mjpb, what is ROFL?

If the comparison is unfair it's probably unfair to the gay couple rather than the fundies. My guess is that they are less likely to try and convert my son or me to their ways. They are less likely to have a dozen similar minded individuals over every wed night who all sing that bit louder so that the neighbours get to hear their songs of praise. They are probably less likely to be watching who stays over or worrying about what I do or don't wear in my backyard.

I'm not talking about all christains there, I have some very good christain friends who I'd love to have across the fence but I've been around enough fundies to know some reasons why fundies might not make great neighbours.

You are spot on in your suggestion about live and let live. Attempts to deny someone a place to live for any reason other than that they pose a real risk to their neighbours safety are an ugly form of biggotry.

A known child molester next door might fall into the category of a risk to my son's safety. They don't limit their activities to consenting adults.

Cheers
R0bert

RObert "ROFL" is internet-speak for "Rolling On the Floor Laughing" :)

I have to say, I'm quite shocked that Boaz would hold such strong beliefs against homosexuality that he would contemplate arranging a community injunction against the right of someone to live in his street.

With such attitudes in the community, no matter how marginal, it is no wonder the few gay people that I know feel so uncomfortable in the world. How horrible for them to know that such... hate and disdane exists on something they cannot choose anymore than other people can choose to be attracted to the opposite sex.

And back on topic, I would certainly expect any judge trained in the Australian legal system to be able to draw a clear and distinct line between whatever personal beliefs they hold, and the law which they are applying. In which case, Boaz's theoretical case would surely fail. And thank goodness for that.

Laurie, don't be too shocked this is the same BD who wrote

"Ok.. I book your 9 yr old daughter to add to my 50 yr old wife." http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=109#2036
and later on the same thread

"Its as plain as dogs balls on a grasshopper that a man over 50 with existing wives and who marries again to a 9 or 15 or 18 yrs old, is going to be more sexually interested in HER than in the 'old wrinklies'... " http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=109#2085

and yet later "The underlying premise of course is that old men appreciate young girls. Get it ? But you are above such things right ? " http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=109#2499

So gays are so bad that we should try and keep them out of our streets but old men who find nine year old girls sexually appealing (and who don't understand men who don't) are fine.

I'd happily welcome gays next door but spare me from fundies with an expressed sexual interest in 9 years olds.

R0bert

Quite so, Robert. As the father of a 9-year old daughter I also found the implications of that post very disturbing, and called Boaz on it. However, as it's pretty obvious that Boaz's expressed ideas about morality, diversity etc. are somewhere beyond the lunatic fringe, I doubt whether anybody mcuh takes anything he posts here on such topics very seriously.

To resturn to the topic, while our judiciary is obviously less than perfect, it does have the virtue of excluding from its ranks loonies who would act in the ways that Boaz says he would if he were in such a position.

CJ Morgan, I've struggled a bit since making that post wondering if there is any chance I've misunderstood his words and that he was not really expressing an interest in 9 year old girls or suggesting that they are somehow more attractive than an adult woman. He also seems to suggest in his comment to you that he does not believe that others don't share his interest in 9 years olds.

I both hope that I'm wrong and hope I'm not - if I'm wrong then it's an ugly attack which is not the way I like to post, if I'm not then the views he has expressed are very disturbing.

I don't think he follows through on his interests, but do think that he should seek professional help (not a church councellor).

9 year old's don't have adult sexual characteristics, they don't have adult intellectual or emotional development, how can they possibly be considered as appealing for any kind of adult relationship?

Trying to use the biblical David having an older teenage girl as an electric blanket in his old age (strange enough as that is) as an excuse to ignore his own issues does not help.

And BD is concerned about a Mossie mayor abusing his position to ban ham sandwiches at council functions (I've never had a free sandwich at a council function) or what two consenting adults might do next door.

The point about bias and the judicary has some merit when you think about people bringing those kids of views to official positions, but it's not just the non-christains we should be concerned about.

Someone once said something about specks and planks, who was that?

R0bert

Robert -

Yes, well I'd be quite appalled if all that was on offer at an official reception was ham sandwiches. If for no other reason that my partner, who is vegetarian, would have nothing to eat. For her, nosh like felafel, hommus and tabbouli are truly a 'godsend' at public occasions. Not only that, but it's delicious and healthy.

I live in a rural area, but we somehow seem to manage it.

Maybe the problem is the agglomeration of huge numbers of people in horrible suburban environments? Where people actually have the opportunity to know each other, IMHO notions like 'assimilation' become redundant, because individual people become integrated within the community, while retaining their cultural identity.

Cheers :)