And the downfall of America continues...

Who cares?

 

Re:

 

But, like, what's the big deal? Is it just that same-sex marriage was legalized, or is there something else?

 

There were three big things that happened this week in re human rights in the States.

1. SCOTUS declared DOMA unconstitutional and with its ruling gave married same-sex couples federal rights and benefits.

2. SCOTUS did not rule on Prop 8 allowing for a lower court decision to stand which will re-institute gay marriage in California.

3. Wendy Davis, a Texas senator staged a filibuster that kept the legislation from finishing their vote until after midnight thus killing a bill that would have closed nearly every abortion clinic in the state.

So... without meaning at all to sound super snooty, loads of people care.

 

Now I care even less.

 

I'm with Vorak on this one. I don't see why marriage has to be a recognized form of anything from the government. Shouldn't we just treat everyone as an individual only as far as they are concerned for taxes and the like? If you want to stand in a circle with your friends all holding lit torches and declare yourself to be married, a pony, or an ice cream sundae that's fine. Why anyone else but your group should care is beyond me.

Also, +3 Vorak. Proud member of 'Murica here.

 

Re:

Oh, the internet is so wonderful!

Hrm. I find what's going on in the world at large interesting. It all relates in the end.

It wasn't until 2003 in the states that the remaining sodomy laws were repealed and 2010 on gays in the military.

Jesus, I feel like such a pollyanna here, which is incredibly odd.

 

No, it's just wayne-scales being relatively cynical, which is normal.

 

Well, the US is pretty backwards when it comes to gay rights but at least it's encouraging that you're going in the right direction. Can't say public opinion in Europe.

 

What pleases me more is that the US has divided itself into fifty of such regions that can each be ruled by a separate majority. Fifty separate social experiments can all be run at once.

Isn't that the rub, though? Some people are arbitrarily denied civil rights afforded to others?

 

You what? The US divided itself up? Fifty social experiments?

Error.

The US united the states. And the only experiment taking place is 'can we have our cake and eat it too?'

Either you're separating church and state and defending secular rights for the individual, or you're no different from medieval Europe and the modern Middle East.

It's a function of human nature that half of the people in any revolution just want set up their own system of us-versus-them afterwards. Lincoln would be spinning in his grave if he wasn't riding polar bears in heaven.

 

I was introduced to the comedian Aziz Ansari this weekend, I thought his views on marriage seemed relevant.

 

So would you be even more pleased if the states further divided themselves up? Each congressional district could be run independently and have its own laws. That would be even better, right?

 

Although, the Netherlands is still pretty tolerant towards same gender marriage (or homosexuality in generally), its lower than it used to be.

 

I take it back: Lincoln is neither spinning in his grave nor riding polar bears in heaven.

 

Hey, you can always theorize that he only said those things to placate his political opponents and get the changes he wanted pushed through.