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The issues Tom raises have been

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The issues Tom raises have been on the front burner in Quebec for a while now. Essentially, the battle over “gay marriage” is over now in Quebec – it’s fine. There are still some minor battles that are ongoing, but as a principle upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada and as a principle of legislation by the Quebec gov’t, it’s moving towards an inclusive position very quickly. I agree with him, though, that there are other questions, other issues, beyond just “can gays be just like straights?”

Being straight myself (but not narrow), my personal opinion has turned to suggest the removal of any official state sanction of any marriage for anyone. If you want to get married and are religious, or would just like a ceremony – go for it.

But as far as the state is concerned – any couple should be able to sign an affadavit and gain the tax benefits of marriage (where they exist). Roommates, lovers, friends, a older father and his single son taking care of him, whoever. Likewise for other issues – like inheritance, power of attorney, etc. These should be open to any of the myriad of arrangements that people dream up.

Goodness knows hardly anyone in Quebec gets married anymore – it’s mostly common law.

Three thoughts that

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have been coursing through my brain in the last little while:

  • No matter how many Ferrari stickers you put on, no matter how much you tint the windows, no matter how eager you are to blow by the minivans when the light turns green, your Honda Civic will never look like a slick racing car.
  • If you have an annoying song in your head, all you have to do is sing or hum the first few bars of Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire and the other song will be gone. It works astoundingly well. [BTW under no circumstances go to the official Johnny Cash website unless you enjoy inline audio messages every time you load up the index page. This has been a public service message.]
  • I would appreciate it if someone could recommend good flowcharting software that works on Macs. Everything I’ve tried, including Visio under Virtual PC, makes me want to pierce my temple with a Robertson screwdriver.

English sports commentary at its best.

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Overheard during the internet broadcast of the semi-final of Euro 2000 between France and Portugal: “…and he dribbles the ball deliciously between two defenders!” … “Lilian Thuram lances the ball forward to Blanc…” … “Veiera has the last word; no he doesn’t!…” … “And Arsenal gunner Thierry Henry with the ball in the area… Arrrghoooh! GOAL FOR FRANCE!!!” … “And Lizarazu with a great save” … “And that will be a goal kick for the birthday boy, Mr. Fabien Barthez.” “He goes to the side to YELL at the referee, ‘that wasn’t offside Mr. referee!'” … “and Robert Pires, France’s most Portuguese player, comes in…” [ed: ??? huh?] … “now it’s Henry surging into the Portuguese area with pace!” … “that’s a header from Laurent Blanc, well, with the nose…” … “hand ball Abel Xavier! It’s a penalty it’s a penalty it’s a penalty for France!” … “Figo with the red card, we’re waiting for Zinadine Zidane… Zidane… Zidane… Zidane top corner! GOAL!”

Final (117′ FT): Portugal 1-France 2

Uh, maybe the law?

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I usually like Declan McCullagh, but this might be the biggest joke of a story I’ve read in ages. I mean, you might as well speculate that some kid named Michael Stewart bullied Judge Jackson when he was a kid, giving him an uncontrollable fear and hatred of anything known by the initials “MS”.

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