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Home » August, 2011

Monthly Archives: August 2011

ADF's Brian Raum in SCOTUSblog's Marriage Symposium

August 18, 2011 – 3:44 pm

Brian Raum, senior counsel and head of marriage litigation for the Alliance Defense Fund, contributes to the SCOTUSblog symposium on marriage:

Marriage has always been society’s way of endorsing and promoting legally binding relationships between men and women for the good of all. The government saw that it was good for men and women to be legally bound – especially for the sake of children, which inevitably result. We have celebrated the idea that through this institution the next generation is produced, nurtured, and educated; therefore, the government can take a constitutionally justified position that this time-honored, natural family structure is the most beneficial to society over all others. This is the message of marriage, and it is a rational one.

Those who seek to redefine marriage understand that it is only through marriage redefinition that society can go from the protection of homosexual behavior set out in Lawrence to the promotion, endorsement, and celebration of same-sex relationships sought in Perry v. Brown and in the current challenges to federal DOMA. These cases are much more about engineering societal approval of same-sex relationships than anything else.

By NOM Staff | Posted in DOMA, Law, Prop 8, Same Sex Marriage, Supreme Court | Comments (10)

Coptic Christians Refuse to Bow Under Media Pressure, Demand Freedom to Exercise Their Faith in Schools

August 18, 2011 – 11:00 am

LifeSiteNews:

After facing criticism from the media and the Canadian Egyptian Congress, Toronto’s Coptic Orthodox leaders have renewed their threat to remove up to 4,000 families from the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) should it fail to protect Catholic teaching in the schools.

... News of the Coptics’ warning sparked a vehement media reaction with claims that Fr. Attaalla was “preaching intolerance.”

The Globe and Mail argued in an editorial August 10th that publicly-funded Catholic schools “must abide by the equality principles in the Canadian Constitution – even if they are out-of-step with the church’s own teachings.”

“Students’ welfare and equality rights trump official religious dogma,” they added.

But Toronto lawyer Geoff Cauchi said the Supreme Court of Canada confirmed in 2001 that Catholics’ denominational rights in section 93 of Canada’s Constitution are “absolute.”

By NOM Staff | Posted in Canada, Education, Law, Religious Liberty | Comments (11)

George Soros Wants to Take Away Your Right to Vote on Judges

August 18, 2011 – 10:30 am

Surprise, surprise!

Justice At Stake (JAS) -- Funded by George Soros's Open Society Institute

... JAS suggests [a] system where judges are not elected but instead are appointed (or are recommended for appointment) by nonpartisan, independent commissions in a process known as “merit selection.” Pushing for the implementation of such a system one state at a time, JAS typically begins its efforts in each targeted state by financing public-opinion polls purporting to show that a majority of citizens therein believe that private campaign contributions compromise judicial fairness.

Next, the organization uses these poll findings to generate media coverage and financial support for an artificial “grassroots” campaign that recruits all manner of activists, academic “experts,” and nonprofit foundations to join the chorus advocating merit selection and demonizing opponents of this idea as agents of corruption. Finally, JAS lobbyists push for legislation or a constitutional amendment to make merit selection the law of the state. --DiscoverTheNetworks.org

By NOM Staff | Posted in Law, Politics, Polling | Comments (10)

Kathryn Lopez on What Bachmann Didn't Say About Marriage

August 18, 2011 – 10:00 am

In Headline Bistro:

The whole segment [of Michele Bachmann on Meet The Press with David Gregory] saddened me -- not necessarily because of what she had said, but what she didn’t say. Perhaps what she couldn’t ever possibly say effectively on a political Sunday show.

The only way that conversation could have truly progressed would have been if it was allowed to go way deeper. Something tells me a political adviser would rather it had just shut down...

We’re never going to have a sensible conversation about same-sex marriage without having a much more fundamental one about marriage itself, about the purpose of sex, and about what love really is. And that’s not one that’s going to happen adequately on a Sunday talk show or the campaign trail.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture, Election Watch 2012, Media, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (48)

Archbishop Dolan to Young Catholics: "Form Happy Marriages and Speak The Truth!"

