From Andrew Sullivan:
This is a cop-out on many levels. National Review regularly and rightly publishes many, many articles on the issue of marriage rights and gays. They have recently run several pieces about the issue in Norway, Holland and Scandinavia - even down to nuances such as variations within Norway. They are covering the national debate as they should. How many pieces have you read about Massachusetts in NRO? But a major state has done something just as radical as Massachusetts in reverse. And Republicans who have said they do not seek to harm gays do not comment when Virginia does such a thing. This cannot be an oversight. It is deliberate blindness to their own extremes. Jonah's second point is simply insulting.
Well, insulting is in the eye of the beholder, but the fact is that I live in Virginia, and haven't the foggiest notion of what they've done. I oppose gay marriage, so if they've done something to forestall the establishment of that institution I'm probably for it (depending on the specifics), but I'm ignorant because, frankly, the issue around Fallujah has just driven such considerations out of my ken. Take offense if you must. (And I guess you must.)
But just so there's no misundersting, I oppose gay marriage because I'm concerned about the consequences for child-rearing, and I just refuse to allow those concerns to play second-fiddle to my genuine desire that gays participate in every aspect of institutional and cultural advantage that can be afforded by our liberal society.
So I'd probably have been just as offensive had I been awake. That's just the way I am.
Posted by Demosophist at May 6, 2004 06:05 PM | TrackBack