Derail the 'Hate Crimes' Bandwagon!

We'll get to hate momentarily, but first a word about its consort--marriage. I'm glad to see that California's Supreme Court is not above a bit of economic pump-priming to help bail out the Golden State in its hour of bankruptcy. The court's decision on May 26 to uphold the voters' ban last year on same-sex marriage will ensure that a torrent of money pours into California as the nonprofits and political action committees on both sides prime their bank balances for the next state initiative. Long-term, it's a shot in the arm for the tourist industry, too. Half a century down the road, long lines will be forming in the Castro for visitors to gawk through the window of some antique store at the wizened last same-sex couple legally married before the ban kicked in.

Of course, it also means month after unendurable month of gays whining on TV about the horrors of not being able to "marry." Ban all marriage, I say! If it's a property issue, then write out a contract. There are plenty of simple legal instruments available.

The victims' lobby rules. Assuming child-abusers manage to avoid "civil commitment" (continued incarceration past the stipulated prison sentence), Megan's Law ensures that they will go on paying for their crimes till the day they die. If Megan's Law, why not "Madoff's Law"? Put every person convicted of financial fraud on a computerized list, available for public inspection. Saddle them with endless prohibitions, like no living within thirty miles of a bank or an ATM.

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