Maine Defeat: The Lessons Learned

There are countless post mortem being done on the success of the anti-marriage equality in Maine this past Tuesday. There is blame being cast by some who are playing Monday morning quarterback while others are acknowledging that the pro-marriage equality forces overall ran a good campaign. One factor that is hard to counter is the toxic message and tactics of the Christianists. These false Christians demonstrate an unbelievable willingness to deliberately lie and fear monger in the most calculating manner. Truth means absolutely nothing to these people and it is difficult to compete with people who are basically amoral despite their self-congratulatory claims of religiosity. No lie is too big or too outrageous if our opponents believe that it will frighten the uninformed and ignorant. Lurking behind all of the lies is the added difficulty of conversing with those who have been religiously brainwashed and who are unwilling to listen to valid legal arguments or use any mental thought processes when confronted with the legitimate difference between the civil laws and religious belief. Jeremy Hooper at Good As You calls this the "faith issue" and describes it as follows:

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The faith question: Americans have MAJOR trouble disconnecting civil marriage from religious ceremony. It's nobody's fault, really. We're given the whole church, white dress, marry at the altar meme from birth. So many people never stop and think about the civil marriage license, other than in terms of it being a mere formality that they they have to do before their big day. And many who marry in a house of worship or via the voice of a person of faith never think about the millions of folks who marry without any religious component whatsoever. But Americans do understand church/state separation. In my opinion, the church-state issues, and the specific faith motivations of the opposition, have never been highlighted as effectively as they could be.
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One of the problems we face is the refusal of the Main stream media to get tough on the lies put out by the Christianist elements. Nowadays, too many reporters and anchors think that mindlessly parroting what our opponents say is legitimate reporting. God forbid that they ever ask for proof of statements made or focus on the fact that one set of religious beliefs are being given the force of law while other religious views are trampled and delegitimized - even though the U. S. Constitution guarantees religious freedom to ALL citizens. Or at least that's the spin the USA puts on it when self-congratulating itself and lecturing other nations.

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Personally, I believe we need to do more to highlight the religious based bigotry off the opponents of GLBT equality. Likewise we need to do more to debunk the "Christian nation" lie disseminated by our enemies. We also need to do more to run a stake through the heart of the myth that sexual orientation is a choice and the myth that sexual orientation can be changed. Were we to prevail on this issue, the Christianist lies about gays recruiting children would wither away. Medical and mental health experts support the untruth of these favored Christianist myths, yet again, the media refuses to flat out challenge and refute the lies we hear again and again on this front.

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I and others need to figure out how to challenge the lies and untruths of our opponents and exposes them for the liars and hypocrites that they are. We also need to find a way to hold the media's feet to the fire and revive investigative reporting and the willingness of media personnel to call liars for what they are regardless of how tightly the liars wrap themselves in the flag of religion.

Bigotry and the Infusion of Religion in the Civil Laws Prevail in Maine

Sadly, the hate merchants (some of whom are pictured at left) - led by NOM and the Roman Catholic Church - prevailed in Maine and we again see a slim majority taking away validly enacted civil rights of a minority group. One has to wonder when the birthers and Christianists will seek an initiative to take away the citizenship of non-white immigrants. What is most disgusting to me is that allowing gay marriage took nothing from these haters, but takes much away from same sex couples.

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The message of Proposition 8 and now Maine is that no minority is safe from the tyranny of a slim majority. It makes me physically sick and obviously any vacation that the boyfriend and I might have had in Maine has been nixed (I'm going to vent my views on the Maine tourism bureau later). I hope that GLBT travelers will avoid the state and make it known as to why they are doing so. Why travel to a place where one is obviously viewed as a second class citizen or worse. Perhaps the most sickening aspect is the role the Catholic Church played - largely to get attention off of the ongoing sex abuse settlements and trials that are still going on around the country and the world. Here are some highlights from the Bangor Daily News:

