The marriage amendment

Last Tuesday, Virginians voted “Yes” to the proposed marriage amendment. Many of these same Virginians voted with their homophobic intentions instead of their intellectual reasoning.
Frankly, voters could have done way better. They were fooled into thinking that voting “No” would bring Armageddon soon thereafter. I hate to bring such news, but that thought is simply nonsense. The amendment is way deeper than gays tying the knot.
This marriage amendment is just another form of discrimination. America, or at least Virginia, is not ready for change or even a moment of contemplating a change.
Heterosexual marriage is tradition, yes. So was white superiority. That doesn’t mean that tradition can’t be tweaked in any way.
The amendment is a distraction from other issues that should rank as higher priorities. Sadly, voters failed to grasp that idea. Remember that there are Americans in Iraq fighting a war based on undiscovered weapons of mass destruction. Where is the amendment about ensuring that Americans have an effective living wage? Where is all the effort in making sure American students leave high school with more than a piece of paper and with a chance to succeed? Instead, we spend our precious time debating if an adult can love another adult. So what?
A marriage amendment is not necessary. This was a ploy to bring out unlikely voters by the busloads to the curtain to check “Yes.” One highlight in this foolish procedure, the marriage ban passed with 57 percent supporting, leaving 43 percent voting “No,” CNN reported. It’s great to see that not all of Virginia supports this discrimination.
The worst part of all of this is hearing how some African-Americans can’t stand the idea that gay marriage could be legal. Unfortunately, those blacks do not see how they are being played as fools – once the oppressed is now oppressing others. Homosexuality is a big taboo in the black community, and the conservative politicians were definitely aware of this. So they reached out to pastors to encourage church-going blacks to vote with family values in mind.
Funny, those American values differ from family to family, but to some, those values include racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia and homophobia. The marriage amendment is a waste of time, especially when this country is faced with more prudent issues. We are at war to bring democracy and freedom abroad, and we are passing amendments at home to limit freedoms and discriminate against our own citizens based on their sexual preferences.