Marriage amendment headed to Senate floor

“There is a reason; as you know the definition of marriage is a very personal one,”

The definition is so personal that he wants to change it for everyone else.

Great argument!

Bobalan – the same thing I was thinking. “The definition of marriage is a very personal one – that’s why we’re going to make sure only ONE definition of marriage carries with it legal protections and privileges. To make sure that everyone’s personal definition of marriage fits OUR requirements.”

I can’t believe people still think like this! They actually think they will prevail on an amendment….I think they are wrong and have no clue that they are actually in the minority on this issue.

If the definition of marriage is a “personal one”, why not let people make their own “personal decision” instead of you making it for them, Sen. Limmer

I see the advocates of small government are busy.

If this ends up on the ballot, I am quite sure conservative groups in Minnesota will see an unprecedented infusion of cash from far-right organizations, and we will get carpet-bombed with propaganda about the “evils” of gay marriage. It happened in California with prop 8.

[...] Marriage amendment headed to Senate floor http://minnesotaindependent.com/8120…-senate-floor/ [...]

all this will do is pit neighbor against neighbor……..3yrs later in CA, and there are LONG TIME neighbors who NO LONGER speak to one another….it will do NOTHING but Cause HARD Bitter feelings….and add your state to the list of Bigots/and discriminators in History ….is that want you want MN?

I can’t believe they called Theresa Collett as a witness again. They had her testify against gay marriage 10 years ago and that time she said we have to support opposite-sex marriage because white people aren’t having enough babies and the colored people are becoming a majority. Of course she couched it in slightly more hidden language, but that was the gist of it. In the meantime she’s been arrested for drunk driving a couple of times. If they can’t find better witnesses than her, they ought to give up.

“unintended consequences?” I think the consequences are very intentional.

I spoke passionately at a town hall meeting about this today. Our senator (Crow Wing Co.) believes that the state’s primary interest in marriage is to promote biological offspring.

We all know that a marriage amendment is really a referendum on homosexuality, and that the day after the chambers vote on it, it will be open season from the likes of NOM.

I told my senator, Sen. Gazelka, that his actions would rip the state apart, pit neighbors against each other, create chaos and hardship for GLBT families DURING the campaign. He is aware of NOM — they ran homophobic ads against his primary challenger. He said he “hoped they would be above board” this time around, because they spread rumor and low-blow lies in his campaign.

I don’t believe at this point that any piece of logic would convince him to vote otherwise. I am just SICK at what this is going to do to divide the people in the state of MN. And after the smoke clears and the dust settles, gay families will still be here. Our lives will just be a bit harder, and I’m willing to bet many of us will feel a bit of bitterness.

Since our Republican legislators are so convinced “The will of the people must be heard,” how about giving us the opportunity to vote for a constitutional amendment that says,

“Every citizen shall have equal access to all rights and privileges conferred by law, including marriage and voting.”

Given that everyone involved has declared their goals and motivations to be honorable and non-partisan, this should take care of the issues, eh?

Sen. Warren Limmer is afraid of legal review to see if discriminatory laws violate the entire history of the constitution and the Christian principle of fairness.

Sen. Warren Limmer is right. Marriage is personal, so at like an American and let adult Americans make their own decisions about their own marriages.

Over 30 + countries offer same-sex marriage equality or unions leaving America behind in freedom, justice, and equality.

Sen. Limmer, no one is voting on your marriage. Unless of course you REALLY wanted to put your skin in the game and define DIVORCE, the real killer of marriages, into this as well.

@Joseph –
Those 30 countries that have offered same-sex marriage have admitted to giving up a lot of freedoms (children, private property, speech, religious, etc.) and are just beginning to understand the bondage and oppression that same-sex marriage leads to. Several of them, including Canada and the UK are considering ways to reverse course to contain the damage. Same-sex marriage is not a free gift to give and no free nation can support it without giving up its freedoms. We should all treat others with kindness and respect, but the implications of same-sex marriage are far reaching and deep, as other nations are currently experiencing. We should learn from these nations that have gone down this path before us.

This amendment adds MN to the growing list of 30+ other states that have a similar amendment and it gives MN the opportunity to bring the debate to the people and have an open and honest discussion about the consequences of not protecting traditional marriage.

@Tim, and all the other bigots:

Amending our state constitution to erase firmly established equal protection principles leads inevitably to the conclusion that gay persons are a sub-class. To deny them the right to marry the otherwise qualified same-sex partner of their choice is to require us to apply one set of constitutional principles to gay persons and another to all others. Equality should not and cannot be applied selectively. Shame on the legislators who authored this fundamentally wrong-headed , bigoted effort.

@Tim, and other like-minded bigots:

Amending our state constitution to erase firmly established equal protection principles leads inevitably to the conclusion that gay persons are a sub-class. To deny them the right to marry the otherwise qualified same-sex partner of their choice is to require us to apply one set of constitutional principles to gay persons and another to all others. Equality should not and cannot be applied selectively. Shame on the legislators who authored this fundamentally wrong-headed, bigoted effort.

@Tim, and others who think like him:

Amending our state constitution to erase firmly established equal protection principles leads inevitably to the conclusion that gay persons are a sub-class. To deny them the right to marry the otherwise qualified same-sex partner of their choice is to require us to apply one set of constitutional principles to gay persons and another to all others. Equality should not and cannot be applied selectively. Shame on the legislators who authored this fundamentally wrong-headed effort.

Tim,

How does giving someone the freedom to marry take away yours? I’m waiting for your answer….

And there is no movement in either Canada nor the UK the “undo” their same sex marriage laws. In fact, the UK just expanded their law, and under a conservative government as well. The boogeyman is only under your bed.

Those 30 countries that have offered same-sex marriag.e have admitted to giving up a lot of freedoms (children, private property, speech, religious, etc.) and are just beginning to understand the bondage and oppression that same-sex marriage leads to. Several of them, including Canada and the UK are considering ways to reverse course to contain the damage……………………..

How exactly? Give us the facts, and documentations that prove this.

The fact is that your conviction lays in your Religion which is a choice. Religion is a Choice, and it is not my choice.

I do not hate your God, there is no hatred involved. I do not hold your God as my truth period.

Scriptures are not facts. they are not LAWS.