50%

Fifty percent of those surveyed in the Commonwealth support either gay-marriage or full spousal benefits.
Or so the polling goes from the Boston Globe.
Something like less than 40% of respondents are unalterably opposed to both civil union benefits or gay marriage itself.
The message is clear, the electorate is once again proving itself wiser than the laggards they've been sending to Beacon Hill.
The facts seem incontrovertible, now what is needed is wise and sane leadership on the matter, statesmen who are prepared to go forward with reasonable proposals that will that 50% margin together.
Alas this is Massachusetts and America circa 2003 and there is precious little that is sane, reasonable or wise to be found in the public arena.
That 50% is mute testimony that the citizenry is prepared be magnanimous-but it won't last I assure you.
Something like thirty groups with untold millions are organizing to beat back the SJC's decision.
They will zero in on the slim gap between civil union supporters and outright gay marriage proponents creating a phantom wedge issue that'll drown the whole matter ins a deluge of demagoguery and money.
These are the very constituencies Romney would need to appeal to in a presidential primary so don't look for a break from the Kolobian Viceroy.
Tom Reilly is running for Governor and so feels strangely compelled to cut the gays of Massachusetts dead.
And the State Legislature?
Well few of them were elected on the strength of their charitable broadmindedness.
Who is going to stop them?
No-one save the people of the Commonwealth are in agreement with the broad goals of the SJC's decision...O'Reilly, Romney and the State Leg are dead set against it for various reasons.
Soon enough they will compose their differences and the Court's decision will be overturned or overthrown by main force.
Hell the Great and General Court simply refused to implement "clean elections" despite referendums and court orders...they will do no less in this matter.
It was a nice and gallant decision but it will be crushed underfoot by a combination of out-of-state witch burners, money, rampant cowardice in our own leadership classes.
But I promise you, this sumbitch is gonna come back to haunt a lot of prideful bastards presently in public life.
The largest cohort supporting gay marriage is the under thirty crowd...sooner or later they will come into their own and then we will see some shit!