Maine Update | NOM Blog

NOM Marriage News.

Dear Friends of Marriage,

Everyone keeps asking me about Maine.

Here's the great news: StandforMarriageMaine.com (the Yes on One folks) have a new campaign ad so effective that National Public Radio doesn't want you to see it!

It's an ad featuring an NPR news interview from 2004 with a pro-gay marriage Massachusetts public school teacher. In the interview, the teacher describes in great (and warning: occasionally graphic) detail how her teaching changed once gay marriage became the law. "Give me a break" she says, "it's legal now."

The marketing department has issued a "cease and desist" order claiming copyright infringement. They are trying to get the ad off YouTube and off the air. Wow. Raw censorship--and by a news organization.

Must be a really great ad, I say!

Why is NPR trying to censor this ad?

Because it's an inconvenient truth. Truth, not truthiness. When gay marriage becomes the law of the land, of course public schools will teach about it. They will teach it as civil rights triumph, as the incarnation of our commitment to equality and diversity. And Maine parents will have no right to protect their children from this government instruction.

And here's more good news: as Mainers come to realize that gay marriage has real consequences, they are moving strongly in the direction of protecting marriage.

You can understand why NPR feels that has to be stopped somehow!

Dana Davis Rehm, executive vice president of marketing, communications and external relations for NPR, tried to justify this unwarranted intrusion of an alleged news organization into a political campaign to shut down information. "The use of the ('All Things Considered') story was a very central piece of the ad," Rehm said Tuesday to the Portland Press-Herald. "It wasn't a small quote, or a quote among a series of quotes, as often would appear in a fair-use situation."

You have to use a series of quotes or it's not fair use? Really Dana? Is this the best NPR can do?

It is an extraordinary moment when a news organization openly acts to interfere with a political campaign.

But truth cannot be stopped by such paltry and obvious lies and evasions. The people of Maine are learning the truth about gay marriage-gay marriage has consequences.

So a new published poll shows the race a dead heat 48 to 48 percent.

As the Baptist Press put it, "The survey is good news for Question 1 supporters, who were outraised 2-to-1 through September and trailed by 9 points in a poll conducted Sept. 30-Oct. 7. Both surveys used identical polling language -- the same language that will be found on the Nov. 3 ballot."

But for those of us who are veterans in the marriage wars, the news is even better than the Baptist Press thinks. Consider the California experience. The last published poll before the election, conducted by The Field Poll, showed Prop 8 going down to defeat with just 44 percent in favor to 47 percent opposed. And yet when Californians voted, marriage won! A majority of Californians (52% to 48%) voted to protect the traditional understanding of marriage and oppose gay marriage.

In other words, in Maine, we are at least four points ahead of where we were at this time in the California battle. Take heart, take renewed courage for the battle from this news: this fight can be won with your help -- and God's.

Pastor Jim Garlow, who led the California Pastors Rapid Response team in the Prop 8 battle, has organized a nationwide campaign of prayer and fasting for victory for marriage in Maine. Not just prayer mind you -- prayer and fasting. Some Catholics in Maine are hosting 9 days of Novena for victory. Pray for victory. Pray and fast.

And get to work!

It's a close race. Every vote counts. If you know someone in Maine call them up, email them, ask them to volunteer (www.standformarriagemaine.com). The gay marriage lobby in Maine has more than 30 paid staffers, a lot of them imported form California to try to turn their people out. We have you!

If you are in Maine go volunteer -- and get five of your friends too

The other thing Maine needs is your financial support, if you can afford it in these tough times. Don't give money to NOM today -- Give it to Maine. Give $100 today to Maine. Give $1 today to Maine. Give for marriage, give for victory, we can win this fight! Tomorrow I will let you in on other exciting NOM news from New York, New Jersey and other great battles. Today I am asking you to let those NPR marketing folks know what you think about their pathetic attempt to censors of the truth! Make a donation to StandFormarriageMaine.com right now!

I thank God once again for the privilege of standing with you in this great battle of our times.

Truth and love will prevail over lies and hate--when good people like you stand up with grace, love and courage under fire and fight back--and then together our voices and our values will be heard!

In His name,

Brian Brown Brian S. Brown
Executive Director
National Organization for Marriage
20 Nassau Street, Suite 242
Princeton, NJ 08542
bbrown@nationformarriage.org

16 Comments

Tim Novinger

Posted October 27, 2009 at 11:41 am | Permalink

The full interview is freely available on NPR's website. Requesting a cease and desist of usage of the interview is fully legal considering it's copyright infringement.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3915906

This does not make it censorship. The folks up in Maine should have gone about things the correct and legal way if they wanted to make use of that interview. Actual censorship would have included NPR removing the interview from its own site as well, which it CLEARLY DID NOT.

This is just an attempt to strike uneducated fear into the Maine public. The ad didn't even provide actual details on what is being taught that they have such an issue with.

