Not wedded to the law
Though unwilling to act, Spitzer was willing to share his feelings on the issue (he favors gay marriage). Replacing action with heartfelt feelings is an established secondary characteristic of the disease. For instance, a policeman who refuses to give anyone a ticket for speeding, but who honestly shares his view that the 55-mph speed limit is much too low, could be said to display the Spitzer strain of SFD.
Some researchers are starting to wonder whether the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, which ruled 4 to 3 that the state must begin issuing marriage licenses to gays, may have been suffering from a variant of SFD itself. The three dissenters essentially accused the victorious four of making up the ruling with no warrant at all in the law. This does not establish the four as SFD victims, but overriding law and tradition in favor of personal feelings is what SFD is all about. Maybe the four should be tested.
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