Foxy:

“Most people just want to get on with their lives.”

What is life if it is not fighting for your unconditional rights?

“for wanting to have the same legal
entitlements as the rest of society”

Why should they accept the condition placed on those rights of having to be married? Why does the ‘rest of society’ accept those conditions? Why do you accept those conditions? Why do you condone taking those rights by stealth and in doing so compromise your own integrity as a human being?

“on the contrary the abuse that people
have to take - is bravery and nothing less.”

No it is stupidity. They do not have to try and be like heterosexual couples. They can stand apart and with dignity they can demand from the government that they give them their rights without having to first be married.

Philips:

I see you have resorted to mockery now. Where is the ‘gentlemanly’ attitude which seems to have evaporated after a few short days?

Dear phanto,

They do not want to be LIKE heterosexual couples.
What they want are the same legal rights as
heterosexual couples have in being able to marry.
You seem to have a problem in understanding this.

Dear phanto,

My mockery was most appropriate given the sheer dishonesty of that line, which I have noticed just recently is becoming rather popular on social media. There is a time and a place for everything - even mockery.

From here on in, however, your good self will only ever be seeing the best of me because it is my belief that your position on this matter requires the eventual resorting to of ad hominem attacks and cannot survive sustained cordial discourse.

Of course, you are most welcome to prove me wrong there.

Dear Paul,

Modern Sodom (Sdom) is an industrial area near the southern tip of the dead sea in Israel. Gommorah no longer exists, but Mt. Sdom is a tourist attraction: http://igoogledisrael.com/how-to-hike-the-magnificent-mount-sodom-in-israel

Regarding the vote, what else would you suggest for me? Starting a revolution? Blowing up the parliament building? stabbing police? shooting or running-over innocent people? Sorry, but that's just not my style, I am a Hindu and I believe in non-violence.

What I do by voting is mitigation: to try to prevent a bad law from becoming even worse.
Also, voting 'No' is tactical because this angry energy of the marriage-equality movement has to go somewhere, so it will then be diverted against the whole concept of state-sponsored marriage.

«If the CWA was to send you the same survey»

Well they actually have, it's no longer an "If" and they wouldn't take "I'm not a member" for an answer either. Rather, they arrogantly say: "If you are not a member then step out of this continent or we'll kick you out by force". Let them accept that I can live here without membership or harassment by their group, then I won't bother replying to their surveys.

(however, my reason for not wanting anything to do with them is that I don't want to be part of a group which violently forces itself on others, so paradoxically, had the CWA allowed people to live their life in this continent without being members, then I would probably have no reason not to join them)

//Well they actually have, it's no longer an "If" and they wouldn't take "I'm not a member" for an answer either. Rather, they arrogantly say: "If you are not a member then step out of this continent or we'll kick you out by force".//

Really? The Country Women's Association threatened to kick you out of the country by force?

Man, the times sure are a-changin'. A militant Country Women's Association... it's like a Monty Python sketch come to life:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY-I3QTT8mY

//had the CWA allowed people to live their life in this continent without being members//

They do. They're really just nice old ladies that know how to appreciate a good sponge cake. What do on earth could anybody have against the CWA?

You worry me, yuyutsu.

//then I would probably have no reason not to join them//

Well whilst you've certainly got the first syllable of their name down pat, you're not a woman so you don't qualify.

Dear Toni,

I believe that by "CWA", Paul was referring to the "CommonWealth of Australia" - I've never heard of this "Country Women's Association" before.