Same Sex Marriage

I have advocated for same sex unions for some time. I use union, rather than marriage to get around those who consider marriage reserved to men and women. I figure that in another generation or two it will be a difference without distinction and union can be discarded.

No matter what most religions proclaim, homosexuality is quite normal, not only in humans, but animals and don’t ever think about all the odd behavior in the plant world.  Homosexuality is not a choice unless you are willing to grant such choice to all animals.

Justice Scalia arguments have always made sense to me, no matter what the topic. He has brought my thinking around to his more than once.

Yesterday, he cut to the chase with one sentence.

"When did it become unconstitutional to exclude homosexual couples from marriage?" conservative Justice Antonin Scalia demanded of Mr. Olson in one of several heated exchanges. In "1791? 1868, when the 14th Amendment was adopted?"

Indeed! No moral argument required. No need to bring up injustice. It is simple, states can not enact laws that are unconstitutional.

What About History

From the Halls of Montezuma,
To the shores of Tripoli

At least the Marines got two place names where they first fought firmly grounded in popular history in the Marine Hymn. I will bet that half of Americans could not correctly place Tripoli in same country as Benghazi. I would wager that even fewer know the meaning behind the reference to Tripoli. They probably have never heard of Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon.

You might have heard of the A Shau Valley or perhaps the Ia Drang Valley. Perhaps of Huế, and certainly of the My Lai Massacre. Maybe you know the name of one the 58,000 Americans that died in Vietnam.

For a decade, hundreds of thousands of Americans have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most for multiple tours. Some have died. More wounded. All marked for life by the horror of war. You may not know the names of any of them.

I wonder how many place names you can name where these faceless Americans have fought? Perhaps Fallujah rings a bell? Maybe Tora-Bora? The news junkies might recall Operation Anaconda. Anywhere else?

Most of the Afghanistan war has been in remote places, places where reporters don’t go. Places that are not important to civilians like the Dai Chopan district.

The Vietnam War was covered daily by all three networks. Even dishonest Dan Rather adopted a military reporter’s dress and covered both the Vietnam and the first Afgan war from safe positions.

I think civilians are more disconnected from this war than any war before. You may not have heard of Peleliu, but it was in the headlines when the Marines landed there in 1944. The places where our military fights now is lost on the civilians.