Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Siccing One Anti-SSM Dog on Another

It looks like pro-same-sex-marriage forces are wiling to help the anti folk trip each other up. The rescheduled July 12th Con Con is likely to feature two amendments to ban SSM here.

The newish ballot-initiative one needs to pass by a 25% vote and continue its nasty trip toward a 2008 ballot. The older Goguen/Travis one has been hanging around for several sessions. It is so severe -- banning anything remotely resembling gay unions, that it's a sure failure. Both of those clown are retiring this year. They must have mixed feelings, mostly negative.

Two articles give the possible procedural ways to hose both of these moves. The Globe spoke with legislators and Bay Windows followed up in detail with pro-SSM and anti-SSM forces as well.

A key aspect is that Sen. Jeff Barrios introduced the languishing Goguen/Travis travesty first to the Con Con agenda. The ballot initiative one would come up second (agendum 19 and agendum 20). It is possible that after the legislators trash the first one, they could say, "We'll we voted on same-sex marriage. It's Miller time," and adjourn.

Oh, there would be weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Already, even though the Article 8/MassResistance set is against the ballot initiative (after all, it does not nullify the 8,000-plus existing SS marriages), they rail at a procedural defeat for it.

Assuming that none of this happens and the second amendment slithers its way to 2008, it will certainly lose -- after emotional turmoil and much waste of time and money. Meanwhile, the anti forces are pouting and stomping. They have not forgotten losing a previous anti-SSM vote to an adjournment four years ago. They'll never forget or forgive.

This shouldn't be funny, given what's at stake. There's some excellent underlying irony though.

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1 comment:

Uncle said...

Just like I've been saying all along. These fools need the late Josef Mlot-Mroz to teach them how to beat a dead horse with a certain bizarre panache. I can't possibly take them seriously until they follow up their eventual loss with years of picketing the roadsides with illegible signs and an adequate level of guerilla theatre.

What a pity: they're losers no matter how you slice them.

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