NOM BLOG

Monthly Archives: July 2011

Maryland Catholics: "Maryland is Not New York"

From the newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore:

Responding to a newly launched effort to pass same-sex marriage in Maryland, the Maryland Catholic Conference issued a July 12 statement noting that the “successful coalition that upheld the time-honored definition of marriage in Maryland remains intact and will continue to be involved in upholding marriage in our state.”

... While same-sex marriage advocates pointed to the recent passage of gay marriage in New York as a model for Maryland, the MCC emphasized that “Maryland is not New York.”

“During the 2011 session, Maryland lawmakers chose not to redefine marriage because they listened to their Maryland constituents and stood by their deeply-held moral convictions,” the MCC statement said. “While the New York legislature may have taken a different course, they did so knowing the people of New York – unlike Maryland – have no recourse to taking a law redefining marriage to a statewide vote.”

Gov. Cuomo Admits to Vulnerable GOP Senators: I Can't Help You With Conservatives

LetThePeopleVote.comNow that Gov. Cuomo has gotten from the NY republican senators what he wanted (their support for same-sex marriage), he's admitting frankly to the New York Times how little he can actually help them stay in office:

Mr. Cuomo said he did not see a way to compromise with the Legislature over redistricting. The governor would like an independent commission to draw district lines, but he said any overhaul of the redistricting process was “all negative” for the Senate Republicans, because it threatened their majority.

... Mr. Cuomo, who shepherded the same-sex marriage bill through the Legislature, spoke glowingly of the four Republicans who provided the pivotal votes for it, pledging political support.

“The problem is, their threat now is from the Conservative Party,” Mr. Cuomo said. “I’m sort of the Antichrist to the Conservative Party. But anything I can do, I will do to help.”

The problem is, come election time for these NY republican senators who flip-flopped on marriage, glowing words from the Governor won't make up for the lack of endorsement from the Conservative Party.

Out of State & Downstate Gay Rights Donors Reward Sen. Grisanti for Betraying Buffalo Voters

LetThePeopleVote.comNY State Senator Mark Grisanti's campaign coffers are $50,000 richer since his June 24 flip-flop on marriage, according to the Buffalo News.

At least $42,000 of that comes from large downstate, out-of-state donations including....

$10,300 from New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who was a strong proponent of the new law, and $10,000 from Colorado resident Tim Gill, who heads a group that has promoted gay marriage laws here and in other states.

Other donors to Grisanti who have publicly backed gay marriage rights include $5,000 from Miami-area resident Jonathan Kislak, $2,000 from Carol Master of Massachusetts, $10,000 from Albany-area resident Frank Selvaggi and $5,000 from Manhattan real estate developer Donald Capoccia.

Video: Dan Savage Shocks Steven Colbert In Interview

Dan Savage shocks Steven Colbert into silence at one point in this interview. Colbert, of course, in his on-air persona has to play everything for laughs:

Related: "Why is America Taking Advice for Dan Savage, The Man Who Licked Doorknobs to Give His Enemies the Flu?"

Sponsor Who Thought IL Civil Unions Would Protect Religious Liberty Appalled By the Result

Let's remember this the next time gay rights groups promise religious liberty will be respected and protected:

State Senator David Koehler (D-Peoria), sponsor of this law, recently expressed his frustration that the legislative intent of the law, made explicit during Senate debates, is being violated.

Sen. Koehler made it abundantly clear during floor debates that the civil union law was intended to protect the rights of social service organizations, including adoption agencies, to carry out their duties in accordance with their faith.

When he learned that before the civil union law had even taken effect, homosexuals were challenging religious childcare agencies that prohibit the placement of children in the homes of homosexuals, Sen. Koehler proposed a religious exemption amendment to protect the rights of religious organizations involved with adoption and foster care and which receive state funds from being compelled to place children in the homes of homosexuals.

The amendment was defeated in the Senate Executive Committee. The irony in this is that our civil union law is titled the "Religious Freedom Protection Act and Civil Union Act."

...  in Senate discussions, the issue of the rights of religious social service organizations was specifically addressed and now, just a few months later, public policy groups are saying exactly the opposite of what the bill's sponsor said at the time the bill was passed. -- Illinois Family Institute

Why is America Taking Advice from Dan Savage, The Man Who Licked Doorknobs To Give His Enemies the Flu?

