Not everyone involved in the Santa Fe debate over gay marriage was happy Thursday.
J.D. Vasquez, who helped lead religious-based opposition to the City Council resolution, provided this statement Thursday:
“In upholding the rights of a small, well-funded and well-organized minority, the New Mexico Supreme Court has denied the ‘right of conscience’ to innumerable New Mexicans who disagree with same-sex ‘marriage.’
“We continue to see an eradication of the rights of Christians seeking to live Christian lives.
“Marriage, which follows natural law, establishes family solidity, provides the best environment for raising children and guarantees the next generation. Its delegitimization by redefinition guarantees none of those things.”
First, opponents of marriage equality are on the wrong side of history and increasingly irrelevant (hurts, doesn’t it). Second, the People don’t get to vote to *remove* rights. If we do have such power, then I hearby start a drive to outlaw all guns — ain’t gonna happen, no matter how great it would be.
Gov. Martinez, a Republican, has voiced opposition to same-sex marriage and has said the issue should go to a citizen vote.
“I’m confident that most New Mexicans believe, like I do, that it should have been settled by a vote of the people,” Martinez said Thursday. “Instead, the Supreme Court stepped in and rendered their decision. While there will surely be intense debate about this decision moving forward, I encourage New Mexicans to continue to respect one another on their discourse, as this is an important issue for many New Mexicans on both sides.”
Number of people killed by guns, including homicide, suicide and accidental death since Newton (that have been reported by the media): 11,437
Estimated real number of people killed by guns, including homicide, suicide and accidental death since Newton (using most recent CDC estimates for yearly data): 33,173
Total gun deaths in 2010 (the latest year for which there are CDC records): 31,672 number of those who were children or teens: 2,694
Meanwhile, Republicans pat themselves on the back for guaranteeing your right to say Merry Christmas in Texas. (However, you’d better not say “Obamacare is working.”) I think the first amendment does that, but, let’s face it, every little thing Republicans do is a gift to progressives and Democrats. Their slow public suicide has been high entertainment. Happy Solstice, Everyone!
Organizations that received “substantial” funding from Google for the first time over the past year include Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform, the Federalist Society, the American Conservative Union (best known for its CPAC conference) and the political arm of the Heritage Foundation that led the charge to shut down the government over the Affordable Care Act: Heritage Action.
In 2013, Google also funded the corporate lobby group, the American Legislative Exchange Council, although that group is not listed as receiving “substantial” funding in the list published by Google.
The opponents will never stop. They will seek any means — including unconstitutional proposals — to take away an established right, and a fact of human decency, that woman control their own bodies. This fight will continue at every level of government. When your community is threatened, be prepared to fight back.
This is a longer and more complex story. We were set up to fail in every possible way by the collusion of the City Clerk who provided no early voting sites in half of the City. Voting day locations included mega-churches. University students were denied a voting day location. The Catholic Church opposed us. And yet, we prevailed.
While the inside information may be of interest for Albuquerque citizens, I feel it is important for other communities to appreciate the lessons for next time. Critical information for the next places in the crosshairs of the anti-women movement must be shared. We know messaging needs to reflect the values of the community. Women must lead the effort, young women and women of color are essential. There will be national press and national support. It is expensive. But it is going to remain a pitched battle until we can begin to turn the tide back to women. We must thwart every effort they attempt.
Albuquerque has shown the way. We shut that whole thing down. Other communities can do it, and they will do it too!
There ought to be brave Republican politicians willing to lead the party in the direction the nation is headed. But according to the conventional wisdom, winning a GOP primary means kowtowing to party’s activist base – which means saying you oppose gay marriage, whatever your actual view might be.
Liz Cheney has shown herself to be anything but brave. The irony, however, is that she’s still being attacked in Wyoming as insufficiently doctrinaire against gay marriage.
The Cheney sisters, once extremely close, reportedly haven’t spoken since the summer. What price political ambition?
