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New Zealand redefines marriage, fun in legislating (Update: It gets better)

The New Zealand parliament has voted to legalize same-sex marriage. I don't know enough about New Zealand speechifying to gauge whether the Honorable Maurice

The New Zealand parliament has voted to legalize same-sex marriage. I don't know enough about New Zealand speechifying to gauge whether the Honorable Maurice Williamson of Pakuranga gave the speech of his life in calling for passage of the law, but dang:

"We are allowing two people who love each other to have that recognized, and I can't see what's wrong with that for love nor money, sir. I cannot. I cannot understand why someone would be opposed. I understand why people don't like what others do. That's fine. We're all in that category. But I give a promise to those people who are opposed to this bill, right now. I give you a watertight, guaranteed promise. The sun will still rise tomorrow. Your teenage daughter will still argue back with you as if she knows everything. Your mortgage will not grow. You will not have skin diseases or rashes, or toads in your beard, sir. The world will just carry on."

The vote went 77 to 44. The MP in the rainbow coat is the bill's sponsor, the Honorable Louisa Wall. Opponents of the new law, perhaps predictably, are calling for a referendum. But on a day when our own Congress seems so unable to move forward, Williamson's speech is just so tonic. (Thanks for sending this, Jo.)

UPDATE: @ChrisBoese writes that after the vote, the New Zealand parliament and the crowd broke into song. They're singing a Maori love song, "Pokarekare Ana." If you can imagine the U.S. Congress doing this, I wonder what they would sing.