You Destroyed Your Marriage

You’re not married.

And if you’re thinking about getting married, you can’t.

Remember your dead parents? Yeah, their marriage is null and void as well.

As of 2005, the entire institution of marriage was outlawed in the Lone Star State.

Who outlawed it?

You did.

When you voted for a constitutional amendment outlawing gay marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships, you outlawed your own.

It took 22 words to do so.

If you don’t remember Subsection B, here it is:

“This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage.”

So says Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston lawyer and Democratic candidate for attorney general,

But she blames her Republican opponent current Attorney General Greg Abbott for not vetting the proposed law better beforehand.

Not you.

If you want to temporarily feel better, you can also blame the Republican-majority in the Texas Legislature for approving the amendment, too.

Radnofsky said she spotted the “massive mistake” while searching for cracks in Abbott’s political armor.

Abbott’s office and other conservative think tanks deny the clause makes any difference and vowed to defend the amendment as a whole in court.

Of course, their marriages are extensions of God’s love, right?

At risk on earthy Texas, however, is that insurance companies of all sorts could exploit this law to their benefit, Radnofsky warned.

By the way, Abbott is a former state Supreme Court justice; he’s been attorney general since 2002.

We have yet to hear whether Abbott will run again as an incumbent or make a move for lieutenant governor.

And remember that lieutenant governor has more power in state government than the governor, according to Texas law.

Who knows? Abbott running Texas might be a good thing. Maybe he can help us ban oxygen.

And maybe Radnofsky can re-read other laws for us without an ambitious political desire in the future.

So far, she has no opponent in the Democratic primary.

Abbott, though, has an opponent in the Republican primary; his name is Ted Cruz, a solicitor general under Abbott.

Ain’t it grand we’re not married to our politicians for life?

Knock on wood.

Liberty And Justice For Some

Hats off to Will Phillips.

This 10-year-old from West Fork, Ark., staged a one-boy protest at his elementary school for gay rights.

Phillips did so by refusing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

He was caught after the fourth day and given “grief” from his teacher for resisting.

Phillips told CNN’s John Roberts: “I eventually, very solemnly — with a little bit of malice in my voice — said, ‘Mam, with all due respect, you can go jump off a bridge.”

Phillips has since apologized to his teacher for his behavior; however, he explained that after thinking about the words in the Pledge, he could not recite them with the a clean conscience.

He said, “There isn’t really liberty and justice for all. Gays and lesbians can’t marry. There’s still a lot of racism and sexism in the world.”

Phillips has taken flack in the form of name-calling from his schoolmates for his stance.

However, his father, Jay, seemed happy with his son’s initial response to his teacher; CNN noted, “Seated next to the boy, his father covered his face, smiling.”

The young Phillips said he wants to be a lawyer when he grows up.

— Nathan Diebenow