No, it's not a failure to live up to those ideals. "Gay marriage" is a false right, just like supposed "rights" to pedophile relationships, bestial relationships, and any number of other things (sexual or otherwise) would fail to be genuine. There are reasons that certain things do not warrant governmental or public acceptance. The failure of you or anyone to understand or agree with those reaons does not change them, nor does the desire of you or anyone else to have that acceptance.

"We're arguing why it's perfectly acceptable for a couple to get married in a Las Vegas casino and have that recognized nationwide, and a married gay couple from Boston being denied recognition when they move to another state." Not that the casino couple is exactly ideal, but any "heterosexual" coupling is automatically closer to normal than any other kind.

"Either we as a nation and a country live up to the ideals we claim to profess" Absolutely nothing about opposing government legitimization of same-sex coupling constitutes a failure to live up to those ideals.

"the govt gives special status to heterosexuals who register their marriage with the govt. That special status is the problem and should be available to any two people who want to share domestic responsibilities." If you can't name several reasons why a faithful, normal (i.e., "heterosexual") marriage is not equalled by a same-sex coupling (or any other set of two people who want to share domestic responsibilities), I can't say I'm going to be too impressed by anything else you have to say.

"Marriage equality to all citizens" is a meaningless phrase. The issue is not who can get married -- it's who or *what* a person can get married to. Neither government, nor anyone else, is under any obligation to validate a paraphilia. People can't marry children, animals, a too-close relative, or someone of the same sex. The fact that some don't accept something that basic is the real outrage.

"It's about two people who love each other and want to be together" To those who have left the typical "gay" lifestyle, or have sufficient knowledge of it, the idea that "gay marriage" is about two people "loving" each other is ludicrous. How many "gays" (especially men) do you think save themselves for that special person, save physical activity with that special person until after building their relationship for a time, or even practice (or expect) physical faithfulness with that special person?

No matter what anyone wants marriage to be, a same-sex coupling is simply, objectively not equal to a normal, healthy marriage. Claiming otherwise amounts to proclaiming that you don't understand what real marriage is about.

"It has no business intruding into the lives of those who do not share your opinions or beliefs." There is more than opinions and beliefs involved here. There is objective fact, which unfortunately many try to deny. It doesn't matter who believes same-sex unions equal normal marriage; it simply will not become true. Interesting how you try to associate a couple of crackpots with the majority who don't hate homosexuals but recognize the wrongness of their sexual abnormality. Sorry, but such "guilt by association" tactics just invalidate your attempted arguments.

"If two people of the same sex want to make vows to each other and call it marriage, nobody can stop them and it does nobody any harm." And yet they aren't happy with that, but try to force public and governmental approval. That's just one clue that "gay marriage" isn't about their having relationships, but about their trying to make themselves feel "right" when they know inside they're not.

"There simply is no valid reason to deny marriage rights to gay people." No one denies marriage rights to people who identify as "gay." They simply don't want to exercise those rights, and frankly shouldn't unless they deal with their same-sex fetish properly. But there are plenty of valid reasons not to consider a same-sex coupling "marriage." It's interesting that you have to misword your argument just to try to give it the illusion of validity.