KnowThyNeighbor.org Present at Catholic Churches State-wide

Boston

Watch the NECN video
Read the Boston Globe article

Cathedral of the Holy Cross - As we lined the length of the sidewalk and echoes of Archbishop Sean O'malley's homily leaked from the doorway, the media and at least twenty Boston police officers stood between us and the church entrance making for a dramatic setting.

The drama held as services let out and parishioners exiting to the street reacted, some with surprise, but most by averting their eyes and trying to pretend we weren't there.  This is, of course, indicative of the problem and all the more reason why we need to keep putting a human face on this issue by reinforcing, on a neighbor-to-neighbor level, that individuals, families, and children are being put in harm's way by this petition. 

We had a good crowd.  Thanks to everyone that stood up with us for equality. You did the right thing.

Cape Cod
Read the Cape Cod Times article
Corpus Christi Church, East Sandwich - Organizers Danny Abaid and Tom Donohue did wonders on the Cape reporting that parishioners and passers by gave thumbs-up, beeps, and waves and that this was the norm with minimal negativity.

North Shore
Sacred Heart Church, Manchester - One Catholic church-goer (see photo, center) took it upon herself to write on the back of one of our signs "I Am Catholic -- I Did Not Sign" and stood with us. We also had a recent State Representative candidate and his family stand in support. One parishioner said to us, "You should be happy, not many are signing." Let's wait, hope and see, come December.

Worcester
St. Paul's Cathedral - We thank our friends who came out in Worcester and stood strong. They reported a good presence and we applaud them.

Aaron Toleos & Tom Lang, Directors

Comments

[Paul]

Local Priest Tells 22News he won't be Distributing or Collecting Petitions

EAST LONGMEADOW, MASSACHUSETTS (WWLP) - A local catholic priest says his parishioners are free to sign the anti-gay-marriage petitions, but he says he will not be distributing or collecting the petitions on Sunday. Father James Scahill says the decision does not mean he is defying the church hierarchy, or challenging his bishop. Scahill tells 22News a letter from Bishop Timothy McDonnel does not require area priests to distribute petitions or collect signatures or mandate how the matter is to be handled. "He says you may permit the collection of signatures if you choose you can have sign up table's available-do you see? So were not disobeying the bishop. This is not a personal thing at all he is very sensible in leaving some liberty in how this is to be handled", said Father James Scahill of St. Michael's Church in East Longmeadow. But 22News asked Father Scahill why he had decided not to distribute or collect the signatures on Sunday. "This is a parish that is all embracing and all welcoming. We have in this parish, I'm sure, gays and lesbians, divorced and remarried people and we come for fellowship because we're all one in Christ and to do this on a weekend to me is not appropriate and I believe the majority of people at St. Michaels would agree with me," said Father Scahill . He also says using church grounds for this purpose could jeopardize the church's tax-exempt status, but he says the petitions will be available at the church office during the week for those who would like to sign them.

http://www.wwlp.com/news2004/story.html?artID=274873

WWLP-TV22
PO Box 2210
Springfield, MA 01102-2210

[JAM]

It is time to show up at every gathering of every religious event. We need to set up and mobilize and strategize in every town and city in Massachusetts. This Sunday was a great start. Its time we stand up for our rights and its time we let the religious right wing know we are here, and we are their NEIGHBORS.

[John Curran]

Hi,

I have not signed the petition that gives people the right to vote on marriage. But, I will do so as soon as I can. Our democracy is founded on the long-held concept of "Consent of the Governed." Judges are not our masters and cannot dictate the meaning of our most important institutions. Gay Marriage might benefit some folks at the moment, but the long term consequences of your advocacy are not worth the risks.

