USAfrica: On Same Sex Marriage, U.S Supreme Court says it is Legal; Scalia attacks ruling; Obama praises it.
Special to USAfricaonline.com, and USAfrica multimedia networks, Houston. Follow USAfrica at Facebook.com/USAfricaChido , Facebook.com/USAfrica247 and Twitter.com/Chido247
The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled, in an announcement today (June 26, 2015) that same-sex (gay) marriage is legal in a 5-4 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. The opinion holds that the 14th Amendment requires a state to issue a marriage license to same-sex couples. The four dissenting justices wrote individual opinions.
President Barack Obama is in support of same sex marriage, and a few minutes ago called the plaintiff, Mr. Obergefell.
Most African countries and Presidents are strongly opposed, as reflected in the USAfrica and USAfricaonline.com News Index 2000 to 2015, to same sex marriage and have passed legislations/laws against it.
In his opposition, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia wrote a scorching dissenting opinion attacking the court’s decision, insisting that “The Supreme Court of the United States has descended from the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie.”
Scalia countered the Court’s position that “The nature of marriage is that, through its enduring bond, two persons together can find other freedoms, such as expression, intimacy, and spirituality.’ (Really? Who ever thought that intimacy and spirituality [whatever that means] were freedoms? And if intimacy is, one would think Freedom of Intimacy is abridged rather than expanded by marriage. Ask the nearest hippie.”
In voting in support, the liberal Justice Kennedy wrote an opinion, stating:
“Marriage is sacred to those who live by their religions and offers unique fulfillment to those who find meaning in the secular realm. Its dynamic allows two people to find a life that could not be found alone, for a marriage becomes greater than just the two persons. Rising from the most basic human needs, marriage is essential to our most profound hopes and aspirations.
“Far from seeking to devalue marriage, the petitioners seek it for themselves because of their respect—and need—for its privileges and responsibilities. And their immutable nature dictates that same-sex marriage is their only real path to this profound commitment.
“The ancient origins of marriage confirm its centrality, but it has not stood in isolation from developments in law and society. The history of marriage is one of both continuity and change. That institution—even as confined to opposite-sex relations—has evolved over time.
“No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.”
Traditional groups and faiths organizations have been expressing their opposition to same sex/homosexual marriage. Scalia dismissed the ruling “as pretentious as its content is egotistic.” But it has become the law of the land, in the U.S., and will have policy implications for its relationships with African countries. By Chido Nwangwu, Founder of USAfrica multimedia and public policy networks, Houston.
VIDEO of the CNN International broadcast/profile of USAfrica and CLASSmagazine Publisher Chido Nwangwu. http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/international/2010/07/29/mpa.african.media.bk.a.cnn
specialist and founder of USAfricaonline.com, the first African-owned U.S-based newspaper published on the INTERNET, in his first book; he writes movingly from his 1998 reporting from South Africa on Mandela. http://www.mandelaachebechido.com/
•Dr. Chido Nwangwu, moderator of the Achebe Colloquium (GOVERNANCE, SECURITY, and PEACE in Africa) December 7-8, 2012 at Brown UNIVERSITY in Rhode Island and former ADVISER on Africa business/issues to the Mayor of Houston, is the Founder & Publisher of Houston-based USAfrica multimedia networks since 1992, first African-owned, U.S-based newspaper published on the INTERNET USAfricaonline.com; CLASSmagazine, AchebeBooks.com, the USAfrica-powered e-groups of AfricanChristians, Nigeria360 and the largest pictorial events megasite on the African diaspora www.PhotoWorks.TV . He was recently profiled by the CNN International for his pioneering works on multimedia/news/public policy projects for Africans and Americans. http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/international/2010/07/29/mpa.african.media.bk.a.cnn E-MAIL: Chido247@Gmail.com WIRELESS 1-832-45-CHIDO (24436).
Congratulations Mazi.
FELICITATION
Silver in a couple of years
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CONGRATULATIONS!
Great Lion I wish you/group more years to celebrate
You Orgnization have shown integrity and diseminated quality news and Good journalism ride on!