Dems focus on homosexual agenda

Jim Brown - OneNewsNow -

Democrats are currently undertaking two major efforts in Congress to enact key parts of the political agenda of homosexual activists.

Today liberal Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-New York) plans to introduce a bill that would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The bill, which already has 69 co-sponsors, would create federal recognition of same-sex "marriages."

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=681852

Defending Marriage in Troubled Times

by Harry R. Jackson, Jr.

Recently the Obama administration filed court papers claiming a federal marriage law, called The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), discriminates against gays. This was surprising because at the same time government lawyers have been instructed to defend it. In fact, Department of Justice Department lawyers are seeking to dismiss a suit brought by a gay California couple challenging the 1996 Act. The administration's legal strategy so angered gay activists that they claimed the president is backtracking on campaign promises.

http://townhall.com/columnists/HarryRJacksonJr/2009/09/02/defending_marriage_in_troubled_times?page=full&comments=true

Gay Marriage, Democracy, and the Courts

The culture war will never end if judges invalidate the choices of voters.

By ROBERT P. GEORGE We are in the midst of a showdown over the legal definition of marriage. Though some state courts have interfered, the battle is mainly being fought in referenda around the country, where “same-sex marriage” has uniformly been rejected, and in legislatures, where some states have adopted it. It’s a raucous battle, but democracy is working.

Now the fight may head to the U.S. Supreme Court. Following California’s Proposition 8, which restored the historic definition of marriage in that state as the union of husband and wife, a federal lawsuit has been filed to invalidate traditional marriage laws.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204619004574322084279548434.html

Ben & Jerry's ice cream honors same-sex 'marriage'

Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow -

An ice cream company is celebrating homosexual "marriage" in Vermont (see related article).

Same-gender marriage is now legal in The Green Mountain State, and Ben & Jerry's has announced that it will temporarily change its "Chubby Hubby" ice cream to "Hubby Hubby" in honor of homosexual marriage. Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth about Homosexuality tells OneNewsNow that companies like Ben & Jerry's neglect to talk about the dangers of the lifestyle.

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=661990

Opposing Gay Unions With Sanity & a Smile

By Monica Hesse

The nightmares of gay marriage supporters are the Pat Robertsons of the world. The James Dobsons, the John Hagees -- the people who specialize in whipping crowds into frothy frenzies, who say things like Katrina was caused by the gays.

The gay marriage supporters have not met Brian Brown. They should. He might be more worth knowing about.

Brown is the executive director of the National Organization for Marriage, the preeminent organization dedicated to preventing the legalization of same-sex marriage. For two years, Brown has been traveling across the country. He moved his wife and six kids to California, where NOM was instrumental in passing Proposition 8, the state constitutional amendment defining marriage as an institution only between a man and a woman. Before that, Connecticut, where his cause was hurt when the state Supreme Court legalized gay marriage.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/27/AR2009082704139.html

ABA meddles in marriage issue, members exit

Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow -

The American Bar Association House of Delegates has approved a resolution calling on Congress to repeal a section of the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, that denies federal marital benefits and protections to same-gender couples married in states where it's legal.

OneNewsNow contacted Liberty Counsel's Mat Staver, dean of the law school at Liberty University, for reaction. He says the American Bar Association (ABA) is intruding on matters that have nothing to do with the general practice of law, pushing a political position that upsets many members.

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=634228

Same-sex marriage has consequences beyond the couple getting married

A Saskatchewan marriage commissioner who refused to marry a same-sex couple has lost his appeal of a human rights ruling.
Orville Nichols was approached by a gay man who wanted to get married in 2005 . At first, Nichols congratulated the man, identified in court documents only as "M.J."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2009/07/23/marriage-ruling.html

Romania stiff-arms same-sex 'marriage'

Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow -

Romania's Parliament has moved to protect traditional marriage.

Roger Kiska, a member of Alliance Defense Fund's legal counsel, is stationed in Europe. He tells OneNewsNow that Romania adopted a strong civil code enshrining traditional marriage in law. "It's defined throughout the code -- spouse as between a man and a woman," he explains. "It forbids these backdoor, so-called same-sex 'marriages' where Romanian citizens or foreigners come into the country and ask that their marriage be recognized by the country. It also does the same with civil unions."

