Free Republic

Sen. Ted Kennedy was the secret critical force in the background that caused the Massachusetts Legislature to deny the people the right to vote on the Marriage Amendment, it was revealed this week. Less than 48 hours after Kennedy's passing, the homosexual newspaper Bay Windows published an article by Marc Solomon, who at that time ran MassEquality, the main homosexual lobby group trying to stop the amendment. Ted Kennedy personally pressured enough conservative Democrats (and even "libertarian-leaning" Republicans) who the homosexual lobby was targeting, to change their votes on that the measure to allow a public vote would be defeated....

DES MOINES, Iowa (BP)--In the first statewide survey since the Iowa Supreme Court's landmark "gay marriage" ruling, a new poll shows that just over two-thirds of the state's voters support placing a constitutional marriage amendment on the ballot. The survey of 500 registered voters by Voter/Consumer Research was released Monday, more than three months after the court made the state the first in the heartland to recognize "marriages" between homosexuals. The proposed marriage amendment -- proposed immediately after the ruling by state legislative Republicans but blocked by Democratic leaders -- likely will be an issue in next year's gubernatorial and...

State Reps. Dwayne Alons, R-Hull, and Dolores Mertz, D-Ottosen, have proposed a bill to amend Iowa’s Constitution and define marriage as being between a man and a woman. House Joint Resolution 6 was introduced Friday as funnel week was coming to a close. It has little chance of coming up for debate this session. It was introduced, Alons said, in response to Sen. Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines, introducing a bill making Iowa’s marriage laws gender neutral by removing the words “husband” and “wife” and replacing them with “spouse.” All this takes place in the shadow of Varnum v. Brien, a...

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed a ruling Wednesday that held a Montana church in violation of the law for speaking about the state's marriage amendment. Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed a lawsuit in 2004 after the Montana commissioner of political practices investigated Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church, following a complaint by a homosexual activist group. The group claimed the church was required to register as a political committee in order to speak about the marriage amendment.

An article in The New York Times reports that Attorney General Jerry Brown has asked the state’s Supreme Court to rule on the legality of a voter-approved constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. “The central argument in the recently filed lawsuits is that Proposition 8 is a significant enough revision to the State Constitution to require approval by the legislature,” the article stated. It also noted that the passage of Proposition 8 “has prompted protests across the country.” Here’s what the paper that makes all the news fit its agenda forgot to mention:...

That is probably the best news from an otherwise difficult election for conservatives and Republicans. In very large part, we Evangelicals must thank our Mormon cousins for that fact. They, along with our Catholic brethren, were better organized than us and that provided a base from which we could ALL work together to get this job done. What more, as we have chronicled here, Mormons took the brunt of the abuse, derision, and even threats of physical harm that came with this effort. And like us, they have given thanks to the Almighty that is ultimately in control, even if...

TALLAHASSEE - Love it or hate it, most Florida voters have made up their minds about a ballot amendment to ban same-sex marriage. And most likely, a new poll shows, they'll vote to insert a definition of marriage into the state's constitution. An Orlando Sentinel poll released Thursday found Amendment 2 -- which defines marriage as "only one man and one woman" -- had support from 56 percent of likely voters, while 37 percent opposed it. That's barely changed from a 55-to-34 margin in a similar survey two weeks ago. The remaining 7 percent of undecided voters will determine whether...

A new poll of California voters shows Proposition 8, a proposed constitutional amendment that would reserve marriage for opposite-sex couples, has a 9 percentage point lead among likely voters, 52% to 43%. The poll was conducted for the Knights of Columbus by the Marist College Institute of Public Opinion between September 28 and October 5, 2008. The survey shows that Proposition 8 has majority support among men (53%), women (51%), whites (51%), Latinos (57%), those who are married (59%) and those age 45 and older (59%). Those opposed include likely voters under age 45 (54% opposed) and those who are...

Monday, October 20, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin was interviewed this weekend by CBNews correspondent David Brody, answering a variety of questions on matters ranging from her Christian faith to her position on a federal constitutional marriage amendment that would define marriage as being between one man and one woman. When questioned about the shots the mainstream media has been taking at her for her religious beliefs, Palin told Brody that her faith has “always been pretty personal and that was kind of a surprise in the last couple of months that people would misconstrue and spin anything...

