Having returned this morning to a thread begun yesterday afternoon, I was astounded by what I found there. The thread was on fire!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x958611 I was Reply #3 to the original post and I replied to Reply #1 before I had to carry on with my day...
"Live and let live" is a motto that I have lived by my entire life, as many liberals have - you could say that it is a cornerstone. Morality, it seems, is truly in the eye of the beholder, and law is law.
I see this argument in the original thread: If it's illegal, then it's bad. If it's legal, it's o.k. Parental responsibility trumps all, unless it's illegal.
The American legal system is based primarily on the Common Law that arrived with "us" from England - Common Law was based on common ideas of what was fair, right and moral at the time. Generally speaking, the law is in flux at all times, guided by the prevailing winds of morality, or Right vs. Wrong. You don't need to hear it from me that "morals" have been the hot button issue for many years now and that they have been steadily pushing at the foundations of our Democracy - stepping over the line between Church and State.
The questions I posit are these:
If the laws that are in place pertaining to rape, incest, molestation, etc. (sex crimes) - "moral" laws, if you will - somehow were stricken from the books, would it make those actions any less reprehensible? Would it give any sense of justice to the person we can no longer call a victim? Does taking away the criminal aspect make it acceptable?
and...
As to virginity until marriage - what if you are unable to be legally married? Are you supposed to remain a virgin for the rest of your life? Does being homosexual render a person illegal? Is there some unwritten clause in the morality of virginity that allows for homosexual sex outside of marriage?
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My personal opinion - Women and Girls are no longer Property! Get TF over it, all ya' all.
On Edit: fixed link