"family values"

Why of course it's in jest! Just a bit heavy on the South is all.

Well, getting back to the original topic (somewhat). I just find it interesting how in the excerpts that you provided in your first post, Mr. D'Antonio says this:

President Bush and Vice President Cheney make reference to "Massachusetts liberals" as if they were referring to people with some kind of disease.

Now, I realize this is his opening statement, but it just seems to me like a pathetic type of justification for going on into a topic in which he doesn't mention in his opening sentence. I mean, really, he makes it seem as if he's never heard the term liberal being used as a negative before. I guess he took that MA. part personally, eh? I just find it funny though, as that's how the word conservative, or even worse... Republican! has been viewed for years on end.

Anyways, as to the hypocrisy of how everyone votes... I don't see how it's hypocrisy if they vote based on what they believe (no matter how wrong it may seem to you). The only thing I'm not too thrilled about is the people who vote for a party, as if they're trapped into doing so. For example, I have some liberal (*gasp* oh no! he just used a four letter word!) friends who voted Dem because why? They've always voted Dem. Oh, and one said jokingly because he was black.

To Dawn:

First of all I'd like to apologize for not getting to your arguement quicker, at first I didn't notice it (not that I don't notice your posts) it was just lost in a sea of other posts.

Secondly, I being a religious person confused religion with morality. I should have said marriage is a moral bond between two persons. To elaborate on the marriage is religion things, many churches have a "sacrament" (I'm catholic so I don't know what else it would be called) of matrimony, which is a union made before God of a lifelong bond.

To elaborate on my opinions I will give an example. When I get married I will only recognize the vows I make in the Church while receiving the sacrament as my marriage. The government marital liscense is just a worthless piece of paper that has no meaning. Now if I was a hindu and performed a hindu ceromony, or an athiest that just said, " I vow to live and love you till I die." I would value that as a marriage, whereas the liscense is just a legal contract that says you share stuff. Which means the liscense should be a civil union and not a marriage.

So to answer your question you do have a civil union, but if you believe it's more than a legally binding contract between two people and more of a spiritual bonding than yes you have a marriage.