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Martin O`Malley on Civil RightsDemocrat |
O'MALLEY: The key word is the word "settle." Arrests peaked in 2003, but they declined every year after that as we restored peace in our poorer neighborhoods so that people could actually walk and not have to worry about their kids or their loved ones being victims of violent crime.
Our nation was founded on two self-evident truths: That all of us are created equal, and that we are endowed by our Creator with the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
With these words, the American dream began. No fine print. No expiration date. All of us are included. Women and men. Black and white people. Irish Americans, Asian Americans, Latino Americans, Native Americans. Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Americans. Young and old. Rich and poor. Workers and business owners. Gay, lesbian, transgender and straight Americans. Every person is important, each of us is needed.
This month he said he was "glad secretary Clinton's come around to the right positions on these issues" and criticised her for poll-testing policies rather than following principles.
O'MALLEY: Yes. And I'm proud of each of those things. I'm proud of the people of our state. But, also, being an inclusive people, respecting the dignity of every individual, these things are also good for an economy.
We all want the same thing for our children; we want our children to live in a loving, caring, committed, and stable home protected equally under the law. It is not right or just that the children of gay couples should have lesser protections than the children of other families in our State. Nor would it be right to force religious institutions to conduct marriages that conflict with their own religious beliefs and teachings.
In Maryland, we already recognize civil marriages performed in other states. It is time to pass a civil marriage law that protects religious freedom and civil marriage rights equally.
Strengthen America’s Common Civic Culture
The more ethnically and culturally diverse America becomes, the harder we must all work to affirm our common civic culture -- the values and democratic institutions we share and that define our national identity as Americans. This means we should resist an “identity politics” that confers rights and entitlements on groups and instead affirm our common rights and responsibilities as citizens. Multiethnic democracy requires fighting discrimination against marginalized groups; empowering the disadvantaged to join the economic, political, and cultural mainstream; and respecting diversity while insisting that what we have in common as Americans is more important than how we differ. One way to encourage an ethic of citizenship and mutual obligation is to promote voluntary national service.
If expanded to become available to everyone who wants to participate, national service can help turn the strong impulse toward volunteerism among our young people into a major resource in addressing our social problems. It will also help revive a sense of patriotism and national unity at a time when military service is no longer the common experience of young Americans.
The Christian Coalition voter guide [is] one of the most powerful tools Christians have ever had to impact our society during elections. This simple tool has helped educate tens of millions of citizens across this nation as to where candidates for public office stand on key faith and family issues.
The CC survey summarizes candidate stances on the following topic: "Federal Marriage Amendment to prevent same sex marriage"