It was simply "they're teaching gay marriage and answering student's questions, use your own imagination to conjure up the worst possible mental image of what that could be".

That just leads to biased and illogical fear. EDUCATE the public before instilling fear in them will you?
Adam

Posted October 27, 2009 at 4:58 pm | Permalink

I think its amazing that the race is dead even. Money doesn't buy an election, but it helps run ads and pays for support. It would be a big big big win for Maine if traditional marriage wins at the ballot box. Truly it would represent the people's interests and not the money considering the gay proponents more than doubled the pro marriage group.
Kevin

Posted October 28, 2009 at 9:23 am | Permalink

I think it's great that so many more Mainers decided to give to support marriage equality rather than marriage discrimination. Let's hope the votes reflect all the money Maine citizens gave in support of marriage equality!
Adam

Posted October 28, 2009 at 1:45 pm | Permalink

Actually if you look at the reports. The gay folks are gettng more support from out of state than traditional marriage folks. Gays brought in so much support its almost like the moved SF to Maine. Meanwhile the Traditional marriage folks have had to rely on small donations from everyday people living in Mainel
Raynd

Posted October 28, 2009 at 8:13 pm | Permalink

Swastikas Painted On 'Yes on One' Signs

PORTLAND - "Yes on One" political signs from Portland to Biddeford have been vandalized. The signs, advocating the repeal of a law legalizing gay marriage in Maine, are being defaced with spray-painted depictions of a cross, an equals sign, and a swastika, likening religious opposition to gay marriage to Nazism.

In a statement regarding the vandalism, Scott Fish, spokesman for the Yes on One campaign, said: "Given the consistent awful rhetoric of the No on One campaign, it is no surprise their supporters are acting in awful ways."

http://www.myfoxmaine.com/dpp/news/20091028_swastikas_painted_on_yes_on_one_signs
Kevinn

Posted October 28, 2009 at 10:09 pm | Permalink

Adam,

Individual contributions by supporters of marriage equality in Maine outnumber individual contributions by marriage discriminators by an order of magnitude. Since NOM refuses to divulge where its money comes from, in violation of the law, we can't know where NOM gets its money.
George Lee

Posted October 28, 2009 at 11:40 pm | Permalink

I remember they tried that swastika stuff in California too. They painted swastikas on houses of people who supported proposition 8 and the natural family. It's a sign of their intolerance for other's beliefs. Homosexuality is not a good basis for special rights above the rights of others.
Adam

Posted October 29, 2009 at 11:41 am | Permalink

Agreed George, Whoever did that shows intolerance. Maybe we need a hate crimes bill for traditional marriage proponents or something.
Melbourne

Posted October 29, 2009 at 7:44 pm | Permalink

Great article. Thank you.
Kevin

Posted October 30, 2009 at 8:41 am | Permalink

Homosexuals aren't asking for special rights, just equal rights. Homosexuals are asking for the right to marry, which heterosexuals already have.
Amy

Posted October 30, 2009 at 12:47 pm | Permalink

there is no right to marry. If there were, you would not be able to restrict anyone from marrying.
Kevin

Posted October 30, 2009 at 3:44 pm | Permalink

Amy,

Yes there is a right to marry. The US Supreme has already stated so, in its 1967 decision, Loving v. Virginia.

And even if there weren’t a right to marry, the state can’t offer rights and privileges to some citizens, and not others, without justification. There’s no justification that appears to be impressing courts, who decide what’s legal and what’s unconstitutional.
Samantha

Posted October 30, 2009 at 3:52 pm | Permalink

Kevin, Loving v. Virginia is not ubiquitous in interpretation. The right to marry indiscriminately is something you have spun from thin air.

There are plenty of courts who have stated that there are justifications for placing limitations on the institution of marriage. In previous conversations in these threads I see that you have tried to answer to the social concerns and failed. You're being disingenuous if you cannot now recall those very poignant points.
Kevin

Posted October 30, 2009 at 9:16 pm | Permalink

Samantha,

Any limitations on marriage have to be legally justified. That's why discriminatory marriage statutes are being found unconstitutional.
Amy

Posted October 31, 2009 at 1:06 pm | Permalink

Kevin, if you're going to weigh court decisions, only a few activist courts have discovered the "right to marry anyone you choose regardless of the consequences to family, children and society...etc" newly found right that never before existed. You're going to have to do better than that. It's a contested issue to be certain but by sheer numbers, many more courts have found in favor of the marriage/child relationship than not. Children have the right to a mom and dad. Any rights you have to live the way you choose can't supersede the right of children to be raised by their parents.
Jennifer H.

Posted October 31, 2009 at 1:10 pm | Permalink

Neutering marriage is just one more nail in the coffin for societal decline. Saying it can't be worse than rampant divorce is seriously exactly what people have been saying. Not only is SSM not good for society, it actually hurts society. There's nothing equal about neutering the future of marriage.