RI Gov Vetoes Same-Sex Funeral Rights

[last_texas_dem]

Source: CBS News

>>>> (AP) Gov. Don Carcieri vetoed legislation Tuesday that would give same-sex couples in Rhode Island the same right to plan the funerals of their late partners as married couples.

The socially conservative Republican said the proposed protection represents a "disturbing trend" of the incremental erosion of heterosexual marriage. Rhode Island does not recognize same-sex marriage.

"If the General Assembly believes it would like to address the issue of domestic partnership, it should place the issue on the ballot and let the people of the State of Rhode Island decide," Carcieri said in a letter to lawmakers.

Democrats hold a veto-proof majority in the Legislature and frequently override Carcieri's objections.>>>>

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/11/national/main5608892.shtml

---

What a creep: "disturbing trend" in the incremental erosion of heterosexual marriage? This just seems like a very nasty move on Carcieri's part. Hopefully the Democrats in the Legislature will override his veto.

By the way, I know state-level politics can be quirky, but how did the most Democratic state in the union wind up with a "social conservative" jerk as their Governor? I remember that he was barely reelected in '06, but was there some sort of scandal or anger towards the Democrats that brought this guy in in the first place?

[tomm2thumbs]

1. can't enter the hospital and now you can't plan their burial - may as well have a sex change

oh wait, is that covered under the new health care plan? I guess it has to be now if they are going to make these kinds of limitations on people.

thanks for posting - the veto-proof majority is hopefully a firewall

[comtec]

2. Utterly, fucking, disgusting!

Another place on my list of states to NEVER visit!

[gaspee]

5. RI is very gay friendly

It's just our governor that sucks.

The mayor of our capital city,. Providence, is an out gay man: David Cicilline

[Toasterlad]

54. Really? I'll Bet If You Gave the Good People of RI the Chance to Vote On Same-Sex Marriage...

...they'd exhibit the same compassion and understanding as our friends in the "gay-friendly" states of California and Maine.

Sorry...just not too optimistic about the "tolerance" of straight people these days.

[DWilliamsamh]

64. I am a strait person...and I feel you.

Prop 8 stunned me. But I accepted the post election analysis that the folks against it (for full marriage rights for all) had been complacent and not "organized enough." When I saw that Maine proposition, I thought HERE is where it will be made clear that at least in the "gay friendly" states - the majority supports marriage rights. I can't vote in Maine but I donated to the efforts of those on the right side. I was heart broken by the results.

There is still much work to be done.

[gaspee]

75. Uh

Yeah - I'm pretty sure it would pass in a vote. Last Brown poll says so anyway... Brown Poll

[Toasterlad]

76. And Yet, It's the Only New England State That Never Had Legal Same-Sex Marriage.

It there's such a mandate there, how come it isn't legal?

BTW, most of the reliable polls had same-sex marriage winning in both California AND Maine.

[gaspee]

82. OK, first

Don't take that attitude with me. I am not your enemy.

2nd, if you'd paid any attention to this thread whatsoever, you'd know the reason we don't have it is because we have a fuckwad for a governor.

Our attorney general has made a policy statement that marriages performed in MA are recognized in RI - hasn't been tested in court yet though.

RI marriage equality is waiting for our lame duck shitstain of a governor to be gone.

Pay attention to threads if you're gonna comment and don't attack me.

I've been angered and disheartened and haven't been posting here lately (especially since the gay purge) and I don't really need you jumping all over me. I'm on the same side as you.

Oh yeah - and were the other states 70/30 for? No? Didn't think so.

[Toasterlad]

84. Untwist Your Panties. No One's "Attacking" You

You posted something. I responded to it with a different opinion. Save the drama for your mama.

The article says that RI has a veto-proof Democratic majority. How exactly is the fuckwad governor standing in their way?

[gaspee]

85. Sorry but I read

Your tone as very sarcastic - saw your name and just read it that way - but I've been touchy on gay issues since it's so clear that our own party doesn't support us. This gayTM has been closed since I saw the writing on the wall during 2008 election season.

There's a veto proof majority for this bill, but not for marriage because our house speaker is an old catholic white man, as are many members of the so-called democratic party. I hate that I have to wait for these dickwads to die off before I get equal rights.

When we get a new governor, marriage equality will pass. There are enough votes for it to pass, just not to override fuckwads veto.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

111. That's very short sighted

Given the fact his veto will be overidden.

[hughee99]

122. Will it be?

I'm not sure that it will be overridden despite the veto-proof majority.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

123. The bill passed 63-1 originally

And the assembly will do anything to humilate this asshole.

