Nearly 40 years ago, Bob Dylan

wrote about the changing times. Well, Thursday's ruling by the U.S. Supreme

Court that overturned sodomy laws proves that our society constantly moves

forward.

The case involved two Texas

men who were hauled off to jail for having sex. Writing for the majority,

Justice Anthony Kennedy nailed the issue succinctly.

"Liberty protects the

person from unwarranted government intrusions into a dwelling or other

private places," Kennedy said.

The ruling voids sodomy laws

in 13 states. Not only is this a victory for gay people, it's also a victory

for heterosexuals in the nine states where the laws governed their behavior.

As I was driving through Fayetteville

Thursday, I was wondering why cars weren't honking their horns in celebration

of the ruling.

After all, this is a hotbed

of conservative thought, and this ruling helps get government off our

backs, literally.

Conservatives want less government,

and the Supreme Court delivered a victory for them last week.

In Kennedy's majority opinion,

he also dealt with the moral aspect of the controversial ruling.

"The issue is whether

the majority may use the power of the state to enforce these views on

the whole society through operation of the criminal law. 'Our obligation

is to define the liberty of all, not to mandate our own moral code.' (Planned

Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. vs. Casey, 1992.)

Justices Antonin Scalia, along

with Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justice Clarence Thomas sided

with the minority. In an unusual move, Scalia read from the dissenting

opinion from the bench. Scalia said the ruling fit with "the homosexual

agenda."

I checked local bookstores

and nobody had a copy of this agenda. I've searched the Web, and still

can't find it. Maybe it's hiding somewhere or Vincent Foster took it to

the grave with him.

Even more chilling is Scalia's

assertion that the Constitution does not assert a right to privacy. Huh?

I'm sure many residents thought

they could operate some areas of their lives without Big Brother watching

over us, but Scalia disagrees.

It will probably take years

to realize the full extent of Thursday's ruling, but one thing is clear;

the government has no business in our bedrooms.

In Scarlett O'Hara's hometown

of Atlanta Thursday, gay rights proponents took to the streets and hailed

the ruling as a victory for equal rights.

Scarlett was right. Tomorrow

is another day, and the wheels of progress keep moving.