Newspapers, sigh, don’t have a great deal of influence. Nonetheless, it’s worth noting that the Democrat-Gazette today editorializes against the gay-bashing flavor-of-the-day at this year’s legislative session, Sen. Shawn Womack’s bill to ban gay people from adopting or being foster parents. Wrote the D-G:

What’s needed in each caseis good judgment, not sweeping rules. Do we really want to deny a prospective parent and child a loving, long-lasting relationship on the basis of an arbitrary law or, even worse, the political passions of the day? Our considered opinion:The Ledge needs to keep its mitts off this subject. Neither emotional sensitivity nor child psychology is its specialty. Our distinguished senators and reps are just not qualified to make blanket decisions about who should be adopting or foster-parenting. No political body is.

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Noted: the editorial calls on Gov. Mike Beebe to veto this ill-considered and probably unconstitutional legislation should it reach his desk. He’s never demonstrated that kind of courage before. He’ll never be in a better position politically to do so. Even Texas has managed to thwart this legislation repeatedly. Are we, or our leaders, worse than Texas?

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