Alec Saunders SquawkBox

The flap continues over same sex marriage here in Ontario.  The letters page in this morning’s Citizen was wall to wall opinions on the topic.  Now Ernie Eves is weighing in during the election despite the fact that marriage is federal territory, and not provincial at all.

Around our house we’ve had pretty spirited debates on the topic as well.  We reflect the electorate, 50% in favour and 50% opposed, and we’ve debated just about every angle the politicians have thought of, and some they haven’t, and (feeling somewhat smug about it) usually in advance of reading the latest "thoughtful stance" from the pols in the papers.

Although I favour legalized same-sex marriages, I am concerned that the approach the government is taking is the slippery slope to legalizing polygamous unions.  Initially, I dismissed the idea that this might lead to legalized polygamy as fear-mongering on the part of those opposed to gay marriage.  Out of curiousity, however, I googled "polygamy Canada".  Wow! The National Post published a piece about a year ago in which the government lawyers in BC have apparently asserted that the Criminal Code prohibition on polygamy would fail the Charter of Rights test.  This piece in the Report asserts that polygamy is already defacto legal in Canada, and that the marriage laws are a "hodgepodge".

It seems clear that there will be a Charter challenge at some point.  Rather than propose a simple law legalizing same-sex marriages, rubberstamping what the courts have already done, the government should be rethinking and rewriting all of the legislation on marriage. 

As an aside, why oppose polygamy and support same-sex marriage?   Rights groups, like Tapestry Against Polygamy, contend that physical and sexual abuse are common, and that the women are forced into marriages at a very early age, for the sole purpose of bearing as many children as possible.  This is slavery, not a marriage. Moreover, unlike homosexuality, the practice of polygamy is a lifestyle choice.  Polygamists can choose not to be polygamist - gay people can’t choose not to be gay.

Tonight was Ben’s 6th birthday.  In honour of the event, I spent the day cooking pork ribs.  After five hours of slow cooking, and constant basting with a Georgia style BBQ sauce, the meat was falling off the bones.  Time to cool, grill to crisp them up, mop with sauce and serve.

Naturally, for a meal like this, zinfandel seemed the perfect accompaniment.  The Kenwood Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel is part of their Yulupa series.  I picked it up for $21.95 at the LCBO during their zinfandel release a few months ago. 

The wine was fabulous.  Massive flavours of berries, dried fruit, and touches of vanilla from the oak.  Beautiful fruity nose, and long long warm finish.  It reminded me of my mothers christmas cakes.  She makes them months in advance of christmas, ages them in a cellar soaking them with rum periodically, and finally they emerge at Christmas, a complete confection with a marvelous blend of flavours that together are far greater than any of the individual parts. 

I’m happy to say there’s two more bottles of this in the cellar.  Baked alaska calls.  Ciao.