“Contempt in Boston”
Whether you support same sex “marriage” in our state or not, you should be appalled at the utter contempt our elected so called “representatives have for “we the people” who pay their salaries and benefits by not fulfilling their constitutional responsibility to vote up or down on the ballot initiative. The Wall st. Journal editorial board sums up the current situation and Jan 2nd vote at the Constitutional Convention (subs req):
The constitution only requires that 25% of both houses of the legislature vote to put the measure on the ballot, a bar set deliberately low to ensure that the people would have their say in all but the most extreme cases. But the legislature has so far refused to vote on the measure at all. In November, its members recessed until next Tuesday, the last day of the current legislative session, and to all appearances the politicians intend to adjourn the session without voting on the measure at all — thus letting it die.
Departing Governor Mitt Romney has threatened to withhold approval of legislators’ raises for next year unless they vote on the initiative, but this has purely symbolic value. Thanks to a voter-passed constitutional amendment from 1998, legislators are guaranteed raises every two years. Yet this is that same constitutional-amendment procedure that is now being flouted by legislators who lack the votes to defeat the measure on a straight vote.
The petitioners sued the legislature for abrogating its constitutional duty, and the state Supreme Judicial Court took the case. In its ruling this week, it agreed that the legislature’s duty to vote on the measure was “unambiguous.” But it claimed to be powerless to compel a vote. So the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, whose own arrogation of power created this mess, has suddenly discovered the limits of its power to clean it up.
All in all, this is quite the political spectacle. First judges usurp the power of the legislature to dictate their own social policy. Then the legislature uses a procedural ruse to deny voters a say on the gay-marriage issue. And these are some of the same people who say Iraqis aren’t ready for democracy.
And people wonder why residents of the Commonwealth continue to flock to other more family and business friendly states?
December 29th, 2006 at 7:38 pm
I’m so sick of all of this. I say, “Execute them all!”
I’ve been writing about the third theatre of this war which no one is paying any attention whatever. If the Ethiopians had not kicked the snot out of these little punk al Qaidas, we could have had a regional war that touched on Saudi Arabia! How many writings have you read about this?
Here are mine: WWIII, Theatre 3: Somalia v. Ethiopia, Somalia: an update and finally, Capitol of Somalia Re-Captured! I hope someone will be enlightened.
I still want those Mass. judges thrown into the bay. A little remembrance of the Tea Party! Hey! Not bad, eh? We could start a new party called the Tea Party! LOL.
December 31st, 2006 at 11:15 am
By ignoring their Oath of Office our legislature has shown the Voters of Massachusetts that the Massachusetts Constitution is now officially Dead..they have proven beyond a doubt that an oath of office is also IRRELEVANT. They are Now showing that the Voters of Massachusetts are Irrelevant and that the Voters are “Too Stupid” to Vote! The Supreme Court of Massachusetts told them several years ago to write a law regarding Gay Marriage or Gay Unions..THAT DAY THEY CHOSE TO IGNORE THE SUPREME COURT RULING…Now they have done so again…
One day this very PRECEDENT WILL BE shown to be a Serious Error..but it will then be too late…by Failing to do as the People Request..the Constitution and the Voters have become Unnecessary in our State…The voters knew full well what they were asking for when the elected Politicians who fail to honor an oath of office…So they get what they Voted for and that may be why so many people have left our state over the past few years!
