Tom Hanks, one of the executive producers of Big Love (in addition to being the type of guy your Mom hopes you’ll meet one day– okay, my Mom) did not hold back his feelings at the season premiere of the gay-vague polygamist-family drama yesterday, where he made it clear that there was no love lost between him and the Church, which he knew through his stepmother while growing up.
So, what does he think about Mormon involvement in Prop. 8?
“The truth is this takes place in Utah, the truth is these people are some bizarre offshoot of the Mormon Church, and the truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop-8 happen,” he told Tarts. “There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American and I am one of them. I do not like to see any discrimination codified on any piece of paper, any of the 50 states in America, but here’s what happens now. A little bit of light can be shed and people can see who’s responsible and that can motivate the next go around of our self correcting constitution and hopefully we can move forward instead of backwards. So lets have faith in not only the American, but Californian constitutional process.”
Kevin
The truth is the people of California passed proposition 8. Apparently, Tom only wants people to exercise their voting rights if they agree with him. Who is really being Un-American?
Tarcash
@Kevin: Actually, he is stating that it is un-American to take away civil rights, regardless of how it happens. Voting to remove inalienable rights is wrong, even if a majority support it.
That is what he stated.
It is un-American to want to take away civil rights, regardless of public opinion or majority vote. That is why the court systems exist, to actively protect the minority against the majority.
Tarcash
@Kevin: Well, if everyone believed in the same religion, then yes, you would be right. However, many do not believe in the same things as you, even some are atheistic and do not place their belief in any god.
To force a nation to follow religious dogma is bad. Governments should be based on civil liberties and the rights of the individuals, which the founding fathers wished ours to be.
I’m sure of some religion that required in its own right for women to cover their faces would not be allowed to force that law upon everyone in the united states. Why is it some religions require us to follow their dogma on marriage? Do you know there are religions that will marry two men or women, what about their liberties, are you not forcing your religion upon them, just as you don’t want others forced on you?
stevenelliot
kevin…kevin…kevin
Gosh lets see here. Its now legal in all 50 states to have gay sex, but its also legal for people to vote their “opinion” on an issue of civil rights. Civil rights are inherent and cannot be voted on (“because all men are created equal”), but Carl Rove saw there was a loophole so he took that and ran with it.
You cant black-bash, woman-bash, cripple-bash, BUT you can still gay-bash. WHY?
My life with another consenting adult is none of your concern. I didnt get to vote on whether I believe you shold wear pants that hang below your ass. I didn’t get to vote on whether you should marry that woman who obviously is only interested in your money. Why should you get to vote on whether I can love another man and want to share “civil rights” with him?
The age of simple spin and 2 dimensional talking points is very much over. So if youre gonna argue, use legitimate reasoning.
JPinWeHo
@Kevin: Having majority-rule determine a minority’s rights is what is truly un-American.
faghag
@Kevin: STFU you ignorant fuck!
Michael Bedwell
I understand the case can be made grammatically, but you should change the headline, Japhy. Technically, Hanks only called the ACT of giving money to pass Prop H8TE “unamerican.”
For those who missed it, here’s a link to the YouTube clip of Tom Hank’s acceptance speech for his Academy Award for playing a gay man with AIDS in “Philadelphia.”
He was great in an imperfect film but this is one of the most eloquent, and unquestionably the most self-less of any Oscar acceptance speech I’ve ever heard. For it, he will always be a hero to me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBuDMEpUc8k
Darth Paul
Faghag is funny and right to say that.
ousslander
It was all the mormons fault not the voters of California?
getreal
@Kevin
Jesus said love your neighbor as yourself. If you believe homosexuality is a sin don’t have a homosexual relationship. Marriage is a sacrament of God which ALL his children deserve as their birthright.
stevenelliot
everybody. repeat this prayer over and over. Including you Kevin:
God grant me the SERENITY to
accept the things I cannot change;
COURAGE to change the things I can;
and WISDOM to know the difference.
Amen brotha!
Kevin
Tarcash – If you take legislating morality completely out of government there is no longer any basis for government. Every law is ultimately based on morality. For instance, if you take morality out of it, who is to say that it is wrong to kill someone and take their property? The same could be said for any law that exists.
Tara
@Kevin: actually you are missing the point. It is not moral question of whether or not to kill someone and take their property. It is a logical one, at best an ethical one. If people are allowed to kill without retribution the system breaks down. If we allow people to have vigilante style justice and eye for an eye reactions the system breaks. The point of these laws is to keep a society functioning at a base level.
Your god is meaningless in reality. Good for you to believe, good for you to have your own morality, however your morality is yours. Keep it to yourself.
Seriously morality is so subjective, seriously, no two people can ever agree on it, it in no way is the basis for law.
Tarcash
@Kevin: First, I would like to think that me staying in a loving, committed, monogamous relationship would be certainly higher on the moral scale than murder.
Second, we are talking about a civil right, not a criminal action. Please do not mix the two, as they degrade and make irrelevant your argument. One can not legislate morality, they can only legislate justice. See prohibition and the fallout of forcing strict moral code on the masses.
Third, one does not have to be religious to have morals. I am not religious, I do not believe in god, nor heaven or hell. I, however, do know that you do not steal, lie, cheat, or work to harm other people. I help people when they need it and I can afford it, and sometimes when I can not. I give to charities, such as breast cancer and veteran’s affairs. To say just because I love another man means I am equivalent to being murderous is inflammatory and uncivil.
Fourth, since when has it ever made a difference in your life if two people you do not know decide to get married?
RichardR
@Tara: Tara, Tarcash, etc. are we wasting our time with “Kevin”?