August 18, 2011 – 9:30 am

New York City Archbishop Dolan is in Spain for an international gathering of young Catholics. EWTN interviews him about promoting a healthy marriage culture among young people:

Archbishop Timothy Dolan predicts that the recent redefinition of marriage in New York will have a “big impact” on future attempts by young people to build up Catholic family life.

“That’s a good example of how our young people find, very often, the culture of our society to be at odds with what they treasure as Catholics,” the Archbishop of New York told EWTN News...

Archbishop Dolan says the most effective thing that young Catholics can now do to defend marriage is “to model happy, faithful, life-giving marriage. That’s the best thing we can do.”

But he also stressed that young Catholics will have to be prepared to “never to shy away from the prophetic part of speaking the truth” in “letting people know that the defense of traditional marriage is not just some weird, superstitious, medieval Catholic cause.” Instead, it “is at the heart of what makes it for the common good - namely providing the healthiest, most wholesome environment for children.”

By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture, Marriage, New York, Same Sex Marriage, Youth | Comments (10)

Kansas Pursues Innovative Program to Promote Marriage to Unwed Parents

August 18, 2011 – 9:00 am

In the AP:

[Governor Sam Brownback of Kansas] has long been an advocate of promoting healthy marriages, contending that children raised by married couples are more likely to succeed in school, less likely to have behavior problems or live in poverty.

He promised a focus on family life when he appointed Rob Siedlecki, a former board member of the National Fatherhood Initiative, to lead the social services agency.

“The governor’s priority issue is reducing child poverty in Kansas. This is part of that approach,” said Angela De Rocha, spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.

If the state receives the grant, the federal government would pay to send unwed parents to six counseling sessions offered by either secular or faith-based counseling services chosen by the state. The parents would volunteer for the program and could choose the kind of counseling service they wanted.

If the parents completed the program and marry, the federal grant would pay the $85.50 cost of their marriage license.

The state estimates that more than 7,600 mothers or couples would begin counseling at $25 to $50 per session. Sixty percent of those are expected to finish the program and qualify for a free license.

Even if the couple doesn’t marry, the grant application said, the parents will learn how to maintain relationships and work together for the good of their child.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Kansas, Marriage | Comments (2)

Citizen Link: Few SS Couples in Rhode Island Enter Civil Unions

August 18, 2011 – 8:00 am

CitizenLink:

In early July, Rhode Island became the fifth state to pass a law creating civil unions for homosexual couples. Since then, only nine couples have applied for them.

... “Same-sex marriage advocates will seek to redefine marriage again in January,” [NOM-RI's Christopher] Plante said. “I’m not sure what they’ll be asking for this time. They can’t say, ‘We need this right or benefit or protection,’ because they’ve got it.”

Though the law contains a limited religious exemption—protecting churches, religious organizations and their employees—Plante said legislators are already moving to eliminate it. Meanwhile, his group plans to fight for its expansion.

“The truth is that attacks on religious liberties happen on an individual basis,” he said.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Civil Unions, Rhode Island | Comments (13)

End of Summer Marriage Challenge! And it won't cost you a dime...

August 17, 2011 – 9:08 pm

$100,000 Challenge

Dear Marriage Supporter,

As summer draws to a close, I know how busy everyone is. Last-minute vacations, first day of school, and everything else that makes this a time of transition and change. Even for those who don't have school-age children, there's something about the end of summer that marks a season of renewed productivity and busyness.

And for organizations like NOM that rely on donations for our support, it can also be a very lean season financially, as supporters focus on their other priorities and demands of everyday life.

That's why we were so pleased to receive our August Marriage Challenge!

A generous supporter has promised to donate $1 for every new Facebook like, Twitter follower and text message signup during the month of August, up to $100,000. With just two weeks left until the September 1 deadline, we need your help today!

100K CHALLENGE

Between now and September 1st, NOM will receive $1 for every Facebook like, Twitter follower, or SMS Text Message Signup. It's simple and easy!

