( - promoted by Rob "EaBo Clipper" Eno)
I demand there be a funny name for the bill filed by Senator Michael Morrisey (D-Quincy) on behalf of Charles Antonelli to ban circumcision in Massachusetts. Maybe it should be the Penis Bill, or the Tool Box Bill, or even the Stimulus Bill. Perhaps we should give credit where credit is due and call it the Michael Morrisey Little Baby Penis Bill. What a legacy that would leave Michael Morrisey! Whatever its called it could only happen in Massachusetts.
Fourteen other states turned down the offer to file this piece of crap legislation that would outlaw circumcision because some nutjob thinks it is genital mutilation on children. Antonelli says here:
For some reason society feels fit to make surgical amputations to somebody's body without their consent," said Antonelli, 43. "It's really a personal choice. Most people think this is a harmless snip of useless tissue. It's by far not."
No, that's not an abortion he is talking about - those are fine. Kill the baby before its out of the womb, but don't dare touch it 24 hours later after it arrives. Especially for religious reasons. You see, the bill to stop circumcision does not allow an exemption for religious reasons. So take all those thousands of years of Islam, Judaism and Christianity and just toss them out the window.
Many think the bill will be killed by our legislature:
"It's a terrible idea," said Rabbi Ronne Friedman of Temple Israel in Boston, who feels banning circumcision would trample on religious traditions. He doubted the bill would pass.
The good Rabbi forgets that we live in Massachusetts, where fluffernutter sandwiches make the top ten list of public enemies. The Rabbi forgets that this state has a long history of breaking new ground with its unique blend of legislative action and utter ignorance. You could say that Beacon Hill is at the crossroad of 'stupid' and 'law'. Case in point - gay marriage. When the GLBT community failed in almost every other state to make legal the marriage of two guys, or two gals, they targeted the liberal community of Massachusetts - 'vuala'. Massachusetts was a likely target based on its fanatically liberal state supreme court and the fact that the legislature can be bought for a handshake and a cup of coffee. A little campaign donation here or there and the voters never got a chance to vote on gay marriage, regardless of 170,000 signatures on a legal petition.
I don't know much about this guy Charles Antonelli other than he spends way too much time thinking about newborn baby's penises. But, he makes clear that he is very concerned about the effect circumcision has on men's sexual sensation. He is so concerned in fact that he joined the advocacy group known as the "Bill to end genital mutilation", which makes clear what they want to achieve.
I actually think this bill stands a chance of passing in Massachusetts. Our state legislature loves legislation like this because it serves as an opportunity to stand out from the rest. It let's them showcase their strong progressive, anti-religious nature for all to see. It will be a kind of soapbox legislation that will prove too enticing for media hounds in the state senate and house to pass up. Hopefully debate on this bill will be carried on the state house news agencies for all to see. With a little luck Deval Patrick will make an impassioned plea for the millions of babies that can't speak for themselves. You know, one of his fancy 'hopey' 'changey' type speeches.
Anyway, I am glad our legislature is moving quickly on a bill like this. Once we get this important stuff out of the way then we can move forward with that silly old jobs creation stuff. |
