Karen Minnis, I'll just say it: A bitch is a bitch.
You know, there comes a time in ones blogging 'career' where you don't need to hold back any longer, no need to be on up and up all the time - right? Emotion gets involved with certain issues...
Yesterday, in a legislative move that caught many off guard, Speaker of the House Karen Minnis gutted and stuffed Oregon's SB1000 effectively taking out every word out of the original bill and using the language from HB 3876, The Reciprocal Benefits Bill. In less than 30 minutes our bill, SB1000, had gone from granting families close to 500 legal rights and protections, to oh - about five or so. Oh but wait - I'm not close to being done.
Think about this. The base that Karen is appealing to by pulling this, are those same people who complained about the 'closed door meetings' that occurred in Multnomah County previous to the marriage licenses being issued to gay and lesbian couples. Though, Speaker Minnis did this exact sort of thing. With only 30 minutes advance notice, the State and Federal Affairs Committee held a work session on Senate Bill 1000. By a vote of 3 to 2 on party lines, the Committee amended all the existing text out and replaced it with a limited set of provisions on reciprocal beneficiaries. It just so happened that the House had adjourned for the day and it was also during lunch break so that the House Democrats, bill sponsors, the Gov. and even members of her own caucus could not speak out against it. By the same vote, the Committee moved the bill to the House Budget Committee. In addition she closed it to public opinion. This was a closed door, 'no testimony wanted' sort of thing. She told the three Republicans on the State and Federal Affairs Committee to vote for it in it's gutted form. They did and it was VERY quickly moved to the Budget Committee where it cannot be touched. Therefore killed in a sense. There still are ways of getting things accomplished this session though. No need to let go of any hope. This fight is not even close to being over - it's just getting uglier.
Interestingly enough, these actions don't square with Speaker Minnis' statements in the voters pamphlet submitted in favor of Measure 36.
"Process subverted. They didn't hold any public hearings. They didn't give any advanced warning. Their actions were arrogant and wrong. The Multnomah County Commission purposefully subverted the public process." - Speaker of the House Karen Minnis (Voter's Pamphlet, P 82)
"House Speaker Karen Minnis was the first state official to respond. She blasted the Multnomah County commission: 'I think they circumvented due process. They made a decision and went forward with it without any public hearings, without any review by the state legislature who sets state policy and without consulting the citizens of Oregon. Minnis said she expected the Oregon legislature to address the issue in its next session."OPB 3/3/04
Insiders figure that the maneuver was done to make it harder to bring Senate Bill 1000 to a vote on the House floor. By replacing its text, the Speaker Minnis blocked potential motions on the floor to withdraw the civil unions bill from committee for a floor vote, one of the few tools of the minority for forcing consideration of proposals those in control want to kill. Many opposed the maneuver, stating that the issues of civil unions and nondiscrimination protections for gays and lesbians are matters of civil rights that deserve a full and open debate on the House floor. Imagine that... an up or down vote. This is the key right there. Speaker Minnis knew for a fact that this bill would pass "her chamber".
Thoughts? I know most of you whom are interested in the civil rights movement are outraged. For those of you who do not care so much about the issue - do you care about democracy? If so, you too will agree that Karen Minnis is a bitch.
Proudly written by Bryan Harding
Yesterday, in a legislative move that caught many off guard, Speaker of the House Karen Minnis gutted and stuffed Oregon's SB1000 effectively taking out every word out of the original bill and using the language from HB 3876, The Reciprocal Benefits Bill. In less than 30 minutes our bill, SB1000, had gone from granting families close to 500 legal rights and protections, to oh - about five or so. Oh but wait - I'm not close to being done.
Think about this. The base that Karen is appealing to by pulling this, are those same people who complained about the 'closed door meetings' that occurred in Multnomah County previous to the marriage licenses being issued to gay and lesbian couples. Though, Speaker Minnis did this exact sort of thing. With only 30 minutes advance notice, the State and Federal Affairs Committee held a work session on Senate Bill 1000. By a vote of 3 to 2 on party lines, the Committee amended all the existing text out and replaced it with a limited set of provisions on reciprocal beneficiaries. It just so happened that the House had adjourned for the day and it was also during lunch break so that the House Democrats, bill sponsors, the Gov. and even members of her own caucus could not speak out against it. By the same vote, the Committee moved the bill to the House Budget Committee. In addition she closed it to public opinion. This was a closed door, 'no testimony wanted' sort of thing. She told the three Republicans on the State and Federal Affairs Committee to vote for it in it's gutted form. They did and it was VERY quickly moved to the Budget Committee where it cannot be touched. Therefore killed in a sense. There still are ways of getting things accomplished this session though. No need to let go of any hope. This fight is not even close to being over - it's just getting uglier.
Interestingly enough, these actions don't square with Speaker Minnis' statements in the voters pamphlet submitted in favor of Measure 36.
"Process subverted. They didn't hold any public hearings. They didn't give any advanced warning. Their actions were arrogant and wrong. The Multnomah County Commission purposefully subverted the public process." - Speaker of the House Karen Minnis (Voter's Pamphlet, P 82)
"House Speaker Karen Minnis was the first state official to respond. She blasted the Multnomah County commission: 'I think they circumvented due process. They made a decision and went forward with it without any public hearings, without any review by the state legislature who sets state policy and without consulting the citizens of Oregon. Minnis said she expected the Oregon legislature to address the issue in its next session."OPB 3/3/04
Insiders figure that the maneuver was done to make it harder to bring Senate Bill 1000 to a vote on the House floor. By replacing its text, the Speaker Minnis blocked potential motions on the floor to withdraw the civil unions bill from committee for a floor vote, one of the few tools of the minority for forcing consideration of proposals those in control want to kill. Many opposed the maneuver, stating that the issues of civil unions and nondiscrimination protections for gays and lesbians are matters of civil rights that deserve a full and open debate on the House floor. Imagine that... an up or down vote. This is the key right there. Speaker Minnis knew for a fact that this bill would pass "her chamber".
