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Whenever someone says in the same sentence “I support LGBT equality” and “I’ll vote for the anti-equality bigot anyway”, I know I’m dealing with a bad case of heterosexual privilege. The Seattle Times, which has consistently editorialized in favor of LGBT equality in the past, has just endorsed raging homophobe Jim Johnson for reelection to the Washington state Supreme Court.
You will recall that Johnson is the Washington Supreme Court justice who likened marriage equality to polygamy and wrote on the “unique and binary biological nature of marriage and its exclusive link with procreation and responsible child rearing” in his venomous anti-gay judgment upholding the state’s DOMA law. While on the Supreme Court Johnson has also voted consistently in favor of Big Tobacco and his financial backers, the Building Industry Association of Washington as well as voted anti-environment and anti-tribal rights.
In their endorsement, the Seattle Times Editorial Board admits that Johnson used erroneous reasoning when he ruled to uphold WA’s DOMA, saying “Johnson argued that it was not the court’s business to change the traditional definition of marriage.” Yet they endorse his reelection, saying he’s “top-notch”. This makes no sense whatsoever unless viewed through the lens of privilege. Only people secure in the enjoyment of their own civil rights would dream of shrugging off such an egregious attack on the civil rights of others, then go the extra mile of promoting the culprit.
Vote for Stan Rumbaugh, who is running to replace Johnson. Because Stan Rumbaugh is Johnson’s only challenger, the race will be won or lost in the August 17, 2010 primary. You can still register to vote in the primary by showing up in person at your county elections office. Deadline is Aug 9th. Please help get the word out about Stan Rumbaugh by joining Rumbaugh on Facebook or making a donation to the Equal Rights Washington Political Action Committee, whose top priority is electing fair and impartial judges and pro-equality legislators.
3 Comments
I read that and wrote a scathing letter to the editor in responseIt never got sent, though: like most corporations nowadays, the Times doesn’t give a rats ass about fairness or equality. Johnson is extremely pro-business and no corporate newspaper in the state will dare say anything negative about him. I figured I would put my anger to better use by working for Rumbaugh.
And while on the subject, please remember to vote for Charlie Wiggins for Supreme Court position 6. He should replace incumbent Richard B. Sanders, the other co-signer on the Andersen v. King County concurring opinion. Is it fate that these two bigots are up for reelection at the same time? Kismet? Poetic justice? Who cares?
Vote Rumbaugh for position 1 and Wiggins for position 6. Because judicial races are non-partisan, a majority for Wiggins in the primary, he will be declared the winner and there will be no need to vote for him again in the general.
State Supreme Court Justices should not be subject to a vote of the people.This permits too much potential corruption by pandering to those who finance their campaigns.
Exclusive, hunh? Well then, someone better tell my Mama that as a het but single mom, she didn’t really procreate and produce, well, ME, since marriage is EXCLUSIVELY linked to procreation.
Also, my great-grandmother (my mother’s grandmother), mother of 5 biological and several foster kids, who raised those kids with the help of a sister and mother, in the depths of the Great Depression after her asshole trucker husband abandoned her to live with his mistress in Florida.
Guess both of these women were abject failures and irresponsible parents … as marked by what? High School and College attainment? Military service? Career advancement? Lack of jail time or significant legal trouble for any of us? Social activism and service? Yeah… we’re doing awful there.
We need more heterosexuals to call people like Johnson on their shit, because they’re painting, as usual, with a mighty wide brush.