As promised, a summery of the responses I've gotten about Amazon laws.

Three other "laws" were brought up.  (1) Obstacles are for killing, (2) 
Use of Jusenkyo as punishment for major infractions, and (3) the 
Amazonian _custom_ of the three? five? Years of Hell.  Also, it has been 
pointed out that the Kiss of Death and Kiss of Marriage do not appear to 
be absolute.

About subservient men:  The most common response is that the actions of 
Mousse and Shampoo's father give this impression.  However, it is not 
explicitly stated anywhere.  I personnally believe that this idea in 
inconsistent with the Kiss of Marriage law.  After all, how can an 
Amazon expect a man who defeated her in battle to be subservient to her?  
In the anime, Mousse does defer to Cologne, and Cologne does order him 
around and stike him with her staff when he does not do as she orders.  
However, Shampoo also seems to defer to Cologne.  IMO, Mousse defers to 
her not because she is female and he male, but because she is a member 
of whatever governing body the Amazons have.  I know, that's another 
fanfic convention, but it seems logical.

Based on these responses, I do not see any reason to alter what I had 
thought of using for the Amazon government in my fic.  I had planned to 
use the conventional Matriarch and Council of Elders.  The difference is 
that I plan to add a position of Male Advisor to that.  In theory and 
law, the Male Advisor would be equal in authority to the Matriarch.  In 
practice, he would have no power whatsoever, because he is always 
overruled by the all-female Council of Elders.  (Also, he is not taught 
the life-extension magic in use by said Elders.)  However, should the 
Matriarch and Male Advisor act together, they have the legal authority 
to overrule the Council of Elders.  Does anyone know of anything in 
cannon to contradict this?

--
Erik

"What's more dangerous than a mage out to rule the entire world?  Why, a 
mage at play, of course...."

        -Ed Greenwood, "Elminster at the Magefair"

http://www.cs.transy.edu/ejessup/homepage.html
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