Apparently the joke is on anyone who gave time or treasure to National Organization for Marriage in Rhode Island, the group that has spent the past five years trying to block passage of Rhode Island’s new marriage equality law.

In a scathing blog post written the day after Rhode Island became the tenth marriage equality state, the radical-right anti-gay organization MassResistance takes National Organization for Marriage to task for “drop[ping] the ball” in the effort to keep marriage discriminatory.

The ad may as well have said “Senator Algiere, We’re Coming For You!”

Nothing like slinging insults at the very people you’re trying to persuade, especially when you allege that you have the edge on morality. Something tells me that most Rhode Island legislators know better than to give any mind to the anti-gay animus peddled by this Washington, D.C.-based organization.

Rhode Island remains the only state in New England that doesn’t allow same-sex couples to marry. Hoping to remedy that situation this year, state Rep. Arthur Handy (D-Cranston) and Sen. Donna Nesselbush (D-Pawtucket) have introduced marriage equality bills into the state’s House and Senate.

Passage of the bill seems assured in the House, with 42 of Rhode Island’s 75 state representatives signing onto H 5015 as original co-sponsors. The Senate version of the bill has 11 original co-sponsors in the 38-member chamber.

It’s been apparent from the outset that Referendum 74 will qualify for the November ballot. After all, very few referendum campaigns don’t collect the required 120,577 voter signatures since it is such a low percentage of the total registered voters in the state. Once on the ballot, R-74 will ask voters to approve or reject Washington’s recently-passed civil marriage equality law.

Washington voters are showing little interest in repealing the state’s new marriage equality law, judging by the marginal number of Referendum 74-qualifying signatures gathered so far by marriage equality opponents.