From BoiseBear@aol.com Thu Aug 25 09:45:09 1994 Received: from mail02.prod.aol.net by vector.casti.com (8.6.9/5.931230) id JAA05752; Thu, 25 Aug 1994 09:45:08 -0500 From: Received: by mail02.prod.aol.net (1.38.193.5/16.2) id AA00651; Thu, 25 Aug 1994 09:48:14 -0400 X-Mailer: America Online Mailer Sender: "BoiseBear" Message-Id: <9408250948.tn249628@aol.com> To: qrd@vector.casti.com Date: Thu, 25 Aug 94 09:48:10 EDT Subject: Idaho Editorial - No On 1 Reprinted from the Thrusday, August 25, 1994 [Boise] Idaho Statesman ===================================== EDITORIAL ===================================== CONSIDER COSTS OF ANTI-GAY LAW THe legal wrangling over a voter information manual foreshadows what Idaho is in for if Proposition 1 becomes law. It is also an example of the damage that comes from a mean-spirited hysteria that seeks to make one group of citizens targets of scorn and ridicule. Idahoans can put a stop to this nonsense come Election Day. There is simply nothing that can justify approval of so hateful and discriminatory measure as Proposition 1. Rejection of the proposal at the November ballot box is the right choice. Voters deserve the information manual the state is trying to prepare on Proposition 1 where both sides present their views on this important issue. But publication is being blocked becasue the anti-gay rights statement is defamatory. It claims an un-named state employee is pushing an agenda that includes legalizing sex with children, amending marriage laws to include homosexual partners, forcing public schools to teach gay history and repealing the state's anti-sodomy laws. Not surprisingly, the employee's attorney is threatening a possible lawsuit against the state if the manual is published with that statement in it. This could be just the beginning of legal challenges. Courts across the country consistently have said that governments can not single out one group of Americans and limit their ability to participate in the democratic process. That is just what Proposition 1 would do. If approved, state tax dollars will be used to defend it in court all the way to the US Supreme Court, if necessary. Idaho would become a national legal battleground on homosexual rights. Accroding to Proposition 1 supporters, the measure is intended to prevent the creation of special rights and protections for gays and lesbians beyond those guaranteed to all citizens. Yet Idaho law doesn't contain any such special protections for homosexuals, nor is any being proposed. Simply put, this is a solution in search of a problem where none exists. On Proposition 1, Idahoans must decide whether we are hate-filled people afraid of "the other," or whether we are a people big-hearted enough to accept people's differences. Which Idaho would you prefer to live in? Idahoans can make the right choice by voting "No" on Proposition 1 on the Nov. 8 ballot. ================================================= For more information, contact the No on 1 Coallition at 208-344-4294, PO Box 797, Boise, ID, 83701. Submitted by BoiseBear@aol.com ================================================