Ding, Dong, the Wicked Witch is Dead. In a stunning defeat for the radical right, the proposed constituional amendment to ban gay marriage in Colorado failed to make the ballot.

The House Judiciary Committee.... killed the measure on a 6-5 party line vote after Democrats said it was unconstitutional and would cost taxpayers to defend in court if it passed. Cathryn Hazouri, representing the American Civil Liberties Union, said the measure would probably face a court challenge if lawmakers tried to put it on the ballot. "It's just plain wrong to write discrimination into the constitution," she told lawmakers.

Repeat after me, "The Constitution has served us well for more than 200 years. " This is no time to begin treating it like a rough draft.