I spent two days in two weeks (and preparing for more) at the statehouse listening to testimony on marriage equality. While I have yet to give a testimony myself (as a straight ally, I don't have as good a story as the LGBT community does), I did give a written testimony on why it is important to me that this bill is passed (unfortunately I probably live in the worst district in the state when it comes to marriage equality).
In the two days of testimony, all of the opposition's arguments against marriage equality had to do with religion. And in a country with freedom of religion, there are many various religions (and lack thereof) practiced in the United States, let alone a diverse state such as New Jersey (which is not exactly in the Bible Belt). Quoting the Bible has absolutely no meaning to a non-Christian.
Now by posting this challenge on Blue Jersey, I know that I am not exactly preaching to NOM's choir, but I will post to any lurking marriage equality opponents. Pretend that the legislature is 100% atheist. Any arguments you make mentioning God, the Creator, scripture, etc are irrelevant. Give ONE compelling reason why a non-believer should oppose marriage equality.
This is what Governor Chris Christie looks like when he's calling a seated New Jersey assemblyman, "Numbnuts".
Mind you, he apologized - sort of. But it took a lot to get that out of him. Considerable outrage expressed, particularly from black folks - or, you know, anybody whoever cracked a history book - culminating with Freedom Rider, disciple in his youth of Martin Luther King, Jr. and now congressman John Lewis of Georgia to get on a train and come up from Washington to to clear up a few things for the Governor. Of course, Christie's "sorry" pointedly did not extend to Asm Reed Gusciora, whom he called "Numbnuts" after Gusciora questioned Christie's basic understanding of the American civil rights movement. Christie also chose to make his (limited) apology on 101.5 radio, which routinely stirs up its low-information listening audience and encourages precisely the same kind of (dare I say "numbnuts") carrying-on the Governor specializes in.
Caption Contest! Captions - or Thought Bubbles - welcome!
Michele is Planned Parenthood's Executive Director in New Jersey.
- promoted by Rosi
Oh, right. Women in New Jersey took a big hit in 2010, when Gov. Christie decided to eliminate a $7.4 million budget line that helped fund cancer screenings - including Pap tests and clinical breast exams. This funding supported services for over 136,000 patients; for many without insurance or other access to care, Planned Parenthood had been their primary source of health care. Despite overwhelming pressure to reinstate funding, the Governor has repeatedly refused to do so.
Yesterday the deeply disappointing news broke about the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation's recent decision to cease funding for breast health and cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood health centers. It’s sad – and so telling – that the Komen Foundation, an organization that shares in Planned Parenthood’s mission of protecting women’s health, would succumb to right-wing political pressure by refusing to help fund programs that provide life-saving cancer screenings to nearly 750,000 women nationwide.
In case you missed (I did), here is an unsmiling, and deadly serious NJ Speaker Sheila Oliver discussing Gov. Chris Christie's ignorant remark about the civil rights movement, made this week.
btw - New Jersey was the last state in the union to abolish slavery. Did you know that? It's part of the history lesson Oliver, Rush Holt, Reed Gusciora, Loretta Weinberg, John Wisniewski, Gordon Johnson, Rep. John Lewis and others have been required to review this week for the benefit of a governor who let a bit too much of his own prejudices show, as he attempted to make his stand against a rising tide of Equality in marriage going on in the New Jersey Legislature.
In the wake of a torrent of news and opinion about Governor Christie's nominations of Bruce Harris and Phillip Kwon for the New Jersey Supreme Court, we have a message for Governor Christie: Thank you for bucking the trend of your party and recognizing the need for people of all backgrounds to serve in positions of power. And we have a message for the State Senate: Proceed with great caution.
Governor Christie deserves credit for nominating Harris, the gay, African-American mayor of Chatham, and Kwon, a Korean-American immigrant who has served with Christie as a prosecutor and in his Attorney General's office. At a time when the Republican Party has become at a national level reflexively anti-LGBT, prone to offensive stereotypes of African-Americans, and virulently anti-immigrant, Christie has sent a message with his nominations that people of color and LGBT people have a place in the highest echelons of government. That message follows on Christie's strong defense of his Superior Court nominee Sohail Mohammed against Republican critics of Muslims becoming judges.
But we also need to put Christie's actions in context. As the Philadelphia Inquirer pointed out recently, the all-white composition of the current New Jersey Supreme Court was Christie's own doing, after his unjustified booting of Justice John Wallace and his failure to replace retiring Justice Roberto Rivera-Soto with another Latino justice. And Christie's homogenization of the state's courts has extended to the trial courts, where the vast majority of people interacting with the court system end up. According to the latest official report of the Supreme Court Committee on Minority Concerns (at p. 125):
Rep. John Lewis, one of the most important figures in the Civil Rights Movement, stopped at the Trenton Train Station today with Congressman Rush Holt, Speaker Sheila Oliver, Senate Majority Leader and Blue Jerseyan Loretta Weinberg, DSC Chair and Assemblyman John Wisniewski, and Assemblyman Gordon Johnson to denounce Chris Christie's call for civil rights to be decided by referendum.
