Gay Marriage Amendment-Part 1

The Republicans are beating the drum of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, defining marriage as being between a man and a woman. This is an issue that they dropped like a hot potato after the 2004 election, but now suspiciously is being taken back up 5 months before the 2006 elections and when President Bush's approval rating is at 30%. I'll leave the sincerity of these events to other bloggers. However, I do want to take up the issue of law and morality.

At one time, adultery was against the law. Also banned--all kinds of bedroom issues between married couples that today we would consider normal behavior. No one, however, is clamoring to go back to these times. I, of course, am not for gay marriage. I just wonder why we pick and choose our moral issues that we want encoded in law. I suspect that we want outlawed things which we know are not temptations for us, but do not want outlawed things which we might be tempted to do. Who, for instance, wants a law making it a crime to lie in everyday life?

What are your thoughts? What is the role of law and morality?