ABC News' Imtiyaz Delawala Reports: Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin has signaled support for a federal marriage amendment defining marriage as between a man and woman – a position inconsistent with Sen. John McCain, who has opposed such a measure, as well as with her own previously stated position of letting states decide on such issues. In an interview to air tomorrow on The 700 Club, Christian Broadcasting News senior correspondent David Brody asked Palin, "On constitutional marriage amendment, are, are you for something like that?" "I am, in my own, state, I have voted along with the...

NEW YORK – Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin says she supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, a break with John McCain who has said he believes states should be left to define what marriage is. In an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network, the Alaska governor said she had voted in 1998 for a state amendment banning same sex marriage and hoped to see a federal ban on such unions. "I have voted along with the vast majority of Alaskans who had the opportunity to vote to amend our Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman....

Please, please watch and then spread this video to EVERYONE you know, particularly in California regarding Proposition 8 and the marriage amendment. THE BEST GIFT TO A CHILD - VOTE YES ON PROPOSITION 8

Yes on 8 is leading the race, 47% Yes to 42% No, with 10% undecided, according to a new CBS 5 (San Francisco) poll. That is up 3% for Yes and down 7% for No since September 25th -- a total of a 10% gain for Yes. On September 25th, CBS 5's poll showed the race at 44% Yes to 49% No, with 7% undecided. Yes on 8 is attributing the gain to their first television ad, which was released last week, and to their massive door to door campaign. The ad features footage of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom...

10-8-2008 Young Voters Boost California Marriage Amendment by Jennifer Mesko, editor Television ad, door-to-door campaigning shift momentum. California's Prop. 8, which would amend the state constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman, is gaining support. In a poll of likely voters conducted for CBS 5 in San Francisco, Californians favored the marriage amendment 47 percent to 42 percent. The strongest support came from voters ages 18 to 34, a group that has supported same-sex "marriage" in previous polls. Marriage advocates attributed the gain to their first television ad, which was released last week, and to their...

Things are looking good for marriage amendments in California, Florida and Arizona. California is the big surprise. After discouraging polls all summer, the latest CBS News/SurveyUSA Today poll shows Prop 8, the California marriage amendment, surging ahead 47 percent to 42 percent, with 10 percent undecided — that’s a ten point swing since the Yes on Prop 8 campaign ads started airing. Younger voters are leading the swing against gay marriage, reports CBS News. Why? My best guess is: a lot of them are parents who don’t really want their schools teaching their 5 year olds about King and King...

...Steve Marshall, 20, made his pro-Proposition 8 video, "Four Men In Black,” as a college project. "I go to a Catholic film school in San Diego," he said in explaining why he focused his film on the "activist judges" who legalized same-sex marriage in California in spring. "It's an issue we really feel passionate about, and we had the resources available to take some action." Other students at John Paul the Great Catholic University also made videos in support of the proposition. One of them, "Marriage Rights,” features a man haplessly trying to fit two electrical plugs together instead of...

Opposition to a California ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage is mounting following Attorney General Jerry Brown's move to change the language on the initiative, according to a Field Poll released today. The poll found that just 38 percent of likely voters support the measure, while 55 percent intend to vote no. That compares with 42 percent in support and 51 percent opposed in July. Brown amended the Proposition 8 summary language after the state Supreme Court's decision on May 15 to overturn California's previous ban on same-sex marriage. The pollsters found the amended language played a role in that...

LOS ANGELES - Brad Pitt has donated $100,000 to fight California's November ballot initiative that would overturn the state Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage. ... Because no one has the right to deny another their life, even though they disagree with it, because everyone has the right to live the life they so desire if it doesn't harm another and because discrimination has no place in America, my vote will be for equality and against Proposition 8," Pitt said Wednesday. ...

SACRAMENTO — The stakes of the ballot drive to forbid same-sex marriage reach far beyond California's geographic and political borders in what has emerged as another chapter in America's culture wars. Christian groups, wealthy benefactors and self-styled pro-family groups from all over the nation are watching closely — and weighing in with money. Gay rights groups and wealthy individuals are countering with their own cash from across the country. In the past eight weeks, combatants in the Proposition 8 battle have poured in more than $20 million to gear up for an all-out confrontation about whether the nation will begin...

