{"id":6930,"date":"2011-05-04T11:28:26","date_gmt":"2011-05-04T15:28:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.prosebeforehos.com\/?p=6930"},"modified":"2012-12-26T20:59:12","modified_gmt":"2012-12-27T01:59:12","slug":"10-things-much-worse-than-same-sex-marriage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prosebeforehos.com\/government_employee\/05\/04\/10-things-much-worse-than-same-sex-marriage\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Things Much Worse Than Same-Sex Marriage (But Are Totally Legal)"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we already proved in this handy pie chart on gay marriage<\/a>, the world will not end if two people of the same sex are allowed to get married. The only thing that will<\/em> happen is that some gay men and lesbians will get (gasp!) married. (Maybe some of them will also get divorces and alimony and shared child custody, eventually, but let\u2019s look on the bright side.)<\/p>\n

So why is same-sex marriage still not legal in 45 states while other terrible acts and laws remain legal? Here\u2019s a list of 10 such acts or laws that, despite being a hell of a lot worse than two people getting married, remain absolutely legal.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Exotic Pets<\/h2>\n

\"Fennic<\/p>\n

In several states<\/a>, it is legal to own exotic pets such as tigers, bears, lions, and monkeys. No longer the territory of guys like Zigfried and Roy, apparently, there are enough exotic pet enthusiasts to warrant internet how-to\u2019s<\/a>. Exotic pet breeding is a flourishing industry<\/a>, regardless of concerns for animal welfare or public health and safety. Many have clamored to illegally transport animals into the country in hopes of selling them for a large profit. Smuggling exotic pets is a $10 billion dollar a year industry, second only to drugs. Tens of thousands of dollars in ‘merchandise’ die slow and cruel deaths each year. Forced to travel hidden in cramped boxes or cages, improperly cared for, starved, and generally neglected, many smuggled animals such as the endangered Slow Loris (or even Tigers) suffer diseases and slowly die. Those who don’t die are often abandoned when their new owners realize keeping a Tiger<\/a> requires more than kitty litter and Fancy Feast.<\/p>\n

Cyberbullying<\/h2>\n

\"Cyberbulling\"<\/p>\n

An epidemic of suicides last summer and autumn spotlighted a major problem faced by many teens: cyberbullying. The National Crime Prevention Council defines cyberbullying<\/a> as \u201cthe process of using the Internet, cell phones or other devices to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cyberbullying is another issue in which advancing technology has outrun authorities\u2019 ability to deal with it. Anonymity, free speech, and murky privacy laws all make trolling nearly impossible to prosecute. Because most cyberbullying takes place outside of school, administrations and teachers are at a loss as to how to prevent it, or punish it when it\u2019s discovered. Parents have successfully sued school districts for failing to prevent such harassment, but otherwise, little legal action<\/a> can be taken.<\/p>\n

Animal Cruelty<\/h2>\n

\"Animal<\/p>\n

The Animal Welfare Act<\/a>, put into law in 1966, prohibits cruelty of animals. However, the law itself is strangely narrow: birds, amphibians, reptiles, farm animals, and rodents bred for research are all exempt from the bill. This means that while mammalian pets are afforded legal protection, the vast majority of animals in the US are not. Factory farms, puppy mills, and animal experimentation all have horrific practices that would nauseate any sane person, though all of these practices are legal under the Animal Welfare Act.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Teenage Marriage<\/h2>\n

\"Teenage<\/p>\n

So much for the sanctity of marriage: several states allow marriages<\/a> to take place while the bride and groom are under the age of consent, provided they have parental and\/or judicial consent. In Massachusetts, the legal age of marriage is twelve. Other states allow members of certain religious sects to operate more-or-less outside the law under the protection of the first amendment.<\/p>\n

Private Ownership of Weapons<\/h2>\n

\"Flamethrower<\/p>\n

I’m writing this from the inside of my tank, whilst tinkering with my flamethrower<\/a> and high-powered laser guns<\/a>\u2026 and I’m operating completely inside of the law. Laws concerning privately-owned weaponry in the US have always bordered on the ridiculous. With emerging technology and the proliferation of online weaponry sales, they\u2019ve only gotten crazier.<\/p>\n

Patriot Act<\/h2>\n

\"Patriot<\/p>\n

The bill deserves a place of its own on this list. The USA PATRIOT Act<\/a> was hurried through Congress barely a month and a half after September 11, an opportunistic piece of legislation that violates a slew of civil liberties, including privacy, free speech, and unlawful detention. It also legitimized the practice of finding someone guilty by association, no matter what kind of association that was.<\/p>\n

Despite its controversial status, President Obama signed an extension<\/a> of the bill, preventing any possible reforms on it, in 2010. Another extension was passed by an act of Congress in March of this year.<\/a><\/p>\n

Domestic Spying<\/h2>\n

\"Domestic<\/p>\n

Following the September 11th attacks, then-president George W. Bush authorized the NSA to conduct surveillance on American citizens and organizations, without first obtaining a warrant. Despite this being flagrantly unconstitutional, very little has been done to rectify this egregious abuse of executive power. Ten years on, there have been few court cases brought about by persecuted parties, and no case has ever reached the Supreme Court. The Obama administration has shown itself to be completely uninterested in righting this wrong, going so far as to declare evidence of wiretapping a state secret<\/a>, and therefore inadmissible in court.<\/p>\n

When Yasir Afifi, a 20 year old American citizen and college student, found a wiretapping device illegally planted on the underside of his car, a lot of the outrage was surprisingly directed at him. Many claimed that Americans were obligated<\/a> to trade certain privacy and freedoms if they wanted ‘protection’ from the American government. The attitude that a person wouldn’t mind being spied on unless said person has something to hide is sadly insightful into the belief that freedom really ain’t free at all.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Killing Abortion Providers<\/h2>\n

\"Anti-Abortion<\/p>\n

South Dakota incurred the wrath of pro-choice folks worldwide when it introduced a bill<\/a> in March that would have categorized the murder of abortion providers as “justifiable homicide”. Due to massive outrage and political pressure, the bill has been shelved<\/a> indefinitely. Insane pro-lifers haven\u2019t called it quits though: Nebraska<\/a> has recently introduced a similar bill into its state legislature.<\/p>\n

Indefinite Imprisonment<\/h2>\n

\"Indefinite<\/p>\n

Under current immigration and terrorism laws, it is now legal to indefinitely imprison someone without charging them. This has kept immigrants<\/a> in detention centers and suspected \u201cterrorists\u201d in Guantanamo Bay<\/a>, with some prisoners being kept for years without trial.<\/p>\n

Torture<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The UN\u2019s Convention Against Torture, and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment states that<\/a>:<\/p>\n

No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Crystal clear, you\u2019d think. So why does the US allow cruel and unusual punishments of Iraqi insurgents<\/a>, military whistle-blowers<\/a>, and detainees<\/a>?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we already proved in this handy pie chart on gay marriage, the world will not end if two people of the same sex are allowed to get married. The only thing that will happen is that some gay men and lesbians will get (gasp!) married. (Maybe some of them will also get divorces and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":10510,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[259],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nThings Much Worse Than Same-Sex Marriage That Are Totally Legal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are plenty of things worse than gay marriage that are completely legal in the United States.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prosebeforehos.com\/government_employee\/05\/04\/10-things-much-worse-than-same-sex-marriage\/\" \/>\n<link rel=\"next\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prosebeforehos.com\/government_employee\/05\/04\/10-things-much-worse-than-same-sex-marriage\/2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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