40,000 New State and Federal Laws in 2012

By the time you read this some 40,000 new state and federal laws will have taken affect as of midnight January 1, 2012. Most of them are just what I will call fluff. Laws that serve a purpose, that most citizens benefit from like concerns of public safety and some of the new tax laws, oh! Let’s not forget the first cost of living raise for social security recipients in about 5 years or so. There is one new law that really just blows my mind.

A California law will add gays and lesbians and people with disabilities to the list of social and ethnic groups whose contributions must be taught in history lessons in public schools. The law also bans teaching materials that reflect poorly on gays or particular religions.

To be gay or lesbian does not make me any different than someone that is heterosexual, and to imply such a thing is absurd. That is giving special treatment to people based on personal sexual preference. Homosexuals are not another race of people or a disabled person unless they just happen to have a disability. As far back as I can remember the gay and lesbian communities have campaigned for acceptance by main stream America and a law like this in my opinion puts a larger divide between them and everyone else whoever everyone else might be. Sexual preference has nothing to do with any ones ability to contribute to the world. Does being a homosexual make a scientist smarter or an Olympic gymnast stronger? I say probably not. At least no more than it could make a person that is a dominatrix any better at computer programming or playing football. If any gay or lesbian chooses not to tell anyone about their sexual orientation would that exempt any of the great contributions they might come up with from being in the history books. I think if the contribution was big enough to be in the history books it would have been there regardless of the sexual orientation of the person that accomplished it.

Another issue is the part of the law that bans teaching materials that reflect poorly on gays or particular religions. Does this mean we will not be learning that the AIDS virus is spread sexually primarily through homosexual activity between men. This provision of the law could do away with the entire Spanish inquisition just wiping it clean from the history books. The same thing could be true about terrorist attacks on many countries perpetrated by Muslim extremists. To not teach things that are not true is one thing, but to leave out things, that are not just true but can be proven, just because it makes some people look like murderous heathens or incompetent fools sounds a lot like censorship to me. It is in direct conflict with our 1st amendment right here in the USA if you ask me.

In closing I do not agree with a law like this, not because I am a homophobe, or have anything against Muslims or the disabled,  in fact I am a disabled veteran, but because I refuse to admire anybodies accomplishment just because of their sexual preference or lifestyle. I also think that history should be taught using facts and evidence of the things that have happened, regardless of who looks bad. Germany has had a pretty rough history which I know they are not fully proud of, but the history there is important for others to learn from so we can work together as a people to prevent it from repeating.

Sometimes our government officials forget they are there to serve us and get carried away, treating us the American people like nothing more than a bunch of kindergartners. Law makers create laws and regulations as if we are all incapable of making good personal choices for ourselves and our families. I am thinking someone like Ron Paul might be good for this country, if we ever want to have our constitution back to full power and working as it was designed. One of my forefathers John Hart signed the declaration of independence. Sometimes I wonder if he ever turns over in his grave when he sees where we have taken this once great nation.