Affirmative action is not a civil right. Equality is. Affirmative action is a method to tip the scales to achieve a goal, and it may or may not be effective.

Affirmative action is not a civil right. Equality is. Affirmative action is a method to tip the scales to achieve a goal, and it may or may not be effective. It's not the same as gay marriage. Not even close, IMHO -- and I'm a pretty big advocate of affirmative action in the US. Interracial marriage is probably the closest "recent" legislation I could think of.