the homosexual lobby hijacked the ABC a long time ago. 'The panel lacked balance'. Thanks for your honesty Don. The ABC has long been the propaganda machine for many indecent pursuits.

The author displays objectivity by admitting that ABC Radio seems to have become the propaganda arm of the same sex marriage movement. (If only the ABC were objective in its analysis -- sadly, it does not even make the effort to appear objective any more.)

The ABC always appears to include same-sex marriage proponents repeating the claim that the majority of Australians are in favour of same-sex marriage. The author picked up on this and rightly queries how Mr Croome's conclusion was reached. It should also be remembered that the vast majority of federal MPs recently reported overwhelming opposition to same sex marriage from their constituents.

Sadly, as the author observes, same-sex marriage proponents appear to regard children as trophies. In any case, it is difficult to see why children of school age would not feel put out by being observed in the company of socalled same-sex parents

Raycom,

I have no doubt that Mr. Croome's conclusion was based on this Galaxy research poll:

http://www.australianmarriageequality.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/marriagereligion.pdf

I'd suggest that it's more the anti-gay marriage proponents who hold children up as trophies: they're always the ones dragging the poor little buggers into this debate, as if children somehow have anything do with marriage (they don't - check the Marriage Act 1961 if you don't believe me).

It's difficult to see why children of school age would not be put out by being observed in the company of so-called opposite-sex parents. As far as damn near every child of school age is concerned, parents are immensely daggy, pathetic and tragically square. In my wide experience, children of school age are generally willing to convince themselves that they are a product of spontaneous generation in order to distance themselves from their parents uncoolness, which they fear may be contagious. They usually grow out of it and wind up getting along fine with the folks.

It is, I think, helpful to separate the cultural/traditional aspects of marriage from the legal.

Every marriage has a legal basis, with defined rights and obligations. These legal rights and obligations are extended to unmarried couples by the laws governing de facto relationships.

Perhaps a solution would be to extend the de facto laws to cover any couple choosing to commit, including gay couples. Next, it would be useful to recognise the cultural/traditional aspects of the term "marriage" by taking that word out of the legal framework.

These suggestions would have the effect of bringing gay couples into the same legal framework as heterosexual couples, recognise de facto and permanent commitments, and separate the cultural/traditional issues related to the word marriage. It is likely to take a long time before the broad community becomes comfortable with the word "marriage" being applied to gay couples, but if things develop that way, so be it

<<< Do you think that everybody under the age of 18 is just going to mysteriously vanish if we let gays get married?

Posted by The Acolyte Rizla, Friday, 14 October 2011 11:57:09 AM <<<

Yes this reference to the final statement in Don's diatribe was indeed the final straw on an elaborately constructed bale of hay. In fact I wondered if the entire article was not a piece of satire.

If SSM is permitted by the state - everyone will stop breeding and (as I believe the author hints) turn homosexual?

Don Allan - ask yourself, if SSM is permitted, would straight parents only give birth to homosexuals (at present they only produce 10% same sex oriented offspring) and would you suddenly change your sexual orientation to same sex?

As others have commented, marriage should not be state controlled just merely a registrar of those who have declared, in all hope and optimism, a lifelong commitment to each other.

Obviously The Acolyte Rizla does not recognise that a man and a woman produce children when they live together.