A Wedge Issue for Bush’s Reelection

I thought we established this country in order to get away from living in places where the leadership’s decisions were based on fear and ignorance. President Bush’s endorsement of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, however, makes me think maybe it’s time to take a boat to uncharted territory and try again. Too bad we’ve also succeeded in alienating most of the rest of the world by acting like kings ourselves -- now there’s nowhere left to go.

I and my partner married in San Francisco on Feb. 15. We don’t want anyone to “unmarry” us. The institution of marriage, in spite of all the more base reasons it was created (e.g., maintaining gender inequality), at its best has the power to confer a sense of dignity, responsibility and community on those who enter into it. This makes us better citizens. You would think even the Republicans would want that.

Emily Moore

Los Angeles

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The administration knows that the best way to divert our attention away from Bush’s disastrous policies and lies is to misdirect all of our energies and sense of urgency to this constitutional marriage amendment issue.

This from a man who promoted himself as a “uniter, not a divider.” Bush has made the world a more dangerous place with his bullying ways, and now he is out to set us against each other. Shame on us if we allow this to happen.

Twenty years from now, will we care more about what constitutes a family or whether any family has a steady job, healthcare, clean air, water and food or affordable education?

Patricia Bray

Huntington Beach

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Here are some quotes by Vice President Dick Cheney from the 2000 vice presidential debate. On gay and lesbian relationships: “The fact of the matter is we live in a free society, and freedom means freedom for everybody. We don’t get to choose, and shouldn’t be able to choose and say, ‘You get to live free, but you don’t.’ ”

On gay and lesbian civil unions or marriage: “I think the fact of the matter, of course, is that matter is regulated by the states. I think different states are likely to come to different conclusions, and that’s appropriate. I don’t think there should necessarily be a federal policy in this area.”

I guess he would now amend his statement to say “unless we need to use it as a wedge issue to help our chances of getting reelected in 2004.”

Glenn Johnson-Grau

Los Angeles