[Fearless]

3. Pathetic.

:banghead:

[Sherman A1]

7. Agreed & Well Said

not much to add to your statement there. :banghead:

[gaspee]

4. Dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=221x150521

[Hawaii Hiker]

6. Yeah, that is interesting how a state like R.I. in which the Democratic

presdiential candiate usually wins by a 60-40% margin, has 2 great Democratic senators in Reed & Whitehouse (and even the guy Whitehouse beat in 06, Lincoln Chafee, was generally a fairly moderate guy) get such a socially conservative kook for a governor, :banghead:

Then again, how did a pretty solid Democratic state like PA. vote for Dick Santorum twice, before he finally got destroyed by 19%, :woohoo: by Bob Casey in 2006..

Guess there are always strange anomalys sometimes in politics...

[Blue_Tires]

22. a lot of people in RI still have ugly memories

of the old wonderfully corrupt, mafia-connected political machine running state and local governments...and it's political climates like that which eventually makes voters vote for ANYONE not associated with the 'old boys'

[BumRushDaShow]

52. PA wasn't "solid Democratic"

Only the urban areas (Philadelphia metro, Allegheny County & Pittsburgh, the capital city of Harrisburg, and the Scranton metro area) that have a large chunk of the state's population, were solid blue. The rest of the state was/is solidly red (but less populated). When the urban turnout is low, the repukes in the rest of the state set the agenda.

When John Heinz (a moderate repuke) was killed in a helicopter accident, Harris Wofford, a strong, JFK-associated liberal, was first appointed to fill the seat and later beat out former repuke Gov. Thornburgh in the special election to fill the term. When the full term election came up in '94, Wofford was toast, as Getrich's Contract against America bulldozed through the electorate and propelled the lunatic Santorum into office. It was close for Wofford but not enough. That same year, repuke Tom Ridge won as governor and the voter purges began, all to ensure that the urban Democrats were kept off the rolls. ;) It took 10 years of registration efforts and court cases to fix that problem.

As of the 2008 election, Democrats NOW hold a 1.2 million voter registration lead over the repukes.

[my future me]

53. It's kind of hard to vote . .

for anybody that could be connected to the Democratic Machine. One party states lead towards corruption.

[AlbertCat]

58. a pretty solid Democratic state like PA.

Well, PA is a big state. I'm not from there but I worked in Pittsburgh for a year where my gay co-worker got beaten up by police outside a gay bar, and his sister, and another one of my co-workers (I was making costumes in a costume shop) AND the girl who lived upstairs at the apt complex I was in..... all 3 were beaten up by their boy friends or husbands.... more than once. That's just one year in my small circle of acquaintances. I also never heard the "N" more casually bandied about in my life, and I'm from NC.

It might be pretty solid Dem on the east coast....but everywhere else......

What do they say? PA is Philly on ne side and Pittsburgh on the other and Alabama in between.

RI is a small state! How did it end up with a homophobe for governor?

[DWilliamsamh]

66. I live in PA. PA is not "solidly democratic." Philadelphia is.

The rest of the state (with the possible exception of Pittsburgh), is actually quite conservative. I would bet dollars to doughnuts, that Marriage Equality would lose in PA by a substantial margin. It sucks but it's true.




Edited for content.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

113. The GOP gubernatorial candidate runs against state workers and the assembly

Because the assembly is a majority of Democrats, and sadly, also mostly people under investigation/indictment, it's not hard for a GOP guv to win and be seen as a "check/balance" measure. They also beat state workers to death as being the bane of RI's existence.

It has nothing to do with social issues. Even I would have a problem with this assembly having too much power, and it's why a socially enlightened Independent with no loyalty to the State house Dems like Lincoln Chaffee is going to get a long look from me next year.

[Vidar]

8. Just another Republican asshole.

[David Zephyr]

138. Amazing.

.

[indimuse]

9. this is totally f*cked up!

knr!

[indimuse]

10. this is totally f*cked up!

knr!

[NYC Liberal]

11. I really do not understand why states have these "ballot initiatives"

What is the point of having a legislature? To me, having both -- a legislature and ballot initiatives -- only causes problems. The legislature passes a law and then people vote to overturn it. And then someone sues and the courts get involved. What a mess.

Hey governor: the majority does not get to deny rights to the minority!

[Orrex]

14. Measures intended to restrict the rights of others should be off-limits as ballot initiatives

It's a gross perversion of the democratic process to allow a simple majority to dictate which rights will be taken away from others.

[JerseygirlCT]

29. AMEN. nt

[gaspee]

36. RI doesn't have ballot initiatives

This was passed by the general assembly and governor fuckwad vetoed it.

