April 5, 2002 - State Senator Opens Mouth

LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth

State Senator Opens Mouth and Inserts Foot

As chairman of the Small Business Committee, Sen. Robert Venables, D-Laurel, had put off a committee vote on whether to send House Bill 99 to the full Senate for debate. Venables, who opposes the legislation, said in January he might hold the bill even if a committee majority voted to send it to the Senate. As chairman, he has that power under Senate rules.

On March 21, Venables said, "I am going to say on the floor today what will happen with the bill."

Reporters anxiously sat in the Senate Chambers waiting for the "BIG" announcement. Senator Venables decided instead to pass out a press release. It came as no surprise to me to read that Senator Venables would NOT be releasing the proposed legislation for full Senate consideration.

"I polled the three other members of the Small Business Committee (Senators John Still III, R-Dover; George Bunting Jr., D-Bethany Beach and Harris McDowell III, D-Wilmington North), and there weren't enough votes to release the bill...it's a tie, and I'm keeping it in," Venables said.

The deadlock resulted when Senator Still told Venables he would vote against releasing HB 99 to the Senate. Venables also was opposed. Senators Bunting and McDowell were co-sponsors of the proposal and supported release.

Opponents hailed Venables' decision. Supporters said they were disappointed but would not give up. The bill is not officially dead until the session expires June 30th and a senator could petition it to the floor by gathering 11 signatures.

If you're flabbergasted at what you've read so far, read on because it gets better. In my opinion, Delaware has enough chickens already. And for Sen. Venables to publicly announce that he would say on the floor what would happen with HB 99, and then to pass out a press release and calmly walk out of chambers was ludicrous. Maybe he chickened out of making the "BIG" announcement so he wouldn't have to say those few awful words: homosexual, bisexual, gay, and sexual.

One week after the gay-rights bill was shot down, Sen. Venablesin an interview with the Delaware State News regarding a story about redistrictingliterally opened his mouth and inserted both feet by making his best comment yet.

The House of Representatives' Republicans had just released their proposal for Senate redistricting. Under the proposal, Sen. Robert L. Venables Sr., D-Laurel, would find himself in the district that includes none other than Rehoboth Beach. Sen. Venables' proposed district would stretch from the Maryland border to Rehoboth Beach.

When I found out about the Republican proposal, I laughed hysterically for two days. Imagine being included in a district where so many homosexuals live. One of the reasons the good Senator said he could not, and would not, vote for HB 99 was because his constituents in Laurel are church-going people who do not believe in homosexuality and who would vote him out of office if he gave his approval to such a bill. Well guess what Senator? If Rehoboth Beach is approved as your district, YOU WILL MOST LIKELY BE VOTED OUT OF OFFICE!

Upon learning of the House Republicans' plan Sen. Venables was quoted in the Delaware State News as saying, "It's a jab to get back at me. I would not have thought about drawing in Rehoboth, but it might be a good idea."

Venables went on to be quoted as saying, (and this is my personal favorite by the way); "Maybe I can do some good and straighten them out over there."

Oh my God! For 37 years my parents have been attempting to "straighten" me out. And now, Senator Venables plans to try. I'm wondering if that's listed in his senatorial duties!

Because something was just brought to my attention I have to end this article with this. In the Friday, March 29 Delaware State News, Sen. Venables wrote a guest opinion article titled Human Cloning Is Technology We Don't Need.

"While there may seem to some to be many potential benefits to cloning, as with nuclear energy, there are going to be many disturbing, predictable and unpredictable detriments for humanity as a whole," said Venables.

I have only one last thing to say. Senator Venables I agree with you. Please pick up a mirror and for God's sake, don't clone yourself.

Kelli Steele is the Press/Policy Assistant to Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner.

LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 12, No. 03, April 5, 2002.