Marion Barry: D.C. risks “civil war” by legalizing gay marriage
posted at 4:35 pm on May 6, 2009 by Allahpundit
Via JWF, a tough call here for the forces of tolerance. On the one hand, he’s a Democrat and a minority and therefore presumptively possessed of Absolute Moral Authority. Attack him at your peril. On the other hand, he’s a tax cheat and an ex-crackhead. No need to impeach his credibility; there’s none left to impeach. Really, about the only thing that can be said in his favor is that, warts and all, he’s still more appealing than Perez Hilton.
This much is certain: Hate like this demands the release of another Carrie Prejean topless photo.
D.C. Council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8), the only council member to vote against the bill today to legalize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere, predicted today there could be a “civil war” in the District if the Council decides to take up a broader gay marriage bill later this year.
“All hell is going to break lose,” Barry said while speaking to reporters. “We may have a civil war. The black community is just adamant against this.”…
Although he has been a longtime supporter of gay rights, Barry said he voted against the bill to satisfy his constituents in Southeast Washington.
“What you’ve got to understand is 98 percent of my constituents are black and we don’t have but a handful of openly gay residents,” Barry said. “Secondly, at least 70 percent of those who express themselves to me about this are opposed to anything dealing with this issue. The ministers think it is a sin, and I have to be sensitive to that.”
There’s a movement afoot among House Republicans to overturn the city council’s decision but they surely don’t expect to pull in 40 Blue Dog votes knowing how difficult that would make life for Pelosi (and The One). Meanwhile, Maine just became the fifth state to legalize gay marriage and the second in a row to do so legislatively. New York should follow soon and then we might see a domino effect among blue states eager to prove their own progressive bona fides. Which means, despite the all pronouncements of the death of the culture wars, that this could be a very hot red state/blue state issue come 2012. I’ve got a feeling Jon Huntsman won’t be the only candidate who supports civil unions by the time of the primaries.
Blowback
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Yes and to protect traditional marriage as contained in the Scriptures we may have to do as they do in some European countries and have a civil union or partnership for everyone–a separate marriage ceremony for the religious.
Because I feel so strongly that this is an attack on my religious freedom I am willing to do that. I don’t want to but that is the way Mormons are married in some places already.
petunia on May 6, 2009 at 5:56 PM
Sorry, Marion. Ex-cons, tax cheats, and crack addicts lose all moral authority to make calls based on what is morally right or wrong. Next headline: “Bernie Madoff condemns local shoplifter.”
dcwvu on May 6, 2009 at 5:58 PM
No matter what our views on gay marriage, I think we can all agree this guy has one of the best names evah.
Emily M. on May 6, 2009 at 6:01 PM
You know, I’m not Native American, but I was born in Wisconsin and I kind of always wanted to be. I could open a casino, get tax-free smokes for my friends, and wait in line at crappy government healthcare clinics.
This whole change of definition thing could work to my advantage. ; )
capitalist piglet on May 6, 2009 at 6:02 PM
As I read the excerpt, the man is representing his constituents.
BuckeyeSam on May 6, 2009 at 6:05 PM
For the love of Pete, spare us the topless photos of Marion Barry.
moxie_neanderthal on May 6, 2009 at 6:07 PM
And that’s the way it should be. Get government out of religion and vice versa. Let the government issue civil union licenses and if a couple wants their union blessed by a church, go get married in one.
SnarkVader on May 6, 2009 at 6:11 PM
Marion is saying that the bulk of the people in his community regard homosexual marriage as morally wrong.
aengus on May 6, 2009 at 6:21 PM
Eh, the guy’s still a douche.
dcwvu on May 6, 2009 at 6:24 PM
I am going to have to give him a pass on this one. He is trying to do the right thing for his constituents. Besides, I happen to agree that there should be no recognition of gay unions.
TXMomof3 on May 6, 2009 at 6:28 PM
He’s just saying that to cover his tracks. We all know Mr. Barry is a puppet of suburban Washington’s Mormon lobby.
hicsuget on May 6, 2009 at 6:35 PM
I think the black population has been frustrated and rightfuly so at gays crazy idea that the gay movement has struggled like the blacks in the 60s. Its a joke to compare the two.
lavell12 on May 6, 2009 at 6:48 PM
This is really amazing. A politican actually listening to those who voted him into office and doing what the voters want.
What a novel idea. Anyone every write their congressperson and get the standard reply, I will consider your thoughts when I vote et cetera, and of course they vote how their party wants them to vote regardless of how the majority of people in their district or State feel. I live in North Dakota and for some reason we have a fairly liberal Senator and Congressman who if anyone paid attention would quickly note vote not how the majority of the people in the State feel but how their party wants them to vote time after time after time.
Any here I was thinking it was a government for and by the people. Mr. Barry, I salute you on your vote. Might be a lesson for others in public office?
Rockman44 on May 6, 2009 at 6:50 PM
Anyone know how bad the murder rate in the District of Columbia, currently?
SC.Charlie on May 6, 2009 at 6:52 PM
And that is the ONLY legitimate base of power he has – and it is legitimate in a democracy. But even that is attenuated by his poor judgement. It could be said it reflects on the poor judgement of his constituents.
JeffWeimer on May 6, 2009 at 6:55 PM
And therein lies the problem. If some gays/lesbians want to have a civil union in a church and the church doesn’t want to officiate the union, then they have opened themselves up to a lawsuit.
cjs1943 on May 6, 2009 at 6:55 PM
Not if there’s a protection clause.
SnarkVader on May 6, 2009 at 6:57 PM
Crack politician pipes in.
News at 10.
viking01 on May 6, 2009 at 6:58 PM
delicious.
who would have ever thought Marion Barry could make a correct decision.
