Unfortunately the legislature has voted, albeit by a slim margin, to advance the interests of a tiny minority that wants to wreck the institution of marriage.  No, I'm not talking about gay marriage proponents.  I'm talking about The Haters: less than .02% of Massachusetts' population—123,000 committed homophobes out of 6,349,097 citizens, who, with the help of 62 state legislators, have managed to ram their anti-gay agenda back down our throats. 

For those who think a vote is necessary or mandated, the Globe reports:

One of the key arguments raised by opponents of gay marriage is also one of the most spurious: that, having filed more than 123,000 certified signatures for the amendment, they have a right to see it go on the 2008 ballot.

There is no such right. The Constitution provides that it can only be changed by public instigation through an initiative amendment that must first be approved by one-quarter of two successive Legislatures. If the collection of signatures were reason enough to put a proposed amendment on the ballot, there would be no need for the one-quarter votes from the legislators. This means that each senator and representative is duty-bound not simply to pass the issue on to the electorate, but to vote it up or down on the merits.

In this case, a vote for the amendment is a vote to eliminate a civil right that is contained in the state Constitution — a shameful and perhaps unique reversal of the long forward march of civil rights progress, both locally and nationally.

Personally, I am not looking forward to more hate-speech, paranoia and fear-mongering on the road to a vote on what has proved to be a right that has helped legitimize over 8,000 happy, healthy families and has hurt no one in the process.

But, if that's how it's gonna be, bring it on, bitches.  Bring it on.