From the moment opponents of fairness for gay and lesbian domestic partners emerged, ready to challenge the state's new "everything but marriage law,'' you could tell the state was about to whoosh down a veritable slip-and-slide of negative political dialogue.
Are we having a great debate yet?
No.
The fight to keep signatures secret merges into the fight about whether the signatures certified by the Secretary of State are truly valid.
And we haven't even gotten to the truly ugly part of this discussion, the part where opponents of the law explain why they are so uncomfortable giving loving couples things like survivor benefits, family legal rights and other benefits.
The last line of an editorial I wrote in May reminds me of how much better it would have been for our state to skip this unnecessary debate. Look at the rancor and court fighting so far. Remember, our biggest problem is the economy and how much pain it is causing people.
Do we really want to spend this much time debating this topic? Giving gay and lesbian domestic partners important and detailed rights in crucial moments of life hurts traditional couples how?