Tim Pawlenty: The Epitome Of Compassion

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty announced last week that he would veto a bill aimed at giving same-sex partners the same end-of-life rights as married couples. Pawlenty says the bill is unnecessary and would "stoke up a political controversy on a hot-button issue."
Um, Tim, honey? Equal rights are controversial? Really?

Supporters of the bill balked at the governor's rationale, saying his suggestion that same-sex couples could achieve the same rights through a will still leaves gays on unequal footing with their heterosexual counterparts; married couples have those rights without a will.

The new bill would give same-sex partners the right to make decisions about how to dispose of a deceased partner's body--something gay couples say is needed because some gays and lesbians are estranged from their immediate families; the bill also gives surviving partners the right to sue those responsible should their partner be killed.

Senate sponsor Yvonne Prettner said wills not only cost money to draw up, but can be problematic because of errors or omissions. She said, "I think he's missing the point, though, that this is really an issue of fairness and equality. "I would hope that we could appeal to the governor's sense of compassion and fairness."

Good luck with that. Tim Pawlenty, Compassion and Fairness, rarely mix.

The thing about this that galls me, is that we can have those same rights and privileges and benefits, but we needs lawyers and lawyer's fees, documentation and paperwork, yet, if we're straight, we just get these rights.

UPDATE: He vetoed it. Asshat. He said he did it because he believes in "traditional marriage."

Whatever that is.