What Defeated Gay Marriage Advocates in Maine Could Learn From Successful Pot Decriminalization Effo

babsbunny

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Wed Nov-04-09 05:58 PM
Original message

What Defeated Gay Marriage Advocates in Maine Could Learn From Successful Pot Decriminalization Effo

What Defeated Gay Marriage Advocates in Maine Could Learn From Successful Pot Decriminalization Efforts in Colorado

http://blog.buzzflash.com/election08/460

Submitted by meg on Wed, 11/04/2009 - 12:42pm.

BE ELECTED
by Meg White

No one should be surprised by voters in Breckenridge, CO voting for the decriminalization of marijuana at the polls yesterday. After all, the area strongly supported a failed effort in 2006 to legalize state-wide. But for those SPLIFFof us who have lived in Colorado, the fact that the swing state became the first in the nation to have a municipality that voted to make drug paraphernalia basically legal is even less shocking.

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Unvanguard

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Wed Nov-04-09 06:01 PM
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1. Nothing, because the cases are entirely different.

Legalizing marijuana just does not arouse emotions in the opposition the way legalizing same-sex marriage does. It is a more rational, sensible debate--so the side of reason and sense often wins out.

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nebenaube

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Wed Nov-04-09 06:15 PM
Response to Reply #1

3. Actually not true...

Edited on Wed Nov-04-09 06:16 PM by nebenaube

Both sides were well organized and got their issue on the ballot during on off election. From there it's just a matter of GOTV. I note that confusing ballot propositions seem to help a lot as well.

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Unvanguard

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Wed Nov-04-09 06:17 PM
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4. I'm not sure what the "both sides" here are.

Edited on Wed Nov-04-09 06:18 PM by Unvanguard

I'm not questioning that both legalized marijuana and legalized same-sex marriage are capable of inspiring enough energy for ballot measures and so forth. What I'm pointing out is the difference in the character of the debate, and the degree to which outrageous emotional accusations ("HOMOSEXUALITY IN SCHOOLS!") are salient and stick.

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jonnyblitz

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Wed Nov-04-09 06:19 PM
Response to Reply #3

5. people hate gays worse than weed. nt

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Ian David

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Wed Nov-04-09 06:13 PM
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2. Gotta convince the fundies to get stoned with the gay people.

Once they've bonded over some bong hits, they'll legalize Marriage Equality.

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msongs

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Wed Nov-04-09 06:53 PM
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6. anti gay marriage comes from forcing religion on people whether they like it or not nt

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Bluenorthwest

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Wed Nov-04-09 07:07 PM
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7. I think it bears mentioning that the two movements are

intertwined. Harvey Milk himself spoke often about marijuana law reform, and one of the leaders of the medical movement, Dennis Peron, gained much experience in Harvey's grassroots organizing, and the pun most certainly is intended. Much of the energy for the Medical Marijuana movement sprang from the AIDS crisis, and the needs marijuana fill for so many, and the fact that many of us became defacto criminals just to get a bit of smoke to keep a loved one from vomiting and instead get them eating. The history is long, and the activists oft times cross over.

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