If I thought gay marriage would do nothing but help gay people then I would get up on a chair and shout "I support gay marriage." Unfortunately, life is never so simple. First gay marriage, then polygamy, then what? If judges change the meaning of marriage once then they can change it again and again. Marriage protects women and children from the ravages of male-dominated world. How dare you try to alter this important institution? It has already suffered enough under the radical agenda of the last 40 years that equates sex with liberty. Homosexuality, like abortion and contraception, strips away the meaning of human sexuality. The true and beautiful purpose of sex is to create human life. It is not some tool for libertine pleasure alone. When you reduce it to such, you promote misery. You reduce women to vacuous sex objects and invite disastrous population decline such as being witnessed in Europe currently.

Live your lives. Make commitments to one another. But stop telling me that that marriage is a right to everyone. Marriage is a restriction. It is about committing yourself to your husband or wife no matter what happens for as long as you live.

Nothing is stopping gay people from restricting their relationships to one person forever. Go ahead. Do it. But stop telling me that marriage is a right and should mean anything to anyone. This is not about rights. You want affirmation.

Please post my name on your list. It would be a badge of honor.

John Curran
Dedham

[Tyler]

Cheers, John -

You are a well-spoken citizen of this state. And you are 100% correct - we need to protect this institution of marriage to remain as it has been for years BY DIVINE DESIGN.

Christians should respect and love homosexuals, just as we respect and love everyone as Christ commanded us to do, but respect doesn't mean acceptance. Society is FOUNDED on the family, and when family goes, so does society.

Christ taught compassion for those who were "outside", but He never left them there - He brought them in and changed their lives FOREVER. I know this may not sit well with some folks here, but the Love of God means this:

God loves you so much He will accept you just as you are, however, He loves you too much to leave you there.

Re-iterating what I've said on prior posts, I believe that a person can be a Christian AND a homosexual - same as I can be a Christian AND have multitudes of sins that I commit every day (before I even leave my house). Saying, however, that Christ either endorses or promotes homosexuality, is found exactly NO WHERE in scripture.

America is still One Nation Under God, founded on Judeo-Christian principles, and equating our system of government and our ties with religion to a taliban-like regime is nothing short of ludicrous. It was Christians that founded this nation where freedom can be experienced for all. It was Christians that believed that God created all men (and women) equal. It was Christians that fought and died for the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness that we enjoy in this great nation.

Did they always get everything right? Absolutely not! But they built a great foundation, and that foundation was formed out of their beliefs in the God of the Bible, and the Son that died for all mankind.

I'm out...God bless!

[Miss P.]

At the Shaw's supermarket in Stow on Friday, a dude was there with petitions, but they were all about being able to buy wine in supermarkets.

Hmm...

I asked him where his "I hate queers" petition was, and he said he doesn't offer that one, and that he's a "minister's son, so you should trust me."

Uh huh.

Suspicious, I flipped through his clip board and found the petition I knew I would find. I called him on it, and he said he would offer that one only at church, which I told him made it even worse.

Then I said, "Where are you from?"

"Nebraska," he replied.

"Why are you in my state?" I asked.

As people came by and he kept flogging the wine petition, I cautioned them not to sign the "I hate queers" petition by mistake. He was livid.

"I wish you'd be more polite," he shouted as I walked away. I shouted back, "I wish you'd get the hell out of my state!"

We did not become friends.

[Tyler]

It's not about hating queers. Get your head out of your idealogue.

It's about protecting the foundation of society.

[Joe S]

JAM AND JOHN CURRAN ARE THE SAME PERSON....DON'T YOU GET SICK OF JUST PRESENTING ARGUMENTS TO YOURSELF...?

[soxfan]

Quote: "It is about committing yourself to your husband or wife no matter what happens for as long as you live."

Funny, that's what I think it's about too. Why else would do you think GLBT folks want to get married?

[soxfan]

Oh, and to save Tyler/John/Mike/etc. some time, here's a summary I found of some of the arguments against gay marriage:

12 Reasons Gays Shouldn't Marry

1. Homosexuality is not natural, much like eyeglasses, polyester, and birth control are not natural.

2. Heterosexual marriages are valid because they produce children. Infertile couples and old people cannot get legally married because the world needs more children.

