"A peep into the cave of Jacobinism." In this 1798 etching by James Gillray, Luminous Truth routs a scaly creature lurking in a cave surrounded by the ideological bric-a-brac of Jacobinism. The octopus bears more than a passing resemblance to Margaret Marshall.

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"The Radetzky March" by Johann Strauss Sr. has been called the "Marseillaise of conservatism." Listen to an orchestral version from a Russian site and a piano version by Dario Ronchi.

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Thought while passing the Bread & Circus:

How many of those who would disregard thousands of years of social experience and millions of years of evolution with regard to marriage insist themselves on "organic" foods or a more "natural" lifestyle?

And of those who would re-define as a mere partnering arrangement the male-female combination central to the creation, rearing and healthy development of children: how many demand a more "humane" economy, or would blanch at the idea of felling a redwood in the name of progress?

Is the institution of marriage somehow less organically developed and less vital to the ecology than an old-growth forest?

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Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney offers in today's Wall Street Journal a citizen's guide to protecting marriage, to help other states avoid the fate that has befallen his own. Romney supports a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman:

In a decision handed down in November, a divided Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts detected a previously unrecognized right in our 200-year-old state constitution that permits same-sex couples to wed. I believe that 4-3 decision was wrongly decided and is deeply mistaken.

Contrary to the court's opinion, marriage is not "an evolving paradigm." It is deeply rooted in the history, culture and tradition of civil society. It predates our Constitution and our nation by millennia. The institution of marriage was not created by government and it should not be redefined by government.

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On Feb. 11, Massachusetts legislators will meet in a state Constitutional Convention to consider an amendment backed by Gov. Romney that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

The soonest a constitutional amendment could end up on the ballot would be November 2006. The nation's first gay marriage could take place in Massachusetts as soon as May.

"We've heard from the court, but not from the people," Romney said in a statement. "The people of Massachusetts should not be excluded from a decision as fundamental to our society as the definition of marriage." More

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The Massachusetts Catholic Conference urges legislators: Vote Yes for Ma & Pa, the Marriage Affirmation & Protection Amendment, while the Coalition for Marriage offers citizen action resources.