| Atticus Grinch |
02-24-2004 08:51 PM |
Not so jaded
Quote:
Originally posted by LessinSF
The parallels to a Reconstruction Era "separate, but equal" are uncanny
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Ain't no "equal" about it. The proposed amendment would not allow any courts, state or federal, or legislatures, state or federal, to permit same sex marriage or any civil unions that confer the same benefits as marriage.
Quote:
Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this constitution or the constitution of any state, nor state or federal law, shall be construed to require that marital status or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon unmarried couples or groups.
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Federal Marriage Amendment ( H.J. Res. 56) (emphasis added.) As I read this, no state could enact an enforceable law that conferred all of the benefits of marriage on any gay couple. Maybe they wouldn't even be allowed to confer any of the benefits taken individually --- that will depend on which District Judge comes up on the wheel, I guess.
Bush would have had (sad to say) much more support if he had simply denied the word "marriage" to gays and lesbians. But he's also trying to kill civil unions, in a sneaky way. I think as people think more about this, they will see this as a REALLY SHITTY thing to do to perfectly nice people --- which is what brought down Jim Crow, eventually. This will backfire on him when people realize the ultraright is trying to kill civil unions, too, all while defending "marriage." Meanwhile, you can divorce with impunity, notwithstanding some far more clear language against it in the precious Gospels that Bush thinks motivate this.
I've stopped seeing Bush as stupid, or now I see his stupidity is irrelevant. My problem with him is not that he is stupid. My problem with him is that he is a dick. And fuck Zell Miller, too.
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