Same-Sex Marriage Ban Out Of Committee

A state senate committee on wasting time yesterday voted 18-8 to send the ban on same-sex marriage to the full senate.

The bill will probably pass in a vote as early as tomorrow, but the AP reports it might not matter: There’s no similar bill in the house, and chances of any bill passing there are slim with Democratic control. (But, boy, wouldn’t it be interesting to see how Speaker O’Brien votes on it!) People rallied against the bill after it went out of committee.

Notorious funnyman/lame duck state senator Vince Fumo noted his fellow lawmakers would also vote for genocide, bloodletting, a flat earth, Zeus and bronze tools.

Pa. Senate set to vote on same-sex marriage ban [AP/Philly.com]
[Photo via AP/Daylife]

Leftovers: Bits ‘N’ Pieces

• In a step for gay rights — uh, I guess — two women were listed as the parents on a birth certificate in New Jersey. It is an important decision because it allows the child to receive health care from either parent. You see, it always comes back to that health care thing. [AP/Camden Courier-Post]

• Western Pennsylvania Congressman Jack Murtha was defeated in his bid to become House Majority Leader by Steny Hoyer in a blowout. But, hey, he still has Johnstown behind him. [AP/Philly.com]

• Investigators are now checking to see if the College of NJ student found dead in a landfill in Bucks County was playing hide-and-seek before his death. I don’t know about you guys, but my college hall games were never that wild. [AP/Inquirer]

• Local ‘It’ writer Sam (nee Matt) Schwartz has an Interview with himself up. Huzzah. [Daily Miltonian]

• And, finally, here’s an article to make you feel good about Philadelphia city government. [LA Weekly]

Blogicized: I’m telling mommy!

• Will Bunch goes all, “Stu Bykofsky doesn’t care about Washington politics!” [Attytood]

• Everyone’s favorite Inquirer sports columnist Stephen A. Smith — who’s back on the anti-La Salle beat — and his show, Quite Frankly, is moving to 11 p.m. So now you can stay up late and not watch. [Deadspin]

• It’s never too early to prepare for Philadelphia Restaurant Week, from Feb. 19-24. Okay, maybe it’s a little early. [Philadelphia Restaurants]

• The Dirty Jerz goes all progressive on us: Homosexual partners can get same rights of burial and inheritance and straight couples and they may get rid of the death penalty. And they’re banning smoking soon, too? The times they are a-changin’ in New Jersey. [A Smoke Filled Room]

• Occassional Daily News columnist Christine Flowers and a blogger exchange nasty emails; the blogger whines to the editorial page editor of the Daily News in an email. [Brendan Calling from the Underground]