Rep. Bradford Hill of the 4th Essex District Has No Problem with Gay Marriage and most recently KnowThyNeighbor has been made aware that the longterm Republican Representative from Ipswich Is Even a Proponent of Fisting, well actually "Double Fisting." So shouldn't the Repeal of the Discriminatory 1913 Law that is before the Massachusetts House Be A Slide Into, ehem, Home Plate For Him?
**Important to Note, The below video of Rep. Brad Hill explaining the techniques of "double fisting" (in his own words) as a description of food service was published on YouTube.com by the Tri-Town Transcript of Boxford and then removed by Tri-Town Editor, David Rogers. When KnowThyNeighbor asked Mr. Rogers many times and suggesting different scenarios as to why he chose to remove this video after we posted it, Rogers answered each time, "I had it removed" and refused to give an explanation. Earlier today after having a lengthy conversation with Rep. Hill, I have concluded that the Tri-Town Transcript's removal of this published and recorded interview of an elected official throws this particular blog post out of context and gives no evidence of the intended parody of this blog post. KnowThyNeighbor wants to make it perfectly clear that with regards to fisting and double fisting that at no time did we define, intend or suggest to define either term and believed that the originally published video by the Tri-Town Transcript would clearly allow viewers and readers to conclude the use of parody here and judge for themselves Rep Hill's definition. KnowThyNeighbor is working to re-publish the video which the Tri-Town Transcript removed.
Not according to the Gloucester Times Article from last Tuesday. Rep. Brad Hill is undecided about the repeal of the infamous 1913 law which had been resurrected in 2004 by then Governor Mitt Romney to stop same sex couples from marrying here if their home state banned their unions. Hill went on record to say that he is concerned about what the repeal of the Massachusetts law would do to the laws in other states. This is a sharp contrast to Hill's colleagues in the House, Ted Speliotis (D-Danvers), Lori Ehrlich (D-Marblehead), John Keenan (D-Salem) whose views in favor of this repeal regarded it as "symbolic," important for Massachusetts to wipe of the books and the next step to continue our Commonwealth's leadership on the issue of equal marriage rights.
Rep. Brad Hill did say that he was "uneasy about the law, which was put in place for 'discrimination purposes.'" I hope that Rep. Hill understands that the 1913 Law was indeed put in place for "discrimination purposes" back in 1913 when it was used against African-Americans BUT AGAIN in 2004 when it was used for "discrimination purposes" against same-sex couples who hoped to come to Massachusetts not just to marry but to take part, for the first time, in what it means to be "equal" citizens of the United States of America.
KnowThyNeighbor hopes that Rep. Brad Hill will learn from his own self-proclaimed mastery of "double fisting" and see the irony in the analogy here. Rep Hill, you clenched your teeth and took deep breaths during the fight for equal marriage here in Massachusetts, possibly expecting it to hurt alot, but it didn't. As a matter of fact, it helped our Commonwealth. Now you have the chance to do it again with the repeal of the discriminatory 1913 Law -- the second time is always easier.
The vote to Repeal the 1913 Law passed the Senate and should be before the House this week.
Tom Lang, Co-Director