I don't know about you, but I'm ready for this round of elections and referendums to be over! Political rhetoric has hit an all time low. People use the words "freedoms," "rights," "liberty," and "equality" with very little insight into their meaning. We talk about the freedoms of speech and religion, about liberty and justice for all, but rarely do we mean all. "We the People" means all the people -- not a select few based on race, socio-economic status, gender, or sexual orientation.

Take for example Referendum No. 74. Some say that our existing law, "Everything But Marriage Law of 2009," is good enough. But throughout our history we have shown that in all areas of our culture "separate, but equal" is never equal. It's really prejudice masquerading as equality. Until all people in our democracy have the right to marry the person they love, none of us have "liberty and justice."

It is the job of government to guarantee liberty and justice for all citizens, to protect the rights of all, to allow all citizens the right to marry the person they love. If you are against same-sex marriage, then don't marry someone of the same sex; but don't deny that right for others. If you believe in freedom for all, justice and liberty for all, then you must approve Referendum 74 so that all people have the right to marry the person they love.

Gretchen McFarland

Sumas