We've been thinking a lot about the Constitutional Convention at the State House last Wednesday (Sept. 14). For one thing, how strong the Unitarian-Universalist (UU) connection is with the homosexualist legislators. The beautiful New England UU headquarters building is immediately adjacent to the Mass. capitol (on the left as you face the buildings). How convenient for lobbying.
Many of the Irish- and Italian-heritage, and nominally-Catholic legislators go right along with the Christ-denying, anything-goes UUs. (Isn't this apostasy?) And after the homosexual priest sex-abuse scandal in the Catholic Church, the Mass. Catholic Conference has lost much of its power to sway the Catholic legislators. But it's still an amazing thing.
Anyhow, Bay Windows reported that at the ConCon, the UU HQ was a meeting place for the most radical homosexualist legislators. (For some reason, this hour-by-hour report from that day does not show up on BW's website any more; but we've kept the link here for you.)
10:40 a.m. -- Legislators and advocates are heading over to the Unitarian Universalist Association headquarters at 25 Beacon Street to meet before the ConCon. State reps. Byron Rushing of the South End, Alice Wolf of Cambridge, Ed Augustus of Worcester and Linda Dorcena Forry, who won a hotly contested special election to replace retired state rep. and former House Speaker Tom Finneran, as well as state sen. Jarrett Barrios filed into the building.
2:44 p.m. --Earlier, South End state rep. Byron Rushing addressed the ConCon and quoted Martin Luther King, Jr., (who apparently was quoting Unitarian Universalist Theodore Parker) saying that, "The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice." He added, "Today we are bending that arc toward justice."
Another striking thing about that day was the rowdiness of the queer activist crowd, both inside and outside the State House. A few other passages from this now-missing report reveal that they are not as polite as the media likes to pretend. And they're very skilled at intimidation and harassment. (Maybe this is why the report is not onlilne any longer?)
11:25 a.m. -- The anti-gay marriage forces have arrived! All four of them! The crew is lead [sic] by Article 8 Alliance founder Brian Camenker. They've staked out space at the corner of Beacon and Park streets where two of them are holding a banner that reads "END GAY MARRIAGE REMOVE MARSHALL." One of the sign holders, who declined to give her name said that the group was "on the same side" as the marriage equality activists in that they wanted to see the amendment defeated. "We're not interested in amendments, actually. What we want is to get rid of the judges." As she spoke, a man behind her [i.e., harassing] holding a STOP DISCRIMINATION IN THE CONSTITUTION sign said, "It's very sad that you're against my civil rights." The woman replied, "I've already said I'm not against your civil rights." She later added that she received a lot of harassment for her views. "I don't like harassment and our side gets plenty of harassment from your side," she said, noting that her own child had been harassed at school. "We're tired of [it]."
12:20 p.m. -- [In the Great Hall] A few MassEquality volunteers lead [sic] the marriage equality proponents in song: "We Shall Overcome," "God Bless America" and "We Shall Not Be Moved." As they sang, a group of about 25 anti-same-sex marriage in two concentric prayer circles at the back of the room began singing "Amazing Grace." As both groups sang, it became something of a sing-off out of a Saturday Night Live skit. But then, contrary to the spirit of what Rouse had urged earlier, a large group of marriage equality proponents marched to the back of the room and surrounded the anti-gay marriage protesters and began singing "God Bless America." They were joined by the anti-gay forces. But it wasn't a Kumbyah [sic] moment. Those in the middle of the circle looked scared. A park ranger finally ordered the groups to separate.
Noon -- The crowd outside the State House continues to grow and is getting rowdier with its response to honking motorists. Two men in one car honked and pulled over to share a kiss. They were swarmed with pro-equality demonstrators who plastered the two in MassEquality stickers. A tall transgender wearing a short gold skirt and leopard print top carried a neon orange sign reading EVERYONE A COMBO OF M/F SO . . . ALL MARRIAGES ARE SAME-SEX; as she [sic] made her way through the crowd, she [sic] was warmly received.
10:20 a.m. -- The pro-equality crowd outside the State House is made up mostly of young people. Posters read "STOP DISCRIMINATION IN THE CONSTITUTION: and "YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW THY NEIGHBOR," in reference to the controversial Web site that will publish the names of those who sign a petition to put a question before voters in 2008 that would amend the state Constitution to ban same-sex couples from marrying.
