Maximum Leader: Must Read

Great, great post by the Maximum Leader re: his take on the legislative vs. judicial issue. Lots of meatiness, and for me personally, many issues clarified.

One quick note: I didn't mention the 18th Amendment because I was concentrating on the amendments I felt were most relevant to the question of civil rights-- or more correctly, a civil right: voting.

The ML also addresses my question re: a constitutional amendment for marriage by framing the problem in terms of marriage-as-institution. This is food or thought, and a discussion in itself. On one level, the ML is pointing out where the voting/marriage analogy fails: voting isn't normally considered an "institution," per se-- people variously describe it, correctly or incorrectly, as a right, a duty, a privilege, etc., but not as an institution. Whether this difference is sufficient to throw marriage's status as a basic civil right into doubt is another matter. For the moment, let me just say I found the ML's post very, very educational.

While I'm feeling all conciliatory & stuff, I should also note that I heartily agree with Dr. Burgess-Jackson's post on thinking through the implications of the carnivorous lifestyle. Yes, I could willingly kill and prepare my own turkey if need be-- if the question is one of willingness (I'd have to learn proper technique, if we're talking about ability). The question of killing an animal has been long settled in my mind, Buddhism studies notwithstanding. Nature, among other things, is red in tooth and claw. I accept that.

Dr. B-J's also got a good post on hypocrisy up.
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