December, 18, 2004
By Clinton P. Desveaux

This will be the last column I shall ever write on the issue of state sanctioned marriage; if one recalls, a few years ago on the pages of HalifaxLive the 1st of 2 columns was featured on Registered Domestic Partnerships (RDP’s) written by yours truly.  

This was what I wrote back in Feb 2004 for example, “A Registered Domestic Partnership is sort of a more modern version of getting “married” as far as statists are concerned, it happens in front of a judge. If the state simply removes the term marriage from its legal texts, and recognition, then it will allow homosexual, heterosexual, and people who simply wish to co-habitat for whatever reasons the ability to receive the benefits that are currently given to heterosexual couples such as tax, pension, will, property, and insurance benefits.” It should be pointed out that a Justice of the Peace could have been used in place of a Judge as well.

Since I wrote the above noted words what has happened? Conservatives of which I am not in either beliefs or ideals (I’m a Libertarian) have spent almost all of their time acting in their usual reactionary ways when it comes to promoting the ideals of a theocracy on the masses in regards to homo marriage.

Instead of promoting a positive message like the Registered Domestic Partnership, which would attract fiscal statists of whatever political partisan persuasion, they have managed to successfully drive a wedge where one need not exist, unless of course one is interested in eliminating the secular state in favour of a state sanctioned theocracy…    

I don’t care if Adam and Steve want to live with each other, nor do I care if Adam and Steve wish to smoke pot in their living room while eating munchies thinking about coveting their neighbour’s husband.  

The key phrase from my previous column on this issue is, “If the state simply removes the term marriage from its legal texts, and recognition”. You see the reason why Conservatives blew this issue like they do on almost every issue when it comes to freedom, is that most people firmly believe in equality of all citizens under the law with no special status for anyone. A Registered Domestic Partnership would have guaranteed equality under the law, and most likely would have created a space of understanding among all Canadians.  

Large numbers of religious people of whatever faith throughout North America feel that the sovereign state has co-opted the term “marriage”, these same people feel that term “marriage” has its historical meanings as being a religious sacrament; this would seem to indicate that a state which is not a theocracy, should never have accepted the term “marriage” in the first place if one really is serious as I and others are about having a separation of church and state.  

Conservatives instead have managed to create a suspicion of religious activists of whatever faith, and have essentially created a sense among religious people of whatever faith of being backed into a corner because of their insistence on attempting to maintain a semi-theocracy on all of us sovereign individuals.   

The Registered Domestic Partnership also ensures for religious people of whatever faith that they need not worry about the judicial system imposing or altering traditions that take place in various religious houses of worship. Those who wish to simply ridicule religious advocates of whatever faith must also understand that the only way to build a peace loving and freedom oriented society requires respecting people who have personal religious beliefs. Some people with personal religious beliefs also need to understand that the election ballot is not to be mixed with the religious pulpit.  

It’s over now however for Conservatives, Liberals have managed to frame the debate in a manner which will allow them to continue to exert authority while ensuring Conservatives are stuck in the fringes. Instead of working to introduce Registered Domestic Partnership’s into law, the word “Marriage” will never be a religious term again in North America. The term “Marriage” for all intents and purposes will officially belong to the state instead of various houses of worship…  

We really need more of the Libertarian viewpoint in society.