I’m exhausted. I woke up feeling okay but then I checked the election results. I had to go to bed at 11:00 last night and the final result on issue 1 hadn’t been figured. When I went to bed No was winning by a few percentage points.

After finding out that my newly adopted home state joined the ranks of those denying fellow citizens basic rights all I wanted to do was go back to bed. But no, I had to go to work and be around people that I know voted Yes on 1. There are two things I refuse to discuss at work – Politics and Religion. Not everyone feels the same and I know several of my co-workers’ stance on both. It’s interesting that those who have no problems spouting off their politics are those with which I disagree.

I’m just so tired of people trying to control other people’s lives. I’ve been fighting against this tyrannical behavior since I was in college and it only seems to have gotten worse. Having a complete moron in the White House for eight years (Bush Jr. in case you don’t know to whom I’m referring) has emboldened the ignorant and fearful and they have no problem using that fear as a tool in their ongoing war with anything that doesn’t fit into their own personal world view.

I’m just so tired of it all.

Land of the free? – bullshit.

Home of the Brave? – double-bullshit.

The United States of America has a Republican government, not a Democratic government. And no, I’m not talking about political parties here.

I don’t have my notes handy but I remember learning in school that a Republic is a form of government where the majority rules but that the rights of the minority must always be protected. In contrast, a true Democracy is a form of government where the majority rules, period, and anyone who disagrees with that majority – well, they’re out of luck.

True Democracy would not be a good form of government. I know there are many out there who disagree but look at it like this: The majority of this country prefers chocolate to strawberry flavored ice cream. What if your favorite flavor was strawberry and it was banned because the majority preferred chocolate? How would that be fair? Your preference to strawberry is hurting no one and there’s no real reason that it should be banned.

So, we come to Civil Rights. Fifty years ago, the majority of this country believed that black people shouldn’t have the same rights that whites have. However, this was an infringement on the rights of a minority and despite the will of the people those rights had to be protected.

We’re going through this again today with yet another minority group and I’m sure you know who I’m talking about, unless you live in ignorance. In case you do, that group is homosexuals.

Several states passed anti-gay marriage laws this past Election Day, the most appalling being California. Why is California guiltier than the others? Because they didn’t just vote to deny rights, they voted to take away rights that those people had already been given.

Does that really sink in? Americans voted to take away rights. We’re supposed to be the land of the free and we’re taking away rights from individual citizens of this country – rights that hurt no one.

What was that? The sanctity of marriage? Give me a frikkin’ break. If voters are so damned worried about the sanctity of marriage, why aren’t they trying to ban divorce? It has nothing to do with sanctity. It comes down to what it always comes down to – pure and unadulterated bigotry, hatred and ignorance.

Gay marriage isn’t going to hurt the institution of marriage – the vows traded by straight couples won’t mean any less, the bond people those people will still be as strong and their love for each other can not be diminished just because a pair of homosexuals are getting married at the same time.

I know that my little rant here is a waste – it will change no one’s mind either way. Hateful, ignorant bigots tend to want to stay that way and I can’t figure out why what I would normally consider a compassionate Christian can’t just let others live their lives. I couldn’t understand that when I was in the church so I certainly can’t understand it now.

My only hope is that the court will recognize that the will of the people really has no place here. This is a rights issue and it’s not lawful for the majority to deny rights to a minority.