myself, I don't care one way or the other. I'm apathetic. If they get it fine and if they don't I still dont really care

I'm watching the whole thing as a historical progression. It's gonna happen. just not as soon as some wish and sooner than others would like

As I've said before, they are going about it all wrong. Even here in the threads. If people oppose you on something, DON'T get all militant and in your face over it. Be charming and pursuasive and win people over.

All these insults and combativeness just alienates and stiffens the resolve of the those opposed to it and will make it take longer than necessary

"The people" are often wrong.

Kinda of funny how things turn out when you actually let people vote on issues instead of steam rolling them over us.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091104/ts_nm/us_gaymarriage_maine_4


PORTLAND, Maine (Reuters) – Voters in Maine on Tuesday overturned a law allowing same-sex couples to wed, dealing a fresh setback to the U.S. gay marriage movement in a race that attracted national attention.

The law was approved by Maine's Legislature in May but was not implemented after opponents gathered enough signatures to put the issue to a "people's veto."

With 87 percent of precincts reporting, votes to reject the law were running at 52.75 percent to 47.25 percent, according to unofficial tallies from the Bangor Daily News.

Frank Schubert, chief organizer of the "Yes on 1" campaign to reject same-sex marriage in the state, claimed victory early on Wednesday, although his opponents refused to concede.

Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont are the only U.S. states where a same-sex marriage law is on the books. In each instance, the laws were approved by legislatures and judges, not by popular vote.

Citizens in some 30 states before Maine voted against same-sex marriages.

The referendum in sparsely populated Maine was thrust onto the national stage, attracting large levels of funding and battle-hardened strategists.

The outcome is "further evidence that although voters have shown tolerance toward same sex couples, they draw the line at marriage," said Jeff Flint, a partner with Schubert Flint Public Affairs in Sacramento, who worked on California's "Yes on 8" campaign in 2008. "They feel marriage is different."

Groups in favor of traditional marriage prevailed in Maine even though they were outspent two-to-one by the "No on 1" groups, Flint said.

The push to repeal got powerful help from Portland's Catholic Bishop Richard Malone, who spoke out repeatedly against the legalization of same-sex marriage. About 37 percent of Maine's population is Roman Catholic.

STATE OF THE UNIONS

Several U.S. states have statutes sanctioning various kinds of civil unions for same-sex couples.

But those do not carry many of the same legal protections as actual marriages, such as the ability to share healthcare benefits with a partner, or inheritance rights.

"There were real inequalities in terms of Maine's statutes. Civil unions did not equal civil marriages," Maine Governor John Baldacci, a Democrat, said on local television of his decision to support the gay marriage law.

Maine's initiative was closely followed after California's bitter same-sex marriage fight in 2008. Proposition 8 upended a state Supreme Court ruling that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.

Some of the best known national gay and lesbian rights groups would like to wait and watch before attempting to turn back Proposition 8.

But John Henning, executive director of the group Love Honor Cherish in Los Angeles said Maine's vote was likely to catalyze grass-roots action in several states.

"It will light a fire under activists and be a reminder that we all had our right to marry taken away in California," he said.

Indeed!!!

This is why we are NOT, i repeat are NOT, NOR HAVE EVERY BEEN, a democracy.

The heart of our constitution, in it's purist form, explain the right of "life, liberty, AND the persuit of happiness."

This means:

The state should treat everyone equally.

This means:

There should have never been a popular vote on a civil liberties issue.

This also means:

The state cannot force clergy to do anything, to include marrying people if it so chooses.




Why in the F&%$ are our founding princibles so hard to follow?

Why do people feel the need to dictate others?

Wake up america, "Wake up and smell the ashes."

"The state should treat everyone equally."

Yes. And marriage is a goverment institution therefore ultimately they have to let gay people marry if they are to treat people equally.



"The state cannot force clergy to do anything, to include marrying people if it so chooses."



The state is not forcing clergy to do anything. Marriage is administered by the goverment. That is why you have to file a marriage liscense with the goverment,and you have to get a divorce through the goverment. Not the church.

Every time this subject comes up, I think people just plain lose their minds a bit, and can't see the forest for the trees. These new "laws" are nothing but a waste of ink that I don't want to pay for.

FACT: Everyone ALREADY HAS THE SAME RIGHTS, gays included.
Any man of legal age can marry a woman of legal age.
Any woman of legal age can marry a man of legal age.
No men can marry men.
No women can marry women.

WHERE IN ANY OF THAT DO YOU SEE DIFFERENT RULES OF ANY KIND FOR GAYS??????

I have to live by the same rules they do, and so do the rest of us.

As far as all the lies about how they need this marriage BS to "GET STUFF" (whole thing revolves around being lazy, greedy, irrational, and seriously bullying attention whores), all they need to do is go to an attorney and draft up the appropriate paper work. So many people are using prenupts these days, there really isn't any difference. Have these people never heard of partnership contracts, living wills etc? Whole thing just makes them look like morons if they think they need to try to bully the whole country like they are instead of using what is ALREADY READILY AVAILABLE TO THEM THE SAME AS EVERYONE ELSE.

Every time this subject comes up, I think people just plain lose their minds a bit, and can't see the forest for the trees. These new "laws" are nothing but a waste of ink that I don't want to pay for.

FACT: Everyone ALREADY HAS THE SAME RIGHTS, gays included.
Any man of legal age can marry a woman of legal age.
Any woman of legal age can marry a man of legal age.
No men can marry men.
No women can marry women.

WHERE IN ANY OF THAT DO YOU SEE DIFFERENT RULES OF ANY KIND FOR GAYS??????

I have to live by the same rules they do, and so do the rest of us.

As far as all the lies about how they need this marriage BS to "GET STUFF" (whole thing revolves around being lazy, greedy, irrational, and seriously bullying attention whores), all they need to do is go to an attorney and draft up the appropriate paper work. So many people are using prenupts these days, there really isn't any difference. Have these people never heard of partnership contracts, living wills etc? Whole thing just makes them look like morons if they think they need to try to bully the whole country like they are instead of using what is ALREADY READILY AVAILABLE TO THEM THE SAME AS EVERYONE ELSE.