Former governors oppose amendment

Former Wisconsin governors Pat Lucey, Lee Dreyfus, Martin Schreiber, and Tony Earl have issued this statement in opposition to the ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions in the state:

"We oppose the proposed constitutional ban on civil unions and marriage. As former governors, we believe the ban runs contrary to the values of freedom and fairness that make Wisconsin great.

"The founding document of our state is designed to lay the foundation for our government and protect individual freedoms. The civil unions and marriage ban is wrong because it would mark the first time we have ever amended our constitution to limit freedom.

"We also oppose the ban because it is unnecessarily harsh and far reaching. Marriage for gay couples is already illegal in the state of Wisconsin. It is unfair to single out a group of people in our state and deny them any measure of basic legal protection.

"We urge the people of Wisconsin to carefully consider the civil unions and marriage ban, and the impact it will have on families who live in our state. We hope you will join us in voting no in November."

Noticeably absent is Tommy Thompson, who hasn't publicly commented on the amendment. As Xoff notes, Tommy's currently serving as honorary chair to Mark Green's campaign which is probably why he's choosing to stay quiet.