America is a free society which limits the role of government in the lives of our citizens. This commitment of freedom, however, does not require the redefinition of one of our most basic social institutions. Our government should respect every person and protect the institution of marriage.

There is no contradiction between these responsibilities.

- President George W. Bush

Cue Jon Stewart style "Whaaaaaa." I continue to not get how conservatives can talk about limiting the role of government in our lives and still support the social positions they support. In reality shouldn't the line be more like limiting the role of government in our lives as long as you want to live your life like us.

I understand that people don't believe gay marriage should happen. I get that there are actually some reasonable arguements for this position. None that I buy - but if you're curious Orson Scott Card, one of my favorite authors, makes some here. A federal constitutional amendment just seems ludicrous to me. The permanence of it is stunning, and if we're going to talk about the government's role in our private lives - making a constitutional amendment that is about our personal relationships doesn't really seem to fit with the rest of the rhetoric.

Ug, I like that we have conservatives. I really do. It provides our society with a buffer to social change that is valuable. Social change can't happen too quickly, and some things the left comes up with for social change are bad ideas that get stalled for long enough that everyone realizes they're bad ideas. But the constitution is a big deal and not to be taken lightly. There are lots of positions I support, but I almost never support constitutional amendments for them. I remember multiple times in the voting booth staring at propositions thinking "I'd vote for this if it wasn't a constitutional amendment."

I'll be deeply dissapointed if we pass a constitutional amendment solely to create a federal definition of marriage, that's not what the constitution is for.

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