Marriage News Watch: September 29, 2014

Marriage News Watch: December 9, 2013

Pro-ACA Republican Wins in Louisiana

From Think Progress:

Louisiana voters elected Republican Vance McAllister in a runoff to fill the state’s vacant Fifth District U.S. House seat on Saturday. McAllister, a businessman who embraced the expansion of Medicaid available to the state under the Affordable Care Act, defeated a Republican party favorite who called for full Obamacare repeal.

In a district won by Mitt Romney with 61 percent of the vote in 2012, two Republicans were the top vote-getters in a 14-candidate October primary. McAllister, who received nearly 60 percent of the vote in Saturday’s special election, criticized much of the Affordable Care Act, but also criticized Gov. Bobby Jindal’s (R) decision to dismantle charity hospitals in the state, and to reject its Medicaid expansion, which would expand the qualifications for Medicaid recipients and extend healthcare coverage to hundreds of thousands of uninsured Louisianans. “Our governor and Sen. Riser right here have gutted [heath care] to the core and privatized it.”

McAllister’s top opponent, State Senator Neil Riser (R), received support from House Republican Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), three of the four other Louisiana Republican Congressmen, the National Rifle Association, FreedomWorks and, more tacitly, Gov. Jindal. Riser ran ads saying that he would go to Washington to balance the budget and stop Obamacare — not make friends — andslammed McAllister for ” attempting to redefine himself and stand with President Obama.”

Half an Ounce Equals 20 Years in Jail

Unconstitutional Overreach By Baton Rouge Police

The Untenable Fruits of Deregulation

From Think Progress: 

A petrochemical plant in Geismar, Louisiana that exploded on Thursday, killing one person and injuring 73, has not been inspected by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the past two decades, according to an analysis by ThinkProgress. The Williams Olefins plant, which produces about 1.3 billion pounds of ethylene and 90 million pounds of polymer grade propylene, according to the company’s website, does not have any recorded inspections for plants producing either substance in OSHA’s database since 1993. 

The explosion, fueled by propylene, started at 8:37 a.m. and burned for more than three hours. Three hundred workers were evacuated and residents within a two-mile radius were told by authorities to remain in their homes. 

The same plant also had an accident in 2009, according to Reuters. At that time, 60 pounds of flammable mixture was released, causing a fire that did not lead to injuries. Louisiana has experienced at least two other explosions in petrochemical facilities in the last two years: an explosion at the Westlake Chemicals vinyl plant in Geismar that “sent a cloud of toxic vinyl chloride and hydrochloric acid over the town” in 2012 and another at a Multi-Chem Group plan in New Iberia in 2011. Neither resulted in injuries, Reuters reports. 

Thursday’s blast comes just months after about 30 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas in April. That accident killed 15 people and injured more than 160. The West plant hadn’t been inspected by OSHA since 1985 and also slipped by six other regulatory agencies.

It's always sad when people are unnecessarily put in harms way. 

Louisiana Advances Surrogacy Ban On Gays & Singles

From Think Progress: 

On Sunday, the Louisiana House gave final approvalto SB 162, a bill that limits surrogacy to married (heterosexual) couples. According to the new rules for surrogacy, “intended parents” must be married: 

“Intended parents” means married personswho contribute their gametes to be used in assisted reproduction, and who enter into an enforceable gestational surrogacy contract, as defined in this Chapter, with a gestational carrier pursuant to which they will be the legal parents of the child resulting from that assisted reproduction.

Because Louisiana’s constitution bans the recognition of same-sex marriages and civil unions, the bill effectively bans same-sex couples from using surrogacy to have a child. A lesbian couple could still utilize a sperm donor, but a gay male couple would be prohibited from from asking a woman to carry a child to term for them.

Big government conservatism at work folks! 

Louisiana Attempts Banning Surrogates For Gays/Singles

From the New Civil Rights Movement: 

If you are a same-sex couple in Louisiana, it is currently legal for you to contract with a surrogate mother to carry a baby for you and your partner. That is about to change. The Louisiana Senate passed a bill this week that sets new standards for paid and contract surrogate pregnancies. Senate Bill 162 would allow only married heterosexual couples to use the services of a surrogate mother. It doesn’t matter whether the surrogate has been paid, or if she simply wanted to help a friend. Gay couples, or single people of any persuasion, will not be allowed to have a child using a surrogate.

~

SB 162 was objected to by both the Left, who thinks using a woman’s womb as a commodity exploits women, and the Right, who object to the destruction of embryos the in vitro process causes. In spite of these vocal constituencies, and the fact that the new regulations disenfranchise gay and single people, the bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers. Governor Jindal is expected to sign.

This is big government conservatism. 

