August 12, 2010
Column #1,511
Fighting Same-Sex
Marriage
By Mike McManus
In the weeks
before and after Federal Judge Vaughn Walker overturned California’s
Proposition 8 which defines marriage as a union of one man and one woman,
The National Organization for Marriage has been conducting a 23-city “Summer
for Marriage” bus tour.
According to NOM
Chairman Maggie Gallagher, the tour to many state capitals, such as Raleigh,
Charleston, W.V. and Harrisburg, PA this past week, has three purposes:
1.
“Getting over the media blackout on the marriage issue by generating
local media.” Though only 75 supporters showed up in Raleigh and were
outnumbered 2-1 by rowdy same-sex advocates, every local TV station and
major newspapers covered the story, making it the top news item across North
Carolina.
2.
“Helping us locate the next generation of activist leaders, which the
gay rights people have been doing for 25 years.
3.
“Building an online community of two million activists,” 700,000 of
whom have already gotten involved, said Gallagher.
NOM did
not exist before 2007 when its budget was zero. In 2009, 40,000 donors gave
$9 million That’s a remarkable achievement considering the same-sex marriage
bias of mainstream media, which has been charmed by the fact the legal team
fighting for gay marriage is Ted Olson and David Boies, who fought on
opposite sides of the Bush-Gore election at the Supreme Court. Oddly, Fox
profiled Olson, but not his opponent before Judge Walker.
Judge Walker, who
the “San Francisco Chronicle” reports is gay, should have recused himself in
this case, due to his obvious bias. By his solo decision, the vote of 7
million Californians, 52.3 percent of those voting – was overturned.
In America’s
first federal trial of same-sex marriage, Walker said that Prop 8 “fails to
advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial
of a marriage license. Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing
more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite
sex couples are superior to same sex couples.”
No rational
basis? How about 5,000 years of recorded history that defines marriage as
the union of a man and a woman?
“The historical
record leaves no doubt…that the central purpose of marriage in all societies
at virtually all times is to channel procreative relationships into stable
relationships to ensure that offspring...are raised in those stable
relationships,” argued Charles Cooper before Walker.
Radio commentator
Chuck Colson’s first reaction to the Walker decision was, “Our worst
nightmare has come true. A Federal judge declaring that the `ability to
marry’ is a fundamental right that cannot be denied to gays and lesbians.
What nonsense,” he declared.
“Societies
throughout history have restricted the ability to marry (which is why, for
instance, you’re not allowed to marry your sister).”
The case will now
go to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which is very liberal and is
likely to uphold Walker. Both sides agree it will land at the Supreme
Court, where many say that conservatives have no chance. Every case
involving sexual freedom, such as abortion or gays’ right to sodomy, has
expanded liberties.
However, Colson
notes that in each case, the public was on the side of expanded liberties.
That’s not the case with same-sex marriage, which has been opposed in every
public referendum. It has been outlawed by 45 states, 30 of which passed
constitutional amendments limiting marriage to unions of a man and woman.
“That matters
because the court is reluctant to go against strong public opinion to the
contrary,” he said, noting that the Court voted unanimously against making
assisted suicide constitutional because the issue was still being debated.
“You and I will
decide whether gay marriage will become a constitutional right. We can win
this in the court of public opinion. If the polls show a year from now when
this case makes its way to the Supreme Court, that the public is against gay
marriage, we will win,” Colson said.
That’s why the
National Organization for Marriages’ bus tour is important. NOM’s
supporters – even a nursing mother - have been bullied and harassed by gay
activists. NOM’s cameras recorded the harassment which you can see on
www.marriagetour2010.org.
NOM is also using
its funds to fight pro-gay Republicans, such as N.H. Governor Kevin Lynch
who said he opposed gay marriage before the election, but signed a gay
marriage bill. NOM ads have knocked down his poll numbers.
“We want to
establish that it is a bad idea to be for gay marriage if you are a
Republican,” said Gallagher.
She’s right. Gay
marriage is a bad idea.
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