I just don't understand why some people are so threatened at the thought of others getting rights. Earlier this year the Oregon legislature passed two amazing laws. One finally makes it illegal to discriminate against gays and lesbians in the workplace, housing and public accommodations. The other was to have granted gays and lesbian domestic partnership benefits.
Today should have been the day that we headed down to our county courthouses, paid $50 and gained some of the rights married couples take for granted. But no. See, after our elected officials did what we sent them to office to do--passed these two great laws--some religious, right wing, wide-stance bathroom stall cock suckers thought they could collect enough signatures to put the issues on the ballot. That's the way the law works here in Oregon. If you don't like something, just collect a bunch of signatures and put it up for popular vote.
Well, guess what? The vote collectors fell short. Many signatures were invalidated for various reasons. We were told we were going to have our domestic partnerships on January 2, 2008. All looked good. Or so we thought.
But in December, lawyers for an out-of-state group, Arizona’s Alliance Defense Fund, filed suit to challenge the decision about the number of valid signatures. They got a hearing with a Bush-appointed judge and he made the decision to put a hold on any domestic partnerships until the case can be heard.
“Basically, we have an out-of-state group that doesn’t like the outcome of a fair and well established process in Oregon - and so it wants a special exception to be made for its failed campaign,” said Basic Rights Oregon Executive Director Jeana Frazzini.
So now we're in limbo. Or back where we started, I guess. It pisses me off. And going to some candle light vigil is not going to make me feel better. But if it will help you, Basic Rights Oregon has a few organized around the state. Visit Basic Rights for a list of vigils.
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"I just don't understand why some people are so threatened at the thought of others getting rights."
Me, either. I don't know why (in your world view) I shouldn't have the right to rent my house -- or not rent my house -- to whomever I please. After all, it's my house. You want the government to force me into renting to, say, a lesbian couple ... even if that violates my moral and religious principles. (I'm not saying it does, but you get the picture.)
Suppose an elderly shop owner personally dislikes flaming gay men who make a big deal out of their gayness. You want to empower the state to twist that shop owner's arm and bark out the order: "Hire him anyway! We say so."
What about that guy's "rights"? Being a lefty your probably believe that the rights of gays and lesbians trump everyone else's rights. Don't you?
The Constitution's highest wisdom is that it recognizes individual rights. Not one special set of rights for this group and a different set for another. That's what you guys want.
There's no better way to create disharmony in a society than to have the state try to legislate harmony.
I read about this hearing in the Olympia paper. Of course it was on one of the back pages. To me the hearing is a lack of respect. I don't understand what the big deal is about letting a gay or lesbian couple get married or divorced if that is what they want.
I don't think that it has to do as much with morals as it does with money. Right now my girlfriend cannot get benifits if I were to die, but my closest living realitive would. I also don't want then to make any desisions for me. I don't talk to them like I talk to her.
I don't understand other than money how I live is a threat to others.
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