In this election there is a lot of rhetoric about "traditional American values" and "saving the marriage." In all cases, the people making such claims are lying.
First of all, America was never meant to be a traditional country - indeed it was never meant to be a traditional anything. America was meant to be "the last best hope for humanity": A place where people, freed of the shackles of European Christian tradition, could go and build meaningfully free lives. To claim that there is such a thing as "traditional American values" therefore runs contrary to the intent and the purpose of America. America was founded on European Enlightenment philosophy of such people as Locke and Voltaire, and put into place by liberal humanistic intellectuals such as Jefferson and Franklin, with the French providing the funding. So to claim that there is such a thing as "traditional American values" and that they are identical with the beliefs of Paul Wyerich, Pat Robertson or Alex Jones is a Big Lie.
Secondly, it was never the "traditional values" or "family values" that were responsible for America's greatness. America's founder Thomas Jefferson had affairs and even had a child with a slave. As for America's greatness, that was achieved in the early 20th century - a time known as the Progressive Era, also known as the era of the flapper - a time in which technological innovation and economic accomplishment coexisted with union movement, sexual liberation, and a powerful liberal and feminist challenge to Victorian social norms. Contrary to the claims of social conservatives, 19th century was not the time of America's greatness. England was the great power of 19th century. America came to the forefront of the world during the Progressive Era - the era of the flapper - and remained there since.
Furthermore, if the one-man-one-woman-till-death-do-part were the definition of marriage binding for everyone, then most religious figures responsible for Christianity were terrible sinners. Men of God, David and Solomon, both had many wives and concubines. Abraham had a concubine in addition to a wife. Mormons and Muslims - many of whom take their religion a lot more seriously than do most Christians - practice polygamy. And while nobody is attacking anyone else's right to have a "traditional" marriage, to force such a thing upon a free country is to force on everyone totalitarianism - a totalitarianism that is not even Biblical and that has no right to exist in a free country. And I say this as a married straight man and a father who takes his family very seriously, but cares enough about freedom to protect meaningful liberty for those who have not made the same choices as have I.
Finally, there are many who claim that nuclear family is the only wholesome way to raise children. I ask this: Then why is it that the most successful man in America - President Barack Obama - was raised by a single mom? Why is it that the flapper generation and boomer generation - both raised in authoritarian nuclear families of, respectively, the Victorian generation and the World War II generation - grew up to be rebels? Why is it that Israeli kibbutzes and Australian aborigine tribes produce people who have had more wholesome lives than ones lived by many people raised in nuclear families? There are no credible attacks on the right of people to have nuclear families if they willingly choose to. There is every reason to stand up for people's right not to have nuclear families if such is their choice.
To the Christian Right, I say this. To make other people live the way you live, is totalitarianism. To make other people practice the religion that you practice, is totalitarianism. And neither has any place in a country that is intended to be free.
The Christian Right have abused the freedom of religion clause that was given to them by American Constitution to deny others not only freedom of religion - meaning first and foremost freedom not to be Christian Right - but also every other right and liberty. In this they are similar to the Nazis, who subverted the democratic institutions of Weimar Republic to institute totalitarianism - doing it in just the same way as the Christian Right keep attempting to do: By appealing to "traditional values" and national greatness and unleashing a storm against liberals, feminists, unions, and minority religions. And if you think that these people are American patriots, as they claim to be, think again. What American patriot would agree with Al Quaeda, as did Pat Robertson, and claim that 9-11 attacks were God's punishment for America? What American patriot would claim, as did Paul Wyerich, that America is a pagan country? In fact, these people hate America; and to know this one needs go no further than the NowPublic forum at
http://my.nowpublic.com/world/my-interview-religious-right-founders-son-frank-schaeffer
The Christian Right is in fact an industry of conmanship and deception. Not only do they make transparently false claims such as that AIDS is God's way of controlling the homosexual population or that 9-11 happened because God removed his protective umbrella over America - they do that. Not only do they do extreme damage by convincing people that scientists are fools and sinners and they, benefiting as they do daily from science, in claiming such things, aren't - they do that. But they practice a Big Lie of claiming this: That they are America and that the rest of America is not America. And that, should be an alarm bell for everyone to recognize that they intend nothing less than a total takeover of America and an imposition on everyone of a real dictatorship against their will.
It is time that lies be seen for what they are; and at this juncture this means especially the claims of social conservatives. And when these people start claiming that they are protecting American freedom or American values, to show just how far they are from the truth. These people's true name is tyranny, and they are seeking to impose totalitarianism on America. The true danger to America is not "socialism" and it is not "leftism"; it is the Christian Right. And true American freedom and true American values demand standing up to these people and preserving meaningful liberty in America as much as it does working for a future better and brighter than Armageddon in our lifetime or an America run by the people who hope for such a thing.