Posted by VioLenT BoB (V-Busy) at njtnt-1-488.dialup.enter.net on February 24, 2004 at 19:50:57:
In Reply to: POLL: Same Sex Marriage..Allow or Disallow? *OT* posted by BChrist on February 24, 2004 at 15:29:03:
I've been discussing this issue a lot lately with friends and family, and so forth. Personally, I'm pretty blase on the issue. Gay marriage should be allowed. Likewise, "Don't ask, Don't tell." should be abandoned. Scream "FAG!" in the middle of a gaybar and see how many people step up to knock your ignorant ass out. Gay people in Uniform are the same as Straight people in Uniform; Well intentioned but also slightly crazy.
Had there been 'gay' soldiers in Vietnam the tactic of naked vietnamese women with grenades in their armpits might not have claimed so many lives. There are positives and negatives to everything. It all depends on your point of view. And in this case, point of view is the very essence of the argument.
It is this administration's point of view that Marriage is between a man and a woman. That's what Bush went to such great pains to stress a few months back; Marriage as a social union between Man and Woman, offered to all consenting, legal age Men and women. Since the Gays and Lesbians petitioning for Same-Sex marriage fall under the wide umbrella of Consenting and Legal Men and Women they are not being denied their right to a marriage, thus nullifying any denial of civil rights issue.
Any Gay man is free to marry any consenting woman, straight or lesbian. Likewise for Lesbian women, they are free to enter into an arrangement of convenience, obtain a beard, or opt to remain single.
There is no law that denies Homosexuals the right to marry. Their rights to a marriage, defined as it is as a union of Man and Woman, are the same as any Heterosexuals'. Both sides are free to enter into marriage provided it fit the aforementioned description.
Personally I view marriage to be a personal contract between two people, conventionally male and female, and with that logic believe that gays SHOULD be able to enter into the exact same contract, but under the current law it is not merely a contract but a formal government union either performed BY a JUDGE or AUTHORIZED by a LICENSE.
The Partner Unions soon to be offered in NEW JERSEY are much less appeasement than they are a positive alternative to the conventional marriage. These unions are open to both homosexuals and heterosexuals, they involve the sharing of benefits, tax changes, etc.
Some feel that this is merely a treat being bandied about because of re-elections, but the truth is MARRIAGE will be a hard thing to change. Though church and state are separated, the state may not stop the Church from voting, thereby the religious hardliners of all faiths, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, will block with all their might any redefinition of the word.
The way around this is to create a NEW social union, for both alike, not as competition for but an alternative to conventional marriage.
This generation and the ones after may find the Partner Union much more agreeable. Let's face it, with a 50% chance of being divorced within five years of the "I Do's", many twenty-somethings are prolonging their bachelor/spinsterhood well into their thirties; deportation, unexpected pregnancies, and booze-fueled Vegas jaunts aside.
Many of the opposition treat the Partner unions as "SEPARATE BUT EQUAL" which is their point-of-view, a point-of-view not shared by all. All roads to victory are paved with concessions, nothing changes overnight, except for Prohibition and we saw how well that worked out.
Be assured there are many changes to come in the United States within the next twenty years. With Canada legalizing marijuana AND gay marriage, pressure will be put on the system to adapt. The legal marriage institution of a Foreign government, will be honored for Dual Citizens, likewise Insurance and Benefits stemming from the legal country of origin will be irrefutable.
The changes will come but they will come slowly.
Now if only the Partner Union could get my Slovakian girlfriend a Green Card, all would be well with the world.
It may not be sliced bread, but it's not unleavened either.
VB