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Voters on Tuesday repealed the state’s same sex marriage law after an emotionally charged campaign that drew large numbers to the polls and focused national attention on Maine. With 87 percent of precincts reporting, the campaign to overturn Maine’s same-sex marriage law won with 53 percent of the vote vs. 47 percent opposed to Question 1, according to unofficial results compiled by the Bangor Daily News. Gay-marriage opponents claimed victory shortly after 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.
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“We went up against tremendous odds,” Marc Mutty, public affairs director for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland who has been on loan to the campaign, said from Portland. “We all know we were the little guy going up against the big guy, but we prevailed. We prevailed because the people of Maine — the silent majority — the folks back home spoke with their votes.
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The defenders of Maine’s gay marriage law — which passed the Legislature in the spring but was never allowed to take effect — acknowledged being behind, but held out hope for a bump as the final votes and absentee ballots were counted.

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I can honestly say that if I were currently in a position to do so, I would leave the USA in a heart beat. This country's promises of equality and freedom of religion are one big fraud. Why doesn't the Catholic Church bring back auto-de fes while at it so they can burn gays at the stake? I will NEVER set foot in a Catholic Church again no matter what.

Maine Gay Marriage Vote Tomorrow

As was the case with Proposition 8, many of us will be on pins and needles awaiting the outcome on the vote in Maine tomorrow which will decide once again whether a mere majority of the populace can strip away the legal rights of a minority. Should the repeal effort succeed, it will again underscore that freedom of religion and equality under the civil laws is a farce and while making for good PR as the USA preens before other nations, claims that this country provides religious freedom for all will have been disproved again. Naturally, I hope that the repeal effort fails, but I am very troubled that this nation even allows a situation where constitutional freedoms and rights can be stripped away by a mere majority vote. As I have said before, the precedent is extremely dangerous and ought to terrify anyone who truly cares about liberty and personal freedoms. Here are some highlights from today's Washington Post on the anti-gay initiative:

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Maine residents will decide Tuesday whether to repeal a law allowing same-sex marriage, an effort that has succeeded in every state where it has been put before voters. Public opinion surveys in Maine show a dead heat on Question 1, which would cancel the marriage statute that passed the legislature in May and was signed by Gov. John E. Baldacci (D).
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Baldacci expressed guarded optimism Sunday about the effort to defeat the Maine proposition. "I believe it's something in the water or the air in this state that recognizes individual rights and anti-discrimination attitudes," the governor said by phone from Augusta, the capital. "It's more of a libertarian-type state than it is Republican or Democrat.
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Questions about the largest contributor have sparked an investigation by the state ethics commission and a court battle. The National Organization for Marriage, or NOM, has contributed $1.6 million to Stand for Marriage Maine but has declined to reveal its own contributors, despite a federal district court decision last week that it must do so under Maine law. Some groups for gays say the organization is a stalking horse for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or the Mormons, which dominated fundraising in the California campaign. Many of the actors in a nationally televised ad produced by NOM, called "Gathering Storm," turned out to be Mormon activists.
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Both sides said voter turnout will be key. Baldacci said the "No-on-1" campaign has 8,000 volunteers working Tuesday, "only 120 or so of whom are from out of state." "I've been encouraged by the canvassers and what they're getting for reaction," he said. Maine has relatively few of the socially conservative African American and Latino voters who helped tip the balance against the California law. But with the Archdiocese of Portland heavily involved in what the Maine constitution calls a "people's veto," Baldacci said the 20 percent of the population who are Catholic could swing the vote.

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I sincerely hope that the forces for equality win tomorrow. Until the outcome is known, I will be a nervous wreck.

