[Dean's World] Ron Coleman: Massachusetts turns it back to the voters

[notify at powerblogs.com]

Posted by Ron Coleman:
Massachusetts turns it back to the voters
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1167770495.shtml


     Lawmakers in Massachusetts, the only state where gay marriage is
     legal, voted Tuesday to allow a proposed constitutional amendment
     to move forward that would effectively ban it.

     The amendment's backers had collected 170,000 signatures to get a
     question on the 2008 ballot asking voters to declare marriage in
     Massachusetts to be between a man and a woman, but they still
     needed the Legislature's approval in two consecutive sessions.

     On Tuesday, 61 lawmakers backed moving the measure forward,
     compared to 132 opposed. The amendment need 50 votes of support to
     advance.

   Sounds reasonable, right? Interesting development in light of the
   Supreme Judicial Court's refusal to make them vote. Having avoided it
   this long, and getting a green light to avoid it forever, I don't
   quite understand what's changed.

   One thing hasn't -- the contempt of some leaders for democracy:

     Gov.-elect Deval Patrick had urged lawmakers to skip the vote again
     on Tuesday, calling it a "question of conscience" and saying the
     amendment process was being used "to consider reinserting
     discrimination into the constitution."

   Why isn't ignoring the consitution of the Commonwealth of
   Massachusetts a "question of conscience"?

   Patrick should make his "conscience" argument to the people he
   governs. It's probably a winner, anyway, in Massachusetts. His
   contempt for democracy is contemptible.