You Can't Get Married

You can't get married.  No, I'm talking to you.  And if you are married, it's going to be annulled.  You may only live with your "spouse" as a citizen of the United States.  You may not be carried on your co-habitant's insurance.  You may not inherit any of your cohab's property when they die. You may not be allowed into the hospital room with them because you are not family. Any children you have go to your cohab's parents because they are their relatives, not you.  And if you decide to go live somewhere else, you get what you came into the house with.  You're a roommate.  You're a booty call.  And if you're being supported by your roommate and have sex with them you are trading sex for goods and services.  In other words, you are a whore.  

If all marriage laws were dissolved tomorrow, this is what would happen to families. And without those laws, our married citizens would have no more rights than your average single person.  Sure, you can have a religious ceremony, but it's not going to be recognized by the state.  Heck, you wouldn't even be able to file taxes together. You'd have to file separately.  When people commit themselves to a marriage, they benefit from certain inalienable rights.

Except, they are being alienated, those rights.  Imagine, finding the woman of your dreams.  She's beautiful, talented, hard working, funny and she loves you as well.  But you can't get married.  Why?  

She's a Capulet.

The Great State of Virginia which gave us no less than eight presidents (Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Harrison, Tyler, Taylor and Wilson) just passed a law that would have those great men rolling in their graves.  It states that Virginia refuses to allow some of it's citizens to exercise their rights.  This has been pushed through by the fundamentalist Christian arm of the republican party.  

Eschewing religion in the formation of our government, our founding fathers would be appalled to find a religious right pushing an agenda that deprived citizens of their rights. In a post - G W Bush world, deprivation of rights has become commonplace. However this is not Virginia's first foray down that road.

Imagine you are in love with a man.  He's bright and handsome, works hard, doesn't drink, goes to your church, and he loves you, too.  But you can't get married.  Why?

He's a negro.

Why is it that Christians have such sway in the Government nowadays?  When did it become the responsibility of the United States to legislate morals?  Of all the Christians who have ever walked the earth, the last one who would go to the state to try to make people do what he wanted was Christ.  This isn't about religion.  This isn't about morals.  This is, as it always is, about money.  If you reduce the number of people participating in lawful marriages, insurance companies save money.  If you cut down on the number of marriages, more people are going to file their own taxes.  If you don't allow some people to inherit through marriage, the state gets to tax the estate.  And if there is no other heir, the state keeps the estate, leaving the survivor with only what was in their name.

I don't understand why reporters let politicians get away with saying outrageous things.  Rick Santorum, on being asked about same sex marriage answer brilliantly with, "Why not two men? Why not three men?  Why not a goat?"  Surely some reporter could have perked up and said, "Three in a marriage is illegal, a goat is not a citizen. Now answer the question."   Human beings come in all different shapes and sizes.  As long as they obey the law and mind their own business, why should anyone be able to deprive them of their rights?  Why do Christians think they have the right to push people around and make them do what they want?  (oh, forgot.  The Spanish Inquisition)

Imagine, the woman you love is having her baby.  It's a long, drawn out labor, but everything is going fine.  When the child emerges, he is perfect, crying and beautiful.  They lay him in his mother's arms while they deliver the placenta.  

Suddenly her blood pressure drops.  The doctor and nurses begin to scramble around.  The pediatric nurse takes the baby to the nursery.  You are shoved out of the room as they work on her.  You pace in the hall.  After what seems like an eternity the doctor comes out, he stops and says, "Are you part of the family?"

You answer, "I'm her spouse."  

He says, "I can only talk to her family."  He walks to the waiting room where he tells her estranged mother and father that she has passed away.  You don't get to see the body.  You aren't allowed at the funeral.  You never see the baby again.

Why?  Because you are a woman.   And God's people have deprived you of your rights.