Another front opens for legal polygamy, Washington DC

The vote came yesterday:

The Washington Post - "The legislation would allow gay couples from anywhere in the country to marry in the city. Those couples who live in the District would be entitled to all rights afforded to heterosexual married couples under District laws.

Although a final signature on the bill by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) could come by the end of the week, same-sex marriage opponents vowed to step up their effort to get Congress or a court to block the initiative during the 30-day congressional review period."

This amounts to a sort of test vote it would seem on gay marriage for the nation. The above mentioned "congressional review period" would be more or less a "veto power" over the law in our nations capital.

New Hampshire starts gay marriage January 1st, Vermont already has it and now it seems, Washington DC. All we need is somebody in Vermont, New Hampshire or Washington DC who IS in an informal polygamy, or who WANTS to be in a polygamy to go and attempt to obtain with full disclosure to the agency involved, a marriage license.

They will be DENIED of course, and that forms the basis for a court case.

Vermont Polygamy as a lobbying effort is getting zero support beyond the initial donation to register as a lobbyist. As a lobbyist, I am getting solicitations to attend certain functions, such as this one:

The Vermont Democratic House Campaign

Invites you to have a cocktail and kick off the 2010 legislative session with
Special Guests

Speaker Shap Smith
House Majority Leader Floyd Nease
Assistant House Majority Leader Lucy Leriche
and
Chairs & Vice Chairs of Standing Committees of
the House
-
Tuesday, January 5th – 6:00pm ‘til 8:00pm
Black Door Bar & Bistro
44 Main Street – 3rd Floor
Montpelier, VT
-
Individual Admission - $150
Friend of the Democratic House - $250
Very Good Friend of the Democratic House - $500
Best Friend of the Democratic House - $1,000
-
Please make checks payable to:
Vermont Democratic House Campaign
PO Box 1058
Montpelier, VT 05601
RSVP to (802) 279-2719 or info@vthouse.org
Paid for by the Vermont Democratic House Campaign.

To be a "bestest best friend," I can make out my check for $1,000.00. For one function. Showing up costs $150.00. There's no mention of an "open bar," but there is a "cash bar" and I'm sure luminaries in the Vermont political system like their lubrication.

None of this is said to criticize our form of government, or legislative process. Everything has a cost and campaigning has a cost. Rubbing elbows with our representatives all gathered nicely in one spot and getting noticed and schmoozed by them, that might run into the thousands, for one night.

My PO Box number? 433 at the same zip code as the Vermont Democratic House Campaign.

Vermont Polygamy is rapidly approaching the "fish or cut bait" point. Being a lobbyist in an effective way means being known, well known, for your activity. It is also probably going to be a full time job and spread into places like New Hampshire, and now it seems, Washington DC.

I would greatly prefer that government stay out of marriage, but they're not going to. The reasons are they wish to classify us for tax purposes, and we pay income tax and file returns in this country.

Privacy laws mean you have to (oddly) carry around documentation and permission to see your kids in school or be called the Dr, etc. Even in private institutions.

Laws about sexual behavior send men to jail in staged raids in Texas. As long as the government says that age is a factor in sexual relations, and sends men to jail for sometimes 40 years for being involved in simply discussing the matter, there will need to be laws to protect polygynists by making it possible to legally register their relationships.

Either you want confrontation and outrage or silence, hiding and lying, or you want to set your lamp on a stand.

If you're Christian, I think you want to let your light shine.

With the penalty phase of the Allan Keate trial probably winding up today, I'm not looking at a lot of story line to deal with concerning the FLDS, and hopefully I can concentrate only on legalizing polygamy. That of course, depends on you.

New York says No for Now to Same Sex Marriage

This leaves neighbors Vermont and New Hampshire as the only two states in the Union with laws legalizing "Gay Marriage" that have been ratified as some extension of the will of the people:

The New York Times - "The 38-to-24 vote startled proponents of the bill and signaled that political momentum, at least right now, had shifted against same-sex marriage, even in heavily Democratic New York. It followed more than a year of lobbying by gay rights organizations, who steered close to $1 million into New York legislative races to boost support for the measure.

Senators who voted against the measure said the public was gripped by economic anxiety and remained uneasy about changing the state’s definition of marriage."

Granted, no measure has survived popular referendum as we learned in Maine and California. In both cases it does well to note that 2-4% of the electorate changing their minds to be at least "tolerant" would be all it would take to clear that hurdle.

20 years ago it would have been well into the double digits, in terms of the margin of rejection. It's a matter of time.

Vermont and neighboring New Hampshire remain the best places for pushing legislation and/or court cases legalizing polygamy.

New York Teters on the Edge of Same Sex Marriage

Sleeping New York State is back on the Gay Marriage blotter:

The Troy Record/AP - "Some key legislators have tied the long awaited vote to passing a deficit reduction plan. That’s now expected to be done this week.

While the bill was passed months ago by the Assembly and has the governor’s backing, its prospects in the Senate remain uncertain.

Paterson says Tuesday he’s confident it will pass, but he wants a debate and vote in any case to advance the cause.

Opponents like Democratic Sen. Ruben Diaz say they remain ready to fight the measure and don’t think a vote is imminent."

I have been a lobbyist in Vermont, for 6 months now, I could easily expand my efforts to the nearby State Capitals in New York, New Hampshire and Maine.

There's no interest though and it's expensive.

I figure we'll wait until the Polyamory crowd defines marriage in plural fashion, in a way that will be harmful to ours.