Lewis, on his way with Holt to an event for 150 Trenton teenagers where he was speaking on civil rights history, made the point that should have been obvious to Christie: if civil rights had been decided by referendum in states such as Mississippi and Alabama - where Lewis said he "gave a little blood" on the march from Selma to Montgomery - it would have failed. And the fact that it would have failed would not have made the cause less just. Lewis said that the proper place for civil rights was through legislation, executive action, and the courts - the avenues that, rather than referendums, produced the changes that the mass movement made happen.
Lewis directly linked that fight to today's marriage equality fight, focusing heavily on the legendary Loving v. Virginia case on interracial marriage and stating that he found it analogous and a basic question of human rights.
Holt and Oliver delivered strong remarks - and Holt deserves particular credit for bringing Congressman Lewis to New Jersey.
Christie's attempts to backtrack this morning on the remarks brought their own new level of ridiculousness, labeling Reed Gusciora as "numbnuts." Especially after today's visit, it won't be so easy for Christie to shrug off comments that debase the legacy of true leaders like Lewis.
Responding to the apparent fact that the NJ Legislature may be finally getting its head together in treating gay couples in love with respect and recognizing their right to marry, Gov. Christie tried a headline-grabbing, but morally bankrupt dodge: He proposed a referendum, political cover for his obedient, spineless GOP legislative Muppets.
But the next day, Christie went further, and in doing so exposed both an ignorance of history, or given his intelligence, more likely a cunning attempt to twist it. He said this:
People would have been happy to have a referendum on civil rights rather than fighting and dying in the streets in the South.
- Gov. Chris Christie, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012
Cheryl Contee said it well:(Christie's assertion is) if Southern whites in the 1940s, 50s and 60s had just been given enough time, they would have totally been down for equality with their black neighbors. They would have even voted for it themselves!
But yesterday, closer to home, Cory Booker set the Governor straight, and it's a thing of beauty:
"charged with 'manufacturing' 17 marijuana plants that he used to treat his Multiple Sclerosis. Wilson faced 20 years in state prison for this crime. At trial, Superior Court Judge Robert Reed would not let the jury hear the reason that Wilson grew the marijuana plants, essentially removing Wilson's only defense."
Senator Raymond Lesniak, who was a chief proponent of New Jersey's medical marijuana law, had this appeal to Gov. Chris Christie:
"I am disappointed by the recent decision of the Supreme Court to deny the appeal of John Ray Wilson. He was merely trying to alleviate the symptoms of a dreadfully painful and regressive disease. It is unconscionable that this Friday he will be behind bars. Three years ago, I called on Gov. Corzine to commute the sentence of Mr. Wilson. After inaction with the last governor, I was hopeful Gov. Christie would better understand the unfair reality of this situation. Unfortunately, Gov. Christie has been just like Corzine, refusing to use his and only his power to make things right when the true intentions of the law were misapplied. (Ironically) before John Ray Wilson completes his prison sentence, the State of NJ will have its medical marijuana program up and running, and Mr. Wilson may likely be using medical marijuana behind bars or the prescription pain killers he couldn't afford, paid for by the state's taxpayers. Governor Christie should commute his sentence immediately."
And as we reported here at Blue Jersey back in September - the Committee for Our Children's Future about as independent from Chris Christie as Stephen Colbert's SuperPAC is from Stephen Colbert. He met with the group's treasurer - his college buddy - on the same day he denied being connected to the group.
Today, the group launched a $1.5 million TV ad buy pushing the Governor's 10% income tax proposal and touting the Governor as a bipartisan leader.
What does that mean?
One, that it's time for a fuller investigation of the connections between this group and Christie.
Two, it's the opening salvo of the 2013 gubernatorial campaign.
Let's face it: Chris Christie is more politically vulnerable than he would like you to think.
Like most bullies, he runs the risk of dramatically dropping in power and influence if enough people stand up to him. We started to see that back in spring of last year with rapidly dropping poll numbers, until his numbers bounced back after he could claim that he had reined in the Democratic Legislature (remember that Koch brothers speech?) through the pen/ben deal.
This ad campaign plays off of that, claiming Christie's bipartisan successes - and trying to go for independent voters based on them. And trying to push the Democratic Legislature to hand Christie the income tax cut win and once again have him claim bipartisanship to his benefit.
There will be more to say over time, but one final point - $1.5 million is a lot of money, considering that $5 million just resuscitated a presidential campaign in South Carolina. Where's that money coming from?
In our constitutional republic/representative democracy, the voters in our state elect a Governor and legislators to make hard decisions, not come up with excuses about why they cannot or gimmicks like passing the buck back to the voters. New Jersey does not need to amend its constitution to provide gay men and women with equal rights under the law. Our State Supreme Court has already ruled on this issue and ordered our legislature to do just that, which it has done insufficiently to date.
