[hackinthebochs]

>Privileging one particular group of immigrants, white Europeans, has been a popular activity, but it hasn't been an unmitigatedly good one.

Privileging one group of immigrants traditions has been the cornerstone of the US since its inception. It was a common theme to leave ones old culture behind and adopt the culture of the US when immigrating. This is nothing new. Cultural identity is important.

Every single argument on HN in the last few days regarding this subject insists on conflating the rights granted to a marriage with the marriage itself. It makes it impossible to have a meaningful discussion when you guys insist on doing that. Some people want to keep the traditional meaning to marriage. As long as there is another avenue to receive the legal benefits that go along with marriage (no one is entitled to tax breaks), this in no way can be a civil rights issue.

[wpietri]

When you find yourself disagreeing with civil rights activists and high federal judges on the definition of a civil right, you should should probably just pick a new phrase for whatever it is that you're talking about, because nobody is going to understand you. I sure don't.

I think it's fine that some people want to keep to their particular cultural norm (although I will continue to dispute that those norms are really "traditional marriage" in any sense meaningful to US law or culture). People can want all sorts of things. But when they use the power of the state to discriminate against a group of people, that's where I have issues.

Stripping the term "marriage" from some people for reasons that don't meet the rational-basis test is a violation of their civil right to equal protection. If you don't agree, no point in telling me; it's the 6th and 9th federal circuits you have to convince.