Great article today in the Rocky Mountain News today on the debate over a possible gay marriage bill, which is worth a read just because it is so funny. You'd think Republiucans would get together and, you know, discuss how they were going to talk about the issue before they began:
In the most bizarre event yet this session, a news conference Thursday included a hopping mad lawmaker, concerns of bestiality and the impact of same-sex marriage on school funding and prisons. Rep. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, called the news conference to explain his measure, which would let voters decide whether to amend the state constitution to limit marriage to unions of two people of the opposite sex.
The first hint that his news conference would be unusual came when Rep. Keith King, R-Colorado Springs, gave a rambling explanation on why he was a co-sponsor. King never discussed gays, but he stressed traditional marriage. "If we can do things that we can to support it, it will keep our prison systems from having problems. It will save us money in the school finance act in the way we fund at-risk issues," he said. "There are so many things that are tied together in the way we do state government and the spending of state government dollars based upon the fact of a marriage and how important it is, and how we raise children, keeping people out of prison." Lundberg was asked later if he understood what King was talking about. "No," he said. Another co-sponsor, Rep. Jim Welker, R-Loveland, said he feared for future legislation if the "Pandora's box" of same-sex marriage were opened. "Where do you draw the line?" he said. "A year and a half ago a lady in India married her dog." Welker was referring to the marriage of a 9-year-old girl who married a stray dog in 2003 as part of a ritual to ward off an evil spell. (State Rep. Angie) Paccione stopped, stunned. "Oh, for heaven's sake," she said. "Come, on Jim." "That is true. That's a fact," Welker said. Paccione exploded. "It's not the same to have somebody marry a dog than it is to have two loving people get married. Come on!" Welker said, "A guy in Boulder tried to marry his horse," referring to a rancher who facetiously asked to wed his horse in 1975 when Boulder briefly allowed same-sex marriage. The marriage was denied because the horse was only 8 years old. "Geesh! This is what we're talking about!" Paccione said. And the line of the day, which we really hope to see on a piece of mail sometime next year, from Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff: "We're talking about the budget, and they're talking about bestiality." Forget, for a moment, whatever your own opinions might be on gay marriage. What in the hell are the Republicans doing? This is exactly the kind of silliness that angered voters enough to vote Democrats into office in 2004. What's next? Gay marriage leads to animal marriage...which could eventually lead to an animal being married to a politician, say, a governor...which could then mean that, in the event of that politician's death, the animal would be acting governor? Animal Farm here we come! George Orwell is dancing in his grave!
"Getting Religion Reputlican Style"
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-chait1apr01,0,7729010.column
Posted by: Donald E. L. Johnson | April 01, 2005 at 12:15 PM
"After Terri Schiavo"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17377-2005Mar31.html
NYT Schiavo editorial:
http://nytimes.com/2005/04/01/opinion/01fri1.html
wsj.com' James Taranto gives the Tom DeLay point of view:
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111232101450295140,00.html?mod=opinion%5Fmain%5Fcommentaries
Peggy Noonan agrees with me that Sen. Clinton is the one to beat in '08:
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110006487&ojrss=wsj
Just some light reading for the end of a very sad week for so many people.
Posted by: Donald E. L. Johnson | April 01, 2005 at 12:23 PM
The republicans have to keep this song and dance up about the culture war or people might realize that Republicans could really careless about the issues we face in Colorado and kick them out of office (wait did that already happen). Romanoff hit it dead on, Democrats want to solve the problems in Colorado while Republicans just want to point fingers. Maybe if Lundberg spent as much time worrying about the regular folks in the state instead of giving birth control information to rape victims or comparing same sex marriage to bestiality then maybe the regular joe in this state would be better off.
Posted by: Bob | April 01, 2005 at 12:23 PM
The Republican line on gay marriage, based on this report, kind of reminds me of the great Bill Murray line from Ghostbusters: "Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria."
Posted by: Alfalfa | April 01, 2005 at 12:27 PM
Here are the impact graphs from Noonan, which make it clear that 18 to 20 million young voters will be so important in '08. I'm betting that these are the voters most turned off by the Christian Republican radicals' futile fight against gay marriage, which will come in the next generation, if not in this one.