The legislation before the Assembly and Senate that will go to the Governor for his signature or veto addresses earlier failures. Governor Chris Christie has spent his first two years in office priding himself on his boldness and the courage of his convictions. Signing
or vetoing this legislation or would be consistent with that assessment of his performance. Passing the buck back to the voters is not.
If Governor Christie signs the legislation, then this issue will be resolved once and for all. If he vetoes it, we will do everything in our power to try to override his veto. If we fail to do this, then we will ask the State Supreme Court, which may include Governor Christie's recent appointees, to determine once and for all whether or not existing legislation satisfies its earlier ruling.
We have three branches of government who are tasked with the responsibility of making hard decisions like this one, not come up with excuses why they cannot or gimmicks like passing the buck back to the voters. If Governor Christie, our state legislators, and our State Supreme Court justices, including the Governor's appointees, are not afraid to make hard decisions, then there can only be one reason why Christie and the Republicans in Trenton are proposing to pass the buck back to the voters.
Two years is a long time. Just two years ago, I was at the beginning of my political career and just starting to see the ins and outs of campaigns. That winter was my first experience going to the state house to lobby the legislature an issue that does not affect me, but I care deeply about. Now, fast forward two years later, and I am still heading to the same state house to lobby a slightly different legislature (with a very different governor who promises to veto the bill) on the very same issue-marriage equality. The general population has grown more accepting of the issue, as students who formed gay-straight alliances in school are now old enough to vote and a large state like my home state of New York passed marriage equality through their legislature (as New Jersey is now trying to do.)
Unlike two years ago, my schedule allowed me to attend the hearing where testimonies from both sides were heard. On one side, I heard heartbreaking stories about how our "separate but equal" civil union law was not recognized by medical facilities and funeral directors, and the financial pain and hoops that civil unioned couples have to jump through to have their relationship recognized. On the other side I heard sermons (including a direct reading of the Mormon Church's teachings on marriage and family), and even a rant about how recognizing same sex marriage would lead to the government controlling circumcision. And of course nothing on gay rights is complete without a Rick Santorum's protégé comparing same sex marriage to marrying a dog (Perhaps I should get his name and give it to Dan Savage). The one common theme I noticed among the opposition was their issue with the word "marriage" as if the definition has never changed over the years (that is a diary coming later this week as I further research the history of marriage).
Thankfully, unlike two years ago, not a single senator gave a disgusting "foot in mouth" speech about the LGBT community (that senator, Sean Kean, is now my assemblyman and will be as long as he wants to be as the district is one of the most Republican in the state) and even the opponents were respectful of the problems that civil unioned couples go through. However, while there was a lot of talk (then and now) about the inequality of the civil union law, not a single marriage equality opponent introduced legislation to strengthen the civil union law by making healthcare providers recognize them (someone please correct me if I am wrong).
If our current governor gets his way, he will dance around the marriage equality issue (as it would damage his presidential hopes by doing the right thing and signing the bill) by making this a ballot initiative, thus opening the airwaves to misinformation spread by the Mormon Church (as they did in California in 2008). Marriage is a civil right (see Loving v. Virginia) period. I am sorry Chris Christie, but civil rights should not be on the ballot period. Could you imagine the society we would live in today had racial issues been decided by the people?
A good post that I didn't want us to lose amid all the marriage equality coverage that came the same day. Rob is Policy & Communications Coordinator of New Jersey Working Families Alliance, a member of Better Choices for New Jersey Campaign.- Promoted by Rosi
In a month Governor Christie is going to deliver his third budget address. Much of it will be the same sort of hype we heard last week during the State of the State: lots of talk about a New Jersey comeback, promises of income tax cuts and continued cuts to critical services.
The run-up to the speech is a good opportunity take a step back and look at how New Jersey has fared under the last two years of tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations and budget cuts for everyone else. Over the next few weeks I'll be posting weekly diaries about how two years of Governor Christie's policies have compromised the quality of life for millions of working families and jeopardized our long term economic growth.
During last week's speech Chris Christie made a pledge to help residents of Newark and other high-crime areas. But the truth is that Governor Christie's ongoing neglect of New Jersey's cities may have contributed to rising crime in New Jersey's urban centers.
1. He realizes he is on the wrong side of history here and how damaging outright opposition to marriage equality could be to his political fortunes in the long term.
2. But he has to placate the parts of the Republican base which are rabidly anti-marriage equality.
3. So he tries to claim that he takes a middle road by letting people vote on it.
But civil rights aren't for the ballot box. Should the right to interracial marriage have been decided at the ballot box forty years ago? The right of Muslim-Americans to enjoy equal rights as Americans be decided that way today? What makes marriage equality different from those scenarios?
Governor, this is your chance to lead - not to cower behind leaving the decision to others. There's still time.
To get an accurate picture of just how the governor's proposal would affect the average taxpayer and homeowner, let's take a look at both numbers, the income tax cut and the average increase in property taxes, and see what the real effect would be.
Today, Governor Christie nominated the mayor of Chatham, Bruce Harris, an openly gay Republican to the Supreme Court, along with Assistant Attorney General Phil Kwon, who would be the first Asian-American justice if confirmed.
