"... as civilization collapses the opportunities for intelligent and committed people to make a profound difference actually increases." (UPDATED)

Rod Dreher is wasting keystrokes again. At the very top of this item we find:

Categories: Decline and fall, Homosexuality

Why would he bother typing anything else? Yet bravely he plods forward, to transcribe (Bets now being taken on whether or not Mr. D. actually transcribed anything; he must have an intern.) a "short" interview w/ Maggie Gallagher, of the National Organization for Marriage, wherein Gallagher responds to Rod's belief that the marriage battle/windmill tilt they've been in is lost. 

Public opinion hasn't changed much at all. What's changed is the punishment the gay marriage movement is inflicting on dissenters, which is narrowing the circle of people willing to speak. This is a very powerful movement, no question. Nobody understands that better than I do. But in the end--and this is not necessarily "optimistic" -I think civilizations that can't hang onto an idea as basic as to make a marriage you need a husband and a wife aren't going to make it in the long haul.

Consider the phrase "public opinion." Not merely as the opinion of the undifferentiated tissue that passes for America's citizenry, but as opinion expressed in public. She states (w/o really meaning to) that has become less acceptable to be a homophobe in public (because of the "punishment inflicted" on "dissenters"). Or it may just be the change in public opinion she denies in the prior sentence, to go back to the first definition, rather than fear of punishment. Either way, how brave these few are, not letting the punishment dissuade them from their dissent. Tough to "dissent" against a less than two-figure percentage of the population & a few of their friends & allies, w/ those millions upon millions of evangementalists, wack-job bead-rattlers, the occasional snake-handler & the Rev. Fred Phelps' family/cult on your side, isn't it? 

As for the long haul, it is central to her point that gay marriage will result in non-American (therefore non-virtuous & bad for gays) civilization:

So I'm not worried about the progressive myth that 200 years from now gay marriage will be the new world norm. I'm somewhat more worried about the kind of cultures around the world that might survive. It's not clear to me they'll have the virtues of American civilization for gay people or anyone else.

See what happens when Americans try to think beyond next quarter's financial results, or the next election? Virtuous American civilization will be brought down by delusional types like Rod & Maggie, not two guys in bathrobes frying up a couple of steaks. More divisiveness from Dreher: 

...we trads should focus our efforts on erecting constitutional walls of protection behind which religious institutions can operate freely - this, before the culture shifts so profoundly as to make the view that religious traditionalists are akin to racists mainstream. Bottom line: I believe we should retreat to a strategically defensible position while there's still time.

Gawd knows (but as usual, isn't telling) what operating freely behind walls of protection might entail. Child abuse, The Inquisition, stoning adulterers, Mormons deciding to run all of Utah from behind literal walls? It could happen.

And legally. Look for more agitation on this new-found issue that Ms. Gallagher brings up.

Do we need to pass more protective religious liberty exemptions? Yes.

Do we? A "liberty exemption" sounds exactly like "special rights" (which, of course, are what the gay agendaists want for themselves, not mere equal rights) to the editorial board here. And as much as Gallagher wants to disagree w/ Dreher that their battle for marriage is over, her desire for religious exemption is about the same as the walls that Rod wants: The unspoken admission that their civilization has given up the ghost, & they're standing on the battlements of a smoking ruin, hoping for a new shipment of walls.

Notes: Just Another Blog (From L. A.)™ is completely opposed to marriage, as it is a corrupt, bourgeois institution that's on it's way out w/ the remainder of what Rod & Maggie call civilization (known to most as repression) whether or not gay people get on for the last few rides. But if same-sex marriage so deeply bothers some people, it must be a good thing, so we'll support it from behind our keyboard. If it truly would bring current structures down about our ears, we'd certainly do more than just sit here typing about it: we'd go out & marry some dude.

Note the second: As to interns, either those SMU kids are stupider than they used to be, or Rod is illiterate as well as incognitive:

Here's what I know that maybe you can't see: There are enormous untapped energies out their waiting for someone to organize them effectively.

Bonus commentary: OK! Maggie debunks any indication that recent "teabagging" activities could possibly be organic, grass-roots activities. The masses' enormous energies, generally wasted shopping & couch potato-ing, can only be organized from above. UPDATE (15 April 2009 @ 0149): The stat weasels at FiveThirtyEight have the poop on whether or not "public opinion" has changed. Short answer: Yes.