As for the subject of government and marriage, I have recently been somewhat mulling that over too. On one hand, I generally abhor the idea of government getting into the business of marriage, especially since I view marriage to be a religious sacrament. On the other, I believe that society should be orderly, and that lines ought to be drawn somewhere. Social norms act as a stablizing force upon society, and seeing society chuck social norms out the window leaves me with an uneasy feeling.
By nature, I am not an unusually nosy person and tend to be very apathetic when it comes to the private lives of people. At the same time, I can't help but get bothered when I see traditional family values flown out the window, as if they do not matter.
However, people will ultimately act in the way which best pleases them, regardless of what the government condones or not. I believe that people ulitmately decide their own fate in life, and perhaps this is a consequence of man's having the ability of free will.
From a legal perspective and from a conservative perspective, I see the Federal Marriage Amendment only codifying was is the state of the law now. It also is taking the federal government out of the marriage issue and putting it back where it belongs, to the states INDIVIDUALLY. (Remember not all states recongnize common law marriage.)
It it making this one less issue to be in government hands.
Marriage (or civil unions or civil marriages) are a by their very nature a public act. Peoples private sexual bedroom behavior should remain private and not part of the public instutition.
I am just very grateful GWBush considered it valuble enough to his administration to put it in the last state of the union speech of his first term. It also boxes in the seven dwarves. Dean would abolish marriage and make everything civil unions. Clark would probably "me too" that notion. You will not find any democrat who will support marriage as crystal clear as the Republican.
The democrats will weasel. Then again, weaseling is to be expected from the French looking Kerry.