Is this story huge? Did I miss it here at Daily Kos? I searched, but found nothing. Okay, here goes.
"Florida4Marriage," yet another rovian-named "interest group," has the necessary signatures to get an anti-gay marriage amenmdent on the Florida ballot for the '08 election. Florida already has draconian anti-gay laws, rejecting not only gay marriage, but gay adoption as well. So what is this amendment about? Did I mention it will be on the November '08 ballot? As somebody who spent a lot of time on election day, '04, in Ohio, this sort of amendment can be the tipping point in elections. And if you have any doubt who is behind it, just follow the money. Guess who's funding this one? Take the leap to find out.
I bet you guessed, didn't you? In case you haven't figured it out yet, the answer is the Florida Republican Party. Back when the whole thing got started the St. Pete Times found out the Florida Republican Party, well, I'll let them tell you:
An investigation by the St. Petersburg Times into funding for the Florida4Marriage has found that of the $193,000 that has been raised by the group $150,000 came from a single donor - the Florida Republican Party.
The paper says that the donation was made in a single check on Nov. 25.
To date the total contribution by the Florida Republican Party is over $300,000.
So how do we beat this? Well, that's where it gets interesting. First, the language of the amendment:
"Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized."
Did you catch that "substantial equivalent" language? You should have, because it's important. Why? Because this is Florida. Florida has sun, water, back-to-back national championships in NCAA basketball, the first sophomore Heisman Trophy winner in history, and old people. Lots and lots of old people.
Do you know what old people do? They die. And they usually die one at a time, instead of in pairs. Why does that matter? It matters because when one dies, the other often gets to keep benefits like Social Security or pensions, particularly military pensions, until they die OR GET MARRIED AGAIN. See where I'm going? Good.
So does the AARP.
"Bentley Lipscomb, former state director of Florida AARP, said the measure could have a large, unintended impact on elderly couples, many of whom don't marry because it would change their Social Security benefits. "The way they drafted it, it will cause a problem," he said. "Nonmarried couples would not be able to enjoy the same ability to take care of each other. ... Even visiting them in the hospital when they are terminal would be problematic. Then there's the whole question of making decisions about the end of life."
There are already groups fighting this thing, but it looks like it will be fought at the polls. They already have the signatures to get it on the ballot. The ACLU is challenging the signatures, but a win there is not likely. Do you want to help? Go to Florida Red and Blue and Fairness for all Families.
Ohio and Florida will pick our next President. It is probably that simple. The Republicans are working to steal Florida. This time, though, they have chosen a method and a venue in which we can fight back. Please do so.