Parrish and Reynolds Fight The Good Fight
BY BUDDY NEVINS
The economy is troubled, the war continues in Iraq, terrorists threaten this country and health care is unavailable to millions.
And what are some Florida Republicans talking about in this election?
Gay marriage and domestic partnerships.
Amendment 2 — which bans not only gay marriage but domestic partnerships that occur in every college, city and retirement community — is a transparent cynical move by Republicans.
It is attempt to pump up the conservative Republican vote.
Don’t believe me? Then why did the Florida Republican Party donate $300,000 and the ultra-right Focus On The Family donate another $500,000 to pass Amendment 2.
The amendment was attacked Sunday afternoon by Property Appraiser Lori Parrish and Dan Reynolds, head of the Broward AFL-CIO, in a telephone conference for average voters.
A robo call invited average voters to participate in the telephone conference.
Voters were invited to throw questions at Parrish and Reynolds about the amendment.
The language of Amendment 2 “protects marriage as the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife and provides that no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized.”
Now I am very much for gay marriage. Anybody of age should be allowed to get married. I would be against the Amendment if it just dealt with gays.
But this Amendment goes much further.
Your grandmother Gertrude could be living with Abe in Century Village, but they aren’t married. Under the Amendment, Abe might not be able to visit Gertrude in the emergency room.
Parrish and Reynolds agreed with me.
They agreed that the amendment’s broad language could endanger everything from pensions to health care relationships for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples living in domestic partnerships.
Parrish and Reynolds should be praised for donating a Sunday afternoon for the cause of human rights.
Parrish urged voters to go all the way to the end of the ballot to vote NO on Amendment 2.
She’s right. Voters need to make sure they vote NO on this bad amendment.
Parrish and I have had a rocky relationship in the past she didn’t like some of the things I wrote. I gotta say we are in sync totally on this issue.
October 5th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Parrish has been cozying up to the gay vote for years. What does that mean?
October 6th, 2008 at 10:46 am
I am always suspect of people who say we need something but can’t explain why we need it.
October 6th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Thanks for the kind words Buddy.
October 6th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
TO IN THE KNOW. I know Parrish is dedicated to gay rights and equal rights. So stop your bullshit and your attributing political motives to her.
October 7th, 2008 at 8:49 am
AFL-CIO has fought for years for Domestic Partnership laws. This amendment could render them uncostitutional throwing even more americans onto the ranks of the uninsured. Republican Party should be ashamed.
October 7th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I am a straight, old grandmother and I believe everybody has a right to live with and “marry” who they choose. Where did the word “Marriage” come from this is something I need to research. Thanks Lori and Dan.