Colorado congresswoman Marylin Musgrage is introduced the Federal Marriage Amendment earlier this session. The proposed amendment to the Constitution would restrict the definition of marriage to one man and one woman.

The Denver Post has this article quoting Colorado legislator Kevin Lundberg.

"Marriage consisting of one man and one woman has for millennia created an environment of stability and compassion," said state Rep. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, at a news conference at the state Capitol. "It is the most effective way to maintain a safe, nurturing environment for children."

A human resources person once gave me an interesting tool for determining if something is discriminatory. To determine if a statement about a group is prejudiced substitute the group with another. For example if a quote is about women one might replace the statement with a racial minority.

The same thing could be applied to this statement. The same statement could read: Marriage consisting of one race has for millennia created an environment of stability and compassion. It is the most effective way to maintain a safe, nurturing environment for children.

While the statement has begun to change in the last century it is true that for millennia many things have happened. For millennia we have not, as a people, known about the benefits of modern medicine and it has been effective in maintaining safe, nurturing environments for children.

One need not look much further than Colorado to see that there have been cases of heterosexual parents murdering their children. That hardly seems a safe and nurturing environment.

The story above from KUNC this morning quotes amendment proponents as saying homosexual 'committed' relationships last one and a half years on average. They point out that this is much shorter than marriages. However, they do not include in that the 'committed' heterosexual relationships that don't last long enough to get to marriage. In a country founded on the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness it is disappointing to see those who proclaim a reduced role for government take such an authoritarian position in enforcing their beliefs on everyone.