NEWS

Ohio lawmaker: America giving God the middle finger

Jessie Balmert

CINCINNATI — Conservative lawmaker John Becker says America gave God the middle finger with the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage.

“Well, I’ve got to hand it to President Obama. He has managed to figure out how to do what no one thought was possible: A national flipping of the middle finger at God,” Becker, R-Union Township, wrote in his regular report to constituents. “He then lit up the White House in the colors of the homosexual flag. Yes, it was brilliant.”

Becker opposes gay marriage, which he has said is a slippery slope to sibling marriage and polygamy. He also wanted to impeach the federal judge who overturned same-sex marriage in Ohio.

He is a co-sponsor on two bills to protect religious freedom. One proposal would allow clergy to avoid officiating same-sex weddings. Another would allow businesses, such as florists or bakeries, to refuse to participate in gay unions without facing lawsuits.

The lawmaker also implied that America was setting itself up for military defeats because of the nation’s rebellion from God’s law.

“I’m not a Bible expert, but it seems like I recall Old Testament stories about the Israelis being militarily defeated because of their rebellious nature toward God. Furthermore, the Book of Revelation does not seem to indicate America’s existence in the end times,” Becker wrote.

Many Clermont County Republicans agree with Becker's sentiment that marriage should be between one man and one woman, but the lawmaker's language was inappropriate, county GOP Chairman David Uible said.

"I don’t think he needs to use language like that," Uible said. "You don’t need to take extremes."

Southwest Ohio lawmakers’ views on same-sex marriage are divided, mostly on partisan lines. After the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, said he was disappointed in the ruling but the court had spoken.