As I finished reading Matthew Grewe’s Dec. 4 letter, “Gay marriage is not a right for citizens,” I heard a most peculiar sound. After a few brief seconds of listening, I was able to identify it as the sound of Thomas Jefferson rolling over in his grave.

Please familiarize yourself with the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The very idea that rights are derived from the government and not inherent goes against every principle this country was founded upon — life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I’m pretty sure gay marriage fits into that maxim, most likely in that part about happiness.

The Bill of Rights is not about what rights we have as citizens: It is about what rights the government may not ever (theoretically) take away. Well, except for the ninth one. Try reading it sometime; I am quite sure it pertains to this little dilemma of ours.

We live in a democracy. The government does not grant power to its citizens — the citizens grant power to the government. When that ceases to be the case, we need to seriously examine the so-called “democracy” in which we live.

Christopher Baughman

Freshman

Undecided