Solitude and Hope: Y'all Come Visit!

As expected, the Senate on Wednesday rejected a proposed Constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, rebuffing both President Bush, the Republican Party, the religious right and the general social conservative movement. After two days of emotional argument, the U. S. Senate voted 49 to 48 to shut off debate on a call to bring the amendment to the floor. The total fell well short of the 60 votes needed to actually end debate, let alone the 67 votes required to approve a constitutional amendment. The decision effectively killed the issue in the Senate.

Democratic critics of the proposal said that President Bush had advanced it to rally conservative voters, substantials numbers of whom have been drifting away from supporing him. Many observers have contended that Bush's focus upon the gay marriage issue was an attempt to divert the public's attention away from the disasters associated with the war in Iraq, our rapidly rising level of national debt, criticisms of federal domestic spying programs and soaring energy bills. In addition, many have said that the proposal was tantamount to writing discrimination into the Constitution.

posted by D. Patrick Zimmerman, Psy.D.  # Sunday, June 11, 2006