3. Obviously gay parents will raise gay children because straight parents only raise straight children.

4. Straight marriage will be less meaningful, since Britney Spears's 55-hour just-for-fun marriage was meaningful.

5. Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and it hasn't changed at all: women are property, Blacks can't marry Whites, and divorce is illegal.

6. Gay marriage should be decided by the people, not the courts, because the majority-elected legislatures, not courts, have historically protected the rights of minorities.

7. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are always imposed on the entire country. That's why we only have one religion in America.

8. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people makes you tall.

9. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage license.

10. Children can never succeed without both male and female role models at home. That's why single parents are forbidden to raise children.

11. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society. Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and we could never adapt to new social norms because we haven't adapted to cars or longer lifespans.

12. Civil unions, providing most of the same benefits as marriage with a different name are better, because a "separate but equal" institution is always constitutional. Separate schools for African-Americans worked just as well as separate marriages will for gays & lesbians.

[Tyler]

Soxfan -

Your tongue-in-cheek points make your position so much more supportable.

Have you anything else which makes your argument stronger? Because all you've done here is support the standard of traditional marriage by mocking and ridiculing the institution and the framework of our society.

Face it - it's really about re-defining society, isn't it? Propaganda works - I bet you also hate Bush and wish our troops were no longer in Iraq because all that we're doing is killing innocent civilians, right?

[CPT_Doom]

When I was growing up in the Mass. Catholic Church, I was taught that only marriages between single (or widowed) men and women, blessed by a Catholic priest, were valid. Strangely enough, not one Catholic priest or bishop suggested that we protest, or vote on, or otherwise restrict or limit the ability for people who had chosen false religions, even Protestant churches, which are of course false perversions of the One True Church, or who had been divorced to remarry legally. The Church would not recognize such marriages, but we were never told we had to refuse recognition of those marriages in secular society.

Now the Church, in league with those very false perversions it once preached against, has changed its tune. Although it "loves" gay people, it must defame, slander and belittle us, by calling us threats to our society. Even Tyler and John Curran above make similar points - gays must be stopped because somehow we damage those around us, apparently by our very existence.

The funny thing is, my grandparents (all 4) and parents are from the same town in Mass - Holyoke to be exact. My sister and her husband/family live there now. My mother's parents were married for nearly 40 years, my father's for over 55, while my own parents were married for nealry 35 years. All of these relationships ended only with the death of one partner. My sister is now in her 13th year of marriage.

I, like all gay people, am not some alien subspecies, but a real and true human being, who was raised in the very family that the anti-gay crowd claims to want to protect. Yet my widowed father (who I really think needs to get married again - he is so much better with a woman around) and my very married sister (my only two immediate relatives) are fully supportive of me and my life - INCLUDING the right to marry the person of my choice. Are they damaging their own lives or relationships because they see my humanity and know that I am not a threat to them?

My father had an uncle who was gay, and who was with his partner for around 40 years as well. I knew them only at the end of their lives, but am glad to say my extended family never treated them as anything BUT married. I saw exactly how two men could create a relationship that was a real as, as good as (in fact, often better than), as valuable as a relationship between a man and a woman. I saw the selflessness of my great-uncle's partner as he took on the role of caregiver in their twilight years; I saw the love that was palpable between them when they were in a room together. I saw a marriage.

The only person in my family who was exposed to Harry and Steve who turned out gay was me. Every one of my cousins is either married, divorced and/or trying to find an opposite sex partner.

What damage did experiencing a gay marriage do to them?

[Kelly Clark]

As we lined the length of the sidewalk and echoes of Archbishop Sean O'malley's homily leaked from the doorway, the media and at least twenty Boston police officers stood between us and the church entrance making for a dramatic setting.

It wasn't all that "dramatic." I was there.

And if you heard any "echoes" of the Archbishop's homily, you didn't hear one word about the amendment. There were no petitions in the Cathedral. (I had to sign one at Holy Trinity Church, just a few blocks away.)

