I can't tolerate intolerance

I've been thinking about this since Election 2004. When we have on our hands is a large group of Americans (namely, everyone between Salinas and Cleveland) who don't seem to understand what the word "freedom" means. They think it means something about eagles and stars and Toby Keith stomping Arabs with his cowboy boots. But when they turn around and try to legislate their own intolerance, as with, say, gay marriage, they prove through action an essential misunderstanding of this relatively simple concept.

See, freedom in America is supposed to mean that everyone can do what they want unless it directly brings some harm to another citizen. Now, I know it's never actually meant that in practice. I mean, hell, when we first invented these rules, we made women and black people exempt because it was convenient that way. But my point is that, this is what it's supposed to mean. And I think most people would agree with that, if you put it to them that way.

But then you have the gay marriage debate. People think that, because being gay is kind of gross to them, they have a right to make laws against it. What's the thinking here? "Well, I should be free, because nothing I do is gross, like two guys having anal sex is gross." Does anyone think in such myopic terms? I guess so.

So, this is why it bothers me when guys like, oh, I don't know, Pat Buchanan go on television and say things like, "We need to keep marriage as the union between a man and woman, because that's what the majority of Americans wants." See, cause it doesn't matter what most people want. We have a Constitution in place to protect individual rights against the power of mob rule. Even if everyone decided tomorrow that they were really sorry, but, they just don't think black people should be able to vote any more...It's just not working out...Well, they're not allowed to just take a vote on it and declare the right to vote repealed for black people. They're apparently allowed to intimidate black people at the polls, but that's a topic for another angry column some other time. It's against the law to strip anyone of their right to vote based on their race, of course, so even if it's what everyone wanted to do, it's still not allowed.

The same, naturally, should be true of gay marriage. Even if most Americans think it's gross and wrong, and that it will eventually erode the institution of marriage (though this argument is a patently ridiculous diversion from the actual issue at hand: homophobia), it still has to be legal. We have the 14th Amendment, and it guarantees equal protection under the law. Sorry, Jim DeMint, you crazed paranoid reptilian asshole.

So, basically, if you're reading this, just know that you should support anyone who wants to get married, whether they're gay or straight. It doesn't matter if they're born that way or if it's a choice, it doesn't matter if the Bible says it's an abomination or not, it doesn't matter what Jesus would do...Do it because it's the right thing to do, and it's the American thing to do, and because it really has nothing to do with you and your sanctimonious ass anyway. You don't have to go to the gay wedding, doofus. Just don't vote in a way that breaks up families and violates what this entire country is supposed to be about in the first place.