Michael,

I think that the one thing that you are missing is that all of the things that you referenced involve actions that infringe on the rights of others. This is not the case with gay marriage.

I think that this is a line that the majority of people in the conservative side of these issues don't understand. The point of government is to secure our borders, guarantee our freedom, and to defend our personal liberties. When someone endangers our personal liberties, government and the law are there to defend us. However, the government is not there to infringe on our personal liberties because the majority disagrees with our actions. This is a simple core concept of our democracy that the bulk of our society doesn't get.....otherwise, there would be a thriving Libertarian party.