Posted on 06/29/2003 8:56:49 PM PDT by Antoninus
Poll Finds that Most Americans Support a Constitutional Amendment to Defend Marriage
Communities of Color Lead the Way In Support for a Federal Marriage Amendment on a Day When Marriage Goes On Trial in the Massachusetts Courts
WASHINGTON, DC A national Wirthlin poll released March 4, 2003 by the Alliance for Marriage shows that a majority of Americans favor a constitutional amendment to protect marriage as the union of a man and a woman from lawsuits being filed by activist lawyers in courts across the country.
The release of these findings comes on a day when the state supreme court of Massachusetts will hear oral argument in Goodridge v. MA Dept of Health a case that activist lawyers intend to use as a foundation for "constitutional" challenges to all of America's marriage laws. For example, the Boston Bar Association has openly called for "federal constitutional claims" to be brought against all state and federal marriage laws in the aftermath of a victory in this case.
One of the most important findings of this new Wirthlin poll is that overwhelming numbers of Hispanics (63%) and African-Americans (62%) support a constitutional amendment to protect marriage from such lawsuits. This is ironic since most of the legal arguments in the Goodridge case and similar suits filed in New Jersey and Indiana are based upon comparisons between the marriage laws of contemporary America and racist laws enforcing legal segregation and discrimination in the South.
In addition, working class and low income Americans (63%) are also among some of the strongest supporters of a constitutional amendment to protect marriage.
The findings of this national Wirthlin poll have a margin of error of 3.1% and are based upon a survey of 1,000 American adults conducted last month by Wirthlin Worldwide.
The Alliance for Marriage is a non-partisan, multicultural coalition whose Board of Advisors includes Rev. Walter Fauntroy the former DC Delegate who organized the March on Washington for Martin Luther King Jr. -- as well as other civil rights and religious leaders, and national legal experts.
"Temporary 1% income tax on only millionaires."
Yeah. Heard all the b4. Once you let them get in the door, they'll take it over.
The government is worse than the mob.
Of course I really think this is a real issue. The Federal Marriage Amendment has already been introduced in the House and the Senate Majority Leader has endorsed its introduction in the Senate. Do you think either 145 representatives or 34 senators will vote against the motions? [DOMA passed 85-15 and 342-67]
Once it clears the Senate, it will require only one member of each State legislative chamber to present for ratification. At that point, every legislator will have to go on record in some fashion or another either in support or opposition to gay marriage. I've counted at least 23-26 States that are likely to ratify in the very next session, with a minimal amount of political pressure.
The FMA advocates will need focus their funds & energy on but a dozen or so States to bring about ratification within the next seven years. If the fail to do so under the current composition of those legislatures, they will no doubt make it the central issue in the following election. Based on the Vermont precedent, the likelihood that this issue could turn over any recalcitrant legislatures is quite strong.
Meanwhile, there's an excellent chance either Massachusetts or New Jersey will legalize same-sex marriage and spark a nationwide 50-state court battle as well as throw FMA supporters into hyperdrive. That's aside from the liberal media furor & gay family sob stories & whatever. There will be a race between FMA and an eventual SCOTUS ruling (which would be irrelevant, anyhow).
The likelihood that the FMA will not come into force is exceedingly slim in my view unless the Dems decide they will stand or fall on this issue & halt its passage in the Senate. I'm not holding my breath. The only other possibility is if GWB [meaning Rove] intervenes with the House leadership to kill this proposal.
BTW, I think Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, and Minnesota will prove pivotal to the success or failure of the movement.
I'd stop looking at the DOMA states because most of those statutes were either already on the books before 1996 or placed there by ballot initiative. It's misleading and you cannot ratify a U.S. Constitution amendment by initiative.
First and foremost this is NOT petty... it is critical in this day and age that we RE-AFFIRM our MORAL foundation. I AGREE with those opponents who are concerned that the U.S. Constitution should not have to be this SPECIFIC, ....HOWEVER, our JUSTICE system has failed us miserably... by equating a union of two people of the same sex to MARIAGE....
this is a HUGE step in destroying the MORAL foundation of our laws.
