NOM BLOG

Monthly Archives: June 2010

"Dads are Not Second-Class Mothers"

Prof. Brad Wilcox interview at NRO on the research on fatherless children, and well-fathered children.

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=Mjk4ZDQ2ODRmMjdlMTMwZTVmNzJlYjY1MTk2YWM2MGU=

Obama's Father's Day Proclamation: Dads Not that Special

Moms?  Dads? Stepdads? whatever.

"Nurturing families come in many forms, and children may be raised by a father and mother, a single father, two fathers, a step father, a grandfather, or caring guardian.  We owe a special debt of gratitude for those parents serving in the United States Armed Forces and their families, whose sacrifices protect the lives and liberties of all American children.  For the character they build, the doors they open, and the love they provide over our lifetimes, all our fathers deserve our unending appreciation and admiration."

Full text of Presidential Proclamation.

24 hours remaining – Help reach our $50K goal for Prop 8 Defense!

Yesterday, we asked you to help fund the Prop 8 legal defense with a donation to the NOM Legal Defense Fund. Many of you stepped up and we have now raised $15,000 toward our $50,000 goal.

It’s a good start, but with 24 hours remaining, I’m asking you to please make a gift right now to help us reach our goal.

It’s urgent that we finish the trial stage of this litigation fully funded, so that we can begin planning the thorough and comprehensive appeal strategy that will be needed – regardless of how Judge Walker rules in the trial court.  We can’t afford to let financial considerations dictate the outcome of this case.

We don’t have the backing of wealthy Hollywood liberals or gay billionaires – we all need to step up and make sure the Prop 8 defense team has the resources to protect marriage -- all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary. If everyone receiving this email were to give just $10, we would reach our goal many times over. Will you join us today?

Please click here to make an urgent online contribution of $10, $25, $50 or even $500 if you can afford it. All gifts are tax deductible, and every dollar will go toward the Prop 8 litigation expenses.  We have until noon Saturday to reach our goal. Please make your gift right now.

Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse Identifies “3 Really Pernicious Messages Behind the ‘Lesbians Make Better Parents’ Story Line”

From Dr. Morse on the Ruth Institute blog. Three messages being propagated by the “lesbians make better parents” theme:

1. Women are better parents than men. Therefore, two women are better for kids than a mother and a father. Men are unnecessary and possibly dangerous.

2. The only problems that the children of lesbians experience are really caused by straight society.

3. The children of lesbian parents were intensely planned and deeply wanted. Therefore, manufacturing children through Donor Insemination is superior to conceiving children through an act of sexual intercourse.

http://www.ruthblog.org/2010/06/11/3-really-pernicious-messages-behind-the-%e2%80%9clesbians-make-better-parents%e2%80%9d-story-line/

Dr. Morse on Children of Lesbian Parents Study

Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse just finished reviewing the recent lesbian parenting study published in the journal Pediatrics.

You’ve all seen the headlines by now: “Children of lesbian parents do well.” These headlines are based on a new study published in the journal Pediatrics. I actually read the study, which is my custom before commenting. I also read the letters to the editor on this study.

Here are 8 reasons why this study does not prove anything about the functioning of the children of lesbians.

1. The sample is extremely small: 78 children of lesbian mothers and 93 children in the control group.

2. The sample of lesbian mothers is unlikely to be representative of the general population of lesbians. This is a sample of people who volunteered for the study, not a random sample. The most motivated and high-functioning people are the most likely to volunteer for a politically charged study.

3. The “results” are intrinsically unreliable. The results are nothing but the mothers’ reports of their childrens’ behavior and functioning. There is no cross-checking with objective outcomes, such as actual school achievement or teacher’s reports of behavior problems. . . .

Read the whole thing:

http://www.ruthblog.org/2010/06/11/%e2%80%9cchildren-of-lesbians-do-well-8-reasons-why-the-latest-study-doesnt-prove-anything/

Support the Prop 8 Legal Defense!

After a marathon day of closing arguments, interviews, and press conferences yesterday, one thing is certain: The fight for Prop 8 is just beginning and we’re in this for the long haul.

Let me be clear: The battle over Prop 8 is a battle for the future of marriage in America. Ted Olson made no pretense yesterday – his goal is to overturn marriage not just in California but in every state across the nation, striking down state laws and constitutional amendments in 45 states.

