This is probably a subject i should stay away from, being single, and not really understanding the point of view of people who want to interfere with other people's lives in areas where i don't see that it has any affect on them; but it really is something that i have a hard time keeping my mouth shut on (here comes the rant--if you're not in the mood stop reading now.) Firstly, regardless of your personal views a constitutional amendment hardly seems necessary because (a) there are (too) MANY state statutes in place already (laws governing marriage are usually a states' rights jurisdiction--an area our beloved president traditionally likes to stay out of) and (b) since when did we start making constitutional amendments actually discriminating against certain groups of people (rather than preventing discrimination against groups of people)? Doesn't that seem a BIT contrary to the philosophical ideals this country was founded on (whatever those might have been--however we're interpreting them this week)?
This issue actually confuses me somewhat--are there a limited number of marriages available and if other people get married that somehow reduces the availability? Or perhaps you're afraid that your possible partner might somehow fall "prey" to a same-sex other--and if so how possible a partner were they for you? How does the reinforcement of someone else's commitment threaten yours? Again i stand confused.
The fact that historically marriage has always been a love match between one man and one woman is a misfounded notion to begin with. Here's yet another book recommendation
for you (i am a librarian after all): Marriage, a History: From Obedience to Intimacy or How Love Conquered Marriage by Stephanie Coontz, a sociologist who really knows her stuff but is also very readable (she also wrote The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap and The Way We Really Are: Ending the War Over America's Changing Families, both of which i highly recommend). Reading any, or, preferably , all of these books will give you some of idea of how biased and jaundiced our western, judeo-christian ideas have coloured our politics.
for you (i am a librarian after all): Marriage, a History: From Obedience to Intimacy or How Love Conquered Marriage by Stephanie Coontz, a sociologist who really knows her stuff but is also very readable (she also wrote The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap and The Way We Really Are: Ending the War Over America's Changing Families, both of which i highly recommend). Reading any, or, preferably , all of these books will give you some of idea of how biased and jaundiced our western, judeo-christian ideas have coloured our politics.
As we fight wars, kill, and lose lives to bring "Democracy" to the world shouldn't we make an effort to keep it in this, the "greatest", nation?
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