An Appropriate Salute to Terrible Logic

Since last July, I have been avidly following and actively, extensively participating in the national debate around 'Marriage Equality', using my insufferable Social Justice Warrior powers for good, rather than evil. I have a keen interest in the debate partly because I believe that the government should not ban participation in a core social institution and cultural practice on the grounds of sexuality, and largely because I simply love picking apart mystifyingly stupid arguments. And boy am I in luck with this debate! It is a bonanza of inept reasoning and logical fallacy! Be it apocalyptic Christians predicting homogeddon, Bob McCoskrie blathering on about the Gaystappo marching into his bedroom and slapping him every time he tries to use a gendered term like 'father' or 'wife', or Colin Craig whipping his balls out at the AUSA Marriage Bill Debate, it's a veritable Who's Who of WTF.

I, and a number of my friends, have followed the parliamentary process, watching the Readings and Committee Stage debates on Parliament TV. There have been some excellent contributions in the First and Second Readings... then again, there have been confused waffling contributions also. The Bill itself had been amended during the Select Committee phase, and passed the Parliamentary Committee reading without adopting any of the Supplementary Order Papers, and is now set for its third and final reading on the 17th of April (whereupon, if it is voted in as seems most likely, it will become law, and same-sex couples could be married by August).

Until such time, I will be infrequently updating this blog with investigations of the arguments made against this bill.
Part 1: The Lazarus of arguments, The Slippery Slope!
Part 2: The Rugby Bill - An Analogy for Abject Stupidity.
Part 3: If you respect that a minority has the same rights as everyone else, YOU'LL LOSE THE ELECTION!
Part 4: The ANZACs will feel bad if you don't discriminate against the same people the Nazis discriminated against!
Part 5: The government will make saying 'Husband' or 'Wife' a thought-crime!
Part 6: How DARE the government NOT make Gay Marriage a thought-crime?!

Consider it a 'greatest hits' of bad arguments that have amused me over the past year. I hope to give these pitiable protests the salute appropriate to them:

Gay Marriage? May as well name your boy 'Sue'!