded Florida.

Case in point, Florida is the only state in the Union that has a ban on gay couples adopting children.Citing that the optimum setting in which children should grow up is a family in which there is a mother married to a father, the Florida judgeship has decided it's cool if families with failed adoption attempts, abusive histories, drug problems etc. to adopt children, as long as they aren't gay.

Let me lay it on the line for you. First and foremost, ensuring that the child has the basic necessities for survival is the number one priority. You can talk about all the Dr. Spock stuff you want but if the kid dies because you don't feed him, it's all a wash.

But after that, what's important? Well, I can tell you that ensuring that you love the child is at the top of the list. You don't need to be a man that loves women, or vice versa, in order to love a child. Hopefully the love for a child is completely and totally different from the kind of love you would have for someone with whom you have an intimate relationship.

Also, it's important to understand that our children learn how to be in a loving adult relationship by watching their parents. Now this one can get tricky but here's a little help. The most important part of this aspect is that the relationship of the parents is both loving and respectful. If you beat your spouse, you child will probably pick up on this and begin to believe that that is what you do, you beat your spouse. So in this case, if you have a mom and dad, two dads, or two moms, the important thing is that they love each other and treat each other with mutual respect.

Now, because of the nature of a homosexual relationship, there is a particular onus upon the couple to make sure that their adopted children understand the biological aspects of reproduction. But then, isn't that the responsibility of all parents regardless of their sexual orientation?

Of course, the underlying theme is that, "you can't have gay parents because their kids'll grow up gay." Which may be true if homosexuality was a learned behavior, or a choice, but let's ride that logic ladder shall we? The most profound teacher in life is pain. Ask Pavlov. If you get shocked every time you hit a button, you're not gonna hit the button anymore.

So what about homosexuality? Ask the sixteen year old boy that was murdered a few years ago because he was gay. That sounds like a pretty strong argument not to be gay right? But dispite ridicule, physical abuse, discrimination, etc., people still end up being gay.

So chances are that while homosexuality might be a choice, or learned, it probably isn't.

And still, the ban stands. According to the article it could have come up for a re-hearing, but the vote that prevented that from happening came from Judge Willie Pryor. Here's a shocker, this guy is a Bush appointee, and even more shocking, he's one that was appointed whilst the Senate was at recess meaning that he didn't have to worry about being confirmed.

Okay, I lied, I'm not shocked.

Mr. M

ps. Crossposted from Left of Center.

pps. Since Cernig is back in action, Sunday Edition will be exclusively Left of Center. But here's what to look forward to this Sunday. With the new (or not new) head of the DNC being decided about a month from now, it's time we took a hard look at who might be leading the opposition to the NeoCons. This Sunday: The Chair