California Proposition 8 explicitly eliminates equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian Californians. It also overturns religious freedom for California religious institutions that affirm marriage for same-sex couples. Proposition 2 in Florida and Proposition 102 in Arizona do the same.
The ballot propositions impose on the states — and all their residents — the sectarian religious belief that homosexuality is immoral and that gays and lesbians are not entitled to be treated equally under the law.
But the religious-rightists who support these propositions can’t win popular support by telling voters the truth. So instead, Focus on the Family, Exodus, wealthy Mormon donors, and others have caved in to the immoral gutter instincts of dirty politics, illegal Internet attacks, and alleged election-law violations.
The L.A. Times editorial board today listed some of the deceptions of the lawless forces behind Proposition 8:
- The Yes-on-8 organizations criticized a school for allowing first-graders to attend their teacher’s wedding — but failed to disclose that the teacher obtained parents’ permission. The Times points out, “The state Education Code does not allow schools to teach comprehensive sex education — which includes instruction about marriage — to children whose parents object.”
- The Yes-on-8 organizations falsely stated that Massachusetts forced Catholic Charities to halt its adoption services. The Times explains that Catholic Charities acted as a state contractor, whereas the adoption arm of the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) is a private service without public funding — therefore the LDS’ antigay adoption program continues, its religious beliefs and practices unhindered.
- The Yes-on-8 organizations falsely stated that a New Jersey church lost its tax exemption over gay marriage. The activists failed to tell audiences that the Methodist nonprofit-owned seaside resort forfeited its boardwalk to the public in exchange for a special property-tax exemption — and that the resort broke its agreement when it denied access to the boardwalk by members of the tax-paying public who were gay or lesbian.
The Times points out that marriage has been changed continuously by members of the world’s major religions (including Christianity) over thousands of years. Fundamentalists are being selective — and unbiblical — in choosing which changes to allow and which ones to oppose.
As disturbing as these deceptions are, they only begin to reflect the illegal and immoral activities of the anti-marriage organizations political forces in recent weeks.
The Bilerico Project, for example, has uncovered evidence that donations to Florida’s anti-marriage ballot initiative have been illegally laundered.
Meanwhile, Calitics perceives an organized campaign of illegal Internet denial-of-service attacks against the California and Florida organizations that defend marriage and religious freedom for gay couples and supportive religious institutions.
Blogger Greta Christina finds the antigay activists violating parental rights and exploiting children:
The Yes on 8 campaign has a TV ad/video running (here’s the video, properly fisked), using footage from a 1st grade field trip to their teacher’s lesbian wedding… and using it without the parents’ permission. These parents are very much against Prop 8 — the field trip to the wedding was optional, and the parents happily gave permission for their kids to attend — and they’ve written letters and given a press conference, expressing their anger that their children are being used to support a cause they so vehemently oppose… and expressly refusing their permission for their children’s images to be used in this ad. Yes on 8 is ignoring the parents’ request, and is continuing to run the ads.
Christina also finds the antigay Yes-on-8 activists committing extortion against opponents:
ProtectMarriage.com sent a certified letter to several business that donated money to No on 8, threatening to expose them as opponents of traditional marriage unless they made an equal donation to Yes on 8. The letter went not only to large businesses like Levi Strauss and AT&T; it went to small businesses as well. Just to be clear: They have a legal right to reveal those names. The identity of companies who donate to political campaigns is a matter of public record. But it is morally repugnant to link a threat of exposure with a request for money. The word for that is blackmail. And blackmail is not a family value.
James Dobson, Exodus International president Alan Chambers and Exodus spokeswoman Yvette Cantu Schneider have been integral to the antigay campaigns in California and Florida. They have acted as key speakers for the campaigns’ rallies. They are unapologetic for their coalitions’ immoral and possibly illegal activities. Like their comrades, Chambers and Schneider seem to consider themselves above morality — and possibly above the law.
On Tuesday, Californians, Floridians, and Arizonans who care about integrity and freedom — in faith and politics — should vote No to lies, intimidation, Internet hacking, sleazy financing, extortion, lawlessness, and threats to individual and religious freedom.
They should vote No to Proposition 2 in Florida, Proposition 8 in California, and Proposition 102 in Arizona.
Hat tip: Mike Tidmus
Related posts
10 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL
I just have to say that if Prop 8 doesn’t pass then several of my unalienable rights that are stated in the Bill of Rights that this Nation was partly founded upon will be alienated. Freedom to allow my kids to be born into and live in a home where Traditional love abounds, that is to say between a Man and a Woman. I would like to make myself clear, I am not anti-homosexuals. They have their rights as much as I do. They can fully exercise those rights RIGHT NOW. If this Proposition doesn’t pass, we allow homosexual marriage, it will allow Homosexual behavior to be taught in PUBLIC schools and become common place. Marriage has been and forevermore should be known as between a Man and a Woman. Allow me to illustrate my point.
