Statement From the Union Leader On Gay Wedding Announcements

"We are not anti-gat." (4.00 / 2)

Strikes me as interesting that

a) they would feel any compulsion to respond at all, and

b) the multiple mistakes suggests a rushed (and therefore perhaps pressured) response.

To me, the main points are these:

* The Union Leader is a viciously right-wing paper.

* But they also want to be NH's only statewide paper.

* Same-sex marriage is the law of the land in NH.

So they are caught.

It almost feels as if his referendum response in a way acknowledges that they are caught.


birch, finch, beech

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by: Dean Barker @ Fri Oct 22, 2010 at 18:06:38 PM CDT

"Let's spend taxpayer money on a referendum to decide (4.00 / 3)

whether the Union Leader will cover same-sex marriages!"

Did I get that right? The vote would be non-binding on the state, but Joe McQuaid would use it to decide how his newspaper business covers weddings?

Joe, if we need an income tax to cover the cost of your referendum, you're down with that, right?

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by: elwood @ Fri Oct 22, 2010 at 19:12:25 PM CDT

Report from the rabble rousers.. (4.00 / 6)

So.. I get this call to show up at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord.  Seems the Union Misleader is having their big First Amendment Awards doo dah.  The honoree?  None other than Bile O'Reilly of Faux News.  When I arrived the yellow carpet was unfurled and the worst and dimmest of the Repug elite were there in all their glory.  I stood there holding a framed copy of a NY Times article featuring none other than (my favorite Jewish doctor and blogster) Putney Swope and his lovely partner's Wedding Announcement.  Yes!  The New York Times printed the details of the Swope-Swope's husband nuptials on the front page of the Society section.  There was even a picture of them (gasp) kissing!  Buried in one of the middle paragraphs was mention of a certain Justice of the Peace... but that's another story.  

When people asked why I was holding the article, I simply asked them, "why should two people from NH have to go to NY to get their wedding announcement published?"  

Maybe McQuaid is a Yankees fan.

PS My car was parked next to Fergus Cullen's.  As hard as it was, I did not let the air out of his tires.  It would have been a waste of time anyway; all he'd have to do is start talking and they'd reinflate.

Proudly busting my ass to get Katherine Rogers re-elected Merrimack County Attorney

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by: Beth Campbell @ Fri Oct 22, 2010 at 19:53:11 PM CDT

Beth Campbell is da bomb! (4.00 / 5)

Beth officiated at our CU two years ago, and married us last year when SS marriage became legal.  She is a fearless, tireless advocate of equality and we love her!

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by: Putney Swope @ Fri Oct 22, 2010 at 20:09:09 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Love you two, too (4.00 / 1)

The Concord Monitor "covered" our protest:  

Earlier in the evening, a handful of protesters stood outside the Capitol Center, holding signs criticizing the New Hampshire Union-Leader for refusing to print the wedding announcements of same-sex couples. One woman said the decision contradicts the spirit of the night's First Amendment theme.

Joseph McQuaid, the newspaper's publisher and president of the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications, said in a statement to WMUR-TV that the paper believes marriage is the union of men and women and would stand by its First Amendment right to print what it chooses.

She paraphrased what I said and conveniently forgot my name.  Meh.  Who cares?  It was the doing that was the important thing.  Me and a few anonymous strangers I've never met and will probably never see again.....(winking).

Proudly busting my ass to get Katherine Rogers re-elected Merrimack County Attorney

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by: Beth Campbell @ Sat Oct 23, 2010 at 13:58:47 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

WHY does this statement appear on WMUR ? (4.00 / 1)

Channel 9 is supposed to be a completely separate company. As I understand it, the Union Leader is owned by a non-profit family trust, WMUR is owned by Heart Corporation.

Isn't is cozy that that McQuaid gets to use the TV station as his own personal bulletin board?

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by: elwood @ Sat Oct 23, 2010 at 06:50:18 AM CDT

it looks like a press release... (0.00 / 0)

It looks like WMUR.com decided to run a press release.  

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Thanks for all the fish

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by: TimothyHorrigan @ Sat Oct 23, 2010 at 09:27:08 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

In no state where the public has been allowed a direct vote on the subject... (4.00 / 1)

...has that state been New Hampshire. It's not in our nature to lower our standard of freedom to fit in with other places.

Maybe he should spend a little less time reading his own newspaper and a little more reading his license plate.

--
"Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past; you must fight just to keep them alive!"

@DougLindner

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Sat Oct 23, 2010 at 11:48:31 AM CDT