I'm reading this well-meaning and thoughtful but still pretty daffy interview at Atlantic Monthly's web site. Oboy!
«If the Supreme Court hadn't imposed a single national policy, today virtually all states would have legal abortion. One or two might not, and those would be places where people who think abortion is murder would be able to live in a legal climate conducive to their view of the world. Then this whole vicious culture war wouldn't have happened. So, bottom line, I feel that federalism makes us stronger and more unified as a country. It's a strength, not a weakness.»
And would the US have some states where interracial marriage is illegal? Hell, how about leaving legalizing slavery up to the states, just to give them the chance to all be good and rescind it. That'd be grand!
Wait. Didn't the US try that already? I remember it not working out so great.
And then there's this bit:
«This book says marriage is something much more than that: it's a promise that the couple makes, not just to each other, but to their community. That's what elaborate weddings are for, and that's why people ask spouses every day, "How's your husband? How's your wife?" and expect them to know. The community has an enormous stake in marriage, and plays an enormous role in investing in a marriage, supporting it, and making it hard to get out of.»
That totally rings true. Assuming that our "community" is a tiny village in the hills. Of Austria. In the tenth century. In my mind.