Good morning, kiddies! Pardon me for busting in like this. But, you see, I have a spot of good news on the Maine marriage-equality front. (Pardon me if this has already been diaried. If it has, I apologize...and shall delete all those other diaries forthwith so as not to clutter the blog with redundancy.)
You see, last May, after a lengthy and wide-open debate between Maine's citizenry and its elected officials, the state House and Senate handily passed a bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry here. One hour later the governor---a devout Roman Catholic of the highest integrity---signed it into law. The Catholic church didn’t like this, so they hired a professional petition-churner-outer firm from out-of-state (Michigan) to gather signatures for a "citizens veto," which is currently on our November 3rd ballot as "Question 1."
A "Yes" vote repeals the law. A "No" vote rejects the veto and keeps the law in place and the entire nation goes nuts with happiness. It would be the first time in U.S. history that citizens of a state gave the green light to same-sex marriage.
So ANYWAY.........
The people hired to overturn this law---the same outfit that got proposition 8 passed in California last year---threw all their eggs into one basket. It's the same basket they used in California:
"If Question 1 fails, 'homosexual marriage' will be taught to children in our classrooms!!!"
They're running two ads now: this one and this one. The lady in the first ad says the referendum "has everything to do with schools!" The guy in the second ad says, "Vote Yes on 1 to keep homosexual marriage from being pushed on Maine students!"
Well, well, well. This morning, Mainers are waking up to find that the state Attorney General has popped their bubble.
[Clears throat, opens window and reads at top of lungs:]
Maine Attorney General Janet Mills says Maine's new gay marriage law is not related to the state's public school curricula. Mills examined language in LD 1020 at the request of Maine Education Commissioner Susan Gendron, who said parents were questioning public school superintendents about how the law might affect what's taught in public schools. [...] Mills says local school boards in Maine have the final say on what material is allowed to be used in local schools, and the law won't change that.
The money quote:
"I have scoured Maine laws relating to the education of its children for any references to marriage in the public school curricula. I have found none," Mills says today in a letter to Gendron.
Now, Maine ain't California. We're 1.3 million people and they're 37 million. News travels fast here and people talk about what they see above-the fold---again, I say, above the fold---in their local papers. So this is really, for the opposition, a big hit at a really bad time. Like, 18 days before the election.
The liars have just been dragged out into the public square and---unequivocally and as a result of their own actions---been exposed as liars. And if it's one thing we don’t particularly care for here, it's (hat tip to Al Franken) LIES and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them.
[CRACK! Ka-BOOM!!!]
Oh, but it gets better. The 'Yes on 1' campaign's director responded to the Attorney General's statement by using the Sarah Palin dodge: We'll have to get back to ya on that. Yeah, sure, whatever. You'd think they'd already have their response in the can and ready for release. After all, surely they pulled their documentation together before they made their charges and based their entire campaign around them, right? I guess when you pull your rebuttal out of your ass it needs time to dry overnight before you can send it through the fax machine.
What an opportunity this is for the 'No on 1' campaign. Let's pour it on. Let's bury these liars on November 3rd and make a little history:
If you're a Mainer, you can vote early by going to your city or town hall. Or, request a ballot by mail here. "No on 1" checks the voting records daily and removes from their call lists those who have already voted. Voting early is a big help to them.
If you live in or outside of Maine, you can phonebank from home and secure commitments from voters to get their ballots in early, or at least get them circle November 3 on their calendars in bright red ink.
If you live in the northeast, please check out the innovative Drive for Equality site, where you can arrange to join carpools---as driver or passenger---to come help out for a day, a weekend, or longer.
And, of course, your donations can always be put to good use knocking down the other side's bullshit.
I remember when this referendum effort got started. How the newspaper editorial boards and the organizers from both sides of the issue insisted that this must be a "civil campaign." Don’t shout. Play fair. Be reasonable. Let's all be nice and respect each other's views. And...tell the truth.
Today Mainers woke up to discover that the drivers of this referendum have been violating that oath with lies and fear since the beginning. My fondest hope is that today's revelations irreparably damage the reputations of everyone in the upper echelons of the 'Yes on 1' campaign. No one deserves it more.
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UPDATE: OMG!!! Rec List??? WOW!!! I hate you! I hate you! How DARE you rec this!!! I've never been so angry in my life!!!!!! OMG!!!
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UPDATE 2: Watch this, Watch this, Watch this!
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