A distasteful proposition

After a promising start to the day, where actual research (distracted button-pushing, followed by periods of baffled head-scratching) was actually accomplished (attempted), a new graduate student stopped by to have productive talks (he gets the staff discount at REI), and got around to submitting the expenses claim that was sitting, filled, on my desk for the past week, my work effort rather hit the buffers, mid-afternoon.

The reason? The court verdict in San Francisco, striking down Proposition 8, which compelled me to down tools, post jubilant messages on Facebook, and dive headlong into the stream of media reportage surrounding that momentous event.

I got somewhat bogged down reading the comments.

The invective! The ignorance! The facile arguments! And I quote:

"TWO SEXUALLY CONFUSED INDIVIDUALS DO NOT MAKE A COUPLE."

"hmosexuality (sic) is NOT a phenomenon which occurs in nature. It is an an aberation (sic) which occurs in nature."

"This judge will have her (sic) day in court with God. I needn't say more."

"This now opens the door to multiple wives and marriages to animals such as the sheep you must herd."

"[the judge, Vaughn Walker] Being gay himself should have not allowed this fool to be on this important matter"

Now, not being 'Merican and thus not being steeped in the History and Wise Words of the Founding Fathers of this Great Nation, I am struggling to understand how, given the cherished second sentence of the Declaration of Independence,

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

...that these people have any kind of argument at all. Unless you argue that gays are not 'men' (I guess they have a point with the lesbians), and as such are not 'free', or marriage is an institution incompatible with 'happiness'. [I must concede the point here that marriage to one of those commentator-bigots, would most likely not result in wedded bliss...]