Public Funding of Religious Schools

La. School Boots Pregnant Teens

From Think Progress:

One Louisiana school is dealing with the state’s high rates of teen pregnancy by taking an “out of sight, out of mind” approach. No pregnant students are welcome at Delhi Charter School in Delhi, Louisiana — a policy that the institution enforces by requiring students who are “suspected” of being pregnant to submit to a mandatory pregnancy test. 

If students are pregnant, they are no longer allowed to attend classes on the school’s campus and will be forced to either switch to another school or begin a home school program. If a student refuses to take the test, she is “treated as a pregnant student” and also kicked out of Delhi Charter School, according to the student handbook...

The ACLU is on the case since this is blatantly wrong on multiple Constitutional grounds (not to mention moral grounds). Of course the best way to address teen pregnancy is by instating comprehensive sex-education. It will come as no shock that Louisiana is one the states that have abstinence-only "education." When will these people realize that abstinence-only "education" is an oxymoron?

The Wrap-Up: June 15, 2012

Sheldon Adelson

Board member of the Boys Scouts are sounding off on the organization's ban on gay members.

A Republican strategist (who has worked with McCain and Romney) believes congressional Republicans are rooting against the economy.

Billionaire Sheldon Adelson has said he will bankroll the Romney campaign to the tune of $100,000,000. Who says we need campaign finance reform?

Some Louisiana legislators are all for allowing taxpayer dollars to go to school vouchers for religious schools...unless it's one of those dirty Islamic schools of course.

A study that was NOT bought and paid for by conservative zealots furthers the findings sexual orientation having a biological cause.

Senator Rob Portman (R-OH)

One of the names being batted around for Mitt Romney's running mate is Sen. Robert Portman (R-OH), who isn't exactly for employment discrimination, but isn't exactly against it either. He does a lot of dancing in the accompanying video.

Ignoring a call by the National Organization for Marriage (Discrimination) for corporations to stay neutral in the "culture wars," General Mills has voiced its opposition to Minnesota's proposed marriage equality ban, as well as support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

And lastly, an Evangelical mother writes about the experience of her daughter coming out as a lesbian. Her fellow Evangelicals could learn quite a bit from her.

Lowlights & Highlights: April 7, 2012

It was reported this week that Republicans in a state Senate committee had passed a law that allowed LGBT students to be banned from charter schools in the state. That's right, these Republicans are so adamantly homophobic that they are trying to enact this law, which has the support of Governor Bobby Jindal and the Louisiana Family Council. It is truly amazing how these people are always talking about doing what is best for the children, and then they turn around and do things that are very anti-children. It is also hypocritical that Republicans are always talking about expanding school choice, and then proceed to pass a law like this one. Jindal press secretary (Jindal couldn't be bothered to comment) said that they are against "special protections or rights." Of course, this sentiment is completely inconsistent with the fact that there are anti-discrimination laws in effect against race, religion, and gender based discrimination (as well as a few other categories). It really comes down to the obvious: They're either patently homophobic, or they're pandering to the patently homophobic voters in their party (or maybe both). Their hatred and ignorance is not just cause for the suffering of children.

***

I'm sure you're aware (you certainly are if you're a regular reader) that after Starbucks announced that they supported Washington state's push for marriage equality, and marriage equality in general, the National Organization for Marriage (Discrimination) started a boycott. Well, that boycott has pretty much gone down in flames. Their "Dump Starbucks" campaign, complete with a Twitter handle, managed about 28,000 signatures. Meanwhile, a "Thank You Starbucks" campaign by SumOfUs.org managed over 640,000 signatures (one of which was mine). That's a 22-fold difference, but who's counting. Also, in the time since the boycott started, the company's stock has risen. I find it hilarious how these right-wing boycotts have a tendency to backfire. It goes to show how they have exposed themselves as the hateful and ignorant lot they are. Society is leaving them behind, and that has them pissed.

I will most likely be making a stop at Starbucks on my way to work tomorrow morning.

The Wrap-Up: April 5, 2012

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

The LAPD thinks a man can't be raped...as if their reputation wasn't bad enough already.

An Iowa Congressman thinks a "DADT" policy should be in place for American businesses.

According Politifact, Mitt Romney has some problems with the truth.

The students of a Minnesota Catholic school were none too pleased with a speaker who made some... "Santorum-esque" statements.

Louisiana is on the verge of taking homophobia to a whole new low by targeting LGBT kids.

Homophobes say the darnedest (read: most ignorant/false) things.

Okay, so my home state may not be the best in the country, but...never mind, I have no comeback. :(

Two Wisconsin courts have struck down the state's voter disenfranchisement identification law.

And lastly, an Ohio amendment enacting marriage equality just became one step closer to a reality.