Fourth and Down-trodden

In the history of political chutzpah yesterday's move by the Republican Governor of Hawaii, Linda Lingle, should go down as a doozy. Now I understand that general obstinacy and tantrum throwing are the preferred modus operandi of the homophobic cult, but this silliness in Hawaii is really becoming telling of the whole thing. First, a quick history lesson:

Hawaii has been wrestling with civil rights since the early 1990's. The issue came up to the state Supreme Court as an equality case and the court ruled that the state could not deny gay people the rights it granted straight people. Before they could rule directly on marriage equality however, a ballot issue was rammed through, reserving the right to decide the issue to the legislature. Speaking for myself, this is dirty pool, old man; I'll allow it however, on the grounds that bench legislation smacks powerfully of Kritarchy.

So the homophobes demanded the matter be legislated; very fine, this was done. The result, after many years, was that the State's legislature voted, in both House and Senate, to adopt the establishment of "civil unions", with the legal obligation that Hawaii would, in all matters under State jurisdiction, guarantee exactly the same rights to "civil union-ed couples" as they would married couples.

This state of affairs, however, was apparently not satisfactory to the good Governor who spewed the following gems:

"There has not been a bill I have contemplated more or an issue I have thought more deeply about during my eight years as governor than House Bill 444 and the institution of marriage; I have been open and consistent in my opposition to same-gender marriage, and find that House Bill 444 is essentially marriage by another name; The subject of this legislation has touched the hearts and minds of our citizens as no other social issue of our day; It would be a mistake to allow a decision of this magnitude to be made by one individual or a small group of elected officials."

So, let me make sure I understand this: The State Supreme Court said, "Equal treatment under the law," and so the homophobes changed the rules to give it to the legislature. The State Legislature said, "Equal Treatment under the law," and so now the homophobes are going to move the goal posts too? This is a great idea; instead of winning the debate on the merits of your argument, keep changing the rules until they give up and quit. Can you imagine the outrage if my team started tyring to pull that sort of crap? What the hell kind of message does this send our children? That anything is permissible as long as you get what you want?