As Maggie told the press after leaving the courtroom yesterday afternoon:

Chuck Cooper is a heckuva lawyer. At stake in this case is the future of marriage in all 50 states, and he's right that this attempt to shut down the debate by constitutionalizing gay marriage will backfire. Americans have a right to vote for marriage. Ted Olson doesn't seem to understand the argument,  and judging from today's exchanges, neither does Judge Walker. I expect Judge Walker will overrule Prop 8.  But millions of Americans do understand why marriage is the union of husband and wife and I believe the majority of the Supreme Court will as well.

We must be there every step of the way. Will you stand with us today? Over the next 48 hours, we have set a goal to raise $50,000 for the defense of Prop 8. Your gifts are tax deductible, and every dollar raised will go directly toward the legal fees and litigation expenses incurred in the Prop 8 trial.

Most of us can afford $20, or even $50 to help fight for marriage. (Think one less meal out with your family this month.) Some may even be able to give $100, $500 or $1000. Whatever you can afford, your gift is urgently needed. Please click here to make an online donation that will help ensure that we can take this fight all the way to the United States Supreme Court.

Chuck Cooper and all the Prop 8 legal team have been very generous with their time – but still the costs of a lengthy trial, followed by two years of appeals all the way to the United States Supreme Court, will run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, perhaps into the millions.  Our side doesn’t have a handful of Hollywood liberals and gay billionaires to fund our efforts – this is about all of us coming together to do what we can.

Consider these words from Pastor Jim Garlow – pastor of Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego, and founder of the California Pastors Rapid Response Team:

“[The same-sex marriage debate] is THE major change point of the last few decades.  While the abortion issue is a foundational issue, the marriage definition issue is a survival issue.  No single social issue has threatened to forever muzzle Bible believing Christians like this contest.

"If we lose on this one, the culture loses.  One person has astutely observed that ’we cannot win the culture war merely on Prop 8, but we can lose it on Prop 8.'

"It is imperative that all pastors and Christian leaders view this for what it is: an irretrievable moment, with profound and lasting consequences.  We must vigorously support Prop 8, as if our ministries and our lives depend on it.  Ultimately, they will."

Losing simply isn’t an option. As most of you know by now, at NOM we have seen victory after stunning victory over the past two years, not because we had the largest organizational structure or the biggest lobbying budget, but because we have been willing to stand in the breach and put everything on the line. Together we have stood firm, shocking the media pundits and gay marriage activists alike, with victories in California, Maine, New York and New Jersey.

It’s time to do it again. Please stand with us and make your most generous contribution today! Together we will take this fight for marriage and the rights of California voters all the way to the Supreme Court – and win!

Letter From Brian

Dear Friend of Marriage,

Great news! The New Hampshire Attorney General's office just dismissed a complaint filed earlier this year against NOM by New Hampshire Democratic National Committeewoman Kathleen Sullivan. The complaint was a response to NOM's highly successful "Lynch Lied" television ad campaign, which exposed Gov. Lynch's betrayals on gay marriage, taxes and the budget.

In New Hampshire, as elsewhere, the political class responded by trying to get our ads pulled and misusing election law to attempt to chill the speech of the marriage supporters NOM represents.

But Ms. Sullivan failed in her attempts to silence us--thanks to the Attorney General's office, which upheld the laws of free speech in New Hampshire and our great nation.

This frivolous complaint was yet another example of how same-sex marriage supporters have tried time and again to silence NOM. But never fear; we will not be silenced!

Thanks to all of you who responded to our emergency alert against another threat to freedom, the DISCLOSE Act.

This is an effort to force 501(c)4s like NOM to disclose the names of their donors to the public. We've seen the kind of attacks and harassment which happen to supporters of marriage. This is a transparent attempt to limit political debate by exposing donors to risk of retaliation--and for no purpose. The one thing we know about donors to NOM is they are NOT seeking special tax-funded favors for their private financial interests. People give their time and treasure to support marriage because we believe marriage is the union of husband and wife and should stay that way.

This bill, considered dead, was suddenly revived after House Dems struck a deal with the National Rifle Association to add provisions which would exclude the NRA from onerous disclosure and reporting requirements. Only the biggest dogs on the block win that protection, an example of the way in which Washington works: special deals for fat cats and big dogs, open season on everyone else.

