Our extremely rednecky neighbors placed one of these signs just inches away from the property line at the end of our driveway. My dad parked our RV right beside it, just to block the sign. Angry hilarity hath ensued.

/NC native.
//Definitely voting against this foolish and wasteful amendment.

I live up in a little college town in the mountains of NC where the polls opened early last week. I drive by the court house every day on my way to work and have seen a steady stream of college-aged kids filing in and out. I haven't seen this kind of turnout since the 2008 elections. There has also been a large grassroots campaign - anti-Amendment one folks handing out flyers and reminding people of voting hours and procedures. They seem to be a bit more articulate in their position than those who support the proposed amendment.

/csb

RTP_Sith: Cythraul: RTP_Sith: Seems staged, it was probably placed there by one of his friends. If it was on his property or in the right-of-way adjacent to his property, he has the right to remove it per NC law. And depending on his county of residence and proximity to other dwellings, it could have been legal for him to discharge his firearm.

I have had two signs stolen, obviously by someone against this amendment. If figures, they have been spewing lies about the amendment since it was announced.

Everyone has the right to a belief and to vote their beliefs. It seems the left must also stoop to lying and stealing because they fear their argument about same-sex marriage is invalid. God ordained marriage as a man and a woman. If you deny God, He will deny you. An eternity is a long time to be wrong. God loves everyone. Repent and seek Him.

Why does your God hate one billion Buddhists?

God loves everyone. But He still holds us accountable. We are subject to the consequences of our decisions (including us Christians).

While you're identifying yourself as a Christian, let's be extraordinarily clear that Christianity includes a huge, huge group of people: Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Baptists, Methodists, Mormons, Quakers, Jehovah Witness, Amish, Mennonites, Episcopalian, Unitarians, Christian Universalist and on and on.

Some Christians adhere to the same view points that you do. Others suspect you may be destined to burn in your own hell, if you don't turn from hate, turn from rejecting, judging, and condemning, put your stones down, and learn that your priority, after loving the Lord thy G-d with all your heart, with all your soul, and all your strength, should be, per Christ, "Love one Another as I have loved you."

I am Christian also. I believe that all people are children of G-d. I believe that there is that of G-d in all people. And I believe that gay people have a human right to marry whom they choose. I favor full equal rights for gay people. I favor these rights because I think it is the right thing to do and because I think it is the Christian thing to do.

Cythraul: salvador.hardin: /what's the difference between a Yankee and a Damn Yankee?
//Yankee's go home.

I like Yankees. They're turning my Red state Purple, and hopefully Blue. Now if they'll just pipe down about wanting to develop everything.

Charlotte's got a ring of cookie-cutter strip-mall suburban development around it that was built for the influx of Northerners working for the banks. But, it also has a revitalized downtown and several pockets of culture that have undeniably benefited from the yankee migrations.

More good than bad really, but it stinks when you meet some rich racist from Boston who thinks he's found good company by moving down here.

Still, its a funny joke, regardless of its relationship to the truth of the situation

For a Christian Nation, there certainly are few references to Jesus, in our founding documents.

RTP_Sith: Romans 13:1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.

I choose to act according to the law to further my beliefs and causes. I do not condone violence toward homosexuals or abortion clinics or anything else with which I disagree. But I will act to change those things within my legal rights and ability.

So you want to turn America into a theocracy. Got it.

RTP_Sith:

This is not Ohio. Our citizens are afforded the same protection under the law regardless of their marital status, or lack thereof. That will not change.

Indeed, it's not Ohio. In fact, the term domestic legal union is completely fabricated language that appears nowhere in NC law. Given that law is based on specific terminology, how would you say that this amendment is not subject to heavy and potentially incorrect interpretation?

Reducing marriage to something other than the union that God ordained does mitigate its covenant nature. Would you like for someone to steal your identity? We don't want our covenant with God diminished. Marriage was ordained to honor God and to reproduce.

So don't get gay-married. That's how you don't diminish your covenant with your (not my) God. Are you saying that atheists, also, aren't married? Because guess what, that's also recognized by the state of North Carolina.

Like it or not, if the amendment passes that is exactly what will happen.

I've already asked you how. You've responded with simple assertions. Again: how would two men getting married undermine your marriage? What determines the authority of your religion over marriage? Are all religions that are not Christian able to marry people? Why should 2/3 of the world be excluded from something as fundamental and basic to human sociology as marriage?

