About
Learn More about our progressive online community for the Granite State.

Create an account today (it's free and easy) and get started!
Menu

Make a New Account

Username:

Password:



Forget your username or password?


Search




Advanced Search


The Masthead
Managing Editor
Mike Hoefer

Editors
elwood
susanthe
 William Tucker
The Roll, Etc.
Prog Blogs, Orgs & Alumni
Bank Slate
Betsy Devine
birch paper
Democracy for NH
Granite State Progress
Mike Caulfield
Miscellany Blue
Pickup Patriots
Re-BlueNH
Still No Going Back
Susan the Bruce
New Hampshire Labor News
Chaz Proulx: Right Wing Watch

Politicos & Punditry
The Burt Cohen Show
John Gregg
Landrigan
Pindell
Primary Monitor
Scala
Schoenberg
Spiliotes

Campaigns, Et Alia.
NH-Gov
- Maggie Hassan
NH-01
- Andrew Hosmer
- Carol Shea-Porter
- Joanne Dowdell
NH-02
- Ann McLane Kuster

ActBlue Hampshire
NHDP
DCCC
DSCC
DNC

National
Balloon Juice
billmon
Congress Matters
DailyKos
Digby
Hold Fast
Eschaton
FiveThirtyEight
MyDD
Open Left
Senate Guru
Swing State Project
Talking Points Memo

50 State Blog Network
Alabama
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Rhode Island
Tennessee
Texas
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin

Rep. Baldasaro: NH selling children to homosexuals

by: brianrater

Thu Jan 21, 2010 at 20:01:47 PM EST
On Wednesday, Rep. Baldasaro (R-Londonderry), while testifying before the House Judiciary Committee stated "The state of New Hampshire is selling children to homosexuals for $10,000 each".  Rep. Baldasaro is the primary sponsor of HB 1590 which would repeal the marriage equality law.  He was testifying during the hearing on CACR28, the Constitutional Amendment which would bar gays and lesbians from marriage.

I've been attending hearings on LGBT issues for about 14 years now.  I've heard some very disgusting, derogatory statements directed at gays and lesbians from various citizens during these hearings, but I don't know that a legislator has said something this reprehensible since the 1980's.
brianrater :: Rep. Baldasaro: NH selling children to homosexuals
Supporters of these two bills have generally been careful to claim that they are just about "following the will of the people" and insist that they are not anti-gay.  

[Edit: some have questioned whether or not I should have drawn the only obvious conclusion that can be reached based on his remark.  Fair enough.  I will let his statement stand on itself]

Is the House going to let this comment stand?  Will the other sponsors of this bill stand by his remarks?  What is the Republican Party position on this comment?  Is this going to be the tone of the debate during the town meetings?
Tags: , , , , (All Tags)
Print Friendly View Send As Email
Rep. Baldasaro: NH selling children to homosexuals | 12 comments
Didn't Rep. Bob Rowe equate homosexuality with bestiality? (0.00 / 0)
I think he said it during this past session.
Rowe kept his mouth shut this time (4.00 / 2)
Rep. Rowe was in the state house that day, if I recall, but he asked few if any questions, which is a hard thing for him to do. (He turns out to be not so horrible when you're not on the opposite side of the table from him: he is just a somewhat pedantic old dude who has a hard time letting go of a line of thought once it lodges itself in his brain.  I can empathize: I am an old dude of that sort myself.)

Some of the witnesses in the morning session (the HB 1509 marriage equality bill) talked about animal sex, but only sex with other animals.  Someone even talked about sex between plants: some plants are sexual but they are not known for their monogamy.  No bestiality talk this time; aside from someone who asked rhetorically whether we wd someday be able to marry our dogs.

Almost all of the anti-gay speakers felt the need to remind the legislators of how babies are made: by the union of one man and one woman. I KNEW THAT ALREADY, DAMMIT! My dad had The Talk with me 43 years ago.  I am well aware of how babies are made.  I also know that an apple seed cannot give rise to a tomato plant (a revelation offered to the Judiciary Committee at least 3 times on Tuesday.)  I KNEW THAT, FOLKS!  I suspect all of the members of the committee also know these things. I am sure even the inscrutable Rep. Elliott knows.

Rep. Elliott, BTW, spent much of the morning getting up and leaving the room whenever a gay witness took the stand; however, she got tired of that after an hour or two.

[ Parent ]
Actually, since wills in which non-human animals are (0.00 / 0)
designated as heirs are recorded, the question about marriage with pets need not be rhetorical.  Presumably, pet partners would not be able to sign their name or commit to providing support for the human.
However, that leaving assets to pets is formally recognized in the public record, while human relationships are to be excluded speaks to the idiocy of this whole issue.
[ Parent ]
Does anyone have a link or source (0.00 / 0)
to point me to for this quote?  

birch paper; on Twitter @deanbarker
I haven't seen it anywhere else yet (0.00 / 0)
I haven't seen this in the media anywhere yet.  Most of the media was there for the marriage repeal bill, but had left by the time that the committee started the hearing on the constitutional amendment.

I'm quoting because I was at the hearing.

[ Parent ]
it should be recorded somewhere (0.00 / 0)
Baldasaro's statement should (but might not) be summarized in the official committee record.  The technology for recording spoken testimony is largely unchanged since the 17th century: the clerk writes a running synopsis of each person's testimony as the proceedings go along. There may have been an audio recording being made, but that would have been unofficial. I know there was an amateur videographer on site, but I am not sure what was being done with his recordings.

Written testimony is photocopied. Baldasaro rarely if ever submits written testimony.  And, although you never have any trouble hearing what he is saying, he sometimes goes way offtopic and is always hard to summarize.  I missed that part of the hearing: I was having lunch after sneaking out in the middle of David Bates's parade o' posters and was gone for about 45 minutes.   Just as well: I would have been livid.

Any comments about the state allegedly selling children to adoptive parents for the (relatively low) price of $10,000 technically should have been addressed to HB1590-FN, since the revenues could effect the fiscal note.  

[ Parent ]
This was recorded on tape. (0.00 / 0)
He said it, loud and clear.
[ Parent ]
Is there a story behind this? (0.00 / 0)
What I mean is, did Rep. Baldasaro have some sort of perverted logic that brought him to this statement?  

Or is this just a random accusation that he pulled out of his hat?

It's just so odd, and so oddly specific.  I can't quite wrap my head around it.

Title E (0.00 / 0)
Twice he said "Title E", but didn't provide any more context.  I could guess that that has something to do with the adoption laws, but I'm not familiar with this.
[ Parent ]
Amazing... (4.00 / 4)
When I was closeted, married to a woman, and in denial, I passed Home Studies with flying colors and adopted six children (three of whom are within shouting distance as my new Husband finishes up dinner...)

But now that I'm open and honest about my orientation, any attempt at adopting a newly-available Haitian orphan is some sort of baby-selling crime against nature, eh?

Some people are ignorant, some are assholes, and some are just......well, you fill in the blank...

Schmucks (4.00 / 1)

[ Parent ]
Well, SOMEONE had to take Stretch Kennedy's place. (4.00 / 2)

Rep. Baldasaro: NH selling children to homosexuals | 12 comments

Connect with BH
     
Blue Hampshire Blog on Facebook
Powered by: SoapBlox