Friday, February 18, 2005

Bigotry is expensive

Since neither Democrats nor Republicans can agree on the best time to trample all over Alabama's gay residents, Gov. Bob Riley is thinking about wasting $3 million to hold a special election on the constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

No, I'm not making that up. Yes, Riley does have a vested interest in not allowing the amendment on the ballot during the June 2006 primaries, when he's likely to face a challenge from former Chief Justice Roy Moore, whose socially conservative supporters would flock to the polls for a chance to cast an anti-gay vote. And no, state Republican Party chairwoman Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh does not see a problem with setting $3 million of public money on fire to hold a special gay-bashing referendum.

The politicians are becoming parodies of themselves.