New Jersey resembles Julia Roberts. Pennsylvania is more like Doris Day, at least in Harrisburg. Gay marriage isn't even on the agenda in the place where progress dare not speak its name.
Last month, the Pennsylvania House unanimously passed a "noncontroversial resolution" citing "the formative influence of the Bible on our Commonwealth and nation and our national need to study and apply the teachings of the holy scriptures."
Now, some legislators, including Philadelphia Democrats Mark Cohen and Babette Josephs, want a vote do-over, arguing that they didn't understand the mandate, though it states, in the first sentence, "A resolution declaring 2012 as the 'Year of the Bible' in Pennsylvania."
Let us pause, bow our heads in silence, and worship the beauty of this absurdity.
So, 2012 may also be the Year of Irony, the separation of church and state turning out to be an on-demand concept, suiting lawmakers to join or rent asunder whenever the mood strikes.
Abortion on demand seems less likely to be available. Legislators are poised to vote soon on the "Women's Right-to-Know Act." A more accurate name might be the Commonwealth's Attempt to Delay Act, another potential obstacle in obtaining a legal procedure.
Harrisburg continues to love the guns, as if it's the Wild West out in Dauphin County. Last year, Gov. Corbett signed the Castle Doctrine, which protects law-abiding citizens from prosecution in using force against an attacker not only in their homes but also "any place where they have a legal right to be." Now along comes HB 1523, which would permit lawsuits against municipalities, like Philadelphia, that try passing sane gun-control measures.
