2 Democrats help Senate GOP throw gay-rights bill off track (WA State)

Wednesday, April 6, 2005 - Page updated at 12:00 a.m.




2 Democrats help Senate GOP throw gay-rights bill off track

By Andrew Garber

Seattle Times Olympia bureau

OLYMPIA — An attempt to ban discrimination against gays and lesbians suffered a serious setback yesterday when state Senate Republicans used a procedural move to send the bill to a committee where opponents appear to have the votes to defeat it.

Democrats hold a narrow majority in the Senate, but Republicans enlisted the aid of two conservative Democrats to send House Bill 1515 to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Democratic Sens. Jim Hargrove of Hoquiam and Tim Sheldon of Potlatch, Mason County, sided with the GOP in the 25-24 vote. Hargrove also sits on the Judiciary Committee and said he would side with Republicans there as well, giving the GOP the votes to prevent the bill from returning to the Senate floor.

<snip>

Esser said he was concerned that if the bill passed, it might open the door for gay marriage. "I don't want to do anything to put us on a slippery slope," he said.

The Senate Republican caucus yesterday handed out a five-page "talking points" document opposing the measure. One of the talking points states: "This bill establishes minority status for individuals based on sexual behaviors many believe they choose to engage in."

(more)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002232397_gayrights06m.html

choose who they worship, pray to, give all their money to and in whose name they can hate is protected by the gov't, then who I choose to fuck is at least equally protected.

Bad Democrats. Bad Democrats.

in the primary elections.



http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues/477698

I'm with you 100%. That's where the change needs to take place.

with one of these guys, even if it was entirely false, what could they do about it? Nothing, except to learn a little what it was like on our side of all that hatred they spew. I'm more and more tempted every day to just start encouraging people to do this, get every broke gay guy I know to say something about someone else - so what if there's a million dollar slander lawsuit, they have nothing to collect - but the majority of those so accused would want the scandal to die quickly, not getting drug through the courts.

-- to control what other people do with their genitals.

How is that anybody else's business? Ever?

Shame on these two Democrats -- they ought to have known better than this. From the wimp Republicans, I expect it. But from Democrats, it's especially grating.

See, his *Tuesday* conviction to keep his word trumped an alternate day's conviction about that whole "pursuit of happiness" thingy.