Why New York's momentous vote for marriage equality should matter to parents of gay and lesbian children everywhere

After about 2 or 3 years of marriage, my husband and I decided that yes, maybe we would like to have children (but believe me, this was not a forgone conclusion going into the marriage). Once we made the decision, we both got really excited and could not wait for the day we could call ourselves parents. I had come from a decent sized family, four boys and me, all of us very close in age (exactly one year apart - good Catholic family that we were), so I knew a bit about what to expect (more so than my husband, who was basically raised as an only child with a little sister surprising everyone years later).

I believed with all my heart and soul I would be a good mom. I'd played a big role in being a second mom to my 4 younger brothers after my mom, through absolutely no fault of her own, ended up a single mother raising and supporting 5 children by working nights and grabbing a few hours of sleep during the day. That experience convinced me I could trust my gut when it came to the nuances of raising children and actually be good at it.

In 1984 son #1 was born. My husband and I were beyond ecstatic. He was so perfect. He was so beautiful. And he was ours. I never knew my heart could feel so much love. Life could not have been more amazing. Sixteen months later, son #2 was born. Again, pure unadulterated joy. Again overwhelming awe. Our hearts were bursting with so much happiness. Two perfect, healthy, beautiful little boys. Our family was complete. I could not ask for more. I was a mom with 2 healthy happy little boys. Having a daughter was something I had really hoped for, but I told myself it was not meant to be and cajoled myself with the thought that I'd grown up with a bunch of boys and now I was going to raise a couple of them. We still had our perfect family, it just wasn't going to include a daughter.

Or so I thought...

My husband desperately wanted a daughter. So did I, but I had gotten stuck on the number 2. He had not. And so two years later our baby girl was born. And this time, there were no doubts, we both knew our family was truly complete.

Those early years, when the children were little and completely dependent on us for all their basic needs, were wonderful. We loved every second of those times, so much so that we often daydream about having them back. Then came the teenage years. They were pretty magical too, but in a different way: A bit more challenging, a few more worries, a little more angst, a lot more emotional ups and downs, and the realization that in many ways our children needed us more than ever, not so much for basic needs, but for guidance, reassurance, and learning how to navigate through the maze we call our lives. And I just knew I was up for the challenge. After all, I thought I knew what to expect. As I watched our children struggle for independence while still being fairly dependent I was reminded of my own teenage years as well as my brothers'. I felt confident those years as a second little mother had prepared me for whatever challenge lay ahead with my own children. I didn't think there were many curveballs for which I'd be unprepared.

Or so I thought...

Boy was I naive. Of course, there would be curveballs for which I was unprepared. Lots of them. It comes with the territory. And of course, one of those curveballs would be learning that our middle son was gay. And of course it would be something for which we had no experience in dealing with. But it wasn't a curveball in the way that some would think it would be. It wasn't that our son was gay that had us so shocked and upset. We were shocked and upset that our church (the Catholic Church in our case but basically most of the others religious institutions as well), all the well-known family advocacy groups (Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, American Family Association, etc.), and yes, even our politicians (including the President of the United States, George W. Bush) were not only NOT offering any guidance for teaching our gay children how to grow up to be well-adjusted, moral, upstanding and contributing members of society, but they were actively working to portray our gay children as evil outcasts for which society had no place. They didn't just want our children as invisible and demonized as possible, but they wanted them completely excluded from the very institutions that bind a strong society together.

I can tell you this in no uncertain terms, it is very difficult for parents to teach their gay children that they should abide by the same moral standards as their straight counterparts when the most prominant message they receive early on from our churches, our family groups, our politicians and ultimately from society as a whole is that they are so evil that nothing can redeem them. And it is even more difficult to explain why sexual intimacy should be reserved for that special person in their life when again the message heard from society is loud and clear, any kind of gay intimacy is evil and will damn that person to an eternity of hell. But that is the monumental job we parents of gay children have been handed, countering the years of bigotry and bible-based hate that permeate our gay children's lives, stripping them of self worth and self respect.

