Just in case the U.S. Senate had not thoroughly mauled the dead horse that is the Federal Marriage Amendment last month, the House is going to use our tax dollars to discuss the same motion that will most certainly fail when put to a vote. Republicans are hoping that bringing up the issue in advance of this year's elections will keep just enough people mad at the gays so that they turn out on Election Day and maintain the Republicans congressional majority.
In the face of such legislative theatrics, we try to remain optimistic and hope that even the dumbest of Americans can see through such a cynical ploy and demand that the Republicans answer some of the more difficult questions, such as those about the war, gas prices, and why the Canadian dollar will soon be the highest valued currency in North America.
Filed by Frank
UPDATE I: House Rejects Gay Marriage Ban Amendment The House on Tuesday rejected a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, ending for another year a congressional debate that supporters of the ban hope will still reverberate in this fall's election. The 236-187 vote for the proposal to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman was 47 short of the two-thirds majority needed to advance a constitutional amendment. It followed six weeks after the Senate also decisively defeated the amendment, a top priority of social conservatives.
UPDATE II: Serious about preserving marriage? Why not outlaw divorce? Democratic Rep. Lincoln Davis, a Democrat from Tennessee, voted for the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage even though it doesn't go far enough. If the sanctity of marriage is to be preserved, Davis deadpanned, Congress should "outlaw divorce" and make adultery "a felony." In addition, Davis said, "We should prevent those who commit adultery or get a divorce from running an office. Mr. Speaker, this House must lead by example. If we want those watching on C-SPAN to actually believe that we're serious about protecting marriage, then we should go after the other major threats to the institution." [As Judd Legum notes at Think Progress, at least 29 members of Congress are divorced, but there is "no official data on how many members have committed adultery."]
UPDATE III: Keith Alexander wonders, "Shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, mussels, all these are an abomination before the Lord, just as gays are an abomination. Why stop at protesting gay marriage?" My guess, Keith, is that shellfish have a better funded lobbyist!
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