Mass. Gov. Forces Gay Marriage Issue

[cal04]

Gov. Mitt Romney asked Massachusetts' highest court Friday to force a proposed anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment onto the state's 2008 ballot if the Legislature fails to vote on it.

The Republican governor, a fierce opponent of gay marriage and a possible presidential contender, filed the request with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court after lawmakers put off acting on the question until January. The high court ruled 4-3 in 2003 that the state could no longer deny marriage licenses to gay couples.

Romney has said the state Constitution requires legislators to vote on whether the measure should go on the ballot. If they don't vote when they return Jan. 2, the last day of the legislative session, the court can order the secretary of state to put it on the 2008 ballot, Romney argues.

The postponement of legislative action was widely seen by supporters and opponents of gay marriage as a way to kill the measure.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061124/ap_on_re_us/massachusetts_gay_marriage_1

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. Activist judges are only evil then they go against the neo-cons, eh, Mitt?

The Talibangelicals are awfully quick to order a court to act in an activist, unconstitutional manner when it suits their agenda, aren't they?

[bluerum]

2. Romneys last gasp from the grave. One last chance to spit on the

people of the state of Massachusetts before he pisses on the whole country.

[ComerPerro]

13. he made a real name for himself pandering his hatemongering BS on Faux News

and he wants to stay in the spotlight.

[Bitwit1234]

3. This guy must be real deep in the closet

Everytime you turn around you see where Romney is ragging on gays. What's with him? I really thing he is a deep closet gay. He keeps ranting and raving about them so nobody can find him there.

[TechBear_Seattle]

4. Indeed. Methinks the laddie doth protest too much.

Either that, or he is gunning for a 2008 run for the Presidency. (Yes, I know: not mutually exclusive. He is a Republican, after all.)

[Sapphocrat]

6. Nah. He's just a hater...

...inspired by his deep, abiding, and completely corrupted "Christian" love.

[suston96]

5. Don't think it will work.....

I don't believe the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts can "force" the Massachusetts Legislature, to do anything it doesn't want to do.

I believe this was tried years ago with Term Limits and the Court declined to do so back then.

Here is something in the Massachusetts Constitution - in our Declaration of Rights (written by John Adams in 1780):

Article XXX:

In the government of this commonwealth, the legislative department shall never exercise the executive and judicial powers, or either of them: the executive shall never exercise the legislative and judicial powers, or either of them: the judicial shall never exercise the legislative and executive powers, or either of them: to the end it may be a government of laws and not of men.

Ballot initiatives are the worst forms of democracy and are often the handiwork of monied "pretended patriots".

[TheCowsCameHome]

7. Why not have it on the ballot

and let the voters decide?

What's the fuss?

[Warren Stupidity]

8. Voting to abolish the rights of minorities is bullshit.

That's the fuss.

[terrya]

9. As I recall, it was the Massachusetts Supreme Court...

who ruled, two years ago, again I believe, that gay and lesbian couples in Massachusetts could NOT be denied legal same-sex marriage. Dumbshit is asking the Commonwealth's highest court to essentially reverse itself.

Shut the fuck up, you disgusting right wing piece of shit bigot. It's over, you lost, get used to it, you miserable sack of shit.

[Neecy]

10. What a dirtbag

There's nothing more disgusting than a politician cravenly shitting on an entire group of people to further his political career.

And hey, Mitt...gay marriage is soooooo 2004. Better find another divisive issue to make your name with.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

12. HEY! Who do you think you are, soiling my good name like that? -nt

[Odin2005]

11. Mitt the twit must love "activist judges"

[Marrah_G]

14. Let him try

Disgusting little zealot trying to springboard his way into the White House. It's a shame he couldn't have been thrown out on his ass the minute the votes were done counting.

[SoCalDem]

15. He's just flailing around like a beached whale

trying desperately to get the "base" to overlook that "mormon thing"..

[QC]

16. Damn red states! n/t

[welshTerrier2]

17. Romney would have been crushed if he ran for Gov again

Romney did absolutely ZERO as Governor ... Massachusetts has been in decline since he became Governor ... zilch, zero, nada ... well, actually, that's not quite true ... he did manage to go around the country mocking the State and making it more difficult to attract new industry and jobs ...

Had Romney run against Deval Patrick, he would have gotten totally blown away ... totally !!

and now this "i have to appeal to the right wing in my party by appealing to the very court that enabled gay marriage in the State" is the ultimate hypocrisy ...

Romney is several levels lower than pathetic ... we here in Masschusetts have finally awakened from the darkness of our republican nightmare ... Romney and his ilk have been banished forever ...

btw, just an interesting tidbit on the last election, the Green Party ran more candidates for statewide office than the republicans did ...