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Monthly Archives: July 2011

In Iowa Bachmann Speaks About Parents' Divorce, God's Role in Her Life

July 20, 2011 – 11:00 am

Did you know she was a child of divorce? We didn't either. There's hope for a strong and happy marriage:

In one of the first appearances by a 2012 Republican presidential candidate at a church service, Minnesota U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann opened up about her personal life Sunday and shared how her parents’ divorce, losing a child through miscarriage and finding God impacted her life.

Speaking to more than 500 people at the Des Moines First Assembly of God church, Bachmann shared how she grew up as a Lutheran and lived in Waterloo until the sixth grade, when she was 12. But a year after the family moved, her parents divorced. Her mother sold everything including the family home and all of the wedding gifts, and got a job in an attempt to support her daughter and three sons.

... Richard Jess, 61, of Des Moines, said he’s a political independent but there’s a good chance he’ll participate in the Feb. 6 Republican caucuses. He called Bachmann’s speech “very uplifting” and said he is impressed when someone has faith to trust in God and turn our country around.

“Of course being in a church setting, there was nothing political about it. She was simply speaking from the heart and how she felt,” Jess said. “I think she speaks the truth. In the time that I will take to evaluate all of the candidates, she will be a very serious candidate for me.”

Listen to Bachmann's speech
here
(MP3 file). -- IowaPolitics.com

By NOM Staff | Posted in Divorce, Election Watch 2012, Marriage, Marriage Election Watch | Comments (7)

New Quinnipiac Poll: Majority Does NOT Support SSM

July 20, 2011 – 10:00 am

The latest Quinnipiac poll:

Would you support or oppose a law in your state that would allow same-sex couples to get married?
Oppose: 48%
Support: 46%
Don't Know/NA: 6%

Among Republicans:
Oppose: 72%
Support: 24%
Don't Know/NA: 4%

By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture, Poll, Polling, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (17)

UK Judge Says Divorce and Cohabitation are Hurting Children

July 20, 2011 – 9:00 am

Via MercatorNet:

On the day official figures showed that nearly half of all babies are now born to unmarried mothers, Sir Paul blamed family break-up on social changes including the shift in attitudes towards cohabitation and increasing numbers of children born outside marriage.

He said that 50 years ago 'on the whole cohabitation was regarded as something you didn't do, to have a child outside marriage, so that created a framework that stopped very much breakdown.

'We've had a cultural revolution in sexual morality and sexual behaviour,' the judge said. 'We need to have a reasonable debate about it and decide what needs to be done – and I don't mean Government,' he said. 'They didn't cause the problem.

... It was statistically proven parents were far more likely to stay together until their children's 16th birthday if they were married, he said.

Official figures suggest that an average marriage lasts around 11 years, but a cohabitation is likely to break up in three if the partners do not marry.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Children, Culture, Divorce, Marriage, United Kingdom | Comments (3)

Marriage Rallies Across New York this Sunday - Join Us!

July 19, 2011 – 10:50 pm

Dear Marriage Supporter,

If you live in—or anywhere near—New York, I hope you'll bring the whole family out to join us this Sunday afternoon at 3pm. With simultaneous rallies in Buffalo, Rochester, Albany and Manhattan, we'll put Governor Cuomo and the political establishment on notice that the same-sex marriage debate is far from over.

Visit LetThePeopleVote.com for all the latest details!

It's time to start changing the way things are done in Albany. And the only way to change Albany is by changing personnel. It's time to throw out politicians who lie to their constituents. Throw out politicians who will use any means to force a political victory. And throw out politicians who care more about lining their pockets with campaign contributions from gay millionaires than about listening to the voices of everyday voters like you and me.

We've already met the first victims of this new gay marriage regime. Town clerks, charged with a duty to issue and record marriage licenses, are faced with a stark choice: give up stable employment in the midst of a troubled job market, or give up their religious convictions about marriage.

Two clerks have already resigned; others have been warned that failure to comply with the new law could land them in jail.

Who will the next victims be? A wedding photographer or owner of a reception hall? Parents of public school children who object to curriculum changes this fall? How long before the new law impacts you and your family?

The answer from Albany is clear: We couldn't care less.