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=612576

A Label that Sticks [Father Paul Scalia on the Gay-Straight Alliance]

When I was in high school, the students fell into many different groups: preps, jocks, cheerleaders, punks, deadheads, druggies, geeks, and all the rest. Just about everyone received an unofficial but virtually unchangeable assignment to a particular group. When I work in high schools today, I discover little difference. The groups still exist (with just a few changes in terminology), and the teachers and administrators still counsel against the labels. As they wisely explain, labels reinforce stereotypes and prejudices; they prevent us from accepting individuals and getting to know the real person.

There is one difference, however. While still warning children against stereotypes and labels, high-school administrations increasingly encourage one group of students to label themselves: those who experience same-sex attractions. With the assistance (and sometimes pressure) of such groups as the Gay-Straight Alliance and the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network, high schools across the country now routinely have student organizations dedicated to promoting the tolerance and acceptance of homosexuality. Indeed, New York City has an entire school—Harvey Milk High School—devoted to “gay, lesbian, transgendered and questioning youth.”

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1456914/posts

God's Marriage Resonates Deeply with Majority of Americans

The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property (TFP) is promoting traditional marriage on the streets of New York, Maine and Rhode Island and finding how deeply Americans cherish God's marriage - the union of one man and one woman.

TFP volunteers have been standing on busy street corners holding HONK signs, which are large signs with a message printed in bold and colorful letters: HONK for traditional marriage = 1 man + 1 woman.

The public enjoys the pro-family group's HONK signs."People love to honk their horn for marriage. It's like they feel liberated from all the homosexual propaganda being forced on them," said Norman Fulkerson, TFP leader with the group campaigning in upstate New York.

Fulkerson continued: "The opposition is forced to hear the barrage of honking horns. Their insults and cursing get drowned out in the noise of the honks." Even pedestrians join the honking by simulating the movement of pressing a car's horn and making a loud honk sound."People are tired of hearing all the propaganda for same-sex 'marriage'," said Richard Lyon, TFP volunteer campaigning in Rhode Island. "I'm finding that people don't want their children educated in the homosexual lifestyle. They want the traditional family. And they're happy to see us saying this in public."

The Catholic group also hands out a flyer titled "Ten reasons why homosexual 'marriage' is harmful and must be opposed," and calls on Americans to firmly and peacefully oppose the advance of the homosexual movement.Recent surveys show that support for same- sex "marriage" is declining in the United States.
Visit www.TFP.org for additional reports.

Prop 8 Panel Discussion at San Diego Historical Society

Thursday, July 30 5:30pm – 7:30pm
San Diego NOW!: California Proposition 8: New Strategies for the Same-Sex Marriage Debate Admission: FREE SDHS members, $10 general public.
Please note: Reservations are requested.
Call for program description. 619-232-6203, ext. 129

Beware Prop 8 signature takers

Professional signature gatherers will begin standing outside of Target, grocery stores and other venues to gather the necessary signatures to put the gay-marriage issue back on the ballot for November. They are targeting the more liberal parts of the State, but some signatures will be gathered here in San Diego County as well.

The most effective, and least costly, way to defeat this measure is to make sure it doesn't garner enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. The deadline for gathering the signatures is August 15, 2009.

Please inform your family, friends, and associates of this latest assault on PROP 8. Please encourage one-and-all to NOT sign these petitions at store fronts. Say "NO Thank You" to this petition! Marriage = One Man & One Woman.

A common phrase used by professional signature gatherers is, "It doesn't matter if you sign it, this is only so the people can vote on it." It does matter!

Let's do our part to keep this measure off the ballot. I invite you to forward this information through your personal email lists and encourage others to forward it to their friends and family members.

Persistent pursuit of marriage protection

Pete Chagnon - OneNewsNow -
A pro-family group in West Virginia believes the state needs to institute protections for traditional marriage.

