Now that Gov. Lynch has stepped down former state representative and head of Cornerstone Kevin Smith says "It's going to take new, bold leadership and fresh ideas to fix the problems in Concord", as local TV reports:
Monthly Archives: September 2011
Live Near DC? Hear What Local Catholics Are Doing to Promote Marriage This Weekend
September 26, 2011 – 10:40 pm
An update through the local Catholic Matters radio show on WMET 1160AM:
Tune in to Catholic Matters tomorrow, Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 8 am. It's a great way to begin your day! We'll be speaking with Rick Kramer, the Associate Director of the Office of Evangelization and Family Life at the Archdiocese of Washington about a marriage summit this weekend. The one day conference, titled "Tackling the Tough Questions: Is Forever Possible?" covers just about every aspect of marriage, from dating to what it takes to make marriage last and even how to cope with failed marriages. The political debates over marriage are also topics that will be addressed.
"Young Canadians Cling to Traditional Gender Roles; Experts Horrified"
September 26, 2011 – 11:55 am
A survey by the international development agency Plan International has found that many teenage Canadian boys believe that a woman’s primary role is to care for a family.
About one-third of the boys surveyed said that women’s first duties were at home, while nearly half said that men should provide for the family’s income. Nearly half also said that “to be a man, you need to be tough.”
These results worried the survey’s sponsors. Rosemary McCarney, the director of Plan in Canada, said that the survey results “should also be worrying for all of us.”
First Republican Jumps Ship, Supports Repeal of DOMA
September 26, 2011 – 11:37 am
U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R- Miami, has become the first member of the GOP to co-sponsor the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.
Respect for Marriage was filed by Rep. Jerald Nadler, D-N.Y., and has 124 co-sponsors, until now all Democrats.
NYC City Council Speaker Says SSM Didn't Sink Weprin, But Ignores the Evidence
September 26, 2011 – 11:30 am
Our Reuven Blau reports that when asked today about the impact of SSM on the NY-9 race, [New York City Council Speaker, Christine C.] Quinn, who is openly gay, responded:
"I do not believe that people voting for marriage equality hurts them in elections and I don't believe it hurt Assemblymember Weprin. Look at Gov. Cuomo. There is no one in the city or state of New York more associated with the important victory of marriage equality than Gov. Cuomo. And just yesterday we saw that he has sky-high approval ratings," she said.
But how will Cuomo's current approval rating help the senators who made themselves vulnerable by betraying their constituents when they redefined marriage?
Cuomo may be popular in New York right now, but not popular enough to save Weprin from the voters of his district.
The "Flash" Survey we released on the day of the election shows that, among likely voters, marriage absolutely mattered in in NY-9: among those who agree with the traditional definition of marriage, 44% said Weprin's position was a factor in their vote (including 72% of Orthodox Jews).
Video: UK Police Ban Bible in Cafe After Customer Complains It's "Homophobic"
September 26, 2011 – 10:51 am
The Christian Institute tells the story:
"Lancashire Police have told the owner of a Christian café in Blackpool, England, that he is not allowed to display Bible verses because they breach public order laws. The owner, Jamie Murray, is being defended by The Christian Institute."
Video: Student Suspended for Saying Homosexuality is Wrong
September 26, 2011 – 10:00 am
A local FoxNews affiliate reports:
An honors student in Fort Worth, TX, was sent to the principal’s office and punished for telling a classmate that he believes homosexuality is wrong.
Holly Pope said she was “absolutely stunned” when she received a telephone call from an assistant principal at Western Hills High School informing her that her son, Dakota Ary, had been sent to in-school suspension.
“Dakota is a very well-grounded 14-year-old,” she told Fox News Radio noting that her son is an honors student, plays on the football team and is active in his church youth group. “He’s been in church his whole life and he’s been taught to stand up for what he believes.”
Scottish Bishop Says Government Forfeits Public Trust with Same-Sex Unions
September 26, 2011 – 9:00 am
A Scottish bishop has said that the government does not deserve public trust because of its support for same-sex unions.
“A government which favors and allows for same-sex marriage does wrong,” said Bishop Philip Tartaglia of Paisley. “It fails in its duty to society.”
AP on NOM's New Chairman John Eastman
September 26, 2011 – 8:00 am
A law school professor from Southern California was named Thursday as the new chairman of the National Organization for Marriage, one of the most active groups opposed to the legalization of same-sex marriage.
John Eastman, a professor and former dean at Chapman University Law School in Orange, Calif., will replace NOM's co-founder, Maggie Gallagher, who will remain a member of the board while devoting some of her time to finishing a book about the same-sex marriage debate.
...Brian Brown, NOM's president, described Eastman as "a fierce advocate for families and religious liberty."
NOM has been a leading player in many of the recent electoral battles nationwide over same-sex marriage. It helped win passage of Proposition 8 in California, which overturned a court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, and it helped repeal a state law in Maine that would have legalized same-sex marriage there.
More battlegrounds lie ahead for NOM and its adversaries. Voters in North Carolina and Minnesota will be deciding next year on the fate of constitutional amendments banning gay marriage, while the Maryland legislature is expected to consider a bill that would legalize it.
In a telephone interview, Eastman challenged the view of gay-rights advocates that same-sex marriage — now legal in six states and Washington D.C. — will inevitably become the law of the land. He noted that opponents of same-sex marriage have prevailed repeatedly in statewide votes, and predicted that the issue would soon head to a potentially pivotal ruling in the Supreme Court.
You can read our press release on this exciting news here!