And this leads me to why the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York is such a huge deal and a big step in the right direction for the entire country. But rather than trying to connect the dots myself, let me quote from a letter written by a 27 year old gay man to Andrew Sullivan today. He does such an eloquent job of summing up just how profound an affect this new law and society's eventual acceptance of gay relationships will have on the way he conducts his life moving forward:

You talk about this [gay marriage] being a generally conservative movement, that it is about people in love wanting expansion of a traditional institution to them.  But no one talks about the influence this has on single gay men.  For the first time since I came out, I feel forced to look at the fact that I am not just in this for dating, for sex.  Maybe if I were older, I would already have an identity hardened against being defined by society, and it would not matter so much.  But we are on the way to a world where society will accept my relationships, and I will not be able to use outsider status as an excuse for any behavior.

Traditionalists will fight this tooth and nail, but the last great joke will be how much this gives them what they want. 

I waver between a deep gratitude to New York for accepting me, and being spiteful for making me grow up.  But I suspect that the former emotion will be the lasting one.

And I too am deeply grateful to New York for not only accepting my gay son and recognizing his relationship should he want to get married in the future, but also for making the job of raising our gay children a little easier. After all it is easier to convince a child to strive to be a valued member of society when that child knows that society values and accepts him for who he is.

A Message of Hope from the United States Senate

This is the description of the clip on YouTube. Notice anything missing from the Senators who participated - like maybe a Republican?

A video for LGBT youth around the country and the It Gets Better Project, featuring U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). 

Guilty as charged

Via JMG:

And that gay baby was one of the three best things that ever happened to my husband and me so no apologies are forthcoming.

New York: Republican Senator Mark Grisanti speaks before the vote on same sex marriage bill

This is a man I wish I could personally thank for his thoughtful, fair, and truly conservative approach to reaching a decision on how he would vote on this issue. And by his own admission he struggled, agonized, and listened to many, many people from both sides before making a decision on how he would vote. It should also be mentioned that Senator Grisanti was one of only four Republicans who had the courage to buck his party's majority and vote for marriage equality in spite of huge possible repercussions to his future political career.

The Senator makes it very clear in the video clip below that his Catholic faith strongly forms his personal religious belief that marriage is the union of a man and a woman, but his background as an attorney forms his belief that there is absolutely no legal reason to deny a whole segment of law-abiding, tax-paying New York citizens the same rights, benefits, and protections that he and his wife enjoy. But probably most importantly, his vote showed us his human side. By voting yes for marriage equality, he was able step over the contentious divides that hot-button social issues like this create and acknowledge that the love of a gay or lesbian couple is just as real and deserving of recognition and protections as the love he and his wife share. He actually did something that the modern day GOP cannot do, he put a human face on my son and the millions of gays and lesbians who've suffered greatly from years of abuse at the expense of a party that stood to gain politically by keeping the glbt community faceless and not-human.

This momma thanks you Senator. Your vote the other night has given dads and moms like my husband and me the very real hope that our beloved gay son will actually grow up enjoying the same rights and protections his brother and sister enjoy. Your vote gave our gay son and millions just like him dignity. But most of all your vote treated our son like a human being and not the monster your Party and many religious and family advocate organizations make him out to be.  And I shall forever be grateful to you for that.

CNN - Is Marriage Equality In NY A Done Deal Or Can It Be Overturned?

Phew! It looks like it's a done deal.  Sorry Maggie - you lose.

And the cries of victimhood begin

Andrew just posted this Tweet Of The Day:

And I am immediately reminded of this cartoon I saw over at JMG's the other day:

I can't wait until the reality of what just happened in New York hits NOM and the NY Catholic archdiocese, and in particular, Timothy M. Dolan, the Roman Catholic archbishop of New York. We ain't seen nothin yet...

I'm gonna pop some popcorn and enjoy myself whilst these holier-than-thou's get dragged, kicken and screamin, into the 21st century.

New York Senate does the right thing: Marriage Equality is approved!!

This was a Republican Senate and it passed 33-29!  This now doubles the number of people in this country who will have marriage equality.  Thank you New York!!!! You did the right thing. And an extra special thank you to the Republicans who voted YES. 

Up next:  California and Minnesota....

Now if you'll excuse me, this momma has some major Snoopy Dancing to do...

New York: Still no decision from GOP Senators on whether to hold a vote on legalizing gay marriage

I'd just love to ask these GOP Senators how they would feel if a small group of people (with agendas) had the power to hold up a vote on their basic right to marry. I am sure that thought has never occurred to them, but then, empathy is a vile word in today's GOP and grounds for banishment from the party.

