State Republican lawmakers unveiled yet another component of their 12-step legislative recovery program yesterday. Something about keeping criminal behind bars longer. Good idea. Too bad it would cost the state millions, and B-Boz, per usual, offered no way to pay for his plan, hiding instead behind the "it'll pay for itself" excuse.

Whatever. Clean cup, move down.

You knew it was coming. That's right. They're going to trot out the final piece of their agenda tomorrow.

*drum roll*

It's time for a reprise of everyone's favorite Super-Duper-Extra-Illegal-Last-Minute-WedgeWhack! issue:

"The GOP is expected to announce its final pledge Thursday, in which it will promise to advocate a constitutional amendment declaring marriage as being between one man and one woman.

"The issue helped Republicans gain traction - and control of the chamber - in the 2004 election after House Democrats blocked the proposal."

Let's get something straight. Gay marriage already is illegal in this state, so there's no earthly way this is anything but pandering.

If we're really concerned about the sanctity of marriage and promoting family values, how about this: Let's outlaw divorce. Or adultery. Or getting down and dirrrrty in the Statehouse parking lot. Okay, strike that last one as a cheeky dig.

The stats tell us that half of all boy-girl marriages end in divorce, so why not make it really hard for people to make that decision? After all, it isn't gay couples who are ruining our national marriage rate; it's the heteros who try on wedding rings like shoes. It's the straight couples who split and leave kids wondering which parent they'll be visiting on which weekend. It's the tearful wives and cuckolded husbands who fill up blocks of time on the therapy schedule.

Yes and no.

Obviously, a law forbidding divorce would never make it into a committee hearing. Ditto adultery.

But this is another one of those issues like abortion. Instead of taking it out of the arsenal and working us over emotionally with it, how's about we try to fix the problem?

Gay marriage isn't a threat to anyone. If my gay friends were allowed to tie the knot, it would in no way affect my wedded bliss. But when my straight friends get divorced, that affects a lot of people.

There's no denying that we have a problem in this country keeping families together. Just like there's no denying we need to do something to curb the abortion rate.

But Republicans, who'd like you to believe they're the party of thinkers, don't want you to think about this stuff. They want you to vote with your gut.

Well, as my Grandpa used to say, use your head for something besides a hat rack, honey.

Working together, maybe we can start to solve the tough social issues that need to be solved. But we can't do that until the GOP puts down the WedgeWhack! and decides to pick up the pieces of the country and state they've helped divide.

I've always thought of marriage as one of those conventional traditions marketed for girls in fluffy dresses and their overbearing mothers. I've always said it's the commitment that matters, the pledge to love another for a lifetime through thick and thin. I've always told my dad that I'd take him up on his offer to give me and the hubby-to-be a check if we'd agree to exchange vows in some quick-and-dirty Vegas ceremony.

Well, I'm getting married on Friday.

In a chapel. With a fluffy white dress and a big party the next day. The only thing missing is the overbearing mother.

Last night -- technically very early this morning -- I finally got it. Things clicked, and I understood what all the fuss is about. Beyond the legal benefits and rights. Beyond the politics. Beyond the cynicism.

I've heard people comment off-handedly that if gays and lesbians want to get married, let 'em, cuz they deserve to be just as miserable as the straight folk. Look, we all know that long-term relationships of every flavor come with their baggage. Hang around anyone for decades, and you're bound to find a few things to pick apart.

But I think I understand the day itself and the significance therein, though I'm not sure I can put it into words.

The wedding itself isn't going to make the rough spots any smoother. Rare is the couple who casts aside a heated argument to break out the photo album and renew their vows. We'll have some great memories, but what matters most are the days yet to come.

Still, there's something all at once daunting, final and exciting about the prospect of standing up in front of friends and family -- and God, if that's your thing -- and professing your undying love for another human being.

As I stowed my spiky white heels in the back of the Jeep this morning, I couldn't help wondering what everyone's so scared of when it comes to gay marriage. If two consenting adults want to look each other in the eye and swear fidelity forever, who am I to judge that?

It's not an easy decision to make, nor should people make it until they're 100 percent sure it's the right decision for them.

But I'll admit it: I actually teared up a little last night when I was reading over the vows we're going to exchange. You don't think anything of it when it's other people making those promises, but when you're the one saying "I do," it's a whole other story.

And it's a story all adults should be able to experience and tell. We should encourage more marriage, not less. And hey, if the prospect of a sparkly tiara and lovey-dovey poetry can make this little cynic cry, there's hope for all of us.

Over the weekend, I was having dinner with my parents, and my mom -- completely sans malice -- asked me about the GOP argument that people should vote Republican because Democrats have no ideas and no message.

The angry Leo in me wanted to scream, but I explained that Democrats do have a message. It just gets subverted by wedge issues. Like what? I explained that abortion rights, Statehouse prayer, immigration and gay marriage are but a few of the hot-button issues our friends on the right like to use to divert attention away from so-called "kitchen table" issues such as the economy, education, health care and the war.

Then we walked through how and why the basic wedge argument works: The proponent says something that hits at a core emotion. The opponent has to respond by saying, "That's not true. We believe blah blah blah because blah blah blah [insert First Amendment, civil rights, decency, logic, fairness argument here]."

For example, I walked her through the gay marriage issue.

They say: "Gay marriage is wrong. Marriage should be between a man and a woman."

We say: "Marriage should be between two adults who care about each other and are committed to spending the rest of their lives together in a relationship. It should also incorporate basic legal rights like insurance, hospital visitation and tax benefits. Who are we to deny two people those rights and that legal status, let alone the symbolism that comes with vowing eternal love?"

They say: "Yeah, but people might want to marry dogs or something."

We throw up our hands and roll our eyes.

