To the editor:

The current language of the so-called marriage amendment is wrong in that it prohibits civil unions and is basically writing discrimination into our constitution.

To quote the fourth president of the United States, James Madison: “It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part. If a majority be unified by a common interest, the rights of the minority will be insecure.”

James Madison earned the title of “master builder of the Constitution” and was a strong advocate for the Bill of Rights. How do President Bush and your local Republicans compare?

Sven Erik Alstrom,

Lawrence