The recent Massachusetts Supreme Court decision on gay marriage was a blatant usurpation of legislative power, ignoring the constitutional separation of powers. The Massachusetts Supreme Court forced strict libertarian doctrine on the people of the Commonwealth.
It seems that some have misconstrued the intent of separation of church and state to be a separation of state and values, even religious values. I believe the original intent was to prevent the establishment of an organized state church, not to eliminate values. People make laws based on the values they hold whether they are political or religious values. Furthermore, I think it is difficult to separate the difference between political and religious values.
The definition of marriage being a sacred union between only a man and a woman should be a national law. This is a moral issue just as important as the issue of not allowing some states to have slavery.
Civil rights, I believe, apply to individuals. This is now being misconstrued to apply to relationships. Same-sex marriage is not a civil right; it is a matter of morality. Opposition to attempts to legalize same-sex marriage should never be interpreted as justification for hatred, intolerance, or abuse of those who profess homosexual tendencies. I believe there should be strict laws against hate crimes to individuals and there should not be discrimination against individuals based on sexual orientation in the workplace.
Kevin Craig Cromar
Sandy