The Mass was totally focused on Respect for Life, especially the unborn. It was followed by a massive walk for women and their unborn children on the Common.

You guys were not only in the wrong pew...you were stationed at the wrong church.

[AB & SS]

I believe that my name is listed in error on Initiative Petition # 05-02 because I was recently at the Fall Festival in Shrewsbury, MA. and a young man approached me and asked me if I would sign a petition that would enable grocery stores to be allowed to sell wine and beer. I thought it was a good idea and I signed it. I was in a rush and was with a friend and so I didn't read the petition...I just signed. I have since heard that people are misleading voters like myself to sign a false petition. I believe the petition I signed could have been the petition to get the 'right to marry' on the 2008 ballot. If they mislead me into believing that the petition was for something else I will be infuriated. I am a huge straight ally and have many family members and friends who are gay. I would be incredibly embarrassed and upset if my name was falsely represented on this discriminatory petition. I would also like to note that two of my friends were in Shrewsbury that same weekend (Sept. 24th)--they were approached at the Price Chopper in Shrewsbuy by a gentleman who asked them to sign a petition for grocery stores to be able to sell liquor and wine. Luckily, my friends READ the petition and noticed it was the petition to ban gay marriage and did not sign it. Both of my friends are gay. They were very upset at the young man and reported the incident to the store manager. After they walked away from the young man, the man yelled out "Can we still be friends?"...to which my friends said "No, you mislead us in a horrible way."

Please investigate this if possible. I will check to see if my name appears on the anti-gay petition.

[JAM]

I think you need to check IP addresses JOE. curran_john46@hotmail.com is a sick mother fucker!

[gil martinez]

John Curran is mistaken. He is right in saying poligamy is a tirannical construct meant to opress women, He is wrong when he says marriage equality will lead to it, however. Marriage has, over the past few centuries, evolved from a male-dominated institution of ownership (of women, children, and resources), into a protected legal arrangement between to equal persons. It has become a gender-neutral institution. Women can now be breadwinners and own property, men can be homemakers and homeschool children. It is in this new marriage construct, created by straight people as a result of intellectual evolution, that gender-neutral marriage fits in.

Don't like it, John? Move to Afghanistan, where marriage is the same today as it was three thousand years ago.

[soxfan]

Quote: "Because all you've done here is support the standard of traditional marriage by mocking and ridiculing the institution and the framework of our society."

I have the greatest respect for the institution of marriage. What I'm mocking are the arguments made by people like you, who want to deny same-sex couples the opportunity to marry.

Quote: "I bet you also hate Bush and wish our troops were no longer in Iraq because all that we're doing is killing innocent civilians, right?"

Tsk tsk, assumptions. Those will get you in trouble every time.

[John Curran]

I have received some intelligent emails since my last post. Here is one from Betty Bring (bbring@usa.com):

"Go right ahead and sign it.. Then I will have your address you sick mother
f*&^%$. YOU LIVE IN A SMALL WORLD."

Thank you for the "heads up" Betty that you intend to harm me. How generous of you to offer advance warning.

I do hope that this is not typical of your organization. The ballot box is always preferable to threats and violence.

Thankfully, most gays I know are kind and generous people and not vicious zealots like Betty. While there are many things that I would go to bat for to help gays, gay marriage is not one of them. I think gay marriage is gravely misguided. You have given no thought to the potential consequences of your endeavour to society at large.

Hopefully, you won't shout down and excoriate those who disagree with you like myself but actually try diaogue.

[Brian]

Quote from John Curran: "I think gay marriage is gravely misguided. You have given no thought to the potential consequences of your endeavor to society at large."
I've heard this argument numerous times by the anti-marriage crowd, yet have never heard what these 'potential consequences' are. In Massachusetts, you've had Gay Marriage for over a year now and, from what I saw the last time I was there, society seemed rather normal. People got up, went to work, school, the shops; basically lived their lives.
So what are these 'consequences' exactly? If you wish to engage in open dialogue, present your argument rather than spout hyperbole.

