Given the relentless news coverage of gay marriage over the last couple of days, you can be forgiven if you might begin to believe that gays are not an oppressed minority made up of less than 10% of the population, but actually a majority of the country. How else can you explain wall to wall coverage of an issue that many believe isn't the business of government in the first place?

Even Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie have apparently succumbed to gayness. Here's the most recent cover the the New Yorker:

Isn't that cute?

ABC News:

"It's amazing to witness how attitudes on gay rights have evolved in my lifetime," Hunter said, as posted on the New Yorker's website. "This is great for our kids, a moment we can all celebrate."

There have long been rumors about the nature of Bert and Ernie's relationship.

When same-sex marriage was legalized in the state of New York in July 2011, an online petition urged the fictional characters to tie the knot.

The petition gained so much buzz that the Children's Television Workshop, which produces "Sesame Street," released a statement saying that Bert and Ernie are "best friends."

"They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves," the 2011 statement said. "Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics (as most Sesame Street Muppets do), they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation."

The magazine refused an interview request but released a statement reading, "The New Yorker thinks the cover speaks for itself."

"Sesame Street" producers have not commented on the cover, but the image drew a range of reactions online.

The online magazine Slate wrote, "it's is a terrible way to commemorate a major civil-rights victory for gay and lesbian couples," mirroring a number of media outlets that noted the production company's repeated denials that the puppet buddies are intended to be seen as a gay couple.

Not all reaction was negative. The Huffington Post called the New Yorker cover "one of its most awesome covers of all time," while others reported that the image has in fact been floating around the Web for more than a year.

In the past five hours, ABC News has measured more than 12,000 tweets about the Bert and Ernie cover.

Children are not going to see it and wouldn't get it even if they did. I'm not objecting to the image but rather to the overall silliness the image represents. The Supremes basically punted on the issue of gay marriage, rightfully leaving it up to state legislatures to decide. Liberals are not going to win many more victories at the state level. And there are many states that will never allow gay marriage if left up to the legislature.This great "civil rights victory" is a dud - it won't change any hearts and minds nor will it help advance the idea that gay marriage should be legal everywhere.

Gay marriage is a distraction from the real issues facing the country, as all cultural issues are. Time to focus on what's important and leave gay people to their single issue crusade.