Bob Barr Makes Sense

Posted on August 21, 2003 by Gene

Amazing, eh?
I’ve had it in for this guy since he forced us to rename our airport to “Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.” I’d love to force his local airport to be renamed “William Clinton Hartsfield International Airport.”
Anyway. This guy was also responsible for the odious “Defense” of Marriage Act, and today he defended his defense in a Washington Post opinion piece, saying that a constitutional amendment was not necessary to prevent gay marriage – it should be up to the states.
Then, at the very end of the column, came this wise insight, one that I wish more right wingers had:

I worry, as do supporters of the constitutional amendment on marriage, that a nihilistic amorality is holding ever greater sway in the United States, especially among the young. Similarly, I agree that the kernel of basic morality in America — the two-parent nuclear family — has eroded under the influence of the “me” generation, which has left us with an astronomical divorce rate and a tragic number of hurting families across the country.

Restoring stability to these families is a tough problem, and requires careful, thoughtful and, yes, tough solutions. But homosexual couples seeking to marry did not cause this problem, and the Federal Marriage Amendment cannot be the solution. (Emphasis added)

Of course, Bob Barr does not support same-sex marriage, which I believe can only strengthen the notion of family, love, and stability — the antithesis of the “me” generation he speaks of. But, at least he points out that the problems in American marriage are not because same-sex couples seek that equal treatment. Logic, at last.