10:32 a.m: Progressive Alaska announces (based on two calls from reliable sources) that "Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan will veto the civil rights ordinance people have been struggling over there since May."10:32 a.m: commenter pvazwindy at The Mudflats notes the PA post.
Around 2:19 p.m: The Anchorage Daily News updates their ongoing story on the veto possibility, announcing that Sullivan has vetoed the ordinance.
Around 3:00 p.m: Henkimaa posts an article, titled The Veto.
3:17 p.m: Think Alaska posts an article on the veto which includes a quote from Anchorage Assembly member Mike Gutierrez, stating, "it's not a surprise that the Mayor exercised his right to veto the ordinance, but it is a disappointment."
Around the same time: KTUU TV begins assembling information for coverage of the veto story and of the emerging information on a late afternoon protest.
Around 4:45 p.m: Shannyn Moore posts from the Boston area at Just a Girl From Homer:
Mayor Sullivan’s veto today of Ordinance 64 is not a surprise. With a stroke of his pen, he effectively endorsed discrimination against our friends and neighbors. If you weren’t sure whether this ordinance was necessary, you needed only to show up for the fear-based, hate-filled, homophobic public testimony of the religious right wing red shirts-sponsored by powerful emerging not-for-profit Political Action Committees like the Anchorage Baptist Temple led by Reverend and Head X-ian Jerry Prevo. ABT, by the way, owns at least 11 properties that are tax exempt. Other ChurchPACs from Wasilla bussed in their X-ian masses to protest this ordinance. X-ian ChurchPACs from as far away as Colorado and Texas joined in the Tuesday night hate-fest at the Loussac Library over the summer.
The Anchorage Assembly can over-ride his veto, but it will take the vote reversal of Debbie Ossiander. She voted against the ordinance along with Bill Starr, Chris Birch and Dan Coffey. Debbie represents Anchorage’s only hope of joining the 21st century. Other parts of the country are debating gay marriage. Here, with Dano’s veto, we will be chained to the mid-20th century debating whether or not a segment of our society ought to be protected against discrimination. Good grief!Debbie Ossiander somehow flipped from supporting gay rights to now supporting the right of homophobes to discriminate against gays.
As a school board member, Ossiander supported gay rights. In 2001, she voted, along with the rest of the school board (Peggy Robinson, Dave Werdahl, Rita Holthouse, Jake Metcalfe, Harriet Drummond, Debbie Ossiander and Tim Steele) to unanimously approve language including sexual orientation to protect students and faculty from being harassed and discriminated against! Anchorage School Board Policy 114 may be viewed here.
Around 5:00 p.m: The Anchorage Daily News begins a meme that claims "[T]he ordinance would have banned discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people in Anchorage." This meme ignores the obvious fact that this isn't over until the assembly votes on the veto. Watch the ADN closely on this between now and next Tuesday.
The veto was covered on afternoon Anchorage talk radio, but I don't have time now to attempt to gauge its accuracy, veracity or depth.
The 6:00 TV news programs covered it too, as did the 10:00 programs, but I was on the phone dealing with fishery issues during both programs, and missed them.
Around 8:00 p.m: Bent Alaska posts a photo from the Loussac Library rally.
8:40 p.m: KTUU TV posts a story by Jason Lamb and video of the Loussac rally, and about the implications of the veto. It is more comprehensive than the ADN story by Don Hunter.
Around 10:30 p.m: Henkimaa posts a thorough set of photos from the Loussac rally.
This was one of the saddest days in the recent history of Southcentral Alaska, in terms of civil rights. It is time to unify, and demand an examination of the tax-exempt status of the Anchorage Baptist Temple.
No Special Rights!
image - Henkimaa
7 comments:
Well laid out, Phil.
I agree, the city needs investigate the unregistered LOBBING and tax-exempt status of the ABT
Bones, it will not happen. It is a nice thought, but we see this happening everywhere and still it is not just allowed to happen but a blind eye is turned to the fact that religious organizations are allowed to lobby for legislation that follows their specific beliefs.
We are slowly turning into a theocracy. Or so it feels like. It is happening little by little but it is happening and Prevo and his example in Anchorage are just one tiny example of it.
How often do we see people using religion as a basis for demanding laws be made based on their beliefs? We do not allow gays to have equal rights simply based on the "religious belief" that it is "wrong". Anchorage is openly allowing discrimination of the GLBT community because they elected a Mayor who will go along with those who are basing their feelings on religious beliefs (we saw that in the testimony that went on for forever and a day).
We allow members of the GLBT community to serve in the Armed forces as long as they don't admit to being who they are, and if they do, we discharge them as if their service is somehow inferior to a heterosexual person.
The GLBT community cannot marry because religious beliefs are stopping it from happening.
We are not making progress. We are simply fighting a battle against religion taking over this country, and they are winning (for the time being).
The ABT's tax exempt ststus, if successfully challenged, would make on eligible for the IRS bounty program.
Just a thought.
http://www.kktv.com/unclassified/6487552.html
Agree with Eye, here. We are becoming a theocracy!
If you read Leah Burton's book "Theapalinism" you will see how in 30 yrs GOP went from secular to theocracy.
Now we've got palin with her religious agenda, all the GOP'ers connected to the "family" or its offshoots, and Your mayor in Anchorage pushing religious beliefs on everyone. Course Anchorage needs work, there are homeless being slaughtered, Natives being beaten up and harassed, and no one does a thing?
So basically no one has human rights in anchorage unless you are white/belong to a church. Pretty sad state of affairs.
Well, if we were having this discussion 100 years ago, you could substitute in "Irish/Catholic" for "Gay/Lesbian" and nothing much would change except it would be people named Sullivan left out in the cold. Moral contradictions like this would likely make Mayor Dan's head explode. Still, no one should be surprised by the veto. Danny Boy's first loyalty is to himself and his efforts to prove that he is not just the son of a famous man. Very few, if any, people who favored the ordinance would vote for him election-time, now or ever. The ordinance gave Little Danny a freebie to appease the homophobe/death panel/gays-are-sneaking-into-my-bathroom crowd. By claiming that his "investigation" showed no evidence of need for this ordinance, he hopes to appear thoughtful instead of shallow and to provide alittle cover with those conservatives who haven't yet donned their aluminum foil hats.
simple mind--except that by vetoing the ordinance, he EXACTLY proved he is his father's son; from what I've read, his father did the same thing in 1976 to an earlier version of similar non-discrimination laws/regs/whatever.
InJuneau - You're absolutely right. Its an oft-told story. Little Danny is the son of a self-made man who lied about his age to go to work in the mines, later became a marshall, was elected to the Alaska legislature and then became Mayor of Anchorage. Little Danny grew up in that shadow and now will do what it takes to show that he's a big boy, too. My point was that no one should be surprised by his action. Like our former governor, Little Danny's first loyalty is to himself. Other than doing the right thing, there was no political advantage in not vetoing the ordinance. Hmmmm... do the right thing or get votes for myself, let me think..... we all know how that turned out.
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