Cowards & bigots

http://www.madison.com/captimes/opinion/editorial/70128.php
One of the many reasons why President Bush's nomination of Charles Pickering to serve on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stalled in the U.S. Senate was the fact that, as a young man, Pickering had helped to forge legal strategies to preserve Mississippi's ban on marriages between African-Americans and whites.

Defenders of Pickering argued that it was unfair to hold him accountable for his bigoted actions of 40 years earlier. But it was entirely appropriate to do so. When an adult consciously advocates for using the power of government to discriminate against classes of citizens, that detail ought never to be forgotten. While it can be argued that later acts of decency or good will could ease the judgment against the individual in question, there is no question that any determination about further political advancement ought to be influenced by concerns about his or her past advocacy on behalf of bigotry.

snip section on who voted for the anti gay marriage amendment to Wisconsins constitution

They were informed, as well, that their votes would be remembered. "If this is what we pass and we put into the constitution, 25 years from now, I guarantee ... you will regret this day," said Sen. Chuck Chvala, D-Madison. "You will regret it till the end of your life. And, frankly, I think you'll remember it more than almost anything else you did."

How do you think people who fought against gay marriage will be viewed in 25 years?

but the jury is still out.