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Monthly Archives: October 2012

6 Days Left! Grisanti on the Run!

October 31, 2012 – 6:00 pm

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Dear Marriage Supporter,

Senator Mark Grisanti—one of the four turncoat Republicans who voted for same-sex marriage last year—is on the run.

And not just to save his job...he's running from the truth!

NOM PAC New York has promised to hold Grisanti and the other turncoat senators accountable for their vote. We've already had tremendous success—please help finish the job with a last-minute contribution today!

At a debate last week with his two opponents in the 21st Senate District, Grisanti flat out lied about his record on same-sex marriage, claiming that he "did not campaign against marriage equality in 2010," when challenged for flip-flopping on the issue.

In 2008, I personally had a phone conversation with him in which he pledged support for marriage and gratefully accepted money from NOM. Two years later, in 2010, former Erie County executive Joel Giambra, credited with orchestrating Grisanti's successful senate campaign, attributed Grisanti's victory in part to voter's concern about his opponent's support for same-sex marriage.

The record is clear: Mark Grisanti pledged to support marriage, then changed his vote in exchange for power and campaign contributions.

And now he is outright lying to the people of Western New York so he can continue to cash in.

Don't let it happen!

The New York Senate Republican Campaign Committee knows its majority is at risk, and has pumped more than a half million dollars into Grisanti's reelection effort, including $350,000 in just the past month. Despite being massively outspent, NOM-backed Conservative Party candidate Charles Swanick is waging an effective grassroots campaign, knocking on more than 7,000 doors in the district and reaching out directly to voters.

Many New Yorkers are digging out from Sandy's aftermath, waiting for power to be restored, and working to repair their homes. But for those of us who were spared major damage from the storm, our investment today is all the more critical. Please make a generous contribution to the NOM PAC New York today.

We've already helped New Yorkers fire two of the four Republicans who voted for same-sex marriage. Help finish the job on November 6th! We can pull it off, but only with your generous help to fund our get out the vote efforts in these final days of the campaign.

Thank you.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Same Sex Marriage | Comments (1)

Our Opponents are Spooked

October 31, 2012 – 5:15 pm

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Dear Marriage Supporter,

No one likes being the bearer of bad news—certainly I don't! But I have to tell you what our opponents are up to in the four states voting on marriage next Tuesday.

You see, they are spooked by recent polls showing us with momentum on our side, and so they have unleashed an avalanche of lies and harassment in a desperate attempt to score their first state victory and avoid four more crushing defeats.

Can you help us push back with the TRUTH? Please chip in $15, $25 or $50 today to STAND FOR MARRIAGE AMERICA so we can overcome their last-minute lies.

Here's just a sample of the myths and falsehoods our opponents are filling the airwaves (and your mailboxes) with every day:

In Washington State, our opponents are airing ads claiming that if we do not redefine marriage, individuals in a same-sex domestic partnership will be denied hospital visitation rights (Washington law says they cannot be denied).

Our opponents are sending out mailers to senior citizens claiming they will lose their health care and pay higher taxes on their Social Security benefits if gay marriage is not legalized (the Washington State Secretary of State Voters Guide refutes their claim, and the media says the claims are "misleading" and fail the "political smell test").

In addition, a man has been arrested and charged with a hate crime for his attack on a grandmother who was volunteering to protect marriage. Our allies have set up a Facebook album showing the "vandalism, vulgarities and violence" perpetuated by our opponents throughout this campaign. And gay marriage activists have been caught red-handed with dozens of stolen Reject R-74 yard signs in their possession.

Now do you see what I mean? This is what we are up against.

I'm counting on you to make an emergency gift to help us combat their LIES with the TRUTH about marriage. Your $25, $50 or $75 will be put to immediate use in the four states voting on marriage.

(I'm happy to report we have raised over $75,000 from almost 900 donors like you!)

Can you bear to hear more bad news?

