I am a believer that the gay Americans should have the rights of all Americans, including the right to have legally recognized unions. I am personally not opposed to calling these unions "marriage." I have publicly opposed the federal marriage amendment to the Constitution. But I am appalled by the assault on the American legal and political system by the left, the attempt to change a 5,000 year old social institution through a one-appointed-judge majority, the defiance of law and of majority opinion by one elected official in the city of San Francisco, and the anarchy to which this will lead. T

To stop this destructive juggernaut, I will now support the Federal Marriage Amendment. I applaud the stands taken by President Bush and Governor Schwarzenegger against these destructive developments and in defense of the American political system, which allows deeply divided communities to live side by side in peace.

I am certainly not alone in these views. The gay rights movement has shot itself in the foot with its arrogant political tactics and contempt for those who disagree. This arrogance which pervades the liberal side of the political spectrum these days with a manic intensity may even cost the Democrats the upcoming elections. Sixty percent of California voters supported the law that one Democratic mayor in San Francisco has sought to overturn. A recent Zogby poll shows majorities not only in the red states but also in the blue states against gay marriage. By choosing to throw down this particular gauntlet at this particular time, gay leaders will produce a backlash that may swamp Democratic electoral hopes.

If the gay political leadership had supported civil unions, which would confer the missing legal rights on gay couples, and if they had pursued this through the legislatures (as in Vermont) they would have undoubtedly persuaded majorities in many states to support their admirable quest for equal protection under the law. But by displaying their arrogant contempt for the deeply held beliefs of the American majority, and for the political and legal system that holds our disparate communities together, they have provoked the majority into defending itself in ways that will defeat their own agenda and set back their cause for years to come.