The Community Guardians Group
May 16, 2011
Honorable Members of the Assembly of the State of New York:
The Members of the Assembly together declare the robustness of this state and the uniqueness of each of your noble districts. You were rightly selected by your constituents to act as their spokespeople and their defenders, each of you based on your gifts of personality and wisdom. The Assembly’s decisions guide this state at the leading edge of not only our country, but of the world of Western civilization as well.
I write you today about the topic of marriage. Many things have happened over the course of the past few years when the bill called “marriage equality” was last brought for your consideration. The value and meaning of marriage has become the focus of intense debate across the country. You’ve seen the charge in the name of civil rights for gays and lesbians. You may have also seen a renewed interest in more traditional values sweep across the country, as Americans turn their focus back to the values that made this country strong.
You’ve heard the stirring calls to grant equality to all citizens. One of the fundamental principles of this country, and an idea born in this state, is that the government should not deny its benefits to any citizen based on the arbitrary distinctions of race, national origin, religion or gender. But while the Declaration of Independence says that all men are created equal, not all ideas are created equal and not all philosophies are created equal. Some attitudes are positive and helpful to people and helpful to their neighbors, while others are wrong, and destructive to people and destructive to their neighbors.
I believe the Members of the Assembly are just equitable women and men. Your ears are attuned to the cry of the weak and the oppressed, and you stand ready to deliver them from oppression. But in the case of marriage, I must urge you not to let your emotions of mercy cloud your reason. Intimate relationships between two men or two women subvert the very structure of the human species. It is obvious to reason and common sense that allowing these relationships to gain government approval will blemish the conscience of this state and endanger the welfare of its citizens, G-d forbid.
Of course, the fact that we have sincere people on both sides of the argument, and those who honestly are deliberating their choice on the issue, shows that sometimes common sense is not so obvious. For this reason, the Almighty Creator entrusted the details of His will for human society to the nation of Yisrael, the Jewish people who stand faithful to His Torah. The G-d of all the worlds, the Creator of mankind and the Judge of all peoples, has prohibited to all human beings the act of relations between two men and two women. This law is contained in the code called the Seven Laws of Noah which the Almighty Creator gave to the nation of Yisrael when He formed them at the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.
We believe that people who feel these impulses are worthy of our compassion for their pain. But our mercy should not trigger us to issue a license to allow them to engage in self-destructive behavior with the State’s blessing.
A year and a half ago, when your Honored chamber was considering this matter, advocates who lobbied for changing the definition of marriage produced a video testimony seeking to advise the proper course of action on this explosive issue. They interviewed a child being raised by a single mother, whose female partner had left her, and sought to demonstrate that this precious little girl was proof that all relationships should be considered equal.
But the United States government’s research tells a different story. A study commissioned by the Department of Health and Human Services called “Family Structure and Children’s Health in the United States” released in December 2010, found that children living in non-traditional (“nonnuclear”) families had higher prevalence rates than children living in traditional families for learning disabilities or attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders, for lacking the resources for needed prescriptions and dental care, and for severe emotional or behavioral difficulties.
Human beings are entrusted with the power to rule over their passions. When the state sends a message that the rules of human society don’t apply to certain groups of people, a spirit of recklessness, hedonism and extreme selfishness will be given authority to wreak havoc on all people of the state, G-d forbid.
Honorable Members of the Assembly, please do not gamble with the health and safety of the next generation of children. Don’t let your compassion for the pride of your neighbors cause you to turn your back on your responsibility to protect our state. If you are called upon to vote, I urge you to vote no on changing the definition of marriage.
Thank you for your innovative leadership that has made New York one of the premier places to live in the world. Thank you for providing numerous gifts and protections to our people, our families and our communities, continuously. In the merit of your honoring His will, may the Almighty Creator give you and your families His blessings of success, protection and help from Heaven.
Respectfully submitted,
Dovid Z. Schwartz
Director, Community Guardians Group
147-40 72d Avenue
Flushing, New York 11367
(917) 680-6632
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