The mainstream media spends most of its time hyping sex columnist Dan Savage and his ideas about marriage, but is he really the best role model for the next generation? Joe Carter looks at Savage's self-admitted past:

If you haven’t already done so, add this regulation to your rules for living: Never take sex advice from a man who licks doorknobs. The reasoning—as if a reason needed to be given—is that a man who doesn’t understand the [purpose] of a doorknob isn’t likely to understand the [purpose] of sex. Unfortunately, many people seem to disagree with me, which is why Dan Savage has become one of the most influential sex-advice columnists in America.

... During the Republican primary in 2000, Savage traveled to Iowa and became a campaign volunteer for Gary Bauer. During the trip, Savage became sick—“I had the flu in a big way”—and decided to use his illness as a bioweapon against Bauer and his staff. He boasts:

I went from doorknob to doorknob. They were filthy, no doubt, but there wasn't time to find a rag to spit on. My immune system wasn't all it should be—I was in the grip of the worst flu I had ever had—but I was on a mission. If for some reason I didn't manage to get a pen from my mouth to Gary's hands, I wanted to seed his office with germs, get as many of his people sick as I could, and hopefully one of them would infect the candidate.

So, much as it pains me to confirm a hateful stereotype of gay men—we will put anything in our mouths— I started licking doorknobs. The front door, office doors, even a bathroom door. When that was done, I started in on the staplers, phones and computer keyboards. Then I stood in the kitchen and licked the rims of all the clean coffee cups drying in the rack. [emphasis in original]

Unfortunately, that is not the worst of Savage’s dirty tricks against his ideological enemies. You would quite literally retch if I were to describe the details of his crusade against former Senator Rick Santorum.

In the same article, Savage admits to lying about his residency in order to fraudulently vote in the Iowa primary. He was charged with a felony but pled guilty to a misdemeanor, making Savage a convicted liar and fraud.

Why bring these stories up?

What is most depressing is not Savage’s message—that is standard hedonist propaganda—but rather the respect he is given despite being an amoral cretin. Savage is no longer just a guy who writes for the weekly tabloids. Now he’s taken seriously by political leaders, business executives, actors, and pastors. His influence extends from Hollywood to the White House.

... Would the president want his daughters dating men influenced by Savage? Of course he wouldn’t; whatever else one might think of Barack Obama, he is a caring father. Unfortunately, he is not as concerned about other people’s children, who will be influenced by his tacit endorsement of Savage’s ethics.

Romney, Pawlenty, Gingrich & Huntsman Refuse to Sign Vander Plaats Vow

The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire blog:

Bob Vander Plaats, an influential Iowa conservative who unveiled his anti-gay-marriage pledge last week, may have gone too far.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney outright rejected the “Marriage Vow” written by Mr. Vander Plaats and his advocacy group, The Family Leader.

... “Mitt Romney strongly supports traditional marriage,” Mr. Romney’s spokeswoman Andrea Saul, said in an email. “But he felt this pledge contained references and provisions that were undignified and inappropriate for a presidential campaign.”

... A spokesman for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a vocal opponent of gay marriage, said the pledge had a long list of problems and declined to sign it unless it was changed.

ABC News The Note blog:

On the campaign trail in Iowa today, Tim Pawlenty announced his decision not to sign the pledge, and instead released a video discussing his personal faith.

"Voters have a right to know about their leaders' faith and values, and how those beliefs may shape their decisions. To that end, today my campaign released a new video in which both Mary and I speak directly and openly about our faith," Pawlenty said in a statement. "I fully support traditional marriage. Unequivocally. The traditional family faces enormous challenges in America, and if elected I would vigorously oppose any effort to redefine marriage as anything other than between one man and one woman."

Jon Huntsman has said he does not plan to sign any pledges while seeking the Republican presidential nomination.

Joe Carter on How To Destroy a Marriage Culture in 5 Easy Steps

Joe Carter in First Things with a must-read on how cultures can be changed by dedicated activists:

In his book The Future of Marriage, David Blankenhorn, a liberal, gay-rights-supporting Democrat and self-professed “marriage nut,” offers this sociological principle: “People who professionally dislike marriage almost always favor gay marriage.” As a corollary, Blankenhorn adds: “Ideas that have long been used to attack marriage are now commonly used to support same-sex marriage.”

