Schwarzenegger is a big chicken

When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared he would veto the same-sex marriage bill that state lawmakers worked so courageously to pass I immediately lost all respect for him.

His excuse for not signing the bill?

He said he wanted to stick to the will of the people who passed Proposition 22 in 2000. That law defines marriage as being between a man and a woman.

Proposition 22 won by a landslide, winning in 52 of 58 counties, including San Mateo County.

Schwarzenegger's position is curious considering he has recklessly abandoned the will of the people by ignoring other voter-driven initiatives such as Proposition 98 which ensures public school funding.

It seems like the Hollywood hero who snuck into office in a bogus recall election is less of a hero and more of a chicken.

It's a miracle in the first place the state Assembly and Senate were able to pass the bill, making California lawmakers the first in the country to do so.

We have endured Schwarzenegger calling lawmakers "girlymen" in the past but it turns out he is the real "girlyman" in Sacramento. How could he stand in the way of history?

Maybe he just doesn't understand the importance of basic civil rights for all.

How could a man who owes everything he has ever accomplished to the state of California turn his back on a group that contributes so much to the state he loves.

His inaction is a slap in the face to lawmakers such as Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, and state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, who worked tirelessly for this bill and who are both openly gay.

It is also a slap in the face to Marina Gatto, the San Carlos teen who spent much of the past year lobbying lawmakers to support the bill.

Gatto thrives in a household with two moms and has become a poster child of sorts for same-sex marriage.

She is even credited for helping to sway the opinion of Assemblyman Simon Salinas, D-Salinas, who was one of three lawmakers who previously abstained from voting on the bill.

Salinas' vote helped the bill to pass and the capital building in Sacramento was in an uproar Tuesday night when legislators approved this historic bill.

With Schwarzenegger's popularity plummeting in the state it's a shame his advisers did not see the opportunity to bolster his image by signing this bill into law. He could have presented himself as truly being a man of the people instead of a foreigner who used his Hollywood clout to capture the governorship.

Instead we will have to wait for some other hero to emerge.

Leno, the bill's author, requested a meeting with the governor on Wednesday to argue his case but Schwarzenegger's office did not respond.

Another act of cowardice.

Schwarzenegger even vetoed a bill authored by Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, that would require candidates who sign a code of fair campaign practices to refrain from using negative references to a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.

Another act of cowardice.

It's just so easy. Shouldn't every citizen of the United States have the same rights as every other citizen? Currently that's not the case. But that will change one day - one day when brave people like Marina Gatto become our leaders.

The lawmakers who passed this bill, Republican and Democrat alike, should stand tall and be proud of their actions. This issue is about civil rights and until we achieve equality for all, the issue of same-sex marriage will not die.

In the meantime, we're stuck with Schwarzenegger. Can anyone out there tell me one good thing this guy has done for the state? Just one thing.

Bill Silverfarb's column runs every Friday. He can be reached by e-mail: silverfarb@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200, ext. 104. What do you think of this column? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.