Forget the gay marriage amendment. How about this idea for an amendment:

[Initech]

For the first amendment, we need an amendment that clearly defines two things:

1. The rules for starting a war. The Constitution in general allows a president to declare war, but does not give any rules or regulations for declaring a war. This amendment would clarify what the rules and regulations are. Just like the rest of the Bill Of Rights, it should use very clear, very concise language. It should require that, in order to declare war on another country, there MUST be concrete proof for declaring war. The evidence for declaring war must be concrete and conclusive. The evidence must be verified by all five branches of the military. It must also be verified and confirmed by intelligence agencies. If any president violates these rules, they will be arrested on grounds of treason, and removed from office until a proper impeachment trial can begin.

2. The amendment should also clearly define what presidential abuses of power are. This would include things like illegal wire tapping, abuse of voting rights, and so on. Just like the first part, any president who violates these laws will be removed from office.

[PVnRT]

1. Not "war," "use of military force"

The Consitution already spells out very clearly that only Congress may issue a declaration of war. What is needed are more controls as to when the President can use force, and the standards that he has to meet for doing so. As for number two, those are already federal crimes, so they are already illegal, the problem is having a Congress not so blinded by partisanship to actually do their job.

[Initech]

4. What I'm getting at is no more wars based on hunches.

Iraq isn't the first. You can go back 50 years - Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait... these are all based on hunches. My idea would make it so that there's no way you could declare war based on a hunch ever again.

[PVnRT]

5. Those were never official wars

They were "actions" and the like (why Korea is added to your list, I have no idea). Everything since Korea has been authorized by a President wanting to throw troops around and a Congress cowed enough into submission to give him the money he wants.

[Phredicles]

2. Any idea whose time has clearly come.

Maybe long since; was WWII really our last declared war?

[terrya]

3. I think the Constitution gives Congress the sole power to declare war.

But I do like your amendments.

[grizmaster]

6. The Constitution gives Congress, and ONLY Congress

the power to declare war

[MindPilot]

7. I want a Right to Privacy amendment.

Followed by a Right to Know amendment. I want the government to not only have to leave me the hell alone, I want it to tell me what the hell it's up to.

[Phredicles]

8. Also great ideas.

I'd been thinking too that it would be good to have privacy rights explicitly spelled out. I hadn't thought of a right to know amendment before, but I really like the concept.

[Dunedain]

9. One quibble

We already have that right, it is inherent in our very existence.
We don't need to be granted any rights by our government, they need to respect our inalienable rights and follow the rules that were set forth for them two hundred some odd years ago.

[MindPilot]

10. I see your quibble and raise you a nit-pick.

You are correct -- we do already have those rights. But you are wrong in your implication that the government--by virtue of the founding documents--issues rights as if they were some kind of license to be free. Documents like the Bill of Rights exist because some rights are so important that the government needs to have the concept of not taking them away codified into law.