![NOM National Newsletter](http://www.nomresources.com/graphics/header_nom-national-newsletter.jpg)
![](http://www.nomblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/nom_email_2012-02-16_primary-image.jpg)
My Dear Friends,
I smell victory in the air, and I am pretty sure you haven't heard the good news. (Thanks, mainstream media!)
February, the month of love, will be the month we score some major, unexpected victories for marriage.
Victory number one: taking marriage to the people of Washington. After the out-of-touch state legislature rammed through a gay marriage bill in Washington state, a citizen's coalition (with NOM's help!) called Preserve Marriage Washington immediately filed the paperwork to take marriage to the people!
Joseph Backholm is leading the effort at Preserve Marriage Washington (with your help!), as this New American piece makes clear:
Among the leaders in the fight to preserve marriage in Washington is Joseph Backholm, head of the state's Family Policy Institute, who said his group is working to give voters the final say on the issue. "Marriage is the union of one man and one woman for good reason," Backholm said following passage of the homosexual marriage bill. "Marriage is society's way of bringing men and women together so that children can be raised by, and cared for by, their mother and father--the people responsible for bringing them into the world. It is the most-important, child-focused institution of society and we will fight to preserve it. Voters will have the opportunity to define marriage in our state."
Among the state and national groups that are combining forces to get the referendum on the ballot are the Family Policy Institute, Stand for Marriage Washington, Concerned Women for America, and the National Organization for Marriage (NOM). In addition, organizers said they expect hundreds of churches and individuals to pitch in to gather the needed signatures.
Here's our own Chris Plante predicting success:
Starbucks and other humongous Seattle corporations may now believe that gay marriage is the future, but their customers in the state of Washington will get the chance to fight back!
Victory number two: Gay marriage loses again! In New Jersey?!
In New Jersey, after losing massively in 2009, the wealthy base of gay-marriage donors decided once again this year to take up the time and energy of legislatures in pushing through a gay marriage bill. But in the vote this week in NJ, they failed to get enough votes to override Gov. Christie's announced plans to veto, leading Christie to call the effort political "theater."
The Governor also added: "Democrats assume that the Republicans who voted no [on same-sex marriage] didn't vote their conscience. I assume the Democrats who voted no last time [same-sex marriage was up for a vote] ... and voted yes this time I guess had a change of conscience
or maybe their arms got twisted a little bit harder...."
Today, I'll be linking arms again with my personal hero, Sen. Rev. Rubén Díaz, who was invited by fellow Pentecostal ministers to join the fight in New Jersey to protect God's truth about marriage.
Senator Rev. Díaz stated: "I am honored that Rev. Jose C. Lopez, the President of the Evangelical Pastors Association of Hudson County, has invited me and my ministers to join him along with Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage, to once again unite in prayer for the protection of the traditional family." For a guy from suburban Orange County, California, let me tell you, this is a real honor--and a real trip!
Victory number three: The black church in Maryland stands up for marriage!
African-American Democrats were the key to the legislature's decision to reject gay marriage in Maryland last year. The Governor's wife called them and others "cowards" for refusing to accept gay marriage's inevitability.
But marriage is a cause which brings together people of every race, creed and color, as my friend and hero Sen. Díaz can tell you. And in Maryland, a key delegate in the Maryland House just announced he's still a "no" vote on gay marriage:
"While I do believe that the law should afford the same protections to all couples in Maryland, I do not believe we need to use the word marriage to do that," Delegate Patrick Hogan said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a really notable thing happened at the hearings on the Senate side. You didn't hear about it in the mainstream media, but one brave gay man actually showed up to testify against same-sex marriage:
The Maryland Gazette reports:
...[A] gay man from Potomac asked the committee to defeat the bill, saying the proposal by Gov. Martin O'Malley would undermine one of society's most basic principles, that marriage is between a man and a woman.
"I'm gay and I'm opposed to this legislation," said Doug Mainwaring, a divorced father of two who works for the National Capital Tea Party Patriots.
