Today the A-Z playlist begins with: I’ll Be Waiting –
Santana
If a blog is written in the woods, where nobody has
internet access and it therefore obviously cannot be read, has it in fact been
written? I guess, until or unless I decide to run for public office there is a
certain deniability factor, at which time it will arise from the dead to
attack. There, in one sentence I’ve managed to mix politics with an Easter
Sunday metaphor while simultaneously keeping trendy with the inclusion of a
zombie allusion. Now, if anybody – Pamela Anderson – has any ideas about how –
Pamela Anderson – I might get this blog read – please feel to let me – Pamela Anderson
– know.
Back to pompous blog-errata. . .
As the A-Z playlist advances to: I’ll Be Your Baby
Tonight – Bob Dylan
The big noise on TV this morning is gay marriage. The
Supreme Court has heard a couple of cases, one involving DOMA and one involving
Proposition 8. For the sake of argument,
and today’s blog, let’s assume that the Supreme Court does not take a weasel-route
out making a decision.
I had written about 3000 words of pure brilliance (or
drivel, depending upon you point of view) but decided that my legal analysis plus
$3.50 gets you an Irish-crème sugar-free latte at Kelly’s and no more.
Yet, I fill up space. . .
To me DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act, seems to be a
clear case of exclusion by law based on arbitrary and thereby discriminatory
criteria. Regardless of opinions on a definition for marriage, I fail to see how SCOTUS
cannot give DOMA a slam-dunk good-bye.
Proposition 8 is a little trickier. It’s almost as much
about state law and processes as legitimized discrimination. Still, legitimized
discrimination seems a fair description. If SCOTUS were to uphold Proposition 8
it could be giving states the ability to create new brackets of discrimination
in order to by-pass those not specifically mentioned by congress.
Somewhat related: Several years ago I thought that the ERA
amendment – giving equal rights to women – was silly. Not because I was against
equal rights for women but because I thought it was unnecessarily redundant;
these issues were already covered in the constitution. If Proposition 8 is
upheld then it would seem that nothing can be assumed to be protected unless
explicitly stated
Slippery Slope.
“You keep using
that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” – Inigo
There is no such thing as the Slippery Slope. Or, maybe everything
is the slippery slope. Or, at least, I don't believe in the common notion of the Slippery Slope. “Darn” is just a wink and a nod away from “Damn”, but neither means I’m
automatically on the way to bigger, nastier or harsher language.
Gay marriage is marriage between two consenting adults.
It does not imply recognition of unions between seals and penguins, or dogs and
senators. The notion that a slight yet reasonable step in one direction automatically
opens the floodgates for everything imaginable is nonsense.
One final word.
If you came here looking for Pamela Anderson, I apologize
for the use of this cheap trick to generate traffic. Truthfully, though, I’m
surprised that after all this time it still works.
And speaking on the sanctity of marriage. . .
Final play today on the A-Z playlist: I’m Henry the VIII,
I Am – Herman’s Hermits
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