Dramatically edited from Rill’s original, well-written, thoughtful, and heart-felt letter, my own letter to the editor regarding the completely absurd idea of a Constitutional amendment defining marriage:
Dear Editor:
George W. Bush believes that a Constitutional amendment to define marriage as the unique province of “a man and a woman” is what “the people” want.
One of the most crucial functions of our Constitution is to make certain that the minorities amongst our citizens do not suffer because of what “the people” want.
Not so terribly long ago, “the people” wanted to discriminate against people of African-American descent.
Not so very long before that, “the people” wished to restrict the right to vote to men.
And yet, guided by our Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, the United States of America decided that the rights of a citizen should not be restricted based upon his or her race or gender.
I believe that the decision of whether to grant the fundamental right of marriage to persons of the same gender is no different than the decisions we have faced in the past. I believe, too, that when our children and grandchildren look back at today’s furor, they will hold, as we do,
“these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, […] endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness–”
and they will wonder what all the fuss was about.
Sincerely,
Catherine E. Murphy
Huzzah! I hope they print it. If they don’t, you should send it to the Press.