In Maine, a family-run farm had to take down one of our "Vote NO on Question 1" signs after they encountered harassment and intimidation from gay marriage activists. They were targeted simply for sharing their Christian beliefs on marriage.

In Maryland, the chief diversity officer of Gallaudet University, the first African-American, deaf woman to receive a PhD from that institution, was summarily put on leave simply because she signed a petition to allow the people of Maryland to vote on marriage.

In Minnesota, our opponents are claiming that there is "no difference" between children raised by their mom and dad, and children raised by any two people, when the latest, most extensive research indicates that nothing substitutes for being raised by your biological parents joined in marriage.

I could also share with you example after example of our pro-marriage yard signs and billboards being vandalized and defaced, in each of these four states.

I know the only way to bring an end to such lies and harassment is to score definitive victories for marriage at the ballot box across the country next Tuesday.

That is why I am asking you to give your biggest gift to date to these four campaigns. Can you donate $50, $150 or even $250 or more to help us ensure that TRUTH and GOODNESS overcomes the LIES and INTIMIDATION of the gay marriage machine?

We don't have liberal millionaires and billionaires, Hollywood celebrities or wealthy pro-gay marriage CEOs funding our campaign.

We have honest, brave people like you.

I couldn't be more proud to be part of this with you. Please respond with generosity.

Together, we will overcome the lies of our spooked opponents and counter their avalanche of distortions. We will stand up for the TRUTH of marriage—and with your help the truth will win out.

By Brian Brown | Posted in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, SFMA, Washington | Comments (2)

Evangelist Billy Graham: "I Wholeheartedly Endorse the Marriage Protection Amendment"

October 31, 2012 – 4:30 pm

Breaking News!

A Statement by Evangelist Billy Graham on the Proposed Minnesota Marriage Protection Amendment
Oct. 31, 2012

Montreat, NC—“For more than 50 years, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association was based in Minneapolis and we were blessed by the support of thousands of Minnesotans who helped us spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ around the world. As a former resident with strong personal and ministry ties to the North Star State, I pray that the good people of Minnesota will show their support for God's definition of marriage, between a man and a woman. I wholeheartedly endorse the Marriage Protection Amendment, and urge you to vote Yes to pass Amendment 1.”

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

NRO's Costa: Marriage Bringing Out Romney Supporters in Minnesota

October 31, 2012 – 4:00 pm

NRO's Robert Costa notes that one of the reasons a new poll shows Mitt Romney within the margin of error with Barack Obama in Minnesota (a state Obama won by 10 points in 2008) is the simultaneous Marriage Protection Amendment:

"...A Star Tribune poll released Sunday shows a dead heat, with Obama at 47 percent and Romney at 44 percent. This shocker elated state Republicans, who have been frustrated for decades. (Democrats have won Minnesota since 1972.) To capitalize on the momentum, the Romney campaign recently spent a small sum on television ads.

Democrats are nervous. For months, their electoral calculus has categorized Minnesota as reliably blue. This week, the Washington Post and ABC News reclassified it from “safely” Democrat to “lean Obama.” To stanch the bleeding, Democrats are spending more, and sending in former president Bill Clinton, who will stump near the Twin Cities.

Obama adviser Jim Messina is pushing back; he told reporters on Monday that the idea Romney could win Minnesota is “wishful thinking.” But Republicans’ rising expectations are grounded in more than poll numbers. As Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey reports, there are “two key referendums on the ballot,” and they are dominating the debate and stoking participation.

One measure would amend the state constitution to require photo identification for voting, and the other would constitutionally define marriage as between a man and a woman. Outside groups on both sides have poured in money. These referendums, more than Republican Kurt Bills’s underfunded challenge to Senator Amy Klobuchar, have Republicans enthused."