Blankenhorn provides almost irrefutable proof that this is the expressed agenda of many—if not most—professional advocates of same-sex marriage.

All issues fall somewhere along this policy continuum, which can be roughly outlined as: Unthinkable, Radical, Acceptable, Sensible, Popular, Policy. When the window moves or expands, ideas can accordingly become more or less politically acceptable [...] If the goal were to undermine cultural institutions [such as marriage], the process for getting from Unthinkable to Policy would follow these five easy steps:
Step #1: From Unthinkable to Radical
Step #2: From Radical to Acceptable
Step #3: From Acceptable to Sensible
Step #4: From Sensible to Popular
Step #5: From Popular to Policy

Of course not everyone in society will agree with every step along the way, but that won’t stop an issue from sliding into policy. All it requires is for a majority of the people who find the issue unacceptable to do nothing at all.

Why is Michele Bachmann's Husband Being Targeted by Gay Activists?

We've been following with concern the organized efforts by gay activists to demonize Michele Bachmann's husband.

Greg Quinlan, President of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays and Executive Director of Equality and Justice For All comes to Mr. Bachmann's defense -- and to the defense of others who are not given a voice:

Why have gay activists instigated media attention over ex-gays and the husband of Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann?

Apparently, Mr. Bachmann, who has a PhD in clinical psychology, operates several counseling centers which also offer services to homosexual clients seeking to overcome unwanted same-sex attractions. But because even one ex-gay proves that homosexual behavior is not innate or immutable, the gay lobby's fear of their former members results in false claims and attacks aimed at preventing homosexuals from exercising their right to self-determination. They cannot bear to have even one homosexual leave homosexuality, hence their outrage at Dr. Bachmann.

I know because I am ex-gay myself. I suffer more harassment as a former homosexual than I ever did as an out and proud homosexual.

The ex-gay community includes thousands of former homosexuals like myself who benefited from counseling. We did not choose our homosexual feelings, but we did exercise our right to seek help to change those feelings. As a registered nurse, I saw hundreds of gay men die of AIDS before I finally left the gay lifestyle.

Contrary to the myths being generated by outraged homosexuals, counseling for unwanted same-sex attractions is not prohibited by any medical association. Unhappy homosexuals are not children in need of parental permission and can freely choose their own therapeutic treatment just like anyone else.

The Bachmann incident demonstrates that as homosexuals gain more civil rights, heterosexuals are losing theirs. Because gays are a wealthy and politically powerful minority, they claim access to media attention, political power and corporate influence that middle America does not have. --PFOX

Follow-Up: Top Cisco Employee Reportedly Fired for Defending Marriage, Family

LifeSiteNews picks up the Frank Turek story:

The American-based multinational corporation Cisco Systems, a company that touts its “inclusion and diversity” strategies, has come under attack for the recent firing of a top employee, reputedly over his off-the-job work defending true marriage.

Earlier this year, the company fired Dr. Frank Turek, Cisco’s leadership and teambuilding program co-ordinator, after receiving complaints from a homosexual manager with the company regarding Turek’s authorship of a book on homosexuality and marriage, entitled “Correct, not Politically Correct: How Same-Sex Marriage Hurts Everyone.”

According to Cisco management, Turek’s work with the company had received nothing but praise. In fact, in the manager’s complaint to the company he commended the leadership program lead by Turek as “excellent,” but took issue with his political and religious views, which he considered inconsistent with the values of the company.

“I was fired as a vendor by Cisco for my conservative beliefs about sex and marriage even though my beliefs were never expressed on the job,” said Turek, a periodic columnist for the conservative paper Townhall.

Sen. Diaz Invites Catholic Bishops to July 24 Rallies

LetThePeopleVote.comIn the New York Daily News:

Sen. Ruben Diaz, the only Senate Democrat to vote against legalizing gay marriage, is not giving up.

The outspoken senator, who is also a Pentecostal minister, is partaking in an anti-gay marriage rally outside of Gov. Cuomo's midtown office on July 24--the day the law goes into effect.

Diaz this morning sent a letter to [local Catholic bishops] inviting them to join the event.

"In the great spirit of interfaith unity, I invite you to join me and my fellow ministers on Sunday, July 24th at 3PM at a March for Marriage that has been organized by the National Organization for Marriage to be held outside Governor Andrew Cuomo’s midtown office at 633 Third Avenue," Diaz wrote.

