“Colorado, together with Nebraska, also balloted on ending ‘Affirmative Action’ programmes and, unsurprising, both states look set to vote for those proposals…”

not necessarily a sign of bigotry. such programmes are more likely to increase resentment no matter how well-meaning they may be.

Um, everything I’m seeing has the Colorado ‘life from conception’ thing being defeated by 70%.

Very disappointed by Proposition 8.

I’ll check Colorado – I”ve been using CNN and its data feed’s been a bit odd at times – they had Obama taking Texas with 92% of the vote at one point last night…

Its interesting how you regard everyone who disagrees with your far left opinions to be a bigot. I think I’d rather be a bigot than an arrogant sh*thead like you.

Stella,

It’s not a debate. Full stop. If you want to dictate how other people live their private lives – or punish them for life choices that affect no-one else, then you’re not only a bigot, you’re an ass, too.

Thanks for dropping by. Mind you don’t let the door hit you on the arse on the way out.

Into the dustbin of history, Stella. Things are changing around here.

Stella, look at the definition of bigot. Simple.

Er read it twice…..now three times, and no, I still can’t see any bigotry, just the implementation of the old fashioned democracy by majority political system we had before politicians started bowing to every half baked, half mad, left wing pressure group on the planet. Just disppointed to see there was no anti cycling or anti-vegetarian legislation.
I think you guys are going to be disppointed, you always seem to assume that the black vote is progressive, and therefore a black president will be too. I think you will find Obama to be conservative (with a small C natch)…….

Rubbish, Matt. Anyone that wants to deny people the ability to be treated as equals while it doesn’t affect them is a bigot, pure and simple. It’s not like homosexuals are saying they want gay marriage AND straight marriage to also be outlawed, it is only some religious types that feel the need to impose their world view on everyone else. That is bigotry, “democratically” decided or not.

But hey, let’s find a place where a majority of the people wish to commit genocide against white people. It isn’t racism then, right, as long as it goes through a majority political system?

Also, these issues are devoid of left or right definitions. They could perhaps be described as Liberal or fascist, but realistically they are just religious and non-religious views.

Matt Munro appears to blindly laud “democratic” voting without stopping to consider why people vote the way they do, and whether it could be down to their *bigoted* opinions about Teh Gays or abortion.

If people’s motivations are mean-spirited, discriminatory and dictatorial (I don’t like something so nobody should be allowed to do it!) then they do not magically transform into a champion of freedom merely by exercising a vote.

So Matt, fancy telling us WHY you think that equality for gays, giving women the freedom to choose what to do with their own bodies and, for that matter, cycling and vgetarianism is “half baked, half mad” and “left wing”?

Because to me you just sound like a bigot without the first clue about democracy.

“giving women the freedom to choose what to do with their own bodies and, for that matter”

That people should be able to indiscriminately decide who lives and who dies based on their own convenience, is to me a selfish and appalling form of bigotry. You can call me the bigot if you like but I believe certain inalienable rights, among them life, because without that, everything else is academic. If you’re not born or if you’re aborted, you don’t have the chance for liberty, nor the pursuit of happiness because you’ve been killed. Of course abortion is terribly convenient, that’s why it’s legal and will remain legal however much the pro-life brigade tries to stop it. However, I still think it’s a disgusting wickedness and a sign of a sick society rather than an advanced one. But of course thats just my opinion, I know that nothing anyone could ever say would change the selfish pro-death views of the people here.

I might be wrong on this, but I think Massachusetts also voted to decriminalise the personal use of small amounts of cannabis, which could quite possibly one happen in that state.

Matt Munro was very close to correct with a tinge of humour but you seem to insist on extending his brief comment beyond its clearly intended scope. Personally I don’t give a hoot about how gay people conduct their lives but I am puzzled why they even want to marry. Need to talk to the guy who sits next to me at work, his wife is divorcing him and taking him to the cleaners after 20 years of dedicated marriage – he’s done nothing wrong and now he’s going to loose everything he’s ever worked for. As I recall marriage was originally a promise to the sky pixie who doesn’t like gay people one bit so doubly puzzled really. Just maybe the conservative folks are trying to do their gay neighbours a favour?

Trouble is, not only are there a fair few in the gay community who believe in the sky pixie, give or take the homophobia bit, but there’s also the little matter of the civil rights attached to marriage.

Wolfie – I refer you to the remarks on marriage made by fictional divorced Aussie Portaloo cleaner Kenny: “Don’t bother getting married, mate – just find someone you hate and buy ‘em a house.”

As for Stella – yeah, sure, we’re all “selfish” because we don’t believe in denying women a choice and don’t believe in telling them what to do. You really are a ridiculous wombat’s wang, aren’t you?

But you carry right on whingeing about the “rights” of people that don’t exist…right after you’ve looked up “bigotry” in a dictionary so you don’t keep misusing it for your own ludicrous ends.

“So Matt, fancy telling us WHY you think that equality for gays, giving women the freedom to choose what to do with their own bodies and, for that matter, cycling and vgetarianism is “half baked, half mad” and “left wing”?”

Er if you tell me first why the freedom to do what I like with my own body, like fill it with nicoitine, lager and donner kebabs makes me a social pariah among the very liberals who would apparemtly defend the rights of gay marriage to the death. Is it perhaps that being gay is fashionable in Islington whilst being white and working class is not ?

Cycling is left wing because it is a collectivist method of travel, look at china 10 years ago everyone was on bikes.

And have you ever met a conservative vegetarian – I haven’t.

Okay,confused Tory here.

Is opposing affirmative action bigoted? I’d have thought the liberal position, as in the classical liberal sense, would be meritocratic or is that what is being suggested here?

Opposing gay marriage is obviously bigoted, unless one considers, as I do, that the State’s role in marriage needs reconsidering anyway. Yep, for heteros too. Tell the government to back off and let all couples make their own arrangements. In the absence of that option, just let ‘em marry.

And abortion is one of those thorny issues that though I accept the right to it, I can totally understand those that see it as the strong (mother) undermining the rights of the weak (unborn). I’m not talking about the whole God thing which just makes it all so wearisome. I’m talking about people drawing different compromises between the rights of each other. It really isn’t as simple as one person telling another what to do with their body (which of course underpins the wrongheaded illegality of drugs), rather it can be phrased as one person telling another what they can’t do to a third individual (the child). Follow me?

And the state lottery one? That needs voting on? A lottery? What is it with Americans and gambling? I’m curious are you able to bet on the outcome of votes like that. It sounds a delicious irony.