Sept 1 - The First Campaign Today we campaigned for traditional marriage at the Cal Expo in Sacramento. It was the busiest day of the fair. We made several “Honk for Traditional Marriage” signs and displayed them at the fair entrance. Honks of all types filled the air. The issue of same-sex “marriage” has divided the state down the middle. Even within the same vehicle, we got both thumbs up and thumbs down. Very few people are undecided or unsure where they stand. But don’t expect civility from same-sex advocates. One woman approached a TFP volunteer and bluntly stated: “You...

LOS ANGELES, August 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - California churches are joining together in a determined effort in support of Proposition 8, the November ballot referendum that opposes the California Supreme Court's ruling in May allowing same-sex marriages to be performed in the state. Organizers of the ambitious interfaith alliance plan to coordinate a synchronized expression of support of Proposition 8 by having 1 million people place signs on their yards, which say "Yes on Proposition 8", in unison late in September. "This is a rising up over a 5,000-year-old institution that is being hammered right now," said Jim Garlow, pastor...

Early on a late September morning, if all goes according to plan, 1 million Mormons, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, evangelical Christians, Sikhs and Hindus will open their doors, march down their front walks and plant "Yes on Proposition 8" signs in their yards to show they support repealing same-sex marriage in California. It is a bold idea, one that may be difficult to pull off. But whether or not 1 million lawn signs are planted in unison, the plan underscores what some observers say is one of the most ambitious interfaith political organizing efforts ever attempted in the state. Moreover, political...

Proposition 8, the ballot initiative to protect marriage, has announced that it has received a $1 million contribution from the Knights of Columbus, the world's largest Catholic family fraternal service organization. In a press release, spokesman for the Knights of Columbus, Patrick Korten said that the donation from the Knights "is both an indication of how important we believe this referendum to be, and an encouragement to other groups and individuals of all faiths to lend their support as well.” “From the day the organization was founded 126 years ago, strengthening and protecting the family has always been central to...

Here's your Fact Sheet on Amendment 2 Print copies, forward this important message to family and friends August 19, 2008 Dear Friend, We have just finished our final “Fact Sheet” on Amendment 2, the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment. This will now be “THE” most used and most recommend all purpose hand out or flyer in the campaign. This also contains most of our talking points for media also. It is really important they we stay on message and use these points when talking about the marriage amendment. Please feel free to mass produce these Fact Sheet flyers and distribute to...

"As citizens of California,” Catholics need “to avail ourselves of the opportunity” to overturn the the California Supreme Court’s May 15 ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, said the California Catholic Conference in a statement issued last week. The California Catholic Conference is the public policy arm of the state’s Catholic bishops.

A ballot label that declares Proposition 8 "eliminates (the) right of same-sex couples to marry" will remain intact after a Sacramento County judge today dismissed a challenge by supporters of the measure. Sponsors of the Nov. 4 ballot measure had argued that Attorney General Jerry Brown's formal title and summary of the measure were prejudicial. But Sacramento County Judge Timothy Frawley disagreed that Brown acted in favor of opponents of the measure when he changed the ballot title -- "Limit on Marriage" -- that was on petitions circulated last year to qualify the ballot measure. "Petitioner has failed to explain...

SACRAMENTO - PG&E, the huge utility that serves Northern California, has waded into the controversy over same-sex marriage by donating $250,000 to the campaign against Proposition 8, which would ban same-sex marriage. The donation was announced Tuesday morning by Equality California, a gay rights group that is opposing the ban, and PG&E officials. In a news release, Nancy McFadden, vice president for PG&E, said the utility was "proud to join No on 8 and Equality California to protect the freedom to marry for all Californians." A spokeswoman for Proposition 8, Jennifer Kerns, said she was not surprised.

If voters approve a November ballot measure banning same-sex marriages in California, thousands of gay and lesbian weddings conducted since the state Supreme Court legalized the unions on May 15 will probably remain valid, Attorney General Jerry Brown said today. The potential effect of Proposition 8 on existing same-sex marriages is already being debated among legal scholars and opposing sides in the Nov. 4 ballot measure campaign. Brown's position is significant because his office will represent the state in lawsuits over Prop. 8's validity and meaning if it passes. The measure would amend the state Constitution to declare that "only...