It just feels so hideous and draconian and unAmerican that in this day and age we are still putting the rights of large segments of our citizens at the mercy of politicians or mob rule.

Minnesota DFL: In All Its Different Forms...Family Is About Love

In a continuing effort to ramp up the fight against the anti-gay marriage amendment, the Minnesota DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party) highlights some of the stories they've heard from Minnesotans on what family means to them:

Mark and David


Cathy and Kris


Denny on his son and his partner


Eric and Rick


The Reitan family

Anthony Weiner has resigned, now it's Senator (diaper) David Vitter's turn

    

So it is nice to know that there are some on the right who are finally calling for the Senator's resignation. According to Andrew, the calls are getting louder and coming from places I would not have expected. And this momma could not be happier. 

Look who all is joining the chorus:

• Bill O'Reilly:  

1,432 days ago, Sen. David Vitter admitted to being a regular customer of a prostitution service. (An activity that is, incidentally, illegal). Days after his admission he was welcomed back with open arms by the Republican party. 

Thus far, the Republican leadership has not been pressed to explain the blatant hypocrisy of their divergent reactions to the two scandals. Last night, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly weighed in. His message was simple: “I don’t think Vitter should be there. Absolutely not.

• Greta Van Susteren: 

The GOP needs to explain why they give Vitter a Pass 

• Christian conservative Family Policy Network:

The president of the Christian conservative Family Policy Network sent Sen. David Vitter, R-La., a letter Monday calling on him to follow the lead of former Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., and resign rather than leave Republicans and conservatives open to charges of hypocrisy.
Vitter admitted to a "serious sin" in 2007 after his phone number was found in the 2001 client records of a woman accused of running a prostitution ring. Vitter was a member of the House of Representatives when the calls were made. 

Weiner announced his plans last week to resign after first lying about and then admitting to "inappropriate" Internet communication with various women. 

"There are a lot of people that I think are committing outright hypocrisy and are forced to do so as long as he (Vitter) remains in office," said Joe Glover, the president of the Family Policy Network, based in Forest, Va. "I don't think the senator should put those folks in the untenable position of having to pragmatically defend his presence in the Senate."

• And then there is my hero, Dan Savage, god bless him. He is not going to stand by and coo about the so-called "Christian" conservatives finally doing what they should have done in the first place. He is calling them out for being the partisan conservative hacks they are:

They're not calling on him to resign because adultery is a sin and prostitution is a crime and somewhere Jesus is crying into his sweet tea. Nope, the conservative Christian group thinks Vitter should resign because he's making the GOP look bad. And these douches, like all political Christians activists, are partisan conservative hacks first, God-fearin' Christians (a distant) second.

All I can say is I will be one happy seething momma when this hypocritical, faux family & Christian values fraud gets his pious, diapered arse out of our US Senate.

HE REALLY, REALLY NEEDS TO RESIGN NOW.

And if and when he does, I think the snoopy dance will most definitely be in order.

Southwest Pilot Accidentally Broadcasts Misogynistic, Homophobic Rant

I'm back home. And after many planes, trains, metros, buses, and taxis, I figured the clip below was an appropriate way to break back into blogging about the raging, idiot homophobes who will unfortunately always be around no matter how much progress we make with gay rights. And judging by many of the comments just on the first page of YouTube ("Fucking hilarious!!!', "Great speech from that dude!!! Jajaja", "Fuck diversity.", "ROFLMAO.......too funny") there are a lot more creeps just like this Airline Pilot out there. Let's hope time and progress will make it harder and harder for these slimebags to slither out from under their rocks. It just pisses me off that the very people he attacks still have to work with this bigoted jerk. I have to agree with Brian Moylan at Gawker when he says:

They let this guy back on the job? If I flew Southwest in the first place, I'd boycott! All we can hope is that the "gays" and "grannies" he works with have come up with an awful nickname for him and are using it to his face. How about "asshole"? That seems to fit.

 


Update:  Joy Behar and guests (including Dan Savage) weigh in:

Last Night's Republican Presidential Debate - A Race To Be The Biggest Homophobe

It's hard to watch, my gag response was working overtime. In fact it's so bad, I can't even tell you who is most repulsive. I think it might be a 7-way tie.

