Referenda

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Reader reactions to the Portland Phoenix endorsements

Letters to the Portland Editor, October 29, 2010
I don't mind you endorsing the Oxford casino but I would have expected a more informed decision.
By PORTLAND PHOENIX LETTERS | October 27, 2010

Why Lincoln Chafee deserves your vote

A man of expansive yet commonsensical vision, with a rare political courage
Many Rhode Islanders are still undecided about the governor's race. Until this week, the Phoenix , too, was torn.
By PROVIDENCE PHOENIX STAFF | October 27, 2010

Vote for casinos in Maine

Hit the jackpot
If you're opposed to casinos in Maine, there's one way to make certain the state won't be overrun with noxious gambling emporiums sucking up every dollar of disposable income we have left: vote in favor of every single one of them.
By AL DIAMON | October 20, 2010

Portland Phoenix Endorsements: 2010 referenda

Endorsements
Yep, you have to answer a lot of questions in the voting booth this year. Here's what they're about, and how we think you should vote on them.
By PORTLAND PHOENIX STAFF | October 20, 2010

Heck of a Guy

Despite a history of illiberal views and a boorish reputation, Guy Glodis enters the Democratic state convention unscathed
Scott Brown’s stunning victory in January’s special US Senate election continues to reverberate through Massachusetts politics.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | May 26, 2010

Review: 8: The Mormon Proposition

Sheds a sad light on Prop 8
While we were getting decriminalized weed in Massachusetts, a large segment of the population was reeling from the devastating passage of Proposition 8 in California.
By CHRIS FARAONE | June 18, 2010

More than Mormons

The big love that dare not speak its name
Despite the comparably juicy family dysfunction it offers, Big Love hasn't achieved the iconic status of its HBO predecessor The Sopranos . Maybe viewers relate better to the mob than to Mormons.
By JOYCE MILLMAN | January 06, 2010

Worth the gamble?

A push for full-scale Vegas-style casinos is in the cards again. Can poker and craps save a state in freefall?
Just three years after Rhode Island voters killed plans for a full-scale, Vegas-style casino, big-time gambling is in the cards again.
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | December 16, 2009

After the Question 1 vote

Regrouping
Last Tuesday, Maine became the 31st state to put same-sex marriage to a public vote — and to have it lose.
By DEIRDRE FULTON | November 11, 2009

Future wounds

Brains, spines, and guts wanted
Welcome to the 2009 post-election trauma center.
By AL DIAMON | November 11, 2009

Referendum explainer

What you need to know about all the questions you’ll have to answer
There are seven statewide referendum questions on the November 3 ballot.
By PORTLAND PHOENIX STAFF | October 28, 2009

Our endorsements

Election 2009
Statewide referenda and Portland local races
By PORTLAND PHOENIX STAFF | October 29, 2009

Be afraid

The Dunlap horror
This Halloween, if you want to scare the crap out of your favorite political activist — liberal or conservative — skip the fright mask, fake blood, and glowing green goop.
By AL DIAMON | October 29, 2009

Numbers game

Dead heat over Maine's same-sex marriage referendum
If you take a close look at the latest polls, you will find that supporters and opponents of November's same-sex marriage referendum question are locked in a neck-and-neck battle.
By JEFF INGLIS | October 21, 2009

Just the beginning

The battle for marriage equality really starts now
More than a few people asked us why we are publishing this special section now — now that gay-marriage opponents have filed their People's Veto signatures, now that same-sex marriages will not be taking place at least until after Mainers vote on the issue on November 3.
By DEIRDRE FULTON | August 04, 2009

Just the beginning

Granite grind

Same-sex marriage ignites partisan battle in New Hampshire
Much of New England joined the march toward marriage equality this year, but in the comparably conservative Granite State, its legalization has heated up a partisan battle for control of the governorship in 2010, promising that this political war isn't quite over.
By ASHLEY RIGAZIO | August 04, 2009

Winning marriage in Maine

The campaign's past -- and its future
Three years ago, after winning non-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals, we began a journey to win protections for LGBT families. We knew our best chance for winning marriage was through the Legislature and that once we passed a bill, we would have to defend it at the polls.
By BETSY SMITH | August 04, 2009

Gay deceivers

Outrage isn't outrageous enough
The California State Supreme Court just upheld Proposition 8, denying gay people the right to marriage. This should disabuse the complacent of the illusion that the religious right has relinquished its death grip on America. So, too, should Kirby Dick's documentary about the homophobic power of closeted right-wing politicians in America.
By PETER KEOUGH | June 04, 2009

Queer eye for the Hawkeyes

Gay marriage takes first steps in Iowa
This past Monday, as Iowa prepared to officially issue marriage licenses to gay applicants, both law-enforcement and state gay groups prepared for vocal, even violent opposition in America's heartland.
By BEN FORNELL | April 29, 2009

Equal rites?

Why has Rhode Island lagged behind the rest of New England on same-sex marriage legislation?
New England has made a pretty good case, in recent years, for America's capital of queer.
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | April 08, 2009

31. Ron Prentice

PROP HATE
Ron Prentice wasn’t just the ugliest member of California’s Proposition 8 committee — he was also the chairman. An entire new circle of hell formed for the demagogues who exploited religion, homophobia, and general Golden State idiocy to pass Prop Hate, and there’s a delicious cock sandwich waiting there for each and every one of them.
By Boston Phoenix Staff | March 25, 2009

Same-sex marriage

Fighting for a basic civil right without repeating other states' mistakes
From the podium at EqualityMaine's 25th anniversary dinner last Saturday night, former state senator Ethan Strimling posed a question to the 630 people in attendance: If gay marriage were allowed in Maine, how many of you would tie the knot?
By DEIRDRE FULTON | March 25, 2009

Devotion to unholy creed

Al Daimon insists he ain't a right-wing jerk. Really.
Some of my readers have a warped view of my political bent.
By AL DIAMON | March 11, 2009

Legislature will take up gay marriage this session

Equal rights
Maine lawmakers are certain to debate gay marriage in 2009, with competing marriage-related bills slated to be filed with the Legislature this week.
By DEIRDRE FULTON | January 14, 2009

Gay marriage debate comes to Maine

Civil rights
Even as same-sex marriage supporters across the country reel from the Election Day approval of California's Proposition 8 — which changed that state's constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman — they are optimistic about bringing gay marriage to Maine, possibly in the upcoming legislative session.
By DEIRDRE FULTON | December 17, 2008

Interview: Cleve Jones

Retro active
Harvey Milk's protege Cleve Jones on the movie, Obama, and Prop8.
By PETER KEOUGH | November 25, 2008

All the ugly people

Politics and other mistakes
Why did Maine voters give overwhelming approval to a tax-repeal referendum on Nov. 4, while simultaneously returning to office even more of the Democratic legislators who passed the unpopular tax in the first place?
By AL DIAMON | November 12, 2008

Fresh air does wonders in politics

Green Grassroots Effort
Overwhelming local support for a nonbinding ballot initiative indicates that a push for a greener future may have legs.
By SARA FAITH ALTERMAN | November 13, 2008

Beatin’ the odds

Politics and other mistakes
Imagine this: A developer suddenly shows up in your rundown little town and announces plans for a multi-million-dollar project.
By AL DIAMON | October 16, 2008

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