Whether you like it or not the Affordable Care Act and Gay Marriage as a Constitutional Right are here to stay! Hard fought gains in the Civility of our civilization have been upheld by our nation's Supreme Court. The issues have been settled once and for all. Unless you're a Republican of course.
Nearly every Republican tried to squiggle out of responsibility on the Gay Marriage issue, each Presidential nominee for the GOP releasing statements reaffirming their support for traditional marriage but each agreeing to one fact: that Gay Marriage must be recognized by all 50 states.
But we should not forget who was and wasn't on the right side of history on this day. We must remember the bitterness of defeat of years past and more recently, when Republican Governors this very year, in states such as Illinois and Missouri, tried passing laws making discrimination legally protected. Let us not forget the violent acts of terrorism perpetrated against Gay men and women, like that which killed young people brave enough to come out like Mathew Shepard and Lawrence King.
In regard to the Affordable Care Act, let us not forget those who died because they had a "Pre-existing Condition" and were denied basic healthcare. Let us not forget how many times, against our nation's majority opinion, that Healthcare reform was rejected by those we put in office to change that very fact.
We live in times of turmoil and change. Some of it good, some of it bad; but today is surely a great day. We are a peoples who deserve basic freedoms, basic rights, but are often denied those rights and freedoms. Many have died in the fights for Healthcare, Abortion, Gay and Transgender Rights, Civil Rights and Liberties, Social Security and Unions.
For every Law giving us equality and Justice, two more are attacked by those who would strip us of our Rights and Liberties. We must protect every life, every basic Right and every Liberty which we have fought for with our blood and sweat, like the unity and determination that brought us the Affordable Care Act and Equal Rights under the Law, whether it's Gender rights, Gay rights, Transgender rights, Social Security, the Fair Housing Act, Voting Rights; we must be willing to lay down our lives for the principals that we believe in, and to stop those devoted to destroying our Democracy.
We may still have more to do, far to go, and rights to defend; but today is a leap forward, and that is something to celebrate.