NOM BLOG

Monthly Archives: July 2013

Don't Mess with Texas (Marriage Law)!

National Organization for Marriage

Dear Marriage Supporter,

Unprecedented, chilling, unconstitutional, and simply wrong.

Those were some of the words used to describe a San Antonio City Council ordinance that would ban from city government anyone who ever uttered a discriminatory word against same-sex marriage. Truth is stranger, and in this case more horrifying, than fiction.

For years we at NOM have been pointing out that one of the biggest threats when marriage is redefined is to our cherished freedom of speech and religious liberties. Now, in San Antonio the City Council is proving our point.

San Antonio is considering a proposal that will add "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to the discrimination ordinances in the city code. People who have been determined to ever have "discriminated" could be barred from employment and subject to other sanctions. This proposed ordinance covers individuals, businesses, religious organizations and places of public accommodation. It provides no exemptions for religious beliefs relating to homosexuality or same-sex marriage. As it stands, the proposed ordinance violates the First Amendment rights to freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom of association. Additionally, it violates the rights granted by the Texas Religious Freedom Act and the Texas Constitution.

But believe it or not, sponsors of this ordinance call these measures, "a bare minimum," hinting at broader restrictions to follow.

But it goes even further, the measure is retroactive. If someone has "ever" spoken out in public against same-sex marriage or homosexuality they are subject to the sanctions of this ordinance. Talk about chilling! The mere opposition to redefining marriage or sharing what a person's faith says about homosexuality could be discrimination under the ordinance.

We need you to act today to stop this madness. Please click here to take the time to email Governor Perry and your State Legislators urging them to intervene and protect the rights of Texans to speak freely in public, hold religious beliefs, and live their lives and run their businesses according to their consciences.

You still have the right to speak your mind in Texas, and you can make a difference. Please take action today! And after you've emailed the Governor and your Legislators, please use the buttons below to forward and share this email with as many of your friends and family as possible.

The people of the Great State of Texas who believe in marriage as God designed it can stop this madness.

Star Tribune: Minnesotans More Sad Than Bitter Over Gay Marriage

As Minnesota's same-sex marriage law gets set to take effect Thursday, The Star Tribune reports on millions of Minnesotans whose views will be overlooked by the media this week:

Minnesota CoupleThey are ordinary parishioners, neighbors down the street, co-workers in the elevator who steadfastly believe that marriage is meant solely for a man and a woman.

“I can’t say we’re bitter,” said Tom O’Neill of Eagan. “We’re disappointed. It’s people saying, ‘If it’s good for me, I don’t care about anyone else.’

If anything, their sadness is less directed toward this particular issue than to the moral erosion of society in general. For them, same-sex marriage is the most recent straw on a teetering pile of hollow chaff.

Many in the group said they are angry with legislators who voted same-sex marriage into law. But they feel utterly betrayed by those politicians who, during the run-up to the November election, downplayed the proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage as redundant because of the existing state law against such unions.

“I thought it was so dishonest the way it was promoted,” said Keith Stanton of Mendota Heights. “They said this will change nothing. They said they wouldn’t [change the law.]”

What hurts them most about seeing society change around them? Being called bigots, they said. Feeling forced to accept something they believe is wrong.

Read the full piece here.

Rhode Island To Begin Issuing Marriage Licenses to Same-Sex Couples Thursday

The Providence Journal:

The Aug. 1 date for same-sex weddings will go on despite a legal challenge Tuesday in Superior Court, Providence.

Pachaug Trail - "Welcome to Rhode Island sign" at Beach Pond, Hope Valley, RIRonald L’Heureux, a cofounder of the Faith Alliance to Preserve the Sanctity of Marriage as Defined by God, brought a petition and complaint to the court on Tuesday morning and sought a temporary restraining order to stop the law from taking effect. Judge Daniel A. Procaccini denied the request, saying L’Heureux had fallen “far short” of the criteria needed to obtain a temporary restraining order, said court spokesman Craig Berke.

Instead, Procaccini scheduled a preliminary hearing for Aug. 9.

L’Heureux’s complaint, which names Governor Chafee, state Department of Health Director Michael Fine and 75 state lawmakers who voted for same-sex marriage as defendants, argues that legalizing same-sex marriage will violate religious freedoms guaranteed by the state Constitution, forcing people to accept, in public spheres such as schools, a practice that they oppose based on their faith.

