Before the State Legislature starts voting on SB 1 (the Same-Sex Marriage bill in Hawaii) I’ll make my predictions… mark ’em down and agree or disagree.
First, I really believe the fix is in on this, and what we are seeing now is little more than political theater. A back room deal has already been struck, I think, and the legislature is merely going through the motions.
Written testimony for and against was solicited, and many of us took time to craft thoughtful responses and send them in, only to hear that, “written testimony is entered into the record, and printed out and stuck in a binder nobody reads.”
Oral testimony was solicited, pro and con, and hundreds or thousands of people took time of of work, wrote out testimony, and spent the entire day waiting for a chance to speak. They were given 2 minutes each to speak on proposed legislation that will potentially alter Hawaii’s legal and social landscape forever. As the day wore on, and the line of people signed up to speak kept coming, the committee changed to rules in the middle of the game, and started allowing only ONE minute per speaker… then as the night wore on, 30 seconds per speaker.
Outside the legislature a massive crowd opposed to the bill gathered and the legislature seems unmoved. I agree with a local pastor who posted on Facebook, “We should not be here today if every Christian voters do their job on Election Day. ” Christians voted into office some of the very people they are now protesting, and the very people they knew opposed their moral stance on this issue.
The amassed crowds are calling out, “Let the PEOPLE decide.” As much as I would like to have faith that letting the people decide would result in a victory for righteousness and a Godly outcome, my faith in the Hawaii electorate is pretty thin; they are, after all, the ones who elected the current governor and legislature who are trying to end-run the voters on this.
My prediction, based upon my belief that the fix is already in, is that SB 1 will pass, the Governor will sign it into law, and the victors will not be graceful in victory. They will take any and every opportunity to make life difficult for those who stood in opposition to redefining marriage to accommodate 3% of the population.
I fear for Christians — the church dispersed — who bake wedding cakes, shoot photos, produce videos or provide other services. Their right to hold a moral position is about to be infringed and some will be litigated out of their livelihood.
In the event that the traditional marriage position holds, or the issue does get sent to the voters to decide, the pro-gay marriage activists will wage all-out war against the church for daring to take a stand. Get ready.
In Kaneohe this week a husband and pregnant wife holding a banner opposing SB 1 were physically attacked by a militant gay marriage proponent, and — after ripping the sign from their hands — the angry person injured the couple with his vehicle. But, of course, WE have been labeled the haters in the narrative, so…