From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE…
Marc Mutty's Lying Past Resurfaces
Marc who? Marc Mutty, the guy who ran the "Yes on 1" campaign in 2009---a campaign which successfully overturned Maine's fledgling gay marriage law by putting it to a statewide "veto referendum" vote.
I was hoping I'd never see or hear that rat's name ever again, but he popped up on the radar recently when clips from an upcoming documentary called Question One surfaced. Mutty allowed a camera crew to film his activities during the campaign, and the footage reveals he was "conflicted" over the tactics he was using. Portland Press Herald columnist Bill Nemitz has the money quote:
"We use a lot of hyperbole and I think that's always dangerous," says Mutty during a Yes on 1 strategy session, at the time on leave from his job as public affairs director for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Maine. "You know, we say things like 'Teachers will be forced to (teach same-sex marriage in schools)!' " he continues. "Well, that's not a completely accurate statement and we all know it isn't, you know?"
But truth and accuracy were never a consideration in the 'Yes on 1' campaign:
"I know we need to do what we have to do---not only slam people over the head with a two-by-four, but a two-by-four with nails sticking out of it," he says. "And it's nuts...unfortunately, I think it's a lousy approach. But it's the only thing we've got---it's the only way."
And slam they did. Their ads during that 2009 campaign featured right-wing educators warning that the referendum---quote---"has everything to do with schools." Their call to action: "Vote 'Yes' on 1 to keep homosexual marriage from being pushed on Maine students!"
Of course, it mattered not a whit that Maine's Attorney General immediately issued a statement saying, "I have scoured Maine laws relating to the education of its children for any references to marriage in the public school curricula. I have found none."
Mutty, who knew by his own admission that he was spewing garbage, responded: "Nearly a week before she released her opinion, [Attorney General Mills] told a local television reporter that she was “appalled” by our ads, which do nothing more than point out the real consequences to school children and parents if a new legal definition of 'any two will do' marriage replaces the union between a man and a woman."
Actual number to date of "Real consequences to school children" anywhere in the United States of America because of gay marriage: 0.
Last Sunday Mutty, no doubt ruing the day he ever let that camera crew be a fly on the wall, defended his campaign's dishonest tactics in The Maine Sunday Telegram:
Legalizing same-sex marriage will result in a cultural shift which will pervade classroom discussions in any subject from sex education to family and consumer life, to language arts and beyond, redefining in the minds of children the definition of marriage. […] However, the subtle reality of such classroom activities is impossible to get across in a 30-second sound bite.
And the only way to get across this "subtle reality" was an ad that said: "Vote 'Yes' on 1 to keep homosexual marriage from being pushed on Maine students." Yet, as Mutty himself said on tape during the campaign: "That's not a completely accurate statement and we all know it isn't, you know?" Yeah, we know---but Mutty pushed the lie, anyway.
Sadly, the "gays want to indoctrinate your kids in school" bullshit---which can be traced back as far as the 1978 Briggs Initiative in California---continues unabated nationally. It's all they have now. Fortunately, Mutty and his awful ilk are fighting an uphill battle, thanks to developments like this…
Last month, the Public Religion Research Institute, a nonprofit group, reported that 74 percent of American Catholics surveyed supported the rights of same-sex couples to marry or form civil unions (43 percent and 31 percent, respectively).
It'll be a wonderful day when we achieve marriage equality in this country. And when it happens, people like Marc Mutty will realize just how badly they damaged their reputations. And for what? To perpetuate a lie for as long as possible until the truth finally smothers it for good. Thanks to marriage equality laws in six states and civil union laws in ten more, none of which which have caused any moral catastrophes in any schools, the liars' oxygen is running out.
Cheers and Jeers starts below the fold... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]
Cheers and Jeers for Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Note: Don’t be afraid of Greenwich Mean Time. It's always ticked off.
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By the Numbers:
Days 'til the liftoff of the shuttle Endeavor: 3
Days `til the 38th annual Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival at the Howard County Fairgrounds: 11
Average percent of overall home water usage that comes from flushing the toilet: 25.5%
Percent of water usage that comes from using the washing machine: 22.2
(Source: Water Research Foundation via USA Today)
Percent of Americans who believe natural disasters like floods and earthquakes are "a sign from God": 38%
Percent who say the severity of recent events is a sign of the "End Times": 44%
(Source: Public Religion Research Institute [pdf])
Investment in clean-energy technology last year by, respectively, China, Germany and the U.S.: $54 billion, $41 billion, $34 billion
(Source: Global Post via The Week)
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Tuesday Words of Wisdom from the Right-wing Blogosphere:
I could live with Trump/DeMint although my personal dream ticket is Christie/Bachmann. When push comes to shove, Sarah Palin may be the only one with the balls to stand up to him.
