WSU Trumpet

I would like to talk about rights. I know, I know, the world's all abuzz with political talk as President-Elect Barack Obama prepares to take the most powerful seat in the world, but I feel like certain things need to be clarified.

Rights, as it were, are opportunities afforded to Man that generally cannot be revoked. We often think of rights as things like life, liberty, and the persuit of happiness. There are other rights out there, but they generally all revolve around those three tenets: that a person can expect to live, be free to make decisions, and work to earn property. Now, just because a person has those rights does not necessarily mean that everyone has to agree with that person all of the time. I have the right to make my own decisions, but with that right also comes the responsibility for the decisions I make. Also, I have the right to work and earn property, but I do not have the right to any particular job. That is up to me to make myself a good fit for a job.

So, now we come to this idea of marriage that is so hot in the press these days. There are people all over clamoring about whether or not gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry. Those for allowing them to marry do so in the name of equal rights while those opposed say that it has nothing to do with equal rights. I happen to be one of those opposed, but it is not just that simple. Since this is a discussion about rights, I beg the question: who has the right to get married? Nobody. It is not a right. It is what we call a privilege. Marriage can be taken away if either of the parties chooses to do so or if there is sufficient evidence for the state to do so. It's kind of like driving. In fact, since you have to have a license for both, it is very much like driving. Certain things that we enjoy in our society are considered privileges. Many people would initially think that they are rights, but they are not. Consider the following: watching television, having dinner with your family, enjoying a movie. Rights? No. They are privileges. They are pretty freely available privileges, but to someone who breaks the laws of the land, they can be considered unattainable luxuries.

Now, there are certain rights that come along with certain privileges, but that is a discussion for a different time.

So, as I have described it, gays and lesbians have exactly the same right to marry as heterosexual couples - that is they have none at all. Marriage is a privilege afforded to those who can demonstrate their willingness and ability to treat each other and their offspring well.

Now, I feel that I need to clarify my earlier comment as to being opposed to gays and lesbians being married. I mentioned that they have the same right as heterosexual couples, but that does not mean that I would condone them getting married. The reason is simply semantics: the word marriage has for thousands of years meant a legal and lawful union of a man and a woman. If we redefine it to mean "party A" and "party B," then it loses its sense of sanctity. I am a religious person who believes in traditional family values. I am appalled by the corruption of certain words and symbols in our society. For instance, the word gay used to mean happy and cheerful, but this is no longer the case. The rainbow, once a symbol of peace and deity, has been reduced to a symbol of godless homosexuality. I feel that corrupting the word marriage to mean a union between "party A" and "party B" will cause that word to be one uttered under the breath and in secret conversation. It will no longer be a symbol of stability and unitedness in our society. The family (read: father, mother, children) is the essential unit of our society. Without it, society will tear itself apart. Liberalizing things to a point of no control, even though it be in the name of "civil rights," creates more problems than it solves.