Republicans--I have been among many--are now in the stage of the Hillary Conversation in which they are beginning to grouse about those who keep warning that Mrs. Clinton will be a formidable candidate for president in 2008. She won't be so tough, they say. America will never elect a woman like her, with such a sketchy history--financial scandals, political pardons, the whole mess that took place between 1980 and 2000.
I tell them they are wrong. First, it is good to be concerned about Mrs. Clinton, for she is coming down the pike. It is pointless to be afraid, but good to be concerned. Why? Because we live in a more or less 50-50 nation; because Mrs. Clinton is smarter than her husband and has become a better campaigner on the ground; because her warmth and humor seem less oily; because she has struck out a new rhetorically (though not legislatively) moderate course; because you don't play every card right the way she's been playing every card right the past five years unless you have real talent; because unlike her husband she has found it possible to grow more emotionally mature; because the presidency is the bright sharp focus of everything she does each day; because she is not going to get seriously dinged in the 2008 primaries but will likely face challengers who make her look even more moderate and stable; and because in 2008 we will have millions of 18- to 24-year-old voters who have no memory of her as the harridan of the East Wing and the nutty professor of HillaryCare.
The Hillary those young adults remember will be the senator--chuckling with a throaty chuckle, bantering amiably with Lindsey Graham, maternal and moderate and strong. Add to that this: Half the MSM will be for her, and the other half will be afraid of the half that is for her. (You think journalists are afraid of the right? Journalists are afraid of each other.) And on top of all that, It's time for a woman. Almost every young woman in America, every tough old suburban momma, every unmarried urban high-heel-wearing, briefcase-toting corporate lawyer will be saying it. They'll be working for, rooting for, giving to the woman.
I am of course exaggerating, but not by much.
Can a Republican beat her? Sure. She'll have to make mistakes, and she will. And he (it will be a he; it's not Condi, because the presidency is not an entry-level political office) will have to be someone who stands for big, serious and solidly conservative things, and really means it, which will mark a nice contrast with Mrs. Clinton, who believes only in herself. He will also have to be able to do the delicate dance of running against a woman without seeming scared, patronizing, nervous or macho. It isn't going to be easy. But it's doable.
Posted by: Donald E. L. Johnson | April 01, 2005 at 12:30 PM
i would have never voted for a democrat before, but i am so disgusted by the childish actions of republicans and the religious-right death grip on them that at the very least i'm going to vote for the third party candidate. this is nonsense, utter nonsense. we've elected children to the state house. i am embarrassed to be a republican in Colorado.
Posted by: Paul P | April 01, 2005 at 01:06 PM
So let me get this straight the Cowboy can't marry his horse in Boulder because the animal has to consent. So can KoKo the ape that does sign language marry a human because she can consent? My god Planet of the Apes wasn't made up after all! "You Damm Apes!"
Posted by: Dr. Doolittle | April 01, 2005 at 02:14 PM
From now on, I'll look to the Rocky's reports on our legislature for my entertainment. In his March 29th column, Ed Dentry reported that hunting and fishing activists -- and NRA life members -- want a better funded Division of Wildlife and developed a schedule of fee increases to accomplish that. After sending a letter opposing the bill these sportsmen worked on, the NRA lost members and a senate agriculture committee vote.
Read it and laugh at http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/recreation_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_85_3658085,00.html
Zealots with TEC-9s, terror suspects with 50-calibers for airplane target practice, and reckless gun dealers selling to traffickers and straw buyers seem to be the "sportsmen" the NRA represents -- not hunters and fishermen.
And then there are the kids who shoot up their schools.
I seem to have stopped laughing.
Posted by: lumberjack | April 01, 2005 at 03:22 PM
I think one of the core causes for the crazy people as elected officals is because gerrymandering prevents people from being removed from office in districts with party majority in the district. Unless you get a primary challenger loaded with cash, it is difficult to pry them out.
The worst result gay marriage result would be old crazy polygamist bestiality cat ladies who have married all 120 of their cats. And then which cat would get the house after she passes away, would they all agree to live together still?
Posted by: peterco | April 01, 2005 at 04:16 PM
Keith King is my representative on the house. Wow. He is even more of an idiot than I thought he was.
My face is hurting. I have not laughed like this in a really long time!
And I love how Donald is posting stuff COMPLETELY off topic for this. No offense man, it just makes me laugh.
There are some very important issues being ignored by the Republicans right now and I am glad that for Democrats the issue of same-sex marriage is a no brainer. You are either pro-civil rights or not.
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