According to local pastor Wiley Drake, the 5.4 magnitude earthquake that hit Southern California on Tuesday was not just one of those typical seismic events that take place with some regularity in these parts, but it was "[a]nother queer quake trying to get California's attention." Apparently, the Lord is mad about the legalization of gay marriage in this state. He can't be that mad, given that the quake didn't cause any death or much destruction, but Rev. Drake offers a warning: "We had better listen. 5.4 this time what is next!?" Drake is something of a caricature of a religious-right...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will introduce a measure Wednesday establishing a federal task force on polygamy and offering help to those trying to escape polygamous communities. The bill, if passed, would set the stage for likely the largest orchestrated crackdown on polygamy in a century. Ahead of the first congressional hearing focused on polygamy since the 1950s, Reid, a Mormon convert from Nevada, will introduce the Victims of Polygamy Assistance Act. It would set up a collaborative effort between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to combat "broad patterns" of polygamy-related crimes. The bill also would create grants...

The Democratic National Committee is actively working to foil the campaign to ban same-sex "marriage" in California. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) contributed $25,000 on February 28 to Equality for All for the purpose of opposing the proposed California marriage protection amendment known as Proposition 8. Equality for All is a homosexual group that pledges to defeat Prop 8 "one voter at a time." According to the group, "a loss in November will dramatically slow, if not halt, progress toward full equality for LGBT Americans." Matt Barber, director of cultural affairs with Liberty Counsel, argues that the DNC is slipping...

The state Supreme Court in California is allowing voters this November to consider a plan to define marriage as one man and one woman, a move that could overturn that same court's ruling in May that same-sex duos should be recognized as "married." Jennifer Kerns, communications director for Protect Marriage.com, which collected more than 1.1 million signatures on petitions in support of the vote, confirmed that the high court today simply dismissed the pending challenge to having Proposition 8 on the ballot. "Obviously, the Supreme Court decision delivers a significant blow to our opponents," she told WND. "It does send...

SAN FRANCISCO – The California Supreme Court refused Wednesday to take up a case by gay rights advocates that sought to keep a same-sex marriage ban off the November ballot. The justices' unanimous decision to reject the petition means that barring further legal action, voters will consider a constitutional amendment that would again limit marriage in California to a union between a man and a woman. If it passes, the amendment, known as Proposition 8, would overrule the Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage in the state as of June 16. “This was a frivolous lawsuit. It was a...

SAN FRANCISCO -- The state Supreme Court refused today to remove a proposed ban on same-sex marriage from the November ballot. The initiative, Proposition 8, is a state constitutional amendment that would overturn the court's May 15 ruling allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry in California. Gay-rights advocates sued June 19 to block a vote on Prop. 8, arguing that the measure would destroy fundamental rights that can't legally be abolished by an initiative.

The irony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormons) wading into California’s same-sex marriage debate is too delicious to ignore. Earlier this week, the church sent a letter signed by its president, Thomas B. Monson, to all Mormon bishops in California. The document refers to the California Marriage Protection Act on the November 4 ballot, a state constitutional amendment that would prohibit the legal recognition of same-sex unions so recently won by a California Supreme Court decision. The letter is to be read aloud during June 29 services. In part, it states, “We ask that...

A famous Chinese proverb teaches that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. For Meg Sneed, a 25-year-old Arizona lesbian, journeys to change a thousand hearts begin with a single thought: There's power in sharing personal stories. In 2006, she and other young activists in Soulforce, a gay rights group devoted to the kind of peaceful confrontation practiced by Gandhi and the Rev. Martin Luther King, traveled eight weeks by bus to evangelical colleges to share what it's like to be gay. The next year, Sneed, who was fighting cancer, was weak from chemotherapy but walked...

"I just believe, frankly, in the sanctity and unique status of marriage between man and woman. That's what I believe. And that's what I support. And that's what I will fight for."

In a press release issued last week, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union and Equality California claimed that a November ballot initiative that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman is unconstitutional. The four groups filed a petition with the state Supreme Court on June 20, asking it to remove the initiative from the ballot because, “the rules for revising the California Constitution were not properly followed.” [[Volokh062808.jpg]]The argument of the four groups against the initiative turns on the distinction in constitutional law between an amendment and a...

U.S. Senator John McCain yesterday declared his support for the California Protection of Marriage initiative on the state's November ballot, leaders of the ProtectMarriage.com campaign announced. In an email received by the ProtectMarriage.com campaign, Senator McCain issued the following statement: "I support the efforts of the people of California to recognize marriage as a unique institution between a man and a woman, just as we did in my home state of Arizona. I do not believe judges should be making these decisions." Commenting on the endorsement of Senator McCain, ProtectMarriage.com Chairman Ron Prentice said, "We are honored to have the...

