The John Carlos Federal Marriage Amendment

To the leaders of our great nation,

Some of us, the undersigned citizens of the United States, believe that marriage is a union between one man and one woman, and some of us believe that it is the union of two individuals who declare their love for one another for a lifetime. However, we all do agree that we are against any efforts to amend the Constitution of the United States of America to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

During times of political oppression and social injustice, the People have always enjoyed the right to be heard by the courts in their quests for justice. When an elected representative or leader strives to amend the Constitution of the United States of America with the intention of limiting civil liberties of one People to satisfy the demands of another, that leader or representative strives to undermine the power of the courts to hear and address grievances brought forth by the People. This is not an act of defending the best interest of the People. This is an act of tyranny.

We live in a nation where issues that divide the People are best resolved in a court of law. Our history, rich in accounts of cultural and social uprisings, clearly shows how the courts have allowed our society to evolve into what it is today. Women and African-Americans are just a couple of many groups who've managed to rise on the social ladder as a result of victories in our courts.

Aristotle said, "Law is reason free from passion." The application of faith or passion of a special interest group into law without reason results in, without exception, the political oppression of others. Therefore, we as a People invoke the separation of Church and State. We find it generally unacceptable to force the laws of one Church upon the People of another, or upon those who are nonbelievers. Believers spread our message by word and welcoming others into our churches, temples, and mosques. We do not spread our faith or message by force. It is a form of religious persecution, the very reason that the first Pilgrims fled England to travel to the New World.

Passionate hatred and passion for tradition has led to legislation that resulted in the discrimination of certain groups. As our society evolved, these groups challenged oppression in the courts. While many were met with setbacks, important battles were won. By reason, segregation was struck down, and the womens rights movements resulted in success.

Our fathers supported slavery, segregation, and discrimination against women among many other forms of discrimination. If in the event a hundred years from now, gay Americans are fully accepted with full rights in our society, let us not be remembered as a generation that promoted discrimination and hatred in our law as our fathers are now. Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness..." The Declaration of Independence was the promise; the Constitution was the fulfillment. Limiting civil liberties into the Constitution of the United States of America is a step backwards.

With the above written, we request that you oppose any further efforts to amend the Constitution of the United States of America, especially in issues where civil liberties are at stake. We, the People, must always preserve our right to be heard in a court of law.