My mistake, you correct me.
Three states , every other judicially imposed.
I repeat with emphasis: there is no *right* to any grouping of persons being recognized by government. There is no *right* for any grouping of persons *for any purpose* being recognized by government.
I’d agree. But until we can get our fellow conservatives to give up their marriage tax goodies, that’s not going anywhere.
It’s a tough question sometimes, because the state will always be responsible for enforcing contracts, even marriage contracts, through the courts. But there’s a way of dialing down state involvement as much as possible.
Still, it’s important to admit where we are today. You say “three states” dismissively (although it’s actually four), and while technically true it ignores the fact that we’ve lost the nation in every reliable poll and even the our wins at the ballot box are cause for concern, as the percentages have been alarmingly trending in the wrong direction. We can no longer claim that the nation is against gay marriage, because as a whole they’re pretty clearly for it. And as I said before, admitting that is the first step before we can even hope to change it.