“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Who that Creator is can be decided by each person. That is our right to religion, our First Amendment. “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it … as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

Isn’t it destructive to have a man die because he loves another man or to have a young boy moving from foster home to foster home because the parents that wanted him were lesbians? The Bible states that homosexuality is wrong, yes. However, the Bible is a book for one religion.

As a country of multiple religions, a country which prides itself on its diversity, shouldn’t we be accepting of all religious views? Shouldn’t our goal remain a pursuit of happiness for all our citizens? Shouldn’t we be screaming the First Amendment from the rooftops?

I say that it is time to reclaim our government. Our country was built on basic principles, and those principles won us our freedom. By changing those principles in a way that will create repression, we are only hurting our country. We are defiling the memory of the men and women who have died to create this country.

Katrina Couch, Lewiston