Simply put: marriage doesn't belong to religion only; otherwise, atheists would not be able to marry. I'd like to see some support for your assertion that it does.

randomjsa lives in my state. but he can be reasonable.

I don't know what to think. help me Jon Stewart, you're my only hope.

Ring of Fire: Wayne 985: Does anyone know how this bill is faring? It's sad to think, but I'm assuming it'll pass simply because it's North Carolina.

I haven't seen any polls and I'm to lazy to look it up but I can say from driving around and seeing signs I've probably seen about 15 to 20 signs aginst it for everyone for it.

I've seen a lot of "against" signs here too (I live in the Triad). in fact, I've only seen one "for" sign, and a "for" billboard.

the blue "vote no" signs confused me at first, because they say at the bottom "Triad People of Faith." I guess that shows my own prejudices about the religious. but good on them for trying to put the Christ back in Christianity.

Do you know the way to Mordor: I wish he hadn't blocked his Facebook page- I would have loved to piss him off to the max by calling him a damned Yankee!

residentgeek: RTP_Sith: I have had two signs stolen, obviously by someone against this amendment. If figures, they have been spewing lies about the amendment since it was announced.

Everyone has the right to a belief and to vote their beliefs. It seems the left must also stoop to lying and stealing because they fear their argument about same-sex marriage is invalid. God ordained marriage as a man and a woman. If you deny God, He will deny you. An eternity is a long time to be wrong. God loves everyone. Repent and seek Him.

OK, I'll bite.

First, you'd have to show that opponents of the amendment are willfuly misrepresenting facts to call their objections 'lies.' I doubt you'll do so, but I'm calling you on your BS. Every instance of the problems that this amendment will create, not in the hypothetical, has been demonstrated by previous case law and actual judgements in other states that have passed these amendments. The proponents' answer? "Pssh, that stuff won't happen, nobody's that dumb."

Second, fark your attempt to force me to subscribe to your narrow world-view. I don't mind that you hold it, but I'll be farked if you're going to shove it down my throat, too.

/some things need to be said

residentgeek: RTP_Sith: I have had two signs stolen, obviously by someone against this amendment. If figures, they have been spewing lies about the amendment since it was announced.

Everyone has the right to a belief and to vote their beliefs. It seems the left must also stoop to lying and stealing because they fear their argument about same-sex marriage is invalid. God ordained marriage as a man and a woman. If you deny God, He will deny you. An eternity is a long time to be wrong. God loves everyone. Repent and seek Him.

OK, I'll bite.

First, you'd have to show that opponents of the amendment are willfuly misrepresenting facts to call their objections 'lies.' I doubt you'll do so, but I'm calling you on your BS. Every instance of the problems that this amendment will create, not in the hypothetical, has been demonstrated by previous case law and actual judgements in other states that have passed these amendments. The proponents' answer? "Pssh, that stuff won't happen, nobody's that dumb."

Second, fark your attempt to force me to subscribe to your narrow world-view. I don't mind that you hold it, but I'll be farked if you're going to shove it down my throat, too.

/some things need to be said

Excellent response.

I think the attempt to pass bans on gay marriage in various states is an attempt to subvert the assertion in the Declaration of Independence, that each person has a right to the pursuit of happiness, to manipulate the 10th amendment which assigns all rights not reserved to the U.S. government to the states or the people, to violate the separation of church and state and establish a theocracy.

Satanic_Hamster: "At what point did this rule about worshiping Jesus come into effect? The day of Jesus' birth? The day of his death? X number of years after his death? At what point did the Grace period end and God started sending people to Hell for not worshiping Jesus. Also, there are communities in the world that did not even SEE a Christian until this century. Are you telling me that God has been sending them all to hell for close to 2000 years just because they've never heard of Jesus?"

And that's why, if anything, you could call me agnostic. I like the premise of religion; Be Excellent to One Another, I don't think God, or whatever you want to call Him is keeping notes on who kneels and stands in the right order, and who genuflects in the right direction. If there is a God, and he even cares, it's all got to be based on you as a person, or large portions of the Earth might as well just set up reservations in Hell from the day they're born, which is just stupid.

RTP_Sith: I have had two signs stolen, obviously by someone against this amendment. If figures, they have been spewing lies about the amendment since it was announced.

