Letters to the Editor
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The point of the article
I think in the discussion here about gay marriage, the whole point of the article has been overlooked. Will this move score points for the Republicans in the upcoming election? The fact that this amendement isn't going to pass the senate does not discount that possibility. A defeat can garner more support than a victory at times (we remember the Alamo, Pearl Harbor and Sept 11). I don't think Scherer made a good case that this won't help the Repulicans in 2006 and I wish this issue was explored more in depth.
But as long as we're on the gay marriage issue, I'd like to say the arguments in support have taken the wrong tack. They should pay attention to the strategy the opponents have been using. The arguments in favor have been abstract and philosophical, an appeal to our sense of equality before the law. The opponents have been talking about tangible harm that would be done. We know these arguments have no basis in fact, but my point is that a certain number of people believe these things could happen. What the pro-gay marriage camp needs to do is show exactly how people are being harmed by this unfair treatment, how it actually does harm couples and the children of gay parents.