Soft Shoe in Maine

Jim Brunelle, the Portland (Maine) Post-Herald columnist doesn't have much patience with the anti-gay soldiers of the Christian Civic League, Coalition for Marriage, and other plug nasties. His Independence Day column details their latest theater.

Note: This will be free online only through July 10th. Then it's $2.95.

Already the CCL is crying foul, which shows how well he nailed it. The gist is that these groups followed the same script last time they fought a gay-rights law. They hold back a lot of petitions. Then they bring them out in the final hours, cheapening the term miracle to claim blessed victory. If there were a Biblical, retributive God up to his punishment, you'd do well to stand clear of these folks or wear your rubber-soled boots.

In Brunelle's words:

It was the same old show, complete with manufactured suspense, familiar dialogue, victory snatched from the jaws of near defeat and a jubilant closing scene assuring the leading actors one more curtain call, despite the weariness of both players and audience.

The theatrical metaphor is apt, politics being a form of show biz. And the rule is, if a good punch line, an unusual prop or an attention-getting bit of stage business works, use it over and over again.

He traces both the duplicity of the anti folk in claiming that the petition prevented same-sex marriage rather than forbade discrimination. He also does a good recap of the related votes on previous measures, the close and not close ones.

Maine hasn't settled this. The haters still want the right to say dreadful things as well as discriminate against homosexuals...and not be called, God forbid, bigots for doing so.

Assuming they weren't too, if you pardon the expression, liberal in their signature gathering, we'll hear more of this as we come to a November vote.