Pretty simple, and yet - maybe not.

I was reminded of this by the thread on DOMA.

Should the govt even stick it's nose in social issues?
If so, how much?

Yes, but VERY limited.

Because there are, and always will be, stupid people.

*Let me clarify that my statement does NOT pertain to DOMA. That is a matter between two people and should not be decided by anyone else.

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When I read the 14th Amendment and apply what I know about human nature, I cannot see how the government CANNOT be involved in social issues.

The government affords ALL citizens equal protections under the law (per the 14th Amendment). I would hope that there is no one seriously advocating that the government NOT ensure all citizens receive equal protection of the law.

That being said, we can see how the general public has time and again tried to use force of law to avoid ensuring equal protections (DOMA is only one example). The government has the responsibility under the 14th Amendment to fight the will of the public when the will of the public eliminates equal legal protections.

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Continue that line of reasoning, Muffin... I'm judging you. Harshly.

Can the govt force the Church to marry anyone who want's it? Should it?

Where is the line drawn?

Is civil union an acceptable compromise to the gay community?

I can't think of a social issue that the govt should be involved in.

No one is asking any church to be forced to marry anyone.

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Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.

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I agree.

We need our life, liberty, and property protected from those that would take them by force or through deception. As long as the government does that job well, I can't see anything that people can't work out peacefully themselves.

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When you think of it, it doesn't take a lot of brains to be a socialist. All it requires is the desire to have something that doesn't belong to you and the absence of character to justify the use of force to get it on your behalf. -- Lawrence W. Reed

No and no. The government isn't doing that now and wouldn't do that in the future. Marriage, legally, is a CIVIL institution. The church as the right to recognize it or not. Look at the Catholic church and second marriages.

At equal protection under the law.

No because separate but equal is NOT equal. Unless of course all legal marriages are converted to civil unions.

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Continue that line of reasoning, Muffin... I'm judging you. Harshly.

So any form of legal discrimination is cool with you. People will work it out on their own.

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As I grow older, I grow wiser. The wiser I become, the more I understand how little I know. sunwestdog
Life isn't fair. But people should be. sunwestdog
I reject your reality and substitute my own. Adam Savage

In the private sector, yes.

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Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.

Gypsy Soul Memories
Scuba Diver Life
My YouTube Channel

Sure if all the mountain sheep and elk disappear because the government has no involvement in their preservation. There are always other species.

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“Hate is like an acid. It damages the vessel in which it’s stored and destroys the vessels on which it’s poured.”