Constitutions are ammended all the time..by the will of the people and the only way to avoid that is to make the Constitution, the vehicle by which all laws are judged..IRRELEVANT. WOE TO THOSE WHO FLAUNT AN OATH TO OBEY THE RULES…and instead FAIL TO FOLLOW THAT OATH..none of us may be around to see the outcome or long term results of such actions..but such actions DO HAVE OUTCOMES..and most of them have not been GOOD ONES. No one noticed the first Failure of our Elected “leaders”..and now the second failure is being “flaunted”…
People once believed that if one does not like a rule of law..they could CHANGE it..NOW THERE IS A PRECEDENT SET BY WHICH THE RULE DOES NOT ALLOW CHANGE…IT MAY SEEM LIKE NOTHING TODAY, BUT IT IS BUT THE SECOND STEP IN TYRANNY AND THAT WILL BRING HAVOC! Sadly, our “leaders” have a Short frame of reference..money and the next election and do not seem to care about the long term affects of their decisions or lack of decisions! It once was thought to be honorable to make the Hard and Difficult choices..now it is scoffed at and belittled. Serving in Political office once attracted Men Of Honor and Courage, here in Massachusetts we have allowed men of shortsightedness and lack of Honor to Rule..when once they were elected to Serve the Citizens..they now have been Elected to serve themselves. Not a precedent I will like my children and their children to face. But it will even make me laugh when these very same “leaders” must eat their words and see what they have brought upon themselves!
January 1st, 2007 at 7:40 pm
Tomorrow’s decision is probably the most important ever. The oldest still governing Constitution in the world is being ignored…at a time that democracy is under attack all over the world. Over 170,000 people will be excluded from its protection. That is why John Adams included similar language in the listing of King’s George’s assaults on the colonies. The colonists were excluded from the protection of the Crown. I don[’t think I am being dramatic when I say, it’s the most important decision in America at this moment in time. The first government by the people, for the people and of the people is being ignored… its most people oriented “civil right.” out the window. See you tomorrow. Marie J. Parente
January 5th, 2007 at 4:44 am
It is quite disheartening that our elected officials will not do the job for the will of the people. How did we get such a bunch of radicals elected in the first place is beyond me. We are blind and truth has fallen in the streets. We have given God a swift kick out of everything. Where will we end up if we dont repent. Jesus said in Matthew 23 you house is left desolate. This is a message for the United States at this late hour. The houses of family has been left desolate and that is why you have divorce, molestation and murder running rampant in the family. Our Church houses for the most part have been left desolate. The church has been Ichoboded by God and to quote a friend they are dead as king Tut cold as ice, and pale as a corpse. The White house has been left desolate and that is why they are making these evil wicked political decisions like same sex marriage. God has pretty much left us and judgment is beginning to fall throught America. I am apalled at the way these elected officals have acted to protect the rights of the wrong. Same sex marriage is just plain wrong. Sodomy is just plain wrong. We are in trouble with God and we are asleep just like the Laodicians in Revelations who are increased with goods and have need of nothing. I am afraid that God has left us a long time ago and people have not even noticed. The hand of the Holy Ghost has been taken off and that is why the sodomites are out of the closets. The Christins got out of the prayer closets and were lulled asleep by telivision and the Homos have come out of the closet unashamed of what they are doing so much that they are now in the open expecting us to accept queer marriage. May God grant us a place to repent. We are living in the days of Lot just like Jesus prophesied. How was it in the days of Lot. Read Genesis 19 Lot called that perverted crowd brothers. The angel of the Lord did not want to come into Lots house but said they would stay out on the street. Lot would not condemn there sin but said “brethren” do not so wickedly. Christians are in the same shape as Lot of old and they think that mistakingly that they are getting by with there sin. Lots sin was judged. Lot lost his family commited incest got drunk. Look at our christian homes today plaqued by sexual immorality. Christians think it is alright to drink. If they are not drinking they are taking pills. Todays Christians have lost there familys to divorce drunkeness sexual immorality. I could go on and on and on. May God give us a space and a place to repent before it is everlasting to late. You say I would not be as Lot and offer my 2 virgin daughters to those sexual perverts but the truth is you already have and have lost them. You say how. By letting them watch the TV all the time they are being programmed by this sexcrazed crowd that homosexuality is just another lifestyle. That sex outside of marriage is normal. Look at all the perversion on the tv it nothing but the modern day Sodom and Gommorah. Christins shake yourself as Sampson of old did. God help us to admit that we no longer have the power of God in our homes churches or government. God help us to wake up and be honest to where we are really at. God bless you Gregg and thank you for the opportunity to comment on your blog love Forrest