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Will Pro-Gay Marriage Millionaires Divide and Conquer the GOP

September 27, 2011 at 6:55 pm

Gay Multimillionaires

Dear Marriage Supporter,

The Human Rights Campaign and its pro-gay marriage allies are desperate to divide the Republican Party.

They spent more than $3 million to split off four Republican senators in New York. Led by wealthy GOP liberal Charles Munger, Jr. (the son of Warren Buffet's business partner), they very nearly succeeded in a stealthy takeover of the California GOP platform, using money and influence to gut the platform of its traditional support for life and marriage.

And now they've gotten their first Republican defector on DOMA.

Last Friday, Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen announced that she would co-sponsor the bill to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act – becoming the first Republican to sign on to Rep. Jerrold Nadler's (D-NY) legislation.

It's critical that Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen hear from you (and your friends!) today.

We have many, many wonderful friends and marriage supporters in Congress. GOP frontrunner presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Perry, together with Senator Rick Santorum and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, have publicly pledged concrete action to protect marriage. And that's no surprise. Polls show that upwards of 80% of Republicans support marriage, and Republican defectors do so at their own peril.

But groups like the Log Cabin Republicans and Freedom to Marry have been quietly courting Ros-Lehtinen for months, and this isn't the first time Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen has abandoned the Republican party on important issues. She has repeatedly voted against a constitutional amendment to protect marriage, and earlier this year, she was the only Republican co-sponsor of a bill to shut down Catholic Charities and other religious adoption agencies across the nation, forcing them to violate religious convictions or go out of business.

Gay marriage activists know they don't need to persuade the Republican grassroots to support same-sex marriage – they just need to split off enough GOP elite opinion to provide cover as they force SSM on the entire nation. Several prominent GOP elites have already signed on, and gay marriage activists are spending millions of dollars to pressure and persuade more Republican lawmakers that they can support same-sex marriage without consequence.

I need you to send an email to Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen today. Let her know that you are outraged that she would abandon marriage and the millions of voters who have adopted state amendments to protect marriage.

And maybe it's time Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen started looking for a new job.

In California, an outpouring of courageous grassroots opposition at the last minute – with behind the scenes support from NOM – was able to successfully derail Charlie Munger's attempted takeover of the Republican platform. In New York, an unexpected wall of Orthodox Jewish and Hispanic voters, offended by Assemblyman David Weprin's support for same-sex marriage, rose up to block Weprin in New York's 9th Congressional District, electing a (pro-marriage!) Republican to the reliably Democratic seat for the first time in nearly a century.

And that's just the start! We have committed to spending at least $2 million to defeat the turncoat senators who voted in the new same-sex marriage regime. We're holding the Republican presidential candidates accountable on marriage. And together we will work to hold every official in Washington, Democrats and Republicans alike, to account for their position on marriage and the rights of American voters.

Please, take a moment to send a message to Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen today. Tell your friends. And if you are able, please make a donation of $25, $50, or even $100 or more to help hold Washington accountable.

Faithfully,

Brian Brown

Brian Brown

Brian S. Brown
President
National Organization for Marriage

Brian Brown
By Brian Brown | Posted in DOMA, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (13)

Video: Google/FoxNews Skip Marriage Question, Despite Evidence Americans Want to Hear it Debated

September 27, 2011 at 11:00 am

While TV viewers of last week's Google/FoxNews GOP presidential debate watched commercials, online viewers at YouTube.com were treated to short segments designed to reflect and explain how viewers were reacting to what was being said by the candidates. This segment shows that on social issues, online spectators were intensely interested in the marriage question.

So why wasn't marriage discussed in the actual debate?

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Election Watch 2012, Marriage Election Watch, Media, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (11)

CNA: "New Alliance Supports Those Threatened for Defending Marriage"

September 27, 2011 at 10:30 am

Michelle Bauman at Catholic News Agency interviews Maggie about NOM's newest project:

The National Organization for Marriage announced Sept. 23 that it is launching the Marriage Anti-Defamation Alliance, a new project to defend the freedom to express one’s belief that marriage should be the union of a man and woman without fear of harassment or punishment.

“My sense is that there are too many of us who believe that marriage is the union of husband and wife to stigmatize or marginalize if we come together,” said Maggie Gallagher, co-founder of National Organization for Marriage.

Gallagher told CNA Sept. 26 that the alliance was created in response to “increased reports, both public and private, of people whose livelihoods are being threatened because they disagree with gay marriage.”

“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,” she said.

The alliance is not a legal project, Gallagher explained, but rather an attempt to increase awareness and support for those who have faced unjust harassment because of their views on marriage.

Gallagher said that the alliance aims “to get the word out about what is actually happening, because this is not being well-covered.”

The alliance is also designed “to create a community where other people to whom this is happening will feel safe in coming forward and will feel that somebody cares about what’s happening to them.”

