Hi Tolver,

I don't think anyone in this tribe has said anything about Marriage being more important than wrongfully jailed gay people?! Maybe you can start a Tribe for this issue & I hope you can attract a large following. I didn't know anything about Baran's case until now. I'm a member of Amnesty International but unfortunatley we don't hear much of these kinds of abuses that happen in our 'free country' (which is more like a Communist these days) I also think the 2 issues are not mutually exclusive. If we can continue to educate public officials that 2 men or 2 women are not deviants & can live & love together & have the desire to marry, then that can lead to more tolerance in other legal areas, and we hopefully won't see officails so quick to throw gay people in jail.

Peace to All,
CAS

There is no doubt that homosexual men are being wrongly persecuted and having their lives pointlessly destroyed. If you live in the Los Angeles area, then pick up a copy of "FAB!" this week. Inside, there is a story about a police sting operation in which TEN uniformed police offers were detailed to arrest guys cruising in West Hollywood. At the same time, there is not one single officer in the LAPD assigned to specifically investigate hate crimes. It's deplorable.

However, in our society we must choose causes that are important to us. Why are we screaming and yelling about gay rights when so many people are dying of heart disease? Heart disease kills more people than AIDS ever has. Shouldn't we be outraged that more has not been done to find a cure? The point is, there are many crises in society today that demand disucssion and support. This is a forum for the discussion of gay marriage. Perhaps by solidifying our relationships at home, it will make us a stronger, more united community. As a stronger community, we will have a greater power to fight other evils as well, such as the abuses in our legal system.