As I'm sure you all know, Bush is pushing for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. This annoys me, but not for the reasons everyone else seems to be posting about.
First off, amending the constitution is the responsibility of the legislator, not the executive. Whether this amendment or that amendment should be passed is NOT an issue that should be taken up in a presidential race.
But that?s really just a minor point. I don?t care if he?s demanding legislation or an amendment to the constitution. It?s the fact that gay marriage is being made into 'the important' issue.
It's not. In the overall scheme of things it really is irrelevant.
Yes, same sex-couples should be able to marry. But really, does it really matter what it's called?
People out there who hate gays are going to go on hating gays, and teaching their kids to hate gays. People who are gay are going to go on being gay. If the amendment is passed there will be some laws allowing for civil unions that are treated in the same way as marriage for all intents and purposes. Or there won't, either way sometime within the next 20 years there will be some kind of political backlash and gays will be allowed to marry. Many people will be unhappy about this, but they will get used to it and life will go on.
Yes, I realize that people are going to need to put time and money towards this cause. And they will, there are plenty of them right now who are spending precious energy on this cause. Some of them are on my friends list. But this is really just a special interest issue; it should not determine whether or not a particular politician gets elected.
It takes two sides to argue. The liberal anti-bush lobby is spending precious time and energy trying to argue some philosophical point about whether the government should recognize civil unions, and if so, what they should be called.
Let me repeat, people are wasting a hideous amount of time and effort arguing over something that is basically irrelevant.
Not only are they arguing over something that is irrelevant, they picking a battle that they cannot win.
Sadly most people in this country see plenty of reasons why gays should not be allowed to marry. And it's possible for our fearless leader to galvanize support for his campaign by rallying those people behind him on this 'moral' issue. The fact that liberals are falling for the bait lets him minimize other issues where he doesn?t look so great, like the economy, or the occupation of Iraq, or environmental policies, or any of the other areas where Bush has been doing a less than stellar job.
If you just want to vent, fine. Rant all you like about how marriage is love, how evil Bush is, and how we would all be better off if he was replaced by a peanut butter sandwich. If that makes you feel better go for it, you aren?t hurting anyone.
But if you actually want to convince anyone who isn?t already voting for the ?anyone but Bush? ticket you are wasting your time. There are plenty of reasons why Bush should not be re-elected, but opposing gay marriage is not in the top 10. Gay marriage isn?t something you can ?convince? someone else of your opinion on. Either they agree with you or they don?t. Telling them that 'marriage is love' isn?t going to change their opinion. On the other hand, bringing up that the Union of Concerned Scientists Say Administration Distorts Facts actually DOES give you something to talk about that might change some minds. Or bring up that the Pentagon now considers the threat of global warming to "vastly eclipses that of terrorism".
There are plenty of ways we can criticize Bush in which he can?t do anything but make excuses. Why, then, are so many people wasting so much time and energy attacking him in an area where he might have a leg to stand on.
EDIT: stolen from
here.