Mass. you suck.

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Mass. lawmakers vote to allow proposed amendment banning gay marriage to proceed
By STEVE LeBLANC
Associated Press Writer
BOSTON (AP) -- Lawmakers in Massachusetts, the only state where gay marriage is legal, voted Tuesday to allow a proposed constitutional amendment to move forward that would effectively ban it.
The amendment's backers had collected 170,000 signatures to get a question on the 2008 ballot asking voters to declare marriage in Massachusetts to be between a man and a woman, but they still needed the Legislature's approval in two consecutive sessions.
On Tuesday, 61 lawmakers backed moving the measure forward, compared to 132 opposed. The amendment need 50 votes of support to advance.
Last fall, the Legislature had angered the amendment's backers and Gov. Mitt Romney when it recessed without voting on the amendment. They appealed to the state Supreme Judicial Court, which declined to intervene but chastised lawmakers, saying they had d shirked their constitutional duties by not voting.
Gov.-elect Deval Patrick had urged lawmakers to skip the vote again on Tuesday, calling it a "question of conscience" and saying the amendment process was being used "to consider reinserting discrimination into the constitution."
Since Tuesday was the final day of the session, that would have effectively killed the amendment effort, but the Senate president instead called for a vote shortly after opening the constitutional convention.
About 8,000 same-sex couples have wed in Massachusetts since the Supreme Judicial Court ruled in 2003 that the state Constitution guarantees gays the right to marry. A few other states offer civil unions with similar rights for gay couples, but only Massachusetts allows gay marriage.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Tuesday, 2 January 2007 19:58 (nineteen years ago)

It's called politics. The thing is, this makes every state senator have to defend his/her position on this subject.
It has all been sneaky and definitely meant to polarize parts of the state - but, Mass. doesn't suck, in this area, because arguing about gay marriages ( after making them legal) sort of trumps all of the hand wringing other states are doing.
It's also nit wit Mitt's last shot.
Um, our last governor was a conservative Republican Mormon - and moron.
Our new governor is a progressive Democrat.
We suck in other ways, but not on this issue.

― aimurchie (aimurchie), Tuesday, 2 January 2007 20:44 (nineteen years ago)

EVERYONE SUCKS
EVERYONE
ESPECIALLY PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY LOVE THE SINNER, JUST HATE THE SIN

― Maria e (Maria), Tuesday, 2 January 2007 20:56 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, Mass. doesn't really suck. What they've done so far makes them the least suck state in the union, really.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Tuesday, 2 January 2007 21:48 (nineteen years ago)

I thought this would be a thread about gluten-free communion wafers aand local boring officiators.

― Abbott (Abbott), Tuesday, 2 January 2007 22:50 (nineteen years ago)

ps. My neighbor Arizona is okay w/me even tho their canned teas are shitttt.

― Abbott (Abbott), Tuesday, 2 January 2007 22:51 (nineteen years ago)

The Arizona ginseng iced tea used to come in a beautiful blue glass bottle, but now it's a clear bottle with a blue plastic film covering it. So yeah, WTF Arizona tea?

― Beth Parker (Beth Parker), Tuesday, 2 January 2007 23:14 (nineteen years ago)

Mass. - the state, not the religious ceremony. Abbott, it is about local boring officiators.
Mass. is the only state that sanctions same sex marriage - and I'm proud that I live here, and vote here.
This brouhaha is all about polariztion between districts. it's about drawing lines. it's about outing anyone who might come out as pro-gay through their vote.
it doesn't matter - the state supreme court already decided, and they can throw the appeals away for the rest of thier supreme lives.
it's democracy in action - it's ugly, and weird, but it works, in Massachusetts.
I'm more concerned about the outsourcing of democracy. These little battles play themselves out with lots of rhetoric, which is probably fun for the orators.
I'm amused that this issue would actually concern anyone! We voted to have same sex marriage! of course it's going to be argued against! But it stands, as state law, and it is much more difficult to topple a law than you, or I, might imagine.

― aimurchie (aimurchie), Tuesday, 2 January 2007 23:35 (nineteen years ago)

Hahaha local boring officiators indeed. But not the ones who are all "cross yr arms if you haven't been baptised" and then I have to out myself as non-Lord's Prayer knowing noob.

Any new law gets argued about, but unlike yr average water rights bill, yeah, it's a fucking ridiculously touchy national issue and of course everyone's going to try and IMPORT their own 'democracy' to Massacusetts or anywhere else that touches the issue with some dignity. Sorry they're shaking up your backyard for no reason.

― Abbott (Abbott), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 00:58 (nineteen years ago)

To be honest, knowing that there is a state in this country where it is legal to get married just makes me sad that the fact I won't ever get married isn't a matter of law but of my inherant unlovability. :(

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 05:40 (nineteen years ago)

how does one go about legislating against a gay marriage so that the courts can call the law unconstitutional?

― step hen faps (Curt1s Stephens), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 05:52 (nineteen years ago)

You should move to Massachusetts. All we do is get married and argue about it. We enjoy yelling about pointless things. From our back yards.
We love unlovable people!

― aimurchie (aimurchie), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 06:16 (nineteen years ago)

On Tuesday, 61 lawmakers backed moving the measure forward, compared to 132 opposed. The amendment need 50 votes of support to advance.

Is this sentence entirely fucked? What crazy system requires a (more or less) 25% vote to move an amendment forward?

― Casuistry (casuistry), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 06:17 (nineteen years ago)

they decided to put the question on the ballot. this way a sizable minority can always take constitutional action if they feel the majority faction is being unreasonable and that the constituency feels so, too.

― friday on the porch (lfam), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 06:46 (nineteen years ago)

well, in this case the minority is supposed to be the constituents but politicians can organize the petition campaigns.

― friday on the porch (lfam), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 06:48 (nineteen years ago)

"how does one go about legislating against a gay marriage so that the courts can call the law unconstitutional?"

Um..gosh. it's a state by state decision. So..if this amendment gets any farther than the posing, rhetoric based place it is in, I guess it could be challenged in the state supreme court.

I think I get your point - it's a huge leap from legislation to practical applications of the law.
it's a civil rights issue, I suppose.

― aimurchie (aimurchie), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 06:58 (nineteen years ago)

By STEVE LeBLANC
Associated Press Writer

BOSTON (AP) -- Lawmakers in Massachusetts, the only state where gay marriage is legal, voted Tuesday to allow a proposed constitutional amendment to move forward that would effectively ban it.

PARSE THE SENTENCE!

Follow the verbs.

― aimurchie (aimurchie), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 07:07 (nineteen years ago)

Follow the nouns.

― aimurchie (aimurchie), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 07:38 (nineteen years ago)

I'm re-reading the article again, and I still get stuck on that sentence. The only reason I understood it the first time is because I live here! So the subtext was right there for me!
It's a journalistic nightmare. I have tried to take my own advice, and follow the verbs. But it still doesn't make any sense.
Congratulations to all who are not Massholes, who have valiantly struggled to make sense of this article. I applaud you.
It's a beautiful day. I'm going to go crash a lesbian wedding.

― aimurchie (aimurchie), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 16:46 (nineteen years ago)

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