Falwell: Attention Virginians (and Americans in Six Other States) …

[meegbear]

FALWELL CONFIDENTIAL
Insider weekly newsletter to The Moral Majority Coalition and
The Liberty Alliance http://www.moralmajority.com <http://www.moralmajority.com/>

From: Jerry Falwell <http://www.falwell.com/>
Date: September 1, 2006

Attention Virginians (and Americans in Six Other States) … Let’s Protect the Traditional Family in November

This week, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld a lower court judge who found that the state’s proposed marriage protection amendment does not violate the state constitution’s “single subject” rule. Subsequently, on November 7, Arizona voters will be able to cast their vote as to whether marriage should be reserved as an act between one man and one woman.

In addition this week, the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied a motion by the American Civil Liberties Union and homosexual-rights advocates who wanted the court to re-hear last month’s decision upholding Nebraska’s constitutional amendment that defines marriage as being between one man and one woman.

So far, 20 states have passed marriage protection amendments, while 28 other states have statutes protecting marriage. There is no reason to believe that Arizona voters will break the string of victories for traditional marriage. Nevertheless, homosexual-rights advocates continue to press for the rights of men to marry men and women to marry women.

In November, seven states — Arizona, Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin — will vote on marriage protection amendments on state ballots. A proposed amendment is also pending in Colorado. In previous amendment balloting, the average approval rate has been 70 percent.

The significance of these votes is clear: Americans, by large numbers, do not want to legally recognize same-sex marriage. In Arizona, the Alliance Defense Fund joined with the Center for Arizona Policy to collect 300,000-plus signatures of residents who wanted the issue placed on the November ballot. That means many people are ready to defend marriage there.

ADF Senior Counsel Glen Lavy said, “Those seeking to redefine marriage unsuccessfully tried to evade the democratic process by misusing a technical provision of the constitution. Arizona voters deserve to have a say in the matter of marriage and will have the opportunity to do so.”

They sure do.

Activist judges and homosexual-rights advocates have been attempting to thwart the will of the people at virtually every turn in order to further their plan to desecrate the act of marriage. If we don’t stand to battle them, marriage as we know it will cease to exist.

I continue to believe we need a federal Marriage Protection Amendment. Such an amendment has twice fallen short of the required two-thirds majorities in both houses of Congress, but those of us who want to protect marriage have vowed to see the amendment brought up again. In fact, last month, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) introduced a federal marriage amendment comprised of a single sentence: “Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the legal union of one man and one woman.”

My friend Robert Knight, director of the Culture & Family Institute, an affiliate of Concerned Women for America, says, “Homosexual activists are hoping to crack the defensive wall around marriage by filing lawsuits in a number of states, and eventually bringing down the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage for all federal purposes as the union of a man and a woman, and allows states under the Full Faith and Credit Clause not to be forced to recognize unions not legal under their own laws.”

In other words, the battle continues.

“Their strategy is to win the ‘right to marry’ in several state courts before they make a head-on challenge in federal court,” adds Jan LaRue, chief counsel for Concerned Women for America. “Even the win in Massachusetts hasn’t given them a basis to challenge the federal Defense of Marriage Act because Massachusetts’ law limits same-sex marriage to couples who reside there.”

This is a battle we must not lose.

In the seven states holding state ballot initiatives on marriage in November, residents of those states have a chance to take a stand for marriage. I encourage everyone in those states to get involved in this issue. Pastors should be making sure their parishioners know about the issues.

NOTE: To my fellow Virginians, vote YES on November 7 to preserve the traditional family and to deny the legalization of polygamy, same-sex marriage and other diverse family forms. Let’s continue working together to protect marriage in this nation.

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:grr:

[gaspee]

1. I can't wait

Until my state, Rhode Island, completely legalizes same sex marriage. It's only a matter of time here. And RI won't have a provision to exclude people from other states. And it won't be done through the courts. I'm kind of looking forward to the next legislative session (and I am hopeful we'll get rid of carcieri, that bastard! this year)

I think if any state is going to do it, meaning full legal rights with no restrictions, Rhode Island will be it.

[HeavensHell]

2. It's just a matter of time

I was very shocked with the NYSC decision a few months ago. Most residents thought we'd have same-sex marriage, but the court went to far in their ruling. With democrats posed to take back much of the state government the issue of same-sex marriage is on the front, with candidates pledging to bring it up for a vote next year. We'll see. It would be nice to see NY advance civil rights.