Submitted by PAUL SIBley-Schreiber, Jun 15, 2007 17:14

Marriage, the union of two people in love, is a religious construct. It is not an issue that should be politicized. The "institution of marriage" does not require the permission of the State to occur. Why has this become a "hot button" political issue? I believe the radical right, those groups who want their political agenda to control what we see, what we do, how we act, and what we should believe have convinced America that gays and lesbians SHOULD NOT and WILL NOT have the same rights as other American citizens because they want the power to control morality. The Conservative Christian movement is aggressively attempting to convert American into a soley Christian country. If radical Christians, Jews, Islamics, etc. do not accept the marriage of gays and lesbians, then don't allow ceremonies to be performed in their religious houses of worship. The Federal and State governments have no moral or legal right to decide who can and cannot marry based on sexual orientation. Why is so much time and money and rhetoric being spent on this issue. The Bush administration has led this great country of ours into unprecidented shame on the international front. We are paying billions of dollars for an ego-driven war. Domestically, we have health care insurance problems, education problems, immigration problems, too much pork barrel issues, corruption in government. And the marriage of gays and lesbians has become a politicized issue to divert our attention to the more important issues. Who is Senator Bruno? He is an old politcal hack who was brought up Catholic with old world beliefs and traditions. He should think more about debated the important issues rather than attempt to promote his own moral agenda on the rest of New York. Mr. Bruno, who holds a great deal of power in the Senate, must use his position to influence what Upstaters think. It is time for a change. Let not the likes of Mr. Bruno hinder progress in this great State any longer! Discrimination in any form is an abomination. Let Liberty and Equality reign!

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