Why Does "States' Rights" Always....

Why does the very term "states' rights" put my teeth on edge, with vague, nefarious imagery like that of dirty old men lusting after kittens (the four-legged kind...oh look, there's Bill Frist!), good ole boy employers paying "our darkies" a living wage of at least .50 cents less an hour than whites, and CCC (the new face of the KKK) barbecues with Harley Barbour?

I mean, states' rights DO NOT just amount to that. Some state issues are incredibly important. But I'm not certain why the same wing-nuts screaming for a constitutional amendment disallowing gays from marriage also calling this a states' rights issue? They clearly DO NOT want states to decide this, hence a constitutional amendment with the intent of keeping states from letting gays marry.

I dunno. Since the first gays married with legal recognition, I haven't felt my heterosexuality challenged once. I hold the issue of marriage in the same level of respect I did before (cagily not stating what that position is, mind you, but it's the exact same level as before, really).