It's that simple. If more Albany politicians actually cared about protecting religious liberty, they would have called out the bill's language as the fig leaf that it was. If they actually cared about empowering their constituents, they would have voted to give all New Yorkers a voice in deciding the future of marriage.

And so, this Sunday, as the same-sex marriage law goes into effect, I urge you to join us as we launch a 4-year campaign to “Let the People Vote!”

You can join us at any one of the following locations, beginning at 3:00 p.m.:

Albany
West Capitol Park
South Swan St. and State St.
Rochester
Liberty Pole
East Ave, and East Main St.
Buffalo
Buffalo City Hall
65 Niagara Sq # 201
Manhattan
633 3rd Ave.

Please visit LetThePeopleVote.com for directions and all the latest rally information. And while you're there, I hope you'll take a moment to RSVP, spread the word, and download signs and flyers.

I hope to see you on Sunday!

Brian Brown

Faithfully,

Brian Brown

Brian S. Brown
President
National Organization for Marriage

P.S.: Even if you can't make it to New York on Sunday, you can stand with the people of New York by making a gift of $25, $50, or even $100 or more at www.LetThePeopleVote.com.

By Brian Brown | Posted in Let The People Vote, New York | Comments (16)

Urgent: Please Attend DOMA Hearing Tomorrow!

July 19, 2011 – 9:47 pm

Tomorrow morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on Senate Bill 598, Senator Feinstein's "Respect for Marriage Act." Contrary to its misleading name, S.598 would abolish federal protections for marriage and repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Overwhelmingly adopted by Congress in 1996, and signed into law by President Clinton, DOMA has been under increasing attacks in recent months, as bills in both the House and Senate seek to repeal the law, President Obama has openly advocated for its repeal, and earlier this year, the Obama administration announced that it would no longer defend the law in court.

On the docket to testify in defense of marriage are national experts including Ed Whelan of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, Tom Minnery from Focus on the Family, and Austin Nimocks from the Alliance Defense Fund.

Due to the large crowds expected, the hearing has been moved to Room 216 in the Hart Senate Office Building tomorrow morning, beginning at 9:45am. If you can possibly come, please do, and bring a friend to help fill the room with marriage supporters. You'll want to come early (no later than 8am) to be sure you get a seat.

Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on S.598
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at 9:45am
Hart Senate Office Building, Room 216
Constitution Avenue and 2nd Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002

By Brian Brown | Posted in Same Sex Marriage, Washington DC | Comments (13)

ADF Offers New Hope for Town Clerks: "Towns Should Have No Reason to Deny Accomodations for Religious Beliefs"

July 19, 2011 – 4:00 pm

ADF, which has offered to defend any town clerk from threats of to their job or criminal prosecution for conscientious objections to same-sex marriage, says town clerks do have legal recourse, because, with little effort, towns or cities can accommodate their religious belief and may be legally obligated to do so:

"Contrary to what some elected officials have indicated, those with sincerely held religious beliefs do not have to leave their faith at government's door," said the Rev. Jason McGuire, executive director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms.

McGuire points out that the Alliance Defense Fund, a national group supporting proactive expressions of faith, has issued a memo explaining clerks' rights. Employers must make "reasonable accommodation" for an employee's "sincerely held religious beliefs" under law, it says.

In this instance, the memo says, "because New York law explicitly allows a municipality to delegate a clerk's duties concerning marriage licenses to a deputy clerk or any other municipal employee, a city or town should have no reason to deny a clerk's request for an accommodation." --Albany Times Union

By NOM Staff | Posted in New York, Religious Liberty, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (37)

Video: Ruth Sheldon, a Conscientious Woman Driven Out of A Job Because Conscience Protections Were Not Provided

July 19, 2011 – 3:30 pm

CNY Central covers Ruth Sheldon's story:

More via the Syracuse Post-Standard:

“If I had to come to work every day with trepidation that somebody might come in asking for that kind of license, it would be very difficult to do my job,” she said. “And if I recommended that they go to another town or city clerk I would be opening myself up to discrimination, and it’s not my desire to discriminate against other people.”

Sheldon, a member of the Fulton Alliance Church, says she didn’t want to comment on whether same-sex marriage is a civil rights issue. “If you ask black people they will tell you that they don’t think it is a civil rights issue,” she said. “I don’t think it’s for me to say. I’m standing on the word of God.”