I LOVE SEATTLE

And here is one of the millions of reasons why:

Seattle Space Needle with gay-pride flag 

Beam me up, Scotty

One-Man One-Woman anti-gay  crowd

Ok, I know my Beam me up, Scotty title is a bit disrespectful, but looking at this photo of of misguided, hate-the-gays-in-the-name-of-a-loving-god people cracked me up (hey-it's better than seething). They kind of remind me of all my goofball Trekkie friends from my college years. 

But the reason I am  posting this is to report on some good news. We are not there yet, but we are inching ever so close to the magic number in New York. Just 2 votes, that's all we need and maybe, just maybe, New York will become the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage.  And then .... these people pictured above, really will want to be beamed up, and I will be there to wish them all a fond farewell and good riddance.

Rachel Maddow asks: Do you have a David Vitter problem?

I just love Rachel Maddow. No one can make a point better than her. And there is no finer example than this:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

She graduated!

We are in Seattle enjoying some of the finest, most beautiful weather in the country. But the weather is not the only reason we are here in Washington. Yesterday we got to see our daughter, the "baby" of the family, graduate from college. It was a big day. It was also the first time in 5 years that our whole family has been together. The last time we were all together was at our oldest son's graduation, just before he left for Ukraine and a 2 1/2 year commitment in the Peace Corps. So I am one happy momma right now and there will be no seething today or the next 4-5 days.

So because blogging will continue to be light for a few days, I will let Dan Savage speak for me on something that I often find myself guilty of doing: conflating all Christians with hateful, anti-gay bigots. Dan reminds us that there are good progressive, loving Christians who do not hate gays, but it is they who must step forward and take back Christianity from the homophobes and haters who have dirtied its image and made it so unrecognizable I don't believe Jesus would even claim it . And until they do, Christianity will continue to have it's image dirtied by the likes of frauds like Tony Perkins, Maggie Gallagher, and Donald Wildman. So step up progressive Christians -- please, I beg of you.



    

IOKIYAR

IOKIYAR:  Acronym meaning:  It's OK if you are Republican

In a fit of anger, I posted about this yesterday, and today I see that Rachel Maddow is talking about this very same topic as well. She just does it in a much more calm and succinct manner, although I think we are both pretty much on the same page. I just took it a step farther and said I do not think Anthony Weiner should resign.

Watch and relish, especially the part about our "good" Family/Christian Values Senator who got caught with prostitutes and is rumored to have a diaper fetish, but still sits his holier-than-thou nondiapered arse (thank gawd!) in the United States Senate representing the good state of Louisiana and legislating laws that affect heathens like you and me:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Oh and PS: I still don't think Anthony Weiner should resign. I am still devastated by his stupidity, but I think he should stay. Hey, if Diaper Dave Vitter is still a Senator in good standing with his Family/Christian Values Party, then ...

Dear Tennessee, your lawmakers are homophobic fools who deserve all the mockery they are getting

I couldn't resist posting this cute clip. Tennessee lawmakers deserve to be made fun of, laughed at, whispered about, and loathed for their foolish time-wasting idiocy under the guise of doing the people's business. If their constituents are not completely turned off by what their lawmakers are doing, then they deserve what they are getting. And goody for us, we have unending fodder for great entertainment at the expense of the lawmakers they voted for. 

For the record, in case you were not aware that such cretinism existed, YES the idiot lawmakers of Tennessee did in fact pass a "Don't Say Gay" bill, another homophobic, idiotic piece of legislation passed a couple of days before the signed legislation reversing laws that bar discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgendered people.

No wonder my husband absolutely and steadfastly refused to consider Memphis when his job required us to move from Arizona to either Minnesota, Michigan, or Tennessee. His reason: We ARE NOT GOING TO RAISE OUR CHILDREN IN THE SOUTH (nuff said). And for the record, we chose Minnesota and it was the best decision we ever made. I'd move back in a heartbeat if I could.



