1) Do you think the recent rash of gay marriages by the executive and judicial branches are good or bad and why?
I originally was strongly against them. I think Nepthtis posted the original report about San Francisco. I, like your friend, thought that circumventing the law was bad. However I have since revised my opinion on this. Now I consider it civil disobediance and thus perfectly justifiable - like Rosa Parks and the bus company in Birmingham.
2) Do you believe homosexual marriage (or civil union... I don't want to debate semantics here) should be permitted or not?
I think it is the moral imperative of the United States to allow gay marriages. Why? Because we are a country of freedom and liberty. Not a country where we have second class citizens and discrimination written into law.