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Thursday, May 10, 2012

The President's Role

As my Advanced Placement Government students finish their preparation for next week's test, I cannot depart from the fact that President Obama's declaration in favor of same sex marriage is an issue appropriate for our final discussions. It is being complicated due to the diverse moral and religious opinions and interpretations that exist but it is really simple. Let us suppose, today, a woman and a man who cannot bear children decide to marry and a State Government decides to disallow the infertile from marrying. Would those who view marriage as a union for the purpose of propagation be offended? Maybe so. and if not,they are hypocrites. Suppose a black man were to go to the polls to vote and immediately as in days past was excluded based on race, would segregationist bigots have a problem with this? Probably not. These two extreme views that exist within a minority of our people today, would have been mainstream opinions during periods of our history. Yet, today, laws to protect the rights and liberties of individuals have been passed to insure the American mosaic is protected as part of our diversity. To treat one individual or group differently because of a characteristic, is anathema to most of us and our nation continues to march slowly toward acceptance, tolerance and a higher sense of right and wrong. A President is in the job to execute the laws and the laws of this great nation are designed to protect our rights and liberties, not to make decisions based on religious fundamentals. I do not quarrel with or object to anyone whose faith and conscience does not have room for same sex partnerships but I do quarrel with those who use these ideas to deny others the freedom to be who they are and to have the rights they are equally entitled to. The President is just doing his job. Thankfully so. Mitt Romney has no understanding of the role he feels entitled to have. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

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