Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for February 20, 2012

Alex has little faith, both in herself and others.

Leo is probably concerned about the “…assuming I’m not dead by 2morrow” comment.

Leo to the rescue?

Petey is right; Alex doesn’t take marriage seriously enough to commit herself to it by saying “I do.” If Leo would just stick to texting, the game could go on indefinitely.

I doubt that text messages count as evidence in a trial for breach of the marriage contract. That would be too modern, and too great a departure from the old “vow in the presence of God.” See Rosalind’s performance when, in the presence of the horrified Celia, she “marries” Orlando for a joke while disguised as Ganymede:

ROSALIND. You must begin: “Will you, Orlando—-”CELIA. Will you, Orlando, have to wife this Rosalind?ORLANDO. I will.ROSALIND. Aye, but when?ORLANDO. Why, now, as fast as she can marry us.CELIA. Then you must say, “I take thee, Rosalind, for wife.”ORLANDO. I take thee, Rosalind, for wife.ROSALIND. I might ask for your [Celia’s] commission, but I do take thee, Orlando, for my husband. There’s a girl goes before the priest [responds before the priest can].

Alex could use a little more of Rosalind’s spirit.

re; Palin DroneWhats the difference between god and her service carrier?

Marriage requires only the participation of two people, and I don’t know that their physical propinquity (I think I am using that word correctly) is necessary. Marriage is the commitment of two people to each other. Third parties are necessary only to witness their union within a community and bind them legally; God is useful if their are believers to bind their consciences, but if they are believers, God is always present. Legal ceremonies only exist to gain the privileges and advantages the law gives to legally married couples and denies to others. Though Common Law has always also said that a couple are married if, for seven years, they say they are married without anyone else offering legitimate objection. Under ancient law, a couple who have agreed to marry are half-way there already, which is what breach of promise is all about. In Colonial times a large percentage of brides were pregnant by the time of the wedding, which tells you something of our ancestors’ views of this question. All this suggest why the gay marriage debate is so bogus. No earthly power can prevent people from marrying. The only question is, whose marriages will be officially recognized and legally privileged. It all come down to some folks saying “We refuse to respect you the way that we demand to be respected, and we don’t want any laws that will require us to respect you.” There is no assault on “traditional marriage” when there are “non-traditional” marriages. There was a time here in Virginia, when only a priest of the official state church could perform a legal wedding. Allowing a Justice of the Peace to perform a secular ceremony was more of a “redefining of marriage” than recognizing gay couples. None of this is apropos to the cartoon, but Chris Christie’s impending veto has turned my stomach enough to say something here. I confess, I used to be a homophobic white male myself, before my wife began my enlightenment. But this is the 21st Century, and it is high time we outgrew this bigotry.

I hope Joanie & Alex get rescued soon. I just saw a news item about a guy in Sweden who got snowed inside his car for two months.

Wow! Can Doonsbury lead to a lot of text on this blog ,or what?

why are we blaming Alex again? Because she’s too young and unrealistic about what marriage is/means? Because she took the initiative and proposed by texting Leo rather than talking to him in person or waiting for him to pop the question?She loves him, bottom line. Insecurely, anxiously, whatEVerly.Is that so wrong?

GT gives such a wonderful display of irony here. Dispite his obvious handicap, Leo is by far the better communicator of the pair. He expresses feelings much better, and with fewer words, than Alex. And is mature enough to know when a text won’t do. That they must talk.

Re: doughfoot’s remarks on gay marriages. What DO the two partners say to each other? In the few marriages I’ve attended and in the many I’ve heard reported, they cannot use BOTH words—-“wife” and “husband”—-as Orlando and Ganymede do (remember, they’re both dressed as men) in the mock-marriage from As You Like It.

Shakespeare’s comic scene depends on the marital pair making vows face-to-face. Alex and Leo are a long way from doing that, and I doubt GBT would try to dramatize the kind of real marriage exchange that Shakespeare gives us.

Very informative; thanks.

Your examples of electronic marriages and witnesses give a slick new meaning to the proverb, “Marriages are made in heaven.”

Reading all these comments done wore me out. Time fo my nap.I’m playing checkers wit the boys at the home this afternoon. They are a lot funnier too.

You are all forgetting the HappyDays wedding of Richie Cunningham on the phone.

I thought jumping over a broom was sufficient and a whole lot cheaper. I tried jumping over a Hoover but it didn’t take.

Most of the posters here, live in the 21st. century. Some still think we live in the 18th. Like most of the republican candidates. It’s time we purge this country of this vermin!

Try this one on for size,Pinal County (Ariz.) Sheriff Paul Babeu built a reputation as a rising, conservative star by taking a hardline stance against illegal immigration, attacking the Obama administration and appearing alongside Sen. John McCain in a 2010 re-election ad in which McCain urged federal officials to just, complete the danged fence. But, on Saturday, Babeu’s conservative image took a beating as he was forced to admit publicly that he is gay and was involved in a relationship with a Mexican immigrant who claims the sheriff threatened to have him deported if he revealed their relationship. This from the AP.

It’s sad that even this nonpolitical arc could spawn such a discussion. Anyway, my comment is that Alex has never been more aggravating. But that doesn’t ruin my enjoyment.