NOM BLOG

Monthly Archives: November 2010

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...New USCCB Chief Names Marriage Defender Among Heroes

Archbishop Timothy Dolan, newly elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, tells the National Catholic Register, "Robby George is one of my heroes." George, a Princeton professor,  is the founding Chairman of the Board of the National Organization for Marriage.  Read more about this exciting news for the defense of marriage here.

LDS Church Rebukes HRC's Claims Mormon Theology/Morality has Changed

The Human Rights Campaign delivered a petition demanding the LDS Church change its theology on sex and marriage, in order to remedy bullying. Apparently, Joe Solmonese thinks HE should dictate theology for the Mormon church!  Now, when that effort fails, HRC issues a press release claiming victory anyway.   (The leaders of the Church called on all members to show kindness and eschew bullying, but reaffirmed the teaching opposing same-gender sex and affirming marriage as the union of husband and wife will stand forever.)

Today the LDS Church rebuked HRC for misrepresenting the church's position:

SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has responded to a news release from The Human Rights Campaign (HRC). The HRC claims the Mormon Church has removed same-sex attraction as a sin in church policy.

Scott Trotter, spokesperson for The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints, released this statement today: "The HRC's representations of the changes in the new handbook are simply absurd."

Read more.

Archbishop Kurz: "It's 1970 for Marriage"

Archbishop Joseph E. Kurz of Louisville, Kentucky, the Vice President-Elect of the USCCB, told his fellow bishops this week "It's 1970 for marriage!"  --- He means that we have a brief window of time to win this marriage battle, an opportunity the Supreme Court took away on abortion in 1973.  Read more.

Setting the Election Results Record Straight: An open letter from Brian Brown to HRC Supporters

How’s your contribution to the Human Rights Campaign working out for you? You may have seen the screaming posts on their website nomexposed.org claiming that NOM lost most of the races we supposedly participated in during the 2010 election cycle. As far as we can tell, working on this website and shadowing NOM around at events are the only tangible work that the HRC does. Unfortunately for their donors, they can’t even get this right. Here are some things for the donors who give HRC over $40 million a year to consider about the 2010 elections:

HRC says NOM “lost more races than they won.” Really? We took out all three Supreme Court judges on the ballot in Iowa, and we won 13 of 16 state legislative races there, including flipping control of the Iowa House and bringing the Senate to within one vote. And we elected a pro-marriage governor. So Iowa will be pushing for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in the next legislative session – and we have a ton of momentum to do just that. 

In Minnesota, NOM’s objective was to prevent backers of same-sex marriage from legalizing it in the next legislative session. We succeeded in Minnesota, winning 3 of 4 state legislative races. But in Minnesota we won control of not one but both legislative chambers. So there will be a major push to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in Minnesota – and we have a ton of momentum to do just that. 

By the way, a constitutional amendment in Minnesota does not require the approval of the next governor, Mark Dayton. It is strictly a legislative vote. 

In New Hampshire, NOM succeeded spectacularly, winning 30 of the 32 districts in which we participated including all 22 House Districts in which we participated. Because of the way New Hampshire elects House members, NOM helped elect 119 members to the New Hampshire House! Not only did we capture BOTH houses of the legislature, we captured a veto-proof majority in both houses. So while it is true that we came up short of our desire to take out John Lynch, that doesn’t matter now. We’ll work to repeal same-sex marriage and override a Lynch veto if necessary – and we have a ton of momentum to do just that. 

Thought you might be able to take another run at enacting gay marriage in Maine? Think again. NOM won 8 legislative races there and helped elect a pro-marriage Republican Governor and BOTH houses of the legislature.

NOM’s record of success in races in 2010 is just under 80%. Sure, we lost a couple here and there, but we won what we needed to win and we are in a position to go on offense. And what was HRC’s record in these critical races? Oh, that’s right. They didn’t participate in any of these elections. But they sure do have something going with that anti-NOM website don’t they?

Newsweek Profiles NOM President Brian Brown

Newsweek sat down with Brian Brown following NOM’s electoral successes earlier this month, declaring NOM’s president “the nation’s fiercest crusader against gay marriage.” For a bastion of old media liberalism not known for its kindness to conservatives, Newsweek manages a mostly accurate portrayal of the facts:  Brown has been a dynamic, successful leader for NOM that has racked up a series of electoral victories, frustrating opponents with his impressive string of successes.

Newsweek author Eve Conant is brutally honest in detailing the threats made against Brown and his family for their unyielding stand to defend marriage: "One riled caller threatened to hang him from a tree ‘and burn you while your children watch’; someone else sent an e-mail offering to ‘donate’ a pipe bomb to his office."

