(no subject)

[pfloyd]

Truthfully, I think I'm at a bit of a loss for words when it comes to today's society, at least how it is in our little neck of the woods... especially last evening.
The Massachusetts Constitutional Convention has voted that gays cannot get married, but they are allowed to be joined in civil union.
What I don't understand is how this doesn't make everyone at least a little happy.
I can see both sides of the coin.
Gays want to be able to say they're married. Okay.
Religious folk don't want gays to be married. Okay.
Everyone's seeing the "marriage" bit as a religious thing. Well, what's that official document that you sign when you have a civil union... isn't it a marriage certificate? Two friends of my wife and her family were married in a civil union instead of a church ceremony, and they're just as married as Colleen and I, who did go through the rigours of a church (Catholic, mind you, but no mass) ceremony. Wouldn't a civil union still grant the same sort of 'partner' status as man and wife, legally?
I realise that there are gays out there that want to have the religious bit tied into their union. Good on them. I'd love to see it. However, I still think this is somewhat of a step forward, even if it's a bit to the side.
I'm not here to argue for any sides, but I'm for letting everyone be just as happy (or as miserable, as a friend of mine puts it) as the rest of us married folk.


Right, onto something else...
Anyone catch the season ender to Stargate a couple of weeks back? Didn't it make you go... Bah??
Okay, maybe not so important...

Most of the pain in my body's faded out... except for the pulled bicep, right knee, and sacro-iliitis/sciatica in my right hip. Worse comes to worse, I'll go to urgent care, have them diagnose it, and see if I can get put on neurontin for the duration of my vacation... or at least some other sort of decently potent painkillers that won't have any adverse effects with alcohol, as I expect that I will be imbibing a bit while in D'yur Makr (Oh oh oh oh oh oh...)

More later as news warrants...




11 days and a wakeup!

Comments

[lawful-evil.livejournal.com]

I heard a bunch of polls on NPR a couple weeks ago where most people were fine with allowing gays to do something which had all the benefits of marriage but just a differant name. However if you called it marriage then they no longer supported it. It seems to be a name thing.

I think the state should no longer support or reference marriage at all. It should only deal with civil unions(for gays/straights/other). They can then leave marriage to be a religious thing which you can also have done if your church will endorse your union.

[dunkelza.livejournal.com]

Actually, the SJC ruled that Civil Unions did not in fact grant the same legal rights as marriage. Basically, they said that the construct of civil marriage must be the same for everyone. You can't have two "separate but equal" institutions, especially since everyone knows that they aren't equal.

The problem is that any amendment defining a marriage as one man and one woman still violates the SJC ruling and would likely result in ALL marriage being illegal or at least converted into civil unions. The only way around it is to have the U.S. Constitution amended to allow sexual discrimination.