Prop 8 Instigator On the Stand As Hostile Witness

Today was more historic testimony in the Prop 8 Trial. Dr. Bill Tam was at first supposed to be a witness for the defense, but when they found out he was a nutcase, they tried to exclude him from testifying. The Plaintiffs were able to bring him in as a "hostile witness" and thank god, he a glowing example of hatred, fear, and plain old crazy. Here are some selected quotes.

 

B: Your honor, this was already admitted in the testimony of Ms. Zia. This website says that homosexuality leads to pedophilia. Do you believe that?

T: Yes, I do.

B: Reads: Homosexuals 12 times more likely to molest children. Appropriate for your organization to tell people that?

T: Which organization?

B: The organization of which you are secretary that puts out this website!

T: Yes. From what we see here, those are not the statements of the organization. Those are just links to other websites. My position is that if there is something like this that people want to read about, organization has the right to link it.

B: You are not just linking. Your website says that homosexuals are 12 times more likely to molest children.

T: It’s in that website. It’s not from the organization.

B: Mr. Tam, this is print out from your website!

T: From the organization. But I’m only secretary. There are presidents and vice presidents.

B: Do you believe that homosexuals are more likely to molest children?

T: Yes, I do.

B: Based on what?

T: From academic papers.

B: Which academic papers?

T: Some could be news and some could be journalists.

B: I’m not asking you what it could be. Was it a book? An article? Who wrote it?

T: I don’t remember. I don’t know.

[Boies is really, really good. You could hear a pin drop up here and based on the judge’s facial expressions, in the courtroom. Boies is establishing the nexus with ProtectMarriage.com that they use this stuff as the reason for Prop. 8, which fits in with the stigma and all the great stuff we learned last week. By the way, I’m really nauseated. Truly.]

 

David Boies (B): You say here that if we lose Prop. 8 “they” will lose no time to push the gay agenda?

William Tam (T): Yes. They will.

B: You say here that the City of SF is under the rule of homosexuals. Do you believe that?

T: Yes.

B: Who?

T: Tom Ammiano was supervisor.

B: Was the mayor homosexual?

T: I don’t think so.

B: I don’t think so either.

B: You said that you thought Prop. 8 would lead to legalizing prostitution. Why?

T: Measure K in SF. I saw some homosexuals hanging around there.

B: You know that Measure K has nothing to do with Prop. 8.

T: Yes.

B: You told people that next will be legalizing sex with children. That’s the homosexual agenda. Do you believe this?

T: Yes.

 

B: Here’s a flyer that says Prop. 8 protects against social, moral decay. What is the social, moral decay?

T: Well, from Christian angle, homosexuality or sex between two persons of the same sex is a sin.

B: You were saying that Prop. 8 protects against homosexuality?

T: No. But I agree with this. If same sex marriage is legal, it would encourage children to explore same sex as their marriage partner. From Asian as well as Christian angle, we think this is social, moral decay.

B: Second document which is from 1man1woman dot net, more specific. Says that if same sex marriage passes it will lead to incest, pedophilia and polygamy. Do you agree with that?

T: Yes.

B: That’s what you told people to get them to vote for Prop. 8?

T: Yes.

B: Your paper says that after Netherlands legalized SS marriage, Netheralands legalized incest and polygamy. Do you believe that?

T: Same sex marriage may not have led to legalization of incest and polygamy, but it happened.

B: Who told you that?

T: I found it on the Internet. I did not write this that polygamy was legalized in 2005.

B: You put it out there to convince people to vote for Prop. 8. Did you ever look up the law?

T: Yes, there was different documents that shows that’s true.

B: So after Netherlands legalized same sex marriage, legalized polygamy and incest.

T: I’m not sure about incest. That may have been legal before same sex marriage passed.

B: If that’s the case, then it has nothing to do with same sex marriage.

T: Yes, but it shows that if countries are loose with sex it leads to this…

 

David Boies (B): Your document here says that civil unions were passed in Sweden in 1994 and now siblings can marry.

William Tam (T): Yes.

B: You said you support civil unions but here siblings can marry after it was passed in Sweden.

T: Yes.

 

T: I believe if marriage is beyond a man and a woman that any person can come to ask for marriage for incest and polygamy. If this is a civil right what would stop anyone from using marriage.

B: Can two siblings become DPs? Can man and girl of young age become DP?

T: No.

B: DPs exclude people of certain age and relationship.

T: Right.

B: You know that?

T: Yes.

B: So you see that DP does not lead to incest.

T: Yes. Oh I see your logic.

B: Yeah, logic, logic?

B: Is it your position that if we change the name that we’ll all of a sudden start having sex with 13-year-old girls?

T: Know. The name of marriage is so important. If marriage is not limited to above age of 18 our children will fantasize about marrying either man or woman. To us parents, you may say I’m a paranoid Chinese parent, I get very upset about. However, if DP we can exchange to our children that some sex people want to live committed life together, it’s very easy to understand. But if you mix up the sexes with marriage, it’s confusing.

B: Finished?

T: Yes.

B: Just because you allow g and l to marry don’t have to allow brothers and sisters to marry

T: Yes.

B: And don’t have to allow sex with children?

T: Yes.

B: You also realize that it’s important to gays and lesbians that they be allowed to marry?

T: Yes.

B: Just as children of you and your wife benefit from knowing you are married, the children of gays and lesbians will benefit from knowing their parents are married?

T: No.

B: You don’t think children want their parents to marry?

T: Laughs… I don’t know what they are trying to get at.

B: Gays and lesbians want the same rights that you have and they think it’s important even I you don’t think they should have it. Can you understand that?

T: I understand.

 

B: Whom did you talk to during the break?

T: My lawyer.

B: What did you say to your lawyer?

T: That I felt like a naughty boy being put in front of the classroom being mocked.

B: What did he say?

T: He laughed.

B: Did you know that in American history there were extremely unfortunate times when Asian Americans were limited as to whom they could marry?

T: Yes.

(Moss objects)

B: He gave his answer your honor. I have no further questions.

Prop 8 Trial – Possible Outcomes and Unlikely Partners

I've been following live bloggers at the Prop 8 trial, wishing I could be there myself for history in the making. The courthouse is almost right around the block from me, and I am tempted to hang out just to see the circus.

 

Without the TV coverage we were promised, live blogging is the best alternative. It's a little hard to follow and not completely accurate, but it's play-by-play, something you don't get from  a two minute segment on the local news. Periodically, these essays appear on the same site, and this one in particular is fascinating.

 

The section about the Scopes Monkey Trial is interesting in that it was best known through the later theatrical re-telling of the story in "Inherit The Wind". There's an opera in this story, you just wait.

 

A Small World Getting Smaller: Rats Flee A Sinking Ship

8: The Mormon Proposition





 

"8: The Mormon Proposition" is a new documentary about the involvement of the Church of Latter Day Saints' involvement in the passage of Proposition 8 in California. It's written, and directed by Reed Cowan, produced by Cowan, Chris Volz, and Steven Greenstreet, executive produced by Bruce Bastian, and narrated by Dustin Lance Black.

 

This movie is a year too late, but it sounds important. Let's hope that more than a handful of people get to see it.