More On Catholic Parish Closings in Maine

I addressed this issue a while back but it is worth revisiting in light of the huge effort the Roman Catholic Church has made in Maine to rescind the state legislative's recognition of same sex marriages under Maine's CIVIL marriage laws. The issue? That Catholic parishes are being closed and magnificent old church properties put up for sale and perhaps lost to decay and demolition because the Catholic Church says it cannot afford to keep the parishes open - even as the Church has contributed well over $500,000 to the anti-marriage forces lead by the slimy National Organization for Marriage which seems to have the twin goals of depriving LGBT citizens of civil legal rights and greatly enriching some of its "leaders" such as Maggie Gallagher - a professional Christian who is married to a Hindu - and her minions. The hypocrisy of the Church's conduct is disgusting, but sadly in keeping with the Church's current ass backwards priorities. The Lewiston Sun Journal reports in part as follows concerning St. Joseph's Catholic Church, the city's oldest (pictured above) which closed two weeks ago:

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The Lewiston, Maine Sun Journal looks at two of the parishes being closed, the first is St. Joseph's Catholic Church, the city's oldest Catholic church (pictured above) and the other is the 109 year old St. Patrick's Catholic Church. Here are some highlights on the first parish:

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The city's oldest Catholic church — St. Joseph's Church — will close its doors Tuesday. Bishop Richard Malone will officiate over the final Mass, ending 152 years of history in the grand, brick building at 253 Main St. . . . The cornerstone of the building was laid June 13, 1864, according to a parish history published in 2007. The church, designed by architect Patrick Keely of New York, opened three years later.

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Today, the structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building is known for its columned nave and the stained glass in almost every window, much of it hand-painted with extraordinary detail. Murals were painted in the 1920s by Monmouth artist Harry Cochran, according to the church's history.

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Bishop Malone is expected to approve the sale of both churches by the end of the year.

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As for St. Patrick's, the Sun Journal reports in part as follows:

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"My kids make five generations here," Burpee said of the church where he and his father both served as altar boys. There won't be a sixth. On Tuesday night, the final mass will be celebrated at the church overlooking Kennedy Park. Bishop Richard Malone plans to officiate. Monsignor Charles Murphy, a former parish priest, will give the homily.

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Sadly, the Roman Catholic Church continues to be run like a cross between a monarchy with lesser feudal lords and a dictatorship in which the needs and wishes of the rank and file parishioners means nothing to the corrupt and morally bankrupt Church hierarchy. Given the Church's over the top efforts in the Maine marriage vote, I truly believe that the IRS should look into revoking the Diocese of Portland's tax-exempt status. That would hit the hierarchy where it hurts the most - money, power and control are the real goals, not preaching the gospels of Christ or truly giving a damn about average Catholics.

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And meanwhile? Bishop Malone continues to fleece Catholics for money and seek to marginalize and condemn LGBT couples to a permanently inferior status under the civil laws. Here's the Bishop in his sleazy anti-gay screed where he seeks to infuse the civil laws with a particular religious belief system:

Bangor Daily News Endorses Gay Marriage

With the Christianists and professional Christian set - many of whom like Maggie Gallagher make very nice livings off of bigotry - working to role back legislatively enacted same sex marriage in Maine, the Bangor Daily News - one of the state's largest papers - has an editorial today urging voters to defeat the repeal effort. The issue of same sex marriage truly comes down to the question of whether one set of religious beliefs will dictate the substance of the civil laws. With more religious denominations accepting gay relationships, laws like this repeal effort strip away the religious freedom of non-homophobes. The Maggie Gallaghers of the world will bloviate about many reasons for opposing same sex marriage, but it comes down to one issue: they want to force all in society to accept their religious beliefs on marriage. Here are highlights from the Bangor Daily News column:

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Mainers have heard a lot in recent weeks about the consequences of allowing same-sex couples to marry, some of it accurate, some of it not. While such debate is healthy, this question boils down to a simple point: Everyone must be treated equally under the state and U.S. Constitution. Denying civil marriage rights to same-sex couples violates that tenet.

