Mike the Usurper wrote:
] I would deeply like to thank the current administration for
] this pile of crap. They've chosen to make screwing over hate
] and discrimination a centerpiece of American daily life and
] are doing their best to make it the law.

I think the problem lies with the word "marriage" which has religous significance. Rather aboloshing, ammending the word so its definition in law has nothing to do with a sacrament, or changing it to something else which means a legal pairing.

[ To be fair, this isn't 100% the fault of this administration... the issue was coming to the fore regardless, and in fact, politically speaking, it's done more harm than good for them. Solidifying the fundie base isn't something W had to be too concerned with, and i think he lost some of the leaners in the middle. I'm not saying it's not shameful, and I won't let them off the hook for the Hate Amendment, but there's a lot of people who agree with them, so it was bound to happen.

Personally, I'd like to see everyone grow the fuck up and let the issue die... let people marry each other... whatever. I've been back and forth on this a few times, and something still sits ill whenever i consider adjusting legal definitions. The ideal outcome for me is for the supreme court to say "Shut up. That's unconstitutional. Now, get out of here."

Still, in reality, I have a feeling we'll end up with something like terratogen states above - the government altering itself to refer to and recognize *only* civil unions, a contractual status, and leave the term "marriage" open to whatever silly debates people wish to have about it's proper application. It's become too charged a term, and while i can't and don't want to tell anyone to cede it's definition to a group of fundamentalists, the government is probably better off if they remove themselves from what is essentially a religious argument and stick to the precise issues of equality, which is their purview. -k]

RE: Marriage is over