Chuck Colson: Pro-Marriage People Must Break the "Spiral of Silence"
September 25, 2011 – 9:00 am
He writes at the Christian Post, explaining what the "spiral of silence" is:
It works something like this: The mass media portray a given issue in a certain way with an eye to actually shaping public opinion. Once individuals see the issue as “decided,” they clam up, even if they disagree. That’s because most people don’t like to go against the grain; they don’t want to be socially isolated, they don’t want to seem to be cranks, or be labeled as bigots.
So how do you control America today? You control it by shaping the ideas of the people and silencing the opposition. And we’re letting a small, unelected elite shape those ideas and define what is and what is not permissible to say.
Shame on us. Because we should be shaping ideas, proclaiming truth from our pulpits and from every platform we have - from the neighborhood cookout to the school board meeting.
First Things on Refounding a Marriage Culture
September 24, 2011 – 11:00 am
First Things editor R. R. Reno writes:
"Proponents of same-sex marriage like to pronounce it “inevitable.” Their confidence is based on the progressive conceit that modernity always and everywhere weakens and dissolves the power of traditional norms and practices. But this is not true. During the nineteenth century the social influence of Christianity in America grew dramatically. Victorian England saw a profound remoralization of society. And the diffusion of modern economic systems, science, and technology throughout the globe in recent decades has not led to the diminishment of religious passions, as so many predicted, but instead their increase. History is not a ratchet that turns in only one direction."
...Culture never stands still. The promises that so engage the imagination of one generation are quite often broken for the next, especially if they are promises humanity and human society cannot meet."
"I've Failed My Children by Refusing to Marry Their Father, Even Though They Begged Me To"
September 24, 2011 – 10:00 am
Louise Greenfield puts a human face on the cohabitation epidemic in the UK Daily Mail:
"...we were like an increasing number of middle-class couples who co-habit, have children and see no reason to formalise their shared commitment to a lifelong future with a wedding ceremony.
And yet, it seems it wasn’t enough. Because despite all those years together, and all those children, David and I are now in the process of splitting up. We are divorcing without ever having married.
..herein lies an uncomfortable thought. While it pains me to say so, I can’t help thinking that our situation might have been different if we’d got married.
For years, I told myself — and others — that marriage for me was just a word, a formality, and that David and I were as close as any married couple. Now I’m not so sure. Maybe, if we had made a proper commitment in front of our friends and loved ones, if we had said those binding, meaningful words, we might not be in this situation.
UK Government Report: Most Britons Oppose SSM
September 24, 2011 – 9:00 am
Most people still oppose gay marriage and the adoption of children by same-sex couples, a Government report revealed yesterday.
More than half believe homosexual marriages should not be allowed and two thirds think the adoption of children by same-sex couples should not have become legal nine years ago.
The findings from the Office for National Statistics suggest the Coalition’s plans to upgrade civil partnership laws to let gay couples describe themselves as married may prove unpopular.
Plans Move Ahead to Redefine Marriage in the UK by 2015
September 24, 2011 – 8:00 am
The [UK] Government will hold a consultation on redefining marriage in England and Wales to allow homosexuals to wed, following similar moves in Scotland.
The announcement was made at the weekend by equalities minister Lynne Featherstone.
Opponents say there will be far-reaching consequences if a key social institution is so radically rewritten.
The consultation will begin in the spring. The Government says it will ask how, not if, same-sex marriage should be legalised.
Downing Street sources claim David Cameron’s personal intervention has pushed the issue forward.
Mike Judge, of the Christian Institute, questioned the need to redefine marriage to include unions between homosexuals.
"All the legal rights of marriage are already available to homosexual couples through civil partnership registrations," he said.
"The census shows that only one household in 500 is headed by a same-sex couple.
"Is marriage to be redefined across the whole of society to please a small minority of activists?"
The Prime Minister has reportedly personally intervened to speed up progress on allowing homosexuals to marry.
National Organization for Marriage Announces Marriage Anti-Defamation Alliance
September 23, 2011 – 6:08 pm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 23, 2011
Contact: Mary Beth Hutchins or Elizabeth Ray (703-683-5004)
Talk Back to Bank of America on Frank Turek's Beha Campaign
WASHINGTON - National Organization for Marriage today announces the launch of a new Marriage Anti-Defamation Alliance, releasing its first video on Frank Turek, who lost his contract with Cisco and Bank of America because a company employee complained he had written a book opposing gay marriage. MarriageADA has launched a consumer complaint campaign directed at Bank of America in North Carolina, where the company is headquartered.
"Gay marriage advocates are seeking to create an America in which decent, loving, law-abiding Americans are afraid to stand up for the idea that marriage is the union of husband and wife, for fear of reprisals ranging from insults and invectives like 'hater' and 'bigot,' to practical consequences like the loss of a job," said Maggie Gallagher, co-founder of NOM. "Frank Turek's experience shows that an anti-defamation initiative is urgently needed, not for some point down the road, but right now in America. He's right, it is simply un-American, regardless of your views on gay marriage, that any American could lose their job or contract for writing civilly, thoughtfully, and intelligently in defense of our historic, cross-cultural understanding of marriage."
"We reached out to a small number of customers of Bank of America in the Charlotte area, told them what happened to Frank Turek and asked them to call the company to let bankers know their customers do not appreciate this kind of disrespect. In the last few days more than 1,400 people have called to complain," said Gallagher.
"We want to create an America in which people do not fear losing their jobs, or any other threats to their person or property, because they do not agree with gay marriage. I believe both sides in this debate deserve basic respect for exercising their core civil rights as Americans to engage in an important public debate," Gallagher concluded.
For the video, and more information on the new Marriage Anti-Defamation Alliance, go to www.marriageADA.org .
To schedule an interview with Maggie Gallagher, please contact Mary Beth Hutchins, [email protected], x.105 or Elizabeth Ray, [email protected], x.130 at
703-683-5004.
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