Supporters of Proposition 8 Continue Lie Campaign

I and others have discussed the disingenuous lies and other scare tactics being utilized by the Christianist and Mormon supporters of Proposition 8 in California. Increasingly, it seems that those who profess to be motivated by "Christian values" are the most dishonest, least charitable and simply down right nasty people one can encounter. I know personally in my legal career, the attorneys who have talked about religion and worn religion on their sleeves the most are typically the ones ripping off their clients the most. In truth, Proposition 8 has NOTHING to do with public school education or curriculum. I have difficulty finding words to fully describe my loathing for the deliberate dishonesty used increasingly by Christianists and now Mormons in their anti-gay jihads. They have truly turned religion into something vile and evil. The Los Angeles Times has a story that looks at some of the latest Christianist scare tactics and lies. Here are some highlights:

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Supporters of the constitutional amendment, under which marriage would be defined as only between a man and a woman, contend that if Proposition 8 does not pass, gay marriage will be taught in public schools. . . . "They just made something up in order to scare people and change the subject," said Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

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School districts and the California Department of Education, meanwhile, are getting a steady stream of calls from the media and parents wanting to know whether gay marriage will be taught in schools if Proposition 8 is defeated. . . . There is nothing in the state education code that requires schools to teach anything about marriage. Even the decision about whether to offer comprehensive sex education is left up to individual school districts. What state law does require is that districts that offer sex education "teach respect for marriage and committed relationships."

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Hilary McLean, spokeswoman for Jack O'Connell, the state superintendent of public instruction, said she was unaware of any district that had changed its curriculum as a result of the California Supreme Court's May ruling allowing same-sex marriage.Still, recognizing how politically potent the issue is, the Yes on 8 campaign has made it the center of its television advertising campaign.