The American Spectator

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p> THE RIGHT OF MARRIAGE br> Re: R. H. Sager's Guess Who Came to Dinner : /p>

One of the points Sager makes, and quickly glosses over, isn't getting enough attention in this debate: "Nearly half of all marriages end in divorce." It seems that this fact is far too easily accepted as one of those trends that just "is." I am against homosexual marriage as it will most certainly have a dilutive effect on the institution as a whole. And I think we need to find ways to return marriage to its former, more respected interpretation. Why do we have to accept the increased divorce rate and all the related social problems that come with it? Why can't we look to promote the institution and change the trend of single-parent families?

Therein lies the rub that liberals always lack: Always fighting for the "right" to have something rather than focusing on the responsibility of electing that choice. The "right" to choose, for example, vs. the responsibility one has in their sexual conduct. The right to marry vs. promoting what the responsibility of marriage entails. If we, as a society, spent more time educating young people on what the responsibility of marriage is all about, we could turn around the divorce rate and that benefits us all. By buckling to the pressure of allowing another group to join the marriage pool, solely for the sake of political correctness and inclusion, the definition of marriage becomes more stretched, and less meaningful with respect to its original intent: To provide the optimal secure setting for raising children.

p>Gay unions are fine. Put all those structural changes in place that levels the playing field for gay couples (taxes, visitation rights, beneficiaries, etc.). But there's no need to further erode the institution of marriage -- already on shaky ground -- just to placate the oppressed group du jour. br> -- William H. Stewart br> Boston, Massachusetts /p>

R.H. Sager demonstrates why "libertarian conservative" is as much an oxymoron as "big government conservative."

Of course there's a libertarian dimension to conservatism (both original recipe and the extra crispy, Connecticut-Maine-Texas compassionate variety). But limited government doesn't mean that stop signs are immoral or that the first order of government is to get out of the way so citizens can indulge their every whim.

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