Friday, February 03, 2006

illegal things

Back when the the Civil Unions debate was raging I got a powerful urge to go read the 1955 Marriage Act. God only knows why, but I'm sure I had a good reason at the time, possibly involving an impassioned letter to the editor or to check whether I could marry Bert and/or Ernie. While the Act was strangely silent on such a union, it did give me a whole list of people I can't marry:
  • Grandmother
  • Grandfather's wife
  • Wife's grandmother
  • Father's sister
  • Mother's sister
  • Mother
  • Stepmother
  • Wife's mother
  • Daughter
  • Wife's daughter
  • Sons' wife
  • Sister
  • Son's daughter
  • Daughter's daughter
  • Son's son's wife
  • Daughter's son's wife
  • Wife's son's daughter
  • Wife's daughter's daughter
  • Brother's daughter
  • Sister's daughter
... which just goes to show, not only were the drafters of our laws thorough, they also had a great, um, depth of imagination.

I mean, seriously, your Son's, son's wife?

Good lord.

4 comments:

Span said...

Are you saying your Son's son's wife is unattractive? That's not very gentlemanly.

Frank Stupid said...

I'm sure she's a fine woman, but my Son's Son is a man who gets a powerful angry, and since I'm probably at least a decrepidly 36 years older than him, I wouldn't want the death on an old man on his conscience.

But see what I find really interesting is the omissions. Nothing in there about not being able to marry my Grandfather, father or son ... just what are they trying to tell us?

And I still don't know whether I can marry Bert or Ernie. Complete silence on the Muppet issue . Most vexing.

Span said...

If you did marry Bert (personally I'd prefer Ernie) what would the children look like?

Frank Stupid said...

good lord woman, now you're just being silly. They're muppets for christ's sake - they can't have children!

We'd adopt.