Luis, I don't think we'll ever agree on the proper role of the SCOTUS (I will never be able to state my case as eloquently as you can). I still think major social reforms should be done in the political process, not the Courts. You mentioned the Courts acted against the majority opinion on abortion, and are likely to do so again for gay marriage. The purpose of working it out politically is to move the hearts and minds of people in the "correct" direction. If Abortion had been left alone it would, as you said, be a practice permitted almost everywhere, available to everybody willing to cross a state line. That's true because hearts and minds have changed over the years (some would argue not for the better, but that's another argument I don't want to have).
Same with Gay Marriage. It used to be a major third rail, a hot-button issue sure to bring a lot of people to the polls to vote against it just a few years ago. That has completely changed, and if things are allowed to move without the courts' intervention that will be available (tyranny free) for every American as well in just a few years.
The courts need to stay out of making major changes to the fabric of society, now matter how good the cause may seem. It's tyranny in black robes, even if they do "the right thing." Just call Balls and Strikes, that's it.