End of the Gay Marriage Debate

[MikeWaters]

Obama has done a good job of taking gay rights proponents' money and doing nothing for them but talk about doing something later.

[MikeWaters]

Tex is going to love this article.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-a...-the-ballot-1/

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Tex is going to love this article.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-a...-the-ballot-1/

interesting argumentation to say the least.

[Tex]

Originally Posted by Archaea

interesting argumentation to say the least.

"Interesting" is a polite way to put it.

[Tex]

In a major blow to the gay rights movement, the state Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly killed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage.

After two hours of emotional and often deeply personal debate, the Senate voted down the measure 38-24, effectively killing its chances before next year's elections.

Democrats couldn't muster enough votes on their own and some Republicans who were open to the idea voted no because they were fearful of a conservative backlash, advocates said.

New York now joins a list of 31 other states to shoot down gay marriage. Five states have approved same-sex unions.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/...e_says_he.html

[Tex]

TRENTON -- The [New Jersey] state Senate rejected a same-sex marriage bill today, a major victory for opponents who contend the measure would infringe on religious freedom and is not needed because the state already permits civil unions.

The 20-14 vote defeating the measure followed an hour and a half of public debate inside the packed Senate chamber. The nearly thousand supporters and opponents of the bill held rallies on the Statehouse steps.

The measure fell seven votes short of the 21 needed for passage.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/201...l_legaliz.html

[Levin]

The trial for the challenge to Prop. 8, brought by Ted Olson and David Bois (strange bedfellows), begins next week. The trial will be televised -- part of a "pilot" program in the 9th circuit to televise trials. It's actually the product of an impartial district court judge (Vaughan Walker -- a Bush I appointee who has a deep libertarian streak), and a sympathetic Chief Judge of the 9th Circuit (Kozinski, who has publicized his views regarding gay marriage). They want it to be a modern-day "Scopes Trial."

I put the end of the gay marriage debate on the doorstep of the 2012 election -- just about the time this case will work its way to the Supreme Court. Vaughan Walker will rule Prop. 8 violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Federal Constitution, the 9th Circuit will uphold that decision (with a panel made up of Kozinski, Reinhardt, and Berzon), and then it will be before the Supreme Court in an election year cycle. We'll all be forced to discuss it, and then the Supreme Court will rule 5-4 (Kennedy writing, joined by Ginsburg, Sotomayor, Breyer, and Stevens' replacement -- most likely Elena Kagan, a lesbian) that gay marriage is mandated by the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment as applied to the States. End of story; end of the debate. Public referenda and state senate votes be damned. Youth in revolt. Seniors dying. The end is known from the beginning -- right now.

[MikeWaters]

Originally Posted by Levin

The trial for the challenge to Prop. 8, brought by Ted Olson and David Bois (strange bedfellows), begins next week. The trial will be televised -- part of a "pilot" program in the 9th circuit to televise trials. It's actually the product of an impartial district court judge (Vaughan Walker -- a Bush I appointee who has a deep libertarian streak), and a sympathetic Chief Judge of the 9th Circuit (Kozinski, who has publicized his views regarding gay marriage). They want it to be a modern-day "Scopes Trial."

I put the end of the gay marriage debate on the doorstep of the 2012 election -- just about the time this case will work its way to the Supreme Court. Vaughan Walker will rule Prop. 8 violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Federal Constitution, the 9th Circuit will uphold that decision (with a panel made up of Kozinski, Reinhardt, and Berzon), and then it will be before the Supreme Court in an election year cycle. We'll all be forced to discuss it, and then the Supreme Court will rule 5-4 (Kennedy writing, joined by Ginsburg, Sotomayor, Breyer, and Stevens' replacement -- most likely Elena Kagan, a lesbian) that gay marriage is mandated by the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment as applied to the States. End of story; end of the debate. Public referenda and state senate votes be damned. Youth in revolt. Seniors dying. The end is known from the beginning -- right now.

Which the American people will call bullshit on. And the Republic will roil.

Liberals always overreach. And they will set their cause back.

The lady who wrote "Committed" was interviewed on NPR the other day. She said that in Europe, they can't understand why gays would want to be married when they can have civil unions. And that in fact, heterosexual couples have flocked to be civilly unionized instead of married, because they don't want to the "stigma" of marriage.

I think this shows that this is a particularly American debate, it's a power struggle and part of the culture wars, and not about fundamental rights.

I can't wait until Obama is spending his days building houses in Georgia.

[Levin]

There is the backlash theory you hit upon. Scholars say Roe v. Wade was a bad thing for abortion rights, and there could have been more progress through democratic incrementalism. I think the same with gay marriage. But this case is working its way to the Supreme Court, which will be forced to decide after the 9th Circuit strikes down Prop. 8.

[Tex]

Originally Posted by Levin

The trial will be televised -- part of a "pilot" program in the 9th circuit to televise trials.

Not any more.