Across the pond in Great Britain, elite efforts to redefine marriage have run into a major stumbling block: the British people.
At this writing, over 365,000 UK citizens have signed a petition telling the government "Don't play politics with marriage!"
How did this happen?
It's the same old story we've seen happen again and again.
First, a few courageous private individuals decided to take a stand for marriage, even if they had to do it alone. They managed to convince a few of their close friends to join them. They went public and did everything they could to get the word out. Then the churches added their critical moral authority and, once that critical mass was achieved --activism leaders and faith leaders-- everyday people began to join the pro-marriage cause now that it had been made "safe" for them to associate with because the first group of activists had proven that fighting for marriage would not be a lonely, losing cause.
And then it just grew and grew and grew from its own inertia.
At a certain point, others British citizens frustrated by the way they see their national politics and moral values decaying realized that marriage is the perfect issue to take a stand on for these reasons as well and began to join the cause -- one massive coalition united by a shared sense of urgency that marriage is worth saving and that the truth is worth defending by saying so in public.
Those standing up for marriage here in America should take inspiration from what a small, passionate group of individuals have managed to accomplish already in England in so short a time.
Media elites seem to imagine NOM is responsible for the wedge between blacks and gays on the issue of gay marriage.
But the reality on the ground in North Carolina and so many other places is that black church leaders are bravely standing up for what they think is right. It is insulting for the elite media to imply they are NOM puppets, just like it would be arrogant for anyone at NOM to imagine we are responsible for this show of support.
We are grateful to people like Pastor Patrick Wooden for their courage and leadership:
"The Amendment One debate at Meredith College Monday night began as “nonpartisan,” but it did not end that way.
The panel discussion quickly devolved into heated arguments about religion, family — and race.
... The front of the room, reserved for students, was mostly white, young and female. They cheered for Eichner’s arguments about the amendment denying benefits for domestic partnerships and the personal appeal by Caroline Mann, a lesbian psychology professor at Meredith College.
...the rest of the first floor was dominated by members of the Upper Room Church of God in Christ — mostly black and middle-aged — and vocally opposed to same-sex unions.
Patrick Wooden, the pastor at Upper Room, was a panelist at the event who had members of his congregation present in support.
But their views reflect a larger demographic of the state: black, Democratic and opposing same-sex marriage.
... [Panelists] referencing past laws against interracial marriage, [hoped] to frame the issue in a civil rights light.
But Wooden’s reply, redirecting the argument back to religion, showed the stronger influence for many black voters in the state. -- The Daily Tarheel
Today on Public Discourse, Jennifer Roback Morse explains why the state can't get out of the marriage business. This is the first in a three-part series from Morse on privatizing marriage:
We cannot escape the fact that marriage is an intrinsically public institution. We can’t avoid making collective decisions about its meaning and purpose. If we don’t do it explicitly, we will end up doing it implicitly.
As a libertarian myself, I have been quite disappointed that the “default” libertarian position on marriage has become little more than a sound-bite: “Let’s get the state out of the marriage business.” With all due respect, this position is unsound.
I will not be able to respond to this sound-bite with another sound-bite. The issues surrounding marriage are too deep. But I am not deterred from trying to persuade thoughtful readers who are up to the task of following a complex and unconventional argument wherever the search for truth may lead.
I make three points in this series of articles. First, in today’s article, I show that it is not possible to privatize marriage. Second, in tomorrow’s article, I show that the attempt to privatize marriage will not result in an increase in freedom, but will actually increase the role of the state. Finally, in the third article, I show that attempting to privatize marriage will perpetrate great injustices to children. Any of these reasons is sufficient to put an end to the “get the government out of the marriage business” mantra. All three of these reasons taken together form a compelling case for absolutely opposing the redefinition of marriage and for working tirelessly to create a robust cultural norm of one man, one woman, for life.
Frances Kelley, a conservative writer in Vermont, asks "Which came first: The SSM Wedge or NOM?"
"Answer: The wedge was already there.
Same-sex marriage activists are disturbed that the National Organization for Marriage reached out to enlist the help of minorities to defend pro-gender marriage.
... The elephant in the room is the big fat wedge that existed long before NOM came into existence to defend marriage from activists who want to change it entirely by removing the gender-integrated component. Perhaps they believe that if they keep blaming NOM, no one will notice that it is same-sex marriage itself that pits American against American, creates a new minority of gender-segregated "married" couples, and divides families by deliberately preventing children from having a relationship with both a mother and a father.
... Which came first, the pro-gender position or the wedge?