  • Step 1. Like NOM on Facebook! Click here and earn NOM $1.
  • Step 2. Follow NOM on Twitter! Click here to get started!
  • Step 3. Sign up for NOM's SMS Text Alerts, becoming a part of our instant action army! Just text "1M1W" to 96362.
  • Step 4.Tell your friends! By sharing this email with just 10 friends, you can help raise up to $30 to protect marriage across the nation.

    share on facebook   |   tweet this   |   email friends

Thank you for helping to protect marriage today!

Semper Fi,

Brian Brown

Brian Brown

Brian S. Brown
President
National Organization for Marriage

Contribute

By Brian Brown | Posted in Same Sex Marriage | Comments Off on End of Summer Marriage Challenge! And it won't cost you a dime...

NOM Wins Victories Before Minnesota Campaign Finance Board

August 17, 2011 – 5:18 pm

NOM wins two big cases in Minnesota today:

In a ruling issued Wednesday, the Campaign Finance board dismissed the complaints brought by nonprofit Common Cause Minnesota, which alleged that the Minnesota Family Council (MFC) and the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) teamed up on an ad buy last fall to push for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and both failed to properly report their activities.

... A second complaint targeted NOM, alleging that the ad buys were [intended] to “influence legislation,” and thus the organization should have registered as a lobbyist in the state. But the board ruled that unless the group is fighting a particular candidate, its ad buys do not constitute lobbying. -- Politics in Minnesota

By NOM Staff | Posted in Law, Minnesota | Comments (4)

Maggie's Column -- The Divorce Paradox

August 17, 2011 – 4:17 pm

NOM Chairman Maggie Gallagher's latest column:

The kids are not doing just fine.

The Institute for American Values’ new updated report, “Why Marriage Matters: 30 Conclusions From the Social Sciences,” is signed by an impressive list of family scholars ranging from professor John Gottman to professor Brad Wilcox. It concludes:

“The intact, biological, married family remains the gold standard for family life in the United States, insofar as children are most likely to thrive—economically, socially and psychologically —in this family form.”

The good news is that divorce involving children is down. The bad news is that children today are less likely to live with both parents. Thirty years ago, 66 percent of 16-years-olds lived with their mom and dad. By 2004, only 55 percent did so.

Divorce is down; family instability is up. How can that be?

More and more young men and women are choosing to have children in cohabiting rather than marital unions.

And cohabitation turns out to be a poor substitute for marriage. Sixty-five percent of children born to a cohabiting mother will experience a family breakup, compared to 24 percent of children born to a married mother.

Continue reading at The Manila Times.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Children, Divorce, Marriage, Parenting | Comments (11)

Virginia SSM Advocates Try, Try, Again to Outlaw Religious Adoption Agencies for Failing to Do Gay Adoptions

August 17, 2011 – 3:30 pm

The Family Foundation of Virginia:

Today, the Virginia Board of Social Services is scheduled to consider a request by several homosexual activist groups to reopen its decision to protect the rights of private, faith-based adoption agencies.

...Oddly, groups like Equality Virginia and the ACLU that today are advocating for more public comment were silent for nearly two years as the regulations, stealthily proposed by former Governor Tim Kaine, went through the process. After losing the vote (7-2) in April, they suddenly are very interested in more time and another vote. Now they are threatening a costly, frivolous lawsuit if they don’t get their way...

During the earlier comment period, only an approximate 30 of the 1,000-plus public comments were favorable toward adding restrictions on faith-based charities (see Washington Times). In 2002, the last year for which data is available, nearly 80 percent of adoptions in Virginia were facilitated by private organizations, nearly half of which are faith-based.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Adoption, Children, Religious Liberty, Virginia | Comments (11)

Can You Normalize Pedophilia?

August 17, 2011 – 3:08 pm

Some mental health professionals are, apparently, going to try, according to The Daily Caller (yes, we know many --probably most-- in the gay community would be as outraged as anyone else by the idea):

The August 17 Baltimore conference is sponsored by B4U-ACT, a group of pro-pedophile mental health professionals and sympathetic activists.  According to the conference brochure, the event will examine “ways in which minor-attracted persons [pedophiles] can be involved in the DSM 5 revision process” and how the popular perceptions of pedophiles can be reframed to encourage tolerance.

Researchers from Harvard University, the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Louisville, and the University of Illinois will be among the panelists at the conference.

