The Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to approve a constitutional amendment stating that marriage in the United States shall consist only of the "union of a man and a woman." But the amendment is not expected to get the approval of two-thirds of the Senate, which is necessary to pass a constitutional amendment.

Stating the obvious, Democrats "complained that bringing up the amendment is a political move designed to appeal to the GOP's conservative base in a midterm-election year."

Well duh! Perhaps a clever Democrat could find a way to defer debate on the issue until after November?

CNN's The Situation Room reported "one Democrat walked out of the session that was held in a private chamber just off the Senate floor." Sen. Russ Feingold "complained to Chairman Arlen Specter that the meeting wasn't sufficiently open to the public. We're told that led to this exchange. Specter told Feingold, 'I don't need to be lectured by you. You are no more of a protector of the Constitution than am I. If you want to leave, good riddance.' Feingold then responded, 'I've enjoyed your lecture, too, Mr. Chairman. See you.'"

More interestingly, Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy said "Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, who supports the gay-marriage ban, has expressed support for polygamists in his home state of Utah. "I never said that," Hatch responded.
"I know some (polygamists) that are very sincere. ... Don't accuse me of wanting to have polygamy."

The bill was first proposed in the Utah state Senate by Republican Chris Buttars, who said it was "time to rein in teachers who were teaching that man had descended from apes, and rattling the faith of students."  The Republican dominated Senate passed the proposal on a 16-12.

As the bill headed into the equally lopsided Republican state House, it looked as if Utah was on the way to joining the Kansas Club -- those states that have mandated "alternative theories," or forced the placement of stickers on text books, or otherwise given science a punch in the gut.

Then a funny thing happened in the governor's desk.  

despite the rather underwhelming response to last saturday's first photoblogging feature, i'm back again...

last june, i was flying between reno and dallas and snapped this photo of the confluence of the san juan and colorado rivers from approximately 35,000 feet... meeting in southeastern utah in the glen canyon national recreation area, the rivers feed lake powell, the lake formed by glen canyon dam on the colorado river which lies just across the border in arizona...