Even a blind mole finds an acorn once in a while.
notagool on May 6, 2009 at 7:09 PM
Is Perez Hilton going to take his phallic shaped megaphone to DC and call them dumb [fill in the blank]?
Daemonocracy on May 6, 2009 at 7:17 PM
He looks better with his pants around his ankles and a crack pipe in his mouth.
GunRunner on May 6, 2009 at 7:23 PM
Make it legal across the whole United States, and take the issue off the table. Enough already. What, are Republicans afraid that they won’t have a issue to run on if they lose opposition to gay marriage? It’s not a winning issue for Republicans at the ballot box anyways! Most of the minorities against gay marriage vote for Democrats regardless anyways. Take them out of the equation, and you no longer have a potential majority to grab with this issue.
Seixon on May 6, 2009 at 7:29 PM
…nope…there is no “other hand”.
…the Democrat/minority schtick is standard boilerplate…the crackhead business only reinforces his street cred…so he’s a minority Democrat with “flava”….
…as a tax cheat, I’m surprised that he’s not been offered a cabinet post by the current regime. A minority Dem with both street cred and able to fit in among his faux-nomenclatura buddies in the West Wing? That’s a hat trick, my brother….
Puritan1648 on May 6, 2009 at 7:52 PM
…this guy wouldn’t recognize a “right thing” if it perched on his right nostril and set off a flare. He’s as thorough a scumbag as it is possible to be and not be in the Senate.
…as to this instance of him approximating the views of his constituents, it’d be interesting to actually start hearing from Black America about how much they like being joined at the hip with over-privileged college student loudmouths, angry homosexuals and home-hating peaceniks.
…oops…NBC/ABC/CBS/PBS…never see the light of day…nevermind….
Puritan1648 on May 6, 2009 at 7:58 PM
…and, if it was simply what activists say that it is — equal protection, social justice, being able to visit your sick “partner” in the hospital, get married rates for insurance, etc. — only the fringe would oppose it. Thanks to popular culture, we’ve been desensitized to a lot, and most folks will go-along/get-along if those opposite them will reciprocate.
…”no skin off my nose” being the operative term here….
…but, as in the case of Miss California most recently, and as has been made abundantly clear in Canada, among other places, mainstreaming homosexuality legally is only the beginning.
Next come the “hate crimes” laws, along with the limits of free speech (because of that unwritten Constitutionally-guarenteed “freedom from being pissed off by people you’d as see choke on their own spittle”), and mainstreaming homosexuality not only in the hospital emergency room or insurance office but in the schools…and, as in Massachusetts, parents had better shut the hell up.
I’m personally all for allowing homosexuals to share in all of the normal civic and personal freedoms married folks enjoy…make all the civil contracts you want (and can in good faith execute)…except marriage. I don’t think that they deserve it. Besides…marriage isn’t a right….
I don’t think that they deserve to get what they want by virtue of the means they’ve proven themselves willing to use to get what they want.
Puritan1648 on May 6, 2009 at 8:09 PM
Go ahead and let the gays get married in all 50 states right now. Let’s see who has the guts to go out on the campaign trail next year as the one that voted for gay marriage political candidate.
I also want to see what scam the PC whiners are going to try and pull next.
Moesart on May 6, 2009 at 8:26 PM
Here’s what I don’t get. For generations, the black community has accepted a humiliating dependency on government programs and services, teen pregnancies as a norm, and rampant criminality. But this, gay marriage, is where they put their collective foot down.
Go figure.
Infidoll on May 6, 2009 at 9:31 PM
Translation: they lose all moral authority when they say something that doesn’t jibe with lefty orthodoxy. Horndog perjurer Bill Clinton is still hunky dory.
ddrintn on May 6, 2009 at 9:51 PM
^ As is half of Obama’s Cabinet.
ddrintn on May 6, 2009 at 9:51 PM
Dearly Beloved God, save us from Morons.
Sir, what are you going to do about the States that have changed their Constitutions to prevent Homosexual marriage, Invade? Shoot their citizens? Break their governments and institute a Federal Edict? Do you really want a civil war? The last civil war was over the esoteric idea of States Rights. If you are really going to invade Alabama to impose Homosexual Marriage I would bring more than one division of Federal troops, because once people see that the gloves are off, there will not be any stopping it.
GunRunner on May 6, 2009 at 9:56 PM
Hehe … yeah this is going to be a hot red / blue issue. And I’ll tell you something – I live in a Red State that WILL NOT ratify gay marriages and we will have amazing support for that position from the Black and Hispanic communities living here who voted for Obama.
HondaV65 on May 7, 2009 at 5:42 AM
DC voted 93% for Obama and continues to elect Marion Barry.
Tells you all you need to know about the liberal mind.
angryed on May 7, 2009 at 7:52 AM
Does anyone give a crap what some sub-cretinous crack-smoking criminal never-was has to say?
hogfat on May 7, 2009 at 8:10 AM
No Barry, GOD considers it a sin. The ministers merely follow the Word of God.
dominigan on May 7, 2009 at 9:05 AM
lol, did anyone catch that he voted for it, than voted against it cause he didn’t realize what he was voting for?
heh this is just to good, people siding against gay marriage is putting them in bed with a crack head, and have to defend him.
@SnarkVader Go Snarky totally behind you!
Zekecorlain on May 7, 2009 at 9:26 AM
The homos are cultural jihadists and behave accordingly. Any ground they gain is immediately exploited and followed by more endless demands. I DON’T WANT THEM NEAR MY CHILDREN and they want me to be declared evil, despicable and unlawful because I feel that way. They hate and are out to destroy Christianity because it declares their cherished activities sinful, perverse and abominable.
cjk on May 7, 2009 at 1:11 PM
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