Letter from a law student

Daniel writes:

Dear Mikhaela:

I enjoy the dialogue on your website and your political cartoons. In regard to marriage amendments that were passed in various states, I have been mystified by the statements of politicians and their ilk who state that we need to preserve the sanctity of marriage (whatever that means). My wife and I cannot figure out how a same-sex couple getting married will affect our marriage. With the divorce rate at around 50 percent, straight people seem to being doing a terrific job themselves at ruining the sanctity of marriage. Same-sex couples getting married do not ruin the sanctity of marriage if they are faithful and loving to one another. What ruins the sanctity of marriage is when one person in the marriage commits adultery or spousal abuse; but we never seem to care about how those things ruin the sanctity of marriage. It is ironic that politicians are the ones condemning others for ruining marriage, when they are the most frequent violators. I am a law student living in Illinois, and one of the things they teach us at law school to compromise so that you don't have to go to trial in the first place. Would it really behoof politicians who are not comfortable with same-sex marriage to at least compromise; meaning allowing them to visit one another in the hospital, allow them to make life saving decisions if necessary, allow their partner to receive their social security when they die, etc.? What scares me the most is that many of my fellow classmates think in a very narrow minded away, and to compound the problem they are oblivious about the way our government conducts itself (not only today, but throughout our history). I sincerely hope that they do not become the future lawyers who take the place of those currently in the Justice Department and elsewhere who work with the president to circumvent human rights and dignity. Thank you for reading my e-mail and allowing me to vent.

Daniel