Once again, thanks JMG

Anthony vs David or why I'm heartbroken about Anthony, but furious about David

Ok, I have no time to be blogging right now, but I have to get this off my chest and I am just too angry to even think about things like packing or cleaning. So I am going to get this said, and then I am going to try to get ready for this upcoming trip. But I know one thing for sure, if I don't just blurt out what has been running in an endless loop inside my head all day, I will continue to get nothing accomplished. So here goes:  I AM SO PISSED AT ANTHONY WEINER I COULD SPIT, BUT I STILL THINK HE IS A FAR BETTER POLITICIAN AND REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PEOPLE THAN ANY REPUBLICAN POLITICIAN IN OFFICE RIGHT NOW. And if that doesn't make much sense, well ... too bad. I don't have to make sense when I am this angry.

I confess, I really, really  like Anthony Weiner, which is why I am so damn angry. He is one of the few Democrats who has a spine and says the things that must be said. And I don't want to lose his voice. Yes, he was damn stupid to have been doing what he was doing, and even more damn stupid to have thought he wouldn't get caught. But as for the morality or immorality of his actions, I don't give a rip about his actions or the morality or immorality of them, although I certainly would understand why his wife might think otherwise. But that is a personal matter between him and his wife.

The bottom line is this, Anthony never sold himself to his constituents as a holier-than-thou family values guy, nor did he climb up on an altar a soapbox and wax piously about the sanctity of marriage and how he was going to defend traditional marriage from the evil gays. And for that matter, he never sold himself as fabulous husband material either. Yes, Anthony has proven himself to be a foolish schmuck who chose to think with his "other" brain, but he isn't a hypocrite and that matters big time to me. He has proven himself a lousy husband, but I still believe he is a good politician with some cojones. And let's face it, we desperately need Dems like Anthony. When I vote, I am not voting for husband material, I am voting for people who have the courage to speak truth to power and fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. Anthony Weiner has been doing that. And I don't want to lose him.

So let me state this clearly, loudly, and without equivocation, I do not think Anthony Weiner should resign. I also do not think that any other Dem should get all high and mighty and call for his resignation either. We all have made stupid mistakes, so who are any of us to judge? Anthony Weiner's fate is for his constituents to decide.

But then there is Senator Diaper Dave Vitter from the good state of Louisiana. And he did sell himself as a holier-than-thou family values guy, and he did climb up on an altar a soapbox and wax on and on about the sanctity of marriage and how he was going to protect it. He spoke ad nauseaum about Family Values, Christian Values, and Sanctity of Marriage, easily convincing the "values voters" of Louisiana to give him the senate seat. Little did they know that their shiny, new, and oh so Christiany senator was nothing but a skanky fraud with a love for prostitutes and an alleged fetish for diapers. He was also a lying, hypocritical fraud who thought nothing of signing on as one of the main co-sponsors of the Federal Marriage Amendment which he claimed would protect the sanctity of traditional marriage while he was actively making a mockery of his own marriage and family.

So let me state this clearly, loudly, and without equivocation, I do think David Vitter should have resigned and still should. I also do not think any Republican should get too high and mighty either, because when you set yourself up as a "good" Christian with "good" Family and Christian Values and do a bit too much harping on the "Sanctity of Marriage", you are climbing pretty damn high up on your moral high-horse and it can be a long fall down.

Anthony Weiner stumbled pretty badly, but he didn't sell us a rotten bill of goods. David Vitter did and for the life of me, I do not understand why he remains in office. He doesn't have the moral high ground to be legislating anything.

Image via JMG who got it from here.

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth...

But I have been kind of busy these past few days getting ready to head to Seattle to celebrate our youngest child's graduation from college. And then from Seattle we will go to Washington D.C. to see our oldest son and take my mom to see a specialist there. So my blogging will be very light for the next couple of weeks. And for that I apologize, but as our Vice President so eloquently said not too long ago, this is a big f*ckin deal. Three kids, three college educations, and three bright futures (I hope). We gave them the tools, the rest is up to them.

 "Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: and a people who mean to be their own governours, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."

James Madison in a letter to W. T. Barry in August of 1822

Of loaves and fishes by Jeff Wilfahrt

Jeff and Lori Wilfahrt speaking at a rally in Minnesota

I have written on numerous occasions about Jeff and Lori Wilfahrt, the Minnesota parents of Cpl. Andrew Wilfahrt, a gay service member who lost his life to an IED in Kandahar, Afghanistan this past February. These are parents who, in spite of their monumental loss, have chosen to channel their grief into fighting for the very ideals for which their son fought and died, something I am not sure many of us could do under the same circumstances. So it is with great pleasure that I post (with Jeff's permission) parts of an amazing commentary he wrote for Bluestem Prairie. The essay is beautiful and is worth clicking over to read in its entirety, but here is a taste to pique your appetite. The full piece can be read here:

This last December a college friend who remains devoted to his Catholic faith and actually studied and continues to study theology sat at our kitchen and table and related a comment on the parable of the loaves and fishes. His son is considering joining the Jesuits, a very Catholic household indeed. 

