Senate Floor Statement on the Federal Marriage Amendment [Gordodn Smith, (R), OR]

Catholic Exchange, Senate Records ^ | 7-13-04 | Editors/Catholic Exchange

[Utah Girl]

I just read that Kerry and Edwards are not going to go to Washington DC to vote on the marriage amendment. Cowards.

[MeekOneGOP]

I just read that Kerry and Edwards are not going to go to Washington DC to vote on the marriage amendment. Cowards.

Oh, really ? Well, not surprising, then. Jean Keri has been AWOL for almost 90% of the Senate votes this year.

[MeekOneGOP]

And thanks for that info. :^)

[Badray]

" Interesting to find you in the same company with our liberal Senator Specter. Two things I had hoped men in this nation would stand up and protect: the unborn and the sanctity of marriage. How sad when men stand for some unreachable ideal and lamment over the past 70 years rather than stand strong and be a voice against the destruction of marriage. What will be worse for this nation then, an amendment that stops liberal elitist judges, commissioners, and liberal mayors or self-righteous anger towards our government in all their failures?"

I believe in the sanctity of life, but I won't blow up abortion clinics. Does that mean that I stand with the ACLU and abortion doctors? If so, please send me proof that you have bombed a clinic or two so that I can be sure of your stand.

Silly huh? No more silly than claiming that I stand with Arlen.

Doing what is right is just as important to me as achieving a desired result. I can't advocate bastardizing the Constitution to achieve my goals and criticize the left for doing the same. I won't push for laws to enforce my beliefs on others while objecting when the same thing is done to me.

I am opposing the amendment the same as Specter, but for entirely different reasons. That doesn't make us allies.

I am a pro life, pro 2nd Amendment, limited government, low tax Republican who doesn't belief that the 'separation of church and state' exists and doesn't believe that 2 men or 2 women can marry. But I also believe that winning on abortion and so called gay rights issues can only be done one on one, person to person, face to face and heart to heart. The bludgeon of the law or the Constitution will not end abortion and homosexuality anymore than the War on Drugs has stopped people from using drugs or Prohibition stopped people from drinking.

If an amendment was the cure, why are we suffering the destruction of our 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 9th, and 10th Amendments? I'll tell you why. We are allowing government to tell us what we can do (like this amendment does) instead of telling the Feds what they are allowed to do.

An amendment is the wrong solution. You can disagree and be disappointed, as you obviously are, but I do not apologize for standing on principle. Continued destruction of the Constitution will result in more chaos than gay 'marriage'.