GOP Moniker One Letter Short; HOP (Homophobe Only Party) More Fitting

The GOP Should officially change their acronym to HOP. It's not the Grand Old Party; it's the Homophobe Only Party.

How so? Let us count the ways:

Fifty-one of 55 US Democratic senators support gay marriage; Republicans? Just 2 of 45.

In Illinois, just one of 19 HOP state senators, Jason Barickman, voted for marriage equ...ality for gay Illinoisans. It took 33 of 40 Democratic senators to pass this historic legislation which now moves to the Illinois House for final passage.

The national Republican Party Platform opposes full civil rights, including marriage equality for gays. It goes beyond supporting state bans on gay marriage and the national Defense of Marriage Act. It calls for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Ugh!

When Illinois state HOP Chairman Pat Brady called for support of gay marriage, the Illinois HOP stalwarts scheduled a Central Committee Meeting to dump him as chairman for his apostasy. Newly minted state senator Jim Oberweis, leader of the aborted coup, stated, “You cannot have the chair of an organization publicly going out and lobbying in opposition to the organization’s stated goals". Opposing gay civil rights is a goal you will only find in the HOP.

Now for the piece de resistance of HOP craziness on gay civil rights: Illinois District 42 representative Jeanne Ives. She "stepped in it" when speaking freely on a Catholic radio station in February, stating: "Same sex marriages are completely disordered". "They're trying to redefine society." "They're trying to weasel their way into acceptability so that they can then start to push their agenda down into the schools, because this gives them some sort of legitimacy... And we can't allow that to happen."

What we can't allow to happen is let the Jeanne Ives of the HOP set the agenda of preventing Illinois and America from joining Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, Sweden), and parts of Brazil, Mexico, and 9 states and the District of Columbia in the US, which allow same-sex couples to marry

It's gonna take more than Jason Barickman, Pat Brady and a couple of US senators from replacing the H with the G in the Homophobe Only Party.

One Cheer For Sen. Mark Kirk On Gay Marriage Support

One cheer for my junior Senator Mark Kirk for being only the second of 45 Republican Senators to "come out" for gay marriage. Apparently, it takes an epiphany equivalent to a lightning bolt for an HOP (Homophobe Only Party) Senator to join the human race when it comes to granting full civil rights to their fellow citizens who swing from the other side of the plate.

First to break ranks was Rob Portman (HOP, OH) who took two years after his son informed him he was gay to send shock waves through the HOP faithful by officially declaring his support for gay marriage. Then, just 18 days later, Senator Kirk, (HOP, IL) announced his support, implying his near death experience from a 2012 stroke made him realize that life is short, we're all going to die, so why in homophobes' name would we prevent two lovers from marrying simply because of matching genitals.

One of the reasons we have so much hate and discrimination in this country is that too many politicians cower before the hate filled madness of their voting base, or actually believe that hate instead of governing on the basis of principle and the Golden Rule.

HOP office holders and pundits remind me of rats scurrying to the dry end of a sinking ship as it slips beneath the waves. Portman and Kirk, stunned by the lightning bolt, have jumped to safety, albeit a tad late as far as showing true statesmanship. The 43 remaining HOP Senators have yet to enter the 21st century when it comes to being a true American and a decent human being.

Vote For Gay Marriage Would Ennoble Rep. Pihos

The proponents of full citizenship for all Illinoisans are still twelve votes short in their campaign to bring this to fruition. Full citizenship means that the roughly half million gay residents of Illinois can legally marry the person of their choice regardless of sex. Anything less is degrading, demeaning and not representative of American and human democratic ideals. Yet, my 48th District representative Sandy Pihos is on record as a NO vote because she claims the "vast majority" of her district opposes gay marriage and she is duty bound to represent this so called "vast majority".

Rep. Pihos can still change her mind and vote YES to gay marriage in Illinois. If she decides to "come out" and publically renounce her intended NO vote, she may actually inspire other representatives in the NO column to change their vote as well, allowing passage of this historic legislation. Voting YES will not add any new citizenship rights and privliges to Rep. Pihos as it won't for the twelve and half million of us Illinoisans not directly affected by gay marriage passage. However, like us, it will ennoble Rep. Pihos and give her something to be proud of for the rest of her legislative career; indeed, for the rest of her life. But if Rep. Pihos follows through with her public intention to vote against legalizing gay marriage, that vote may very well end up on the cutting room floor when she puts together her legislative highlight reel.