Carrie Baker

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2006 – Today the debate over gay marriage entered into its second day within the U.S. Senate. The big debate, for those who have yet to become informed on this issue, is whether or not to write discrimination into the U.S. Constitution.

President Bush rallied conservative Republican’s on Monday by giving a speech at the White House once again pushing the idea that gay marriage should not be something that is decided by “activist judges.”

The Federal Marriage Amendment is going to have a “test vote” within the senate tomorrow where it is expected that the bill will fail due to a lack of necessary support.

Many Republicans are backing the bill due to the conservative nature. Republican Senator Sam Brownback from Kansas told the AP, “The law is a teacher. It is a moral and societal imperative that we foster and encourage the institution of marriage."

Other Republicans, however, disagree. Senator Arlen Specter a Republican from Pennsylvania responded by saying, “government ought to be kept off our backs, out of our pocketbooks, and out of our bedrooms. This is a matter which ought to be left to the states."

Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont agreed with Specter saying, "Apparently high campaign season has arrived on the Republican leader's calendar. The Constitution is too important to be used for such a partisan political purpose."

Many have felt that Bush’s relative quiet and then re-interest in this issue is to force a wedge between our communities and get voters to redirect their attentions from the failing efforts in Iraq and the debacle of Hurricane Katrina. Democrats have taken it one step further by saying that, “Bush's political motives were transparent, given that even backers acknowledge the amendment has virtually no chance of being approved in the current Congress.”

Another Democrat, leader Harry Reid of Nevada, chided Republicans for using time for the gay marriage issue rather than using that time to address high gas prices, or the national debt.

“For me, it is clear the reason for this debate is to divide our society, to pit one against another,'' Reid said. “This is another one of the president's efforts to frighten, to distort, to distract and to confuse America.”

Apparently most Americans agree. While many Americans are still against gay marriage, most are not willing to write it into the constitution as law. Only 40 of Americans are in support of the federal marriage amendment, according to an ABC News poll released yesterday.