Frankly Mick:
I have always concidered you as a friend and responded to you in a polite way that responded to your contentions not your person. I am tempted to respond to your ad hominum attacks, but I wont be drawn into that follishness. As to patronising, the fact that you don't see civil rights law as a process, and a process that must struggle against the human foibles of judges, seems to be the point here. On certain facts, you are in fact in error. The AOL has changed its stand again and again to suit their bigotry in order to trim the message of the parade to fit a "legaly justifyable" excerise of bigotry. They did the same thing about Irish Republican contingents for years. I am sure they will continue to trim the message of their parade to fit their various bigotries and it does a lot to harm the view of Irish America in both Ireland and among progressive communities in the US.
I think the AOL and their supporters should go to Dublin one Saint Patricks Day and watch the crowds chear gay contingents. They should take Judge Duffy their with them, and if he stays, well, I think the US constitution would benifit.
Cheers
Larry