Oh, how I am starting to miss all the conservative armchair generals shouting, “Civil war! We can take those Liberals! I’m armed up and ready to go!”

Alas, I fear we have missed the window of opportunity. Not so much for a shooting war—I’ve seen my share, and we don’t want that here—but we may have missed the opportunity when conservatives were righteously outraged. Now they seem, more or less, just “kinda” irritated.

Conservatives placed many expectations and hopes on the mid-term elections, despite polls showing that, while people were pretty dissatisfied with how things were going, these same people clearly indicated they would continue to vote for their parties. Moreover, conservative voters did as they always do and failed to come out in sufficient numbers to help implement the expected change. Of course, the GOP is really to blame because its strategy was simply to let the Biden Administration hang itself. Meanwhile, the Democrats were up to their same old tricks and instigated a decent voter turnout for their party.

You get the governments you deserve and, apparently, we deserve the ones we have. I hear it already, “We’ll take’em in ‘24!”

Yeah…right. Count me in. Ho hum.

I had to settle for my GOP Senator, Todd Young, one of 12 GOP senators who endorsed the Respect for Marriage Act (RMA). For me, it was either him or a Dem—he was the lesser of two poor candidates. I wrote him a letter asking him not to vote for the RMA, to which he responded at length.

Image: Window by bedneyimages.  

His argument (reprinted below) basically says that “…all Hoosiers want to be treated with dignity and respect…. [T]hey want to enjoy the same legal protections of civil marriage as married men and women.”

By definition, dignity and respect should not enable the confusion, personal torment, and possible lifelong consequences resulting from the LGBTQ+ agenda. What about the dignity and respect for the traditional family structure, which underlies and is the foundation of our culture? The Founders understood and made it very clear that our society and government could never survive without a foundational deep respect for Jude-Christian morals. They believed it should be taught in all our schools and that only by understanding this, along with the way the federal government was designed, could the United States survive.

Is it too late? I don’t think the window of opportunity is closed…yet. The conservative side of our house must promote our ideals much more actively and get the right people elected as our representatives.

In just six years, my family has gone from simply voting our consciences to being very politically active. Interestingly, this was not a hard thing to do. I don’t make this statement so my fellow AT readers laud me, as I am sure many of you are active, too. But for those of you who aren’t more active, you can do the same as we did. It isn’t hard.

First, research and vote for the candidates you find to be the best choices—even if that choice is the lesser of two evils. We volunteered to canvas for candidates and even sent some financial support to a few. It wasn’t much, but every little bit counts.

We also sent money to conservative organizations like Alliance Defending Freedom and the Liberty Counsel. My wife even met local candidates for coffee to learn about them in more detail.

Everyone in my family volunteered for and worked at polling stations during the last election and will continue to do so as much as we can. It’s a long day, but the work is not difficult, and you can do it too.

Write your representatives, as I have, and write thoughtful articles for AT and other publications. Send letters to the editors of your local papers and news sources. You may be surprised that your opinion counts for much more than most people tend to think.

Support classical schools in your area, as we do. A new Valor Classical Academy, supported by Hillsdale College, is being developed in our area. Volunteer to raise funds, organize, and teach at these schools. They are popping up across the country and will fill the significant education gap that so many parents are upset about today.

None of this was overly difficult but it requires you to give up some free time and maybe a bit of money if you can. Until more conservatives start doing this, we are going to have more of the same in our country—more selfish, socialistic, and cowardly politicians who will not do what is right for the country for fear of losing their seats.

On the other hand, if politicians know that conservatives will back them, they will present a more conservative approach. They will do what is necessary to convince moderates about the merits of conservative ideals while losing their overarching fear of being unelectable. We must tell them what we believe, and they must hear us clearly. Better yet, they must see us actively engaged in supporting our ideals. Only then will we get the government we deserve.

VERBATIM REPRINT OF TODD YOUNG’S LETTER TO ME

Response to Your Inquiry

12/10/22

Dear Mr. Rowe,

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Respect for Marriage Act. I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.

As your Senator, I respect that Hoosiers have strong and diverse feelings on how the federal government should view civil marriage. Ultimately, all Hoosiers want to be treated with dignity and respect. Those who believe marriage was created by God as a sacred union between one man and one woman ― which includes many people of faith ― want to be treated with dignity and respect. They want to be able to worship and teach the tenets of their faith without fear of reprisal. They don’t want to be called bigots, live in fear of being ostracized, or suffer endless lawsuits because of their beliefs.

Additionally, same-sex couples ― many of whom are also people of faith ― want to be treated with dignity and respect as well. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges to legalize same-sex marriages, they want to enjoy the same legal protections of civil marriage as married men and women. They don’t want to live in fear of their families being ripped apart by a future court decision.

In an effort to bring the United States government closer to treating both groups with dignity and respect than we ever have in our history, on November 29, 2022, I voted to pass H.R. 8404, the Respect for Marriage Act, as amended. This legislation will repeal and replace provisions of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that defined “marriage” and “spouse” for purposes of federal law to exclude same-sex couples. Additionally, H.R. 8404 will prohibit states from failing to recognize marriages performed in other states on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin. The bill also provides for important religious liberty protections not available under current law. On December 8, 2022, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 8404, and the bill currently awaits consideration by the president.

Some people in my own party ― though, notably, I’ve also received quite a bit of encouragement ― have let me know they are disappointed in my vote. I would never try to persuade people to change the teachings of their faith, but I can explain why I think Hoosiers with deeply-held faith convictions should not be fearful of this legislation. In fact, the explicit protections in this proposal offer far more in the way of religious liberty protections than currently under Obergefell, which leaves all such decisions up to the courts.

One concern I’ve heard from people of faith is that they worry their churches, schools, adoption agencies and faith-based organizations will be subject to lawsuits if they refuse services to same-sex couples. The text of the bill plainly states they will not. According to the legislative text, religious organizations “shall not be required to provide services, accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods, or privileges for the solemnization or celebration of a marriage.” The text also states that “nothing in this act, or any amendment made by this act, shall be construed to diminish or abrogate a religious liberty or conscience protection otherwise available to an individual or organization under the Constitution of the United States or federal law.”

I’ve also heard from Hoosiers who are concerned their faith-based organization might lose its tax-exempt status. The bill text is clear: “Nothing in this Act … shall be construed to deny or alter … tax-exempt status, tax treatment, educational funding” or a lengthy list of other benefits, such as accreditations for religious schools.

People of faith also may worry that any change in our civil marriage laws will be used as a weapon by progressives to bludgeon them for their beliefs, but this legislation takes what may be an unprecedented step of affirming the sincerely held beliefs of religious Americans. “Diverse beliefs about the role of gender in marriage are held by reasonable and sincere people based on decent and honorable religious or philosophical premises,” the amended bill’s introduction says. “Therefore, Congress affirms that such people and their diverse beliefs are due proper respect.” These religious liberty protections are born of the First Amendment, and legal experts from across the faith spectrum have stated that activist judges will not be able to undo them. If I had any doubt about this, I would have voted no.

Dignity and respect are not a zero-sum proposition. We can and should strive to ensure all citizens enjoy them in equal measure. The Respect for Marriage Act moves us closer to that ideal.

Thank you for contacting me regarding this issue. It is an honor to represent you in the United States Senate.

Sincerely,

/s/

Todd Young

United States Senator