Marriage Equality: Details You Should Know to Make it Happen

Cross Posted from SumofChange.com

Also from the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit (paprogressivesummit.com), I'd like to bring you a few videos form a panel simply entitled 'Marriage Equality'. On this panel, the speakers discussed the benefits, issues, and consequences of allowing homosexual couples marriage rights equal to those of heterosexual ones.  The panelists and approached the topic from a variety of angles.  Some spoke about the legal issues equality, both in the PA state legislature and in the constitution, others talked about the religious aspects, especially from the Christian and Jewish traditions, and others talked about the moral and human rights aspect of the debate.

The clips below go into many of the arguments against marriage equality and gay marriage and why most of them struggle for validity.  The first video, PA state senator Daylin Leach, who sponsored a bill in the PA state legislature in support on marriage equality, goes into many of the arguments against gay marriage that he has heard while debating the bill.  As he says, no one has debated him twice, because no one has presented him an argument with any validity.  The second video looks at many of the religious issues brought up by the marriage equality debate.  Many think that religion has no part of the legal debate over gay marriage and often when religion is invoked, it is done so incorrectly.  Finally, the last clip discusses why marriage equality supporters should want legalized gay marriage and not civil unions.  Civil unions seem like an acceptable compromise, but really they are impractical and still discriminatory.







For more videos from the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, go to SumofChange.com/paprog

For more info on the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit and it's organizer, Keystone progress, please go to paprogressivesummit.org and keystoneprogress.org

'The Morrill Plan' for a Heathy Progressive Future

In continuing our coverage of the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit (paprogressivesummit.org),  I'd like to bring to you excerpts of a one of the speeches by Michael Morrill, the executive director of Keystone Progress, the main organizers of the conference (keystoneprogress.org).  Here, Mr Morrill outlines his 4 points for a permanent progressive minority in Pennsylvania (and in the US) in, as he says, his humbly named "Morrill Plan".  In continuing of a vertebrae related theme from William McNary's speech we released last week, his fist point is to GROW A SPINE.  Democrats have a huge majority, even if it is no longer a super majority, and they have to start acting like it by taking control.

Secondly, progressives must remember that NOT ALL DEMOCRATS ARE PROGRESSIVE.  Several democrats aren't going to vote for progressive values and it may be easier to engage and work with a moderate Republican or Independent than a moderate Democrat.  Thirdly, the opposite is also true: NOT ALL PROGRESSIVES ARE DEMOCRATS.  Even if people don't identify themselves as progressives, many common American values are progressive and there is a lot more support for progressive issues from people who don't identify themselves as progressive than we may think.

Finally, to expand upon and paraphrase Bill Clinton's mantra from the early 90s, IT'S ABOUT JOBS, STUPID.  There are a lot of important issues in America that have to be addressed, but until we can create jobs, people are going to be more concerned about fighting for their own survival than fighting for what is best for America.

-- Grow A Spine



-- Not All Democrats Are Progressives



-- Not All Progressives Are Democrats



-- It's About Jobs Stupid



For more videos from the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, go to SumofChange.com/paprog

For more info on the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit and it's organizer, Keystone progress, please go to paprogressivesummit.org and keystoneprogress.org