If you haven't contacted your Congressional representatives please do so now. We need you to speak up for all Americans' rights to speak, to organize, to donate, and to vote freely, without fear of retaliation by government or the net-mobocracy.

If you do just one thing for NOM this month, email or call your representatives, and pass this message on to a friend. Together we will prevail!

The Prop 8 trial ended this week with final arguments in the federal courthouse in San Francisco. NOM's Chairman Maggie Gallagher was there liveblogging the event, and once again I have to thank you. With your help we significantly increased our online followers--tomorrow's pro-marriage leaders.

I asked Maggie to tell me, in confidence, how Chuck Cooper, the head of the legal team defending Prop 8, did.

This is what she told me:

"Chuck Cooper did an outstanding job, under difficult circumstances. He's a heckuva lawyer. The judge in these closing arguments once again signaled his support for gay marriage in a variety of ways. We don't expect victory at the trial level. We are optimistic the Supreme Court will uphold our rights and the good of marriage.

"Ted Olson appears to have abandoned any case for judicial restraint. He's convinced that an expert in the courtroom, handpicked by himself, trumps common sense, other sources of information, and the rights of 7 million Californians. The shallowness of his arguments was matched only by the incredible applause showered on his head for making them."

People who are bystanders in this battle may not understand how personal this is for those of us who are fighting the good fight, for what we think is right for the our children and our country.

As I wrote in National Review Online this week, gay-marriage advocates are now asking federal courts to invalidate Prop 8, a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman. If they succeed, gay marriage will become law, not only in California but in every state in the United States. The case is indeed about a fundamental civil right--but not the one they are asserting. It is about the right to vote to protect marriage.

When I look at my own six children, I wonder what will happen to them, and to the values their mother and I teach, in a world where federal courts are asked to reject our views of marriage and where lawyers like Ted Olson insist that our beliefs are bigoted, hateful, irrational.

I am a native Californian, and my wife and I and our kids moved back to California in 2008 for a year to work to protect marriage. We understood that if the California state supreme court were allowed to overturn marriage, the whole country would be affected.

And so we fought, with decency and civility, in love, for the future of marriage in our country. We fought using the rights guaranteed to us under the California state constitution and the Constitution of the United States. Working with Protect Marriage and others, we organized, we advocated, we raised money, and together with 7 million Californians we voted to protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Against all odds, we won.

Many, many Americans sacrificed to make this dream come true. People I know have had their homes, their livelihoods, and their businesses attacked because they fought for marriage. These are the people Ted Olson says don't count.

Having lost at the ballot box, gay-marriage advocates are now stepping forward and asking the courts to nullify our victory, to invalidate our sacrifice, and to take away our right to vote for marriage. They want to misuse the law to treat marriage supporters as second-class citizens, the equivalent of racists.

Ted Olson could not be any more clear about that, repeatedly comparing support for marriage as the union of one man and one woman to opposition to interracial marriage--at one point he even compared gay marriage to the issues raised by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King in "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"!

The amazing thing is how much the common sense of the American people, drawn from actual life experience, continues to trump the theoretical constructs of lawyers like Ted.

In the latest Rasmussen poll, 80% of Americans believe it's "Very Important" for children to grow up in a home with both their parents. Just four percent (4%) think it's "Not Very Important." And no one says having both parents in the home is "Not At All Important."

Some things are bigger than politics. We will make sure your voice and your values are heard!

Faithfully,

Brian S. Brown
President
National Organization for Marriage
2029 K Street, NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20006
[email protected]

Statement From Maggie

"Chuck Cooper is a heckuva lawyer. At stake in this case is the future of marriage in all 50 states, and he's right that this attempt to shut down the debate by constitutionalizing gay marriage will backfire. Americans have a right to vote for marriage. Ted Olson doesn't seem to understand the argument, and judging from today's exchanges neither does Judge Walker. I expect Judge Walker will overrule Prop 8.   But millions of Americans do understand why marriage is the union of husband and wife and I believe the majority of the Supreme Court will as well."

Live Commentary from Brian Brown: 4pm ET

Friends,

Given the way the day's events are shaping up, we've rearranged the day’s schedule a bit. This gives us a chance to connect with you midway through the day, and then to return for a recap when the arguments wrap up.

