8:07 AM Fri, Jun 19, 2009 | Permalink
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By Cynthia Needham
Journal State House Bureau
Appearing on the Christian Broadcasting Network's hit The 700 Club late Thursday night, Governor Carcieri detailed to the religious station his now familiar stance in opposition to gay marriage.
The segment -- essentially a recap of Rhode Island's position as the only New England state that prohibits same-sex marriage -- began by putting that debate in context: "Soon the nation's smallest state could become a big voice in the national debate on marriage," host Pat Robertson offered.
In what was billed as an "exclusive interview" filmed inside the governor's office in early June, a reporter spoke at length with Carcieri about his views on the subject, interspersing the sit-down footage with shots of tranquil Newport streets and sailboats and of a smiling Carcieri and his wife, Sue, walking around the State House.
"I don't view us as isolated. I view us as frankly right now as probably where most of the nation is," the governor told the network, repeating what he has said publicly for several years.
"[Carcieri], along with House Speaker William Murphy and Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin have been credited for keeping gay marriage at bay in the Ocean State," the reporter explained.
Other local faces that appeared on the six-minute segment included gay marriage opponent Rep. Jon D. Brien (D-Woonsocket), outspoken supporter Sen. Charles Levesque (D-Portsmouth), Diocese of Providence Bishop Tobin, and Marion Orr, director of Brown University's Taubman Center for Public Policy, plus plenty of stock footage of Murphy.
The segment concluded with a hint of what may lie ahead. "For many Rhode Islanders, summer is beginning and such concerns are below the radar, but the political tides may be about to turn and the Ocean State could make an impact nationally on one of the most divisive issues of our day," the reporter predicted.
But before it ended, Robertson, back in the studio, offered his own take: "I wish the Protestants and the evangelicals had the spine that the Catholics have. They stand up for these moral issues and thank goodness for them. It's amazing, the Protestants just don't seem to unite as they should and the Catholics fight all these issues and they are outspoken, especially in defense of life. So anyhow, that's the way it is in Rhode Island. It's a tiny state."
Video: View the full episode of the Thursday night show; the segment on the same-sex marriage debate in Rhode Island is about 15 minutes into the show.
The Christian Broadcasting Network was established nearly 50 years ago by televangelist Robertson, who has been a periodic force in national politics as founder of the Christian Coalition.
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Isn't the Governor violating the seperation of church and state provision of the Constitution by going on a religious TV show to express his views? Isn't this an endorsement of the religious institution that backs the 700 Club? Does anybody remember that Pat Robertson said that Hurricanes were God's way of punishing homosexuals? Shame on the Governor for associating with this crackpot! Another nail in the coffin of Rhode Island's image.
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Approximately 350-years-ago, Roger Williams established RI as the first state in this history of the world with separation of church and state to guarantee that the government would never force its religious beliefs on the citizens, like Massachusetts was doing at the time. The result, was possibly the freest state/nation on earth, as we not only have the first synagogue in America, but also the oldest baptist church. As a result, there is a statue of Williams in Geneva, Switzerland a testament to what he created here.
And now today, our Governor is using his personal religious beliefs to manipulate the government into crushing a civilian right/movement. Roger Williams would be turning in his grave, not that he approved of everything everyone did, but he figured the state ought not use religion to persecute/interfere with or manipulate citizens (he once commented the Indians were worshiping God in their own way and he would not try to convert them).
What a shame Carcieri (and Murphy for that matter), trampling across separation of church and state, that we created and gave to the world, and using his religious beliefs to manipulate the state into people's personal lives. We don't deserve to exist anymore if this is what happened to Roger Williams dream.
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