By now, most people have heard about same-sex marriages in San Francisco. At the request of Mayor Gavin Newsom, the city began granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples seeking them. It was not just San Francisco, however, as marriage licenses are being granted in New Mexico and Massachusetts.
But there is a solution, gentle readers. President Bush proposes to add to the Constitution of the United States an amendment defining marriage as the union between a man and a woman.
The President of the United States is not discussing the recent Pentagon report admitting global warming is a threat. He is not addressing the massive budget deficit, largely of his making.
He is not enlightening us about those weapons of mass destruction that Iraq may have possessed. Instead, our “Wartime President” is focusing on attempting to prevent marriage of same-sex couples.
One argument made against homosexuality by conservatives invokes morality. We are told that gay and lesbian couples are not as devoted to each other as heterosexual couples. We have all read People magazine and can affirm that plenty of heterosexuals change partners frequently. Nonetheless, most of us probably know gay or lesbian couples who are lifelong partners.
If conservatives really think living together without marriage is immoral, wouldn’t they want to encourage same-sex marriage? If marriage is a solution for straight people, why is it not a solution for lesbian and gay people?
Another claim is of same-sex marriage is that it demeans the institution of marriage. This is being said with a straight face in a nation that watches such TV shows as My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance and Joe Millionaire, where marriage is part of a storyline presented for entertainment. Who Wants To Marry a Millionaire, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette are more examples.
But we are supposed to believe that two people who love each other will destroy the institution of marriage because they happen to be of the same sex. If Britney Spears marrying for a night in Las Vegas did not do the job, marriage is safe from harm.
The infrastructure of this country is falling apart. The United States is tied up in Iraq for years and American soldiers will be dying for years to come. Remember the “Peace Dividend?” It is nowhere to be found, just like those weapons of mass destruction. From health care to education, there are problems crying out for leadership and solutions.
Yet, we are being told that same-sex marriage is such a major problem that it requires the Constitution to be amended. It is another smoke screen, designed to cloud your eyes in the nation that survived Janet Jackson’s exposed breast.
We can survive two people in love deciding to marry, even if they are both of the same sex. America has serious problems to face-gay marriage is just not one of them.
William Lodge can be reached at wtl1959@aol.com.
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