Tory MPs' Careers Threatened if They Did Not Support Same-Sex Marriage

The use of open intimidation against those who defend marriage as one man and one woman is more common than ever before. In fact, we see examples of this every day. But what happens when that intimidation poisons the entire democratic process, forcing elected officials to support bills they disagree with.

ToriesMinisters warned backbenchers that their careers would be ruined if they did not support gay marriage, it was claimed last night.

Angry MPs have written to members of the House of Lords, telling them that the House of Commons did not have a truly free vote last week and that many felt coerced into the decision.

Conservative backbenchers are furious at the pressure exerted by Number 10, ministers and whips to back the legalisation of same sex marriage - which sailed through its third reading thanks to the support from Labour.

A letter signed by 15 Tory MPs said: ‘The main parties announced a free vote but we saw varying degrees of coercion, with threats made, for example, to an MP’s future political career or withdrawal of party support at future elections.’

The letter adds: ‘Regrettably our ability as MPs to oppose, amend or scrutinise this Bill was heavily constrained.

‘The Government presses on without any mandate from a party manifesto. We are all elected representatives by none of us was elected on a platform to redefine marriage.

Tell Gov. Martinez to Stand Firm on Marriage

National Organization for Marriage

Dear Marriage Supporter,

The battle for marriage as God designed has come to The Land of Enchantment; and it's your turn to stand in the breach. Every person who believes marriage to be the union of one man and one woman needs to contact Governor Martinez today, urging her and her administration to give their full support to the defense of marriage.

Governor Martinez has been a strong supporter of traditional marriage; now we need her to put the weight of her office behind this vital institution's defense.

As you are probably aware, two men applied for a marriage license in Santa Fe County. A brave County Clerk refused to issue the license because she knew, as you do, that New Mexico's definition of marriage is the union of one man and one woman.

As a result, these men have filed a lawsuit seeking to have New Mexico give legal recognition to same sex marriage. And yesterday the Santa Fe Commission voted to support this suit!

We need the Governor to intervene because the State’s Attorney General is refusing to do so. In fact, the Attorney General has betrayed his oath of office by urging the Court to overturn New Mexico’s recognition of traditional marriage and legalize same-sex marriage.

Now, we need you to make your voice heard by contacting the Governor and urging her to intervene in this case. New Mexico law recognizes the common sense, historically proven definition of marriage as a unique institution that brings men and women together, and provides the ideal place for children to be raised.

You can make a difference. Just in the past week in Pennsylvania, nearly 700 marriage supporters did what I'm asking you to do, and the Governor's administration there has in fact intervened on behalf of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Please take the time today to contact Governor Martinez and urge her to stand for marriage in the New Mexico courts.

And please, after you have taken action today, use the buttons below to share this message on Facebook and Twitter, or forward it via email to your family and friends so they can join us in standing for marriage in The Land of Enchantment.

It's Working — Keep It Up!

National Organization for Marriage

Dear Marriage Supporter,

It's time to thank Governor Corbett for standing for marriage and the rule of law. As much as we "demand" things of our elected officials, we also need to thank them and let them know that they have our support.

Last week, when I wrote to you urging you to contact Governor Corbett about the lawlessness in Montgomery County, I was certain you'd act quickly and decisively—and you did!

Hundreds of you flooded the Governor's office with emails demanding that the rule of law be preserved in Pennsylvania and that the age-old institution of marriage be defended against a reckless and illegitimate attack. Well, I write today to ask you to thank Governor Corbett and his staff for responding.

Yesterday, the Governor's administration took two decisive steps toward upholding marriage law in the Keystone State. The Department of Health filed a case against the lawlessness in Montgomery County. And the Office of General Counsel delivered a strong letter to Attorney General Kane, indicting her failure to defend marriage as contributing to the recent chaos in the Philadelphia suburbs.

So let's write the Governor together today thanking his administration for standing up on behalf of marriage and of the rule of law in Pennsylvania! He needs to know he has our support to continue doing the right thing!

But we also need to remain vigilant and active. The battle is not over.

We need the Governor to firmly and decisively announce his administration's intent to defend Pennsylvania's marriage laws against the recent lawsuit filed by the ACLU, and to ensure that these recent shenanigans in Montgomery County do not impact the legal proceedings in any way.

With the media bias surrounding the issue of marriage, we need the Governor to know that the vast majority of Pennsylvania voters believe in the true definition of marriage. Marriage brings the two halves of humanity together in a special way, and affirms the right of every child to the love of both a mother and a father.

