I’ve been listening to President Bush speak about his support for a marriage amendment to the constitution. He spoke about the importance of marriage; the benefits marriage brings to the community, and the need to protect marriage from those who would undermine the family.

I have been married for 17 years and consider this the most important and special relationship in my life. If someone were threatening my marriage I would fight against them with everything I have. I agree that marriage is both sacred and beneficial to the community. I want to see marriages that are as strong and healthy as possible.

But I don’t really understand the threat.

As the president describes it, the menace to marriage is the possibility of the courts recognizing gay marriage, or other legal unions between gay and lesbian couples. I don’t get this…

Is there a concern that people in traditional heterosexual marriages will abandon their spouses if homosexual marriage becomes a possibility? Will it tempt heterosexual young people to enter gay and lesbian couples rather than traditional unions? Will there be fewer traditional marriages? Will there be more divorces among heterosexual couples? Will heterosexual couples become less loving or committed to each other? Will they be less effective parents?

I can’t buy any of this. For all of the rhetoric I haven’t heard an argument that tells me how this is going to hurt marriage. The comments of CNN viewers in support the amendment haven’t clarified things. It’s clear that the callers find the idea of gay marriage distasteful; one said it “made a mockery” of traditional marriage, but none have explained what the danger to traditional marriage is.

Personally, I don’t even get the “mockery” idea. I’ve committed the rest of my live to loving my wife faithfully and completely. No one, not other couples, nor judges, nor legislators, nor anyone else can make what we have any less sacred or special. There are only two people in the world who have the power to make a mockery of our marriage, and we aren’t going to do that.

It doesn’t protect my marriage to forbid gay and lesbian couples to pledge lifelong devotion to each other. If non-traditional couples have the same property rights, the same next-of-kin rights to make medical decisions for each other it doesn’t cheapen my union one bit. If gay and lesbian couples have the right to be covered under a partner’s insurance benefits, or to inherit a partner’s property in the absence of a will that helps them tremendously without hurting my marriage in any way I can understand.

Can anyone tell me, what is the threat? As hard as I’ve looked I can’t see it. And if there’s no threat, what is this all about?