OK, if marriage only means a union between a man and woman, where did Shakespeare get off mentioning a marriage of two minds without referring to the gender of the brains involved. And the last time I did an elecrical splice, I married the two wires first and as far as I could ascertain, neither of them had any specific gender, except that they seemed to like each other and I'm not sure if a supreme being gave it's blessing. But there sure would have been some uncomfortable ramifications if I hadn't taken out a permit first.

I guess whether you are legally married or not could depend upon whether or not you were spliced, soldered and taped or joined together with a marr connector.

Re: lobbyists, yeah a shame that some are forced to go there, although others might turn a blind eye to that tactic, if it was the Sierra Club, a poverty group or battered women. That some groups take that route in order to get heard is more a reflection upon the current state of government and society, than upon the views the specific lobby groups represent.