Tell Governor Corbett that you're one of the millions of Pennsylvanians who firmly believe in this common-sense truth about marriage, and that you will continue to stand by those in government who affirm and uphold this most basic institution in our society.

Anderson: Sen. Cruz’s Concerns About Religious Freedom Are Accurate

Ryan Anderson writes today in The National Review:

...if marriage is redefined, then a belief that marriage is the union of a man and a woman ordered to procreation and family life — a notion once shared by virtually every human society — would increasingly be characterized as an irrational prejudice that ought to be driven to the margins of culture. The consequences for religious believers are becoming apparent.

Church steeple with American flagTed Cruz looked to other countries for examples, but he easily could have cited a growing number of incidents in the United States.

In fact, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty reports that “over 350 separate state anti-discrimination provisions would likely be triggered by recognition of same-sex marriage.”

Supporters of marriage as we’ve always understood it (a male-female union) “are not coming at it from a mean-spirited perspective,” Obama explained in an interview with Robin Roberts on ABC. “They’re coming at it because they care about families.” He added that “a bunch of ’em are friends of mine . . . people who I deeply respect.”

But in a growing number of incidents, government has not respected these Americans. To counter this, we must insist that government not discriminate against those who hold to the historic definition of marriage. Policy should prohibit the government or anyone who receives taxpayers’ dollars from discriminating in employment, licensing, accreditation, or contracting against those who believe marriage is the union of a man and a woman.

Who Will Hold Them Accountable?

National Organization for Marriage

Dear Marriage Supporter,

Ever since the US Supreme Court invalidated the federal definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman, we've expected lawsuits would be filed in federal court challenging state laws that also define marriage in the traditional way. Our expectations have certainly been met; over a dozen such lawsuits have now been filed.

What saddens me most about these lawsuits is that some of our elected officials entrusted with defending the laws of the land have chosen to abandon their oaths of office and state law on marriage. In fact, the Attorneys General of both Illinois and Pennsylvania have declared that they will not defend marriage in federal court. They are following the disgraceful path of Attorney General Eric Holder, who refused to defend our federal definition of marriage, and Jerry Brown in California, whose refusal to defend Proposition 8 led to the measure being invalidated by a single judge in San Francisco. The votes of over seven million citizens were eradicated by the view of one man — a homosexual judge involved in a long term gay relationship.

Who will hold these derelict politicians accountable for abandoning the law of marriage in order to curry favor with wealthy homosexual activists?

The only people who can make these politicians pay a price for abandoning marriage is us. Will you give us an immediate contribution of $50, $150, or $250 so that we can send a message to politicians everywhere that if they abandon their duty to defend marriage against attack, they will pay a price. They will be held accountable to their constituents who elected them to defend our state laws, including the law of marriage.

The constitution does not give state politicians the power to pick and choose which laws they will follow and which they will abandon. They are responsible for maintaining the rule of law by defending all the laws of the land. Yet somehow with gay marriage, they are able to get away with it.

Please help us make sure they don't get away with abandoning marriage by donating today.

But it's not just ambitious Attorneys General who have decided to take the law into their own hands. Now some local officials are getting into the act. The Register of Wills in Montgomery County Pennsylvania has decided the he will ignore state law limiting marriage to one man and one woman, and he's openly invited gay couples to seek marriage licenses in his county. He bases his decision on his own personal interpretation of the law after reading Justice Kennedy's majority opinion in the Windsor case concerning the federal definition of marriage.

If some local official were to take the law into his own hands and decide to rewrite a state environmental law, the left would scream in protest. But because this is about same-sex marriage, this utter lawlessness is in fact being celebrated in some quarters and the local official is being called a "hero!" No doubt many ambitious local politicians are waiting to see how this all turns out, so that they might be able to write their own marriage law for their own jurisdiction.

Who will hold these people accountable, if not you and I? Please help us do so.

As we've discussed, NOM is a lean organization with a small staff. Almost everything we raise goes into supporting critical programs to preserve marriage. We are stretched very thin. When new challenges arise like having state Attorneys General and local marriage officials openly defy the law on marriage, we are limited in what we can do to respond unless we are able to raise additional resources. With resources in hand, we can communicate directly with constituents of these elected officials, and ensure that they hear from the people of their jurisdiction. But without added resources, it's entirely possible that politicians who conspire to leave marriage defenseless may get away with it.