By NOM Staff | Posted in Election Watch 2012, Marriage, Marriage Election Watch, Mitt Romney, Politics, Polling, President Obama, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (1)

Frank Schubert: "In Final Stretch, Social Issues Can Help Romney"

October 31, 2012 – 3:00 pm

Frank Schubert, President of Mission Public Affairs and NOM's political director, writes in The Hill:

"With polls showing the presidential race to be dead even, Mitt Romney would do well to remind voters in key swing states of his position on social issues like marriage, life and religious liberty. They could tip the scale in this election.

The Karl Rove wing of the GOP and the Republican elite have succeeded in keeping social issues off the table in this general election, deeming them to be “divisive.” They’ve understandably focused their campaign on the Obama record, especially as it relates to the economy. But Obama also has a record on social issues, and that record puts him at odds with a large majority of voters in key swing states. Unfortunately, voters in those states haven’t heard much about the Obama record on marriage, life and religious liberty, and Romney himself hasn’t done much to make these issues a central part of his messaging. This is a key strategic mistake that he should remedy while he still has the chance.

Let’s look at the issue of preserving marriage as the union of one man and one woman. This issue has been on the ballot in 32 states – coast to coast, in red states and blue. It has won in all 32 states. Some of these are the very swing states that will decide the election this November. Florida passed their marriage amendment by 62 percent of the vote. North Carolina passed it with 61 percent support just this past May. Virginia passed theirs by 57 percent. And the critical state of Ohio? They passed their amendment by 62 percent of the vote. Iowa hasn’t had a chance to vote on a marriage amendment yet, but with about 55 percent of the vote they did throw three sitting Supreme Court justices off the court last election for redefining marriage there. Recent polls suggest they’re about to boot another one of the gay marriage justices..."

By NOM Staff | Posted in Election Watch 2012, Law, Marriage, Marriage Election Watch, Mitt Romney, Politics, President Obama, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (2)

NYTimes on the Desperate Efforts by Gay Marriage Activists For a State Win

October 31, 2012 – 2:00 pm

The New York Times paints a basically accurate picture: our opponents enjoy a huge spending advantage, months or even years of advance work, and yet less than a week before the election HRC is downplaying expectations saying even one victory and three defeats will be a "turning point" -- only an issue with as weak a track record as gay marriage could see significance in losing the majority of liberal states voting this year:

"For opponents of same-sex marriage, it has been a potent and often repeated talking point: though the courts or the legislatures of some states have given gay and lesbian couples the right to marry, wherever it has appeared on the ballot, voters have rejected it.

Gay rights advocates hope that after Tuesday’s election, no one will be able to say that any more.

With public opinion shifting in their direction, a four-to-one spending advantage and months or even years of one-on-one appeals to potential voters, rights groups see a good chance of victory in at least one or two of the four states where same-sex marriage is a ballot item this year.

Current polls indicate a solid lead for supporters in Maine and a lesser one in Washington State, while the races in Maryland and Minnesota are about even, with the opponents apparently gaining.

Even a single victory “will be a turning point,” said Chad Griffin, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, a national group promoting gay rights that has directed $5 million to the four marriage battles.

Six states and the nation’s capital have legalized marriage for gay and lesbian couples. But in 30 states, voters have limited marriage to a man and a woman through constitutional amendments; in addition, same-sex marriage has been blocked in referendums like those in California in 2008 and Maine in 2009.

Opponents of broader rights for gay and lesbian couples are mounting a barrage of advertising and telephone appeals in the final week of the campaign, warning undecided voters that “redefining marriage” would force onerous changes in schools, businesses and churches..."

By NOM Staff | Posted in Election Watch 2012, Marriage, Marriage Election Watch, Politics, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (1)

Brad Pitt Contributes $100K to Each State Voting on Marriage

October 31, 2012 – 1:30 pm

Despite his mother's very vocal support for marriage, her celebrity son Brad Pitt is donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to redesign it.

Liberal billionaires and millionaires, and Hollywood celebrities -- that's who is bankrolling gay marriage.

Don't let them drown out your voice: visit www.StandforMarriageAmerica.com today!

