While I respect and recognize people’s religious traditions, what concerns me is this — this issue will be used effectively as a wedge to sabotage a whole lot of change at a time when it couldn’t be more necessary It dovetails perfectly with the mythological “war on women,” which we all will be sure to hear about incessantly.I don't like the idea of calling gay marriage "marriage", but I'm perfectly content with civil unions/domestic partnerships. Whatever, though; it's not an issue on which I'm willing to plant my standard and fight to the death when there are bigger issues out there.
Now I readily acknowledge I have been pro-same-sex marriage for many years. So I am not a perfectly honest broker. But as an observer of society, and as a writer that’s what I’m paid to do, I have to say in all candor that political opposition to same-sex marriage is the Achilles Heel of the right going into 2016. Social conservatives who intend to make a serious issue out of it should realize that the fallout from their views could adversely affect all of us in a catastrophic way.
No one is going to be happy here. SoCons who continue to press this issue on the political (not the personal or religious) stage have to realize that they are damaging many of us who have other concerns domestic and foreign, many of which we would probably agree on more easily.
This is a great moment. A seriously smaller government is a real possibility with electoral victories in 2014 and 2016. Let’s not jeopardize them by emphasizing an issue more properly, and unquestionably more successfully, dealt with in the private realm.
I'd rather keep politics pretty much out of the social arena anyway, wherever possible; I'd prefer to go back to the big(ger) tent of advocating for smaller, limited government and strong national defense. In that regard I am a proud Tea Partier.
Since California believes that they lead the way on so many thing, why not take the lead on this? Perhaps California should craft its laws such that government is removed from marriage completely. Make it amateur of contract law don't restrict who can enter into a legal union, except that they must be legal adults. Yes that means that you wouldn't be able to "marry" your dog, but you could "marry" your cousins, all of them even. You could even make "marriage" contracts that had time limits, or renewal options. I imagine that the divorce lawyer industry would love something like this. The growth in pre-nuptial agreements should grow dramatically.
ReplyDelete