My mom is one of those

people who claims not to have any problems with homosexuality, and she adores her gay hairdresser, but still won't budge on the marriage thing. Like a lot of midwesterners, it just pushes some inexplicable button with her, and also like them, she can't explain why. It's almost as if she really doesn't know why. Her answer: "Because I"m traditional." Fine be traditional. Why do you care if other people are, too? Besides, tradition was used to justify women not voting, and staying in the home, and all sorts of things in the past. People with her view can never name one concrete harmful result of letting gay people get married, but they still don't feel they are being illogical. It drives you nuts to argue with them.

The gay marriage issue to me seems like a test case of the question: "If people aren't violating somone else's rights, if they aren't endangering someone's safety, does the government have the right to regulate personal/social behavior?" Maybe that's the key to it all. Maybe some people need to feel that someone somewhere is in charge.