Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for February 20, 2012
February 19, 2012
February 21, 2012
Transcript:
Alex: This is agony! Why hasn't Leo answered my text? Joanie: He's think it over? Alex: Thinking it over? We've been dating forever... Oh, my God! Joanie: What? Alex: He's calling me! Why would he be calling me? Joanie: To talk? Alex: No, this is not good.
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.