New Hampshire Republican Proposes Amendment Banning Left-Handed People From Marrying

Sometimes, you have to be blunt to make a point.

And that’s what state Rep. Seth Cohn, R-Canterbury, is trying to do in the same-sex marriage repeal debate. Cohn, a liberty-minded Republican with a wry sense of humor, has sponsored an amendment to the traditional marriage bill banning left-handed people from marrying, throwing a monkey wrench into the debate. Whether you consider it a political stunt or valid point, it has garnered Cohn global headlines, including radio interviews outside of New Hampshire and a mention in the New York Times.

Read the whole story at Patch.com

Comments

[Philclock]

07:47 PM on 03/27/2012

I'd ban "progressives" from marrying, then procreating more "public-private" partnerships into our bedrooms, for their hand-outs and "re-distributions", with their fat cut for themselves and their cronies off the top.

[eskatyt]

10:15 PM on 03/22/2012

Forget southpaws. I'm for Civil Unions for Short People. Marriage should be defined as between two consenting adults over 5"6' tall. Civil Unions are good enough for people who choose to be short, right?

[juicybrisket]

09:08 PM on 03/22/2012

lol what is this

[yukonsam]

03:57 PM on 03/22/2012

I don't care what left-handed people do behind closed doors with all the drapes drawn and the lights off so we can't see their silhouettes.

But why do they have to shove their left-handed lifestyle down our throats by using their left hands in public and being left-handed on television and even invading our schools and teaching vulnerable young children that being left-handed is "normal" and "natural"?

Now they want to desecrate the sacred institution of marriage, a Christian sacrement that we stole fair and square from the pagan Romans and kept clean and noble for 1500 years before we graciously forced it upon the ungrateful common rabble!

America is a right-handed nation founded on right-handed values. God has blessed us with His Almighty right hand. We cannot tolerate this vicious, underhanded assault by the sinister fist of the southpaw conspiracy. We will prevail because we are Right! Handed.

[JackVandusen]

03:38 PM on 03/22/2012

He makes a very valid point.
And a surprising point to hear from a republican.
Cohn better watch his back at GOP functions.

[ZeraLee]

01:53 PM on 03/22/2012

It's been a long time since I saw something out of the New Hampshire GOP that wasn't maliciously partisan or completely insane.

Did someone change their soft drink preferences?

[HannahWerme]

01:02 PM on 03/22/2012

COHN FOR PRESIDENT!

[PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS]

11:35 AM on 03/22/2012

As we continue this "slippery slope", next you know ambdextrious people are going to want rights to marry also..........


MEMO TO THE GOP: The majority of Americans now favor Gay marriage. Time to accept it and get over it...................

[Seth Cohn]

10:56 AM on 03/22/2012

I've posted the speech I was not able to give on the House Floor, for those who want to see why I introduced this... https://www.facebook.com/note.php?¬e_id=10150665323388463

[Jie Jones]

11:20 AM on 03/22/2012

You might want to consider posting your speech in other places in addition to Facebook.

Yup, I'm a non-Facebooker!

[Seth Cohn]

11:56 AM on 03/22/2012

It's been reposted already at
http://flamingfreedom.com/2012/03/22/the-speech-i-never-got-to-give/
(an interesting pro-liberty pro-gay podcast run by some friends of mine. Recommended!)

[blue rylie]

03:42 PM on 03/22/2012

I have two teenage daughters, one is a lefty and the other is bisexual, and on behalf of both of them and myself, thank you for sharing this speech! In my homestate of MT, I'm a moderate Republican with Democrat-tendencies. In my current state of VA, I'm a moderate Democrat with Republican-tendencies. During this past year, I've been wondering where the common sense of the Republican party has gone, so I'm hugely relieved to see a Republican voice of common sense again! F&F

[stape45]

10:40 AM on 03/22/2012

Let's just pass a law that bans bigots from Congress and boots them out, once we discover that they are there.

[Jie Jones]

10:22 AM on 03/22/2012

I think that Rep. Cohn using left-handedness as an analog to being gay is a particularly apt comparison....think about it.

Did you know that the word "sinister" derives from left-handedness? In the Middle Ages it was believed that when a person was writing with their left hand they were possessed by the Devil. Left-handed people were therefore considered to be evil. Up until fairly recently, many schools punished children using their left hand.

THE IMPORTANT PART

Today in America there is no "anti-left-handedness movement." It is considered to be something that develops in a child and at present, science has not determined the exact cause of it -- but it is undeniably occurs. Religions that at one time considered left-handed evil, but no longer do; it is considered a natural occurrence.

Left-handedness and being gay basically share all the same reasons for being discrimated against --- yet the vast majority scoff at the idea of denying marriage to left-handed people.

I think Rep. Cohn has hit on a very effective means to dispute denying equality to gay people and should be used at every opportunity to point out the foolishness of denying other Americans rights.

OUTLAW LEFT-HANDED MARRIAGE!!!!

[Seth Cohn]

10:59 AM on 03/22/2012

thanks... I just posted a link above to the speech I never got to give, that essentially echoes the above. Please feel free to share and spread widely. It's not unique, it's come up many times before (I was pleasantly shocked by the variety of times I found it, including George Will, and even on the NH House Floor 3 years earlier by Rep. Steve Vaillancourt, another person who deserves wider praise)

[Jie Jones]

11:59 AM on 03/22/2012

Rep. Cohn, I suspect we might have some differences of opinion about other matters, but I wholeheartedly support you in your goal of marriage equality.

I am glad to see that there is some sense of correctness in some Republicans, such as you've displayed. Overall, I am disgusted by the goals of the Republicans as evidenced by their economic policy and their current assault of women's rights.

[mtnlife96]

09:18 AM on 03/22/2012

Do the many, many GOP/TB bills that so strictly define marriage as the one man/one woman thing cause Catholic Nuns who marry the Church in violation of the law?

[jollywhitegiant]

08:26 AM on 03/22/2012

Is it just me, or has anyone noticed a considerable upswing in either plain humorous or sarcastic legislation being made to counter ridiculous bills? I've only really started paying attention to politics since 2008, but this is the first I've seen these kinds of brilliant maneuvers.

Kinda like injecting a little Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert into the process...

[lowrodiay65]

08:31 AM on 03/22/2012

What makes you think this guy is not serious?

[jollywhitegiant]

09:05 AM on 03/22/2012

It may just be my hopeful nature, but I give this guy the benefit of the doubt in this case. the ridiculous of this measure leads me to think that the man is arguing against the arbitrariness of banning gay marriage.

[truth be told again]

10:11 AM on 03/22/2012

Um, a sense of humor makes me think that.

But thanks for playing.

[truthking]

08:24 AM on 03/22/2012

Hey republicans, are you allowed to have sex ( NOT FOR FUN< of course) in the rear, "heads down", non-missionary style ? ( sometimes referred to as "doggy"?)..... I gots to know because my wife and I may have sinned, again.

[ignacio sanabria]

08:04 AM on 03/22/2012

Next GOP marriage proposal: ``You can only marry to yourself.``