I will now be providing live, interactive video commentary on the morning’s developments at 4pm Eastern Time (1pm Pacific time). This is YOUR chance to log on and ask questions regarding the case or the arguments being made by the plaintiffs’ lawyers.

At 4pm Eastern, please log on to www.prop8case.com and click on the link under the live video feed that says: "Watch in High Quality and Chat Live."  You’ll then be able to submit your question, and I’ll respond to as many as I can.

Later, when the day's arguments are over, Maggie Gallagher will be checking in from San Francisco with her recap of the day.

Meanwhile, please stay active on Twitter and Facebook . . . our opponents love to try to shout us down in these forums, or overwhelm us with the sheer volume of posts. Let's make sure our side is heard as well! We're tweeting #prop8 and @nomtweets!

See you at 4pm Eastern at www.prop8case.com!

Brian Brown

President, National Organization for Marriage

Jon Rauch Defends Prop 8 Expert Witness David Blankenhorn

In a letter to the New York Times published today, Jonathan Rauch, prominent pro-gay marriage author, defends David Blankenhorn, who testified as an expert witness in Prop 8 trial, from scurrilous multiple attacks by Frank Rich:

"Frank Rich, for the third time since February, unfairly criticizes David Blankenhorn, president of the Institute for American Values and a witness in the trial over Proposition 8, California’s ban on same-sex marriage. . ."

Kudos Jon. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/16/opinion/l16rich.html

Visit Prop8Case.com at 1pm ET for live coverage of Prop 8 Closing Arguments!

Today’s the day . . . closing arguments on California’s Proposition 8 begin at 10am PT/1pm ET in Judge Walker’s San Francisco courtroom, as the plaintiffs seek to make the case that marriage is bigoted, discriminatory and unconstitutional.

NOM chair Maggie Gallagher is in the courtroom and will be liveblogging and live-Tweeting throughout the day. Check in at www.prop8case.com for the latest blog posts, Tweets, media coverage and commentary. Then, when arguments finish, sometime around 7pm ET / 4pm PT, I’ll be online with live streaming video to give some immediate reaction to the day’s arguments.

Here’s a quick rundown of the day’s schedule (all times PDT):

10:00 – 11:30am:     Plaintiffs’ Argument (Ted Olson & David Boies)

11:30 – 11:45am:     City and County of San Francisco

11:45 – 12:00pm:     Governor, Attorney General and County Defendants

12:00 – 1:00pm:       Lunch

1:00 – 3:15pm:         Prop 8 Proponents (Charles Cooper)

3:15 – 3:45pm:         Plaintiffs’ Rebuttal (Olson & Boies)

So invite your friends, and then check in often throughout the day. While you’re there, please consider a gift to the NOM Legal Defense Fund. Donations are tax deductible and every dollar raised will go to help offset the cost of legal fees and other litigation expenses.

The Core Civil Right to Vote for Marriage

From my syndicated column this week:

This week, the Proposition 8 trial draws to a close.

This is the trial that never should have been, by a judge who has systematically telegraphed his sympathy for one side.

The lawyer for the plaintiffs is Ted Olson, once a GOP advocate for judicial restraint. Yet this week, he will be pleading with the judge to nullify the votes of 7 million Californians -- and, by extension, the votes of millions of Americans in other states who have exercised their right to vote for marriage as the union of husband and wife.

Perry v. Schwarzenegger is not a case about California law. This is the case that will decide the future of marriage for the entire country.

*     *     *

I am flying to San Francisco to be there at this historic moment, to live blog the event for the National Organization for Marriage. The last time I was in the Bay Area a few months ago I was sitting in an upscale bar in Oakland talking to a friend. A young woman, pretty, well-dressed, educated, walked over to my table and proceeded to yell at me. "You should be ashamed of yourself!" she said. I looked her in the eye and told her simply I was very proud of the work that I did, although I understood she disagreed. That made her even madder. "You should go South," she sputtered. "Go South, this is San Francisco!"

Actually it was Oakland, but I took her point. It was an illuminating moment. Here was an educated young woman who believed she had a right to purify an entire American city of those who disagreed with her about gay marriage. She behaved in a way that I would describe as uncivilized, but she saw herself as a great champion of civility, of tolerance, and of civil rights.

