We’ve come a long way, baby! Over the past decade, and particularly over the last couple of years, public opinion polls have increasingly found a majority of people in support of marriage equality. But nothing says, “the bigots will lose,” like this:
Dick Cheney is quietly lobbying at least one Maryland state lawmaker to back marriage equality, the Baltimore Sun reported on Thursday. Since leaving the vice president’s office, Cheney has been increasingly vocal in his support for same-sex marriage, but the extent of his engagement on the issue was not previously well known.
The man without a heartbeat finds his heart. Cheney’s change of heart (no pun intended) is, no doubt, about his daughter Mary Cheney.
In New Jersey, a marriage equality bill passed the New Jersey Assembly yesterday, and was sent to Gov. Chris Christie today. Christie has vowed to veto the bill.
Democrats who identified same-sex marriage as their No. 1 priority for the two-year legislative session that began in January have adopted a more long-term view. […]
…[T]hey plan to bide their time in hopes that support for gay marriage — 52 percent for gay marriage, 42 against it, in New Jersey, according to one recent voter poll — will continue to grow.
“We do have two years,” said Reed Gusciora, a Trenton Democrat who sponsored the bill in the Assembly and who is one of two openly gay state lawmakers. “We changed a lot of views in the last couple of weeks. Give us two years and we’re going to change a heck of a lot more.”
Here in Washington state, opponents of our new marriage equality bill have launched a campaign to collect 120,577 valid signatures to get Referendum on the ballot. If they succeed, the law will be put “on hold” so that voters can approve or reject it.
The new referendum drive is not unlike the 2009 signature drive that resulted in R-71, asking voters to approve or reject the state’s domestic partner registration law. The signature drive was successful, and voters ended up supported the “all but marriage” law by a healthy 53% to 47% margin.
There is one big difference between the 2009 signature drive and the current effort: we now know that petitions are public documents. That is, if you sign a petition to put a referendum on the ballot, you cannot hide the fact. The Supreme Court says so.
Just yesterday, a searchable database of those who signed R-71 went live at whosigned.org. You can search by names, streets, cities, zip codes, etc. One justification for the page is to assist in spotting fraud. Did someone sign a petition in your name? Go find out.
The other reason for putting the name on-line is so that you can learn about the bigots in your neighborhood. Got acquaintances who are closet homophobes? Check out whosigned.org.
Want to know who to NOT invite to your next Christmas party? Check out whosigned.org.
I looked up who signed from Redmond. I didn’t sign it. Few of the people in my immediate neighborhood signed. I couldn’t find any friends or acquaintances who signed it. Unsurprisingly, Redmond’s famous bigot, Ken Hutcherson, did sign—as did his wife Patricia and daughter Avery.
So…folks who sign petitions to put Washington’s marriage equality law on the ballot should know: we will know you signed. You won’t have to make crude fagot jokes for us to know you are a bigot. Your signature on that petition accomplishes the same thing.
We will put your name and address in an open, searchable web page.
We will encourage your friends, neighbors, and acquaintances to learn that you signed.
We WILL express our disappointment in you and our disapproval of your ignorance and bigotry.
And we will (when we can, legally) discriminate against you.
I’m not talking violence…I’m talking about stigmata: loss of reputation, public humiliation, and withdrawal of personal and social support.
You’ve been warned.
I’m not listed erroneously on the whosigned.org. I apparently don’t have ANY friends or acquaintances who are conservative enough to sign. I checked a few and didn’t find them. Cool.
Heck there were only 60 names who signed in my whole Zip Code.
I determined “I” didn’t sign and I just forwarded the link to my email list.
On the way, I ID’d some folks I know who’ll be dealt with…
Thanks for the heads up.
Darn, I looked to see if my Dear Ms. Wingnut signed, but I can’t get the search engine or filter to do anything.
Hmmm…so my bible thumping, evolution is a theory, Hutch following brother-in-law signed. Hope you get a paying job soon instead of being broke trying to be an “entrepreneur” and not wanting to work for a boss in this land of opportunity because that car insurance, rent subsidy and everything else we pay for…well times are tough and we all need to sacrifice something.
Wow. A lot know-nothing bigots from northeast of Tacoma signed…
Heh. This is very kewl however I’m sure the bigots will have their revenge with folks who supported stuff like mj initiatives.
You never know where stuff like this will lead.
Don’t sign initiatives unless you truly have the courage of your convictions.
@4 If the roles were reversed, your brother would have stopped subsidizing you if you signed a petition FOR gay marriage?
@6
He could always apply for the Gub’ment assistance he’s entitled to receive but then he’d have to admit that Randian political theory is childish.
When the time comes that I don’t have a pot to piss in and I need to suck off a family member’s teat for 5+ years, maybe we’ll find out. But do I need to keep him from moving back in with his folks…nope.
Christie’s vetoed it. But, he’s done it without much rancor, hasn’t done any bible thumping, and has said that he wants to see a state wide vote on it. So, while I do disagree with Christie on gay marriage, I’m OK with how he’s handled it.
Well, my bible toting relations in Eastern WA didn’t sign R-71, but one of my fairly liberal relatives from Kirkland did.
ahhhh yes, voter intimidation, progressive style.
nice.
and no, I didnt sign the last petition and wont sign the new one, because I just dont give a fuck about the issue as a whole – just kinda sickens me that we have come to this level.
I wonder how much the progressives will scream when the tables are turned, and in these types of deals, the tables always get turned eventually.
and for what its worth, I hope that the first person who uses this list to intimidate another citizen or harrass them, gets shot and killed.
just sayin.
