Folks -
It appears the House will vote on the Anti-Marriage amendment this Thursday
afternoon. Not sure what time session is, sounds like 2:30 or 3.
(By the way, if anyone questions a St Paul connection to this legislative
business, a reminder that the City Council was poised last January to offer a
Domestic Partnership ordinance, until the state started down this road which
would remove the city's ability to act.)
Last year there was very little discussion before the vote; there were
political reasons for that, but it was still very painful to see so few DFLers
speak in opposition to this. If they're going to strip us of such basic
rights, it would be nice to at least see our friends put up more than a token
fight.
Remember, this amendment is not just about a marriage ceremony. It's about tax
fairness, survivors rights, insurance, and the ability to visit our spouses in
the hospital, to speak for them if they become unable.
It's about the faith and values of all of us who believe in fairness,
tolerance, respect, and the basic moral truism behind the saying "what is
hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor."
It's about the right for both parents to be with and protect our children when
they're ill or hurt, the right for our children to inherit from us, the right
for the children to remain safe in their home should the legal parent die.
And it's about our Constitution, which has never before been used to codify
discrimination.
Please do two things today:
E-mail or call your Representative, and any other Reps that you personally
know, and urge them to fight this long and hard. Don't assume that just
because they oppose the amendment, they'll agree to fight it. A great many
DFLers - including some of our friends - want there to be just token
resistance.
Tell them you want them to stand up on the floor and speak. Tell them you want
the DFL to filibuster. Unlike in Congress, a filibuster in the House can't
last more than three hours, and it can't prevent passage, but it's the
strongest statement the minority party can make. And please copy Matt Entenza
on any e-mails you send, or make a call to his office in addition to that of
your own Rep.
Second, please contact all your friends and ask them to do the same. Forward
this e-mail or explain to them yourself why this is so important.
We may not win, but could any of us live with feeling that we didn't do our
best to fight it?
Jeanne Schnitzen
Highland Park
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