North Carolina bucks Dixie trend to ban gay marriage: Democrats are running the legislature

[Bluebear]

:applause:

"Why put up a ballot on the measure that would stir up the culture wars and divert from addressing the budget issues and the economic issues?" asked Ferrel Guillory, who tracks Southern political trends as director of the Program on Public Life at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.


RALEIGH (AP) - There's little doubt lawmakers heard the voices of thousands of Christian conservatives outside the Legislative Building seeking a statewide vote on a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

There's also little doubt the rally participants won't get what they want.

While voters in all other Southeastern states have approved state constitutional amendments restricting marriage between one man and one woman since 2004, North Carolina has declined to follow along. A combination of partisan strategy, steady opposition from gay rights groups and a lack of court challenges to current state law has kept the issue off the ballot.

And it's likely to stay off as long as Democrats run the Legislature.

After the Christian protesters...ended their rally with the chants "Let us vote! Let us vote!" in near-freezing temperatures outdoors, Democratic leaders in the House required that a marriage amendment bill co-sponsored by 66 of the chamber's 120 members go through four committees before floor debate can begin.

http://www.news-record.com/content/2009/03/03/article/state_leaders_remain_steady_avoiding_marriage_vote

Christian conservatives, mostly bused in from Baptist churches across the state, bearing American flags brave the freezing cold to shout "Let us vote!!!!1"

[Smarmie Doofus]

1. And the answer is.......

>>>"Why put up a ballot on the measure that would stir up the culture wars and divert from addressing the budget issues and the economic issues?" asked Ferrel Guillory, who tracks Southern political trends as director of the Program on Public Life at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.>>>>

..... to stir up the culture wars and divert from addressing the budget issues and the economic issues.

[freedom_to_think]

2. North Carolina bucks Dixie trend to ban gay marriage: Democrats are running the legislature

Wow banning gay marriage – that's progressive thinking. I guess the South needs to have a form of segregation instituted by law. Why do we need to protect marriage? If you want to protect marriage why don't you go beat the drum to ban divorce. How does someone else who is gay getting married affect your life? It doesn't. Are you afraid that by allowing gay people to have the same rights as straight people that magic homosexual dust will be sprinkled on you and you will wake up one morning wanting to leave your husband/wife for the same sex. This is just a distraction from the real issues that we are facing today. Let people be happy. This is America is it not?