Do we even pretend to have such a thing as separation of church and state these days? The Madison (WI) Capital-Times:
An Arizona-based Christian group that provides legal help to fight same-sex marriage and similar causes asked Wednesday that the Wisconsin Legislature be made a co-defendant in a lawsuit seeking benefits for gay partners of state workers.
Six lesbian workers in the University of Wisconsin System and the Corrections and Transportation departments filed the lawsuit in Dane County Circuit Court in April. The American Civil Liberties Union is backing them.
The lawsuit alleges a state law preventing state employees’ gay partners from getting health benefits violates the Wisconsin Constitution’s equal rights protection clause. It asks a judge to force state agencies to provide the benefits. Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager is defending the state.
The Republican-controlled Joint Committee on Legislative Organization voted in May to ask the Alliance Defense Fund in Scottsdale, Ariz., to represent the Wisconsin Legislature in the lawsuit.
…
The ADF motion argued that the Legislature has an interest in whether benefits are extended to gay workers’ partners, because it would put more pressure on a state already dealing with a $1.6 billion budget deficit. The motion also said establishing budgets and social policy is a legislative prerogative.
So the Legislature thinks it might be on the hook for same-sex partner benefits. But rather than rely on the Attorney General, who is sworn to uphold the interests of the state, they turn to a bigots’ advocacy group. What happened to the tolerant Badger State I grew up in?
More below.
Just in case we’re unclear as to who’s behind this:
ADF’s co-founder, James Dobson, created a media stir earlier this year for criticizing a children’s video that featured cartoon characters, including Spongebob Squarepants, saying it promoted homosexuality.
The AG’s office calls this one exactly right:
Lautenschlager spokesman Scot Ross issued a statement saying the ADF was the one trying to inject politics into the case.
“It will be up to a judge to decide what, other than political venom, these Internet lawyers from the other side of the continent would bring to a Wisconsin courtroom,” Ross said.
there’s plenty more and cookies, too, at faithforward.
I’m really liking Faithforward thus far, just clicked the link a few minutes ago. I’m also really happy to have found the Blog for Liberal Seekers link from your site. I’ve studied in seminary (Anglican), and have had many discussions on the lack of assistance available for people who come into the Episcopal church as seekers. I’m looking forward to much information to chew on. Thanks!
that is a money quote if I ever saw one:
came from Dick Wolf, producer of the approximately 10 bazillion Law & Order episodes. Apparently, their “ripped from the headlines” approach got a little too close for comfort for a certain Texas exterminator, and he shot off a statement roundly condemning the show.
Wolf fired back with his standard disclaimer that it’s all fiction, etc. And then he added this: “I … congratulate Congressman DeLay for switching the spotlight from his own problems to an episode of a TV show.”
Let’s get that man to run for the Senate somewhere!
I saw that too! Great stuff.
Thank goodness the overblown 9/11 crap is over and done with and people feel “safe” telling it like it is again in America.
Wisconsin is the only remaining big ten school that doesn’t offer DP to UW employees. Pathetic. I think the governor of Wisconsin even supports DP — it’s the legislature that’s been the stumbling block.
I read a statement by a gay prof. from Wisconsin stating that his research activities have brought significant funding to the university — far more funding, in fact, than what it would cost the state to purchase health bennies for the DPs of state employees. I think the estimates are for a few 100k to cover the DPs. It’s a drop in the bucket.
I work for a university in Indiana — and my DP is covered by my health insurance. It saves us probably $4000 a year. DP is an issue of pay equity.
With all the hi-tech industry and other corporations headquartered in and around Madison, the University can hardly afford a brain drain, right?
This is about pay equity and keeping a competitive posture. Dairy farmers’ll get that.
That was before them damn queers started gettin’ all uppity!!
Ah, Johnnie: nice to see you’ve made the jump.
Can we count on you to grace the Booman community with some of your Photoshop prowess?
ha! I’ve been around here since close to the beginning. Check my low UID, compared to my insignificant 21,000-something on dKos.
However, I don’t post all that frequently; maybe a handful on dKos, a couple here, and so on. As for Photoshopping, it all depends on if the opening is right. Apparently, this little item (with its parent comment) amused some folks yesterday. Then, of course, there was the Dr. Frist diary from a couple weeks ago.
Other than that, not much political photoshopping recently. Always open to special requests, if any.
Can I commision a Photshop job on Sensenbrenner?
It’s for a hit job on Sensenbrenner, to be released by the Wisconsin Libertarians. Portray him as STALINbrenner, goes with an attack on his sponsorship of Real ID and the Snitch on your kids bill.