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Further, extending the right of marriage to a small segment of the population that has been excluded furthers the state’s interest in promoting stable families and communities. The Maine legislation also took important steps, mirroring the state’s Human Rights Law, to respect religious freedom and traditions. No church will be compelled to perform or recognize marriages that run counter to its faith. This strikes the difficult balance of respecting religious freedom while ensuring equality.

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Repealing this law would move the state backward while denying guaranteed rights to a small minority. The repeal effort has been led by the Roman Catholic Diocese. Bishop Richard Malone called same-sex marriage “a dangerous sociological experiment.” The fact that gay couples have existed for generations — many of them raising children — counters this argument. Worse, however, is the church’s attempt to force its views on all Maine’s residents, whether they are Catholic or not.

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It is only natural that changing the definition of something as fundamental as marriage makes some uncomfortable. However, marriage has changed over time — interracial marriages were once banned, and men were allowed to have many wives — without harming heterosexual marriages. In a country where the divorce rate is too high and too many children grow up in dysfunctional and abusive families, encouraging more adults to commit to long-term, loving relationships is a positive, not a negative.

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As for education, children are already being raised by gay couples. Those children attend our schools, and have for decades. If Sally’s two dads come to an elementary school awards night, or if Billy’s two moms come to the school concert, the relationships may become a topic of discussion at school the next day. Whether Sally’s or Billy’s same-sex parents are married or living together does not change the discussion . . .

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Voting no on Question 1 will reiterate Maine’s commitment to equality and acceptance of families of all types while respecting religious traditions and beliefs.

Bangor Daily News Takes on Stand for Marriage Maine and Catholic Church Lies and Untruths

As was the case in California with Proposition 8, the Roman Catholic Church is taking an active role in seeking to over turn gay marriage in Maine - something I wish the IRS would investigate since 501(c)(3) charities such as churches are NOT supposed to get involved with advocating for specific pieces of legislation. In this effort, the Church is firmly in bed with the Stand for Marriage Maine crowd of homophobes. As is almost always the case with the Catholic Church of late, the Church fathers close their eyes to lies and the dissemination of deliberate falsehoods are part of the Church's efforts to keep gay and lesbian couples second class citizens and to marginalize their families. Meanwhile, of course, the dottering hypocrites within the Church hierarchy ignore the growing rot within their own ranks and do nothing to punish those who enabled or covered up for predator priests. Fortunately, the Bangor Daily News is calling the Stand for Marriage on the dishonest anti-same sex marriage campaign. Here are some highlights on the falsehoods the Stand for Marriage and Catholic Church are pushing in Maine:

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The debate about the Nov. 3 ballot’s Question 1, the effort to repeal Maine’s newly minted same-sex marriage law, will heat up in the coming weeks. Heat is one thing. Falsehoods re another. Opponents of the law are bringing children into the fray, suggesting their innocence would be sullied if the repeal fails. It’s a ploy that has been used effectively before; any candidate for elected office who supports sex education is said to favor handing out condoms to kindergarten children. This time, the claim by repeal proponents is that schools would be forced to teach “gay sex education.” It is baseless and betrays an ignorance about education. The claim was made by the Stand for Marriage Maine group in a recent mass e-mail message soliciting donations.

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The same-sex marriage law does not address anything in state education law. And, further, there are no state mandates to teach sex education, let alone explicit “gay sex education,” as the repeal group’s e-mail stated. Sexuality is discussed in most Maine high schools, and has been for decades, but locally elected school boards oversee those curriculums and parents are able to exempt their children from those discussions.

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So, the question that remains about the repeal proponents is: Are they knowingly misleading people by claiming schools will be forced to teach the details of gay sex, or are they genuinely ignorant that same-sex couples are among us, and that their children are in our schools? Neither speaks well of their argument supporting a yes vote.

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Again, I have to ask why is it apparently just fine for self-proclaimed Christians to lie, cheat and engage in other nasty actions to further their theocratic agenda? In my view, honesty and telling the truth should be among the hallmarks of Christians. Nowadays, lying and dishonesty seem to be the norm.