"I totally believe in civil unions, but I would like to see marriage preserved for one man and one woman. Marriage is the building block of our civilization," he said.
Will the Democrats continue this rash effort to divert time and attention to a low-priority item in the middle of a huge economic crisis?
Stay tuned, but we're fighting hard for your values in Maryland and I smell victory!
Victory number four: Will the New Hampshire legislature repeal gay marriage?
In New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Journal's online survey may be a harbinger of yet another unsung, hard-fought victory. It's not a scientific poll, but it's a measure of intensity that over 1100 New Hampshireans recorded their vote and more than 70 percent said they applauded the legislators' efforts to repeal gay marriage.
We expect a vote to repeal gay marriage in New Hampshire could happen soon. Don't miss another chance for celebrating unexpected victory!
Meanwhile Republican state Rep. David Bates, the author of the repeal bill, led a recent rally on the Statehouse steps.
"I think it's time to move back, back to the true meaning of marriage," Bates said.
Victory number five: A new marriage amendment in May for North Carolina?
Meanwhile the next state to vote for a marriage amendment will be North Carolina in May. A new Civitas poll (yes, this is a scientifically-valid one!) released this week shows massive support for protecting marriage as one man and one woman: 62 percent yes to 30 percent no. When you look at the "strongly support" it's even more encouraging (if possible), as 57 percent say they "strongly support" the measure. That's going to be hard for even Tim Gill or Paul Singer's money to overcome!
These victories are possible, under the grace of God, only because you and others like you chose to put your faith in hope, not in the argument for despair, and stand up for what's right instead of supinely accepting the Left's view of history.
It was your prayers, your encouragement, your work, your votes, and your financial sacrifices which made this possible. Thank you in advance for all that you have done, against all odds, to protect God's
truth about marriage.
Meanwhile in national politics, a couple of interesting developments.
Nancy Pelosi, who is, after all, the congresswoman who represents San Francisco, just endorsed plans for a messy platform fight to put the Democratic Party on record supporting gay marriage, according to Politico.
"...The proposed plank states: 'We support the full inclusion of all families in the life of our nation, with equal respect, responsibilities, and protections under the law, including the freedom to marry.'"
Gee, will Pres. Obama have to come out of his closet and admit he's in favor of gay marriage?
We hope so, since he's done more than any voter could have imagined to undermine our right to vote for marriage in federal courts.
Meanwhile all the major Republican presidential candidates (Gingrich, Romney and Santorum) have signed NOM's Marriage Pledge, which includes a promise to fight for the Defense of Marriage Act in court and for a federal marriage amendment in Congress.
The same day that Gov. Gregoire signed a same-sex marriage bill in Washington state, Rick Santorum was in Tacoma, meeting with pro-marriage leaders and taking the fight to the people! Occupy Tacoma tried to silence him, but he stood tall. Watch:
Meanwhile, Gov. Mitt Romney is also standing up for marriage, as this press report makes clear:
Romney ran through a laundry list of accomplishments from his tenure as Massachusetts governor, including everything from balancing budgets and improving the school system--to more controversial battles like those over illegal immigration and same-sex marriage, which Massachusetts' Supreme Court legalized during Romney's term.
"I led the fight to get an amendment to our constitution to reverse that ruling," Romney said of the court's decision to allow same sex marriage, echoing his CPAC speech. "We missed by one vote. Even in a legislature that's 85 percent Democrat. But we went to make sure that we didn't have our same sex marriage go throughout the country and we were able to enforce--I think it was a 1913 law--that kept Massachusetts from becoming the Las Vegas of same sex marriage."
Both Romney and Santorum understand that marriage is an important issue--and that it is a winning issue!
Thank you for all the "impossible" victories we've already won together, by standing up for first principles and for common sense. Thank you as well for the victories we are about to win! Now is the time to stay engaged!
God bless you and your family. Please pray for all those on the front lines of this epic fight for marriage!