"Hedonistic Self-Gratification As Right Conduct That Must Be Legitimized"

The redoubtable Alan Keyes speaks in Boston, May 14 (brackets in original):

.... We have these two different understandings of human sexuality: the hedonistic, self-indulgent understanding, the self-interested one; and the one that has procreation at its heart, and that is characterized by the need to acknowledge responsibility and obligation. Two separate understandings of how human beings should conduct themselves, how they should behave with respect to the pleasures and gratifications that are involved in sexual relationships.

And just so no one will miss the point: the reason that homosexuality epitomizes the [first] one is that homosexuals are not haunted by the prospect or possibility of procreation — because they're simply not capable of it. I think this is pretty obvious, isn't it? And it was understood in human society at one point that if you're not capable of procreation, marriage doesn't have anything to do with you, because marriage is about procreation.

But now comes along the supreme court of Massachusetts in order to tell us, what? Well, in order to tell us, under the specious argument about rights that they prefer the understanding of human sexuality that regards hedonistic self-gratification as right conduct that must be legitimized, made lawful and acceptable to the society.

And yet, the law of Massachusetts embodies another view that says that marriage is based upon a sexual distinction haunted by the essence of that sexual distinction, which is the capacity for procreation and the responsibilities and obligations that are involved; that marriage should be based upon a clear understanding embodied in the very flesh of the parties to the marriage that that vow, that commitment to the married estate, means that one has acknowledged the stepping across the line from a realm of simple choice and free pleasure to a realm where pleasure will be connected with procreation and obligation and responsibility.

Which should we choose?

Now, of course, I know if I were in the Massachusetts legislature or if I were just talking to the people myself, I know what I'd ask them to choose, and I would make the arguments I have been making tonight, and I would point out that if you want to get safely to the future, you need to base your family system on an institution that encourages people to have the heart, to have the character, to have the discipline, to have the understanding that is needed in order to dedicate themselves to the business of raising children responsibly for the future.

This is what I would say to them, and I would say that they must remain committed, as they always have been, to that understanding of marriage which has procreation at its heart — not because they are against homosexuality, but because they are in favor of the future!

I would say such things if I could speak to the legislature, I would say such things if I could speak to the people — but guess what? And now we get to the second element of this crisis. We live in a society based upon constitutional self-government, and in all the constitutions of the states and the federal government of the United States, that constitutional self-government embodies an understanding of the separation of powers — an executive branch, a judicial branch, a legislative branch.

And for the sake of maintaining what our Founders called republican — small r — government, that is, what Lincoln defined as "government of the people, by the people, for the people," all those constitutions respect this fact, that no law can be made in our country that does not emanate from the people or their representatives.

What does this mean? Now, see, what I just said, by the way, has to do with what goes into making a law. Now, you say, "What do the judges do, then?" Well, the judges decide cases in conformity with law. They decide whether this or that is done against the law, whether this or that conforms to the law. They decide whether conduct conforms to the rules, they do not decide what the rules shall be!

They decide what outcome conforms to the law, they do not decide what the substance of the law will be!

Our Founders warned us unequivocally. And I think it's time that the legislators of Massachusetts and Governor Romney and everybody else stopped talking in abstractions, and went back to look at the understanding of republican government on which this nation was founded!

That understanding is clear and explicit — in this especially, that without the separation of powers, where any two of the powers are joined in the same hands, where the executive is the judge, where the judge is the legislature, where the legislature is the executive, when those powers are joined, you do not have the rule of law, you have the tyranny of the judges, the tyranny of the legislature, the tyranny of the executive!

We are faced in this country now, at the federal level and at the state level, with judges who have arrogated to themselves the prerogatives of the people — and in this particular case, they have masked their decision about what shall be the right basis for marriage under a specious argument about rights.

But the specious argument about rights can't mask the truth! They are not deciding about someone's rights, they have usurped the right of the people to decide in the law what is right, the right of their representatives to decide in the law what is right!

And that means that if the officials in this state, from the governor on down, acquiesce in their decision, they have not respected the rule of law, they have put it aside to allow the reign of abusive judges!...

Lane Core Jr. CIW P — Wed. 05/19/04 07:51:37 PM
Categorized as Political & Social/Cultural.