"Our peaceful and prayerful rally will protest the redefinition of marriage and demand that all New Yorkers have the right to vote on this very serious social issue."

"You know that I have tremendous respect for you and I am most hopeful that you and your fellow bishops and clergy will join us on the 24th."

Equality Illinois' False Promise: "Civil Unions Will Not Affect Faith-Based Adoption Agencies"

This can still be seen on the Equality Illinois website (despite what we've seen take place since the the civil unions bill became law June 1st):

Impact on the Illinois Faith Community:

5. How would the Act affect religious affiliated adoption agencies?

Answer: The Act would not impact faith-based adoption agencies or adoption procedures. The Act does not amend the Adoption Act, which governs both public and private adoption agencies.

Chicago Sun-Times Has No Problem Shutting Down Christian Foster Care

Without mincing words, the Sun-Times comes out against Christian foster care:

Sometimes Gov. Pat Quinn gets it just right.

Quinn this week refused to back down on an issue of gay rights, offering a plain-spoken defense of Illinois’ new civil union law.

First, he refused to renew contracts with four Catholic Charities agencies after they said they wouldn’t license same-sex couples who want to become foster or adoptive parents, as the new law requires. Then, Quinn stood behind his decision publicly [...] The decision to terminate contracts in Joliet, Peoria, Springfield and Belleville couldn’t have been easy for Quinn, a Catholic, but it’s the right thing to do.

... No one is diminishing the risks here. These are real children in need of stable, loving families.

That’s in part why three of the Catholic Charities agencies sued the state, winning a first victory in court Tuesday in their quest to continue services for non-homosexual couples only. But it’s also why Quinn backed the civil union law in the first place — an acknowledgement that gay couples deserve the same right to build loving families as any other couple.

And the rights of religious organizations? Those aren't mentioned by the Sun-Times editors.

Evangelical Couple Who've Fostered for 20 Years Concerned about Threat to IL Catholic Charities

The Chicago Tribune interviews Becky and Stan Wilhoit, who have been foster parents for nearly 20 years, and worry they will have to give up providing a good home for kids if Illinois kicks Catholic Charities out:

From Becky Wilhoit's perspective, [Judge] Schmidt's ruling [to give both sides more time to argue their case] buys the three sisters — ages 6, 7 and 9 — in her home a little more time to heal before they return home.

Thrust into the foster care system just six months ago, the girls' caseworkers and counselors haven't yet gained their trust to pinpoint roadblocks and help them overcome their challenges, said Wilhoit, 39, of McLean. Transferring them from Catholic Charities could turn back the clock, she said.

It's enough to make Wilhoit and her husband, Stan, reconsider their calling to be foster parents 18 years ago.

"It's a very small issue to shut an entire agency down that's doing so much good in a community," said Becky Wilhoit, an evangelical Christian who is not Catholic. "We specifically chose Catholic Charities as the agency we wanted to work with knowing they were religious and that they had resources to provide what we needed for our family. We know other agencies in the town can't provide that for us. It becomes an issue for us to continue fostering."

Bruce Hausknecht on How SSM Opens the Door to More Redefinitions of Marriage

The movement to redefine marriage to include same-sex couples is not as homogeneous as it would like to appear.

Bruce Hausknecht at CitizenLink points out how Stanford University Law Professor Ralph Banks argues in the New York Times for incestuous and polygamous marriages using the same logic now employed to legalize same-sex marriage:

The very existence of the NYT opinion piece [by Prof. Banks] may rile gay activists, however, whose major (and patently defective) talking point thus far in criticizing Prop 8 and other marriage amendments is that they “single out” gays for discrimination. For the public relations game behind same-sex marriage to succeed, the ad nauseum accusations of “hater” and “bigot” and “homophobe” require there to be a single “victim” group – homosexuals – not whole groups of differently situated marriage-seekers. Once people understand that polygamy, and incestuous, polyamorous (group marriage) and under-age relationships, among others, are also excluded by a traditional marriage legal scheme, the gay victimhood public relations effort will unravel.

The state’s recognition and regulation of marriage is not about rewarding every adult desire for any relationship under the sun, it’s about preserving an institution that for millennia has proven to be the best foundation for a society to continue to thrive.