Quote - I eagerly await legistlative efforts that will allow a male to give birth and a female to become a world champion boxer. Equality in all things! Accept or die!

Exactly (sort of).  There are distinctions between male and female anatomy in general.  But then there are distinctions in individual anatomy.  If someone wants to do something they can't, at least let them try.  If they suck, sorry, do something else.  If they exceed, support them with every fiber.  And that doesn't even address the glass ceiling put in place due to male-dominated society (and white caucasian rich boy dominated society).  Name me one president who wasn't a caucasian male.  There has not been one in 230 years.  Maybe we'll get one soon!

Quote - Maybe I don't appreciate the distinction between "civil unions" and marriage. Is marriage really a step up? Why? Anyway, it would good for the economy. Think of the money the lawyers will make in all the new divorice settlements. (Oh no, I've participated in one of those dreaded AM radio talk threads in the Poser forum…)

Yes (on divorce)! ;)  The distinction between 'civil union' and 'civil marriage' is a matter of familial domain and legal recourse.  In a civil union, there are some benefits such as medical coverage and shared ownership rights.  But this isn't strong enough legally to prevent the family of the deceased member from claiming rights to the possessions thereof.   So, if two people are in a civil union and they generally own their house, cars, and other belongings, it is usually decided in favor of the deceased's family that anything in his/her name now belongs to the deceased's family wherein the partner (of 1 year or 50 years) is left with only what they can demonstrably show as 'theirs'.  This has happened many times.  Marriage constitutes a familial domain which grants the 'spouse' rights to the mutual possessions.

There are rights and benefits to 'marriage' that are not covered under 'unions'.  And, please, do not provoke the 'but heterosexual marriages produce children' fallacy, please, don't, please.  Only one quarter of heterosexual marriages have children involved.  Are the other three quarters abominations?  There is a general consensus that any couple with children is a 'family' and that is good for the most part - maybe we can use that to advantage.  Studies show that children reared in homosexual families are as normal as (or better than) those reared in heterosexual families.  So much for that myth (that the former will be 'turned gay' or some other crapola).

Wake up, people.  We're all in this horrid boat called life together.  We had better get used to living with each other while the species exists and propagates 'cause, you'll notice, there are no dinosaurs roaming around anymore.  You want survival and perpetuity, get used to compromise and evolution (in more ways than genetic).  Otherwise, get yourself spruced up for that museum display in 50 million years.

C makes it easy to shoot yourself in the foot. C++ makes it harder, but when you do, you blow your whole leg off.

 -- Bjarne Stroustrup

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