I am outraged by the disrespect shown "No on 1" voters by the editorial staff of the Sun Journal. The description of the defeat of Question 1 as "torpedoed" by Maine voters was not only juvenile and unprofessional, but also exceedingly insulting to the 48 percent of voters who voted to preserve marriage equality.
How dare you belittle our substantial opinion? I expect professional journalists to set an example for the rest of us and fulfill their obligation to report news in an unbiased manner.
The Sun Journal policy requires letters to the editors to include name and town, while the editorial board hides behind a curtain of anonymity. Is the editorial of Nov. 1 truly a consensus of the entire editorial board?
I, too, would be ashamed to put my name to such a biased and ill-researched message.
Webster's definition of democracy includes "the absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions or privileges." That means history and tradition are not acceptable excuses to deny anyone equal status or benefits under the law. The U.S. Supreme Court has already struck down "separate but equal" as unconstitutional. Any attempt to recreate such a system is rightfully doomed to fail.
Surprisingly, I do agree with the last sentence of the editorial on Nov. 5. "The repeal of same-sex marriage should not hinder further progress toward doing what is right and just — that is, treating all citizens equally under the law."
That will be accomplished only when full marriage equality is re-established.
Martha D. Palmer, Lisbon Falls
Co-president, Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Guys (PFLAG), Portland

Martha - the hypocrisy of the GAYS reek. By your 'anything goes' foolhardy beliefs, you are ushering in the pedophilia era. Once, about 35 years ago, hardly anyone would have believed that gay sex would be accepted in any way. I predict because of misled, gullible people like you that in 30 years or less pedophilia will have its heyday as the gays are having their 'heyday' today. The APA has already published a study showing that 15 year old boys had no negative effects from having affairs with older men. I know how disgusting this sounds everyone but it is coming!
Martha - you have been filled with lies about the gay gene and the postmodernism's anything-goes era. Warning - sin has consequences; your choices will lead to consequences. Turn away from your homosexual lifestyle and quit falling for the lies of that destructive lifestyle that lead to early death and increased diseases across the spectrum. No one can deny those facts. Quit shoving your beliefs down the throats of Mainers. If you bring the vote back it will only go worse for your side. You took your very best shot and lost by 30,000 votes in a small state!
Little-Sammie-Soapbox, your posts continue to become more frantic and hate-filled, while the content becomes more desperately absurd.
Martha said,
"Webster's definition of democracy includes "the absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions or privileges." That means history and tradition are not acceptable excuses to deny anyone equal status or benefits under the law. The U.S. Supreme Court has already struck down "separate but equal" as unconstitutional. Any attempt to recreate such a system is rightfully doomed to fail."
Martha, the key word there is "arbitrary." The State does not arbitrarily extend bennefits and/or privileges to married couples. It has a reason for doing so. It is because traditional monogamous marriage and the family that is the result, is the basic building block of society.
That does not infringe on anyone's rights. And though we may all be "created equal", we, as citizens of Maine, and by extension, citizens of the United States, certainly do not have equal status or bennefits under the law, married or otherwise. Look around. There are plenty of class distinctions; the "rich", the "middle-class", the "poor", the "homeless" and the list goes on. You can beat any rap if you have enough dough to get a really slick attorney (remember OJ?)
If "separate but equal" is, as you say, unconstitutional, then the "Equality in Marriage" law would have been unconstitutional. It created two "separate but equal" definitions of marriage (religious and civil) and granted certain immunities for religous organizations who did not wish to recognize same-sex "marriage."
For arguments sake, let us assume that other couples and/or families are being denied certain bennefits and privileges that are currently offered to married couples, and that it is a "bad" or "unfair" practice. It would be far more logical to simply pass legislation extending those bennefits to same sex couples, non-married couples and single parent households.
I think you'll find that most Mainers would favor such an approach. It would leave the concept of traditional marriage intact, while ensuring that all Maine couples and families recieve equal bennefits and privileges.
John A. Chick
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." -- Thomas Jefferson in a letter to Colonel Charles Yancey (January 6, 1816)
Your last two paragraphs sum it up quite well, John. Well put. I believe that many, if not most, of those who voted yes on 1 would be supportive of that approach. There is a compromise solution to this situation if we can get the emotions and name calling out of it and allow cooler heads to prevail.