I believe that by NOT passing this ammendment the effect will be exactly what some opponenets fear will occur if we DO pass it......
IMHO, it will encourage leftists to try to put their own crap into our laws using the judiciary, and taking advantage of its failure to ensure decisions are grounded in MORALITY........
This Ammendment will send the message LOUD AND CLEAR to our JUDICIARY that we WANT them to make decisions that are grounded in MORALITY and if they don't know what that is then WE THE PEOPLE will have to explain it to them in the CONSTITUTION!!!
Sponsor:
Rep Musgrave, Marilyn N. [R-CO-4]
(introduced 5/21/2003) Cosponsors: 95 Latest Major Action: 6/25/2003 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COSPONSORS(95), BY DATE [order is left to right]: (Sort: alphabetical order) Rep Hall, Ralph M. - 5/21/2003 [D-TX-4] Rep McIntyre, Mike - 5/21/2003 [D-NC-7] Rep Peterson, Collin C. - 5/21/2003 [D-MN-7] Rep Davis, Jo Ann - 5/21/2003 [R- VA-1] Rep Vitter, David - 5/21/2003 [R- LA-1] Rep Pitts, Joseph R. - 6/2/2003 [R- PA-16] Rep Bartlett, Roscoe G. - 6/2/2003 [R- MD-6] Rep Goode, Virgil H., Jr. - 6/2/2003 [R- VA-5] Rep Wilson, Joe - 6/2/2003 [R- SC-2] Rep Weldon, Dave - 6/2/2003 [R- FL-15] Rep Pence, Mike - 6/10/2003 [R- IN-6] Rep Istook, Ernest J., Jr. - 6/10/2003 [R- OK-5] Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. - 6/10/2003 [R- NC-3] Rep Ryun, Jim - 6/10/2003 [R- KS-2] Rep Johnson, Sam - 6/10/2003 [R- TX-3] Rep DeMint, Jim - 6/10/2003 [R- SC-4] Rep Akin, W. Todd - 6/10/2003 [R- MO-2] Rep Burgess, Michael C. - 6/10/2003 [R- TX-26] Rep Norwood, Charlie - 6/10/2003 [R- GA-9] Rep King, Steve - 6/24/2003 [R- IA-5] Rep Isakson, Johnny - 6/24/2003 [R- GA-6] Rep Souder, Mark E. - 6/24/2003 [R- IN-3] Rep Kennedy, Mark R. - 6/24/2003 [R- MN-6] Rep Miller, Jeff - 6/25/2003 [R- FL-1] Rep Lewis, Ron - 6/25/2003 [R- KY-2] Rep Hayes, Robin - 7/8/2003 [R- NC-8] Rep Barrett, J. Gresham - 7/8/2003 [R- SC-3] Rep Burns, Max - 7/8/2003 [R- GA-12] Rep Collins, Mac - 7/8/2003 [R- GA-8] Rep Rogers, Mike D. - 7/8/2003 [R- AL-3] Rep Wamp, Zach - 7/8/2003 [R- TN-3] Rep Stenholm, Charles W. - 7/8/2003 [D-TX-17] Rep Hoekstra, Peter - 7/10/2003 [R- MI-2] Rep Brady, Kevin - 7/10/2003 [R- TX-8] Rep Whitfield, Ed - 7/10/2003 [R- KY-1] Rep Hunter, Duncan - 7/10/2003 [R- CA-52] Rep Doolittle, John T. - 7/10/2003 [R- CA-4] Rep Brown, Henry E., Jr. - 7/10/2003 [R- SC-1] Rep Cantor, Eric - 7/10/2003 [R- VA-7] Rep Gingrey, Phil - 7/15/2003 [GA-11] Rep Davis, Lincoln - 7/15/2003 [D-TN-4] Rep Pickering, Charles W. (Chip) - 