Ted Olson will talk in court this week like a civilized man. But Ted Olson, as much as any one man, is responsible for the idea that there is no real debate to be had about gay marriage, that all the legitimacy, all the arguments, all the good will and good reasons are on his side. He will be asking this judge to disrespect the views of his fellow Americans, to brand them ignorant, irrational and bigoted, and to take away our right to vote for marriage. And he will be bathed in applause for doing so.

Full text: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucmg/20100615/cm_ucmg/thecorecivilrighttovoteformarriage

The End of the Trial Begins

Today, I am getting on an airplane, flying to San Francisco to be at the courthouse for the end of the historic Prop 8 trial.  Final arguments begin Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. Pacific time, and I will be live blogging and twittering. You can follow the arguments throughout the day at www.prop8case.com.

This is the trial that should never have happened.  Hundreds of thousands of Californians contributed blood, sweat, tears and treasures to exercize their core civil rights to respond to the California State Supreme Court decision overturning marriage.  That's what that decision did: it didn't expand marriage to more people, it abolished the core idea of what marriage is--the union of male and female--and replaced it with a new judicial definition of marriage, ungrounded in the natural order, in our history, or in our constitution.

So the people responded to this judicial intrusion in the way their constitution guaranteed them the right to do: by collecting hundreds of thousands of signatures to put the issue before the people in November 2008.  I was part of that effort.  Brian Brown, NOM's president, who is a native Californian, played an even more pivotal role.  They told us the effort would be doomed to fail: it was too many signatures, too much money, too little time, and besides we were told "the culture has changed and you'll lose at the ballot box."

But we didn't. None of that turned out to be true. More than 7 million Californians, in one of the most liberal states in the country, came together to affirm, once again, that they believe marriage is the union of husband and wife and should not be changed.

And our opponents, who tell us always the culture has changed and that we will lose, moved to plan B: trying to persuade the California Supreme Court to the extraordinary step of overturning its own constitution.  That failed.

And so now here we are at Plan C:  A court case that will ultimately have gay marriage advocates asking the Supreme Court to impose gay marriage on all 50 states, whether we like it or not.

They found a friend in trial Judge Vaughn Walker, who ordered a show trial that never should have been to add unnecessary expense, to heighten the drama, to give the media a field day, to allow Ted Olson to become a great civil rights hero, at least in his own head. California Ted has replaced Federalist Society Ted Olson.

This is an outrage that never should have happened: 7 million Californians exercised their core civil rights to speak, to donate, to organize and to vote for marriage. Around the country millions of other have invested their time and their treasure. And Ted Olson today will be asking the courts to nullify our right to vote for marriage.

The media is right: this is a civil rights battle.  We will fight for our right to protect marriage.  Tomorrow, the next phase of that battle begins.

NH Gov. John Lynch Highlighting Support for Gay Marriage in Email to Supporters

New Hampshire Governor John Lynch is running for reelection and is highlighting same-sex marriage as one of his accomplishments.

Read More »

Register for the latest Prop 8 Trial Coverage at Prop8Case.com!

This Wednesday will be an historic day as some of the top lawyers in America gather in a San Francisco courtroom to debate whether marriage as we know it is bigoted, discriminatory, and unconstitutional.

Closing arguments in the Prop 8 trial begin at 10am Pacific time, and NOM will be in the courtroom to provide regular updates throughout the day. Please visit Prop8Case.com today to register for email updates on important case developments, and then come back on Wednesday for live blogging of the closing arguments, video updates, and a real-time Twitter feed.

Help spread the word!

Go to Prop8Case.com and use the Share links on the left column to share on Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks.

Help support the legal defense of marriage!

Finally, defending marriage in the courtroom is an expensive endeavor. Our opponents have hired some of the most famous lawyers in the nation to destroy marriage. If we are to save marriage, we must match them with the best and most committed legal talent available. Fortunately, the Prop 8 lawyers, some of the best constitutional litigators in the country, have been very generous and are not charging anywhere near what they would typically charge. But still, the cost of protecting marriage in the courts has already run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and will be in the millions before all is said and done.

To help offset the costs of marriage litigation, NOM has set up the National Organization for Marriage Legal Defense Fund. Already NOM has given $50,000 to help fund the Prop 8 case, and every penny raised for the NOM Legal Defense Fund will go toward the legal defense of marriage.

Please click here right now to make a generous contribution of $25, $50, or even $500 or more if you are able.

All donations are tax deductible.