There’s more than one way to skin a cat, and it seems the state of Oklahoma may have found a way to keep the Federal Government out of its business. States were assured if the Supreme Court struck down DOMA — the Defense of Marriage Act, states could govern marriage without any intrusion by the Federal Government and its courts.

This all changed when California voters voted to define marriage between a man and a woman and a single judged overturned the referendum.

The same judicial intrusion has happened in state after state. While 81 percent of the voters in Alabama voted to stop same sex marriage, a single judge overruled that vote.

Oklahoma believes it has found a remedy.

As I’ve repeatedly argued, the advocates of same-sex marriage have to account for marriage. What is the source of marriage? Evolution can’t account for it. Marriage is a creation ordinance. God ordained marriage, and if God ordained marriage he also defined it and set certain standards for it. the most fundamental standard is that marriage is between a man and a woman.

The funny thing about what Oklahoma wants to do is that the Democrats are fearful of “unintended consequences.” Really?

Haven’t opponents of same-sex marriage saying this all along? Justice Scalia said as much.

The following is from the online edition of the Times Record.

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OKLAHOMA CITY—Sparked by controversy over same-sex marriages, the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that would abolish government-issued Oklahoma marriage licenses.

“The point of my legislation is to take the state out of the process and leave marriage in the hands of the clergy,” said state Rep. Todd Russ, R-Cordell, the bill’s House author. “Marriage was historically a religious covenant first and a government-recognized contract second. Under my bill, the state is not allowing or disallowing same-sex marriage. It is simply leaving it up to the clergy.”

Under House Bill 1125, marriage licenses would be replaced by marriage certificates issued by clergy and others authorized to perform marriage ceremonies. The bill passed the House 67-24 and will now go to the Senate for consideration.

Russ’ bill sparked spirited discussion on the House floor, with some Democrat lawmakers arguing that the bill could have unintended consequences — like eliminating the state’s ability to stop bigamy or polygamy.

“As I read your bill, as long as the clergy has signed off on it, the state will have essentially signed off on it,” said House Minority Leader Scott Inman, D-Oklahoma City. “You are potentially opening up Pandora’s Box.”

Russ disputed that interpretation, saying other provisions in the law that make multiple marriages illegal would remain in place.

Russ said the bill is designed to protect employees of county court clerks’ offices who have been “caught in the middle of a fight between the federal and state government” over the legality of same-sex marriages.

Oklahoma law currently defines marriage as being “with a person of the opposite sex,” but federal circuit courts have ruled same-sex marriages are legal. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on the issue later this year.

Read the rest of the article here.