A Marriage or a Pistol?

The relationship of Americans with weapons is mind bogglingly complex. This one calls for a longer post, which is coming soon. Now, just warming up my fingers, I cannot help myself making a short comment on our marriage licence experience. Why would it have anything to do with weapons, one may ask? Good question. A pistol was the last thing on my mind when we entered the Dekalb County Court House in Decatur (actually, the Court House Annex - much less romantic and much more office-like than the beautiful old Court House), looking for a marriage licence office. We found the office, but to our dismay it offers two types of licence. The thrill when, upon entering the office, one hears a loud: 'marriage or a pistol?', beautifully articulated in the sweet Southern Accent, is difficult to describe. Very polite ladies at the office serve either licence with the same smile on their faces. Bliss... The merciless, down-to-earth reality of state bureaucracy...