You and John and both absolutely correct, Pirate. Many of us had posted our willingness to grant (if that's the right word here) the same rights and privileges to the gay/lesbian community as long as they accepted the phrase, "Civil Union" rather than the word, "marriage". In face, many of us had posted that if the problem is in the way the Civil Union laws diffrentiate between marriage and a civil union, then the Civil Union laws need to be changed, rather than re-define the word "marriage". Unfortunately, the Gay/Lesbian Alliance refuses to compromise. For them (and most libs, I might add), the attitude is "may way, right or wrong, and screw you". Crude, perhaps, but I thing you get my gist...
"The democracy will cease to exist when the government takes from those who would work and gives to those who would not." - Thomas Jefferson.
The parrot has set up a cheese tray in the back of the room for the whiners.
Fear not the enemy at the gate, for it is the enemy within that will devour you.
The Yes on 1 capaign was not a campaign to repeal Marriage Equality; its was as its supporters so frequently said and wrote a campaign to force gays back in the closet.
They want to discourage gay Mainers from living here by making Maine "gay unfriendly". They hope gay Mainers will move to Mass. or elsewhere that they can get their full civil rights. If that doesn't work they want to return to the pre-US Supreme Court decision on sodomy when they could imprison or kill gay with impunity. Won't work. We, those who believe in equal rights, will stop you. Jon Albrecht Dixfield
I was a co-chairman on YES on #1, our signs were trashed, people were threatened and are still being threatened. The NO signs in our area were very few and in the surrounding towns also. We won and we will keep fighting for marriage as one man and one woman. I caught someone trying to rip the sign off my vehicle. Sun Journal did their job, live with it.
Come on get real your pissed about the word "torpedoed"? Is the word "torpedoed" some gay term I don't know about? If anyone is juvenile and unprofessional it is the way the "No on 1" have been since their side lost. I didn't vote on question 1 this time because I didn't want to pick a side but I think the "No of 1" people have made up my mind to vote against them next time this comes up to vote.
There you go, Brian, you've finally found an excuse to vote your prejudice while denying your bigotry.
If I was truly bigoted I would not have "not voted."
You judge me yet you don't know me nor have I said anything bigoted yet I see your consent comments attacking people who do not agree with you. I wonder who the real bigot is, Tron?
Excellent points, Brian. Good post.
Do I smell law suit here?
After the voting was done, the NO on 1 campaign got more coverage then the YES on 1 campaign...
I don't recall seeing any articles congratulating the YES on 1 campaign.
And I hate to correct you Martha D. Palmer but this was the final was 47% not 48%
99% OF PRECINCTS REPORTING
Yes 299,483 53%
No 267,574 47%
(information obtained from: http://www.wgme.com/sections/community/closings/elections.shtml)
I believe that author of the letter was referring to the percentage of voters, not the vote percentages. An estimated 65% of voters turned out, with 53% of those voting yes. The total of yes votes to actual registered voters would then be 48% (guessing, didn't do the math).
"Reasoning with a liberal is like trying to pick up a turd by the clean end. " Pirate
iangol
Why would you smell lawsuit?Ms. Palmer does accurately point out theLSJ's hypocrisy!
Well I guess I should start crying here because the SunJournal did not have a nice big headline on the front page of the paper after the vote saying...... CONGRATULATIONS YES ON 1! GREAT JOB!
Instead the SunJournal choose to write about the NO on 1 campaign and how upset those folks are that they did not win... hmm now who has an injustice here?
Oooo 1%...
When the letter is all about the use of one word that kind of fits (depending how you look at the meaning of the use of the word) than that 1 % does make a difference.
Yes it does because Martha D. Palmer needs to be posting correct information because maybe some of what she wrote might not be 100% facts? I'm just saying...
I guess if people don't like how the vote ended and they are not happy, they could move to states that openly support homosexal behaviors. Maine does not because of how the vote tally ended. The YES on 1 people spoke loud and clear. It is time to concentrate on more important things.
While the SJ supported your side, they are leery of appearing to eager to supporting bigotry and injustice.
Why not quit the name calling, plan your strategy for the next battle, and move on. Remember, 53% said NO to your request. Get over it.
The problem is, you people dont' want to slaughter the moose for the meat. You want the rack. The trophy; the prize.
I didn't call anyone anything. You're just upset that I used descriptive adjectives to describe your position. BTW, I have moose meat in my freezer, so your analogy is bunk!
1. There's nothing you could say or do that is capable of upsetting me.
2. Where's the rack?
There wasn't one. Cows have tender meat, in my opinion.
We have found common ground. Bull meat gets tough from all that time spent chasing cows.
tron - I voted YES on 1...... thank you
Also have you noticed that most if not all articles are how no on 1 lost and not that yes on 1 won.
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