By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture, Marriage, Politics, Same Sex Marriage, SFMA | Comments (1)

In Washington State It's Marriage Traditionalists vs. Big Corporate Bucks

October 31, 2012 – 1:00 pm

Michael Haverluck of OneNewsNow explains the dynamics in Washington State's dueling campaigns to redesign/protect marriage:

Despite big bucks by major corporations being poured into the campaign for same-sex "marriage" in Washington State, polls continue to show that the gap for support for Democrat-backed Referendum 74 is dwindling ─ fast.

For the first time, support for Referendum 74 has dropped below 50 percent, according to the latest statewide Elway Poll.

We have gained 10 points since last month's poll and are within four points and closing in; the other side is under 50 percent for the first time," said Cedar Park Assembly of God senior pastor Rev. Joe Fuiten on his Facebook page. Pro-marriage advocates now trail 49 to 45 percent.

Fuiten's church, which recently donated $5,000 to the "No on Ref. 74" campaign, is one of the backers of a movement designed to preserve marriage's definition as the legal union between one man and one woman. So far, the pro-family campaign has received $2.1 million to fight same-sex marriage.

... But the big business climate in the Pacific Northwest is predominantly geared to fuel the homosexual agenda. Ramping up for the election, homosexual activists and corporate advocates have done all they can to garner and contribute financial support in the name of "marriage equality."

Some major corporate endorsers pushing Washington State to be the seventh state to allow same-sex marriage include: Microsoft, Google, Starbucks, Amazon, Nordstrom, Costco, REI, Nike, Alcoa, Vulcan, and Expedia, with the latter being one of the latest major big businesses to join the charge.

... Just what kind of money are we talking about? Referendum 74 has a $9.5 million campaign fund. Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos and his wife donated $2.5 million of this total. And more than $5 million has already been funneled to TV ads promoting the redefinition of marriage.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Corporate Ethics, Marriage, Same Sex Marriage, Washington | Comments (4)

Joe Biden: Transgender Discrimination Is "The Civil Rights Issue Of Our Time"

October 31, 2012 – 12:30 pm

Look out gay marriage advocates, there's a new civil rights issue of our time, according to Biden:

Vice President Joe Biden said transgender discrimination is "the civil rights issue of our time" during a visit to a Florida field office on Tuesday, according to pool reports.

Biden was meeting with volunteers at an Obama for America office in Sarasota, Fla., when he singled out one woman "who he thought had beautiful eyes," reads the pool report. The woman said something to Biden that was inaudible to the pool reporter, but Biden responded to her by saying it was the "civil rights issue of our time."

The woman, Linda Carragher Bourne of Sarasota, later said her daughter was Miss Trans New England and that she had asked Biden if he would help them.

"A lot of my friends are being killed, and they don't have the civil rights yet. These guys are gonna make it happen," Bourne told the reporter.

The vice president has been an ally to the LGBT community. He told gay rights advocates in August that they are "freeing the soul of the American people." --Huffington Post

By NOM Staff | Posted in News | Comments (4)

Dennis Prager: "Why a Good Person Can Vote Against Same-Sex Marriage"

October 31, 2012 – 12:00 pm

Dennis Prager, nationally syndicated radio host, writes in TownHall:

"...The history of left-wing policies has largely consisted of doing what feels good and compassionate without asking what the long-term consequences will be; what Professor Thomas Sowell calls "Stage One Thinking." That explains, for example, the entitlement state. It sounds noble and seems noble. But the long-term consequences are terrible: economic ruin, a demoralized population, increasing selfishness as people look to the state to take care of their fellow citizens, and more.By redefining marriage to include same sex couples we are playing with sexual and societal fire. Just as the entitlement state passes on the cost of our good intentions to our children and grandchildren - unsustainable dependency and debt -- so, too, same-sex marriage will pass along the consequences of our good intentions to our children and grandchildren - gender confusion and the loss of motherhood and fatherhood as values, just to cite two obvious consequences.