Everyone has the right to a belief and to vote their beliefs. It seems the left must also stoop to lying and stealing because they fear their argument about same-sex marriage is invalid. God ordained marriage as a man and a woman. If you deny God, He will deny you. An eternity is a long time to be wrong. God loves everyone. Repent and seek Him.

OK, I'll bite.

First, you'd have to show that opponents of the amendment are willfuly misrepresenting facts to call their objections 'lies.' I doubt you'll do so, but I'm calling you on your BS. Every instance of the problems that this amendment will create, not in the hypothetical, has been demonstrated by previous case law and actual judgements in other states that have passed these amendments. The proponents' answer? "Pssh, that stuff won't happen, nobody's that dumb."

Second, fark your attempt to force me to subscribe to your narrow world-view. I don't mind that you hold it, but I'll be farked if you're going to shove it down my throat, too.

/some things need to be said

Satanic_Hamster: CJHardin: So the Buddhists will be held accountable for being Buddhists and your god will lovingly send them to burn in hell because they don't worship your particular deity?

/People with invisible friends are stupid and should be mocked publicly and loudly.
//Keep your invisible man and self righteous illusionist out of my government.

I've had this conversation with some Christians before. They insist that you have to accept Jesus within your life time or burn in hell. It's in the Bible, they swear. But they can't say where. So the follow up question, at what point did this rule come into effect?
"What?"
"At what point did this rule about worshiping Jesus come into effect? The day of Jesus' birth? The day of his death? X number of years after his death? At what point did the Grace period end and God started sending people to Hell for not worshiping Jesus. Also, there are communities in the world that did not even SEE a Christian until this century. Are you telling me that God has been sending them all to hell for close to 2000 years just because they've never heard of Jesus?"

Satanic_Hamster: CJHardin: So the Buddhists will be held accountable for being Buddhists and your god will lovingly send them to burn in hell because they don't worship your particular deity?

/People with invisible friends are stupid and should be mocked publicly and loudly.
//Keep your invisible man and self righteous illusionist out of my government.

I've had this conversation with some Christians before. They insist that you have to accept Jesus within your life time or burn in hell. It's in the Bible, they swear. But they can't say where. So the follow up question, at what point did this rule come into effect?
"What?"
"At what point did this rule about worshiping Jesus come into effect? The day of Jesus' birth? The day of his death? X number of years after his death? At what point did the Grace period end and God started sending people to Hell for not worshiping Jesus. Also, there are communities in the world that did not even SEE a Christian until this century. Are you telling me that God has been sending them all to hell for close to 2000 years just because they've never heard of Jesus?"

Yes, some Christians do assert that you must accept Christ as your savior within your life time. As you so accurately point out, these same Christians can not point to any verse in the Bible to support this assertion. Many of these same Christians will also look you in the eye and state "I believe the Bible is literally true." If you talk with them a bit longer, frequently you will find that your Literalist Christian acquaintance has not read the Bible. In some cases, he may not own a Bible though he is, miraculously, a Biblical and spiritual expert.

Some Christians are not Literalists and will make no such claims.

QU!RK1019: Mikey1969: QU!RK1019: That's IT?! I thought the sign would at least fall over or something.

The shot from the shotgun would pass through the coroplast much easier than the force needed to knock the sign over.

I just loved that he was trying to make a symbolic statement, and the sign still stood. Metaphoric, isn't it?

Sure would be nice... I'm getting tired of these poo-flinging haters and their weak excuses about the "sanctity of marriage" as they get divorced left and right and support politicians who cheat on their wives and dump them the minute they end up in the hospital, then marry the mistress, and cheat on HER when she ends up in the hospital. Lather, rinse, repeat...

gunslinger_RG: Second - When did constitutions become documents defining what rights some people DON'T have.

This has always bothered me about this debate. These morons don't see the irony in amending a document that defines your rights in order to deny other people their rights.

RTP_Sith: Seems staged, it was probably placed there by one of his friends. If it was on his property or in the right-of-way adjacent to his property, he has the right to remove it per NC law.

