Monday, November 20, 2006

Romney and the Gay Marriage Amendment

Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is doing a bit of saber-rattling concerning the proposed gay marriage ban amendment that the legislature refuses to vote on. According to boston.com:

Gov. Mitt Romney said Sunday he would ask the state's highest court to order an anti-gay marriage amendment question onto the ballot if legislators fail to vote on the matter when they reconvene in January.

The rest of the story is here.

I'm glad to see Romney addressing this. The pro-gay marriage groups have worked hard to prevent this initiative from reaching the ballot. Given that the Massachusetts Constitution allows for this sort of thing, it seems only fair that the people get to use it.
"The constitution quite plainly states that when a qualified petition is placed before them, the Legislature 'shall vote.' It does not say 'may vote,' or vote if procedures permit a vote, or vote if there are enough of the members in the chamber. It says, 'shall vote.'" Romney said.

But there's more at stake here than the constitution, folks. This isn't about the people of Massachusetts determining what marriage means to them. That's why those in favor of gay marriage have spent their time arguing about equal protection and whatnot in court as opposed to trying to pass legislation. And it's why the Massachusetts legislature is deadset against obeying their own constitution. Time for another tea party?