[Dr. Robert Brogna M.D.P.C. & Philip Ramsey]

Its clear that there was fraud ,deception,trickery and lies in collecting the signatures for ballot initiative. They will probably get more signatures than they need through these methods. Their validity should be challenged by the attorney general. The legal fact that the judicial decision and laws allowing gay marriage can not be overturned through popular ballot vote is being tested and should go forward in the courts, as a second way to cut them off at the pass. In the meantime, we can all help by sending our own personal letters to those who signed the ballots as an appeal to their common sense, and non descrimination towards a valid minority of equal tax paying citizens who are born gay and deserve equal freedom of choice in marriage. Dr. Bob Brogna M.D.P.C. Merritt Isl, Fl.

[John Curran]

Brian,

I refer you to my first post. I would add that the libertine sex culture born out of the sixties that paved the way for cultural acceptance of abortion, contraception, out-of wedlock-births and homosexuality, have been an utter disaster for our society. Gay marriage is just one piece in a much larger puzzle of our cultural decay.

Given the decay of the traditional family structure, particulary among African-Americans, and the terrible consequences that have resulted, I draw the line at gay marriage. Enough is enough. The idea of affirming homosexuality as some expression of identity and an option morally equivalent to that of life-creating force of sex between a man and woman, is not a message I want my children to hear and embrace. I am tired of this sex-obsessed culture and the effects it is having on our children. There is nothing liberating about it. It is enslaving and destructive.

And please spare me the straw man argument where gay marriage advocates say the sky has not yet fallen. No one has said it would fall overnight. It's just a sneaky and phoney argument. The consequences will be long term. Marriage has suffered enough under all the alternative arrangements embraced in the last 40 years. And no-fault divorce has let men walk out on their wives at the drop of the hat. Now you want to change it's meaning. Enough already.

Marriage is not some simple permit for benefits as gays often make it out to be. It's an institution that has served Western Civilization well for 2,000 years and the Jews 3,800 years. It is the cornerstone of Western Civilization. It's success is critical to the success of the West. Yet you want to change it's meaning? And without a vote? The nerve.

Gay marriage is just the beginning. Now there is absolutely no reason why a judge cannot legalize polygamy. And many muslims, mormons and swinger types would love to see it happen.

But, what do you care? You just want your "rights". I think it is selfish of you. You are putting your desire for societal affirmation above the well being of women and children who are well-served and protected by the institution of marriage. Polygamy has been a brutal and oppressive institution and you have laid out the red carpet for it.

Leave marriage alone. You don't need it. Few gay men even want it.

One last thing. This whole message of sexual liberation is killing Europe. They are in the throws of a population decline not seen since the Black Plague.

They are aborting and contracepting themselves out of existence. They are more focused on the latest trends of experimental sex (gay or straight) than creating sons and daughters. It is repulsively self-centered. Now Europe is aging dramatically so the social net will bust. Not enough young people to support the growing elderly population.

You can always find reasons to not have children to benefit yourself, but it is the death of your society. When two parents average 1 to 1.5 babies, you have a disaster on your hands. Some European governments including Italy now pay people to have children...and it is not working.

And guess whose population is surging now and is expected to surge dramatically in the next few generations? Muslims. And guess where they will go and are going now while their failed countries offer them nothing? Europe. How do you think Ancient Rome and Greece fell? Read the history and you see the reference to barren fields and empty homes as well as a a people more pre-occupied with materialsm then creating the next generation. And when populations decline, someone else moves in and takes over. This is why Rome and Greece fell.

An emphasis on homosexual rights and/or reproductive rights such as condoms and abortions might sound fine to you individually as a libertinist, but it would be the death of our people and all those who share the more general convictions of you and I.