The definition of marriage for eons of time has been defined as only between a man and a woman; just the same way that a Peanut Butter and Jelly (PB and J) sandwich(marriage) has to have both PB and J(man and woman) to be a PB and J sandwich(marriage). It can not have just Peanut Butter or Jelly (man and man or woman and woman) and be a PB and J sandwich (marriage) it is still a sandwich (i.e. civil union or domestic partnerships) just not a PB and J sandwich(marriage).
“We Fight Not For Glory, Not For Riches, Not For Honor; We Fight Only And Alone For Freedom, Which No Good Man Surrenders, Save With His Life.” ~ Winston Churchill ~
Comment by texas — November 3, 2008 @ 1:34 am
“Texas,” the Bill of Rights gives neither you nor your kids freedom from having to cope with the freedom of others.
Specifically, the Bill of Rights does not grant you freedom from the freedom of others to love. And it does not grant your church the freedom to deny other churches or temples their religious freedom.
The LA Times pointed out that California law does not permit sex education without parental consent. That does not change just because gay or lesbian people can marry.
Comment by Michael Airhart — November 3, 2008 @ 1:56 am
It appears that the opposers to Prop. 8 would like tolerance in one direction, theirs. They would like to force people to accept they lifestyle that they do not agree with. It is a fact that 61% of Californians voted against gay marriage in 2000.
Under California law, “domestic partners shall have the same rights, protections, and benefits” as married spouses. (Family Code § 297.5.) There are NO exceptions. Proposition 8 WILL NOT change this.
It will be the rights of the in support of Prop. 8 that will have their rights taken away as people label them as bigots because they aren’t accepting a lifestyle they believe to be immoral. There needs to be tolerance in both directions, and Prop. 8 is the only way to allow equality for all. It restores the definition of marriage for those that believe that it is only between a man and a woman, but does not take away the rights of homosexual couples. Vote Yes on Prop. 8 for equality.
Comment by Samantha — November 3, 2008 @ 8:11 am
“There needs to be tolerance in both directions, and Prop. 8 is the only way to allow equality for all.”
Sorry Samantha, but tolerance shouldn’t be offerered to a group of people who’ve tried to have gays executed in the 80’s, spreads the lies that gays = pedophiles, or if they have a hallucination about gay people, they try to make it seems as if their hallucination is true.
These people simply aren’t “against the homosexual lifestyle”. They’re the non-racial definition of the “N word” (as people call it), and nothing more.
Comment by Scott — November 3, 2008 @ 8:41 am
[...] the reality that homosexuals exist. The latest argument in support of Proposition 8 is how it will potentially impose requirements of teaching same-sex marriages in schools. Well, I suppose it might hypothetically lead to that but I believe there is a lot of nonsense and [...]
Pingback by Proposition 8 — more important than the Presidency | ThePolitic.com — November 3, 2008 @ 10:08 am
Texas:
So if Prop 8 doesn’t pass, you’ll divorce your current spouse and hook up with someone the same sex as you, thus forcing your children to grow up in which two men or two women (depending on your sex) love each other, rather than a man and a woman?
Why on earth would you do that? If you’re gay, why wait for Prop 8 to rearrange your life?
Correct: right now, all Californians can marry the person they love. And that’s precisely the right that Prop 8 is designed to take away from some people.
Comment by arensb — November 3, 2008 @ 10:28 pm
[...] of apologizing for their role in extortion, deception, Internet denial-of-service attacks, and exploitation of gay-tolerant heterosex…, Exodus Youth and Exodus executive vice president Randy Thomas are playing the victim [...]
Pingback by Truth Wins Out - Exodus Impenitent for Antimarriage Campaign’s Unethical Conduct — November 8, 2008 @ 1:43 am
[...] don’t forget to support Truth Wins Out as well. The unethical and illegal tactics of the amendment supporters remind us that Focus on the Family, Exodus International, and their [...]
Pingback by Truth Wins Out - Angry over Antigay Ballot Initiatives? Do Something Positive — November 9, 2008 @ 9:19 pm
[...] religious-rightists — chose to ignore the human rights of fellow Californians. Through a campaign of outright lies and unethical activities, religious-right groups conned California voters into approving — by a narrow margin — [...]
Pingback by Truth Wins Out - California Supreme Court May Yet Find Prop 8 Unconstitutional — November 19, 2008 @ 8:50 pm
[...] public attention from his movement’s deceitful and illegal activities against voters during election-season campaigns to constitutionally abolish the freedom to [...]
Pingback by Truth Wins Out - Oklahoma City Mayor, Pastor Team Up to Purge Libraries, Detain Gays in Ex-Gay Re-Education Camps — January 13, 2009 @ 12:35 pm