She said she is giving up a job she loves and a salary and health insurance package of $32,760 a year. She lives with her husband, Robert, a retired dairy farmer, and they will celebrate their 38th wedding anniversary next month. “I know how to live on a little and I know how to live in abundance, and if I have to live on a little then that will be it,” she said.

Granby Town Supervisor Ed Williamson said he respects Sheldon’s stance and accepted her resignation with regret.

By NOM Staff | Posted in New York, Religious Liberty, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (29)

Christian Innkeepers in Vermont Sued By SS Couple After Refusing to Host Their NY Wedding Reception

July 19, 2011 – 3:00 pm

In the AP:

Two New York women say a Vermont inn refused to host their wedding reception because of the owners' anti-gay bias. The couple is now suing, alleging discrimination under the state's public accommodations law.

Kate Baker and Ming Linsley say they were turned away by the Wildflower Inn, a 24-room inn in Lyndonville, when they told the inn the wedding would have two brides but no groom.

... The American Civil Liberties Union's Vermont chapter filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Caledonia Superior Court. It says the inn violated the state Fair Housing and Public Accommodations Act, which bars public accommodations from denying services to people based on sexual orientation.

By NOM Staff | Posted in New York, Religious Liberty, Same Sex Marriage, Vermont | Comments (66)

Senator Ruben Diaz: Let the People Vote!

July 19, 2011 – 2:30 pm

Sen. Diaz rallies the troops:

This Sunday a thousand people will demonstrate in midtown to let Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg know that even though the same-sex marriage law was approved by the legislature we will not be silenced!

In a city where teachers and public employees are being laid off, and fire houses are being closed for lack of funds, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has decided to spend city funds to have government offices open on a Sunday to perform same-sex weddings.

Having had this bad law passed, we should not retreat in fear the way the Apostles did in the days after the crucifixion and before the resurrected Christ came to reveal himself. Instead, we need to maintain the same drive that the Apostles had after the resurrected Lord filled them with the Spirit.

We have initiated a campaign requesting a referendum so that the 20 million citizens of New York State can vote on and decide whether or not they want same-sex marriage in New York or not.

Let the people vote!

By NOM Staff | Posted in Let The People Vote, New York, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (5)

Mark Grisanti Will Attend First SS Wedding at Rainbow-Lit Niagara Falls

July 19, 2011 – 2:00 pm

Via the gay news outlet The Advocate:

Buffalo residents Kitty Lambert and Cheryle Rudd plan to marry at midnight this Sunday in a ceremony billed as the first wedding under the new marriage equality law in New York.

Lambert and Rudd will marry at the stroke of midnight on Luna Island at the foot of Niagara Falls, a popular weddings destination which for the first time will be lit in the colors of the rainbow...

Special guests from the national and local scene will include Mark Grisanti, the Buffalo area senator who joined three other Republicans in his chamber to vote for the bill that Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law last month.

By NOM Staff | Posted in New York, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (2)

NY Daily News: NOM Targets "Benedict Arnolds" of the State Senate Who Voted for Gay Marriage

July 19, 2011 – 1:23 pm

The New York Daily News reports on our first salvo:

The National Organization for Marriage launched the first salvo this morning of its previously-promised $2 million campaign to defeat the seven state Senators who switched their votes to back same-sex marriage.

Mailings are being sent to homes in the district of each senator comparing the lawmaker to the legendary Revolutionary War traitor Benedict Arnold. The group claims it will spend $150,000 on the mailings.

“This is the first step in what will be a sustained, determined effort to make sure the constituents of these cowardly Senators know what they have done,” said Brian Brown, NOM’s president.

