Recently, President Bush announced he would support a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages, citing overwhelming public opinion against gay and lesbian unions.

Back in the 1960s, when blacks wanted equal rights and integrated schools, it was not popular among most Americans. But the black community stood together, protested, marched and educated the masses.

Many died during their fight for freedom. Now the war for equal rights for the homosexual community has come to its final battle.

The narrow-minded who want to deny equal rights are many, but popular vote has nothing to do with equality.

Abe Lincoln wasn't popular for freeing the slaves.

Harry Truman wasn't popular for breaking the color barrier in the armed services.

John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert, and Lyndon Johnson weren't popular for their support of the Civil Rights Act.

The Rehabilitation Act in 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 didn't exactly have a round of national applause. In fact, President Richard Nixon didn't wanted to sign it, but the disability advocates of the times shamed him into it.

None of these presidents asked for a popular vote to decide what was right. Why does Bush II want one?

Because doing the right thing is never popular.

Whether you believe in the many gods of this world or not, evolution will take care of the genetic no-goods by making them extinct. This has not happened for homosexuals, blacks, Asians, Hispanics, Arabs, Jews, biracial or the disabled.

This leads me to believe that we belong in the human race, deserving the same rights and privileges as the Anglo European able-bodied people. If not, all those who don't fit into the round hole would have become extinct, leaving Caucasians all alone.

But the world is a diverse place and God or Mother Nature thinks we need to be here, evolving alongside each other, in peace. Yet we keep trying to wipe out those who are different, allowing fear and ignorance rule over sanity and equality.

I thought the human mind would have evolved beyond this stupidity, this being the 21st century and all. But the war of bigotry rages on.

I recently read that a prominent senator said allowing homosexuals to marry is tantamount to allowing humans to marry animals. The same thing was said about interracial marriages, too. Talk about stupidity.

When will God and Mother Nature cull the world of these fools?