It is not enough to mean well in life. One must also do well. And the two are frequently not the same thing.

There are reasons no moral thinker in history ever advocated same-sex marriage."

By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture, Marriage, Media, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (2)

Santorum: Stand Up for Marriage and Families this November

October 31, 2012 – 11:00 am

Rick Santorum writes that "wedded bliss helps prevent poverty" in the Washington Times:

Since the 2008 presidential campaign, when then-Sen. Barack Obama told the Rev. Rick Warren that he supported traditional marriage defined as the union of “one man and one woman,” the president’s position on this topic has “evolved,” and now, of course, has reversed.

Indeed, Mr. Obama not only has strayed quite a distance from his original position, he has done everything he can to undermine traditional marriage. What’s more, he has sat by idly while activist judges have decided how marriage should be defined. This is bad for marriage and bad for America.

The president’s refusal to defend marriage at the federal level has been an abdication of his constitutional responsibility to execute and enforce the law. He has signaled clearly that if re-elected in November, he will continue this abuse of power to redefine marriage.

The people of Maryland, Minnesota, Washington and Maine have the opportunity to affirm core traditional American values by voting to support traditional marriage on Election Day, Nov. 6. Voters in those states can join the 31 other states that have voted “yes” to preserving marriage through a state constitutional amendment, honoring marriage between a man and a woman now and for future generations.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture, Economics, Marriage, Mitt Romney, Politics, President Obama, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (1)

Minneapolis Attorney Responds to Common Arguments Against Protecting Marriage

October 31, 2012 – 10:00 am

Tim Regan is a Minnesota attorney who capably makes the case for laws protecting marriage:

"...If you think that the two opposing sides in the marriage debate are talking past each other, you are right. The reason for this is that they are operating from completely different and incompatible models defining the essence of marriage.

The traditional model defines marriage as the lifelong commitment, made by two persons of the opposite sex, to support each other and the children that are the product of their physical union. Marriage as a legal status is based on the physical relationship between a man and a woman, which is based on human biology, which if left to its natural course normally results in children. Society confers this status because of its compelling interest in children.

The revisionist model holds that marriage should not be limited by human biology or reproduction. "Oppositeness," the revisionists say, is not required for a fulfilling sexual relationship; therefore, it should not be required for marriage. People who love each other ought to be given the freedom to marry. Marriage should thus be redefined as a union of hearts and minds: Love should be the only criterion.

It is difficult to understand, however, why unions of hearts and minds need government regulation. The state has no compelling interest in licensing friendships." -- StarTribune

By NOM Staff | Posted in Debating Marriage, Law, Marriage, Minnesota, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (2)

NOM, Others, Investing Resources to Oust Wiggins in Iowa

October 31, 2012 – 9:00 am

Omaha.com:

Out-of-state money is flowing into Iowa in an attempt to oust Iowa Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins for his 2009 vote in a ruling that legalized same-sex marriage.

Among the big spenders are the National Organization for Marriage, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that has worked to defeat same-sex marriage proposals, and a political action committee founded by former Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Rick Santorum.

“I think there (are) a lot of organizations ... who see the threat of judicial activism as really having a negative impact on the family,” said Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of The Family Leader, one of the organizations opposing Wiggins' retention.

... The National Organization for Marriage, for instance, spent more than $635,000 two years ago. This year, reports indicate the group has spent about $140,000, most of it on television ads advocating Wiggins' ouster."

By NOM Staff | Posted in Iowa, Law, Marriage, Politics, Same Sex Marriage, United for Marriage | Comments (3)

Matthew Franck on Mark Regnerus and the Storm over the New Family Structures Study

October 31, 2012 – 8:00 am

Matthew Franck's first part in a two part series for the Public Discourse where he argues "Attacks on sociologist Mark Regnerus after he challenged the “no differences” thesis haven’t obscured the high quality of the New Family Structures Study or its troubling findings":

Seldom has the publication of a dry, factual report in sociology caused such a storm of controversy. In June 2012, the bimonthly peer-reviewed journal Social Science Research published an article by University of Texas sociologist Mark Regnerus titled, “How different are the children of parents who have same-sex relationships? Findings from the New Family Structures Study.” The answer to his title’s question was: quite a bit different, and most of the differences are not good.

