Marriage Equality and SCOTUS

Tomorrow could be a landmark day in the battle for Marriage Equality here in the US as the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is set to decide which, if any, of the Marriage Equality cases it will accept for arguments before the court or reject sending those cases back to the Circuit Court of Appeals from which they came letting the ruling that the laws being argued are unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Under the Law clause of the US Constitution.  Included in the possible cases before the court are both Proposition 8 which abridged the rights of LGBT persons in California to Civil Marriage and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which prevents legal recognition of the Civil Marriage of LGBT persons by the Federal Government.  Like all Civil Rights cases that have come before SCOTUS, the point in question is the abridgement of the Civil Rights of a Minority Group, basically the denial of the rights in question, when those same rights are granted to the Majority population, thus denying the Minority Group of Equal Protection Under the Law.  Make no mistake, no matter with how much religious fervor opponents of Marriage Equality argue and protest, Civil Marriage is not a religious issue but a Civil Rights issue.  Marriage regulation is a right granted to the individual states with the agreement that a marriage legally performed in one state would be legally recognized by any other state.  These legal marriages are recognized by the Federal Government and as a result of this recognition there are 1138 rights, benefits and privileges granted by the Federal Government to legally wed couples.  DOMA prohibits the recognition by the Federal Government of legally wed LGBT persons, thus denying them Equal Protection Under the Law which is why DOMA has been ruled unconstitutional by every lower Federal Court before reaching its possible hearing before SCOTUS.  It is my sincere hope and that of thousands of Marriage Equality advocates across the country that one of two things happens.  The first thing is that SCOTUS accepts one or more cases for argument before them and then rules in favor of Marriage Equality thus causing the repeal of laws preventing such equality.  The second thing that could happen is SCOTUS could reject any or all of the cases pending before it, rendering the rulings of the lower courts to be valid, thus the law of the land.  This would restore Civil Marriage rights to LGBT couples in California and pave the way for the recognition of legally wed LGBT couples by the Federal Government, thus granting the 1138 rights, benefits and privileges extended to heterosexual couples by virtue of their status as legally wed.  Marriage Equality advocates here in the US are not the only ones who will be watching to see what SCOTUS does tomorrow, the world will be watching as what happens here in America still influences what happens in the rest of the world.  I can feel the tide of history turning in favor of Marriage Equality.  Let's hope SCOTUS feels the same tide and lets prejudice and discrimination wash out to sea, leaving Marriage Equality basking in the sun on the shore.

Your play list for today is from this 2010 CD of Concerti for Mandolin by Antonio Vivaldi performed by Rolf Lislevand.  The complete play list and artist credits can be found by clicking on the link above or clicking here.  Following the play list is a diverse collection of gentle Men In Jeans on display for your visual pleasure as you scroll on down the page.  Thank you for choosing to spend part of your day here with me, see you again tomorrow.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!