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Civility, Culture, Free Speech, Marriage, Religious Liberty, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (1)

Autonomy of Some Student Groups at Vanderbilt In Doubt After Gay Complaint

September 27, 2011 at 9:30 am

World On Campus:

Five Christian student groups at Vanderbilt University are fighting to stay on campus and retain their religious freedom as administrators try to decide whether they are in violation of the school's nondiscrimination policy.

... Vanderbilt administrators began a review of all student organizations earlier this year after Christian fraternity Beta Upsilon Chi asked an openly gay member to resign. He subsequently filed a discrimination complaint.

... In a column published in The Tennessean on Sept. 14, law and political science professor Carol M. Swain accused the university of trying to destroy all religious organizations.

"If this policy is implemented, it will make it harder for the students to have on-campus fellowship with like-minded believers and it will make it more difficult for them to grow in or even maintain their faith while on campus," she wrote. "The policy sends a clear message to students: religious associations are not a valued or respected part of the university's ideological diversity."

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Education, Free Speech, Religious Liberty, Youth | Comments (21)

NRO's Kathryn Lopez Interviews Maggie on NOM's New Anti-Defamation Alliance

September 27, 2011 at 9:00 am

Kathryn Lopez at National Review Online chats with Maggie Gallagher about NOM's new Marriage Anti-Defamation Alliance and its role in defending the livelihood of those who exercise their core civil rights when protecting marriage:

LOPEZ: What exactly is the Marriage Anti-Defamation Alliance? And how much of a need is there for it anyway? How many Tureks could there be out there?

GALLAGHER: Marriage ADA’s goal is an America where people on all sides of the gay marriage debate feel free to participate peacefully in the democratic process without fear of threats, harassment, or retaliation. I know that Frank is not the only one, because I’m getting e-mails from others who’ve faced similar threats. The goal of too many gay marriage advocates is to isolate, intimidate, and silence Americans who believe that marriage is the union of husband and wife, because children need their mom and dad. Marriage ADA is a response to these tactics of branding civil, thoughtful participation in democracy as hatred and bigotry.

I hope, by creating community, to inspire more Americans to stand up for their rights to preach, teach, and live the idea that to make a marriage you need a husband and a wife. There are too many of us to stigmatize if we stand together.

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Civility, Culture, Free Speech, Religious Liberty | Comments (13)

Pope Promotes Catholic-Orthodox Defense of Marriage, Faith in Public Square

September 27, 2011 at 8:30 am

Catholic News Agency:

“The common engagement of Christians, including many Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christians, makes a valuable contribution to building up a society equipped for the future, in which the human person is given the respect which is his due,” said the Pope at a meeting with Orthodox leaders in the German city of Freiburg Sept. 24.

At the Archdiocese of Freiburg’s seminary, the Pope highlighted areas where co-operation is particularly needed in order to reverse “the present climate, in which many would like, as it were, to ‘liberate’ public life from God.”

...They can also work together to promote “the value of marriage and the family,” particularly when defending “the integrity and the uniqueness of marriage between one man and one woman.”

There are an estimated 1.6 million Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christians in Germany today.

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Catholic Church, Europe, Marriage | Comments (5)

Video: Kevin Smith Prepares to Run for NH Governor

September 27, 2011 at 8:00 am

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:

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Election Watch 2012, Marriage Election Watch, New Hampshire | Comments Off on Video: Kevin Smith Prepares to Run for NH Governor

Live Near DC? Hear What Local Catholics Are Doing to Promote Marriage This Weekend

September 26, 2011 at 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.

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture, Marriage, Washington DC | Comments (1)

"Young Canadians Cling to Traditional Gender Roles; Experts Horrified"

September 26, 2011 at 11:55 am

Catholic Culture:

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.”

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Canada, Culture, Youth | Comments (23)

First Republican Jumps Ship, Supports Repeal of DOMA

September 26, 2011 at 11:37 am

The Florida Independent:

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.

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in DOMA, Florida, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (14)

NYC City Council Speaker Says SSM Didn't Sink Weprin, But Ignores the Evidence

September 26, 2011 at 11:30 am

Daily Politics:

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).

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in New York, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (6)

Video: UK Police Ban Bible in Cafe After Customer Complains It's "Homophobic"

September 26, 2011 at 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."

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Free Speech, Religious Liberty, United Kingdom | Comments (14)

Video: Student Suspended for Saying Homosexuality is Wrong

September 26, 2011 at 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.”

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture, Education, Free Speech | Comments (21)

Scottish Bishop Says Government Forfeits Public Trust with Same-Sex Unions

September 26, 2011 at 9:00 am

Catholic Culture:

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.”

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Catholic Church, Law, Same Sex Marriage, United Kingdom | Comments (3)

AP on NOM's New Chairman John Eastman

September 26, 2011 at 8:00 am

The Associated Press:

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!

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