Furthermore...

Just because Obama, or F Ryan, or anyone else within the 80% of America described by Ryan "defines" marriage as being between a man and a woman doesn't mean the GOVERNMENT should legislate it as such. What kind of argument is that, anyway? Because something CAN be legislated or regulated, its SHOULD be? Because a clear majority believe one thing to be true, it must be legislated and regulated as such for all, forever?

I really think this is a telling example of "conservatives" wanting one thing and doing another... the proverbial "having your cake and eating it, too". Ryan giggles at the thought of my advocating "smaller government" while he advocates more government regulation and control, and I admit that the irony isn't lost on me. It doesn't change the facts, though... mandating who can and can't get "married" when marriage is, by its very definition, a consensual covenant between two individuals, exceeds what I understand to be the meaning behind "limited government". It is, in my eyes, simply another form of "separate but equal" standards of conduct and justice for the post-integration generations.

If a traditional Judeo-Christian lifestyle is no longer "popular" with the latest generation of Americans, is it the role of Government to enforce that lifestyle? Traditionally, Sundays were seen as a "day of rest" when shops and businesses closed their doors... I'm sure more than 80% of Jews and Christians still believe this to be important, if for no other reason than it is #3 on the Ten Commandments... higher even then #5 "Thou shall not commit murder"... but there are no laws, regulations, or proposed Amendments to stop all commerce and business from being conducted on Sundays. I would even be in favor of such a law, truth be told... but I do not think that law would be "fair" or "just" when forced on atheists, Jews or Muslims (or Seventh Day Adventists, for that matter) who see Sunday as just another day of the week.

When moral or ethical choice is forced or mandated by society, there is no opportunity to exercise free will, and thus there is no opportunity to exercise individual freedoms and rights... among these being Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.