[xxqqqzme]

78. The 'initiative' process has been

abused in CA to the point this state is now close to be unable to function. And there seems to be no interest in the legislature to begin to amend the state's constitution, thus opening the door to even more initiatives to attempt to 'fix' the problem.

I agree w/ you. I call initiatives lazy legislation. Legislators can't or won't act when there is a need so some special interest pours money into the process. I don't know why we pay them.

[Deep13]

91. The idea is to circumvent a legislature being controlled by special interests.

Instead, it is a vehicle for rich interests to bypass checks and balances to enact bad law.

[Mad_Dem_X]

12. Sick and sad.

I just cannot begin to imagine denying someone basic civil rights because they are gay. This homophobic bullshit has got to stop!

[Lint Head]

13. These are the kind of SOB's that keep our country in the

Stone Age! What a creep.

[bluethruandthru]

15. So denying basic human rights to a group of people will strengthen herterosexual marriage???

I'm having a tough time following his "logic". Is there some study somewhere that I've missed that shows how treating gay people as second class citizens equates to a lower divorce rate among heteros?

[Ms. Toad]

41. Not to defend the creep,

but in this case he isn't "concerned" about heterosexual marriages, but relations with biological family members. Some uppity gay partner (who has been the spouse of the deceased for at least one year) could come and "steal" the body away from the "real" family members.

In my brief reading, even that "concern" is unwarranted - the bill doesn't even address priority of rights, just expands the category of individuals who have a right to claim the body for burial. It grew out of a case when the hospital refused to release the body of a gay man to his partner of 17 years, advertised for the next of kin for 2 weeks (per state law), when none was found declared the body to be unclaimed and was headed for whatever the state does with unclaimed bodies. Fortunately the partner ultimately finally succeeded in being allowed to have the body released to him - but the bill was designed to prevent this from happening again.

What typically happens is that partners of decades are shoved aside by family members who rejected their gay children, but who pop up on death to reclaim what is "theirs." I don't think the bill even addresses that scenario.

[sui generis]

50. that in a nutshell is the basic issue of "marriage"

You get to legally define your next of kin. Without marriage, your relatives are next of kin and your life partner and kids are "legal strangers".

Just the same, I believe power of attorney trumps family rights, especially if it is explicitly given that the family is estranged and not considered next of kin.

Worst in all of this is that gay people are considered incapable of forming a family unit, therefore, their blood relatives, poor dears, are burdened with any remaining bank accounts, investments, assets and property, because we're not grown up enough to make those decisions for ourselves.

I have a feeling that old fuck is going to get his come uppin's though. And an open graphic warning to Rhode Island:

If by some strange science fiction circumstance I or mine end up in a hospital in your great state and you refuse visitation, you will be in the news, and you'll be able to watch it while awaiting treatment in your own emergency room.

If I pay the bills, "next of kin" is meaningless. I decide who gets to visit me, and NOBODY else, PERIOD.

[Ms. Toad]

73. I agree with what you are saying -

I was just clarifying that in this particular instance he wasn't asserting that granting this right would challenge heterosexual marriages, but that it would interfere with the biological family's rights. (Which from my quick reading it doesn't even address.)

[beac]

81. That poor man. Imagine thinking of your beloved partner stuck in some kind of

municipal cold storage, unwanted except by you, and having to face that kind of rank bigotry just because you want to give him a decent burial.

Sickening, sickening, sickenin. :mad: and :cry:

[Ms. Toad]

95. Although I was well aware of the typical scenario

(spouse finding all of his/her belongings dumped outside of the house the couple shared for years, barred from the funeral, etc.), I hadn't thought about the possibility that the body might not be released to the spouse when the biological family wasn't even around.

[JNelson6563]

16. What a bastard!

He's counting on the well-funded machine showing up and convincing the voters of his state that teh gays are eviiiiiiiil!

[Cass]

17. This is just cruel and sad.

Carcieri is a real jerk who appears to have a dictator streak in him based on his commentary. In the meantime he has no problem vetoing legislation favored by a majority of the General Assembly in order to fulfill his own warped agenda.

[OnionPatch]

18. I just can't understand how this erodes heterosexual marriage.

It's just ridiculous! There is nothing stopping heterosexuals from whatever kind of marriage they want. I wish the conservatives would take to heart their meme regarding "Personal Responsibility" and take responsibility for their own marriages working instead of blaming gays. If every gay in the world married tomorrow, it wouldn't make a bit of difference to my own heterosexual marriage. I swear they must believe that no one would marry someone of the opposite sex if they had the other option. How bizarre.

