| op-ed | |||
| Christian Grantham was a student activist in the late 90s and later was a consultant to domestic policy forums for the Clinton Administration as well as events for HRC and GLAAD. | |||
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July 14, 2004
In the second day of Senate debates over a proposed amendment to the Constitution denying equal marriage rights, Republicans continue desperate arguments in favor of discrimination. While issues of tangible national security demand leadership, Republicans instead today argued that the ultimate homeland security issue is none other than denying gays equal marriage rights.
Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) took the floor, yet again, presenting the audacious state of Republican priorities in a time of war. "Isn't that the ultimate homeland security, standing up and defending marriage," Sen. Santorum asked.
Apparently so.
Despite warnings from the Bush Administration that our nation's homeland faces a serious threat in the coming weeks, despite reports that our intelligence services need desperate attention, and despite the lack of a clear vision for how our nation is to respond to these serious national security issues, Republicans continue today as though the greatest threat to America are loving couples.
Arguments by Republicans continue to invoke the same defense of marriage used against the supposed moral threat of mixed-race marriages and the right of "judicial activists" to impose such relationships on society. Still others ignorantly claim to defend a "5,000 year old institution." Yet, Senator Orin Hatch (R-UT), who cites this argument consistently, apparently doesn't read the Bible enough to know that it was relatively recent law that protected Americans from rampant polygamy of Biblical proportions.
But what do conservatives care about the substance of their arguments? These arguments are as irrational and hollow at their core as they were decades ago.
Radical conservatives continue to disgrace the Republican party and our nation with fallacious arguments echoing the regrettable banter of history's segregationists and anti-miscegenists.