They do the same thing with abortion ("Abortion kills babies."), immigration ("English should be our national language.") and prayer ("Christians have First Amendment rights, too.")

Well, here's the thing. If we want to combat the wedge issues, we have to either come up with the first easy-to-understand statement or an equally easy-to-understand reply. Because like it or not, we live in a soundbyte world, and the simplest message most often wins.

For example, even though the Governor got his plan to lease the Indiana Toll Road through the General Assembly, most Hoosiers were against him. Why? Because opponents of the plan had a simple message: "Quit selling our state."

With respect to gay marriage, it's logical to explain the stance, the morality, the values. But it's pithier to say, "I thought Republicans were for privacy. Why do you want to be in everyone's bedroom?"

Anyway, just a few thoughts on message and ideas from the mouthpiece of a party that allegedly has none.

1. Johanna - Bernadette Peters
2. Other Side of the World - KT Tunstall
3. I'm Too Sexy - Right Said Fred (Wagner's embarrassing weekend admission #31)
4. Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground - Willie Nelson
5. Electron Blue - R.E.M.
6. Silent All These Years - Tori Amos
7. The Professor (Live) - Damien Rice
8. What's Your Fantasy - Ludacris
9. Breathe (2AM) - Anna Nalick
10. Losing My Mind - Barbara Cook

Yeah, our household's a little late to this year's Academy Awards. We watched the show, but we'd only seen two of the Best Picture nominees at the time -- Brokeback Mountain and Capote. We thought both were excellent, but I thought Brokeback would take the top honors because it was a) compelling; b) believable; c) beautifully crafted; and d) new territory.

When Crash was announced as the winner, I was disappointed, but I figured, heck, it must be knock-yer-socks-off good. Better than the Brokeback. Better than Capote. Better than chocolate.

This movie is good, but it's not Best Picture good. It's interesting, though I was left wondering whether there are only three cops patrolling the streets of Los Angeles at any given time. It's decently told if you're willing to suspend a whole bundle of disbelief. It's edgy enough, but this is previously trodden ground.

In short, Academy, I'd like to thank thee for picking a movie that made me think. About the other movies you could've elevated to Best In The Land. Sorry to chime in a day late and a few bucks short, but I'd really like it if just once, the movie experts could pick as best flick a cinematic work that really, truly breaks through the white noise.

Rant ended.

Both arguments play on social fears, but one -- "Don't go givin' those gays any more rights, or they'll try to convert ya" -- seems to meet with more political acceptance than the other -- "What was built and paid for by Hoosiers should remain under Hoosier control." (Note: No one ever said that foreign investment in Indiana is a bad thing, but plenty of people questioned and continue to question whether selling off our assets is such a good long-range plan.)

Is it because politicians can more easily tie foreign investment to economic development? Is it because everyone needs a job, but straight folks have to think outside the box to understand why gay rights are important to society as a whole? Is it because -- and I hope this one's way off-base -- we've become accustomed to gay-bashing as a political sport, but the xenophobia argument only rears its head on immigration issues and the occasional ports deal?

I honestly don't know, but I'd love to hear your thoughts.

By day, I'm the Communications Director for the Indiana Democratic Party. By night, I'm a part-time law student. However, I dislike attending law school, and I can't wait for my sentence, er, tenure there to be over. To pass the time in class and before work, I find myself writing. A lot.

I'm one of three left-leaning people who post about politics on Taking Down Words, and I just recently started writing a column for Brian Howey's political website. In short, I get around. Oh, and for anyone who's concerned about my academic attentiveness, fear not: I have no intention of practicing law.

Anyway, I wound up over here because, like so many lefties living in Indiana, I get pretty frustrated with the right-wing nutballs who think it's okay to discriminate, restrict civil and social rights and generally act like old, straight, Christian, white guys are the only folks whose opinions should count in this great country of ours.

I'm an Indy native. I was raised by two left-leaning Republican musicians who've since come to realize that their social beliefs aren't at all in line with those of the party they used to claim. I went to a snotty private school that's probably pretty disappointed that I work for the Democratic Party. I love karaoke, showtunes and scotch. I'm getting married in June. Hee hee. Yay. Pretty princess for a day.

Sorry. Got a little giddy ahead of myself there.

Anyway, I want to use the space Bil has so generously given me to explore some of the hypocrisies inherent in our current social code. I also want to take a look at the hate and fear that seems to drive so much of the right-wing agenda. And finally, I want to have a little fun. (Necessary but somewhat stupid disclaimer: What I write here comes from the heart. I'm approved [of] by no one, and my musings fall outside the scope of my official duties. Whew. Sorry. But it had to be said.)

I promise to keep my posts relevant. And I double-promise never, ever to mention the Indiana Toll Road.

Except for this one time.

Indiana Toll Road.

Dang. Twice.

Okay, that's out of my system. I'm elated to be here. And I look forward to oodles of reading and writing.

I had a few things in mind for my virgin post, but I can't resist the lure of the "what's playing on your iPod" theme. So, here goes nothing:

1. Reason Why - Rachael Yamagata
2. Wedding Day - Rosie Thomas
3. My Humps - Black Eyed Peas
4. Army of Me - Bjork
5. Jealous of the Moon - Nickel Creek
6. Don't It Sound Good - Jennie DeVoe
7. Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz
8. No Poetry - Gary Jules
9. Hello - Poe
10. Georgia on My Mind - Willie Nelson

If I had it on my iPod, I'd throw in "Sorry - Grateful" from "Company." Or, really, anything by Sondheim. But I haven't gotten the chance to burn all my showtunes yet, and there are only so many hours in the day.

Right, well, there's your introduction by recent musical selections. And here's hoping Bil lets me stay.