(CNSNews.com) - Four organizations "dedicated to protecting the civil rights of gay and lesbian people" have filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent Californians from voting on an amendment to the California constitution that would define marriage as a one-man, one-woman union. The suit, which was filed Friday on behalf of three voters and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union and Equality California, argues that "the rules for revising the California Constitution were not properly followed." "For good reason, there's a strict process for making revisions to our Constitution, and it's more involved than...

Contact: Frank Schubert, ProtectMarriage.com, 916-849-6627SACRAMENTO, June 21 /Christian Newswire/ -- Opponents of the California Marriage Amendment, which would restore marriage in California as only a man and a woman, filed a petition today asking the California Supreme Court to remove the proposed initiative from the November ballot, thereby silencing voters on this important issue.Based on the recent California Supreme Court's ruling that led to the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex partners this week, today's lawsuit contends that restoring the definition of marriage in the State Constitution cannot be legally accomplished by voter initiative, but rather must be passed through a...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Gay-rights advocates asked the California Supreme Court on Friday to remove a proposed state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage from the November ballot, saying it would destroy fundamental rights that cannot be legally altered by a voter initiative. The suit was filed by organizations representing gay and lesbian couples in the case that led to the court's May 15 ruling striking down the state law that excluded them from marriage - a ruling that the Nov. 4 initiative would reverse. Like one of the laws that the court overturned, the initiative declares that "only a marriage between...

On November's ballot in CA we will have two very important propositions. The Marriage Amendment and Sarah's Law which is a parental notification law. Please, please, please view this 60 second video and pass it on to everyone you know. Please go to www.FriendsOfSarah.com for more information. Also see National Organization for Marriage California

SAN FRANCISCO (BP)--If the major homosexual activist groups have their way, there won't be and outbreak of "gay marriage" lawsuits nationwide now that California has legalized such unions--at least not yet. Nine of the nation's largest homosexual activist organizations have issued a joint six-page statement urging couples not to sue in their home states or in federal court. The reason? Losses in such lawsuits could set the "gay marriage" movement back for years.

Today, California same-sex couples are rushing to the altar. But this November, California voters will have their chance to say “I do� or “I do not� to gay marriage. In the meantime, what have we learned about what gay marriage will mean for gays, for marriage, and for the wider society? In just the last few months, a newly confident same-sex-marriage movement is becoming more open and revealing about the answers. The New York Times, of all places, gave us a glimpse in its front-page story this past Sunday, “Gay Couples Find Marriage Is a Mixed Bag.� What can we...

Amends the California Constitution to provide that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: The measure would have no fiscal effect on state or local governments. This is because there would be no change to the manner in which marriages are currently recognized by the state. (Initiative 07-0068.) -- Qualified: 06/02/08 Signatures Required: 694,354 Title: This measure shall be known and may be cited as the "California Marriage Protection Act."

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California's Secretary of State says an initiative that would again outlaw gay marriage in the state has qualified for the November ballot. Debra Bowen says a random check of signatures submitted by the measure's sponsors showed that they had gathered enough for it to be put to voters. The measure would amend the state constitution to define marriage as a union "between a man and a woman." It would overturn the recent California Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in the state if it is approved by a majority of voters on Nov. 4. California...

Madison - A Dane County judge upheld Wisconsin's constitutional ban on gay marriage and substantially similar legal relationships on Friday, saying the amendment was properly presented to voters in a November 2006 statewide referendum. http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=756911

Just before and just after California's Feb. 5 presidential primary election, polls of voters indicated that Sen. John McCain would have a fighting chance to recapture a state that Republican presidential candidates had owned for decades after World War II, only to see it taken away by Democrat Bill Clinton in 1992. McCain trailed Democratic Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton by single digits in the January and February polls. As he locked down the GOP nomination, he visited the state frequently, both for fundraising and public appearances, and vowed to mount a full-fledged campaign here. "There are 53...

San Francisco, CA (AP) -- More than half of California residents would support amending the state constitution to outlaw gay marriage, according to a new poll published Friday. The Los Angeles Times/KTLA poll of 834 Californians, 705 of them registered voters, found that 54 percent of the voters surveyed backed a gay marriage ban proposed for the November ballot and 35 percent opposed it. The ballot initiative follows a May 15 ruling by the state Supreme Court legalizing same-sex nuptials. But with so many months to go before the election and the court's decision only a week old, the survey...