[JerseygirlCT]

28. It's just the wrapping paper used to cover bigotry. They know

it has no impact whatsoever on hetero marriages, like yours and mine. It's just the (albeit tissue-thin) stuff they try to dress their discrimination in.

[AlbertCat]

63. no one would marry someone of the opposite sex if they had the other option. How bizarre.

Not if you are a closeted, self hating gay trying with all your might not to be gay. Or ashamed to the point of neurosis about the one or two times you "did it" in college or something like that. Add to that the beautiful teachings of the Christian right and....voila! Can't stand to see gays happy and living normal lives.... that just can't be!!!!!

[Spinzonner]

19. Talk about dancing on people's grave

[IndianaGreen]

20. Fundies would rather LGBTs would cease to exist

Can't visit your partner when he or she is in hospital, and now can't plan funeral that one pays out of one's pockets.

[demigoddess]

132. It amazes me that they take one line in the bible over what we know of history

gay people have been around forever, and were not caused by the 60s sexual revolution, women's liberation, or liberal politics. If they only were smart enough to read history....

[Imajika]

21. Is he right about this?

"'If the General Assembly believes it would like to address the issue of domestic partnership, it should place the issue on the ballot and let the people of the State of Rhode Island decide,' Carcieri said in a letter to lawmakers."

How would the states people vote on Same Sex marriage or even Same-Sex Funeral Rights?

If he is wrong, then why not just put the issue to a vote of the people?

RI votes overwhelmingly Democratic, so if this Governor's veto can't be overridden, then just put the issue to the people. Seems a perfect opportunity to get an actual win on the Same-Sex marriage/rights front.

[Rebubula]

23. What a dick...

...I will NEVER understand how ANYONE can have a problem with who someone else loves.

"The socially conservative Republican said the proposed protection represents a "disturbing trend" of the incremental erosion of heterosexual marriage" ----- Ohhhh...do you mean the hetero marriages that, in almost 50% of the time, end in divorce???

The divorce rate in America for first marriage is 41%
The divorce rate in America for second marriage is 60%
The divorce rate in America for third marriage is 73%

I think the hetero folks are doing the most harm to the 'institution' of marriage.

[HillWilliam]

24. You think that's somthing

GoodHair Perry wants gay veterans to get their asses out of the state. When it comes to queerbashing, the wackos just can't get wacko enough.

K&R

[Politicub]

25. This is a punitive measure against the mourning

The word that first came to mind as I read about this is heartlessness. This is beyond mean spirited, it's downright sadistic to punish those who are in mourning for their partner. There is no other explanation than to torment the partner who is only thinking of giving his soul mate a dignified funeral, last rites, burial or cremation.

I am going to hold my partner extra close tonight and appreciate that we are both here today to love one another. I am going to be with him until I die, and I am so angry about such injustice being perpetuated against GLBT folk. What will be next?

[JerseygirlCT]

26. Wow. Perfect way to illustrate the absolute cruelty of

homophobic bigots.

That creeping trend is the rest of New England either legalizing or in the throes of legalizing, marriage equality. RI has been the hold-out - until the bigots in ME had their day.

[Orrex]

31. I would expect that the next move will be to prevent same-sex couples from being buried side by side

Because, you know, it's an offense against God or something.

[theHandpuppet]

65. That's already true in many cases

Try being a gay couple who has to face trying to make burial arrangements and you'll find out very quickly that the hatred reaches beyond the grave.

[Orrex]

130. Holy shit that's horrible.

I posted it as a dark joke, thinking that it was too preposterously ugly to be true.

[theHandpuppet]

135. No, it's a reality for gay couples

Many cemeteries are either privately run or operated by churches on church lands. My partner and I would like to buried with our families but most of the old family cemeteries, where many generations of our kin have been laid to rest, are on church property and the rest are among cemeteries owned by private interests. The most we could hope for is that one of the privately run cemeteries would bury us in adjoining graves but with separate stones, as if we are strangers who just happened to be buried next to one another. So at the moment we've opted for cremation and to have our ashes scattered. We will not carry such humiliation to our graves.

[Orrex]

139. So death is not the great equalizer after all

I wonder what it would take to open a new cemetery that allowed couples to share a monument. I mean, aside from the 24/7 security that you'd need to keep vandals from fouling things up, of course.

I suppose that there are zoning issues, etc.

[graywarrior]

27. This is what happens when republicans are voted into power.

When are people going to learn that republicans all republicans are against women's and gay's rights. (Yeah, I know, some dems, too, those dems are really republicans)

[Odin2005]

30. Pathetic jerk.

:puke:

[dionysus]

32. jesus h christ.