Please give today so that we can continue to fight for marriage and hold state and local politicians accountable for their actions in defending laws that define marriage as God created itthe union of one man and one woman.

Faithfully,

Brian S. Brown

Why Exactly is Betty Crocker Weighing in on Marriage Anyway?

General Mills is pushing its marriage redefinition agenda even further, this time using a fictional character to assist. General Mills' culinary "spokeswoman" Betty Crocker decided to take time away from her baking to weigh in on the marriage debate in Minnesota:

Betty Crocker

If you haven't made the Dump General Mills pledge, please take two minutes to join the 26,000 others who have already done so!

Michigan Clerk Designs Sex-Neutral Marriage Licenses

Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown is working with the Michigan state registrar to design new marriage license that could be issued to same-sex couples, despite the fact that Michigan defines marriage as husband and wife.

My FOX Detroit:

Marriage LicenseIn anticipation of a ruling overturning Michigan's ban on same-sex marriage, Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown is working with the State Registrar's office to amend Michigan's marriage license.

Those opposed to overturning the ban feel very differently. Attorney General Bill Schutte recently filed a statement saying, "The Michigan Marriage Amendment fosters the State's legitimate interest in promoting responsible natural procreation, which, in turn, promotes raising children in a home environment with both a mother and a father, giving the children the benefit of having a role model of both sexes."

Judge Friedman will hear the case in October.

Marriage Defenders Protest Illegal Issuing of Marriage Licenses to Same-Sex Couples in Pennsylvania

Pennyslvania marriage activists took a stand in Montgomery County on Friday, rallying against the open defiance of state laws defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman:

Photo credit: Gene Walsh

Photo credit: Gene Walsh

Pumping signs in the air that read, “stop the war on children” and “marriage = man & woman,” the Pro-Life Coalition of PA addressed a throng of reporters urging Register of Wills/Clerk of the Orphan’s Court D. Bruce Hanes to stop writing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.

By end of day Friday, 26 such licenses had been issued by the county.

“It’s not about love. It’s about children,” said Michael McMonagle, president of the Pro-Life Coalition. “There’s a thing called just discrimination. For example, should blind people be allowed to vote? Of course they should, because not being able to see has nothing to do with having the right to vote. Should blind people get a driver’s license? Of course not, because being able to see is essential to being able to drive.

“Heterosexuality is essential to the meaning of marriage. Civil government has an interest in producing future children. It’s utter arrogance to think that we can redefine the institution that has been the bedrock of all society throughout history.”

Homosexual marriages are “inherently unequal because (they) cannot produce children,” he said. -Mainline Media News

SCOTUS’ Prop 8 Ruling Behind Attempt to Overturn Arkansas’ Ban on Gay Marriage

The Associated Press reports that hot on the heels of the recent U.S. Supreme Court’s Prop 8 decision, three same-sex couples in Arkansas have filed a federal lawsuit asking that the state’s ban on gay marriage be overturned.

ArkansasThis is in addition to a similar lawsuit that was previously filed in state court, and the story also reveals that the state’s same-sex marriage lobby is working to “get a measure on the 2014 ballot to legalize same-sex marriage.”

NOM will keep you up to date as this story develops and will continue to be on the front lines of these all-important state battles. If you haven’t already done so, please take a moment to sign-up for our alerts here, and share this information with your like-minded family and friends in Arkansas.

England’s Prime Minister Jubilant Over Possible New Top “Export”

Cameron_Gay_British_FlagBritish Prime Minister David Cameron is apparently not content with having spearheaded the passage of same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom; he now wants to spread it across the globe! In a recent speech, Cameron said, “I want to export gay marriage around the world…as you know, I talk about the global race, about how we’ve got to export more and sell more so I’m going to export the bill team. I think they can be part of this global race and take it around the world.”

The Telegraph points out that the ebullient Cameron four times stated his pride in the legislation’s passage during his talk, saying on one occasion: “I’m personally proud of this. I think I’m probably the only Conservative Prime Minister who’s taken this step, but I’m very proud to have taken it.”

You can read about Cameron’s grandiose plan for global marriage redefinition here.

Sen. Ted Cruz Warns That Push for Same-Sex Unions Threatens First Amendment Protections

The Blaze:

“If you look at other nations that have gone down the road towards gay marriage, that’s the next step of where it gets enforced,” he said of hate speech regulations that are in place in other countries.