Thankfully American Christians continue to have good sized families, staving off the demographic and economic disaster facing Europe. This is no joke. We must have babies. And the best way to have children is through marriage. All the sexual experimenation, condoms, revolving relationships, etc that people go through later and later in their life is sad for them and horrible for society. We need to embrace the foundations of healthy societies, and that is monogamous marriage and reproduction in marriage. Forget the individual. To avoid, for example, Catholic Church teachings might create some temporary happiness for individuals, particularly those pre-occupied with their own desires, but it will lead to the death of the civilization.

People often hate the Bible because it often depicts future generations suffering for the failings of previous generations. It is awful and frightening. But it is also reality. Our decisions have consequences that extend beyound ourselves. Our failings set the stage for future suffering. Europe's sexual liberation has endangered the future of themselves and the west as a whole. The embrace of libertinist individualism and moral relativism might make a lot of people comfortable at the moment, but it is a faustian bargain. And the devil is coming for his due.

I have heard it say that German and French will one day be spoken only in hell. The day may come sooner than we think. And homosexuality, gay marriage, abortion, contraception, etc. only invite civiizational decline. What our society needs is a re-affirmmation of traditional marriage and traditional values. Sorry but gay marriage offers us nothing. It only piles on to our problems.

[keith warren]

let those without sin cast the first stone. jesus would be out there supporting equality and encouraging the oppressed to stand up against the hateful and narrowminded. that is what jesus did. anything else is coming from a place of fear and superstition. you people are hypocrites and are not christian in any way save it is what you happen to call yourselves. you are pharisees, you are moses' pharaoh, you are the true heretics and if we are going to hell, which i doubt, we will see all of you there.

[Tyler]

Keith wrote:

let those without sin cast the first stone. jesus would be out there supporting equality and encouraging the oppressed to stand up against the hateful and narrowminded. that is what jesus did. anything else is coming from a place of fear and superstition. you people are hypocrites and are not christian in any way save it is what you happen to call yourselves. you are pharisees, you are moses' pharaoh, you are the true heretics and if we are going to hell, which i doubt, we will see all of you there.

*******************

Wow, what a toss of the boulder that was, dude! Way to turn your own argument on yourselves.

Continuing along that thread...I hear all the time, "Why don't you just leave us alone? Why don't you just go about your lives and not bother us?" Well, I turn the table now - why don't you just leave marriage alone? Why try to redefine society so that what YOU believe is the norm? I mean, after all, is it really anything other than a power struggle for homosexuals seeking acceptance in this world that does not agree with their sexual orientation?

All this talk about starting a lawsuit, etc. - mekes me wonder if you all realize that putting this up to a vote by the people will really burst your bubble? After all, if it IS so socially acceptable, then by all means let the people vote! Why limit yourself to a ruling by a judge (who may soon be fired for legalizing homosexual marriage) when you can have the support of the voters at the ballot box? Hurry! Waste no time! Start teaching kindergartners that homosexual marriage is OK! Oh, wait, you've already done that. Start educating junior high schoolers on the merits of fisting and mutual masturbation! Wait, you've already done that too. Start putting books in our children's libraries that teach them that sometimes women fall in love with, and marry, women, and the same for men! Wait, no, you've done that one, too. I know! Get PBS to do a special on a couple from Vermont that does maple sugaring, and JUST HAPPENS to be a lesbian couple! Right, right, I saw that one already.

Well, keep trying! I know that the parents of this state just can't wait to have their kids educated by the GLSEN in our schools, because if you can "educate" the children that homosexuality is OK, then eventually they'll believe that it really is natural and intended by God!

Stop throwing stones in glass houses, that's my 2 cents.