Within minutes, it seemed, Professor Regnerus, a gifted and highly productive scholar with two previous books published on related subjects, was denounced as “anti-gay,” attacked personally and professionally, and his thoughtful, measured research conclusions were buried under an avalanche of invective, abuse, and misunderstanding. For the remainder of the summer months, Regnerus withstood an onslaught of criticism, but as the autumn arrived, it became clear that his reputation and the soundness of his research had been vindicated.

What had happened? [Continue reading...]

By NOM Staff | Posted in Children, Culture, Marriage, Parenting, Research/Study, Same Sex Marriage | Comments Off on Matthew Franck on Mark Regnerus and the Storm over the New Family Structures Study

Help Finish the Job in New York!

October 30, 2012 – 8:25 pm

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Dear Marriage Supporter,

I am writing to update you on the state of the race in New York, and to ask for your urgent support to help get the job done. Please make a generous donation to the NOM PAC NY today to help us push across the finish line in several key races that will send a message across the nation.

*      *      *      *      *

Fifteen months ago, when turncoat politicians pushed same-sex marriage through behind closed doors in the dark of night, we promised that we would not stop until marriage was restored in New York.

And the first order of business was to hold accountable the seven turncoat senators who imposed same-sex marriage on the state.

With your help, we have already come a long way! Four of the seven have already been defeated, and the remaining three are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in a desperate attempt to save their careers.

James Alesi. Roy McDonald. Carl Kruger. Shirley Huntley. Mark Grisanti. Stephen Saland. Joseph Addabbo.

Please click here to help get the job done with a generous gift of $30, $50, or even $500 to the NOM PAC New York today!

  • James Alesi—despite earlier boasts—saw the handwriting on the wall and decided to retire rather than face voters.

  • In May, NOM helped elect pro-marriage David Storobin to replace disgraced Senator Carl Kruger in a special election.

  • Last month, for the first time in more than fifty years, a sitting Republican senator in New York was defeated in a primary election when Kathy Marchione defeated Roy McDonald.

  • Neil Di Carlo nearly pulled off a similar upset despite being outspent nearly 30-1 in his campaign against Steve Saland—and Di Carlo is still in the race on the Conservative Party line with a chance to pull off an election day upset.

  • Also last month, NOM helped pro-marriage candidate James Sanders defeat Shirley Huntley in the Democratic Party primary.

Election day is just a week away, and many New Yorkers are digging out from the damage inflicted by Hurricane Sandy. But upstate, Mark Grisanti is trying to buy his way to victory in a four-way race. His chief pro-marriage opponent, NOM-backed Conservative Party candidate Charles Swanick, greatly needs our support in these final days to prevent a Grisanti victory.

In the Hudson valley, Neil Di Carlo is in a tight rematch with Stephen Saland—except this time Saland has a Democratic opponent who is expected to draw some of Saland's primary supporters, giving Di Carlo a clear shot at Saland's senate seat.

And in an under-reported race, the latest polls show Joseph Addabo stuck at 45% support against his Republican challenger just weeks before election day.

*      *      *      *      *

We have accomplished much together already, and there are critical races all across the nation this November, but perhaps none would send a more resounding message than for us to prove to the world that a politicians' vote for same-sex marriage is a career-ending vote, even in a deep blue state like New York.

I know there are many requests for your support right now, but I hope you will make the most generous gift you can to help finish the job in New York. Whether it's $25 or $2500, your support is key to our success in taking back New York. Please stand with us today!

By Brian Brown | Posted in Marriage Election Watch, New York, Same Sex Marriage | Comments Off on Help Finish the Job in New York!
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