“It gets enforced against Christian pastors who decline to perform gay marriages, who speak out and preach biblical truths on marriage and that has been defined elsewhere as hate speech — as inconsistent with the enlightened view of government,” Cruz added.

The Lawlessness of Gay Marriage Activists is on Full Display

NOM National Newsletter

Lawlessness Spreads From California...

Dear Marriage Supporter,

It's lawless — but it's executed by courts, politicians, and legal officials being pushed by powerful gay marriage activists to abandon their oath of office to uphold the Constitution and the law. In the eyes of our opponents, and increasingly among their allies, the right of homosexuals to "marry" trumps everything else — including the rule of law!

In California, state officials beholden to gay marriage activists are ordering all marriage clerks to ignore Prop 8 — despite the fact the California state constitution requires officials to uphold laws on the books until they are overturned by an appellate court. Despite what the media wants you to believe, Prop 8 has NOT been overturned in this manner.

These are the same politicians who refused to defend Proposition 8, which resulted in a homosexual judge in San Francisco invalidating it — something the US Supreme Court tragically allowed to stand when they refused to hear the appeal of the measure. A San Diego county clerk responsible for issuing marriage licenses understandably wants some direction on what the law requires of him, yet he's being treated like a criminal by the very people who are mocking the state constitution. Because he's asking for a clear direction from the state's highest court — he's treated like an outlaw.

...to Pennsylvania, Ohio and Who Knows Where Next?

In Pennsylvania, Montgomery County's Register of Wills (the person who issues marriage licenses) suddenly decided he can ignore Pennsylvania law and give marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The guy claims he did it only after reading Justice Kennedy's opinion in the Windsor case striking down part of the federal DOMA law, and concluded that gay couples should have the right to marry even though Pennsylvania law defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Kudos to the Office of General Counsel for the Governor for insisting "Individual elected officials cannot pick and choose which laws to enforce," as their press secretary Nils Hagen-Frederiksen wrote in a released statement. "All officials are constitutionally required to administer and enforce the laws that are enacted by the Legislature."

In Ohio, a federal judge intervened to order state officials to ignore the state's marriage law and treat a same-sex couple as married when completing vital records. Ohio voters amended their Constitution in 2004 to protect marriage by an overwhelming majority, but this judge has chosen to be a law unto himself and trample on the will of the people.

New cases are being added to the docket all the time — North Carolina's marriage amendment, passed a year ago by 61 percent of the voters is now under judicial attack. But so are the laws of over a dozen states, including Michigan, Illinois, New Jersey and even Arkansas.

I will not mislead you: we are in the middle of an orchestrated takedown of marriage by gay activists and their allies in power, one unconcerned with the rule of law, or respect for those of us who believe now, yesterday and tomorrow that marriage is the union of male and female, oriented towards the good of new life, and necessary for the protection of children.

NOM'S Schubert: "The Truth of Marriage Will Prevail"

Frank Schubert, one of the heroes in enacting of Prop 8 and NOM's national political director, took a few weeks to respond to all the constant requests for how he feels about the Court's refusal to defend the rights of the 7 million voters who enacted Prop 8.

He wrote this week in Public Discourse,

"It's only natural for people to want to know how I feel about the outcome, not only from a policy perspective but also from a personal perspective. After all, I put my heart into managing (and winning) the Prop 8 campaign in 2008, and since then have spent much of my professional career working on preserving marriage throughout the nation.

Here's how I feel.

I feel like we were cheated. Just like I felt as a kid watching the bad guy put a sleeper hold on his opponent [in a pro wrestling match], or hitting him below the belt or with the brass knuckles while the referee had his back turned, so have the legal system and politicians cold-cocked the people of California — seven million of whom went to the polls to lawfully enact Prop 8. Only this time, I realize there's not likely to be a rematch. The cheaters won.

I feel like the rule of law has been shredded, and conniving politicians have been rewarded for ignoring their sworn oath of office. Public confidence in the judicial system has been dealt a severe blow. Supporters of same-sex "marriage" may be happy with the result today, but hold on until the tables are turned and a conservative governor and attorney general refuse to defend a law they don't personally support, and there's nobody left with standing to defend it....

I feel like a broadside has ripped a great hole in the initiative and referendum process itself. I have managed nearly forty statewide ballot initiative campaigns in my career. The initiative process is one of the few viable ways to get a recalcitrant government to respond to legitimate issues that are not being addressed by the legislature or the state administration. By its nature, citizens are often pushing a law that is opposed by those in power.

