‘Gay Marriage,’ Libertarians, and Civil Rights

National Review Online ^ | June 27, 2011 | George Weigel

[caww]

the states have defined who can get married;

Well from another poster link...it appears that the Gov. became involved at a time there were intermarriages between whites and blacks...because it was not acceptable then, they required the "state's permission to marry...thus a license giving them permission to marry. So.....why does one have to be licensed in the first place when God is the one who instituted Marriage?...so then Marriages can be performed by A pAstor or clergy without the states "permission"...licensing.

[kosciusko51]

For as long as the United States has been independent, the states have defined who can get married; there are different age and consaguinity rules in different states, and many states had restrictions on interracial marriage until the 1960s.

And all of these laws restricted marriage, but did not change the definition of marriage. What is going on now is a complete redefinition of marriage.