Posted on 05/24/2005 4:18:39 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
Official first voted against amendment, then changed stance
AUSTIN — Brownsville state Sen. Eddie Lucio on Saturday voted to include a ban on gay marriage in the Texas Constitution despite having voted against it just one day prior.
Lucio’s decision to vote for the ban helped Senate Republicans secure the votes they needed to debate, and later approve, House Joint Resolution 6, a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage and civil unions.
The measure has passed the House, and Gov. Rick Perry is expected to sign it. Texans will vote on the ban in November.
Gay marriage is already illegal under Texas law. Advocates of the recent measure said it would ensure that the law is not overturned by judges.
Lucio, who attends daily Mass even during the legislative session and often prays at his desk on the Senate floor, said his Catholic beliefs ultimately sealed his decision to vote in favor of the ban.
More importantly, Lucio said, he has a record of consistently voting in favor of proposed Constitutional amendments because they provide a mechanism for voters to make the final decision, he said on Monday.
When he voted against the measure on Friday in the Senate Committee on State Affairs, he made clear he did so only to keep the measure from being added to the Constitution, not to endorse gay marriage, he said. He reminded the committee that he voted in 2003 with the majority to make gay marriage illegal.
But after Friday’s committee vote, he heard from disapproving constituents, and reconsidered, he said.
Among those constituents were leaders in the Roman Catholic Church in Brownsville, he said.
"It wasn’t a hard vote for me," he said on Monday, discussing the final vote on the Senate floor. "It wasn’t even hard to change, to tell you the truth.
"But I tried my best to veer off from putting that in the state Constitution," Lucio said.
Lucio said he is a staunch "pro-lifer," and said being gay is "unnatural."
He said he remains concerned that the constitutional ban could hurt same-sex couples from receiving basic benefits. He said they should be treated with respect and be allowed to receive health care and visit their partners in the hospital.
Lucio switched his vote not only from committee the previous day, but also from a letter he signed with 10 other senators saying they would block the measure from coming to the Senate floor for debate.
State Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen, had announced on Thursday he had secured 11 votes to block discussion. Lucio and state Sen. Frank Madla, D-San Antonio, who attends Mass with Lucio, later changed their minds.
"I was disappointed that they switched, but Eddie Lucio received a lot of pressure from the Catholic Church," Hinojosa said.
Hinojosa said the measure will brand Texas as a place where discrimination is written into the Constitution. He compared the measure to historical discrimination against Jews, African-Americans, women and Hispanics.
"This is just another group that we single out," Hinojosa said. "Why do we have to put it in the Constitution?"
Lucio was one of only three Democrats to join Republicans in voting for the measure. All eight who voted against it were Democrats.
elizabethp@valleystar.com
512-323-0622
'Rats leaving a sinking ship?
Its always amazing how some can say they oppose gay marriage, and/or say the state law is sufficient to define marriage, then turn around and decry the defining of it in the Constitution. To me, it is a tacit admission that they are just waiting and hoping for state courts to impose gay marriage or civil unions.
The line about such action branding a state as a place of official discrimination is a tired one by now. Blue Michigan and Oregon (and Calif though it wasn't an Amendment) have done the same thing.
Plus, I've yet to hear of any proponent of these Amendments as saying it will be used to challenge private contracts. It is about the public realm. Private companines and institutions will be free to offer whatever recognition of same-sex partnerships that they choose, or choose not to.
I still can't believe the Idaho state senate has shot down similar attempts in that state.
Send The Eight to Brownsville for the same talk Lucio surely heard from his "uncles."
Homosexual Agenda Ping.
Good news from Texas. Lucio should jump ship and become a Republic. More real, conservative Republicans are needed.
Maybe he should run for Congress after he jumps, too.
Let me know if you want on/off this pinglist.
Same-Sex Marriage Ban Ping!
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off this South Texas/Mexico ping list.
being gay is "unnatural."
Leave it to the press to always put quotes around it. I prefer no quotes, like this:
Being gay is unnatural.
Marriage = One Man + One Woman, preferably for Life.
The intolerant liberals will not tolerate this, for some strange reason, possibly (partly) due to their ubiquitous, totalitarian Politically Correct liberal agenda.
Ban same-sex marriage in all of the 50 States.
Ping!
Or this: Being "gay" is unnatural.
"Gay" actually means happy, light hearted and carefree. The exact opposite of the same sex sodomy life.
Yes, I do like that better.
'They' have hijacked other common things- like the rainbow, for example. There have been times were using the rainbow to illustrate the blending and ascension of octaves or vibrations would be useful, but I've no desire to make any kind of reference or inference to the "homosexual" agenda. And lavender to denote "homo" solidarity who would be caught dead wearing a lavender shirt or tie now (not that I would anyway...)?
One of my old taglines went something like this:
Take back the rainbow - rainbows don't mean sodomy!
(Can't remember exactly how it went.)
Hey, that's pretty good.
How about 'Take back the rainbow - raindows aren't 'gay'!
Leave the rainbow alone- they're natural...
Rainbows symbolize purity, beauty, and otherwordliness, and hint at God's promise.
The EXACT opposite of the "gay" life.
"leave the rainbow alone - they're innocent!
My old granny use to say, "Rainbows happen because somebody in Heaven is smiling and somebody on Earth is crying. God wants everyone to be happy."
Good one.
One time I was in Eureka (CA), happened to look out the window, and saw about 5 rainbows, each one a little smaller than the next. The brightest colored rainbows I ever saw. Mrs LJ and I just watched and watched until they disappeared. We kept looking out to see if anyone else noticed - in fact, I felt like running out on the street shouting for people to look.
Awesome experience.
I've put the number in your tagline in my cell phone memory under "Illegal Alien". Have you had an opportunity to call it? If so, what should one expect?
Everything the local PD is going to ask for plus any more you can give them.
Callers to the hot line do not have to give their names, but their report is recorded. The agent taking the call collects as much detail as possible, and the report is checked against immigration and crime data banks, according to Scott Blackman, unit chief of the Vermont center.
Agents then forward the information to local Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices. In some cases where urgent action is required, ICE will contact local law enforcement agencies.
What Is Considered An Illegal Activity Under Immigration Law?
Here are some examples of the most common violations of United States Immigration laws:
Examples from U.S. Customs & Border Protection:
(This is not a complete list of violations.)
filing false statements on applications or petitions
making a false claim that you are a United States citizen
making, altering or using counterfeit immigration documents
making, altering or using counterfeit documents to supportimmigration applications or petitions
failing to report the arrival of illegal aliens
assisting or encouraging aliens to come to the United States in violation of the law
harboring an illegal alien
knowingly employing aliens who do not have permission to work in the United States
recruiting or referring for a fee aliens who do not have permission to work in the United States
failing to complete and maintain immigration Form I-9 for all new employees, whether citizens or aliens
failing to depart the United States when ordered removed (deported)
entering or attempting to enter the United States at a time or place which is not authorized
attempting to enter the United States by misrepresenting (lying about) material facts
entering into a marriage to circumvent the immigration laws
entering or attempting to enter the United States without permission after having been removed (deported)
assisting an alien to enter the United States for prostitution or other immoral purposes
Use the Congressional Pension Funds To Seal OUR Borders!
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