My Kind of Business!

There seems to be a lot of hand-wringing going on over the issue of gay marriage. I'm really enjoying the spectacle. Here, the people who really want to pry into other people's personal choices are putting themselves on parade. More importantly, the role of the state in marriage is being discussed, and I say it's high time.

When I married last June, Ame and I got to experience the distasteful process of filling out an application for permission from the state to wed. Permission! From the state! It's some kind of America we have today. We have to get permission to have a garage sale, permission to work on the roof over the house we own, permission to renovate the house we own, and permission to marry the love of our life. Curiously, nobody needs a permit to reproduce, a much more grave proposition. I think that's all in reverse, but I'll take my holdings where I can find them.

The state has no business being in the business of marriage. That's something that should have remained the domain of the churches. Making marriage a civil process is one self-inflicted wound my secular brethren have made, and the proof lies in the fact that many churches throughout the 50 states would be willing to marry any pair that presents itself, while only a few states will do so.

But the business of grandstanding in favor of socialized marriage hit a high point here in Indiana yesterday. Some legislators are so eager to affirm that marriage is the state's business, especially where homosexuals are concerned, that they did my bidding. GOP legislators boycotted proceedings in the statehouse yesterday afternoon! From the Indy Star:

Republican lawmakers pushing for debate on their proposal to ban gay marriage boycotted the Indiana House on Monday, bringing the legislature to a standstill as it entered a pivotal week in the 2004 session.

House Democrats refused to go along with Republicans' demands to vote on a "blast motion" to force debate of a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. It's not clear how long the partisan stalemate will continue.

The House has today off and will try to conduct business again Wednesday if Republicans return to the chamber.

The national debate over gay marriage has entered the Indiana General Assembly during the final two weeks of the legislative session -- stalling action on at least 83 bills dealing with issues ranging from child welfare to indoor fireworks.

Brilliant! No laws were passed yesterday afternoon, which means, no new hidden taxes were decreed; no for-my-own-good laws were enacted; Peter was not robbed to pay Paul. It was the kind of day-and-a-half in the legislature that I might have planned, stalling 83 bills in one fell swoop. This is good government!