Good-bye 2004

I cannot say I am sorry to be saying good-bye to 2004. Politically, 2004 was one of the most emotional years I have ever lived through. Many of my neighbors are still rejoicing over the election of George W. Bush to the presidency of the United States.

I mourn.

One of my co-workers actually told me I should not take the election personally. She was wrong. This election was as personal as it gets. It is not possible to strip a citizen of civil liberties or deny equality and civil rights impersonally. It is not possible to recall long retired military personnel and extend the length of service of others impersonally. And it is not possible to wage an impersonal war.

The disgrace of this election will haunt us for years, perhaps beyond my lifetime, and it is very personal.

My state voted overwhelmingly to change our constitution. Voters made it constitutional to pretend that my wife and I are not married. Make no mistake: this law does nothing to protect marriage. It is a legal fiction designed for the express purpose of denying us the rights other married couples take for granted. I fail to see what is impersonal about placing a constitutional amendment on the ballot because fear of me was a great way to get bigots to the polls.

To those of you who mourn this election as I do, I ask two things: don't stop taking it personally, and don't stop working to regain the ground we have lost.