7/15/2003 [R- MS-3] Rep Wicker, Roger F. - 7/15/2003 [R- MS-1] Rep Taylor, Gene - 7/17/2003 [D-MS-4] Rep Herger, Wally - 7/17/2003 [R- CA-2] Rep Sullivan, John - 7/22/2003 [R- OK-1] Rep Garrett, Scott - 7/22/2003 [R- NJ-5] Rep Tauzin, W. J. (Billy) - 7/22/2003 [R- LA-3] Rep Cubin, Barbara - 7/22/2003 [R- WY] Rep Forbes, J. Randy - 7/23/2003 [R- VA-4] Rep Smith, Christopher H. - 7/23/2003 [R- NJ-4] Rep Schrock, Edward L. - 7/23/2003 [R- VA-2] Rep Pombo, Richard W. - 7/23/2003 [R- CA-11] Rep Hayworth, J. D. - 7/23/2003 [R- AZ-5] Rep Stearns, Cliff - 7/23/2003 [R- FL-6] Rep Cunningham, Randy (Duke) - 7/23/2003 [R- CA-50] Rep Pearce, Stevan - 7/23/2003 [R- NM-2] Rep Hyde, Henry J. - 7/23/2003 [R- IL-6] Rep Barton, Joe - 7/23/2003 [R- TX-6] Rep Boehner, John A. - 7/23/2003 [R- OH-8] Rep Gutknecht, Gil - 7/23/2003 [R- MN-1] Rep Peterson, John E. - 7/23/2003 [R- PA-5] Rep Tiahrt, Todd - 7/23/2003 [R- KS-4] Rep Franks, Trent - 7/23/2003 [R- AZ-2] Rep Carter, John R. - 7/24/2003 [R- TX-31] Rep Emerson, Jo Ann - 7/24/2003 [R- MO-8] Rep Chocola, Chris - 7/24/2003 [R- IN-2] Rep Rohrabacher, Dana - 7/24/2003 [R- CA-46] Rep Crane, Philip M. - 7/24/2003 [R- IL-8] Rep Shuster, Bill - 7/24/2003 [R- PA-9] Rep Sessions, Pete - 7/24/2003 [R- TX-32] Rep Beauprez, Bob - 7/24/2003 [R- CO-7] Rep Ballenger, Cass - 7/25/2003 [R- NC-10] Rep Myrick, Sue - 7/25/2003 [R- NC-9] Rep Toomey, Patrick J. - 7/25/2003 [R- PA-15] Rep Culberson, John Abney - 9/3/2003 [R-TX-7] Rep Manzullo, Donald A. - 9/3/2003 [R-IL-16] Rep Osborne, Tom - 9/3/2003 [R-NE-3] Rep Feeney, Tom - 9/3/2003 [R-FL-24] Rep Lucas, Ken - 9/3/2003 [D-KY-4] Rep Hart, Melissa A. - 9/3/2003 [R-PA-4] Rep Coble, Howard - 9/9/2003 [R-NC-6] Rep Calvert, Ken - 9/9/2003 [R-CA-44] Rep Turner, Michael R. - 9/9/2003 [R-OH-3] Rep Kingston, Jack - 9/10/2003 [R-GA-1] Rep Boozman, John - 9/10/2003 [R-AR-3] Rep Goodlatte, Bob - 9/24/2003 [R-VA-6] Rep Alexander, Rodney - 9/24/2003 [D-LA-5] Rep Tancredo, Thomas G. - 9/24/2003 [R-CO-6] Rep Bachus, Spencer - 9/30/2003 [R-AL-6] Rep McCotter, Thaddeus G. - 9/30/2003 [R-MI-11] Rep Rogers, Harold - 10/7/2003 [R-KY-5] Rep Flake, Jeff - 10/7/2003 [R-AZ-6] Rep Miller, Gary G. - 10/8/2003 [R-CA-42] Rep Aderholt, Robert B. - 10/8/2003 [R-AL-4]
**** ACTION ALERT *****
**** If your Congresscritter is listed please call to THANK them..... if they are not please call/fax/write/email and ask them to please co-sponsor this bill...
Bush supports traditional marriage definition in issuing Marriage Protection proclamation
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