Maine to Vote on Repealing Gay Rights Law

[Douglas Carpenter]

here is the link to the full article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050729/ap_on_re_us/maine_gay_rights

"By GLENN ADAMS, Associated Press Writer
Thu Jul 28, 8:07 PM ET

AUGUSTA, Maine - Voters will decide in November whether to repeal Maine's newly enacted gay rights law, the state's chief elections officer said Thursday after qualifying the measure for the ballot"

snip: "As passed by the Legislature earlier this year, the law would protect people from discrimination in employment, housing, education, public accommodations and credit based on their sexual orientation. Twice before, Maine voters have rejected similar legislation."

snip: ""We all knew this was going to happen," said Jesse Connolly, operations director for Maine Won't Discriminate. Connolly said his group has been organizing for the vote since late last year, and is now actively canvassing voters, organizing fund-raising and building alliances."

to help fight this effort by the rightwing extremist--see this website:

http://www.MaineWontDiscriminate.com/

[niallmac]

1. I thought love conquered all. Looks like hate is unstoppable. n/t

[Teaser]

3. Of course hate is unstoppable.

That's why we need to learn to hate our enemies more intensely than they hate everything good.

[mknmehappy]

9. ?What???

[redqueen]

14. Hi mknmehappy...

welcome to DU. :hi:

[AndyTiedye]

10. No Time to Hate

That's why we need to learn to hate our enemies more intensely than they hate everything good.

I don't think most of us are capable of that much hate -- and that is a good thing.
That's why their mindfuck doesn't work on us.

What we need to do
is allow everybody to see
how mindbogglingly silly it is
to hate people because of who they are, who they love, or where they live.

[bushisanidiot]

2. The Repukes are clearly the party of "HATE they neighbor"

such hypocrites.

how can they show their faces at church?

[Liberal Veteran]

4. Can't stop fighting....but man, I am getting so weary.

I wonder if how I am feeling is how Jews in Germany felt before the camps opened up?

[Solly Mack]

5. And yet the haters call this a "special" right

"the law would protect people from discrimination in employment, housing, education, public accommodations and credit based on their sexual orientation"

It's the exact same right the haters enjoy....but they call it "special rights"


Which tells me they know they're a pack of liars.

[msongs]

6. let's repeal of christian rights law? republican rights?

those groups have caused far more misery than gay rights.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-rights.htm

PS - the whole anti gay thing is based on religious views, so is it not true that being anti gay is a violation of glbt peoples' religious rights as well?

[MaineDem]

7. "They" protray this as a step to gay marriage

The Christian Civic League (which is actually neither) is touting this as a way for "the left wing wackos" to get gay marriage legalized. Actually, this law specificially stated that this does not address the issue of marriage at all. It's a simple equal rights thing.

The Maine Democratic Party is working with Maine Won't Discriminate to fight this and to keep this law.

[xchrom]

8. sigh -- this all gets soo tired.

[Romulus]

11. tell me about it

we have the same type of loonies here in MD trying to repeal the just-passed expansion of the violent crime enhancement law . . .:eyes:

[booksenkatz]

12. Basic human rights should NEVER be put up for a vote.

Treating people with decency, and as the equals that they are, even if you disagree with their choices or lifestyles or anything else that doesn't impact you and is none of your damned business... geez, that's already covered in the Declaration of Independence:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

That's it. Period. Why is this being put up for a vote?

Oh, because of haters. I see.

[MaineDem]

13. We would never have had the Civic Rights Act if it had gone to a vote

I hate that some Mainers have brought us to this - again.

I think we have a very good shot at defeating the repeal.

[Laughing Mirror]

17. That is certainly true about Civil Rights Act

Polls conducted at the time around the country bear that out. People were so accustomed to living under an apartheid system so entrenched in the society that it seemed perfectly normal to a lot them, the majority who were against civil rights for all.

It was an international embarrassment that triumphant post-war United States, leader of the free world, was so profoundly racist a country. If a magic wand could not be waved over the country and make it go away, at least laws could be enacted and put them on the books to force positive change. If the US was to maintain its international standing, the laws simply had to be changed. That was then, but there is a lesson in that for us today, as well.

Good luck, Maine Dem. I hope you defeat this ignorance and fear too.

[Laughing Mirror]

16. A vote to repeal rights, at that

Rather than a vote to expand them.

The country of Switzerland, pop. 7.4 million, is the only country to have put same sex partnerships to a vote, on June 5 of this year. Of the 1.6 million who turned out, a little more than 58% voted yes, yes on almost equal rights, that is: everything the same as straight couples except adoption and fertility treatments.

Maine voters have already voted twice against gay rights. Maybe if they get educated about what the meaning of civil rights is, and if they'll look around at their neighbor Canada, and at Massachusetts, Belgium, Holland, Spain, and even Switzerland and realize the sky hasn't fallen, they'll change their tune this time.

I salute everybody in Maine who is working hard to change this vote this time.

[reprobate]

15. Has anyone noticed that picking groups to blame and hate.......

....is the same with the repugs that it was with the National Socialists?

I'll say it once more: There is no difference between the republicans and the nazis. And there is no difference between George and Adolph,