Maybe I was too detailed in my response. Here’s a reader’s reply:
“David Frum’s list of hypothetical situations where one state recognizes a gay marriage, another doesn’t, reminds me of the ‘Conflict of Laws’ course I took many years ago in law school (2 credits). Despite its seemingly recondite subject matter it turned out to be useful on almost a daily basis to a practicing business lawyer, because conflicts of laws between states in fact pop up all the time on everything from property ownership to inheritance to tort liability to insurance contracts — and no field is less uniform even now than ‘family law’ governing marriage, divorce, parenthood and children. In fact courts already have “choice of law” rules to answer every question Mr. Frum poses.”
But that wouldn’t whip up enough hysteria to pass a Constitutional amendment, dummy!
EMAIL OF THE DAY II: Here’s a good point:
“You claim in your blog that ‘It looks increasingly as if anyone who cares about fiscal sanity is going to have to sit this election out.’ However, isn’t it obvious that the only way to impose some sort of fiscal sanity is to vote Kerry — resulting in a split government that can’t reach any sort of agreement as to how to spend money?
Additionally, if we are going to spend money like drunken sailors wouldn’t we rather have Kerry, who will at least tax the baby-boomer generation that is benefitting from all this spending, instead of Bush who wants to run up huge deficits and force these problems on future generations… people like ME?
As an uncatered to libertarian in my twenties, I think the answers to both of these questions are ‘yes’ and ‘yes’. I intend to vote Republican except for President, where I intend to vote a big fat ‘D’. Then I’ll sit back and pray for government gridlock.”
I think this guy is right. If you take seriously the fact that this country is headed toward fiscal catastrophe in the next decade, then restraining spending and raising some taxes in the next four years is almost as essential as tackling the entitlement crunch. Neither Bush nor Kerry wants to help. They’re both cowards (although Kerry seems to have a better grip on fiscal reality than Bush does). So gridlock is the best option. The combination of Bill Clinton and a Republican Congress was great for the country’s fiscal standing. Independents and anyone under 40 concerned with the deficit don’t need a Perot. They just need to vote for Kerry and hope the GOP retains control of at least one half of Congress.
GOD HATES SHRIMP: A new campaign for the religious right to join. Leviticus 11: 9 – 12 cannot be wrong. Boycott Long John Silver’s!
NOTICING EVIL: David Frum parses Mel Gibson’s verbal non-committal on whether the Holocaust really took place as we know it did. Bill Safire is unnerved as well. Gradually, conservatives are cottoning on to the real agenda behind “The Passion of the Christ.”
The Dish 