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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>It seems that a more tolerant understanding may put an end
to the ban on gay marriage in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Idaho</st1:place></st1:State>
as evidenced in today’s (December 14, 2004) Spokesman Review<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Ban on gay marriage may not pass<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>12 senators may vote to block constitutional amendment<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Associated Press<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>December 14, 2004<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:City w:st="on"><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>IDAHO FALLS</span></font></st1:City><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> — A
group working on a Constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in <st1:State
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Idaho</st1:place></st1:State> may not have as
much support as it thinks.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The Post Register has identified 12 state senators who at least
partly oppose the amendment — enough to kill the effort in the Idaho
Senate.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Some of the senators oppose the amendment and were willing
to say so on record, the <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Idaho Falls</st1:place></st1:City>
newspaper reported. Others declined to go on the record, saying they want to see
how the amendment is worded before making a final decision.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>"I believe gay marriage is a wedge issue promoted by
the far right to tear apart the Republican Party," said Sen. John Goedde,
R-Coeur d'Alene. "I don't think this exercise is worth a hill of
beans."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The House is a different story. Last year, an amendment
defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman easily passed the House and
is expected to do so again.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>And amendment supporters say they don't expect any problems
in the Senate, either.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>"I believe we've got the 24 votes (in the Idaho Senate)
needed to get the job done," said Meridian Republican Gerry Sweet, who
along with Nampa Republican Curt McKenzie is working with conservative groups
from Idaho and around the country to make gay-marriage bans the law of the
land.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>In the Senate, eastern <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Idaho</st1:place></st1:State>'s representatives support Sweet's
efforts.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Four of eastern <st1:State w:st="on">Idaho</st1:State>'s six
senators — Mel Richardson of <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Idaho
Falls</st1:place></st1:City>, Don Burtenshaw of Terreton, Stan Williams of
Pingree and Brent Hill of Rexburg — co-sponsored last year's gay-marriage
amendment. Senate Pro Tem Robert Geddes of Soda Springs and Majority Leader
Bart Davis of <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Idaho Falls</st1:place></st1:City>
also support an amendment.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>"If it hits the board, it's got my vote," <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Davis</st1:place></st1:City> said.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>But the two other members of Senate Republican leadership
— Joe Stegner of <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lewiston</st1:place></st1:City>
and Brad Little of Emmett — oppose the amendment.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Little says <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Idaho</st1:place></st1:State>'s
Defense of Marriage Act, the state statute banning gay marriage, already covers
the matter.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The only way for gay marriage to be foisted upon <st1:State
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Idaho</st1:place></st1:State>, Little said, is
for a state judge to say the Defense of Marriage Act violates the state
constitution. Or, Little said, the U.S. Supreme Court could uphold November
2003 ruling in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Massachusetts</st1:place></st1:State>
that said it was unconstitutional to bar same-sex couples from civil marriage.
Then it wouldn't matter what <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Idaho</st1:place></st1:State>
did, he said.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Thirteen states passed constitutional amendments this year
banning gay marriage: 11 in November, one in September and one in August. The
average vote in favor was 70 percent.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Sweet said that means Democrats in those states, which
include <st1:State w:st="on">Utah</st1:State>, <st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State>
and <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Montana</st1:place></st1:State>,
supported gay-marriage bans.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>But Little said a wave of momentum is no reason to change
the Idaho Constitution. The argument that liberal <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State> did and so must we makes no sense,
Little said.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>"I would say people in <st1:State w:st="on">Idaho</st1:State>
have more faith in the judicial system than they do in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State>," he said.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Although at least 12 senators would vote against the
amendment if the vote were taken today, some believe overwhelming support from
Idaho residents could push a few of those into the yes column.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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