Washington Bigots Get Enough Signatures for November Ballot
The State of Washington doesn’t have gay marriage. But the state legislature recently expanded the benefits that gay couples are entitled to. The new law is nicknamed “Everything But Marriage.”
This was too much for the knuckle-dragging Biblehumping community. They immediately started a petition drive — known as Referendum 71 — to overturn these special privileges for homosexuals. Most people didn’t think the group would get enough signatures to qualify for a ballot initiative. Even the usual rightwing suspects weren’t too gung ho about this.
But the group has squeaked by with barely enough signatures. Even a liberal state like Washington has a certain percentage of neckdrooling witch-hunters. So the “Everything But Marriage” benefits will be postponed until after the November election when the Spanish Inquisition initiative (presumably) gets defeated.
The one silver lining here is the creation of the popular new online game — Whack-A-Redneck™.
By law, when you sign a petition to put an initiative on the ballot, your name and address become public information if/when the petition gets enough signatures to qualify. So the opponents of Referendum 71 have created this website — WhoSigned.org — sort of a statewide directory of Washington’s most retarded rednecks. Dial-A-Bigot.
The names aren’t there yet, but they should appear any day now. At the moment everything is on hold: There’s a lawsuit to have Referendum 71 blocked, or at least delayed.
And there’s another lawsuit to prevent the petition-signers’ names and addresses from being published online (even though it’s already public information). Some people think bigots have a right to remain hidden under their rocks while they try to take away other people’s rights.
Labels: “everything but marriage”, Referendum 71, WhoSigned.org
posted by Tom Harper @ 4:13 PM
12 Comments:
Bravo for Washington and when the bigots sign their petition, publish and be damned.
Some people don't mind telling others how they should live their lives, they just wish they could do it in secrecy.
Ah, the delights of governing by referendumbs.
That business about keeping petition signers' names secret has to be illegal. And it should be illegal. Because if people can support things in secret, there's no accountability for the things they support. I'll bet if someone put forth a petition limiting gun lovers' rights even slightly and tried keeping petition signers' names secret, all hell would break loose, with the NRA spending big bucks to make the names public.
Sling all the barbs you want at witch-hunters, but the next time you're hexed by the powers of Satan, don't come crying to us, heathen.
It is amazing how the supposed tolerant progressives refer to those they disagree with...
Holte: The bigots will get their 15 minutes of fame whether they want it or not.
Lew: It's just a shame they can't continue their double lives -- nice guy to everyone's face, redneck when nobody's looking.
SW: Referendumb, LOL. I'm in favor of that process but it's too bad it's been hijacked by astroturf groups and groups whose only goal is to squelch other people.
Good point about how gun owners would react if there was a petition to reduce gun rights.
Randal: I'm the one who casts the spells. Even witch-hunters aren't safe.
Nalates: I'll admit I don't have much esteem for people who try to oppress and marginalize other people. They have the right to say and think what they want, but if they use the political process to oppress another group, they can't be hiding in the shadows at the same time.
Are there not more serious problems to address in Washington than who is sleeping with whom? What a colossal waste of time and tax dollars. Not to mention an infringement of personal freedoms.
jadedj: Well said. Those people must have way too much time on their hands.
How is it that ALL government bureaucrats seems to have too much time on their hands? Why do they have time to sabotage everything good that's being done in America, while still having time to butt into other people's lives? I'm sick to death of how there's no money to do infrastructure repairs, but plenty of money to persecute people. In what way is this different than China's Cultural Revolution?
We need to find a way to keep our personal liberties -- and there's not a moment to waste!
SM: It's a sad commentary that the infrastructure is a lower priority than harassing people and meddling in their private lives. It's like they say, Australia inherited England's criminals and America got the Puritans, and Australia got the better deal.
what are the chances of this passing if it gets on the ballot?
and if they get the names blocked.....
Distributorcap: I don't think this initiative will pass. If they barely got enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, that doesn't bode too well. I sure hope they can't keep the signers' names secret. I can't think of any petition I've ever signed that I wouldn't want people to know about, so I don't know what their problem is.
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