not matters of mere "policy" but of politics in the deepest sense

• who may marry - a constitutional puzzle for any polity
  • polygamy in the United States
    • "[Coates' father] was something of a free spirit, which is how the fathered Coates and his six siblings with four different women..." (from May 19, 2008, story in Newsweek titled "O Father, Where art Though?" where the main issue is "the definition of successful fatherhood")
    • it's natural!
    • it's unnatural! the Texas Mormon sect and child abuse
  • sex and marriage
• control of parents' impact on children
  • what about divorce?
  • the supervision of foster care