He says it was placed "near his house", and obviously it was staged for the video, since they wouldn't walk into his backyard to plant the sign, He stole it, and admits to it. Also, it is a crime in that area if the "shotgun was fired onto property that includes a home or business", the linked article mentions that they talked to local cops...

redwolf1432: As for the issue, if the sign was placed on his lot, as appears to be the case,

He specifically states that it was "near", not on his house.

redwolf1432: Yup, it is, back corner of the lot with a dirt pile behind it,

That also isn't a legitimate backstop to get someone off on the 'I was acting TOTALLY responsible' ticket, it's about 3 feet high. What's on the other side of the fence? Yeah, I know it's a shotgun and all, but gun safety isn't about modifying the rules based on the gun. People who actually teach and follow gun safety not only treat every gun as if it were fully loaded, they treat all range situations the same, and don't decide that a 3 ft dirt pile counts as a backstop because it's 'just a shotgun'.

To recap: He stole the sign, he destroyed someone else's property, he discharged a firearm in a residential zone, and the only 'gun safety' he followed was some goggles and making sure that his buddy was clear.

Cythraul: Magorn: randomjsa: I'm shocked, simply shocked that this would happen in my state.

In spite of what some people might think about me being some kind of crazed right wing Bible thumping extremist, I'm actually an atheist and I'm not a Fair Weather Friend to the Constitution like so many conservatives are, and liberals for that matter.

I will be voting against the amendment.

And so they say, My respect for RandomJSA grew three sizes that day

Don't worry, he'll knock it down again in another thread next week.

I aim to please.

But seriously, I took only slightly longer to figure out there was nothing wrong with gay people than i took to figure out girls did not in fact have cooties.

Or rather their cooties were awesome.

Fark, being somewhat of a hot bed of liberals is one of the few places people don't immediately start screaming that I MUST be gay if I'm supportive of equal rights for them.

Quinzy: This is just a made up controversy by the left.

Not necessarily. Where does he live? What's next to his yard? Firing your gun in your backyard is cool if you live on a couple of acres and have a decent backstop, otherwise its rather irresponsible.

The greater point is that this is just more of the Right's violent symbolism, much like the bullseye on Giffords' District and the political opponent who had the M16 shooting event with the invitation that said "Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office, shoot a fully automatic M16". It's the whole concept of WHY was he shooting at the sign? Because he couldn't shoot a 'homo', or the police would arrest him, although he would probably feel wrongly accused... The guy's a douche, but I wouldn't call this "made up", there will be more reaction than it really needs, but at some point this violent rhetoric has to stop. Don't forget we also had Sharron Angle calling for a "second amendment remedy" because she's a sore loser. People follow this stuff, and it's only a matter of time before Bubba J there goes from shooting signs to shooting gays.

/supports gun rights as well, and gets pissed off by morons who just add to the negative stereotype

RTP_Sith: Cythraul: RTP_Sith: Seems staged, it was probably placed there by one of his friends. If it was on his property or in the right-of-way adjacent to his property, he has the right to remove it per NC law. And depending on his county of residence and proximity to other dwellings, it could have been legal for him to discharge his firearm.

I have had two signs stolen, obviously by someone against this amendment. If figures, they have been spewing lies about the amendment since it was announced.

Everyone has the right to a belief and to vote their beliefs. It seems the left must also stoop to lying and stealing because they fear their argument about same-sex marriage is invalid. God ordained marriage as a man and a woman. If you deny God, He will deny you. An eternity is a long time to be wrong. God loves everyone. Repent and seek Him.

Why does your God hate one billion Buddhists?

God loves everyone. But He still holds us accountable. We are subject to the consequences of our decisions (including us Christians).

So the Buddhists will be held accountable for being Buddhists and your god will lovingly send them to burn in hell because they don't worship your particular deity?

/People with invisible friends are stupid and should be mocked publicly and loudly.
//Keep your invisible man and self righteous illusionist out of my government.

I'm shocked, simply shocked that this would happen in my state.

In spite of what some people might think about me being some kind of crazed right wing Bible thumping extremist, I'm actually an atheist and I'm not a Fair Weather Friend to the Constitution like so many conservatives are, and liberals for that matter.

I will be voting against the amendment.

People who are pro gun rights hate it when idiots do stuff like this because it gives rise to reactions like this one that threaten their gun rights.

Guy is an idiot.

GAT_00: Look, he's just exercising his 2nd Amendment rights. If you libs think he did a crime here, YOU should go to jail.

2nd amendment solution to 1st amendment problem? GENIUS!!!!

This is one of those responsible gun owners I always hear about.