I liked what you’re trying to say to him, though — I’d take it even further than: “in no way is [morality] the basis for law.”
Morality and religion are not necessarily related at all.
I’m a proud heathen, and I know it’s wrong to kill, steal, etc. I don’t need to read in anyone’s set of commandments.
I lol’d, Tara, at your sentence “Your god is meaningless in reality.” Ya know? “reality” being the key word here.
We’ll see how long “Kevin” hangs around.
Michael vdB
Hmmm…weren’t governments formed before Christ? Greeks believed in mutliple gods and is the basis of the democracies that we hold dear now. To state that morality and religion go hand in hand can be said…but I don’t need a bible to tell me not to beat the living shit out of my neighbour and bash his head in because he is gay. It is common sense…which is an evolved human trait. Religion is about controlling the people and morality is just thrown in so that order is easily maintained.
John
I think Kevin is going to be very unpopular at the prom this year, and Darth Paul has the best screen name of America. As for Tom Hanks I love the shit out of him so …there.
Tara
@RichardR: Well, I do not think it is wasting time, I can only hope he reads it.
Other than that yes, I agree with everything you said.
Bruno
@Kevin:
And it is ultimately this inexorable persistence in trying to legislate religious doctrine that will lead to the downfall of America’s Christianist movements. Take that one to the bank, Kevin.
BobP
What would life be like for us if all straight men were as enlightened as Tom?
Just a thought.
And…don’t even respond to people like kevin. He likes it. If you ignore it, it will go away.
Charles J. Mueller
@BobP:
But, it’s fun to piss on trolls. lol
RDM
[email protected]faghag:
Faghag, not only are you feeding the trolls, you are in danger of becoming one.
Stephen
Mormon history, study up,it’s chilling.
Stephen
@Tarcash: yep.
Stephen
@stevenelliot: Just becausw you think you can’t change something doesn’t mean that it won’t change. Don’t get caught up in defeatism.
pdnoosh
@Kevin and his ilk: Let’s pretend for just one second that the assumption behind Prop 8, namely that gay marriage would undermine the institution of marriage, is a completely accurate one. Why then, aren’t the Evangelicals and Mormons putting up a similar fight to criminalize adultery? After all, without gay marriage, 50% of existing heterosexual marriages end in divorce, and infidelity is a leading cause for those divorces. So why not put the effort into something that unarguably IS undermining the institution?
But of course, that would never really happen. Protecting the institution of marriage isn’t the REAL reason for Prop 8 and other efforts of conservatives to deny gay rights. Without us evil sodomite gays, the Religious Right would have one less way to scare voters into putting Republicans into office. As this last election proved, it still *kinda* works, but not nearly as well as it used to.
So Kevin, please know that not only are your Moral Majority talking points stale, they’re not going to win anyone over. As attitudes and demographics change, these tired attitudes and fears will fade. Sooner rather than later, one hopes.
hoyt smith
I’m repeatedly amazed and amused by two things in these discussion threads – first, people like Kevin above who post these comments clearly designed to antagonize others. If Kevin, and the others like him that I’ve seen posting, are really all that convinced that being gay is a sin and those of us who are are all going to rot in eternity, what the hell are they doing here in the first place, as well as engaging in endless rhetoric. Seems likes someone (named Kevin and those like him) are fighting far larger internal demons that we run of the mill gays who know and accept ourselves will ever be or encounter.
The second is why the rest of you even entertain the effort of trying to enlighten someone so clearly damaged. Re-direct your zeal. Put it to good use, instead of wasting it on pointless argument. In a nod to Kevin and those like him, god (or whatever you may call him/her/it) may truly have a plan for us all – and in Kevin & Co.’s case it’s just to remind the rest of us that we’re on the right path. They’re the stumbling blocks placed before us that we have to get through – not over, under or around – but through. Because the real truth continues.
Sorry to be heavy-handed, but just had to say something.
Dave (Tx)
@Kevin: There’s a difference between morality and ethics.
Charles J. Mueller
@hoyt smith:
Your post is right on, Hoyt Smith. People like Kevin have to keep repeating the same old mantra, over and over, and over, ad infinitum, lest they forget the rhetoric they espouse and find that they might just be wrong.
And, of course, people like Kevin fear being wrong, more than anything else.
adzomelk
gawd kevin sounds just like my ex
who strangely was named kevin
hey kevin is that you
Anthony
an invitation to consider generosity… even to Kevin
I love when the Truth is mentioned
the Truth I was raised Mormon, life was only about “should”
I was the Bishops son
When I was 26
The truth was He disowned me as his son for being GAY
the Truth it was not about me… He was having an affair with a woman two years older than me.
We did not speak to each other for 4 years.
My Boyfriend asked me to forgive him The truth is I did.
The truth is we lived our lives loving one another. and wanting the best for one another. Not consumed by any this is how life “should be”
My Father died last Christmas… the truth is I was with him…
We gave up judgement of one another when we decided Life
Is Heaven on Earth
If you see yourself preparing to be a God or Goddess or creating a world of truth for yourself and those you love… Be Generous to your children let them inherit a world greater than the one you knew
NO ON HATE
skucount
Let me see if this is logical. Supporting prop 8 and being a mormon is unamerican. Do you have to be a mormon for this behavior to be unamerian. Several conservative Rabbis were for prop 8 but since they are not mormon they are not unamerican. Why are only people who support yes AND are mormon unamerican? Please explain. Could it be that it is because it is more commonly unacceptable to go after Jews? I think the same goes for blacks that supported prop 8 since more were for than were agaist it. It is politically correct to attack mormons, but not jews and blacks. Simple.