“An equal application of law to every condition of man is fundamental.” –Thomas Jefferson to George Hay, 1807. ME 11:341
“The most sacred of the duties of a government [is] to do equal and impartial justice to all its citizens.” –Thomas Jefferson: Note in Destutt de Tracy, “Political Economy,” 1816. ME 14:465
“Of liberty I would say that, in the whole plenitude of its extent, it is unobstructed action according to our will. But rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add ‘within the limits of the law,’ because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the right of an individual.” –Thomas Jefferson to Isaac H. Tiffany, 1819.
“The most sacred of the duties of a government [is] to do equal and impartial justice to all its citizens.” –Thomas Jefferson: Note in Destutt de Tracy, “Political Economy,” 1816. ME 14:465
“Of liberty I would say that, in the whole plenitude of its extent, it is unobstructed action according to our will. But rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add ‘within the limits of the law,’ because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the right of an individual.” –Thomas Jefferson to Isaac H. Tiffany, 1819.
The United States has become totally obsessed with outlawing what some people choose to do in the privacy of their own homes. Contrary to the will of our Founding Fathers (as shown above), we have passed laws and enshrined practices that infringe on the equal rights of others around us. One group that has been disproportionately affected – or targeted – by this unconstitutional attack are homosexuals.
It completely baffles me how many people imagine that in order to secure their own liberty, someone else’s liberty must be restricted. That reasoning is in direct opposition to the Foundation of our Nation.
Marriage is a secular institution in our country, because in order to legally be acknowledged by our government, religion can not, legally, play a part in it. Yet, gay couples are barred from entering into this binding agreement solely on the basis of religious objection. I claim solely on the basis of religious objection, because there is no logical, reasoning objection that can withstand any scrutiny. I firmly believe (and herein should lay humor) that gay people have the same rights to pay higher taxes, have someone fiscally interested in their demise and be prohibited from enjoyable promiscuous activity as any other coupling of free people. If having Marty and Bert marry would diminish, in any way, your marriage, then you don’t have much of anything to begin with.
I don’t have a lot of the same perceptions of military service as many people do. Some seem to enshrine anyone who has enlisted as some sort of automatic hero – regardless of their personality and habits. I hold that assigning the label of hero to anyone simply because of their occupation is demeaning to true heroes within that occupational field. I believe anyone should have the opportunity to serve their country. There have been gay people in every military throughout history. Some have been great leaders and extraordinary heroes of their time. What opportunities at excellence are our ‘leaders’ denying our country by this modern and misguided exclusion? I mean, were the armies of Rome demoralized and ineffective? I firmly believe (again, humor to follow) that gay citizens should have the same right to endure grueling, mind-and-spirit-breaking training, travel to foreign lands where everyone hates them and have an equal opportunity to get shot or blown up for their country.
I truly believe that we as a Nation have yet to fully realize the potential laid out in our constitution – and hope to be around when we finally achieve it. I will do my small part to attempt to move us a little closer to that potential.