Virginia at 400 Fades Into History

With the adjacent states of Maryland, West Virginia, and North Carolina being able to fend off this egregious legislation (definition of marriage amendments), Virginia becomes more than a bellwether for the red tide that is crossing America -- Virginia could be a tipping point, and signal a change in national sentiment.

The long and relentless march of conservative religious right zealots to blur the bright line between church and state looks to have another victory in the passing of the Virginia marriage amendment.

This amendment, the result of ignorance, homophobia, and political chicanery, will probably also drag along with it George Allen into another senate term – though his presidential aspirations may have been muted by his “macaca” outburst.

I submit that history will see this whole gay marriage period in our history as just another dark period, and it will fall into the category of other periods of intolerance and ignorance seemingly more pervasive in the South – slavery, segregation, women’s suffrage, miscegenation laws – and now gay rights. And it is no small coincidence that these Bible belt areas are also the last to participate in the technological and cultural growth of the nation.

Alas, poor Virginia! I once knew you . . .

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