This appears to be a misunderstanding of what a corporation is and its logic of operation. For better or worse, profit is the only directive for a capitalist corporation; all action and concerns of a corporation derive from the drive for profit.

Which is not to say that good does not derive from that pursuit; but the coercive laws of competition to which the corporation is bound are absolute and do not permit the corporation latitude to perform good for the sake of itself–the “good” can only be the means to more and easily gotten profit.

This is an impossible proposition. The laws of competition in the capitalist market are coercive. CUNY Professor David Harvey explains:

No matter whether they are good- or bad-hearted, capitalists are forced to engage in the same labor practices as their competitors. If your competitors shorten the lives of laborers, you have to, too. That is how the coercive laws of competition work.

In other words, marriage granted and recognized in State A does not have to be recognized in State B. State B, you’re free to be as hateful as you want.

Here’s a screen shot, since an embedded link will be dead as soon as DOMA’s struck down.

This is the crux of the Act. Nonrecognition of marriage at the Federal level–despite legal recognition by a state–means that federal benefits, rights, and privileges are unavailable to the couple.

In 1997, the government’s General Accounting Office (GAO) determined that there are “1049 federal laws classified to the United States Code in which marital status is a factor.” They went on to list the areas in which DOMA barred gay couples from recognition and participation:

• Social Security and Related Programs, Housing, and Food Stamps
• Veterans' Benefits
• Taxation
• Federal Civilian and Military Service Benefits
• Employment Benefits and Related Laws
• Immigration, Naturalization, and Aliens
• Indians
• Trade, Commerce, and Intellectual Property
• Financial Disclosure and Conflict of Interest
• Crimes and Family Violence
• Loans, Guarantees, and Payments in Agriculture
• Federal Natural Resources and Related Laws

Defense against what?

The rhetoric of “protection” and “defense” of marriage, as though allowing gay and lesbian marriages poses a threat to “traditional,” heterosexual marriages, has become antiquated.

This mode of rhetoric, so useful formerly, no longer achieves the same effect, as the spread of marriage equality has not, in fact, damaged or degraded “traditional” marriage.

Kidd’s rookie card.

Don’t be fooled, though, by Kidd’s defensive authority; that’s Mugsy Bogues he’s about to block, and they’re both standing on the ground. Bogues was the shortest player ever to suit up for an NBA squad.

Iranian cleric Mehdi Hashemi leaked news of the U.S.-Iranian arms deals to a Lebanese newspaper. He was executed by the Iranian regime shortly thereafter, despite his closeness to the Ayatollahs.