[Leopard]

correct - but it must be across the board: The government has no place in any private contract or association EXCEPT to enforce the agreed terms of the contract and determine contract violations. Only consenting adults may enter into contracts with one another...

so, my position is that government should get out of defining marriage altogether and leave it up to the individuals. The government should treat all citizens equally, regardless of whatever social contracts they have entered into (no special priviledges to married folks period (hetero, gay, whatever), no priviledges to businesses and corporation, no exemptions to any organization including churches, non-profit, etc)s

But, since the current debate totally ignores this possibility then the only 'fair' treatment would be to allow alloww contracts the same priviledges: this means gay people get to become married as well with all the crap that goes along with it. Treating gay vs hetereo marriages differently amounts to governmental bias/social engineering/rights abuses.

If the 'religious right' want me on their side, then they should start advocating no governmental interference in church matters/social matters: any church or organization is free to define the terms of the contracts they endorse ('bless'?) but all contracts treated the same by government as social contracts. If the Catholic Church deems its marraige contract immune from divorce then fine - excommunicate those who violate the contract. Contracts for co-habitation would then necessarily need to have clearly defined positions regarding children upon nullification of the contract as well as reprecussions for other 'contract violations' such as adultery etc... The 'relig Right' would have marragie defined EXACTLY as they desire, the gay communioty could contract exactly as they desired - but in the eyes of government - all citizens get the same priviledges, pay the same taxes, are treated the same in the eyes of the law. This would mean also that gay people could not get a catholic marraige - but so what? They can have the 'Gay Catholic Church' and proceed to marry within its definitions...

are we in synch so far?