Thoughts? I know most of you whom are interested in the civil rights movement are outraged. For those of you who do not care so much about the issue - do you care about democracy? If so, you too will agree that Karen Minnis is a bitch.
Proudly written by Bryan Harding
This entry was posted
on Friday, July 22, 2005 at 2:09 PM.
Want to discuss? Leave a comment below.
ByI am 'shocked' as well. I cannot wait for a public comment from her about what she said in her not so long ago past.
Bryan H.
By
When will the haters just come out and say the truth? The truth is it's not about marriage or civil unions or adoption or inheritance or fill in the blank, it's that "we hate what we don't understand, and we hate those that aren't just like us." Or who deviate from "the path."
There is room in this world for all of us peeps. Civil unions? Marriage? It's about being able to protect and be there for those we love. How does that hurt them?
They just keep on hatin'. And with hypocrisy. I guess they can always pray for forgiveness.
By
KGW just dropped by an hour ago to interview me and my hubby, Jason (see his post today on BlueOregon) about what we thought of Karen Minnis and the gut-n-stuff.
We should be on either at 5PM or 6PM on KGW, or at 7PM on NWCN.
We were interviewed for quite awhile, so I don't know what stuff they will choose to use. (If complete garbage came out of my mouth and it gets used, my apologies in advance.)
I'll lay 90% odds that they use my "pie" analogy, because the reporter liked it so much he had me repeat it:
Marriage and Measure 36 were the "whole pie" of rights and benefits.
Civil Unions were maybe half of the pie.
Reciprocal Benefits are the crumbs.
- Bob R.
By
Call me a "bitch", will you?
I'll GET You, the blog and your little dog, too!
---> House Speaker Karen
By
Great post!
I agree, this isn't about rights, wording, etc. It's bigotry, plain and simple.
Had my husband and I tried to marry a few decades ago, we would have run into many of the same arguments (I'm white, he's asian).
A few weeks back I sat in church as my pastor went on and on about how gays were all about "me, me, me" and all they think about is their rights-- that they don't care about the rights of others.
How can the population that has the rights say that the other guys don't care about rights?
Someone REALLY needs to start an organization for all us Christian heteros out here who support equal rights for all. I don't want a new church, and I don't want an organization of churches. I want a group whose goal is getting equal rights for everyone. Such an organization would get a good amount of support within the Christian/hetero community.
By
I do think it's at least tactically wrong to be name-calling your opponent. You're handing Minnis a sympathy card.
By
"Bitch" isn't name calling.
"Bitch" is an adjective, a noun, and a verb. But not a name. :-)
By
Noun-calling, then.
By
Karen Minnis is a complete jerk and she should not be the speaker of the House if this bullsh@! keeps on continuing, though I don't think that the members of the Republican party will pull her off that responsibility. I wish she would resign. Oh, and pass that Transportation bill ASAP!!!!! Everyday that you wait, ensures that we will have less than what the bill calls was intended for and will make the working class of Oregon suffer..
By
So I heard on OPB radio this morning, and read in The Advocate, that "Oregon governor Ted Kulongoski said the decision by the house to amend Senate Bill 1000 was a great disappointment but that the fight to pass the bill isn't over yet." What is he talking about? Is he saying something can be done this session?
Anyway, the house is 33-R and 27-D, which means either three or more Dems have to win Republican seats, someone else has to win Minnis' seat (Hood River, right?), or Republicans have to be convinced to pick a different leader or come to an agreement with Minnis to get the bill on the floor. Which do you think is most likely?
By
Err, I should clarify, I read this on Advocate.com: [LINK]
By
Minnis lives in Wood Village. Her district (49) covers Gresham, Troutdale, Wood Village, and Fairview.
We have at least three Republicans covering House Districts in Multnomah County-- H.D. 49 and 50 are completely in the County (that's the Gresham area). H.D. 52 covers part of the County (Corbett, eastern edges of Gresham). It runs down the gorge and up Mt. Hood.
And of course there are some winnable seats in other districts in the Metro area. And I am sure there are others in rural areas of the state as well.
We need everyone to be looking at their areas, the registration numbers, past election results, etc. We need that info so we can see where we have seats that could be won this next cycle. It's going to take all of us working together across the state to take back the House.
By
Canvassers took the the streets of Minnis' disctrict yesterday at 10am. They began on her street doing lit drops. Out of the 150-some houses hit, that were her neighbors, 80+ of HER OWN neighbors signed a petition that will be delivered to her on Monday.
It went fantastic - thank you to BRO and the volunteers.
-Bryan H.
By
My partner and I are shocked and haven't been able to talk about this for a couple of days.
We are going to British Columbia to be married in September. We don't want to HAVE to do this but our lives are passing by us and it has been "time" for a long time. Canada is a lovely country and fair.
The passage of laws to allow men and women to commit to each other legally will one day be law, YES in THIS country. This is not going away. It did not come too soon and it certainly is fair. Future generations will look back at this time with disdain. The history books will tell a tale of discrimination and hatred. My partner works for the federal government and we will start raising the roof for them to be recognize us! We want to be treated by this government as they treat straight folks. I want the health insurance and other basic benefits that I SHOULD get by being married to my partner. It IS legal in Canada and the LAW of the land there. IS the good ole USA going to recognize that we are legally married?
It's going to be an uphill battle but we must proceed.
By
GUT AND STUFF THIS BITCH
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