Libertarians can get away with redbaiting Republicans in a way Dems can’t.
like this?
sources here.
made a small fix to the right side of his head. if you like the pic, use this one instead of the one above.
kinda, but the classic Stalin uniform would help people get it…
legislature over the head with this. Hang the ADF and their vicious prejudice around the legislatures neck.
that they’re bringing in the AZ lawfirm. Dane County Circuit Court? 17 judges. If its DeChambeau, they win. Fiedler’s 50/50. The other 15 go against the Legislature.
I’ve had 1 case in front of Dechambeau. Selling political shirts on the State Capitol Grounds. Tried it pro se. Plenty of Federal Court precedent. At trial he admitted he hadn’t read my brief. “I don’t read caselaw. If you don’t like it, go to the Court of Appeals.” He only fined me $50, passed on the 6 months jail time. I decided to skip the appeal, set the case up again with better facts.
implement actions as test cases? Just curious, brilliant activity if you do. Sounds like fun.
Others just come natural. The setups are getting harder around here as my reputation with the cops gets around. But yeah, it’s getting to be a decent income.
In states like Indiana, the universities are self-insured — so when the issue of DP came up, the insurance wasn’t linked to the health insurance provided to state gov. employees (so state employees don’t get DP bennies in my state — bummer — but university employees do). Indiana University and Purdue were able to by-pass the state legislature when they were seeking DP for their employees. Instead, it was approved by the Board of Trustees (with a tip of the hat from then Governor O’Bannon). I think some states (Ohio, maybe?) that have anti marriage laws are able to provide DP by paying for those bennies from private donations.
This case is a good example of how anti-marriage laws have consequences that a lot of people don’t understand. When states pass laws that say they will only legally recognize marriage between a man and a woman — in effect, they are saying other relationship don’t legally exist. So, gay couples who have established a household (that often includes kids) are financially entwined, but have no legal standing. Those couples can’t get health insurance if they work for the state, can’t get survivor’s benefits, and sometimes access to pensions if a partner dies. This not only affects the partner, but the kids they have raised together. On a federal level, no gay couple has access to their partner’s SS after the partner dies.
Many of us use a right to privacy argument against the anti-gay crazies, because society shouldn’t care who people love. That’s a fair and just argument. But it doesn’t even scratch the surface when you start to consider what such legislation does to real American families and their financial stability. (Let alone to a state’s ability to attract the best and the brightest talent).
I think your comment is something we should all remember when anyone starting spewing crap about being against gay marriage..this isn’t just about the right to marriage or civil union but how it effects so many, many issues central to the family unit..like SS after a spouse dies or how this all effects children. And continue to mention all these issues. Anti-gay marriage people probably don’t care but I think a lot of people who are fairly neutral on the issue should be made aware that this isn’t just a simple hot button issue. And it’s not about morality(except for the twisted morality of all these lunatics) but equality..although I think it’s immoral to deny anyone civil rights.
And love your sig…as I have a coffee cup almost permanently attatched to my hand all day.
I was marginally involved in Kentucky working against the amendment to define marriage as “between a man and a woman” (I say that because there were so many more people who did the heavy-lifting). Kentucky Fairness hired a consultant who did polling — and the best way to frame our argument against the amendment was to talk about our families and kids – and how the hate amendment would be devastating for them. We did a poor job of conveying that message — because the battle quickly degraded to images of two men on a wedding cake and bizarre accusations about sexual practices. (The religious right is OBCESSED with gay male homosexuality.)
Anyway, we got killed on the amendment. But I did learn that polling data supports the message that civil protections for GLBT is about protecting families from those vulnerable times (deaths, medical costs, separations, etc.) that we all face. It makes sense since (I think) 1/3 of lesbian and gay partners are raising children.
Thanks for the compliment about the sig. I couldn’t come up with anything clever, so in a quick decision, I looked at the object that was glued to my hand and went, “Oh yeah, that’ll work”.
Well the religious right seems to be obsessed with any kind of sex but gay sex in particular for sure. I’ve said before they are doing the same crap that was done with the ERA ..making up all kinds of shit that has no bearing on the issue really to distract more susceptible people with their scare tactics.
I just got a letter from my assembleyman here in CA. thanking me for my email about gay marriage bill but he must disagree with me and will vote against it and support the ‘institution of marriage’… whatever the hell that stupid phrase means, and how does denying certain people marriage or civil unions support marriage anyway? I thought of writing him back and asking if he still supports the ‘institution of slavery’ but figured it wasn’t worth it.
search for Alliance Defense Fund. I researched them for a diary once. I became so overwhelmed with the web of relationships these people share and the scope of cases they are trying (and winning) I became paralyzed. Truly a scary organization and erases any wonder about why the Federal court is being packed with fanatics now. They are just waiting for these cases to make to the Federal Appeals level so they can re-establish the law. These people are relentless and have an intense, scary vision.