---Teri Davis Newman, a 2012 candidate for Congress (IL-12), commenting in a thread at RedState
All together now: One…two…three… Classy!!!
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Puppy Pic of the Day: I think one way of cutting down on dog hurling would be a law that lets the owner hurl the hurler in exactly the same way. (If the hurler is too heavy to be hurled, police would offer free use of their SWAT team's catapult.)
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CHEERS to derailing the Fast Track Express. Eleven simple words from the Supreme Court---"The petition for a writ of certiorari before judgment is denied"---put lots of frowns on lots of teabaggers' faces yesterday:
The ruling---denying a request from Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to "fast track" appeals of his state's lawsuit calling the health care law's insurance mandate unconstitutional---is not unusual, but it does mean opponents of the law will have to wait their turn before getting a chance to kill the law in the nation's highest court.
And that means, in all likelihood, people will have at least another year to get better acquainted with all that the health insurance overhaul offers. Dear lord, I hope that's a good thing.
P.S. You know how Republicans do national bus tours for every little issue that they're trying to push? How about a tour to promote the Affordable Care Act? It would be a great way to drive the benefits home. Plus we could play chicken with the GOP's Medicare "Voucher Van." (I guarantee Ryan would blink first---he'd never risk getting his hair mussed.)
JEERS to cutting and running in America's hour of need! Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour announced yesterday that he's not qualified to lead America into the future as President of the United States. His first clue: he's governor of Mississippi.
CHEERS to Adam & Steve and Adele & Eve. Eleven years ago today, while he was Governor of Vermont Howard Dean signed the first civil unions bill in the nation. Amazingly, the Green Mountains still haven’t plunged into a giant Beelzebubian sinkhole and things are pretty much the same as they were in 2000. If, that is, you don’t count Hiram Goolsey's wife, Claire, finally knockin' off Gladys Wickham in the blueberry pie bake-off at the Brattleboro Fair last year. That has armageddon written all over it!
CHEERS to easy decisions. Susan Collins is a master at playing coy on Senate votes. As a "moderate," she knows she holds a power card or two in her hand, and thus she often remains "persuadable" right up to the roll call. So it speaks volumes about Paul Ryan's Medicare-killing budget when she comes right out and says (paraphrasing slightly so as not to scare the children): "You, sir, may kindly store your budget in a location in which sunlight is, shall we say, scarce." Lemme guess: she's not up for re-election anytime soon.
JEERS to endless media coverage of temporarily shiny objects. There are three over-saturated issues I'm not following. In no particular order: the debt ceiling, gas prices, and Donald Trump. Here's why: I know for a boring-as-hell fact that the first will go up, the second will go down, and the third will go nowhere.
JEERS to spooning for freedom. In Kandahaf, Afghanistan, inmates spent five months digging a thousand-foot tunnel underneath the prison walls using nothing but cooking utensils and then over 400 of them slipped away. Said a government spokesman, drawing on his years of experience in law enforcement and counter-thuggery: "This is something that should not have happened." Why are we there, again?
CHEERS to Charles Richter. It's the 111th birthday of the late seismologist who invented a scale to measure the strength of earthquakes (I forget what it's called). Go here and pay your respects...if you feel so moved. But please don’t blame him for the recent spate of quakes and aftershocks---it's not his faults!
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Five years ago in C&J: April 26, 2006
JEERS to bottomfeeding. More evidence that, when it comes to our leader, we really hate this guy. President Bush's approval rating in the latest CNN poll is a freezer-worthy 32 percent (down from 48% one year ago and 1,197% on September 12, 2001). Only one thing in the universe can save him now: free gas.
CHEERS to railing against big oil. The Downeaster commuter train, which shuttles riders from Portland to Boston and back (with several stops in between), is winning converts at a record clip. Ridership is up 35% for the quarter vs. last year, and they've had to add a car to accommodate the influx. Except for the extending footrests, no need for seat belts, plenty of booze, PC hookups and a free USA Today on every seat, I can't imagine why.
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And just one more…
CHEERS to getting pissed. I'm not sure we really needed scientific validation for the therapeutic power of swearing, but I guess it's nice to know that the lab-coated coalition has given the theory the thumbs-up. A British study suggests that swearing actually helps relieve moderate to severe pain. I can vouch for their results because I've felt the power of profanity myself. The phrase that works best for me: "My Oxycodone just kicked in---fuck yeah!!!"
Have a neato Tuesday. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering out today?
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Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial:
Report: Kate to drop "Obey Bill in Portland Maine" from royal wedding vows
---The Today Show
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