Maryland Gov's 'Friday afternoon massacre'

I was born in Baltimore, and much of my family still lives in Maryland. So it was with great disappointment that I read:

Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. vetoed a bill yesterday that would have granted rights to gay partners who register with the state, concluding after weeks of intense deliberations that the legislation threatened "the sanctity of traditional marriage."

The emotionally charged bill was among 24 that Ehrlich (R) rejected yesterday afternoon, including legislation to raise the state's minimum wage by $1, allow early voting in elections and heighten oversight of the state's troubled juvenile justice system. Another measure sought by gay rights activists that would have extended a property transfer tax exemption to domestic partners was also scuttled.

We're not talking about gay marriage here, people. We're talking about basic human rights: "the right to be treated as an immediate family member during hospital visits, to make health care decisions for incapacitated partners and to have private visits in nursing homes." Ehrlich is up for reelection in 2006. I hope my friends and family in Maryland show him the way out.