Another Test for O'Malley
This weekend in every Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Archbishop Edwin O'Brien had a letter read during Mass. It encouraged Catholics to contact Governor O'Malley (D), himself a practicing Roman Catholic to veto (not sign) two bills scheduled to be signed in one of the remaining bill signings scheduled. Senate Bill 566 and 597 "establish domestic partnerships between same-sex and unmarried opposite-sex couples" according to the letter from O'Brien. To be more specific SB566 allows for visitation and medical decision rights for a domestic parter while SB597 exempts domestic partners from property transfer taxes, thereby making their rights the same as married couples. The bills hardly establish domestic partnerships fully, but one could argue they begin a "slippery slope" toward full recognition.
It is relatively rare for a Bishop to make a request of "the faithful" to contact an elected official directly regarding specific legislation. Let's see if the Catholic O'Malley will assent to the lobbying and the Bishop's request or proceed with signing the legislation as he has publicly said he would prior to passage in the House and Senate.
It's an admittedly tough position for O'Malley. If he fails to sign the bills he will be reniging on a previous made pledge and look like a Catholic stooge. The risk for signing the bill will result in possible further alienation of the significant Catholic electorate in the State many of whom are most likely some of his remaining ardent supporters. Though with a 33% approval rating, there aren't many of those left at this point...
Labels: administration, domestic, o'malley
posted by peter @ 9:24 PM
1 Comments
1 Comments:
As a married man, 40 yrs long, I am beginning to realize that my wife and I are in the minority, with a majority of marriages failing for many reasons. Meanwhile Gay people want the legal protections of civil marriage and to support this historic institution.
Yet, at the same time I see hope. Blacks could not marry until several years after the civil war. And the populace was 90% opposed to this country abolishing laws forbidding inter-racial marriage, but these laws of hate were abolished in 1967 once and for all.
Well, our gay citizens still do not have civil marriage rights. I do applaud MD and the Gov. for passing a couple bills that give this religiously hated minority some basic rights, eg the right to visit and make medical decisions for each other at a hospital, and the right to add a partner to a house deed without paying a $10,000 to $20,000 transfer tax. The same rights we str8 people take for granted.
And as for the church and their mixing into politics, I left this church long ago as I saw through their hypocrisy in the name of God. They no longer terrorize me with promises of hell if I don't follow their ancient 'traditions' and I belong to a church which basically believes that we do not judge others, we do unto others as we would have them do unto us, and on that simple note God will judge us.
And I though God was all about Love, not 'total control; and NOT using despisement of minorities in his name to keep the flock under the churches thumb.
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