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So, Let Me Get This Strai… Er, Just So I’m Clear

by Scott H. Payne

I see that E.D. has already written something about the decision to repeal same-sex marriage in Maine, specifically as regards the involvement of the Catholic Church. Here’s what jumped for me vis-a-vis the decision,

Maine voters also decided to expand the state’s 10-year-old medical marijuana law, approving a ballot question to allow state-regulated dispensaries to grow the drug and sell it to patients. The vote comes weeks after the Obama administration announced it would not prosecute patients and distributors who are in “clear and unambiguous” compliance with state laws. Maine will be the third state, after New Mexico and Rhode Island, to allow tightly regulated, nonprofit marijuana dispensaries.


So Mainers are cool with the state condoning the production and distribution of pot to sick folks, but they can’t quite stomach it allowing two people of the same sex who are in love to celebrate and ground their relationship in the socially and legally substantial institution of marriage…

He may well disagree with this assessment, but from a certain angle I can’t help but see that juxtaposition as an interesting and no less informative inversion of James Poulos’ pink police state. People’s right to get high (when they are drastically ill) — not worth getting all fussy about. People’s right to marry the person they love and have their relationship be seen as equal in the eyes of law — woah…. not in my backyard, buster!

I’m not gonna lie, y’all confuse me sometimes.

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8 comments

1 Will { 11.04.09 at 9:55 am }

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought Poulos opposed gay marriage. Doesn’t it represent the sort of managed libertinism he’s critiquing with his “pink police state” argument?

2 Mike at The Big Stick { 11.04.09 at 10:14 am }

It just shows you how low down the list drugs have fallen as an issue of social concern.

I also think that Maine could just as easily see gay marriage passed through the statehouse in 2 years. I don’t think voters were reacting so much to gay marriage as the process in which it was getting legalized.

Vertov
November 4th, 2009 at 10:53 am

That doesn’t sound plausible. So a voter supports gay marriage… but he’s going to vote it down because his state legislature voted for it before, and now that the voter is asked directly on the matter, he’ll vote it down just to negate the legislature?

The ads in Maine seemed to focus on the insinuation that the homos were going to indoctrinate your kids, not on the premise that, well, the statehouse was okay with it, and now its your chance to reject the civil rights of others out of spite. This seemed more to do with religion and (frankly wicked) insinuations about forcing children into homosexuality at an early age.

3 Chris Dierkes { 11.04.09 at 11:46 am }

Didn’t California vote against gay marriage but did pass a law against animal cruelty? Sounds like the same thing in Maine.

4 Katherine { 11.04.09 at 12:25 pm }

I think this shows how out of step politics is the the opinions of the average person. All the pundits are saying social conservatism is losing the Republicans votes – but a lot of people who voted for Obama, in California and Maine, oppose same-sex marriage. Meanwhile, pot legalization is gaining steam and the federal Democrats aren’t interested in doing anything about it.

5 Kyle { 11.04.09 at 12:42 pm }

I can’t speak to Maine’s case but California was an example of good causes having terrible advocates and terrible causes having good advocates.

The No on Prop 8 campaign (unlike the anti-animal cruelty campaign) was absolutely terrible at political messaging.

Reality is optics which means you get what you want in a Democracy by effectively persuading people not actually by having the better position. Frankly, I’m not confident pro-gay marriage advocates get that the way they need to.

North
November 4th, 2009 at 6:30 pm

Yeah but Maine’s equality campaign was first rate. Thoughtful good adds, excellent funding. The only thing they didn’t get was support from the O man but he’s already firmly established his prostrate cravenness on this issue so no surprise. The campaign was done right. The Maine voters just (barely) weren’t having it. In some ways it was far more dispiriting than California’s loss.

6 North { 11.04.09 at 6:31 pm }

Scott ol boy, lets not knock a good thing. Pot legalization is an excellent policy and deserves every success. I don’t begrudge em a single reefer. Let a thousand cannabis leaves bloom.