Now those very people in power — the governor and attorney general — have been given a pocket veto over the initiative process itself. They can invalidate any measure they don't personally support simply by refusing to defend it in federal court."

When like you and me and Frank, you put your heart and soul in defending what you believe is good, using the God-given rights guaranteed in our Constitution — and then watching one arrogant Justice take away your rights — of course you feel cheated.

But Frank, a great man, goes on:

"I think about people like Scott Eckern, a distinguished musical producer, who was forced to resign from the California Musical Theater in Sacramento over his $1,000 contribution in support of Prop 8. I think about Marjorie Christofferson, a then-67-year-old employee at her family-owned Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles, who was forced to take a leave from the business over donating a mere $100 to our campaign.

...And I think about the 250,000 volunteers in our campaign who walked precincts, knocked on doors, and manned phone banks, including Jose Nunez, a proud immigrant and newly sworn-in US citizen, who was physically assaulted by a Prop 8 opponent while waiting to distribute signs outside his Catholic church.

All of these people paid a tremendous price. They, and the voters, deserved better than to be left undefended before the legal system, abandoned by those sworn to defend them, ignored by judges determined to impose a particular result, and then orphaned by the Supreme Court as the great referee pretended not to see all the nefarious activity going on with the case right in front of them."

Justice has not been done.

"The decisions worry me," writes Frank, "I am actually less worried about the damage done to the institution of marriage than I am about the damage done to the body politic."

He's right when he says, "Marriage is an eternal truth, and a profound good. Its value to society is inestimable. No government, judge, or politician has the power to change the inherent nature of marriage. In the end, the truth of marriage will prevail, even if the law decides to abandon it for a time."

But our democracy he points out is much more fragile. "When the votes of millions of people are ignored by the elites in government, when politicians can ignore their oath of office and assume for themselves extra-constitutional authority, when judges can ignore their own internal conflicts and impose their own political views on an issue in direct contravention of the expressed desires of the people, and when the Supreme Court can turn a blind eye to the matter and let the politicians and judges get away with it, public confidence in government is seriously, and perhaps permanently, eroded."

No Regrets

"Some of my friends wonder if I regret taking on Prop 8, and my subsequent work in support of marriage, life, and religious liberty. The answer is no, not for a minute. I've never regretted standing for the truth, and I don't regret it now. I'm not worried in the least about any impact on me, and I'll continue to work on behalf of these critical issues. The answer to those who ask how I am doing is simply this: worry not for me, worry for thee."

Frank has no regrets and neither do I. We cannot walk away from the fight, because the fight is for our freedom, and for truth.

The first battle is in our own hearts and minds; the first fight is the spiritual battle: will we give up and acquiesce to this radical new definition of marriage and the lawlessness promoting it? Or will we dig down and find the courage to fight for what is right?

One thing I know: no man or woman can fight this fight alone. We must fight together, in love, for the truth about marriage, and the truth about democracy and human rights.

The Corruption in Law and Government Continues to Spread.

The latest news from the IRS scandal is that it was not rogue Ohio agents responsible for the politicization of the IRS. President Obama appoints the general counsel to the IRS — and agents were told to send all cases to his office for review. Did the Obama Administration play a role in the IRS giving our confidential tax return to the Human Rights Campaign (whose president was a Co-Chair of the Obama campaign), which promptly and illegally disclosed the identity of numerous NOM donors? It's time for people to be subpoenaed to testify before Congress, and put under oath so that we can get to the bottom of this scandal.

When it comes to gay marriage, they want not only their victory, they want your submission — the rule of law be damned.

The battles will continue, but let's be clear — what we're fighting for is much greater than the definition of marriage. We're fighting not only for the right to believe in the truth of God's teaching, but to act on that truth in the public square without fear of governmental reprisal. For if we lose that right, we've lost everything — liberty, independence, and eventually the nation itself.

This week I have one urgent action request to make of you my friend to take a stand against lawlessness and corruption:

Call your Congressman and tell him or her to support HR2565, the Stop IRS ACT. Click here to learn more and to contact your elected officials.

Together we cannot stand by while our government is corrupted, our laws ignored, our rights taken away.

Together we will not agree to go quietly — to be stigmatized, marginalized or repressed.

God willing, they will not succeed in their goal of silencing us, taking away our rights, and remaking America in their own image.

God bless you and thank you, and may God bless our beloved America.