Perhaps A Threesome With Vermont, Iowa And Me

Well, it's done.

It only took ten years, but it's done.

We had to suffer through the usual inane arguments, but it's done.

We listened to a governor threaten a veto, but it's done.

In Vermont, the House and the Senate voted to override Governor Jim Douglas' veto of the gay marriage bill--which both houses passed in recent weeks. The House voted 100-49; the Senate vote was 23-5. This was the first time Douglas' veto had been overridden.

Nice work, Vermont. Iowa is proud of you; Massachusetts is proud of you; Connecticut, too.

Governor Douglas received the bill Monday, and promptly vetoed it, citing the fact that he is pro-discrimination, that he believes gay Americans are "less than" real Americans, that...okay he didn't say that; he said he vetoed the bill because he believes marriage is between a man and a woman. Then he also stated that same-sex couples would be denied federal benefits even if the bill were to become law.

Nice try, Jim, but that battle is coming. This is all far from over.

House Speaker Shap Smith: "For the people voting to override the veto, they're voting to support the majority of Vermonters. They believe the majority of Vermont should be heard and should not be blocked by one man."

And it wasn't.

Way to go, Vermont.

Send A Message

Well, that was one shortlived celebration.

After the Vermont Senate approved a bill allowing same-sex marriage, Vermont Governor Jim Douglas has announced he'll veto the bill when it hits his desk. Although he told reporters he doesn't typically announce his intentions so far ahead of time, he thinks it's the only way to stop speculation about what his move may be, to refocus lawmakers' attention on the state budget.

Of course, then he trots out that old one-man/one-woman bull$%&# and says same-sex marriage is a deeply personal issue--uh, isn't all marriage a deeply personal issue, Gov?

"I believe marriage has always been and ought to remain the union of a man and a woman," Douglas said. "I believe the civil unions law has offered equal rights and benefits under state law to same-sex couples and that should suffice."

Equal rights? Civil union is not equal. It's less than; it's discriminatory. It's a sliver of pie when we're really hungry, Governor.

Don't get me wrong, I think civil unions have paved the way for same-sex marriage, but it isn't enough. Nowhere near enough.

Democratic leaders have called the governor's announcement an insult to the political process since they haven't even passed the bill yet. Douglas' move now puts pressure on the House, which can override the veto with a two-thirds majority.

And Governor Douglas is also saying that he thinks Democratic leaders would not have advanced the bill if they did not have enough votes to override a veto, and has acknowledged he will have no choice but to accept same-sex marriages if the house can get the numbers.

Sure, you just don't want to come out, no pun intended, as a supporter of gay marriage.

Douglas reiterates that he would like legislators to focus on just one thing right now: the economy; but lawmakers, and even children, can do more than one thing at a time, Governor, and still get things done.

Multitask, people!

That's what I'm doing right now. Blogging. Playing with the dog. Sipping a little cafe con leche. And doing a web search to get Governor Douglas' email address.

There. It. Is.

Write to Jim Douglas and ask him why he wants to veto equality. Why he wants to deny rights to a particular group of people. Why he thinks that is fair, or American, or right.

Write to him HERE