[caseymoz]

33. The outrage of this . . .

No, Gov. the erosion of heterosexual marriage has something to do with the over fifty percent rate of divorce without homosexuals.

I think Blue States elect social conservative governors because that's our culture's model of leadership. A "strong" leader who shows no doubt about what he wants, and is able to rationalize it convincingly as having a "moral compass." I think it is reinforced and promoted further by the military-industrial complex.

Even if the state is Blue about everything else, this is the model of leadership many people will vote for in the executive branch.

[gaspee]

34. Local level stuff

Carcieri hates Cicciline, who is the out gay mayor of Providence - and he's a smirking chimp of a man who has a cruel streak in him a mile wide. But he's a good catholic - just ask him. That's how he excuses his bigotry.

Also Carcieri is an asshole pig, shitstain, fuckstick, numbnuts, cruel, disgusting, horrible, pathetic excuse for a man. The General Assembly has the votes to pass marriage equality, the people of RI favor marriage equality (it would pass on a ballot measure according to the last Brown poll, but there aren't enough votes to override a veto by governor fuckwad.

He knows there's nothing we can do about it until he's gone.

He's one of those "wonderful" CEO governors.

This state is heavily catholic - that's how he got elected gov.

He's anti-poor, anti-worker, anti-woman, anti-gay, anti-union. Anti-immigrant too, for good measure. Wonderful guy, our governor.

We have a lot of catholics, jews and atheists - not so many evangelicals. It's the catholics who are fighting equality in this state and governor shitstain is their leader.


Oh and the dems are corrupt - that's another reason he's governor. But it's not as if all of our dems are liberals - they know they can't win as repugs, so even the conservatives call themselves democrats.

My Rep is a catholic bigot too - he's anti-woman and anti-gay - wish we could get rid of him too, but Pelosi loves him, so Langevin isnt' going anywhere.

I can't wait until Lincoln Chafee is Governor.

[TomClash]

46. I chuckled at this post

It could have been written by many of my RI Catholic relatives. :hi:

[SallyMander]

62. My awesome lefty 88-year-old grandpa

can't STAND Carcieri, and he's said the same thing about Chafee. He liked Chafee a lot as Sen but voted for Whitehouse in the name of a Dem majority. I have to say i was fond of Chafee too because i got to meet with him when i was in college in RI -- my student Sierra Club coalition lobbied him on ANWR. We thought we'd be talking to an aide, but walked in and there was the Senator! One of the perks of living in a small state! :D

Do you think gay marriage legislation would have a chance in RI? It's such a blue state, but you're right about the large Catholic contingent that would come out strong against...

[Left Brain]

35. pompous, ignorant piece of shit.

Hubby and I knew a redneck who just loved to run his mouth about AIDS back in the day. Preached that it was god's punishment for "abominable behavior."

'till his beloved daughter got the virus.

If it's true that what comes around goes around, I hope to hell that Carcieri lives to rue the day.

[Robb]

37. What an ass. nt

[katkat]

38. RI Dems and Reps

RI has a long tradition, with some notable exceptions, of sending decent people to Congress while having perhaps the most corrupt and stupid state legislature and Governor.

Something like 1 in 5 workers in the state work for the state or local governments. These people work under unbelievable contracts, where they get to retire after twenty years or so with a pension that's about their former salary, and full health benefits.

Only lately has this started to be modified a little, as the towns and state sink under the financial burden and people not working for the state/town start losing their homes because they can't pay the astronomical property taxes this requires. Even then, the unions control the legislature, pretty much, so little progress is made. Pending in the legislature as we speak is a measure that would extend these contracts ad infinitum if the state/towns and workers don't agree on a new contract, so all the workers have to do is stonewall.

RI is pretty much a nightmare in terms of union excess, and I write that as a lifelong Democrat.

Linc Chafee is running for Governor next time, so if he wins there'll be at least one honest person in state government.

Also, Betsy Dennigan, a registered nurse, is running against Langevin. I don't know if she has a chance, but she gets my donations.

[gaspee]

43. As a theoretical socialist

I agree with you - the unions are corrupt - and the people know it. I am a lifelong proponent for strong unions - but the corruption rampant in our tiny state makes me a theoretical socialist and not a practical socialist.

It's the old boys network and in a state so small, it is definitely WHO you know that matters.

[natrat]

39. omg is that mean, horrible

[DallasNE]

40. Explain To Me How

Granting equal rights "erodes" the rights of anybody or anything. It seems to me that the erosion of hetrosexual marriage is caused by the behavior of the likes of Sens. Vitter and Ensign, the South Carolina Governor and the preacher from Colorado Springs.

