There is not a more frightening ideal than the destruction of the most basic unit in our country. Among everything else that is happening in this nation, the family is under attack. With the onset of the November election, California has a proposition that will affect us all if it does not pass.

The consequences of passing such a law will be unforgettable. If it is not passed it will change the way people think about marriage forever. Schools will be taught that it’s okay to legally marry two women or two men. I have written about same-sex marriage before but this argument keeps reappearing as many people on both sides of the vote try to win their case.

Proposition 8, also known as the “Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry Act” will appear on the November 2008 ballot in California. It was previously titled the “Protect Marriage Act”. If it passes, it will add a new constitutional amendment to the California Constitution that will say: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”

What is so aggravating is that the people of California had already voted yes to a law back in March 2000 which said the same thing but the judges overturned the vote. A constitutional amendment would keep it permanent in the record so no judge could over turn it.

This constitutional amendment has attracted both national attention and dollars from both sides. It is a scary thought that it would only take the vote of the people to wipe away something as basic as the institution of marriage. Families would be changed forever. This is a dilemma that should not be trifled with. The way of families has always been created with a man taking a woman to wife. This is the way it was instituted from the beginning. We cannot change it now. I have always promoted change to improve anything in life but this is so basic to our culture. We need to keep the standard.

So great is this debate and cause in the country that I have received emails about an interfaith fast on Sunday, Oct. 12. People of all walks from all over the United States and from all faiths will be joining together to fast for the “building block of society”: the family. Those people in California need to know how the rest of the country feels about dissolving the sanctity of marriage. Many Christian churches and even the Focus on the Family organization are actively and aggressively fighting to pass Amendment 8 in California and similar protections of the institution of marriage in other states such as Florida and Arizona.

So take a tip from our neighbors down south and out west, we need to fight for what is right to protect what we have had all this time. Don’t let anyone tell you it wouldn’t matter which way the vote goes because it does. Families are important and are here to stay.

Loxley resident Valerie J. Steimle is the author of two books, “Home Is Where The Heart Is, A look at strengthening the American Family,” and her latest book, “Home Is Where The Learning Is” (www.amazon.com/gp/product/1403379637). Contact her at valeriesteimle@yahoo.com or visit her website at www.stengthenyourhome.com.