^^^ seems to make sense - the only valid reason to discriminate is due to religious reasons therefore having a civil partnership available to both straight & gay would make sense - give them, whether straight or gay, exactly the same legal rights as married people who carried out thier partnership under a religious ceremony & surely everyone is happy.

think that is pretty much what got inroduced into the UK recently

though just as another thought (would only apply to a very small minority) - would anyone ever conside extending it to more unconventional relationships - presently it is a partnership between just two people how about someone who wants to marry two or more women/men.  As a society we shouldnt necessarily be in a position to judge whether two gay men or women can be legally form a partnership or marriage - shouldnt we also allow say mr arab sheik the right to take another wife should he & his present wife agree (obviously the instances of this happening are going to be infrequent but Im just pondering over it)

yeah tbh... youd need to stop some hippie commune from mass marrying all 30 of each other in some big love in & turning into some sort of sex cult

or also some rich misogynist from marrying a load of vulnerable women simply because he can

though I was thinking more along the lines of say the muslims who are allowed to marry more than one wife & generally it isnt for sexual reasons or being greedy (aside from the members of the saudi royal family that is)- there are strickt rules IIRC - the bloke cant sleep with both of them at the same time etc.. & must treat both equally - think it resulted from things like a widow being taken in by another household as an additional wife   in order to be looked after etc...

I cant understand how some Americans seem to think that somehow the instant civil partnerships become legal nationwide, ordinary marriages somehow become invalid. At least that seems like the way Bush is talking about it.

I cant understand how some Americans seem to think that somehow the instant civil partnerships become legal nationwide, ordinary marriages somehow become invalid. At least that seems like the way Bush is talking about it.

The reason is simple. Gay sex is so FRICKIN AWESOME that it apparently breaks up marriages Brokeback Mountain stylee.

Vote didnt even come close today. Just a load of showboating.

Sen. James Inhofe was the clear winner of the kook prize. He broke out a chart to prove that, "Theres Never Been a Homosexual Relationship in the Recorded History of Our Family". What kind of wierdo charts the sexuality of your family tree??

He always wondered why Uncle Reb never needed a shave.

Jon Stewart had a hysterical social conservative on yesterday and summed it up pretty dang well:

Stewart: So why not encourage gay people to join in in that family arrangement if that is what provides stability to a society?

Bennett: Well I think if gay..gay people are already members of families...

Stewart: What? (almost spitting out his drink)

Bennett: Theyre sons and theyre daughters..

Stewart: So thats where the buck stops, thats the gay ceiling.

Bennett Look, its a debate about whether you think marriage is between a man and a women.

Stewart:I disagree, I think its a debate about whether you think gay people are part of the human condition or just a random fetish.

In Yo Face!

video:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/06/07.html#a8614

video:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/06/07.html#a8614

Gold!

Polygamy & Gay Marriage = two completely separate issues.