According to this friend, at least some contemporary theologians would contend there was no actual miracle wherein the Christ multiplied loaves and fishes. What the Christ achieved was a miracle of persuasion. He convinced those who had, to share with those who had not.

We lost a son just a few months ago in Afghanistan. So many voices uttered the words “I can’t imagine” to which I respond “Don’t!” Only a small handful of Minnesotans know the depth and breadth of grief this brings. Believe me when I say you don’t want to even begin to know this hurt. This is not something to share.

What is to be shared from this sacrifice of service to this nation and to the soldiers to their left and right is our citizenry. This nation is something we jointly hold. Your citizenship is shared with five other million Minnesotans and three hundred million other Americans. 

That which we share is citizenship, a citizenship which allows us to all to fall under a common rule of law. The same speed limits, the same tax deductions, the same judiciary, the same constitution declaring inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is what we share regardless of race, creed or sex. 

I read a lot blogs now. Never used to do that and of course there are so many comments asking to share equal rights and so many vehement comments about religious and social traditions suggesting they aren’t to be shared, at least so far as “marriage” is concerned. 

Reflecting now on those loaves and fishes I am advocating, and I could be wrong, that the Christ parable holds the answer to our civil upset here in Minnesota about the marriage amendment. 

Recalling that phrase of a decade ago, “What Would Jesus Do” I’m speculating he’d come down to sharing. He would have found a way to persuade us on this symbolic Galilee hillside to share those rights, those loaves and fishes. And therein the miracle will reside. Let those loaves and fishes multiply, let us share by way of citizenship. It would seem to be the only way out of this marriage argument to salvage the faithful and the secular without division. Love is a powerful sentience; open your hearts to the miracle of it. Enjoy the bread, enjoy the fish, share.

I cannot think of more powerful advocates for full equality for our glbt children than parents like Jeff and Lori Wilfahrt. They know first-hand what is sacrificed so that everyone can enjoy the inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

And to those who have made a religious argument for denying some of God's children the right to be treated with dignity and respect, I believe this father makes an extremely powerful religious argument for equal rights for all God's children.

  

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond decides to fly the Gay Pride Flag in recognition of Gay Pride month

And heads are exploding amongst the Christian-right haters.

Ho hum, what else is new...

Everyday New Yorkers for HRC's NYers for Marriage Equality

Yoo hoo Maggie, you are gonna lose this war. It's just a matter of time.

Newsflash: Tim Pawlenty is a sanctimonious ass

But the good news is, that's what Republican primary voters want and they will get it in spades with this idiot. The bad news is, Mr. Pawlenty may want to do everything in his power to protect marriage by keeping it the union of one man and one woman, but with married households now in the minority at 48% of all households in the United States, he might want to refocus his Party's fetish-like obsession with same-sex couples and concentrate on straight couples and their lack of desire to marry, especially since the trend does not look promising:

It's a trend that's been creeping along for decades, but in the 2010 census, married couples represent 48 percent of all households. That's down from 52 percent in the last census and, for the first time in U.S. history, puts households led by married couples in the minority.

Sorry Tim, you are not only a big bore, but you are a bigot too. You know damn good and well that marriage is in trouble and it isn't loving gay and lesbian couples who are threatening it. But going after what really ails the institution would be political suicide. Everyone knows you have to be a bona-fide homo-hater and sanctimonious fraud to get past those "good" Christian voters in Iowa. It truly is a sad state of affairs when coming up with real solutions to solve real problems just doesn't cut it with primary voters who need a steady diet of divisive social policies that solve nothing but hurt so many, but that is today's Republican party.

Update: Via TPC, Minnesotans don't want Tim Pawlenty or Michelle Bachmann to run. Now that's the Minnesota I know and love. And just askin - what does that tell you about these two candidates when their own home state is just not that into them?