[AlbertCat]

70. Explain To Me How Granting equal rights "erodes" the rights of anybody or anything.

It erodes the rights of white males to run everything the way they please.

The next thing you know there'll be some gay. or woman, or colored guy in the White House!!!!!

[Guilded Lilly]

125. it's alll about fear

of losing control isn't it?

[donco6]

127. But that would be utterly logical.

And these people are anything but.

[Deep13]

42. You fucking bastard.

This isn't marriage. It's merely the right to watch ones partner die. What the hell does this have to do with hetero marriage?!

Jesus Christ! I wish I believed in curses because I would offer one on him that would make a serial killer shudder.

[logosoco]

44. Maybe I am just looking at this funny as I do with a lot of things...

but it seems like in their rush to make things difficult for gay couples, might this also screw up other people? I am not familiar with the laws or protocol of picking up a dead body from the coroner. But what if there was someone who had lost contact with all "next-of-kin" but they had a large group of friends who wanted to bury them when they died? IS the law that no one could claim the body?
And in this case, can you put something in your will as to who would be in charge of your body when you die?
I just hate hearing about stuff like this! Don't these law makers have better things to do then to make life miserable for people? Isn't their job supposed to be protecting people from getting messed up with the system? Sheesh!
(For the record , I am in a 23 year heterosexual marriage and I don't see anything illegal about same sex marriage. Marriage is for consenting adults period.)

[Ishoutandscream2]

45. Damn, the South is so fucking ignorant!

Wait, this is Rhode Island we're talking about.

Just goes to show you hatefulness and bigotry knows no geographical boundaries.

[tjwash]

68. And these kind folk were part of the mob jumping all on California's shit last year for prop8

I see that them and Maine's shit still doesn't stink.

[gaspee]

77. WTF are you talking about

[Deep13]

93. The only difference is that the North East's population is more urban than the South's.

This promotes diversity of views, freedom to disagree and a generally more informed discussion. Away from metro Boston, New Englanders are as backward as anyone else.

[Joey Liberal]

47. How is this man the Gov of R.I.?

That right wing jerk in no way should be the Gov of a blue state like R.I..

[Deep13]

48. Why would the legislature put the issue on the ballot...

...when they can just pass a statute? Oh yeah, because Governor Fuckhead will veto it.

[AldebTX]

49. I Have Come to the Conclusion

That Heterosexual marriage MUST be one of the weakest institutions out there. It is threatened by so many things and as some of my str8 friends tell me its constantly under assault at every turn.

No wonder there are so many divorces.

Perhaps its time to take a new strategy....instead of defending it...and letting such a weak thing grow weaker....maybe its time to go on the offensive and allow more marriages...pump some new life into it....

Oh wait....never mind.

[theHandpuppet]

69. But of course, their hate squad of ignorance...

... has no explanation for why divorce rates are so much higher among red states with gay-hating laws!

[Deep13]

88. I think capitalism is the real cause of the failure of hetero marriage. nt

[lonestarnot]

51. Do people know who they vote for when they are voting?

:shrug:

[backscatter712]

55. I think we know the gay rights strategy going forward.

Step one: Wait until Scalia or Thomas eats too many cheeseburgers and dies. Make damned sure we keep a Democratic Congress and President for that day.

Step two: Make sure the replacement justice is liberal enough (or at least skilled and following the law & Constitution correctly like Sotomayor.)

Step three: Once we have a liberal majority in the SCOTUS, SUE THE FUCK OUT OF 'EM!!!

[nolabear]

56. GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! (Banging head into wall).

[Bluenorthwest]

57. I can not wait to hear what Fierce Advocate has to say!

Gracious, he's going to be moved to be nearly sanguine over this!

[backscatter712]

59. I do hold comfort in this paragraph...

Democrats hold a veto-proof majority in the Legislature and frequently override Carcieri's objections.>>>>

[fascisthunter]

60. .

[ooglymoogly]

61. Well. well, well, another dartboard of ignorance created...kr nt

[LeftinOH]

67. This is just plain mean & spiteful; it has NOTHING do with *traditional marriage* (%?@&*#!).

[kestrel91316]

71. SHAMEFUL, MEANSPIRITED, HEARTLESS and CRUEL.

Can somebody explain to me the mechanism whereby a gay planning a funeral for a partner harms heterosexual marriages??

[Deep13]

90. you said it.

Cynical too. He's pandering to the woodchuck* vote. He knows damn well his argument is piss. He's just trying to score points with stupid people by throwing gays further under the bus.



