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gadfly

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Everything posted by gadfly

  1. In my opinion the point is: are we going to afford gays the same rights as straight married couples? By "rights" I mean the rights of enforcement of what is basically a contract, a contract for two people to be recognized as a social entity apart from simply two individuals. It is a means of pooling resources and responsibilities, and a married couple is treated differently under the law, financially and otherwise. It's simply a matter of equality under the law. Hell, let 3 gays and a straight person get married, for C's sake. What do I care? To do otherwise is simply mean-spirited, insulting, and probably unconstitutional (I keep thinking the Right will want to outlaw puppies and rainbows next...). Regardless of the technical details of how the contract is executed, I just can't see a good reason not to extend marriage to gays. And imagine the incredible legal expense to our country to maintain two parallel sets of laws (straight and gay marriages). What a stupid waste that would be. Ultimately, I just can't shake the feeling that this is the civil rights movement all over again, with "separate but equal" rearing its ugly head.
  2. They had an on-again, off-again affair, and it ended somewhat uncomfortably. A few years later, she severed all ties with him. Her explanation, which I thought was rather vague, was the "irrationality" he was exhibiting at the time, his business practices, etc. There is an issue of The Objectivist that contains her official statement, if you want to read it first-hand (I don't know the issue). At the risk of being flamed, I think you have to realize that the Objectivist establishment, including Rand, has had a tendency to occasionally "excommunicate" people who are deemed to fall short of its standards, and after that they are no longer allowed to be "official", bona-fide Objectivists. She had very high standards, and if someone did not meet them, that was pretty much it for them. Personally, I thought the Brandens' books (Nathaniel's and Barbara's) were fairly interesting and provide a welcome alternative to the Ayn Rand Choir. My advice is to read anything you can and make up your own mind, rather than take someone's word for it.
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