Marriage Amendment Debate will Continue (and no vote)

This morning, SJ Resolution 1, did not make it to the floor for a vote; cloture was not agreed to. I was glad to see some Republicans joined in for not to invoke cloture. I didn't hear what their thoughts were, but I hope they were similar to Joe Biden's the other day on MTP:

MR. RUSSERT: The president used his radio address yesterday, and tomorrow in the Rose Garden, to talk about a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

SEN. BIDEN: You know, think about this. The world’s going to Hades in a handbasket. We are desperately concerned about the circumstance relating to avian flu—we don’t have enough vaccines, we don’t have enough police officers—and we’re going to debate, the next three weeks, I’m told, gay marriage, a flag amendment, and God only knows what else.

I can’t believe the American people can’t see through this. We already have a law, the Defense of Marriage Act. We’ve all voted—not, where I’ve voted, and others have said, look, marriage is between a man and a woman and states must respect that. Nobody’s violated that law, there’s been no challenge to that law. Why do we need a constitutional amendment? Marriage is between a man and a woman. What’s the game going on here? And now we’re going to also vote, right after that, about desecration of the flag. If you can’t...

MR. RUSSERT: But aren’t these issues ones that the Republicans used successfully to demonstrate that the Democrats were out of sync on cultural and values, in that, in that degree?

SEN. BIDEN: I don’t know if they’ve used it successfully. A fascinating thing Katrina did. Katrina not only blew away the Gulf, it blew away the illusion that these guys were competently able to deal with the real problems that Americans face. And I think this just highlights the fact they have no intention, they have no plan, to deal with health care. They have no plan to deal with our national security. They have no plan to deal with the energy crisis. They have no—I mean, gasoline’s going up an incredible amount. I’ve got a bill, along with others, saying, look, make every single automobile company—by the year 2008 or 9, depending on which one you pick—have flex-fuel automobiles. Make every gas station in America have to have a flex-fuel pump. That would fundamentally begin to alter importation.

But no one wants to offend anybody. We don’t want to offend the oil companies. We don’t want to offend the auto workers. We don’t want to offend anybody. And what are we going to do? Because we don’t want to make any hard decisions, let’s go talk about gay marriage. I think it’s ridiculous.

Well said, Senator Biden. That's what the callers on C-SPAN, more than half, said too. But I would add that I don't comprehend why we need the constitution to be amended for this, in the respect of the following: life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. What does this have to do with the structure of our government? Why would anyone allow an amendment that goes against the rights of people and their entitlement of property?

It's too bad ERA didn't make it. We wouldn't be in this mess of wedge issues constantly being brought up in the Courts, doctor's rooms, drug stores, education, and more importantly, people's living rooms because the poll numbers for the President are abysmal.

I'm also disappointed that our 4th estate doesn't have much to investigate and bring to the forefront either. I was silent on this issue because I saw so much of it on the 5th estate too, and I was weary of it.

'Nuff said. Let's get on with the business of the American people, like getting our soldiers home asap, and securing our borders better.