Saturday, March 18, 2006

Legislate in Haste, Repent Now

The movie Willard plays with rats; our State House Willard plays a rat in real life. Over at Blue Mass Group, David shook loose that Kiss Conservative Butt bill, otherwise known as an Act Protecting Religious Freedom. We promised the bill, but BMG did the work for us.

There's a fine analysis. To David's comments, we would add only that this bill can't stand. It puts the courts and legislature in a position of differentiating among religions, something specifically forbidden by our constitution and that of the nation.

Even a bear of very little brain, like Gov. Willard Mitt Romney knows that. He ordered his legal eaglets to churn out something to play to the Catholic hierarchy, a bit, and to the GOP types who are so right that they walk in circles, a lot.

Read the BMG analysis and the bill. You can see how poorly crafted it is. We have no doubt that none who dirtied his hands in producing this expects it to pass. It's likely that the General Court will kill it in committee. Not only do the leaders of both houses think legislating discrimination is soooooo 19th Century, but this is a pasty, not a support garment.

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