Intolerance
An editorial from the Sun Journal hits the nail on the head.
As supporters of a "people's veto" of the legislation work to gather signatures to put a question on the ballot to reject the law, the rhetoric will be charged and nasty. They need 59,519 certified signatures by June 28 to get the referendum on the November ballot, and they'll say whatever they need to to make it happen. They will use fear, exaggeration and intolerance, if necessary. [...]
As hard as it is to believe, until this law was passed, it was perfectly legal to fire someone for being gay or to kick a woman out of an apartment for being a lesbian. Maine is the last state in New England to address this deficiency.
The anti-discrimination law is not some effort to "subvert society," and it's not part of an "ideology of evil," as its detractors say. It is not part of some mythical, radical agenda with a goal of "the destruction of the traditional family and the overthrow of the existing social order," as Heath has written.
It's about equality and justice.
Visit the new Maine Politics.
posted by @ 1:56 PM 
4 comments
4 Comments:
It's good to see that the LSJ gets it.
Posted by David
I propose that if asked to sign the petition people willingly take the clip board and rip it up!! Show the bigots and that discrimination is wrong and anti-christian.
Posted by Elaine
They make me mad too, Elaine, but that kind of outburst wouldn't help anything and would be used by the pro-discrimination side to distract attention from the real issues.
Instead, channel that anger into volunteering for or donating to Maine Won't Discriminate or your local pro-equal-rights legislator.
Posted by Mike
"As hard as it is to believe, until this law was passed, it was perfectly legal to fire someone for being gay or to kick a woman out of an apartment for being a lesbian."
It still is. The legislation won't go into effect until June 28, and only if the necessary signatures aren't collected. If they are, then the law won't go into effect until 30 days after the Governor proclaims that a majority of the voters voting on the question voted "No" on the people's veto, if a majority of said voters do indeed vote "No" (I am assuming that the question, if it is necessatated by a sucessful petition drive, would be whether or not to repeal the legislation, as that was what the question was in the people's veto quetion in 1998).
For verification of what I have said, click on http://janus.state.me.us/legis/const/constitu-06.htm#P165_24011 and scroll down to "Section 17. Proceedings for people's veto."
Kevin
Posted by Kevin