Thursday, February 23, 2012

Gov. Christie vetoes N.J. gay marriage bill

MaryAnn Spoto/The Star-Ledger 02/17/2012 5:31 PM

TRENTON — Delivering on his promise of swift action, Gov. Chris Christie this afternoon conditionally vetoed the gay marriage bill and suggested appointing an ombudsman to address complaints of same-sex couples and strengthen New Jersey’s civil union law.

Christie conditionally vetoed the bill six hours after it reached his desk, a day after the state Assembly gave the final legislative approval that he said he would not support.

"I have been just as adamant that same-sex couples in a civil union deserve the very same rights and benefits enjoyed by married couples — as well as the strict enforcement of those rights and benefits,’’ Christie said in a prepared statement.

"Discrimination should not be tolerated and any complaint alleging a violation of a citizen’s right should be investigated and, if appropriate, remedied."

His action was not the outright veto gay marriage proponents had expected, but still equally unwelcome.

"Thousands and thousands of New Jersey families are denied financial security, health security and fundamental equal rights every day because of a failed civil union experiment,’’ said Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald (D-Bergen). "And yet in spite of their second-class citizenship, the governor singlehandedly — through the stroke of his pen — seeks to codify discrimination against them.’’

Christie continued push his suggestion of the gay marriage issue to a referendum in November to allow New Jersey voters to decide. Republicans fell in line with his recommendation; not a single Republican present on Thursday voted for the gay marriage bill.

Two years after voting the bill down, the Senate on Monday passed the measure 24-16, with two Republicans crossing the aisle.

The veto ends legislative action for now. Gay rights activists say they will now work to secure enough votes for an override by the noon Jan. 14, 2014, deadline — the end of this legislative session. They’ll need nearly a dozen more votes in the Assembly and a handful in the Senate.

Democrats say they’re hopeful they’ll reach their goal in 1½ years because they won the Senate over and they convinced nearly a dozen Assembly members in recent weeks to get their victory on Thursday.


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2 comments:

  1. Consistent with "reverse positioning" understand the REAL Second coming would equate with The Matrix's Anti-Christ, the fake battle of good and evil which will come at the end.
    I have spoken on this issue in years past. Understanding how they use the political environment to redefine people's value system, realize anyone who speaks of the old world and its ways will envoke hatred. So when/if the Anti-Christ comes along speaking of reverting back to what liberalism would consider repressed and immoral may be the only hope to salvage the god's favor and keep moving forward rather than begin the 1000 year clock. The fake Second Coming will feed into this political enviornment.

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  2. One battle at a time, one State at a time: The right wing is also trying to turn womens rights back 35 years or so.
    What will prevail is what is right. It just seems to take forever. M

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