They are; I'm not.
"In Barrios exit, a collision of pressures; Gay rights advocate hit for business stance" by Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff / June 21, 2011
It seemed like an odd endorsement: a national gay advocacy group writing the federal government to support a proposed merger of cellphone companies.
The letter from Jarrett Barrios, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, did just that, urging the Federal Communication Commission to approve the merger of telecom giants AT&T and T-Mobile. Gays and lesbians want “more access, faster service, and competitive pricing’’ in their mobile service, and “on all three counts, we believe the facts strongly favor the merger,’’ he wrote.
The May 31 letter did not mention that AT&T is a major financial supporter.
Criticized by gay media and bloggers and accused of trading the endorsement for donations, Barrios, a former Massachusetts state senator, resigned his post over the weekend.
It is the latest sharp turn in the career of a charismatic local politician who at one time appeared destined for higher office in the Bay State....
He's not a Weiner?
--more--"
Speaking of his state:
"Both sides press N.Y. legislators on same-sex marriage; Exemptions are seen as pivotal to partisan approval" by Michael Gormley, Associated Press / June 21, 2011
ALBANY, N.Y. — Hundreds of protesters for and against gay marriage in New York chanted, sang, and sought out TV cameras yesterday while the state Senate again came to no resolution on the issue in a closed-door session that barely touched on the nationally divisive topic....
Also see: The Whole World is Gay
You would think so if you read the agenda-pushing and divisive Boston Globe.
State troopers were called to the Senate chamber floor as the two groups started to merge and talk with each other, but there was no escalation in the jammed marble hallways, which turned stifling hot from the people and TV cameras. Most people were respectful of each other....
When 80-year-old great-grandmother Ginny Winn, of Delmar in Albany County, interrupted Sharon Baum of New York City and said she has been married for decades, Baum offered a sincere “Mazel tov!’’ which is Hebrew for congratulations.
Related: Gay Pride Parade Rained On Again
The flag kind of says it all, no?
The gay marriage bill is part of the usual horse-trading of issues behind closed doors that is common at the close of session for the New York Legislature. That means the emotional issue is tied to such common but important measures as continuing New York City’s rent-control law and a statewide property tax cap, said senators who spoke on the condition of anonymity because there was no official statement from the Republican majority.
The Assembly has already passed the measure. The legislative session was supposed to end yesterday, but the negotiations are expected to keep the Legislature in Albany through much of the week.
Susan Lerner of the group Common Cause said the level of lobbying appears unmatched in New York since the abortion and reproductive rights battles of the 1970s.
New York’s vote is pivotal in the national question over same-sex marriage....
Ron Paul is right: it should be a state issue, and government really has no role in it.
--more--"
