Minnesota legislators push state constitutional amendment to ban gay marri

[Socialist Christian]

http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/4224069.html

<snip>
Minnesota already has a law that essentially bans same-sex marriages, but some lawmakers said Thursday that's not enough.

Sen. Michele Bachmann and Rep. Mary Liz Holberg plan to introduce legislation that would allow voters to decide whether the constitution should be amended to say that a marriage is a civil contract between a man and a woman.

The announcement comes two days after the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that gay couples have the right to marry under that state's constitution. The court there gave the Legislature six months to rewrite marriage laws for the benefit of gay couples.

Once that happens, some Minnesota lawmakers expect gay couples from Minnesota to go to Massachusetts to marry, then return and challenge the law here.

[SaveElmer]

1. Hubert Humphrey Rolling in his Grave

Another example of the very sad decline and fall of what was one of America's most progressive states!!!

[Selwynn]

2. A Constitutional Ammendment will take years...

Unless Minnesota is very different then Mass. or National Consitution, it will take years to make such an ammendment. Hopefully those years can be very positive and productive ones.

[SaveElmer]

3. Only takes a Referndum

It gets put on a ballot for the public to vote on. If it wins it is added. Not too hard.

[dflprincess]

4. Sadly, I don't think it will

The legislature goes back into sessions in January. Assuming they can get this passed during the next session, it could be on the ballot next November.

The Republicans control the House and the DFL has a very slim majority in the Senate. I would expect far too many DFLers in both houses will vote for this. And I'm sure that the wretched cowards will explain that they're not necessarily opposed to Gay Marriage, but because "the people should decide this issue". There is no doubt that Governor (and bush stooge) Pawlenty would sign this.

[dfong63]

5. but will the voters pass it, and why?

[dflprincess]

7. I should look this up, but I'm too lazy

I think it takes a 60% vote (in the election) to pass a Consititution Amendment. If someone skips voting on the issue, it counts as a no. I hope I'm being pessimistic, but I just don't see it getting 60% of the vote in the suburbs and out state.

My niece and I were discussing it this tonight. She's a senior in high school and the subject came up this week in her government class. This is an advanced placement class that the kids get college credit for so they're suppose to be half way intelligent. She said maybe a quarter of the class thought the Mass. Supreme Court was right. True, they're still in high school and maybe still parroting their parents, but I would have expected better from the young ones.

[Lindacooks]

6. God, I'm ashamed of my home state.

Why can't these f*cking Repukes do something constructive with their time? Just think of all the suffering that could be eased in the world if half of their malicious energy was redirected.

[BurntIceCubeTray]

8. How stupid. Why do the sex acts we prefer matter?

If we want to make it with our own gender and enjoy the semen or jism why does it matter to the state? As long as we say we cmmit ourselves to another we should get the same tax benefits and other visitation rights as those of the other gender.