And this is why DOMA wasn't good enough

[Tex]

Those of you opposed to a marriage amendment, here you go.

President Obama believes that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and will no longer defend the 15-year-old law in federal court, the Justice Department announced today.

The really amazing thing about this is how out-of-the-blue it is. It's like Obama just wants to hand socially conservative Republicans (who have taken a back seat to fiscal Tea Partiers) a fresh issue to galvanize their base.

[MikeWaters]

1. While I didn't support Prop 8 in CA, I believe it is now the law. And I think it is bullsh that the CA executive is not defending it.

2. Likewise, I think it is bullsh that the President of the USA can order the justice department not to defend the DOMA. What's next?

3. On the other hand, the administration is saying that DOMA continues to be enforced. And I am somewhat appeased that there is a governmental entity that can argue for DOMA (Congress) in the court cases.

I don't believe there is a constitutional right to be legally married. At all.

I don't believe that gays have a constitutional right to be married, because a man can marry a woman legally.

I am okay with civil unions and gay marriage in states that enact such laws.

I am against courts forcing states to have gay marriage and civil unions.

I think that part of the reason we have states is so that we can have experiments in governance. Maybe gay marriage will hurt society. We watch these states and see what happens. Thus I favor the status quo, where a few states do so of their own choice, and the others currently choose not to.

Obama. Ugh. Terrible. Can't stand him.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

1. While I didn't support Prop 8 in CA, I believe it is now the law. And I think it is bullsh that the CA executive is not defending it.

2. Likewise, I think it is bullsh that the President of the USA can order the justice department not to defend the DOMA. What's next?

3. On the other hand, the administration is saying that DOMA continues to be enforced. And I am somewhat appeased that there is a governmental entity that can argue for DOMA (Congress) in the court cases.

I don't believe there is a constitutional right to be legally married. At all.

I don't believe that gays have a constitutional right to be married, because a man can marry a woman legally.

I am okay with civil unions and gay marriage in states that enact such laws.

I am against courts forcing states to have gay marriage and civil unions.

I think that part of the reason we have states is so that we can have experiments in governance. Maybe gay marriage will hurt society. We watch these states and see what happens. Thus I favor the status quo, where a few states do so of their own choice, and the others currently choose not to.

Obama. Ugh. Terrible. Can't stand him.

It seems to be a very bad precedent that the President can pick and choose which laws he intends to enforce. To do so blatantly is bothersome.

[MikeWaters]

The admin is taking the position of not arguing for it in court, but continuing to enforce it. Anyway, that is what they are saying.

However, one wonders how it is enforced, other than defending it in court.