Gay Marriage to Alfred: Your Thoughts

That would make same-sex marriage legal in 30 states and the District of Columbia.

Well, Texas + Florida + Ohio + Georgia + Michigan, I guess.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BzRvoKNIcAA-URg.png

soon enough, boo.

fwiw, a lawyer acquaintance of mine on FB:

"The Supreme Court tends to grant leave only when there's a split in the lower courts -- the 12 Circuit Courts that are one level below them. So far, there hasn't been a split. The Circuit Courts have uniformly held that Windsor establishes the right to gay marriage. Therefore, the USSC has no conflict to decide."

ie if that 6th circuit appeal that is mentioned in the USAT story upholds the ban, the Supremes could get involved then.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef0120a91d0029970b-600wi

Idaho and Nevada now also in after a Ninth Circuit ruling

http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2014/10/breaking-ninth-circuit-strikes-down.html

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BzndpUBCMAAIrNk.jpg

Weird fucking day. Okay: North Carolina effectively in, probably all over on Monday. Butch Otter gave up tonight in Idaho, fully in on Monday. West Virginia stopped fighting as well. Kansas, no decision at the earliest until November. Arizona and Alaska, POSSIBLY next week. South Carolina is a muddle. Case up for review in Wyoming, that decision might happen quickly. And I think Montana is in there somewhere as well?

and no Florida!

WELL GET ON IT oh wait

I have.

Cal Thomas's flailing, excuse-filled but comprehensive admitting of surrender on this issue is beyond schadenfreude. Only thing I'll give this clown is that he's not pulling a Huckabee and pretending there's still a chance.

http://touch.baltimoresun.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-81640163/

Point 3: The main arguments against permitting same-sex couples to marry are moral and biblical. The problem, especially for conservative Christians who oppose the legalization of gay marriage, is that they are speaking to people who don't accept their moral code, or biblical instruction. They cite Genesis 2:24: "That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh." That verse is also quoted by Jesus in the New Testament.

Here's why invoking verses from the Bible isn't working. In addition to the courts having abandoned such instruction, along with, in too many cases, the Constitution that is supposed to constrain government, a growing number of people no longer accept biblical teaching. Many, the products of liberal universities, also regard the C

Paywalled, apparently. That link redirects to the Sun front page. xp

But I found it at his website.

It's at the Sun too; you gotta go to the opinion section.

The suspense will kill you.

having abandoned... the Constitution that is supposed to constrain government

Read the establishment clause of the first amendment, fool.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bal-the-supreme-courts-nonruling-on-gay-marriage-commentary-20141010,0,2617179.story

If a news link is behind a paywall, put some of the text in quotes and plug it into google.

it's kind of fascinating how egregiously bad his argumentation is

i love the blame laid on 'liberal universities', like the widespread modern fact of the individual right to live one's own life is not like, way more important, and actually american

i would love to see a more naked argument that appealed to authority without the indirection wrt religion and tradition and anarchism and pitted individual liberty against the contention that no, you are not allowed to live your life as you choose, that will be decided elsewhere, in advance

a few years ago some old college friends and i friended each other on facebook and they've since become (revealed as) super catholic and pro-life, but minimally trying not to be offensive about it, and one of the most disturbing things i've ever heard from them is the catholic idea of 'teaching authority', as a thing that some things (whatever, jesus, the church, the bible as interpreted by the church, the pope) have or must have, and as a thing that any other source of life-direction is deluded and helpless without

like jesus what the fuck happened to america man, these people were raised in the same crazy brew of rampant social atomization as everyone else

Rereading T.S. Eliot at the beginning of last week I found the same sad shaking of the head, this collapse in a belief in authority.

Meanwhile in loonville

http://blog.chron.com/texaspolitics/2014/10/abbott-texas-gay-marriage-ban-reduces-out-of-wedlock-births/

The county near me in Idaho (one of the two that went for Obama in 2008) is the first to issue marriage licenses in the state. One of the women in this photo let me take the old 1950s hair dryer that was near their dumpster:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/11/us/politics/supreme-court-lifts-stay-on-same-sex-marriages-in-idaho.html

xp wow that's some pretty advanced nonsense. this brief is one of those things people a hundred years from now are going to put in textbooks as examples of how uncivilized we were

"were"

Mm.

Anyway, Alaska:

http://www.adn.com/article/20141012/federal-judge-rules-alaskas-same-sex-marriage-ban-unconstitutional

Okay, Arizona's in

http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/davidbadash/breaking_federal_judge_appointed_by_bush_strikes_down_arizona_same_sex_marriage_ban

In the 'zona!

Meantime this post:

http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2014/10/sixth-circuit-court-remains-quiet.html

...brings up something I'd been wondering; namely, if the Sixth Circuit has been going "Er" ever since the Supreme Court turned down the other cases that had reached them. No way of knowing but I am curious.

come to me

Wyoming appears to be next, by Monday:

http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/gay-marriage-hearing-begins-in-casper/article_c25f4382-bae6-504c-93c1-cd0def51639a.html

A quiet detail there:

About 60 people watched the proceedings, most of whom support same-sex nuptials. In a corner sat Dennis and Judy Shepard, parents of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming college student who was fatally beaten in 1998.

The Great Roberts Punt having its inevitable effect.

http://images.politico.com/global/2012/06/120626_john_roberts1_ap_605.jpg

this facial expression

Further Arizona update -- AG not appealing so it's done and dusted there.

And update, Wyoming is in.

http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/judge-strikes-down-same-sex-marriage-ban-in-wyoming/article_7d3d1a03-ac81-5088-b785-ce2eae556b39.html

"bull sex"? well, i'd toddle down to City Hall for some o' that.

http://www.salon.com/2014/10/22/don_young_delivers_shocking_speech_to_high_school_crowd_compares_gay_marriage_to_bull_sex/

Kansas in yesterday:

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/judge-declares-kansas-gay-marriage-ban-unconstitutional-n241166

This leaves Montana and South Carolina as the last states to adjust to circuit court rulings so far.

And now Missouri, sorta?

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/judge-rules-that-gay-marriage-ban-in-missouri-is-unconstitutional/article_f9e3bd74-d9bf-5337-ba22-88cd5614e59d.html

The other shoe finally drops! 6th Circuit (sadly) upholds bans, this is off to the Supreme Court now:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/06/gay-marriage-appeals-court-ohio-michigan-kentucky-tennessee/15712319/

all right now the betting on what Roberts will do gets interesting. Kennedy writing for the majority striking down bans seems inevitable if Roberts dissents in the end.

How many states are we up to now? 31?

33, I think, verging on 36.

The dominos have fallen very rapidly, haven't they? I don't see how all those thousands of marriages could possibly be undone now by the Roberts court. It would be chaos, pure and simple.

So what? Thomas sez if the precedents are wrong, change'em.

God, how much I strangely want to see that cluster.

I'm happy for my Scottish friends: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-30486804

come to me!

Supreme Court will consider the Louisiana decision next month:

http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2014/12/breaking-supreme-court-to-consider.html