Actually, it's worse than just "one more mouth to feed", it's one more potential medical casualty to rescue.

Fanpack guy flies in, sees family stranded on roof by flood waters. Notices fuel is low, and needs to land. Only places to come down are: a) water, b) treetop, c) pointy roof. None of those options seem like a good idea, but one of them is going to be put to the test very soon.

The United States of America existed before the Constitution, and the nation would continue if the Constitution were voted out of existence next year. That document is not the foundation of the country. It is only the foundation of the federal government.

Well, I guess we have widely different definitions of civilization. By your definition, a society of farmers don't constitute civilization, and neither would any nomadic people no matter their advancements in technology.

Looking at Wikipedia, I see they support your definition. So by that your statement of marriage predating civilization would be accurate.

You misunderstood the meaning of my second example above. (I do admit my meaning was not as clear as I assumed.) The 'civil' part isn't that one tribe member isn't attacking another. It is that he is basing his actions and desires on what an authority figure has decreed. I should have included a third example to go along with it:
"I want to mate with Klinda, but she is mating with Urka already, and the chief said that is good. I will ask the chief if I can kill Urka, take Klinda as my mate, and have him call us good. (I better bring him some corn and meat to persuade him.)"

I would say that having a system of authority is the heart of civilization, not whether people live in large urban centers, or have specialized occupations.

Other than Federal tax issues, which included Social Security and Medicare, other things that a marriage license grants automatically can be done with appropriate legal paperwork. Whether it is inheritance, marital privilege from testimony, property ownership, or child custody, there are legal methods to handle each one without government being in the marriage business.

The main thing before this decision was always the tax and pension issues at the federal level.

Easy solution: Have a 10-year-old fly it into the areas, and then he/she can save other children while their parents die horrible deaths.

Farts.

That was my daughter's response when I mentioned the details of this device. :^)

The inverse would only be true for a loose definition of marriage. Good to see another True Scotsman in these wilds. Which clan are you?

Really? Because that is the main issue I have seen that could only be solved by the federal government recognizing gay marriage.

Yet not a jetpack.

Pair bonding of course predates civilization, but I would consider any tribe that is advanced enough to give recognition of it as a marriage is civilization.

It's the difference between a tribe member thinking "I want to mate with Klinda, but she is mating with Urka already, and Urka is bigger than me. I'll find someone else.", or thinking "I want to mate with Klinda, but she is mating with Urka already, and the chief said that is good. I'll find someone else for the chief to call us good.".

It may not be very advanced, but at that point, the tribe members are acting in a civil manner. They don't have to build the Acropolis for it to be civilization.

Long range tranquilizer rifles.

I'd call it a personal helicopter.

This is one of the most intelligent and insightful posts so far. And for very good reason.

I just had a talk with my daughter, who is very happy that the court ruled as it did. She has many gay friends, so it is an important decision in her sphere. However, after seeing some of the arguments the pro-gay-marriage side is putting forth, she is a bit upset they are on her side of the argument, because they are ignorant on some important points.

As long as the next election doesn't have the first black president on the ballot, it is hard to predict the winning side.