In Today's Post Town Hall Meeting to Announce New Website Governor Deval Patrick Tells Bloggers,
"We Can Win To Defeat Marriage Amendment on Merits"
Saturday, March 24th Boston Latin School Governor Deval Patrick launched his new non-partisan yet "political" website DevalPatrick.com in an effort to re-engage Massachusetts citizens in specific issues that are important to them. The website organizes activists and individuals in communities of thought in order to better allow the voters of Massachusetts to communicate with the governor and as Patrick said, "for the Governor to communicate with you."
But Governor Patrick also issued a word of sage advice to the hundreds of supporters at the meeting...in what could be described as "marching orders," Patrick told us, "If you want changes, COME AND GET THEM!" This is the Governor's new order of civic engagement--we are being told to "share the responsibility" and it is up to us to engage our Senators and Representatives one-on-one in order to "help him govern."
After the town hall meeting a small group of bloggers were brought to a room for a direct personal session with the governor. Governor Patrick in response to a question posed Michael Ball at MassMarrier Blog, about what is being done to stop the hateful anti-same-sex marriage petition and what if anything is being done to clean up the petition process and protect it from fraud ( such as was purpetrated by VoteOnMarriage), Deval Patrick spoke directly. Governor Patrick said that he has been working in a strategy with the legislature to defeat this amendment on its merits. And he believes that we "will have the votes" to kill it at the May Constitutional Convention.
Why has this been so hush, hush in the press releases and emails coming from our "gay leadership?" A Governor getting involved in behind the scenes work to influence the legislature on the gay marriage amendment is NOT shocking. Mitt Romney had his cronie, the Chairman of the Mass Repubs, Darrell Crate, going door to door in 2004 offering incentives for voting for the worst of the amendments. Why is it that still, LGBT cannot be open and forthright when we talk about our Equality?
Thank you Governor Patrick for telling us that you openly stand behind us in our fight to remain equal citizens in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts! And thank you for telling us that you are working actively on Equal Marriage. And I will borrow other words of yours that I heard you speak today, because I know them to apply directly to the LGBT Community and the KnowThyNeighbor Community.
"IT IS YOUR GOVERNMENT, YOUR CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY AND YOUR MOMENT IN TIME!" and if I may add just one thing, LGBT need to heed these words and speak out without shame, without fear and for what you know is right. Like Governor Patrick.
Tom Lang, Director