Tell me another one

The constitutional amendment process in Virginia requires that an “official state explanation” of each proposed amendment be published on the State Board of Elections website and in ads in large daily newspapers, and be made available for distribution by local voter registrars.

This explanation, according to state code, must be in “plain English,” and be neutral with regard to the amendment.

According to the AP, the House and Senate Privileges and Elections Committees have been sent draft language for an explanation of the Marshall-Newman amendment by the Division of Legislative Services, along with a memo that reads:

“Please note that this draft does not include any changes to be suggested by the Office of the Attorney General. We are still working on the wording with the Attorney General’s Office and I will fax or e-mail another version as soon as possible.”

So far, the office of Attorney General McDonnell has no comment on his proposed edits. Does anyone imagine that McDonnell has either the capacity or the intention to apply neutrality to this process? Let’s not be ridiculous. All hopes for putting this nonsense over on the people of Virginia have always hinged on misrepresenting it.

We eagerly await further news of how the AG will attempt to alter this document. What magic tricks can he perform to conceal the intent and likely effects of the Marshall-Newman amendment, especially with its full language in plain sight?

How can anyone claim with a straight face that the following text is about “marriage,” and not someone’s personal zeal for making unmarried people second class citizens of Virginia?

This Commonwealth and its political subdivisions shall not create or recognize a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance, or effects of marriage. Nor shall this Commonwealth or its political subdivisions create or recognize another union, partnership, or other legal status to which is assigned the rights, benefits, obligations, qualities, or effects of marriage.

“We have married people and we have single people,” McDonnell told the AP in 2004, when he was aggressively pushing for this measure in the Virginia General Assembly. We’d like to see an honest explanation of what he means by that.