"Great spirits always encounter violent opposition from mediocre minds." Albert Einstein

So as far as the daily news, I've been pretty out of the loop since I moved here. Well, maybe not out of the loop, but I use to know things before most people did because I read so many sites, but now I dont have time to do so. Anyways, this morning I got up and went to cnn.com and was perusing when I came across this article.

Jim DeMint, a Republican third-term congressman running for the Senate from South Carolina apparently has a little list going of who he thinks is fit or isnt fit to teach in the public school system. Most notably stated, he says that homosexuals should not be allowed to teach.....and most recently stated, if you are a pregnant woman with a live-in boyfriend, you should not be allowed to teach.

Now, I am a very open-minded person and one that has never had any kind of issue with homosexuality so in my mind these ideals that he has are completely ludicrous. How can one say that because of sexual orientation that they are not fit to expand minds and make differences in children's lives? How can one say that because of situations that they may not understand or may not even be aware of that they are automatically a poor role model to children?

I've never been into politics, as a matter of fact, I despise politics, but if this is how the majority of Republicans seem to think, then I am proud to be a Democrat. Some amazing minds are homosexuals. They are playrights, council members, Pulitzer-prize winning poets, novelists, filmmakers, breast-cancer surgeons, naval officers (yes I am naming actual people). To say that these people are bad role models to children is nuts. It is just my opinion, but if your kid is destined to be gay, he/she is going to be gay. Not having a homosexual teacher teach him/her will not change the outcome of their sexual orientation. I've never thought homosexuality was wrong, and I say this as a Catholic. I know the church doesnt agree, but its not the first thing I dont agree with the Catholic church about. In my opinion, nothing makes God more happy than when 2 people, any 2 people, are joined together through love. Argue if you want, but thats how I feel.

As far as the statement made about single pregnant women.....
Who are these people to judge that because of a particular situation one is in, that automatically defines your character and morals? Do they think that none of these children come from single parent homes? If this is so frowned upon to the point that children should not be exposed to these people as role models, what are these kids suppose to think about their own parents that are in similar situations? Should a woman be denied to teach if she is pregnant and her fiance leaves her? What if the woman is artificially inseminated with no desire to every marry, what then? Does her Masters in Education and all of her field work mean nothing?

I know that nothing like this will ever pass, at least I hope not, but the fact that someone can even utter such a close-minded statement is beyond me. The fact that he has backers is also mildly disturbing.