Matt Tully has a good column on the proposed anti-marriage equality amendment to the Indiana Constitution and the dilemma faced by Republican leaders in the Indiana General Assembly. Much of it has been said before, but I suppose these things will have to be repeated quite a lot in the next year until the public discourse over the proposed amendment solidifies. But, briefly:
1. It’s the wrong thing to do. Same sex partners should have the same right to marry and/or civil unions that heterosexual partners have.
2. There is already a statute in place banning same sex marriages in Indiana. No need to make it double extra illegal through a Constitutional Amendment that serves only to make it more difficult for Hoosiers of tomorrow to make their own decision on the matter.
3. The second sentence of the proposed amendment is impenetrable – probably intended as a ban on civil unions, but who the hell knows.
4. For Republicans, it creates a rift between social conservatives and fiscal conservatives.
5. It’s not a real problem that needs addressed – compared to more real world challenges Hoosiers face.
6. It makes us look backward. (More so, I would contend, than declining to observe Daylight Saving Time — see, I knew I could work DST into a blog post.)
Regarding numbers 1 & 2: Pleading in the alternative, huh?
Reminds me of the classic defense to a lawsuit that alleged defendant borrowed a bucket and returned it with a hole in it:
1. I didn’t borrow the bucket.
2. It had a hole in it when I borrowed it.
3. It didn’t have a hole when I returned it.
You’re right that Tully’s column is good. Apart from the impenetrable second sentence, the prospect of this measure – at best, frosting on the cake for proponents – dominating an election and scarfing up millions of dollars of polarized and polarizing money, is pretty spooky.
Sort of, I suppose. I guess #1 is my opinion on the matter. #2 is recognition that my opinion by itself is fairly irrelevant. For now, Indiana law says it’s illegal because not so long ago, the opinion I have now wasn’t widely held (including by me.) If a change in views continues, then we should get rid of the law. If not, then the law stays in place regardless of whether I think it’s right or wrong.
Good move Indiana.
Let’s show the whole world that most people who live in Indiana are raging bigots.
And then after millions of taxpayer dollars are pissed away for nothing the bigots will again lose.
Good thing we are spending our money to legislate rights away instead of blowing it on health insurance for the poor.
Passing it would be typical Indiana politics – failing to solve real problems, generationally pointless, and poorly done to boot.
That’s kind of the whole point, though, isn’t it? The anti-American, anti-Christian reactionaries who oppose SSM have an insane worship for the dictatorship of the past.
Doug, what about this for a constitutional amendment::
Only Eastern Standard Time year-around shall be the time in Indiana. A time status that is not identical or substantially similar to what’s in the first sentence of this provision for unmarried couples or for that matter everybody who lives by the clock shall not be valid or recognized.”
Stealing this one for FB, Mr Sherfick! Thank you.
“It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.” Robert Heinlein That being said it is time for Indiana to join the rest of the civilized world and ok same sex marriage and get on to bigger and better issues.
As for day light saving time, it makes scheduling recreational sports practices a breeze. No more cutting practice early or ending practices in the dark! You mean they passed day light saving time for business reasons? Hmmm Mitch Daniels will have to explain that one to me personally. ;)
I’m not a fan of Mr. Daniels, but it’s harder to do business in NW Indiana if you and Chicago don’t have the same time. Media, work times and everything is weird. When the 800 pound gorilla says it’s 8:00, you need to say “yes sir!”
Wasn’t NW Indiana on Chicago time before Daniels, though?
For the longest time, it was so easy to keep track: NW and SW (where I’m from) were on Central time, observed DST.
SE (around Cincinnati) was on Eastern time, observed DST.
Rest of the state was on Eastern time, no DST.
It was steady and constant, and once you knew it it was easy to keep track.
It was everything but “steady and constant.” The current arrangement, with the bulk of the state on Eastern time and observing DST, and the counties in NW Indiana and near Evansville on Central time and observing DST, is the case 365 days a year. “Steady and constant” means knowing that we’re on NYC time, and an hour ahead of Chicago, and three hours ahead of the west coast, etc., and that it never changes. The problem with the old system was that it changed every six months. Don’t get me wrong, I understood it because I had grown up with it, but scheduling with out-of-state clients, or dealing with litigation with attorneys from all over the midwest or USA, was often confused. I guess it was steady and constant in that we didn’t have to change our clocks, but when the whole world moves around you, standing still is overrated.
Living in a global community, there is the very real issue of trying to find time standards that are manageable. In the late 80’s I worked with a company here in Indpls that did business with associates in both Tokyo and across Scandinavia. There never was a really good time to connect all needed participants. Someone always ended up trying to have an intelligible conference in the wee hrs of the nite. Daniels and now Pence have been trying to establish Indiana as a world business partner. It seems that both issues here come into play. We have computer to help ease the time confusions. Let’s not throw a wrench in the social aspects by holding our state captive in the 19th century on questions of social justice.
In my case, “steady and constant” meant knowing who was on what time, and knowing when the changes occurred. I had all this no problem before Daniels started fucking around with it all. Now I can’t keep track.
For instance, growing up in Gibson County, I knew that Pike and Knox Counties would be an hour ahead of us for part of the year, and during the summer and early fall would be on the same time as us. This was constant, consistent, and predictable.
But now, it’s like one year they’re an hour ahead of us year round, then the next year they’re with us…can’t keep track anymore.
There have been no changes to Indiana’s time zone boundaries since November 2007, when Daviess, Dubois, Knox, Martin, and Pike counties moved back to the Eastern Time Zone from the Central. For the past six years, Pike and Knox counties have been an hour ahead of Gibson County and greater Evansville, and on the same time as Indianapolis, 365 days a year. In 2006, several counties in the southwest (the aforementioned five plus Perry County) and two in the north (Pulaski and Starke counties) moved from the Eastern to the Central, but by fall 2007 all but Perry and Starke had moved back.