To the Editor:
In his column "What Brown can learn from Prop 8" (Sept. 10), Terrence George '13 argues that California's vote on Prop 8 was "democracy in action" and should have been upheld. George is right that Prop 8 won the popular vote, but that is not sufficient for democracy. Less than half of California's population cast a vote on that proposition, and those that did were subject to million-dollar campaigns on either side. Religious groups rallied around the country to make sure Californians didn't make what they considered the wrong decision. Is this "democracy in action"?
Separate branches of government are part of ensuring that democracy works. American history is filled with examples of laws based on popular but wrong beliefs that have changed with time. This is precisely why the courts exist. As for Prop 8, I believe California's laws should not restrict the freedoms of citizens in favor of defending a tradition. The Constitution serves primarily the citizens and not the institutions that others hope to maintain, even if the others are a majority. We risk a dangerous precedent otherwise.
Brown is a bubble, but a liberal education teaches us to see beyond it, including the difference between popularity and justice.
Steven Gomez GS
Sept. 10
