When You're In Texas Look Behind You...

...'cause that's where the ranger's gonna be.

If the USA is #1 in the world, then Texas is #1 in the USA, and just to prove it, Texas is all set to pass its own anti-gay marriage amendment. Note that there aren't any national national congressional and presidential elections this year, in which the outcome-deciding constituencies would otherwise stay home if not for such an amendment's presence on the ballot. So they really mean it. Like everything else Texas does, Texas does its anti-faggotry right.

If the absence of George Bush re-election bids doesn't convince you that this is about little more than spiting gay people, there's also this point from Virginia Postrel:

Supporters say an amendment is necessary to control "activist judges." But the only judges the amendment would bind are Texas state judges. Texas state judges, including the state's Supreme Court, are elected by Texas voters. Texas state judges are quite conservative. They are, to put it mildly, highly unlikely to find a right to same-sex marriage in the state constitution.

She further links to a Dallas lawyer who notes that literal interpretation of the amendment [strictly constructing it?--ed.] would ban marriage, uh, simpliciter.