Posted on 05/30/2005 8:19:45 PM PDT by texasleslie
Alliance for Marriage Recognizes 13 Senators With “Defender of Marriage” Award
Rudy Takala
The American Eagle News And Economic Report May 27,2005
Pine City, MN Last May 19th, the Alliance for Marriage (AFM) recognized thirteen senators with their first annual “Defender of Marriage” Award.
The award was given to both Republican and Democratic senators who voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2004, including Senators Allard (R-CO), Bunning (R-KY), Burns (R-MT), Byrd (D-WV), Brownback (R-KS), Cornyn (R-TX), Frist (R-TN), Inhofe (R-OK), Lott (R-MS), Santorum (R-PA), Sen. Enzi (D-WY), Hatch (R-UT), and Smith (R-OR). Ultimately, the amendment failed by a vote of fifty to forty-eight. However, supporters say it allowed Senators to register their position on the issue prior to the election.
The amendment defined marriage as consisting “only of the union of a man and a woman,” and would have prohibited any state or federal legislation from contradicting that statement. To go into effect as a Constitutional amendment, it would take a two-thirds vote from both houses of Congress.
While the Senate did not pass the marriage amendment, many states passed similar ones in the 2004 elections. All of the thirteen states that offered voters the chance to vote on constitutional marriage amendments passed them.
The award, however, has come at a time of escalating conflict over the controversial issue. Twenty-one more states are expected to vote on state marriage amendments in 2005 or 2006. Kansas passed its own amendment last month. Currently, eighteen states have marriage amendments on the books.
Republicans say an amendment to the U.S. Constitution is necessary to ensure the legal status quo of marriage. In a press conference that President Bush held back in 2004 to support the Federal Marriage Amendment, he stated, “If we are to prevent the meaning of marriage from being changed forever, our nation must enact a constitutional amendment to protect marriage in America.”
A Gallup poll released on May 16 suggests significant support for such measures. According to the study conducted from May 2 to 5, 44% of Americans view homosexual relations as morally acceptable while 52% view them as morally wrong.
The latest state to witness a movement on the issue has been Arizona. A petition drive was filed on May 16th to get an initiative on the general election ballot in 2006. The proposal, being spearheaded by the Center for Arizona Policy, will require about 184,000 signatures by July 6, 2006, to be successful.
ping
Ping to self - I better start pinging my lists tomorrow or hang my head in shame.
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