Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Update on Act 1 and an Asshat Award


According to the Max Brantly at the Arkansas Times, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel is going to appeal Friday's Circuit Court ruling that I discussed earler. From the Arkansas Times:



Initiated Act 1 was approved by approximately 57 percent of the voters in the 2008 election. I believe the people of Arkansas deserve to have the state’s highest court decide whether or not to override their decision. Therefore, I have instructed attorneys in my office to appeal the Circuit Court’s ruling on Initiated Act 1 to the Arkansas Supreme Court.


McDaniel's earlier statement said, "A number of factors will have to be considered and evaluated before a decision is made as to whether an appeal would be in the best interests of the state." I've asked the AG's office what those factors were.


UPDATE: McDaniel called the Times this afternoon to answer our questions. "I’m not offering any predictions on how it’s going to come out," the attorney general said, "but I think that everyone would expect it to be appealed. Avoiding an appeal is very unlikely so the question is whether the state’s lawyer is a participant in that and I think we almost have to be."


I realize that Mr. McDaniel is doing his job, but I still think it stinks. This reprehensible law hurts children and denies same sex couples the right to adopt or foster children who need stable loving homes, but takes away my right to decide who raises my children if something should happen to me and Mrs. H.


This is a blatant attempt by the Arkansas Family Council (an arm of Focus on the Family) to make sure LGBT couples remain second class citizens. Even though the wording was carefully crafted to not specify them (since the previous law that did was struck down), they made no bones about it being to prevent LGBT's from adopting or fostering children during its campaign.


Because Dustin McDaniel is doing his job, as distasteful as it is, and Jerry Cox is once again spreading hate and discontent, I hereby award the Arkansas Family Council the Asshat of the Day.

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