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I don't have time to say much about this other than that I'm disappointed (though not surprised) that so many on the right can't bring themselves to celebrate this because their guy didn't get elected in November. And yes, much of the Left did the same thing for the past eight years, but that doesn't make it okay. So even if I never have occasion to do it again, I'm drinking a toast to Obama and dead pirates.
Vermont is now the fourth state to legalize gay marriage, but the first to do so legislatively and not through the courts. As soon as I heard the news, I wondered how those conservatives would react who have railed against "activist courts" all this time rather than attack gay marriage directly. These folks claimed to be much more upset at judicial usurpation of legislative authority and the thwarting of the popular will than anything else.
Well Vermont called their bluff, and here's the reaction. That's pretty weak beer, and awfully damn unconvincing if you ask me. I suppose if I were forced at gunpoint to pen an editorial attacking Vermont's gay marriage bill, I probably couldn't have done any better than the editors of NR. But then again, if that's the best argument I could come up with I'd be forced to reconsider my position. This is not a principled argument, in my opinion, but rather a half-assed attempt to retrofit some philosophical framework around a preexisting prejudice. Not mainstream conservatism's finest hour.
But then as my friend Pete points out, it's also amusing to watch the liberals' new-found ardor for states' rights.
Ah well. In the meantime let's drink a toast to Vermont. Remember that you can already pack a concealed pistol there even without a permit! You've gotta admire such a freedom-loving state. It's kinda like that old Glen Reynolds thing about wanting to live in a place where you could attend your friends' gay marriage and give them assault rifles as their wedding gift. Yeah, the tax burden is oppressive, but you can't have everything. Taxes are high here too and I get none of the perks (guns, gay marriage, beautiful lakes, great ice cream, rustic farm houses and skiing.) Maybe it's time to move.
I can relate. I had a similar reaction during "Portrait of a Lady."
Taken on 9th Avenue in Hell's Kitchen this morning.
