The issue being overlooked in the wake of the election is the overwhelming support of a gay-marriage ban in all eleven states that saw such a referendum. This surprises and distresses me greatly; we are supposed to be a tolerant country, yet we feel the need to restrict a good segment of the population from participating in the same ceremonies of love that the majority enjoys.

I saw a poll during the endless election coverage last night that showed 21% of voters listed "moral values" (i.e. gay-marriage) as the most important issue facing America. The percentage was even higher than the economy (20%) and terrorism/Iraq (18%). I am not sure which bothers me more: the fact a sizeable number of the population fails to grasp the importance of rooting out terrorism or that people equate moral values with discrimination.

I know the party-line for Republicans. "We must protect the sanctity of marriage." I don't buy that claim, though; how can something be sacred when it has a success rate of 50%? In my book marriage won't be sacred until people start to act like it is. By that I mean don't get married on a whim and then get a divorce when it doesn't work out. And especially don't do it several times.

To deny gays these rights when straight people themselves take them for granted is ridiculous enough. Seriously: who cares if gays can marry? As much as Republicans want to believe it, allowing gays to marry will not have any effect on them. Their marriages won't be less sacred because of it; no, that is going to stem from their multiple divorces, right Rush?

I understand that they want to keep it from snow-balling. They make the argument that if gays can marry, at some point in the future then polygamists will say that their marriages are legal, and then maybe later some man from Arkansas is going to want to marry his pick-up. If they want to put restrictions on marriage, why not stop it at two people? Or X number of people who can vocally declare their love for each other? (An umbrella that I doubt a cat or a Chevy will fall under.) But there is no reasonable argument against gays being able to marry; I guarantee that it will not unravel the fabric of the universe.