[Kayla]

I'm a 45 year old mother of two. I am a lesbian. I have two children, a son who is 25 and a very dedicated father and husband to his beautiful wife and daughter. I have a daughter who is a Senior in high school and will be starting college next fall. She is on the National Honor Roll, as well as the National Who's Who for academics and for sports. She wants to teach history to high school students. My children love my partner and I as we love them, unconditionally.
I was hit head on 14 years ago by a drunk driver and I live life from a wheel chair. My body is aging faster than a body should. Arthritis and degenerative disk disease have taken over my spine which is held in place by rods, pins, and wires.
We have lived a good life. We pay taxes, we both work, though my health has caused me to stop. We honestly do not need societies affirmation. We are affirmed by our love for one another, and by the love our children have for us, just as they are affirmed by the love we have for them.
I know that as I age my physical condition is not going to improve. Chances are I will pass on before my beloved wife. A blessing actually for me. A curse for her she would tell you. If someone from a family that long ago abandoned me (which had nothing to do with my being a gay woman) decided to come out of the woodwork while I lay on my death bed, without marital rights, they could keep my beloved from holding my hand, and looking into my eyes, and offering comfort to me as I take my last breath.
You may think the odds of this happening rare, but I know better as when my mother passed, they,(some being her own children) had not seen her in 20 years, yet, they came out of nowhere, looking to see what was there for them.
I ask you, what horrible end would come to "society," what terrible destruction of the "institution of marriage" would take place because I die with my loved ones surrounding me?
I don't wish to destroy the principles and concepts of marriage, I wish to affirm them. I wish to keep them sacred as I live my life out with only one person, my wife.
You may mask this drive as you wish, but you know that it really comes from a place of darkness. Please, don't be afraid to stand in the light and love one another as Christ also loved you.
God does not make mistakes, and each one of us breaths because He gave us life.

[Kelly Clark]

Hey, I blogged your free service:

http://pewlady.blogspot.com/2005/10/and-speaking-o-neighbors.html

[Richard Gregoire]

Some of the advocates of "equality" appear intent upon highlighting the misdeeds of their pro-marriage adversaries while turning their backs on the "strategies" that paved the way for the Goodridge Decision.
I was at the Constitutional Convention in July of 2002 and witnessed Senate President Tom Birmingham gavel the convention open and immediately make a motion to close the convention without even discussing the marriage amendment that 130,000 citizens of the Commmonwealth had signed. FYI... The SJC subsequently ruled that Tom Birmingham's action violated the Constitution, however Gov. Swift failed to call the Legislature back into session as the SJC suggested.
Talk about removing the last barrier for Marg Marshall and the SJC to pave the way for their November 2003 travesty...
What about Marg Marshall's appearance at the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Bar Assoc fundraiser in May of 1999, a gala also attended by none other than ....Mary Bonauto. During her address to the faithful, Marg pledged her committment to furthering the cause of "equality", among other things. Can you say "conflict of interest" and violation of Canon ethics 1, 2,and 3"?
But then, I guess the ends justifies the means, right?
Let's not even mention the Massachusetts State Constitution Chapter 3 "Judiciary Power" Article 5 "All causes of marriage,divorce, and alimony, and all appeals from judges of probate shall beheard and determined by the governor and council, until the legislature shall, by law, make other provision". I think the SJC chose to ignore that one a bit.
As far as the denial of civil rights argument goes, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that there are three guidelines that needed to be met in order for protected status to apply. #1 Economic deprivation; #2 Political powerlessness; and #3 Immutable Characteristics.
Since the mean income of gays in this state is $90,000, scratch #1.
Political powerlessness...enough said, scrath #2.
Immutable characteristics ...many gay activist are trying to convince us that this is true, but try telling that to the growing number of ex-gays who have left the lifestyle behind. Scratch#3.
The fact is that the law makes distinctions daily ie. alegally blind person can't get a driver's license, and that is for the safety and protection of the society..."promoting the public welfare".
I would submit that the public welfare is not promoted by forcing a redefinition of marriage upon an entire state that tries to convince the citizenry that opposite sex parents are no longer necessary for the proper growth and development of the children being raised in those families.The social science data overwhelmingly supports the traditional family , to the dismay of some.
Not a very good foundation to build the new definition of marriage on, I'd say.