55K Signatures Against Maine Marriage

I'm really amazed that we've come so far in such a relatively short time frame. It seems like just a few years ago no state would allow gay marriage, and now five or six of them do. I'm impressed by this. I can't speak for Maine, but any progress in gay rights in Arkansas will come strictly through federal policy. Which is just fine by me.

This is great news! Here in CA, we were able to overcome the lies in the ads opposing Prop 8, like that school curriculum wouldn't be affected even though our Sect'y of Education's website had the laws that showed it would. -- Good to see that voters in other states are moving in the right direction. Any info on how to donate to help them? Prop 8 passed even though we were outspent in total and out-of state $ the haters who opposed it more than doubled our supporters.

Lets reduce this issue down to just two people who live next to each other... Joe and Kevin. Joe can not go into Kevin's house, teach Kevin's family according to his beliefs, make Kevin follow along with his customs and norms. Likewise, Kevin can not come into Joe's house, teach joe;s family according to Kevin's beliefs and make Joe follow along with his customs and norms. So, why does either side want government to come in and do this? Don't see that if you are for gay marriage, or against it that you must protect the beliefs of the guy next to you, and he must protect yours in order to have a good civil society. The answer is not government, its teaching people good principles of Liberty for all, and leaving us alone to govern ourselves according to our own desires and wishes. VOTE FOR RON PAUL!!!!!

Brad Bailey, the tyranny is with the ultra minority. Gays rep less than 3% of the population, and are fraudulently using the courts and insidious gay activist authorities to overrule the 97% majority. That's tryanny on an epic scale. It's similar to Nazi Germany when Hitler and a few henchmen with a loyal activitst SS, oddly enough all totalling about 3% or less, overruled the German majority and enacted immoral laws to promote an immoral society! How very similar tyranny is, as man is basically good, so it's always the perversions of a few oppressing the man!!

The tyranny of the majority is just as alive and well in Maine as it is in Arkansas, I see.

Tom: "I say we start a petition to ban divorce." EXCELLENT IDEA! It isa good thing to fight the good fight against wrongs. Divorce is wrong, and all too easy! Take it even further and make it harder to get Married. Not only the standard of one man and one woman, but more so one man and one woman that are totally prepared and committed! But let's be clear as well, and that is that you can't justify one wrong, ie homosexuals incorrectly wanting to being "married", by saying it should be allowed because another wrong, ie divorce, exists! That's called false premise logic, and considered very stupid! Stupid does not build good public policy for sustainable society!

Now Comes The Majority!

I've been reading through most of the postings, and I have to say, that most of the voices here say it clearly, we need to take the church out of the equation! As a gay man in Portland, ME, with a partner for over 29 years, we'd like to marry. We'd like to marry at the state level, not on a religious plane. I know four people that were tricked into signing the patitions by being told that they were for the ruling! When the Atty General of Maine was asked about the missleading statments coming from the signature collectors, she said that the freedom of speech laws give them that right! I went to a very large public hearing in Augusta about this prior to the passing, and the crap that the opposition was spouting could have only been belived by IDIOTS! ( the one that got me was that it would leaglize child molestation!) There has to be a way to have the signatures that were collected, verified as to what the person was intending to sign.

It took something like 22 years to achieve basic civil rights protection for gays and lesbians in Maine. However, times change. I wouldn't be sure the fundamentalists in Maine will prevail in their referendum battle to repeal marriage equality. They may, but it's not certain.

The most important thing to do when combatting this is to remind the voters how this will affect THEM. That was why we lost here in California. We ran ads that said "we want equality." It's an abstract thing, and the voters also could say "That doesn't affect me." But then the Yes on 8 people came out with "This will affect YOU by....." and then spewed all the lies about teaching kids to about homosexuality in school, etc. We have to run ads that inform voters how they will be affected by this vote, and that is the only way we can win this. "All politics is local."