For millennia, people have honored gender integration in marriage. Don't blame NOM. Gay rights activists are the ones pushing segregation. The biggest wedge of all is separating men and women in marriage." -- Renew America
"Gallagher deserved an apology for Roberts's unprofessional antics and baseless accusations. She didn't get one and perhaps is one to let the slights roll off her back. That's her prerogative, but we reserve the right to call Roberts on the carpet for his breach of journalistic integrity."
"Roberts is tangled in controversy once again over an interview stunt and comments he made about a scheduled guest, calling further attention to questions regarding journalistic objectivity at MSNBC."
"Had Roberts been aware of the mistake, it is unlikely he would have ran with the empty chair. However, his staff should have informed him of the error prior to airing this embarrassing segment. To his credit, Roberts displayed some contrition after the fact, but by then the damage was done."
WJLA ABC 7 reports on the impressive grassroots organizing already taking place in Maryland on behalf of protecting marriage:
"...The Catholic Conference and the Maryland Family Alliance are leading the effort to get the 56,000 signatures needed to take same sex marriage to a ballot referendum.
For the first time since the civil rights movement, Jacqueline Stewart is becoming an activist—but this is a different cause.
"I believe the majority of citizens in Maryland believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman,” Stewart, an Accokeek, Md. resident said.
Stewart is one of more than 200 volunteers trained in the last week in the protocol for collecting signatures as part of the effort to bring Maryland’s new same sex marriage law to a ballot referendum. Opponents need 56,000 signatures, but the goal is 150,000.
... “We put a training out within hours and all the sudden we had multiple people show up. We had almost 50 people show up to a training almost instantaneously,” said Derek McCoy of the Maryland Family Alliance."
An update from one of our local supporters in Minnesota. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party is basically the Democratic party in Minnesota:
DFL Minnesota State Rep Lyle Koenen, one of three DFL state legislators to vote to put the Minnesota Marriage Protection Amendment on the ballot, won the DFL primary for the MN Senate District 20 special election by a landslide!
Koenen, who is serving his fifth term representing House District 20B, defeated longtime DFL activist and campaigner John Schultz on Tuesday evening with more than 66 percent of the vote. A special election was called in the district following the death of Granite Falls DFL Sen. Gary Kubly, who held the seat for more than 10 years.
Koenen will now head to an April 10 special election, where he will face off against Independence Party candidate Leon Greenslit, and Gregg Kulberg, a Republican from Hector.
Jim Galloway of Political Insider on two GOP candidates jockeying over whose pro-marriage conservative credentials are more solid:
You can tell we’re reaching the end of the 2012 session of the Legislature – election-year attacks have already resumed.
The 9th District congressional campaign of Doug Collins, a state lawmaker from Gainesville, has signaled that gay marriage will have its traditional place in the Republican primary – by passing along statements made by Collins’ chief rival, north Georgia radio talk show host Martha Zoller.
Why is this an issue? Because Georgian conservatives care about marriage!
North Carolina, the last state in the South without a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, can play a key role in the national debate over the topic, a prominent Southern Baptist leader told an audience in Wake Forest on Wednesday.
Richard Land, president of the convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, is often the point man on policy issues for the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, and his presence in North Carolina signals how closely the May 8 referendum vote here is being watched around the country.
“Make no mistake, those (Supreme Court) justices are watching what the people of North Carolina say about this issue,” Land told an audience at the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Land said he believes the U.S. Supreme Court would be hesitant to allow couples of the same gender to marry if other states join the 29 already with amendments defining marriage as between a man and a woman. That could change if states like North Carolina reject such amendments, he said.
“If we lose, they will exercise their judicial imperialism,” he said. “That’s what’s at stake.”
Here is video of NOM co-founder Maggie Gallagher's appearance last week on MSNBC with Thomas Roberts (her first appearance was goofed by the left-leaning network):
Thanks so much to each one of you who helped us meet our goal of 25,000 petition signers by the end of this week at DumpStarbucks.com! The fight for corporate fairness--and marriage--has just begun!
As this Alliance Defense Fund video explains, "Hundreds of Christians and other El Paso citizens are facing jail time for exercising their constitutionally protected right to speak out against Mayor John Cook's policies":
At a certain point, others British citizens frustrated by the way they see their national politics and moral values decaying realized that marriage is the perfect issue to take a stand on for these reasons as well and began to join the cause -- one massive coalition united by a shared sense of urgency that marriage is worth saving and that the truth is worth defending by saying so in public.
