How sad. Governor Lingle today kept Hawaii from greatness. My heart aches for Hawaii. Today she vetoed Hawaii’s civil union bill. One of the places where the battle for marriage equality began. Lingle who ought to know better keeps oppression and inequality as part of Hawaii’s legacy.
Lingle as a Jew should think closely about what it means to discriminate against a group. She had the opportunity to bring about the release from the chains that have kept gay and lesbian folks from protecting their families in Hawaii. The civil unions bill would have been a way to equalize the gay and lesbian citizen. It runs so counter to live and let live Hawaii that I have experienced on my trips there.
Sadly, the Republican base of religious extremists still hold sway. Lingle has always claimed she was different. But today with the veto of House bill 444 she proved she is not different. One article talks about religious groups cheering. Well I can tell you there are plenty of religious groups crying at her veto today. There are many groups including Reform Judaism which stands firmly for Marriage Equality and civil unions for gay men and lesbians. My heart aches for Hawaii. Today I am sad.
It truly is upsetting and shocking. The news articles are reporting that she thought “long and hard” about the issue, but ultimately she could not support equal rights. What is there to think “long and hard” about? Equality is a no-brainer. I would like to hear her justification for her vote. In order to keep her options open for future Republican offices is the most likely reason she voted against equality. She is now “termed out” and needs to tow the real Republican line. Sad indeed.
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