*redneck: The South :: woodchuck: New England

[Love Bug]

72. How heartless and cruel!

Doesn't the governor have anything better to do? You know, like get JOBS for his state, which has one of the highest unemployment numbers in the nation? Apparently not. Gotta keep "teh Gays" from burying their dead, don't 'cha know.

:sarcasm:

[still_one]

74. or how did Minnesota end up with their Pawlenty, or California with Arnold

we have some very disturbing trends, and I would like to think that people have learned their lesson from how the republicans have screwed them throughout the years

[cleverusername]

79. Uncompassionate people!

We can't have people surrounded by the people they love when they die. :sarcasm:

Uncompassionate assholes. :mad:

[Zoeisright]

80. What a douchebag.

And I am SO sick of that stupid 'erosion of heterosexual marriage' crap. When asked to explain exactly HOW gay marriage 'erodes' heterosexual marriage, these idiots can't come up with one reason. Because there isn't any.

And straights are doing a fine job all by themselves 'eroding' marriage, with a divorce rate above 50%.

[bobshin]

83. Good. This kind of idiocy backfires all the time.

This will actually get more people riled up to fight to support it. I would be more grateful than disgusted. He's an idiot. He deserves more sympathy than anger.

[BennyD]

86. Gays want special rights.

That's what I hear all the time from some of my friends. One friend is fond of saying, "Gays have the same rights I do! I can't marry a member of the same sex either. For them want to change the laws is to do what I can't do is to want special rights!"

I generally avoid the discussion.

[InfiniteThoughts]

87. hey idiot ...

hey idiot gov.,

i am a straight guy but i am mighty pissed off that you play politics with such sensitive issues like death. Can you even imagine how painful it would be if you weren't allowed for your spouse's funeral? Can you even imagine your spouse's funeral?

I pray to YOUR GOD - JESUS that if he exists, he shall send you a scary nightmare taking you to that scene where your wife isn't allowed to bid final farewell to you? Does that sound like fun? Hopefully that you make you realize how pathetic you are?

REINFORCING THE GOD MESSAGE - hey stupid - do you ever read the BIBLE? i am no christian but i have read it. IT TEACHES THE MESSAGE OF LOVE. JESUS TEACHES THE MESSAGE OF LOVE. Is that what you are showing our homosexual brothers & sisters? If you cannot love thy neighbour, at least show some morals of not fucking around with them!

Come on, grow some guts and stop playing religion into sensitive matters, you moron!

--------------------

I really am sorry for the foul language. I am sick & tired of the shallowness of these idiots ...

[justiceischeap]

89. DIVORCE is the incremental erosion of heterosexual marriage not us homos (n/t)

[Pab Sungenis]

92. What do you want from a state

founded by people who thought the Puritans were too liberal?

[my future me]

96. You really just confused your history

[katkat]

100. Pab

Pab, my sweet fellow, get your history right.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

114. FAIL

Nice try though.

[TygrBright]

94. How unspeakably cruel. JUST what Jesus would do, Goob. Right. n/t

[Divine Discontent]

103. yep, couldn't be further from the truth! my Mom said the other day that Jesus would be the 1st to

advocate for someone's love of another person. it shows an ability to be human, to love & be loved.


shame is upon this stain of a governor. he is wicked.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

97. clearly if only gays took the word marriage out we would win equality

[Deep13]

105. Right, as long as gays don't call it marriage or adopt children or file joint income taxes...

...or visit each other in the hospital or buy joint property or hold hands in public or go to public functions as a couple or tell anyone they are gay, everything would be fine.

:grr: :nuke: :grr: :nuke: :grr:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

108. exactly

[theHandpuppet]

107. Touche'

I wonder how many will appreciate the irony.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

109. it wont be the ones who scream it the most often. they never seem to realize

that their position is a big far lie

[LeftHander]

98. More dictated dimishing of the same sex couple....nt

[aquart]

99. Is he insane?

[Divine Discontent]

102. I'd say this governor is hateful. refusing same sex burial rights?

teh gay - it's spreading!!! it must be stopped! :sarcasm:


that governor needs out of office. what a small-minded bigot he is.


and if that poll of 61 percent is right, then heck yeah, put it up for vote. It's one of the higher majorities for same-sex marriage I've seen.

[Deep13]

106. No, just evil. nt

[Arugula Latte]

101. Why does RI have a conservative rightwing asshole for a governor?

Goddammit, this pisses me off! :grr:

Come on legislature, shove this down his throat and then rip his spleen out.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

115. See posts 38, 43 and 113

Also, and I hate to say this, but his name helps.