Kevin McCoy, president of the West Virginia Family Foundation, is pleased that his state's legislature has passed a resolution for a subcommittee hearing on a traditional marriage amendment. McCoy believes they are bowing to pressure from his organization, which has submitted the marriage amendment in every session since 2006.

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=608322

Poll: Support For Gay Marriage Dips

Posted by Stephanie Condon
Support for same-sex marriage has declined slightly from two months ago, a new CBS News/New York Times poll finds. On other issues that have come before the Supreme Court -- namely, affirmative action and abortion -- Americans' opinions have remained relatively stable for years, according to the poll, conducted June 12 - 16.

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/06/17/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5094597.shtml

Majority of Americans Continue to Oppose Gay Marriage

No change in support from last year
by Jeffrey M. Jones
PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans' views on same-sex marriage have essentially stayed the same in the past year, with a majority of 57% opposed to granting such marriages legal status and 40% in favor of doing so. Though support for legal same-sex marriage is significantly higher now than when Gallup first asked about it in 1996, in recent years support has appeared to stall, peaking at 46% in 2007.

View poll.

NEA flexes 'political muscle,' backs same-sex 'marriage'

Pete Chagnon - OneNewsNow -
The National Education Association has thrown its full support behind homosexual "marriage."The NEA recently held its annual convention in San Diego, California, where members voted on two issues of importance to those involved in the culture war. One of those issues was whether the union would support same-gender marriage. According to Jeralee Smith, co-founder of the Conservative Educators Caucus, the resolution passed by roughly a two-thirds majority.

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Education/Default.aspx?id=603580

Marriage showdown imminent in Maine

Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow -

Maine citizens are taking a stand against the state legislature over homosexual "marriage."

Although the legislature passed it and Governor John Baldacci approved the same-sex marriage bill in May, the law is on hold. Maine considers the people to be a branch of the government, and they can exercise a People's Veto. Mary Conroy of Stand for Marriage tells OneNewsNow that means gathering enough signatures to put the issue before voters.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=597780

Pope’s letter calls for openness to human life

Carolyn Moynihan
Pope Benedict XVI’s new encyclical letter, “On Integral Human Development in Charity and Truth”, discusses a wide spectrum of social realities, among them the need for openness to new human life, which, he says, “is at the centre of true development”, and protection of the family founded on “marriage between a man and a woman, the primary vital cell of society”.

http://www.mercatornet.com/family_edge/view/popes_letter_calls_for_openness_to_human_life/

'Gay marriage' law takes effect in nation's capital

Associated Press -
WASHINGTON, DC - A law recognizing same-sex "marriages" performed elsewhere has gone into effect in the District of Columbia. The bill was approved in a 12-1 vote by the D.C. Council in May, with council member Marion Barry casting the lone no vote. Congress, which has the final say over the city's laws, had 30 days to review the bill. A push by black church leaders who oppose same-gender marriage failed to get a referendum on the matter. And Congress took no action, allowing the bill to become law Tuesday.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=594512

Same-Sex-Marriage Follies

http://nymag.com/guides/summer/2009/57474/
Commentary on this article from Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage:

"New York magazine gives the National Organization for Marriage (that's you and me and thousands of other marriage supporters working together) credit for helping turn this situation around: "Meanwhile, an organized opposition was taking root. Starting in mid-May, the National Organization for Marriage, founded by pundit Maggie Gallagher, spent $600,000 on, among other things, more than 2 million robo-calls, primarily to Republicans and independents. 'The amount of political pressure it takes the Legislature to do something is a lot more than getting it to do nothing,' she said. 'I have to generate enough public pressure to get politicians to do nothing. How hard should that be?'"

We know that thanks to your help, we flooded the legislature with thousands of phone calls and emails from outraged constituents: Sen. Alesi, one of the few Republicans who hinted he might vote for the bill, admitted his office was inundated with calls. And privately state senators sent up the word: "We're with you! Take us off your list, please!" When the people speak up loud and clear, politicians sit up and notice.
Only one thing is more important to politicians in Albany than what the voters want, it seems: money."