By NOM Staff | Posted in New York, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (3)

NOM Launches Mailers Into The Districts of Seven GOP and Democratic Senators Who Betrayed Voters on Marriage; $2 Million Pledge Being Fulfilled

July 19, 2011 – 1:15 pm

This is the first step in what will be a sustained, determined effort to make sure the constituents of these cowardly Senators know what they have done.” --Brian Brown, President of NOM

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today began making good on its pledge to spend at least $2 million leading to the defeat of the seven state Senators who were responsible for the imposition of same-sex marriage in New York. NOM announced today it was spending $150,000 on issue mailings into the districts of Republican Senators Mark Grisanti, Roy McDonald, James Alesi and Stephen Saland, and Democratic Senators Shirley Huntley, Joseph Addabbo and Carl Kruger.

click for full-size version

“This is the first step in what will be a sustained, determined effort to make sure the constituents of these cowardly Senators know what they have done,” said Brian Brown, NOM’s president. “They decided to ignore principle and their constituents in a calculated political flip-flop only after Governor Cuomo raised $1 million from Wall Street billionaires and hedge fund managers to support the legislation. Now, some of these same Senators are raising tens of thousands of dollars in campaign cash from gay marriage activists all around the country. It’s despicable.”

NOM’s mailers compare the senators to Benedict Arnold, another New Yorker from history who sold his principles for cash. Gen. Benedict Arnold received 6,000 British Pounds Sterling for plotting to surrender Fort West Point to the British.

The mailers also remind voters of key facts about the Senators. For example:

· Senator Mark Grisanti ran for office on a traditional marriage platform, and solicited and accepted a $4,000 campaign contribution from NOM.
· Senator James Alesi has said publicly, “It’s not our job to be moral.”
· Senator Carl Kruger, who is under indictment for allegedly taking $1 million in bribes in exchange for political favors, said of his vote, “What we are about to do is redefine what the American family is.”

“It is shameful that these state Senators flip-flopped on such a critical issue when they saw gay marriage backers raising millions from Wall Street,” Brown said. “It is the people on Main Street who should be able to vote on this issue, not billionaires on Wall Street. We will not rest until the people of New York have the right to vote on marriage just as voters in 31 other states have been able to do.”

NOM previously announced its support for “Let the People Vote,” a multi-denominational effort designed to put the marriage issue before voters in a constitutional amendment. NOM is helping organize four “Let the People Vote” rallies on July 24th, where thousands of traditional marriage supporters are expected to protest the imposition of same-sex marriage without a vote of the people.

By NOM Staff | Posted in New York, Press Releases, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (9)

New Archbishop of Philadelphia: Marriage is "The Issue Of Our Time"

July 19, 2011 – 12:48 pm

Today Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver was appointed to become the new Archbishop of Philadelphia. In a wide-ranging interview with the journalist John Allen, he is asked about his views on gay marriage:

This is the issue of our time. The church understands marriage as a unique relationship, with a unique definition, which is the faithful love of a man and a woman for each other, permanent, and for the sake of children. As children, if we don't know that our parents love one another, our lives are very unstable. That's why I think every child deserves a family where the father loves the mother, and the mother loves the father. For us to redefine marriage as anything else undermines that notion. I think it's very important that the church keep insisting on this.

It's also important to say that we're not against gay people. What we're doing here is promoting marriage and the meaning of marriage, not condemning others. The church does believe that human sexuality has a meaning in itself, that it's about love and procreation. Any other sexual relationship is contrary to the Gospel, and so a relationship between two people of the same sex is not in line with the teachings of the church and the teachings of the Gospel, and is therefore wrong. That said, we should always respect people who do things contrary to the Gospel. We live in a society where different ways of life are accepted by the general community, and it's important for us to live in a way that's not hostile to people.

We have a duty as Catholics, however, to speak clearly about God's plan for human happiness. Part of that plan is traditional, faithful, Catholic/Christian marriage.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Catholic Church, Pennsylvania, Religious Liberty, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (8)

Rudy Giuliani to GOP: Accept SSM, Even If It's Wrong!

July 19, 2011 – 12:00 pm

Really, Rudy?

Rudy Giuliani, always a critic of his party’s social agenda, urged Republicans to “move on” from social issues after New York State’s recent approval of gay marriage.

“I think that marriage should be between a man and woman, but I think that the Republican Party would be well advised to get the heck out of people's bedrooms and let these things get decided by states,” said the former New York mayor, who's considering another bid for the Republican presidential nomination, in an interview aired Sunday.

Giuliani said that he thinks the New York vote was “wrong,” but “there are other things that I think are wrong that get decided by democratic vote.” --Politico