Legalectric

Let’s hear it for Minnesota, a state with a legislature putting a Constitutional Amendment to a vote, “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota?” and also trying, but failing, to also put to a vote the stripping constitutional checks and balances from the judicial branch.  And doing it in the name of “God.”  Makes me want to puke.

Yes, folks, it’s the inflamed “gay marriage” bill that I am so disgusted with, well, more correctly, I’m so disgusted with the people promoting it, the vitriolic fear and hatred flying out of the capitol and all things political, and the promotion of this nonsense by people ignorant of what the bill even says, by people ignorant and uncaring of who it affects and how it affects them.

Let me be very clear.  I’m an attorney, licensed in the state of Minnesota, sworn to uphold the constitution, state and federal, which is no small task, and I’m struggling to do my small part.  I’m one who grew up being carted around to my mothers pretty tame churchy “social justice” meetings, soaking in the imperative of “good deeds.”  In 4th grade I quit saying the Pledge of Allegiance when I realized there wasn’t “liberty and justice for all” and vowed to work towards it; one who religiously attended and enjoyed both sessions of Mayflower’s Confirmation class and chose not to sign up when I saw the glorious theories weren’t being practiced; transferred into Central H.S. as part of the first magnet class and sounded off at the School Board meetings as they were trying to wiggle out of the NAACP suit about Minneapolis’ segregated schools (did you know the court defined “segregated” as a 30 some percent minority school, yet a 100% white school was NOT “segregated?”); was a programmer and board officer for years at KFAI Community Radio recognizing the importance, the necessity, of independent voices; and drove a million bleary-eyed miles over 12 years in a Kenworth/Peterbilt to get through school to be “where I am today,” in a career I love, fighting for human and landowner rights when faced with steamrollers of utility infrastructure and ill-conceived land-use projects, suffice it to say that I am hypersensitive about the importance of standing up.  Standing up is not optional, standing up is not a question… it’s an inherent part of our job as humans, our duty as citizens, our calling as living breathing beings on this planet to leave it better than we found it, and it’s for each of us to figure out how we do that.  The bottom line is standing up.  There is nothing worse than standing silent in the face of injustice.

Here’s a video, thanks to Carol Duff, about public perceptions, speaking out, and silence:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

There are no exceptions, here, folks. It’s ALL. Everybody, liberty and justice for all.

It’s not just “liberty and justice” for those you like, not just liberty and justice for those you agree with, not just to your select friends & relatives, not just liberty and justice for immigrants from your grandparents era, not just those who don’t make you queasy, not just liberty and justice who believe in your God, not just those who don’t challenge your belief system, but it’s liberty and justice for ALL.

ALL… liberty and justice for ALL…

Here’s the first engrossment text — where’s the “liberty and justice for all” in this?  As my mother would say… is this a Christian thing to do?

Here’s what they tried to amend it to, but failed, trying to take out the checks and balances of the judicial branch:

“Section 1. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROPOSED.
An amendment to the Minnesota Constitution is proposed to the people. If the amendment is
adopted, a section shall be added to article VI, to read:

Sec. 14. The judicial branch has no jurisdiction under this constitution to define marriage. The
legislature has the sole power to define marriage.

Sec. 2. SUBMISSION TO VOTERS.
The proposed amendment must be submitted to the people at the 2012 general election. The
question submitted must be:

“Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that the judicial branch has no
jurisdiction under the Minnesota Constitution to define marriage and that only the legislature has
this power?
Yes ……………..
No ……………….

Here, linked, is where it passed in the Senate.

Here, linked, is where it passed in the House.

And on the federal side, they re-upped the “Patriot Act” also this week… sigh…

We have our work cut out for us… in Minnesota, it comes to a vote November, 2010.