Yea. A conspiracy theory. I love a good conspiracy theory and it's about time that the other side feels a little bit of a sting. Sorry about your luck, "other side," but go ahead, bring it to a vote. By that time, we'll already have DP's and y'all will realize that we homosexuals really aren't trying to take over the world, (yet.)

Sigh. Wouldn't that be a nice world?

Whatever we all think about Measure 36, the fact remains that the Defense of Marriage Coalition (the first one) was able to gather 250,000 signatures in less than two months in 2004.

Crowe can blame the signature verification process (which, if you've ever seen the strict equation that goes into validating them, is anything but arbitrary) but there are only two possibilities for Crowe's inability to gather enough signatures to give him a wide enough margin: He's either an incompetent signature gatherer, or there simply wasn't broad political support for gutting the gay rights bills.

Actually, I guess those can both be true.

Well, and to be fair, Mr. Crowe didn't have Diane Linn to make it so easy for him this time.

AND it's not a presidential election year AND there aren't similar efforts happening concurrently around the country to piggyback on, AND James Dobson is busy trying to figure out what to do with Giuliani, but I stand by my argument.

I'm not a longtime Oregonian, but I agree with Crowe that the system here needs an overhaul (though not for the reasons he claims). My question: Why does Oregon make it so absurdly freakin' easy for cranks like him to petition to overturn its laws?

I mean, this is a state with nearly 4 MILLION residents, but when the state's elected lawmakers pass a couple of sensible and long-overdue gay-rights laws, bigots like Crowe only need to collect 55,179 signatures -- a bit more than 1 percent of the state's population -- to force a vote on overturning them? How stupid (and how unnecessarily expensive) is that?

Oregon needs to require a more reasonable minimum number of petition signatures -- at least 5 percent of the population, say -- before something goes to the public for a vote. Otherwise it's just too easy for whackos like Crowe to hijack the political process even when they have no real popular support for their bigoted views.

I am convinced, though I cannot prove, that the universe is an immense living creature of which our planet is one little atom or sub-particle, and that this creature’s breathing is what causes the slow expansion and contraction of the universe posited by physicists.

I am convinced, though I cannot prove, that Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, actually wrote the works attributed to William Shakespeare.

I am convinced, though I cannot prove, that Rob Lowe stopped aging some 20 years ago.

I am convinced, though I cannot prove, that Mark David Chapman was brainwashed by the FBI into killing John Lennon.

I am convinced, though I cannot prove, that Rush Limbaugh has a large vagina. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I am convinced, though I cannot prove, that Donald Rumsfeld is actually a reanimated corpse and eats lizards.

I am convinced, though I cannot prove, that Barbara Walters is currently in negotiations to put a hit out on Rosie O'Donnell.

I am convinced, though I cannot prove, that the supposed terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 were actually a cover-up for something else, quite possibly a hoax by individuals behind and allied with the Bush Administration.

I am convinced, though I cannot prove, that Richard Simmons is actually a gay hobbit. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

AAAAAND it was harder this time around to trick people into caring (like when they made people think that a 'no' on 36 would institute gay marriage)

I disagree with Carlos - we must maintain a system to easily refer legislative decisions to the people. After all, the initiative itself only allows the general population to re-consider and what is wrong with that? Over the years we have seen laws passed for lobbyists with deep pockets. Yes, sometimes the initiative is for something we oppose, but make it harder and it may come back to bite you.

Well obviously everyone that works at the election division and the Governor's office are Satan worshipers, hell-bent on ruining marriage for a privileged class of heterosexual couples. What I don't understand is why didn't the christian bible god intervene in their favor.