Well there's this (watch the commercial at the end.) And then there's this over here.
If you need more reasons to vote for judicial retention, then I can't really help you. But I'm willing to drop a little context on the situation: gay marriage was legalized in Iowa and now a conservative group is campaigning to oust the three justices on the ballot for judicial retention this year because of that decision. That's the whole thing in a nutshell.
When taking a stance on any given issue, I need to hear logical, sane and sensible arguments for and against any given issue. When it comes to gay marriage, I understand that for many people this is intrinsically tied up with issues of faith and belief in God. I get that- that's not how I practice my faith, but I'm willing to acknowledge that everyone approaches faith differently. Hate and discrimination have no place in my Church and I'm tired of social conservatives trying to enshrine homophobia in the Constitution of this state, varying others and the United States constitution by hiding it behind a Bible.
Discrimination is discrimination. Hate is hate. And neither can be justified through faith.
Gay marriage is supposed to lead to the collapse of the American family. Hasn't happened yet. Gay marriage will lead to bestiality, incest, polygamy and a whole host of other social ills. Hasn't happened yet. I'm tired of people divorcing themselves from anything remotely resembling reality on this issue. If you're married and you genuinely try to raise any kids you have to do the right thing, then your family will be strong. With a divorce rate of 50%, Americans need to worry more about their marriages than other people's and their families instead of other peoples.
Legally speaking, the Equal Protection Clause is pretty clear as well:
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
So we can't make laws that abridge the rights of citizens of the United States and we're also equal in the eyes of the law. There are probably oodles of legal nuances that be argued here, but again, I have to go with what I know-- and it seems pretty cut and dried to me.
And finally, I don't want the independence of our judiciary compromised by politics. I'm not saying its perfect, because Lord knows there are judges who will push an agenda for the left or the right if they can, but there are also judges that know how to read the Constitution and do it well. In this case, it's my stated opinion that they did just fine. And part of living in the democracy that we do means that sometimes, we get offended. But the Constitution is not a popularity contest- and at the end of the day 'what is right is not always popular and what is popular is not always right.'
So when you get in the voting booth and vote (which, kiddos, you should ALL do- don't make me come find you and talk to you!) make sure you TURN OVER YOUR BALLOT and vote YES on all three justices on November 2nd!
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