The League of Women Voters Brainerd Lakes Area (LWVBLA), in collaboration with the Center for Life-Long Learning, will present a discussion on the Minnesota Marriage Amendment at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11, at the Chalberg Theatre at Central Lakes College in Brainerd.
Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, will debate the amendment with the Rev. Deborah Celley. Matt Gehring, legal analyst and research department staff Member of the House of Representatives, will speak regarding the legal aspect of the amendment. Karen Christopherson, LWVBLA member, will be moderate the discussion.
Sen. Limmer, who represents District 32, served six years as a state representative before his election to the Minnesota Senate as a result of a special election in 1995. Since that year he continues to represent citizens in the Minnesota Senate from northwest Hennepin and northeast Wright counties. He is the chairman of the Minnesota Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee. He is also known for his outspoken debate skills promoting socially conservative issues and preserving traditional marriage. He was the chief author of the marriage amendment that passed the Minnesota Senate in 2011.
Rev. Celley has served as the pastor of the First Congregational Church of Christ in Brainerd since August of 1998. She earned a B.A. from Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, Ill., in 1986, a M.Div. from Eden Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Mo., in 1990, and was ordained in the United Church of Christ in 1990. Before coming to Brainerd, she had served churches in Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota. She and her husband have two daughters.
The program is being co-presented by the League of Women Voters of the Brainerd Lakes Area and the Center for Life-Long Learning and is open to the public at no charge. The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government. The League of Women Voters believes that democratic government depends upon informed and active participation in government and requires that governmental bodies protect the citizen’s right to know by giving adequate notice of proposed actions, holding open meetings and making public records accessible.
The league’s board of directors passed a resolution opposing the effort to amend Minnesota’s Constitution to ban same-sex marriage at its December meeting.
For more information on the League of Women Voters of the Brainerd Lakes Area visit their Facebook page or call President Sandy Ruether at 218-562-4748.
Comments (42)
Add commentThat's right, Sadie...
...because it is absolutely unnecessary to reference the Bible to argue that traditional marriage is essential to maintaining a healthy society. My prediction is that the amendment will pass, because over 50% of the people support it. But if it should ever come to pass that homosexuals are given the legal right to marry, I predict that the first thing to happen will be the persecution of those who do not believe in homosexual marriage. This type of thing already happens all the time in Canada and in places like Vermont, where people are not allowed to not participate in homosexual marriage ceremonies if they provide services needed for marriages like banquet halls, catering, cakes, etc. If you say you don't want to participate you are slapped with a big fine, or in some cases, threatened with jail time.
Does gay money go to
benefits for straight people? Yes, the one's that are getting
government benefits are either employed with taxpayers money or are on assistance. Some of us don't care to pay for all their benefits either. They are probably in favor of
"gay marriage" so that should put you at ease.
As for private business - you wouldn't be paying anything
for their benefits with your taxes. My guess is that most of the "yes" votes work in private industry. Just a guess.
Isn't that just grand? Now we have "gay" money.
Even if you were joking - there might have been some
inkling of what you think in there.
gay money
Yea I was joking. The thing is we're all in this together. I don't like a lot of things that my taxes pay for but we compromise. As far as voting on human rights, it's never a good thing. Would women have the right to vote if it had been put on the ballot?
Why was there an assumption
Why was there an assumption that the only people in favor of allowing gay marriage were gay people employed by the government and the only purpose was so that their partner could get free insurance? The people I know who work in government jobs have to pay a portion of their insurance (just like those who work in the private sector). When they elect to take family coverage instead of single, the price goes up (just like in the private sector). Who and where are these people that can sign up family members for free? I want one of THOSE jobs. And honestly, gay people pay taxes too, so what's the difference?
PDNET...very thoughtful and eloquent post.
Keep church and state separate. If a church wants to perform a ceremony to bestow a sacrament upon a homosexual marriage, they they should be able to do that (and honestly already can because no government has authority over what God wants to do). But this couple should also be allowed to get a license from the State to legally recognize this union and/or be allowed to have a Justice of the Peace perform a civil union. Because honestly folks. If the amendment passes, what have you gained? Are you going to stop people from being gay? No. Are you going to stop gay people from falling in love, living together and creating their own family units? Of course not. You can't "cure" homosexuality with legislative action.
Police Blotter - Sept.
Police Blotter - Sept. 6
Posted: September 5, 2012 - 10:38pm
Brainerd police
SUSPICIOUS — A report at 3:20 p.m. Tuesday of two males laying in the gazebo acting suspicious on the 400 block of North Fourth Street.
$20 bucks say's that they were just rehearsing their wedding?
If all you got is complaining
If all you got is complaining about benefits of government employees, you don't have a clue. Then again, it was Charlie.
insurance and inheritance
If the amendment doesn't pass, nothing changes. I still won't be able to add my partner to my work health insurance (private sector and not free) and if one of us dies, the survivor will have to pay inheritance taxes on the estate, because the Feds don't recognize same-sex marriages either. Even if Minnesota starts recognizing same-sex marriages, we won't get married, because filing taxes is to complicated and in most states where it is legal you will either break federal tax law or state tax law when filing.
Personally I think the constitutional amendment will pass, because many people when polled, lie about their support for GLBT community because they don't want to sound discriminatory in public, which is why Senator Limmer backed out of the debate and no one stood up to defend the amendment when they were debating in the Senate.