Conant continues:

The majority [of Brown’s hate mail correspondents], however, simply vent frustration at Brown, who has emerged as the nation’s fiercest crusader against gay marriage. A big reason for their frustration is that Brown is succeeding. . . . Though both sides like to claim they're winning in this fight, the jury is out. . . . But in the 31 states where gay marriage has been put to a vote, it’s lost every time."

Read the entire article here.

Brian Talks Iowa Judges on Fox News

On Fox News this morning, NOM President Brian Brown and Sean Eldridge of Freedom to Marry discussed judicial activism and last week’s decision by Iowa voters to rein in their state supreme court, reacting to the court’s ruling on same-sex marriage with an unprecedented ouster of all three justices up for retention.

Eldridge: Sometimes lawmakers get it wrong; sometimes public opinion get it wrong; judges are there to protect core constitutional freedoms.

Brown: Sometimes the people are wrong; sometimes the legislature is wrong; well, sometimes the judges are wrong. They made up the law.

Watch the clip here.

Don't Divorce! Your Average Marriage is Great for Your Kids!

HuffPost has launched a new divorce page--most of which is dedicated to adults and their feelings about their divorces.  But Elizabeth Marquardt writes to tell parents in boring, average good enough marriages who are thinking about divorce: your marriage matters a whole lot--especially to your kids: Read why by clicking here.

One Brave Professor Tells Colleagues: Speak Up for Marriage!

Even at Eastern Kentucky University, a professor named Todd Hartch braved the climate of chilled speech to speak up for his view that domestic partnerships threaten marriage---and faced an apparent campus-wide backlash. 

Feeling at first alone and unprotected, he perservered---and soon found many others who shared his concerns among faculty and students, as he single-handedly sparked a campus-wide discussion of the nature of marriage.
 
Today in the Public Discourse he urges his fellow professors to have the courage of their convictions--breaking through the silence in the academy he says is both necessary and ultimately rewarding.  Read more here.

Gay Marriage Advocates Lost Big in Last Week's Elections

Jeff Johnston (CitizenLink.com) breaks down the devastating effects that last week's elections had on the lobbying power of pro-homosexual groups. 

Read it here: LGBT-Identified Groups and the 2010 Election.

Thomas Sowell Defends the Voters of Iowa!

In his latest column, Thomas Sowell stands up for the right of Iowans to vote their judges out of office:

Those who believe in gay marriage are free to vote for it. But, when they lose that vote, it is not the role of judges to nullify the vote and legislate from the bench. Judges who become politicians in robes often lie like politicians as well, claiming that they are just applying the Constitution, when they are in fact exercising powers that the Constitution never gave them.

If they are going to act like politicians, then they should be voted out like politicians.

Media liberals, who like what liberal judges do, spring to their defense. The media spin is that judges were voted off the bench because of "unpopular" decisions and that this threatens judicial "independence.”

Read more.

Why Iowa Voters Fired 3 Judges

A reporter from West Branch, Iowa used the West Branch Times website to ask voters why they voted for or against three Iowa Supreme Court Justices last week.  His summary of the reasons the majority voted "no" include these responses:

I believe judges should realize the people are watching. They should rule based on the Constitution, not based on their personal bias of what is socially acceptable today. When the judiciary feels totally unaccountable, it is easier for them to wander from the Constitution and develop an attitude that their duty is to shape society.

Gay marriage is wrong. Marriage should be between a man and a woman only. Studies show that this is the best environment for children. There are bad parents, but this is a minority.

The reporter also has his own theories, which he freely expounds, but thanks for letting at least some Iowans express their views.

Election Watch2010: SF Pro-SSM Kamala Harris Trails Steve Cooley for CA AG.

Steve Cooley’s lead in the California AG race expanded to 43,000 votes on Tuesday as counties continue to report final results. The San Francisco Chronicle explains how a Cooley victory over pro-ssm Kamala Harris could impact the Prop 8 litigation.

Having Your Son's Baby?

Mexican mom gives birth to her gay son's baby.  What can we say?

WSJ: Iowa Voters Fire Judges; Lawyers Shocked!

The editors of the WSJ side with the people of Iowa over the handwringing of shocked elites:

"Far from a beacon of judicial independence, the three Iowa justices were fired because they put their own political preferences above their commitment to the law. If judges want to avoid recalls, they should leave social legislation to legislators."   (subscription required for full article)

Exit Poll: Americans Oppose SSM 54% to 40%

Americans oppose same-sex marriage 54% to 40%, according to CNN’s exit poll of 17,504 voters this past Tuesday.