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News
Commonwealth Update - 7.8.10
Thursday July 08, 2010 - 01:39 AM
Inside this issue: Senate approves casino gambling, sent to conference committee; Call Senator Brown on Kagan; Arlington High School student fights for Pledge; Maryland county being sued under their version of "Bathroom Bill"; MFI files brief in support of National Day of Prayer; Hawaii governor stands for marriage, vetoes "civil unions"; White House Authorizes Implementation of Gay Agenda in HUD, Fed Agencies. Be sure to subscribe to receive Kris Mineau's Commonwealth Update in your Inbox every Wednesday.
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Senate approves casino gambling, sent to conference committee
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The Massachusetts Senate approved a bill last week legalizing three casinos for the state. Their bill must now be reconciled with a competing plan the House approved in April that called for two casinos and slots at the state’s four racetracks. The Senate plan calls for the three casinos to be located in the western part of the state, southeastern Massachusetts, and the Greater Boston area.
While Governor Deval Patrick, who has to sign the final bill into law, opposes slot machines at the tracks, the special legislative panel charged with crafting a final casino bill from the two approved bills appears to be stacked with supporters of racetrack slot machines. The three House members—Reps. Dempsey, Reinstein and Frost—all support slot machines, with one of the senators, Richard Ross, also being a vocal supporter of slots at the track. Sens. Panagiotakos and Rosenberg voted in support of the Senate proposal that didn’t include the racinos.
The conference committee does not have a lot of time to hash out the details of the compromise bill with the Legislature ending its formal session on July 31. The committee must release the final bill with enough time for each chamber to cast a final vote.
Please take a moment to call Governor Patrick. Ask him to veto any expanded gambling bill that comes out of the Legislature, especially one that includes slot machines at the racetracks. He has stated his opposition to racetrack slots, and he should stand by his position.
Gov. Patrick: 888.870.7770
Source: Boston Globe
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Call Senator Brown on Kagan
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First, thank you to those who have called Senators Scott Brown and John Kerry in opposition to the Elena Kagan nomination to the Supreme Court. Grassroots activism and participation in this process is critical. Several Republican senators, including Sen. John McCain of Arizona, have announced their opposition to Kagan. Sen. Scott Brown is being pressured to support the nomination due to her ties with Massachusetts. Please call Senator Brown today and reiterate your opposition to the nomination. This is a very important vote for Senator Brown and one that will stay with him for the remainder of his term.
Senator Scott Brown: (202) 224-4543 or (617)-565-3170
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Arlington High School student fights for Pledge
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Sean Harrington, a senior at Arlington High School, sees the Pledge of Allegiance as something he owes to the men and women who have died fighting for this country. Harrington, armed with a petition signed by more than 700 people, went to the Arlington School Committee and asked them to require that the pledge be led in all the town’s schools each day. The committee deadlocked, 3-3, on a motion to require daily, but voluntary, recitation of the pledge to be led over the intercom.
However, a new version of the policy has been drafted and is set for a vote on July 20 in a policies subcommittee. The new draft policy would mandate recitation in the school, but would also allow for personal choice. Here is the draft policy:
"At the commencement of each school day, all students and staff shall be afforded the opportunity to participate in a group recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Said recitation shall be led by a volunteer or a sound recording over the school public address system or in another manner to be determined by the building administrator, in consultation with the extended school community. Wherever possible, this practice shall be structured so as to provide students with leadership opportunities.
Individuals wishing to utilize this time for silent reflection may do so without sanction. Harassment of any individual for their choice as to whether to participate or disruption of the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance shall not be tolerated.
The Superintendent shall be responsible for ensuring adherence to this policy, along with the development and regular review of supplementary programs of civics education."
The policy suggestion came from School Committee Chairman Joseph Curro and was sent to School Committee Member Judson Pierce, the chair of the Policies and Procedures Subcommittee. In a letter accompanying the draft policy, Curro said that he recognizes it may not be in the final policy, but that this is his recommendation, and one that he hopes will “be factored into your subcommittee’s work.”
State law requires that teachers lead their classes in the Pledge of Allegiance each day, but the state Supreme Judicial Court issued an opinion in 1977 saying that it would be unconstitutional to discipline a teacher or student who chose not to say the pledge.
Source: Boston Globe, Arlington Advocate |
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Maryland county being sued under their version of "Bathroom Bill"
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From Maryland Citizens for a Responsible Government:
According to a lawsuit filed by Dana Beyer, the policy advisor to Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg of Montgomery County Maryland, Beyer and Trachtenberg have refused to answer questions from the county's Ethics Commission because they both claim to be "protected by legislative privilege."
Beyer's lawsuit asks Montgomery County to pay Beyer $4 million for "emotional distress" and $1 million in economic damages in response to an Ethics Commission investigation into Beyer's possible violations of county ethics laws.
The lawsuit states that the investigation is ongoing. Beyer claims that the county's Ethics Commission is investigating her solely because she is transgender and therefore treating her differently. Formerly known as Wayne Bernard Beyer, she is suing under the county's new non-discrimination law, which now includes "gender identity" as a result of Trachtenberg's sponsorship of a gender identity bill which became law despite the request for a referendum by Montgomery County residents who wanted to vote on the proposed law.
