Michael Medved
A question of self-government, not tolerance
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | During the Vice Presidential debate, Dick Cheney delivered a formidable performance but failed to seize the opportunity to clarify the issue of same sex marriage.
The same day as the debate, a single arrogant judge overturned the decision of 78% of the Louisiana electorate, who voted to amend the state constitution to protect traditional marriage. This isn't an issue of tolerance, it's a question of self-government: How can we teach democracy to Iraq when the opinion of a single jurist counts for more than the people's will to resist radical change in preserving the definition of marriage that's always applied?
Cheney says we should leave the issue to the states, so he must support the right of state voters to determine the substance of their own constitutions.
The Vice President could have attacked the Democratic preference for judicial tyranny, and their refusal to empower the public, without in any sense betraying the gay daughter he loves.
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JWR contributor, author and film critic
Michael Medved hosts a daily three-hour radio talk show
broadcast in more than 120 cities throughout the United States. His latest book, written together with his wife, is Saving Childhood : Protecting Our Children from the National Assault on Innocence .
You may contact him by clicking here.