Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/12/84; site mit-hermes.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!mit-hermes!jpexg From: jpexg@mit-hermes.ARPA (John Purbrick) Newsgroups: net.motss,net.kids,net.singles Subject: Re: Gay fostercare ban: more news Message-ID: <2429@mit-hermes.ARPA> Date: Wed, 26-Jun-85 14:09:26 EDT Article-I.D.: mit-herm.2429 Posted: Wed Jun 26 14:09:26 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 28-Jun-85 03:25:25 EDT References: <1470@bbncca.ARPA> Organization: The MIT AI Lab, Cambridge, MA Lines: 31 Xref: watmath net.motss:1789 net.kids:1405 net.singles:7549 > More developments in the ongoing protest against the legislation > in the Massachusetts House effectively banning gays, singles, & > "nontraditional families" from foster care, guardianship, & adop- > tion (it's a rider on a budget bill, & heavily supported by liberal > Democrats, including the Governor): [long posting follows: go read it.] I want to present an alernative view to Ron Rizzo's here. Dukakis faces a possibly tough reelection campaign next year, very likely against a Catholic Joe Sixpack type, Ed King. Their two previous electoral bouts (they won one each) split the state's Democrats on class lines as well as political ones. One of King's supporters actually said, after he defeated Dukakis, "We put all the hate groups in a pot and let it boil." You can guess how King and his gang feel about gays. What I'm leading up to is that this is a political game. For the safety of his next term, Dukakis is prepared to sacrifice homosexuals' parental desires, and to some extent their self-respect, by invalidating them as far as the care of children is concerned. He thinks that the gays won't dare to try to unseat him, on the grounds of "Cutting their noses to spite their faces". The alternative is to leave himself open to rabble-rousing slogans like "He supports gay foster parents." Ron, what can gays do, if Dukakis supports them on this, to get him reelected? How many votes will it get him, as opposed to the many it would surely cost him? I disagree with the treatment of would-be gay foster parents by Dukakis, but at the same time I'd disagree more (and so you, I hope) with Ed King. Can what is morally wrong sometimes be politically right? John Purbrick jpexg@mit-hermes.ARPA {...decvax!genrad! ...allegra!mit-vax!} mit-eddie!mit-hermes!jpexg