According to the lawsuit, Maryland Citizens for a Responsible Government (MCRG) filed a complaint against Beyer with the Ethics Commission, alleging that "Beyer had attempted to discourage citizens who were collecting signatures for the petitions to put [the gender identity bill] to referendum." See MCRG Press Release and accompanying video.
The publicly filed lawsuit states that the Ethics Commission has made a finding against Beyer and "ordered that a full adjudicatory hearing be held." It also reports a "threatened investigation" by the county's Inspector General. In response, Beyer accuses the county of "harassing" her in the performance of her duties as Trachtenberg's special policy advisor.
"No one is above the law, including our public officials," said Dr. Ruth Jacobs of MCRG. "It is a sad day for Montgomery County when elected officials and their aides can use 'legislative privilege' to obstruct justice and the Ethics Commission. Duchy Trachtenberg and her aide Dana Beyer should resign or be fired by the people of Montgomery County."
"MCRG opposed the 'Gender Identity Special Rights' bill because it permitted individuals to bring frivolous lawsuits to intimidate those who protect the citizens of our county. The County Council must rescind this flawed 'gender identity' law and prevent Montgomery County taxpayers from facing millions of dollars in lawsuits for emotional damages."
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MFI files brief in support of National Day of Prayer
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Mass. Family Institute Files Brief in
Support of National Day of Prayer
Woburn, MA -- Today, Massachusetts Family Institute, along with dozens of national and statewide pro-family groups, signed onto an amicus brief by Liberty Institute in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in support of the National Day of Prayer.
The brief, Freedom from Religion Foundation v. Obama, responds to an April 15, 2010 decision by U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb ruling that the federal government's observation of prayer is unconstitutional--despite numerous rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court that protect long-standing traditions of religious invocations.
"The National Day of Prayer is a ceremonial event that honors our spiritual heritage and encourages citizens to care for our country," said Kris Mineau, president, Massachusetts Family Institute. "It is practiced voluntarily by peaceful citizens and harms no one except those who wish to obliterate any vestige of the spiritual heritage of America and its founders."
CLICK HERE to read the Brief.
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Hawaii governor stands for marriage, vetoes "civil unions"
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On Tuesday, Hawaii’s governor vetoed legislation what would have legalized same-sex civil unions. Gov. Linda Lingle (R-Hawaii) took the action on the final day she had to either sign or veto the bill, ending months of speculation on what she would do following the legislature’s approval in late April.
“I have been open and consistent in my opposition to same-sex marriage, and find that House Bill 444 is essentially same-sex marriage by another name,” Lingle said at a news conference. The bill would have given homosexual couples the same rights and benefits that the state provides to married heterosexual couples, essentially awarding all but the word marriage.
“It would be a mistake to allow a decision of this magnitude be made by one individual or a small group of elected officials,” Lingle said, explaining that the voters should decide the fate of civil unions, not politicians.
I applaud Governor Lingle for her principled stand in defense of traditional marriage. The people of Hawaii were the first to fight back against an activist court that wanted to force same-sex “marriage” on the state when they passed a constitutional amendment assigning the definition of marriage to the legislature in 1998. On Tuesday, the Governor not only recognized that the citizens of Hawaii do not want same-sex “marriage” in any form, but also that any attempt to change the definition of marriage should be subject to the people’s vote. Regrettably, the current Massachusetts Legislature does not hold that view.
Source: Associated Press
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White House Authorizes Implementation of Gay Agenda in HUD, Fed Agencies
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From CitizenLink.org
by Catherine Snow, managing editor
'A federal law codifying sexual orientation and gender identity rights as "civil rights" would be another nail in the coffin for religious liberty.'
With the blessing of the Obama administration – and as a signal to other federal agencies – the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced a policy that “provides lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and families with further assistance when facing housing discrimination.” The announcement was the fulfillment of several proposals outlined on Oct. 21, 2009, by HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan.
One of the most controversial of Donovan’s initiatives boldly announced the government’s intent on redefining the term “family.”
The initiative, offered as a proposed rule change and open to public comment, will “clarify the term ‘family’” and “the Department's intent to propose new regulations will clarify family status to ensure its subsidized housing programs are available to all families, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
With only weeks left before congressional recess, White House Domestic Policy Adviser Melody Barnes met with gay activists and 17 media outlets Thursday to review the administration’s progress with implementing their political goals.
The media repeatedly asked Barnes about the administration’s inconsistent attitude toward the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a federal law defining marriage as being between one man and one woman.
Barnes reiterated President Obama’s commitment to their agenda and his view that DOMA and the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy – barring gay-identified individuals from serving in the military – are discriminatory.
Despite the outreach, gay activists are not satisfied with the administration’s progress. Fearing a political sea-change coming this November – and, thus, a limited time to secure several key initiatives – activists are resurrecting “The American Equality Bill.”
This proposed legislation, not yet introduced by Congress, would amend all existing laws pertaining to civil rights, employment, housing, credit, public places and facilities, schools, adoption, health care and more – and would elevate sexual orientation and gender identity/expression as federally protected classes alongside race, gender, national origin and others.
“A federal law codifying sexual orientation and gender identity rights as ‘civil rights’ would be another nail in the coffin for religious liberty,” said Ashley Horne, federal policy analyst for CitizenLink.
“It would mean the official sanctioning in federal law the special rights afforded to gay and transgender individuals that President Obama and his administration have already been granting piecemeal by executive order fiat.”
Source: CitizenLink.org |
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