So, it appears that if the Republicans cannot win the election on policy issues, they will force the election to be a culture war. Salon.com News | Laura Bush says gay marriage "shocking" Hopefully my faith in the American people to see through the obfuscations and lies by right-wing politicians and demagogues is not misplaced. Case in point: Laura Bush stated that she thinks the issue of gay marriage should be an issue that is debated by the American people, and should not be decided by the courts. Well, first, it IS an issue that should be decided by the courts because gays who seek a CIVIL marriage are doing so because laws preventing gay marriage prevent the exercise and enjoyment of rights attendant to CIVIL marriage. The Supreme Court has held that marriage is a fundamental right. Last time I checked, if you are being denied access to a fundamental right, you ask the courts, not your neighbor, for redress. Secondly, the American people ARE debating this issue. The state constitutional amendment process in Massachusetts requires input from the people, and the people seeking an amendment must pass that amendment every year for two years. This forces the people to debate the issue, vigorously, for two years. The federal constitutional amendment process is also forcing much public debate, too.

I just don't get what conservatives are afraid of. Will gay marriage denigrate the institution of marriage? How? Currently, without gay marriage, people suffer infidelities, lying, philandering, physical abuse, and mental abuse. Some conservatives argue that marriage is about procreation, the creation of the family. If that's the case, why do we let infertile couples marry, why do we let people marry who have no intention of ever having children? People would do them a great service if they just picked up a copy of the Supreme Court's decision in Loving v. Virginia. Although the issues that the Lovings challenged may be somewhat different than what gays would challenge today, the arguments the Supreme Court uses to refute the standard arguments used against interracial marriage still apply today.

Oh, one other thing kills me about Laura Bush's speech. If a president is accused of misrepresenting his National Guard service and the evidence that supported our decision to go to war with Iraq, that is a "personal attack," and therefore unwarranted. However, if a president is accused of having an affair while in office, then that is a legitimate topic of national debate. Hmmm, gotta love the double standards at play.