Updated: NOM's bus tour, civil discourse, and acts of violence

Maggie Gallagher's National Organization for Marriage is doing a bus tour in the East/Midwest to heighten awareness of, and opposition to, marriage equality.

Apparently it's not going so well, as the pro-equality counter-protesters are equaling or exceeding Mag's numbers. There has been great coverage at Prop8trialtracker.

But amongst the flowery sweet-scented thoughts of "religious freedom" and "children's welfare", let's not forget what the opponents of marriage equality REALLY think and what they REALLY want. More here.

UpdateProp8trialtracker reports today that the latest stop on the tour, in Madison WI, had the NOM-mers outnumbered 8 to 1 by equality supporters with signs of love and hope. The NOM group walled themselves off behind police tape. At other stops, they have threatened counterprotesters with arrest (though the police later apologized). Seems NOM thinks only hate speech should be free.

Update 2: some consideration of hate speech generally. A progressive organization called the Tides discovered that it was on the target list of a heavily armed man involved in a shootout with the California Highway Patrol last week. As in so many of the recent acts of violence, this was a gun-mad guy mad at liberals.

Writing in the SF Chronicle, the head of Tides writes,

This incident serves to remind us that it should be the obligation of every American, especially those whose voices are amplified by the media, to foster civil discourse and dialogue among those who may disagree about public matters. One does not win an argument by inciting troubled people to violence. As Americans, we know we can best solve problems when we reach broadly across boundaries for the best of ideas.

Intolerance that closes our eyes defeats our aspirations. It is time to speak up because we all have a right to lead safe, productive lives without fear.

(H/T the Lead)

Update 3 The HRC reports that the NOM bus tour is intended as a stunt to draw out counterprotesters that can be filmed and used to support NOM's contention that GLBT people are violent.

“NOM’s highly-touted bus tour is less about so-called ‘traditional marriage’ and more about creating an elaborate and cynical stunt. NOM rolled out a summer of nationwide events in order to draw lawful protesters, all so that NOM and its allies can pepper ongoing lawsuits challenging public disclosure laws with made-up stories of harassment. This unprecedented victimization crusade is the lowest denominator of political activism, and it won’t fly.”