3 more votes NOT to place gay discrimination into MA constitution . . .

[TaleWgnDg]

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April 12, 2005 Massachusetts Special Election RESULTS:

1.) 18th Suffolk County District = BOSTON: Ward 21, Pcts. 2, 4, 13-16; Ward 22, Pcts. 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11-13; and Brookline: Pct. 1

"Michael J. Moran garnered 1,862 votes, nearly 70 percent of the vote according to unofficial results"

"In the 18th Suffolk seat, which represents Boston's Allston-Brighton neighborhood and portions of Brookline, Democrat Michael J. Moran garnered 1,862 votes, nearly 70 percent of the vote according to unofficial results with all Boston precincts reporting. Unenrolled challenger Thomas O'Brien had 764 votes, more than 28 percent of the Boston total. Green-Rainbow candidate Daniel Kontoff got 42 votes, less than 2 percent of the total.

"The winner replaces Brian P. Golden, a three-term Democrat who stepped down in December after Gov. Mitt Romney appointed him to the state Department of Telecommunications and Energy Commission."

. . . more . . . http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/12/pittsfield_city_lawyer_wins_special_house_election/



2.) 3rd Berkshire County District = PITTSFIELD: Ward 1, Pct. A; Wards 2, 3, 4; Ward 5, Pct. A, Wards 6, 7

"Pittsfield Democrat Christopher N. Speranzo received more than twice as many votes as Republican Terry M. Kinnas on Tuesday in the race for the 3rd Berkshire seat in the state House of Representatives.

"Speranzo, the Pittsfield city solicitor, had 3,507 votes while Kinnas got 1,434 with all precincts reporting, according to the city clerk's office. The results are unofficial. There was about a 20 percent turnout, according to the city clerk.

"Speranzo will replace Democrat Peter Larkin, who resigned in January after 14 years in office to become a lobbyist."

. . . more . . . http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/12/pittsfield_city_lawyer_wins_special_house_election/



3.) 12th Suffolk County District "where Linda Dorcena Forry, 31, cruised to an unchallenged victory in the 12th Suffolk district, which straddles Boston's Mattapan neighborhood and portions of Milton, according to unofficial results."

. . . more . . . http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/12/pittsfield_city_lawyer_wins_special_house_election/



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3 more votes NOT to place gay discrimination into the Massachusetts Constitution.
All three candidates have stated they are PRO-same-sex marriage
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[Zenlitened]

1. OT, but that photo in your post just completely blows my mind.

The guy on the right: his sign uses the letters G-A-Y to spell out "god abhors you."

That, right there, is everything that's wrong with religion.

What kind of twisted "faith" enables a black man in America to believe that some people are less worthy of rights than others... because that's the way god meant it to be?

What an incredibly fucked-up idiot. A brainwashed victim of something truly horrible.

:puke:

[Ian David]

3. I didn't think that was a Black man. I thought it was a Romulan

[TaleWgnDg]

4. ROFL . . . n/t

[TaleWgnDg]

6. You didn't *catch* the yellow electrical cords he has in his hands?

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You didn't *catch* the yellow electrical cords he has in his hands? "Female outlet" and "male outlet" -- see, it goes together . . . LOL. As if THAT explains something other than how two electrical wires "mate" . . . too damn funny. I wonder what "instructions" he's yelling as he demonstrates, "See it fits this way," all while holding his "God Abhors You (GAY)" sign.

These radical fundies never cease to amaze the rest of humanity!

[BamaLefty]

10. LOL!

Nice work! :rofl:

[Ian David]

8. This is why The Vulcans will eventually destroy The Romulans. n/t

[paineinthearse]

2. Just read this for the first time.

I'm sorry to have missed this until now.

It deserved a "greatest" nomination.

Can you explain where we are in the constitutional amendment process? I could be wrong, but believe it needs to pass the general court one more time in 2006, then, if passed go onto the 2006 November ballot?

Do we have a list of legislators who voted for the amendment?

[TaleWgnDg]

7. Where is Massachusetts presently in that procedure, paineinthearse?

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Where is Massachusetts presently in the Constitutional Convention (con-con) amendment procedure regarding the attempted over-ride of the Goodridge Supreme Judicial Court (November 18, 2003) opinion allowing same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, paineinthearse?

1.) The Massachusetts Constitutional Convention (con-con) amendment procedure was explained in this DU thread on Wednesday, January 19, 2005.

2.) Where is Massachusetts presently in (or out) of that procedure? Nothing has changed since I wrote that DU thread on Wednesday, January 19, 2005.

3.) Meaning that the required second consecutive Constitutional Convention during this legislative session (in 2005) has not been held. Travaglini and DiMasi have not convened the required second year (as explained in my DU thread of January 19, 2005) as of today, Wednesday, April 27, 2005.

We hope that (A) no con-con will be convened in this consecutive year (2005); or (B) if convened then the required "no" votes are available to stop any amendment of our state constitution to over-ride http://www.mass.gov/courts/courtsandjudges/courts/supremejudicialcourt/goodridge.html">Goodridge.

