Posted on 10/31/2013 7:48:41 PM PDT by massmike
Over the years we have watched (and testified at) countless legislative public hearings in Massachusetts and other states. And we thought we'd seen every kind of sleazy move by arrogant, biased politicians. But we've never seen anything like what the citizens of Hawaii experienced on Monday.
To complicate things, a new version of the "gay marriage" bill had been posted only six days before the hearing, without much fanfare. So people had relatively little time to find it and then read, discuss, and analyze it.
The first group of speakers were public officials, including the Governor and Attorney General, and got as much time as they wanted to speak. When the "regular" people started, they were each given 3 minutes. But soon the committee cut the time limit down to 2 minutes, and soon after that down to 1 minute. For most of the time, people would barely get started when they were told to "wrap it up".
But worse than that, the pro-homosexual committee chairman, Sen. Clayton Hee, was unbelievably hostile toward many pro-family testifiers. As we watched via streaming video, we saw Sen. Hee interrupt, confront and argue with them during their testimony -- many of whom had never been to the State House before -- and try to paint them as being against civil rights, or that they were actually being un-Christian and intolerant.
The committee immediately voted on the bill and, predictably, approved it by 5-2. But the process was so outrageous that the following day the House Republican Leadership posted a public complaint about the terrible process used. And although the mainstream press ignored it, it was covered in some of the other Hawaiian media.
On Tuesday the bill went to the full Senate.
On Wednesday, the full Senate voted 20-4 to approve the bill.
The fight now shifts to the House.
Yesterday, Republican State Representative Bob McDermott filed a lawsuit to stop the "gay marriage" bill from further consideration in the Legislature. His point involves the Amendment to the Hawaii Constitution overwhelmingly passed in 1998. That amendment states, "The legislature shall have the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples."
The lawsuit contends that:
(1) The Constitutional Amendment specifically gives the legislature the right to ban gay marriage, but not to create it.
(2) Prior to the vote in 1998, the universal belief (original intent) was that this amendment would effectively would ban gay marriage unless another amendment was passed. The official instructions from the Hawaii Office of Elections as well as public statements by major legislators at the time completely support this belief.
There is no question that people across Hawaii were shocked that the Legislature could even take up a "gay marriage" bill. Everyone we've spoken to believed that that was settled with the 1998 constitutional amendment. And the arrogant way the governor and legislators are pushing this through with the special session, abbreviated public hearing, etc., just outrages people even more.
Ten thousand Hawaii citizens rally outside State House against 'gay marriage'. Arrogant Senate cuts off public hearing to pass bill. Battle now moves to the House.
isn’t Hawaii even further left than California and Mass on most fiscal and social issues? That makes this a highly unexpected surprise indeed if so.
might wake up the Hawaiians about the dangers of being a one party state.
but probably not.
I don’t know if it’s fair to say the people in Massachusetts and California are socially liberal. Californians voted down gay “marriage” at least twice in the past,(Maybe it would be different now....I don’t know),and the people of Massachusetts never even got the chance to vote it down.......our rulers feared we wouldn’t vote the “correct” way and wouldn’t put the issue on the ballot....in spite of us having gathered more than enough signatures on the petition!
Turns out it was only wishful thinking on my part.....
Hawaii has a LOT of Asians. Fiscally they are extremely liberal; socially they are not.
Hawaii's governor Abercrombie is the least popular governor in the US right now. The first thing he did was raise the car registration fee. And he's doing it again this year.
Californians voted against gay marriage but a liberal judge over turned the vote.
> isn’t Hawaii even further left than California and Mass on most fiscal and social issues?
That makes this a highly unexpected surprise indeed if so.
Californians voted against gay marriage but a liberal judge over turned the vote.
You mean a closet gay liberal judge overturned the vote...; )
If it had been 20 gays rallying FOR gay Marriage, it would be the lead on every major news network.
Indeed, from what I understand, the very few homosexuals here are tourists and mainland transplants. There is no local support for homos.
Slight modification = a liberal homosexual judge turned over the vote.
Yes I hope you are correct/successful. It seems that they are unconstitutionally trying to force gay marriage since on of your Hawaii Amendments prohibit this??
Currently, the majority of funding for the Hawaii Democrat Party (60%+)comes from wealthy homosexual activists on the Mainland. Homosexuals effectively control the party. Among other things, they have required Abercrombie to make an open homosexual his chief of staff, and instructed him to select a pro-homosexual replacement for U.S. Senator Inouye when he died. This past summer, disciplinary proceedings were brought against a number of Democrat legislators to punish them for supporting traditional marriage in the last legislative session.
So the fix is already in on this “marriage” bill.
InRomans 1, homosexuality is presented as a form of judgment. God is giving up America to homosexuality as a form of judgment. In spite of the will of the people, states are falling to depravity.
Rep. Bob McDermott is lying. It was understood among the 1998 amendment’s supporters that the legislature would have the power to define marriage. On September 25, 1998, in an article entitled “The Power to Define Marriage”, Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo Of Honolulu asked the Catholics of Hawaii to help educate voters on gay marriage bill. Bishop DiLorenzo wrote at the time:
Dear Friends in Christ,
“Shall the Constitution of the State of Hawaii be amended to specify that the legislature shall have the power to reserve marriage to opposite sex couples?”
On November 3, 1998, the people of Hawaii will have the opportunity to reaffirm their power to define marriage through their elected officials. By voting “yes” on the above ballot proposal, citizens hope to stop the Hawaii State Supreme Court’s efforts to mandate “same-sex marriage.”
The November vote has implications not only for Hawaii, but for all the people of the United States and beyond. For without the passage of this amendment, the Hawaii court will almost surely redefine marriage. The effects of such a decision will reverberate across the country.
With every best wish, I remain,
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Rev. Francis X. DiLorenzo
Bishop of Honolulu
The people (and their churches) knew they were voting to allow the legislature to decide to reserve marriage to opposite sex couples. It wasn’t a worry then because the legislature was on their side. Plus McDermott’s argument makes no sense - if the constitutional amendment reserved marriage to opposite couples, then there was no reason for the legislature to get involved after it was voting on by the people.
What is homo-sexual behavior anyway?
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