It is done ... and it is good news

New Hampshire has finally officially signed the last few same-sex marriage bills into law, effectively legalizing gay marriage in the state – starting January 01 of 2010, that is. (But if you've waited decades to get married, I think you can survive for another six months, eh?)

Concord – Gay marriage legislation became law in New Hampshire this afternoon.

Gov. John Lynch signed the bills just after 5:20 p.m. before dozens of enthusiastic supporters of same-sex marriage.

New Hampshire's law takes effect Jan. 1.

... Maybe I should just stop giving out the specific details already mentioned in the article I customarily blockquote.

This enacting of the bill was only possible after some rewording of the bill for Governor John Lynch which would exempt any religious groups or organizations from supporting or performing gay marriages, which I really don't have much of anything against. Plenty of other areas to get married when you're gay, other than the very churches and bigots who try to take that right away from you, after all.

As I learn of this, I can't help but realize ... How did this all happen? How was the popular sentiment towards gay marriage propulsed so fast? I'm sure it has something (or plenty) to do with the liberal media, but still, think about it: the first state to legalize gay marriage was Massachusetts in late 2003; from then, it took more than four years for California to legalize it in early 2008 (though Proposition 8 banned it later that year), and from then on it took a full year to legalize same-sex marriage in Iowa on April 03, 2009. From then on, it took less than a week to legalize it in Vermont, then less than a month to pass it in Connecticut, then barely two weeks to accept it in Maine, and now, barely a month after Maine, it's been signed into law in New Hampshire.

What the heck spawned this roller-coaster ride of gay civil rights?

(Not that I'm complaining ...)