He Says He Was Lying . . .

but we know he's a compulsive liar, so was he really lying?

Here's a link to the MPBM piece on the "schools" issue in the marriage fight in Maine. (For some reason, Blogger won't accept the code to allow me to embed it.) And here's a transcript of Mark Mutty's remarks (toward the end of this segment) from Jim Burroway at Box Turtle Bulletin:

We understand that schools will not be mandated to provide one curriculum or another, but neither will they be discouraged or will they be unable to provide the kind curriculum that they so choose that well could include teaching about same-sex marriage.

… We have never said that schools will be mandated — or, actually, perhaps we did in one ad, or certainly led people to believe that, inadvertently.

This has shown up several places (here's Joe Sudbay's report), and here's Jeremy Hooper's), but everyone is focusing on the "We lied" part. (And why is anyone sur-- . . . oh -- because he actually admitted it.)

But look what he says in the section before that: "neither will they be . . . unable to provide the kind of curriculum that they so choose. . . ." In Maine, public school curricula are determined by local boards of education, and anyone who thinks parents have no input has never had a kid in a public school -- especially in a small town. So what Mutty is saying is that SFMM -- and the Catholic hierarchy -- are against letting parents and local boards make the decision as to what's taught in public schools. Any guesses who they think should be making that decision?

You're right!

And it gets better: NPR is demanding that SFMM pull their ads using materials from its broadcasts because of copyright infringement. (Have you noticed how often the right wing has a problem with stealing other people's stuff?) A report from AmericaBlog, with this choice bit:

National Public Radio is demanding that the Stand for Marriage Maine group stop using its content in television ads supporting a people’s veto of a new same-sex marriage law.

Content from an NPR story was used in Stand for Marriage Maine’s latest television ad, which began airing Oct. 16 and suggests that gay relationships and gay sex may be discussed in schools if the law isn’t overturned.

The Sept. 13, 2004 story, titled “Massachsuetts Schools Grapple with Including Gay & Lesbian Relationships in Sex Education,” was part of an All Things Considered program, according to Dana Davis Rehm, NPR’s senior vice president for marketing, communications, and external relations.

“NPR did not license use of this story or its content, and would certainly not have licensed or permitted it if we had been asked,” Rehm said in a statement. “NPR is a highly respected news organization and does not allow its content to be used by political or advocacy groups. Such use is harmful to the integrity and independence of NPR. NPR does allow – even encourage -- personal, non-commercial use of our content, so long as it is not modified, and not used in a manner that suggests NPR promotes or endorses a cause, idea, Web site, product or service. The use made by Stand for Marriage Maine violated all of these terms.”

I love it when a plan comes together.