MA Gay State Senator Tries A Risky Political Tactic re same-sex marriage

[TaleWgnDg]

Gay-rights supporter shifts tactics
By Raphael Lewis, (Boston) Globe Staff | May 12, 2005

(snip)

"(Massachusetts) State Senator Jarrett T. Barrios, a gay-marriage supporter, offered a measure that would ban both gay marriage and civil unions, giving conservative lawmakers an alternative when the Legislature convenes in a constitutional convention later this year. The compromise amendment banning gay marriage but allowing civil unions passed by four votes last year.

"Gay-marriage opponent Kristian M. Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, said he was uncertain what Barrios intended but suspected he was attempting to pull conservatives from the compromise. Asked whether Barrios's move yesterday made him worry that conservatives could abandon the measure, Mineau said, 'It definitely does.'

"'We're sure there are other intentions in mind,' Mineau said.

"Barrios insisted, however, that his actions were an effort to let lawmakers show their support for same-sex marriage by rejecting a ban.

"'My sponsoring this bill is to allow the elected legislators of the Commonwealth to once again review and I hope reject this effort to write discrimination into the Constitution,' Barrios said, declining to comment further."

. . . more at http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/05/12/gay_rights_supporter_shifts_tactics?mode=PF

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1.) State Senator Jarrett T. Barrios is openly gay and recently married to his long term male partner. As such Barrios is vehemently AGAINST any amendment to the Massachusetts constitution which would over-turn the Goodridge (allowing same-sex marriage) decision of the highest court in Massachusetts.

2.) However, Barrios is introducing an amendment that would ban both same-sex marriage and same-sex civil unions. Why?

3.) Because Barrios is taking a risky move. Barrios wants to draw votes away from the once-allowed-in-last-year's-constitutional-convention amendment that would ban same-sex marriage but ALLOW same-sex civil unions. Think about it.

4.) Those who don't want gays to have same-sex marriage and don't want gays to have civil unions won't vote for the once-passed amendment and vote for Barrios' amendment to ban everything. For example, the Alliance 8 idiots, Ron Crews (and Kristian M. Mineau) Massachusetts Family Institute, Inc., the Roman Catholic Church, the Christian (e.g., Greek) Orthodox Church, Southern Baptist Convention, other extremist Evangelicals, etc.

5.) Will it work? Barrios must believe (a) that the vote is so damn close that he's willing to risk this. Barrios must also believe (b) that there's not enough votes to carry his ban on both same-sex marriage and same-sex civil unions to it's first required constitutional convention.

6.) Therefore, Barrios believes that the Goodridge decision would be upheld because there would not be enough votes for the second year in a row required of the no-same-sex-marriage-but-yes-civil-unions amendment due to his deflection away from it with his no-same-sex-marriage-and-no-same-sex-civil-unions amendment.

7.) Ah-ha, Barrios believes both amendments would fail. Risky stuff this politics!

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Know who is working AGAINST same-sex marriage in the halls of our statehouse and elsewhere:

L to R, conferring inside the MA Statehouse during the 2004 Massachusetts Constitutional Convention whether to amend the MA state constitution against same-sex marriage and removing other benefits and privileges from homosexuals in Massachusetts:

(1) MA Representative Philip Travis (.pdf format, Adobe Reader necessary), Democrat, of Rehoboth, MA, (religious affiliation: "Christian") chief sponsor of the 2004 anti-gay MA amendment, and who has opposed same-sex marriage as a party to many MA and federal lawsuits, and who has co-sponsored a bill to remove the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court justices who authored (or concurred in) the Goodridge opinion allowing same-sex marriage in Massachusetts;

(2) MA Representative Mark J. Carron, Democrat, of Southbridge, MA, (a Roman Catholic and Third Degree, Knights of Columbus) who votes anti-gay (anything), co-sponsor of Travis' 2004 anti-gay MA amendment, and who has worked with Brian Camenker of Article 8 Alliance to remove the MA Supreme Judicial Court justices who authored (or concurred in) the Goodridge opinion allowing same-sex marriage in MA, and who has been a party (.pdf format, Adobe Reader necessary) to litigation AGAINST same-sex marriage in both state and federal courts including the U.S. Supreme Court;

(3) Attorney Daniel Avila who is a paid lobbyist (client #950462) at the statehouse and elsewhere for the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, Inc., (which is a Massachusetts corporation of the Roman Catholic Church headed by the Bishops of the Dioceses of Fall River, Springfield, Worcester, and Archdiocese of Boston/Archbishop of Boston, Most Rev. Seán Patrick O'Malley, OFM Cap). As such, Attorney Avila lobbies for the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, Inc. (Massachusetts corporation ID #666002658) regarding such matters as anti-gay issues, anti-abortion issues, anti-in vitro fertilization issues, anti-right-to-die-with-dignity (Terri Schiavo-like) issues, anti-stem cell research issues, anti-contraception (including no condoms for AIDS/HIV) issues, abstinence-only sex education in public schools, and propagation of other Roman Catholic Church related religious issues in Massachusetts; and

(4) Reverend Ron Crews, Republican, of Ashland, MA, a fundamentalist preacher, a carpet-bagger from Georgia who is a paid lobbyist (#1367) for the "Massachusetts Family Institute, Inc." (MA corporate ID #043113783) a hate-mongering and gay-bashing religion-into-law fundamentalist organization and as former president of "Massachusetts Family Institute, Inc." filed an amicus brief against same-sex marriage and against same-sex civil unions with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in the Goodridge case, who as a Georgia state representative opposed abortion, sought to create "covenant marriages," to have Creationism taught in Georgia public schools and abstinence-only "sex education" taught in Georgia public schools and a statutory redefinition of marriage as only for one man and one woman, and who recently ran unsuccessfully against incumbent U.S. Representative James McGovern, Democrat, Worcester.

For perusing summarized anti-same-sex marriage amici briefs, e.g., Massachusetts Catholic Conference, Inc., Massachusetts Family Institute, Inc., and others, filed in Goodridge, go to: http://www.mlgba.org/briefs/AmicusIssue.PDF (.pdf format, Adobe Reader necessary).

See also: http://www.boston.com/news/specials/gay_marriage/articles/2004/03/29/how_lawmakers_cast_their_final_vote_on_the_gay_marriage_amendment/ (BosGlobe, 3/29/04, How Lawmakers Cast Their Final Vote on the Gay Marriage Amendment, Massachusetts Constitutional Convention 2004) (as last visited Monday, April 25, 2005).

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[Quetzal]

1. I sure hope he knows what he is fucking doing

[TaleWgnDg]

2. yes, I agree . . . I sure hope he does! n/t