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As a Muslim, I agree with you Mr. Buchanan. However, I would argue it in a slightly different way. Under the Constitution of this great country (which has allowed so many immigrants including my family and I to succeed) there is a separation of Church and state. In addition, as you touched on it, this is a DEMOCRACY, which is defined as ruling by the majority, with everyone having equal rights. We, more specifically those judges, have forgotten that the majority rule. The examples that you mentioned, more specifically legalization of gay partnership as marriage, represent the MINORITY. Simply put, the majority have voted not to 'officially label' those partnerships as marriage. The moral argument (which also has no legal base) against such outcome is not valid, in my opinion, or actually in the opinion of MOST VOTERS. The cost and benefit analysis demonstrates that gay marriage 'legalization' basically has no additional benefit to the homosexuals, while the cost to MOST others (which are heterosexuals) is great. And when this happens, the result is, as you mentioned, secularism. Let's put it this way ... gays demanding their partnerships to be labeled as marriage is like the Irish demanding to be recognized as people from England, or Palestinians demanding to be considered as Israelis. It is that ridiculous, but at the same time that personal. Mr. Buchanan, I, along with most of my fellow Iranians, have been taught to love and follow our culture, while at the same time respect the culture and beliefs of the majority. We proudly say that we are Muslims or Jews, but we also recognize that religion is something personal and must not be pushed on to others. Such loud barking by the minority about again an issue that has no legal or moral basis, will divide the majority and minority even more ... as you mentioned making this a secular country. Hopefully my gibberish ... no offense to any Greeks out there :) ... made some sense.

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Re: James A, Sweeney I agree with some of the things that you mentioned, but regarding Mr. Buchanan's article, he wasn't saying those people should have no rights or must not band together. He was saying that the rights they are seeking must not come at a cost to the rights of the majority. and the assumption is that those rights have no clear moral basis such as equality, etc. In his examples, he demonstrated that while those groups can believe in what they want, they shouldn't do it at institutions that historically, and currently, have opposite views ... especially at PRIVATE institutions such as Georgetown. Are those groups funding Georgetown? NO. But are they imposing their beliefs on Georgetown? Are they using facilities funded by the Christian majority to in a way impose their non-Christian views on others? yes. This argument is a 'capitalistic' one, but also a logical one. Religion is something personal. It provides a backbone for its followers. In a way, aethism is also a religion. Unfotunately, throughout history (and continuing today) religion has become a political tool. It has created many wars and bloodshed. BUT that's due to the human mis-use of religion, not the religion itself.

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Sir;...Don't speak nonsense, Oh Great Buchanan...Our religion is Capital, and no indignity, injustice, or crime will be left undone if there is some profit left in it... Speaking as a Catholic and a poor one at that; why should anyone listen to us??? Those charged with caring for the sheep and spreading the good news of Christ have been always in the front line of infidelity...Where have they not supported the offenders against the injured??? Where have they not fed their wealth and power at the price of indigenous peoples???It is all well and good that my church calls a sin the dropping of ones britches for sex; but they will never admit their part in economic injustice, which always results in sexual injustice... If people today are trying, and I think trying desparately to find their own morality so they can have some morality that is worth sharing, then it is in part because of the failed morality of the Catholics and every other establishment religion.... They all bow before the great God of wealth...They are all enemies of individual freedom unless it is used in combination for the crimes of political power or capital...If nothing makes sense to you, try looking at it differently... Don't you want individual freedom??? Don't you not want people to build strong communities, even if they are counterculture??? You so called conservatives only want people to be individuals if it eases their exploitation...You do not mind the rich having their clubs, their associations, and their corporations; but you think a labor union is an affront to individualism...You just want all your sheep to go to slaughter one by one...The Catholic Church was the leader in the invention of the legal individual...All it ever did was deny to people their community rights and support...And as you may know, the church is a corporation, and as a corporation they can look after their rights... But for those who band together to have some individual freedom under the guise of sexual freedom; you howl...Now, I know you have a blind spot...You want freedom, but you do not want people to use it...You want the rich to band together to help themselves; but the poor who do the same thing are bad... I think you only want freedom for those who have no use for it.... I think you only want the rich to win, and only want the very same hypocritical morality already rejected by the young... They know where your false morality leads; to the poor house, and to a lonely meaningless existence... And that is great for the churches and corporation that prey upon such helpless sorts... Is this really what you want to stand for???Thanks...Sweeney

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I don'know what to believe in unless it is that this higher being known to most people as God gave every human the ability to know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. Those who choose not to follow their concience will face an angry God when their life on earth is over.

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I don'know what to believe in unless it is that this higher being known to most people as God gave every human the ability to know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. Those who choose not to follow their concience will face an angry God when their life on earth is over.

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Re: gary;...What if God has better things to do than care??? What if anger is the furthest thing from the mind of God???What if it, what ever it is, is our problem and we have to fix it??? I may agree with you that people may know the difference between right and wrong, but some religion teach that appearances matter, that God rewards the rightious... What if that is not true; and God lets people reward themselves...I mean, it is all well and good to think God is going to judge us good and bad, and reward accordingly... We still have to take care of business, and if government, and churches, and even educational institutions are messing up life for millions because they judge the rich more worthy; should we just sit back and starve???I think it is pointless to get angry...I'll bet God feels the same way... Anger does not get us one step close to a world of justice, equality and democracy...We just have to leave the past behind and get on with our lives...Thanks...Sweeney