>
>(a) various cultures do accomodate/permit or encourage marriage between
>cousins. i am not much moved by arguments that you may break-up the
>family if you end up getting divorced. i suspect such an argument is
>frivolous, but if not, i can offer counter-arguments.
well, hoping you'd read the whole thing. my bad, should have summarized another part. saletan pointed out that your concerns--about genetic problems--are unwarranted. and, if we really are concerned, the logic would carry over to, say, preventing fertile women over forty from hanky panky with a man since they'd have a similar chance (perhaps higher) of producing a child with a so called 'problem.' same goes for other groups.
Kelley