He never should have been elected the first time out, but our three time loser of a Democratic nominee managed to blow a 15 point lead by going negative when she didn't need to.

[davidthegnome]

104. What an asshole

Even for a rabid republican, this is sick. Can you imagine if someone tried to tell him that he couldn't plan his wife's funeral? Provided any woman was unfortunate enough to marry the bastard. The cons would scream bloody murder, hell, everyone would. It should be no different here. Sickening bigotry.

[ismnotwasm]

110. That, hands down is one of the most disgusting things

I've heard in a while-- when it comes to 'laws'. I'm pissed. That is just gross. Fucking freak.

I mean, who the fuck THINKS like this? (I know, I know) but still, this is so incredibly, so obviously wrong that it hard to imagine how the brain the produced this action thinks.

Of course, there is the fact that fucking legislation had to be brought in the first place to ensure that human beings can grieve and celebrate a lost life. What comes to mind is that part of the old old definition of sentience, the honoring of the dead. What this piece of shit is doing is a literal attempt to make Gays less than human beings.

If he wants real definition of evil, or wants to know what a 'disturbing trend' really looks like, he could always hang out in front of mirror.

[laconicsax]

112. Maybe if we change the name.

Instead of 'funeral' rights, maybe 'civil burial' would take away some of the opposition.

:sarcasm:

[theHandpuppet]

136. Good one!

:thumbsup:

[Solly Mack]

116. Idiot piece of shit

[winyanstaz]

117. How frickin low can he go? Wait..don't answer that....

Sheesh...that has got to be the stupidest, mean-spirited asshole decision on the planet.
WTF is the matter with these people? To interfere even in death is just evil.
Governor..IS IT SATAN?????? (sorry the church lady creeped in here and typed that last part :P)

[superconnected]

118. I don't get it. I just don't get it. Why do they even care let enough go out of the way

to make sure someone doesn't have the rights.

[Initech]

119. Holy shit. If the pukes even had a shred of human decency in them we'd be much better off.

:grr: :argh:

[cynatnite]

120. So letting a gay person plan the funeral of his or her partner erodes heterosexual marriage?

:wtf:

[gaspee]

121. Worst Person In The World?

Anyone sent this to Olberman?

[Guilded Lilly]

124. All this anti-gay crap is the DISTURBING trend.

What the hell are the people who make these kind of statements afraid of????
Really.

As was wisely posted earlier...DIVORCE is the biggest threat to heterosexual marriage and by far the most disturbing trend. And from what I can tell, it is heterosexual straying that is a big part of divorce. THAT is what threatens most hetero marriages. Just ask the crew a C Street about that.

In this world of hate, LOVE, anywhere you can find it with consentual adults is a very good thing. It is POSITIVE. As long as it can last, it is what saves human souls.
NOW these same dense minds want to control the handling of loved ones in death????

This totally ignorant paranoia is reallllly getting on my last nerve.
You know what, let's give the closed minds the exclusive rights to the word *marriage*. That is what this really comes down to doesn't it? Some kind of threat to the word marriage.(which in turn is some kind of threat to supposed "masculinity" and "femininity") Let's create laws and words exclusively for devoted gay lovers who want nothing more than to celebrate their personal choice of who to love...and have the legal right to do so.

Honest to gawd, this insecure stance taken by Republicans (or Democrats or whoever!) is not indicative of any high moral values, it is indicative of weak character and a particularly shallow level of intellect. Let's face it. many hetero men, as much as I can adore some of them, are into mean-assed, insensitive control based on their own fear and lack of self-esteem.

Give it the "f" up.

oh yeah...peace,
Lilly

[donco6]

126. That's just flat-out mean.

What an asshole.

[katty]

128. WTF?!!!! this is blatantly INHUMANE!

[border_town]

129. This does not surprise me

RI is a pretty religious state.  Heck the Bishop of the
catholic church is challenging Patrick Kennedy for being pro
choice and a catholic.  

I guess you can say RI is the redheaded stepchild of New
England. 
 

[theangrystoner]

131. Carcieri's an ass

It's unfortunate that we can't get rid of him yet. Any kind of progress we attempt in RI is vetoed by this dick.

[donheld]

133. Can this veto be overriden?

[Chemical Bill]

134. "...how did the most Democratic state in the union wind up..."

with that asshole? I've wondered. When I went to bed on election night he was losing, but when I got up he was the winner. We do have machine tabulated ballots like the kinds found in the worst of the election fraud 2004 states, maybe * wasn't the only recipient of the largess.

Bill

[yurbud]

137. so when you're partner dies, take them to this guy's office.