Dark Bilious Vapors

that I actually think hope is justified. According to this article in the WaPo, the religious right wingnuts just don't understand how we normal folks can be so terribly indifferent to the threat posed by gay marriage:

Across the country, evangelical Christians are voicing frustration and puzzlement that there has not been more of a political outcry since May 17, when Massachusetts became the first state to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

Evangelical leaders had predicted that a chorus of righteous anger would rise up out of churches from coast to coast and overwhelm Congress with letters, e-mails and phone calls in support of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

But that has not happened.

"Standing on Capitol Hill listening, you don't hear anything," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, one of the country's most vigorous Christian advocacy groups.

Many evangelicals believe that gay marriage has the potential to galvanize their community as no other issue would, including abortion. But as a "vehicle for mobilization," the push for a constitutional ban has three problems, said John C. Green, a professor at the University of Akron who studies evangelicals and politics.

First, it runs counter to many conservatives' preference for resolving issues at the state level. Second, it lacks urgency because 39 states have passed laws against same-sex marriage and "are not likely to have gay marriages anytime soon," Green said.

And, finally, he said, "as much as evangelicals and other Christians are bothered by gay marriage, it may not be their top priority. Like everybody else, they worry about Iraq and the economy."

Len on 06.22.04 @ 08:04 PM CST