Today, the Bangor Daily News urged its readers to vote No on 1. As a rule, newspaper endorsements don't carry much weight -- unless there is something unexpected or especially powerful. The BDN is considered a conservative paper, so this is somewhat unexpected. But, there's also a powerful message about a religious leader trying to impose his will on the electorate:
The repeal effort has been led by the Roman Catholic Diocese. Bishop Richard Malone called same-sex marriage “a dangerous sociological experiment.” The fact that gay couples have existed for generations — many of them raising children — counters this argument. Worse, however, is the church’s attempt to force its views on all Maine’s residents, whether they are Catholic or not.And, the paper just completely debunks the other side's false argument about education.
The next 17 days are going to be very intense. The Bishop's anti-gay, anti-equality campaign has gone beyond spreading falsehoods about the new marriage law. Yesterday, with his newest ad, the Bishop's campaign delved into blatant homophobia. Expect more of that ugliness. It's all the haters have in their arsenal.