B4U-ACT has been active attacking the APA’s definition of pedophilia in the run up to the conference, denouncing its description of “minor-attracted persons” as “inaccurate” and “misleading” because the current DSM links pedophilia with criminality.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture, Law, Pedophilia | Comments (48)

SSM Advocates in Maine Claim They Will Try, Try Again

August 17, 2011 – 2:45 pm

The Kennebec Journal reports:

Proponents of a citizens' initiative to allow same-sex marriage in Maine said today the language for the legislation they drafted was recently approved by the Secretary of State.

This allows supporters to begin printing petitions and gathering signatures to reach their goal of placing the issue before Mainers on the November 2012 ballot. They need at least 57,277 signatures from registered Maine voters and will have until January to turn in their petitions to Secretary of State Charlie Summers.

Voters in Maine overturned same-sex marriage 53%-47% in 2009.

A self-identified gay republican activist in Maine wrote in the Portland Herald Press last week that this new attempt to pass same-sex marriage was bound for defeat.

NOM President Maggie Gallagher recently told the Associated Press we're optimistic that the people of Maine will vote to preserve the common sense definition of marriage if asked to vote on it again.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Election Watch 2012, Maine, Marriage Election Watch, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (12)

Scholars Reveal: Tea Partiers ARE Religious Conservatives!

August 17, 2011 – 2:30 pm

This is not news to anyone on the right, but the New York Times just discovered:

Next to being a Republican, the strongest predictor of being a Tea Party supporter today was a desire, back in 2006, to see religion play a prominent role in politics. And Tea Partiers continue to hold these views: they seek “deeply religious” elected officials, approve of religious leaders’ engaging in politics and want religion brought into political debates. The Tea Party’s generals may say their overriding concern is a smaller government, but not their rank and file, who are more concerned about putting God in government.

This inclination among the Tea Party faithful to mix religion and politics explains their support for Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Gov. Rick Perry of Texas. Their appeal to Tea Partiers lies less in what they say about the budget or taxes, and more in their overt use of religious language and imagery, including Mrs. Bachmann’s lengthy prayers at campaign stops and Mr. Perry’s prayer rally in Houston.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture, News, Religious Liberty | Comments (7)

MN NPR Commentator Dismayed by Incivility Shown Her After NOM Blog Quotes Her

August 17, 2011 – 1:56 pm

A couple weeks ago we quoted excerpts of Minnesota Public Radio Commentator Carrie Daklin calling for more civility in the debate over same-sex marriage.

Today she reveals that simply because we picked up some of her points, she has been inundated by hateful attacks in response.

We of course had no intention of exposing her to such treatment, but hope that the experience may have served to confirm for her how much we need brave voices to continue calling for civility in this debate.

Here's some of what Carrie wrote today:

There must be a group of advocates who watch that website for anything that might conflict with their point of view. Within days, my words, taken completely out of context, and my message -- better manners -- had been used as the basis for a rallying cry: Carrie Daklin of Minnesota is a homophobe.

I am not sure how my message got so skewed. I have become the object of hate mail and really vicious comments, all in the name of etiquette. Go figure.

I found this all rather unsettling.

... What has happened in our culture, that so many of us are completely unable to accept someone who doesn't share our views? I don't agree with all that my conservative Christian friends espouse, but I support their right to their beliefs. I don't agree with a very liberal friend who said certain members of the religious right should be shot. Actually, he used the word murdered. Sadly, I think he meant it.

In retrospect, the original infraction I wrote about is positively innocuous compared to the resulting uproar. To be blunt: My article was not about gay rights, it was not about the Defense of Marriage Act, and it most certainly was not a promotion for the National Organization for Marriage.

My article was on civility, it was on manners and respect for other people, it was on public decency even toward those you might not agree with. It was about creating a conduit in our society that allows for the paradigms and values of others, so that we can get to a place of compromise. It was about working to replace anger with a tolerance that allows us to thrive.

In the last few weeks I have been a poster child for extremism -- the left vilifying me, the right holding me up as some sort of hero. Both make me equally uncomfortable. Both are unwanted. If I am a poster child for anyone, it is Emily Post.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Civility, Culture | Comments (14)
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