Bob Plymale, phony Democrat #1 and the gay marriage bll

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

“God rebuked nations who only turned to Him in their most extreme
moments of need."
Those were the words of Rev. Rob Schenck, published by Agape Press,
the official newspaper of the conservative American Family
Association, referring to the deaths of 12 miners in the Sago mining
disaster in West Virginia.
Such rhetoric is nothing new to AFA, a notorious gay-bashing group, who,
in 2005, published praise for Hurricane Katrina, believing it had
“wiped out rampant sin" from the city of New Orleans. In 2004,
the group went after the children's film Shark Tale, stating that its
plot “veered toward an undercurrent of approval for homosexuality.”
One has to question the sanity of these people. If you believe in a
God that goes on a killing spree every time Brokeback Mountain plays,
you should look not only into finding a new religion, but psychiatric
help as well.
Statements like Schenck's are common on the fringe right, but
AFA's support is especially troubling. The group is essentially a
more politically-savvy version of the extremist protestors who showed up
at the miners' funerals.
Recently, the West Virginia legislature rejected a proposed
amendment to the state constitution outlawing same-sex marriage. The
measure was co-sponsored by Senator Bob Plymale D-Wayne and Delegate
John Pino D-Fayette.
On its website, AFA bragged about its 'key role in drafting the
amendment” and stated its surrogate group, the West Virgina Family
Foundation, was “the primary organization behind the initiative.”
Following the amendment's defeat, conservatives have threatened
this fall to go after legislators opposing it.
Which is what this is really about.
Even if you accept the ludicrous premise that allowing gay
couples to marry is a threat to civilization, that a separation of church
and state doesn't exist and that the legislator doesn't have more
important things, like mine safety, to focus on, you'd still be
hard-pressed to explain why this amendment is necessary.
In 2000, Republican Governor Cecil Underwood signed into state law a
bill banning gay marriage. This also, coincidentally, was during an
election year.
But the fear-mongering won't stop even if Plymale and Pino get
their way. In states that have already passed amendments barring gay
marriage, groups like AFA are now focusing on passing state laws
barring gay couples from adopting.
If you're a politician with no conscience, gay-bashing is the gift that
keeps on giving.
Attempts to exploit bigotry have become customary from the Republicans,
but leave it to the WV democrats to try to out-wingnut the rightwing
nuts.
Plymale is emblematic of the problems of the Democratic party in WV. In
a state dominated by one party, conservatives know they have no chance
of being elected as Republicans, so they instead infiltrate the
Democrats. In 1996, populist-progressive Democrat Charlotte Pritt, a
former school teacher, defeated the establishment candidate,
conservative Joe Manchin in the primary for governor. It didn't take
long for conservative elements within the party to openly back the GOP
candidate, coal operator Cecil Underwood. Plymale in fact, was the first
to openly campaign as part of the group a "Democrats for Underwood.".
Only a few decades ago, religion was used to justify opposition to
interracial marriage, something now widely accepted in society. It won't
be long until the opponents of same-sex marriage
find that they've carved a similar place on the Mount Rushmore of
outdated views for themselves.
The legislature should be commended for rejecting this attempt to
write discrimination into the state constitution. Plymale, Pino and
their followers need to explain why they're so eager to give a
dangerous hate group like AFA such a prominent role in the
legislative process.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

1. bumping

i wrote this and wanted to keep it in circulation

[hollowdweller]

2. He's my senator- never writes back!

I really wish we could get somebody better. I don't like his morality but even worse he's basically a corporate shill. Also any time I have ever written him on issues he has NEVER written back. That, to me SHOWS he doesn't care. Every election he just puts up a bunch of billboards with pictures of him and his family, and gets elected. I wish he had some real competition.