Miss California, Carrie Prejean, may have lost the 2009 Miss USA crown, but she will ultimately be the one laughing all the way to the bank. When questioned by Perez Hilton, a celebrity blogger and pageant judge, about her opinion of gay marriage in the U.S., she replied that she believed marriage should be between a man and woman.
Yes, that answer cost her the title, but her defiance of the conventional foolishness by not giving Hilton the politically correct answer he was looking for made her the real winner in the hearts of many viewers. Accordingly, she has received the lion's share of the post-pageant buzz, and deservedly so.
Think about it, how many people can name the newly crowned Miss USA or even the state she is from? Sure, that young lady will get all the normal perks that come with such a title, but I doubt that they will be any match for the riches and fame that will be bestowed upon Miss Prejean. Not surprisingly, Hilton, who is openly gay, doesn't get it. He just can't understand why Prejean is getting all the (mostly positive) attention. Of course he can't.
In this country, gays and lesbians are free to live their lives as they see fit and call the living arrangements with their partners whatever they want to. I wholeheartedly support that freedom, and so does Miss Prejean. But I believe the government (that represents all of us, whether we like it or not) has no business recognizing the union of two men or two women as a "marriage" any more than it should validate the claim of a man who insists he's married to a squirrel. Miss Prejean apparently shares the same belief and was not willing to back away from it.
There is lesson in this for everyone, especially children and teens. You don't have to follow the crowd down to the road to perdition to succeed in life. In fact, sometimes – but not always, when you take a stand for what is right, you end up with more of this world's goods than those who are willing to compromise their principles in order to acquire them. Of course, that should not be the reason for taking a moral stand. That should be done because it is the right thing to do, even if it proves costly in terms material possessions or worldly favor. Sometimes, as in the case of Cassie Bernall during the Columbine massacre 10 years ago, it even results in the loss of one's life.
Three cheers for Miss California! We could use more young people like her.
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