Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Flames in Orono Tonight

The single planned debate over keeping gay rights legal in Maine is tonight. You can listen to it live on the Net. It is not on TV or radio.

The live feed begins at 7 p.m. on the Maine Won't Discriminate (MDW) site, on this page.

The debaters are Ted O'Meara, MDW's campaign advisor, and Mike Heath, the public face of the Christian Civics League of Maine (CCL).

Heath's column on the CCL site today is typical of what we are likely to hear from him tonight. He bills himself as "the man who is leading the fight against the powerful elites who want to impose their harmful agenda on the people of Maine." The bulk of his column is an ad hominem assault of O'Meara's previous PR clients, such as newspapers and "liberal, pro-partial birth abortion Senator Olympia Snowe." Such a résumé, according to Heath, "is proof positive that an elitist agenda exists."

There's a good possibility that sort of simple-minded diversion will sneak into the debate. However, O'Meara is in the spot because he is a pro at dealing with emotional issues, using logic and facts instead of innuendo and hysteria. Perhaps anyone leaning toward stripping rights won't be convinced. But perhaps some fence sitters might.

Host University of Maine will post the feed of the debate on its site, somewhere, sometime. We'll add that when he know.

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