I say this as an attorney. Your signature is yours, it is your bond, it should mean something to you.

If you sign the marriage license, you are marrying them. I guess in your friend's opinion, if no vows are recited then she isn't actually married but legally she will be even if no vows are recited. She and her spouse will reap the benefits of marriage -- clearly the motivation here--but they will also take on the burdens and responsibilities.

You are writing to Cary because your friend has essentially asked you to participate in a fraud and you don't want to, but you don't want to jeopardize the friendship.

If you really feel you can't be honest with your friend, then tell a white lie and say your ministry lapsed and you no longer have the authority to sign marriage licenses in your state.

You should just get out for walks, yard work. You may start to find neighbors in like circumstances as you. If not, switch to a more couples-orientated neighborhood. It is easy to get together for a cup of coffee or a beer when you have neighbors close by, it doesn't involve planning ahead or getting in a car and driving across town, just happenstance when you both have time to relax for a little bit.

Look at all the Republican support she got for her efforts.

LW-- your existential dilemma is that you think you only have two broken people to choose from as your role models. Your overworked, lonely, enabling sucker of a mother, or your loser do-nothing father. The lessons they have taught you is that hard work is for suckers and leeches can leech indefinitely.

I am sorry your parents didn't set exemplary examples for you of how to grow up and be the adult. It is understandable that you and your brother don't want to be overworked suckers like your mother, and so you are drifting into the example set by your father. Cary talked once about the Tragedy of the Commons and you would do well to read the wikipedia explanation of that.

But although you are taking your father's path, in truth, you don't respect him, and so you are depressed because you are having a hard time respecting yourself.

But the choice doesn't have to be "user" or "loser." You can get off your duff and start contributing to the expenses. You can start to earn your own self-respect and lighten your mother's load. That doesn't make you a sucker, that makes you a stand-up guy and a loving son.

You can learn from your father to be aware of people who are leeches and avoid winding up with one. Once you have learned to be self-supporting, you can seek out a partner who is equally independent and hard-working and the two of you can build a life to be proud of.

I think getting a job will be the first step in reclaiming your own sense of worth.

Next, after you have made a few positive changes and gotten a job-- so you can claim the high ground, show your Dad the emails and ask him point blank what concrete steps he is taking to protect your mother from being hurt or contracting an STD.

Ask him what his intentions are and put him on the spot. See what he says and see then if it is neccessary to clue your mother in to his infidelities.

Your letter to Cary proves that you have good intentions-- now it is time to follow through. You don't have good lessons on follow through so you are going to have to wing it. Just do the best you can. I believe you can do it.

I wouldn't have read this if a conservative acquaintence hadn't posted it on Facebook.

Ms. Paglia, are you and I even reading the same news? Your interpretation of events is odd and seemingly not based in reality.

The attacks on Rush Limbaugh-- hardly a private citizen-- were made by GOP Leadership.

And I don't believe the Brits have been offended by Obama's lack of pomp. Just the British PM, but Obama is more popular than he is among Brits.

Otherwise, I just think you are trying to spin a conservative fantasy here. You are more reasoned and articulate than Michelle Malkin or Anne Coulter, but your commentary here seems fantastical.

It's not the Manchurian Candidate?