4.) To complete the answer to your second question: When will an amendment appear on the ballot? Yes, it will appear in 2006. That is, if it passes (as explained in my prior noted DU thread) year one (2004) and year two (2005) without changing, then the amendment goes on the ballot the following year in 2006 for an up or down vote by the general voting public.

5.) Finally, your third question: Is there a list available of the final votes of our state Senators and Representatives during the final session of the Constitutional Convention in March 2004 in an attempted over-ride of Goodridge? Yes. I've posted it several times in various DU threads. I'll post it again here. (BosGlobe, 3/29/04, How Lawmakers Cast Their Final Vote on the Gay Marriage Amendment, Massachusetts Constitutional Convention 2004).


Know who is working AGAINST same-sex marriage in the halls of our statehouse and elsewhere:
L to R, conferring inside the MA Statehouse during the 2004 Massachusetts Constitutional Convention whether to amend the MA state constitution against same-sex marriage and removing other benefits and privileges from homosexuals in Massachusetts:

(1) MA Representative Philip Travis (.pdf format, Adobe Reader necessary), Democrat, of Rehoboth, MA, (religious affiliation: "Christian") chief sponsor of the 2004 anti-gay MA amendment, and who has opposed same-sex marriage as a party to many MA and federal lawsuits, and who has co-sponsored a bill to remove the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court justices who authored (or concurred in) the Goodridge opinion allowing same-sex marriage in Massachusetts;
(2) MA Representative Mark J. Carron, Democrat, of Southbridge, MA, (a Roman Catholic and Third Degree, Knights of Columbus) who votes anti-gay (anything), co-sponsor of Travis' 2004 anti-gay MA amendment, and who has worked with Brian Camenker of Article 8 Alliance to remove the MA Supreme Judicial Court justices who authored (or concurred in) the Goodridge opinion allowing same-sex marriage in MA, and who has been a party (.pdf format, Adobe Reader necessary) to the litigation AGAINST same-sex marriage in both state and federal courts including the U.S. Supreme Court;
(3) Attorney Daniel Avila who is a paid lobbyist (client #950462) at the statehouse and elsewhere for the Massachusetts Catholic Conference (which is an organization of the Archdiocese of Boston headed by Archbishop of Boston, Most Rev. Seán Patrick O'Malley, OFM Cap, of the Roman Catholic Church) that is active in anti-gay issues, anti-abortion issues, anti-right-to-die-with-dignity issues, anti-stem cell research issues, anti-contraception issues, abstinence-only sex education in public schools, and other Roman Catholic Church related religious issues; and
(4) Reverend Ron Crews, Republican, of Ashland, MA, a fundamentalist preacher, a carpet-bagger from Georgia who is a paid lobbyist (#1367) for the "Massachusetts Family Institute, Inc." (MA corporate ID #043113783) a hate-mongering and gay-bashing religion-into-law fundamentalist organization and as former president of "Massachusetts Family Institute, Inc." filed an amicus brief against same-sex marriage and against same-sex civil unions with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in the Goodridge case, who as a Georgia state representative pushed for Creationism being taught in Georgia public schools and abstinence-only "sex education" in Georgia public schools, and a statutory redefinition of marriage as only for one man and one woman, and who recently ran unsuccessfully against incumbent U.S. Representative James McGovern, Democrat, Worcester. For perusing amici brief, e.g., Massachusetts Family Institute, Inc., as filed in Goodridge, go to: http://www.mlgba.org/briefs/AmicusIssue.PDF (.pdf format, Adobe Reader necessary).

See also: http://www.boston.com/news/specials/gay_marriage/articles/2004/03/29/how_lawmakers_cast_their_final_vote_on_the_gay_marriage_amendment/ (BosGlobe, 3/29/04, How Lawmakers Cast Their Final Vote on the Gay Marriage Amendment, Massachusetts Constitutional Convention 2004) (as last visited Monday, April 25, 2005).

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edited to correct broken hyperlink

[Ian David]

9. I'd fill you in, but I need to leave right now. But here's a good source

http://www.MassEquality.org

[TaleWgnDg]

5. 12th Suffolk, 18th Suffolk, and 3rd Berkshire Democrat Reps sworn-in

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12th Suffolk, 18th Suffolk, and 3rd Berkshire Massachusetts Representatives, all Democrats, sworn-in at the Massachusetts Statehouse on Monday, April 25, 2005.

Wow! Talk about total success! All seats -- 3 of them -- left vacant at the Massachusetts General Court (Massachusetts House of Representatives) were filled by Democrats in the March-April 2005 Special Election!!

Here's 3 more votes in favor of same-sex marriage:



L to R, (18th Suffolk District) Michael J. Moran replaces anti-gay-voting Brian P. Golden;
(12th Suffolk District) Linda Dorcena-Forry replaces anti-gay-voting ex-House Speaker Thomas P. Finneran; and
(3rd Berkshire District) Christopher N. Speranzo replaces anti-gay-voting Peter Larkin.


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