Subject: Re: [LPNY DISCUSS] Re: The county clerk Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2003 12:04:38 -0400 To: From: Bob Armstrong Bonnie , Clear headed as always . Couple of quibbles : >=A0Originally, >=A0marriage was ALL about a man buying a woman for life. She was >=A0purchased from her father, and she didn't have any say about= it. I believe tho that was most common , anthropology has found a number of systems with different balances between male and female depending on the economics induced by the local environment . One simple measure is whether brides came with dowries or had to be bought . Anne Morrow Lindbergh's : Each sex is the measure of the other . remains the most profound scientific "law" I know of by a woman . It is simply not possible for our two half-species to be in a state of meaningful inequality . On Sat, 2 Aug 2003 09:11:42 -0400, Bonnie wrote: > the alleged >=A0"separation of church and state" clause (which I don't >=A0believe actually exists in the Constitution). That's a paraphrase of the very first clause of the first amendment ( http://cosy.com/Liberty/FirstClause.htm ) : " Congress shall make NO law respecting an establishment of religion , or prohibiting the free exercise thereof " And now we start the 21st century entangled in religious wars . >=A0Church and State both have the ancient goals of trying to "win"= through >=A0population increase, and many of their regulations are towards= that end >=A0(increasing their "flock"). Seems to me , that at least for the last half century States= have been more on the side of limiting population thus the promotion of contraception , abortion , and in fact any non-procreative sex (= mutual masturbation ) between consenting adults - so long as not cash= market . >=A0For non-tax-related gov't "benefits" of marriage, there are= other options, >=A0as Jim mentioned--medical proxies, etc. =A0Marriage is just= another contrct. >=A0You can write your own terms, as Hardy and I did, or you can= let >=A0the Church and State write them for you and govern your= relationship. >=A0We don't see the point of that. So when are you going to bring Hardy down to meet us all ? He= must be a hell of a guy to have landed you for even a year . --=A0 =A0Bob Armstrong -- http://CoSy.com -- 212-285-1864 Liberty : http://cosy.com/Liberty.htm =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A02003/08/02 11:22:32 AM