@10
Looove that my relations bucked the trend with the relation in Kirkland signing up and the bible toters in Eastern WA not signing.
I’m assuming the list that they’ve posted is folks that were verified by the SOS. If that’s the case then making a searchable database for alleged fraud is a little dubious and creepy.
When are they gonna publish the list off all the pot smokers that signed the make weed legal petition?
Are you all gonna cry when that list is used against them for hiring purposes? or for acceptance into college purposes? or for housing purposes? or so the cops can use the database to see who smokes the ganja?
yep..cant wait to see the tables turned…you reap what you sow, bitches…
@10. ahhhh yes, voter intimidation, progressive style.
You know what I get from that? We have to defend ourselves and give back as good as we get, in the context they can understand.
You don’t stop a bully by continuing to turn the other cheek.
I would never condone violence, but if the opportunity arose, I would challenge my acquaintances fox bubble assumptions.
@12. I signed the various pot initiatives. I have never smoked pot but I want it legalized because I don’t think prohibition works. We tried it in the 1930s with alcohol and it failed.
@14
I hope you dont mind if someone sees your name on the list and decides not to give you job or rent you a house or (insert item here)…..
I really hope you dont mind…..cheers.
I guran-fucking-tee you, that this is just the begining…both the right nuts and left nuts will use this to intimidate people.
Hope fucktards like darwhyle are happy…
oh, and darwhyle, maybe its YOU, who should “be warned”…
PS..its always funny when geeks try to sound tough…
so in the context of this thread, it looks like you support intimidating people who dont vote the way you do…
you sound like a good ole fashioned communist to me.
If you decide to go out intimidating people because they vote different than you, then all I can say is that I hope you have your last will and testament already done.
@13 When I was in Vietnam, I didn’t have any philosophical qualms about defending myself, and it wouldn’t be any different if wingnuts tried to make good on their threats to execute liberals.
Of course, they never will. That’s just Little Boys Talking Big (TM).
Before we go praising that sociopath Cheney – just why the hell wasn’t he in New Jersey pressuring a Republican to sign a bill passed by the legislature there?
Why?
Because that would hurt Christie’s hopes with the wingnuts in 2016.
It’s all about power, not conviction.
And BTW, my zip (98119) only had 35 signatures! (including a couple of notorious wingnuts from the next block over who everyone around here points and laughs at)
21 pages worth of signatures in my zip code (98332).
30 pages in the other Gig Harbor zip code (98335).
Unless you run for public office I wont. And then I’ll only do it to keep someone out of office. People disagree on politics, so what?
the politics of intimidation….how very “progressive” of darwhyle and his bunch.
remember now, darwhyle(while he is “warning” us), is a state educator..
I wonder of the UW should be notified?
just curious how they would feel about one of their own threatening intimidation of voters on the intwarwebs…
@8 and 21, Michael:
The persons who would have voted whether to grant civil rights to black people were 70% against it. No one’s rights should be subject to the will of the majority.
Public shaming and accountability, Michael; particularly where you spend your money. This isn’t just politics. The bigots who signed should be held accountable — even if they have no shame and cannot be embarrassed.
Yeah it must really sicken you that the equal protection clause of the 14th ammendment is starting to be given some teeth by the courts.
And bigots are being held accountable.
Especially if it’s an mj or school class size initiative list. Right?
@25
doesnt matter what the subject is, handout-hernandez.
I think you started in on the tequila rather quickly today.
how is it that someone, YOU, who claims to be so damn smart and educated, has achieved so fucking little? Hell, you cant even wear the pants in your family – how f-ed is that? shit, you cant even get by without a little payola from Olympia….sad sad sad…
Supreme Court says ballot sigs are public documents dumbass. SCOTUS voted 8-1 on the issue.
It’s a right wing court.
26 LMAO! Never touch anything strong than wine.
YOU on the other hand DO..
And it shows.
@27
stupid idiot missed the point of the whole thread..LMFAO
what a marooon.
@28
sure you do…you got that same alky gene that yoru pops had..although I doubt you beat the shit out of your kids like he did.
29 – No you did. The SCOTUS says ballot sigs can be accessed by the public… by people on the right, left and everything in between.
Alcoholism is your thing fool. The brain damage from it is etched in everyone of your dumbass comments.
LMFAO….El Fool still misses the point of the discussion.
too….damn….funnee….
drink up, buttercup.
LMAO!! You’re right. I’ve never taken a hand to my kids – EVER..
Nope.. No behavior problems.. Good students, etc, etc..
And no my dad wasn’t a particularly harsh disciplinarian.
It’s really apparent that someone took a hand to you – a LOT..
and that shit explains why you’re so stupid.
If Im so stupid, how is that I am so much more successful than you?
LOL…and now here come the bleeder’s excuses..
I will leave you to jerk off by yourself on HA – Im going target shooting with my girls…
You’re stupid because you’re a racist.. Well racism is a REALLY big marker of stupidity – in my book anyway.
For example. Here you assume my dad is hispanic..
I just revealed that you’re wrong. My surname is NOT latino.. Dad was European in heritage.
Like the typical right winger not only do you put words in other people’s mouths, you like to put food into other people’s mouths as well – like tacos, burritos, tequila – why stop there? Watermelon has to be somewhere on the list for you.
You’re wrong all the time. It’s the sad affliction of a right winger.
Sure do feel bad for your kids.
34 – oops. wrong link..
Right one here.