Prayer Day for Prop 8

Just got this email from the ProtectMarriage.com folks, probably just like many of you.

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Dear Friend,

Proposition 8 was put before the people of California, and by a wide margin of 600,000 votes became a part of the California Constitution (Article 1, Section 7.5). Next Thursday, March 5, the California Supreme Court will hear oral arguments to determine whether the sovereign will of the people should be upheld, and whether marriage between only a man and a woman will stand.

This is the most important legal issue impacting families in a generation. The outcome of this case is “do or die” for traditional marriage. If the California Supreme Court were to overrule the vote of the people (for the second time) it would not be long before homosexual marriage is the law of the land across this country.

ProtectMarriage.com, the committee responsible for enacting Prop 8, urges you and all our supporters to take action. We are declaring this Sunday, March 1, to be a Day of Prayer for Marriage.

Proposition 8 was supported by over 7 million voters, and we call on those who support traditional marriage to pray for it to be upheld. Please ask the Lord for wisdom for the Justices of the California Supreme Court. Pray, also, for those who oppose this amendment to our Constitution, that they would understand our motivation is to affirm traditional marriage, not to offend any person or group.

Activists who oppose Prop 8 are organizing a candlelight vigil in several cities for March 4, followed by a rally on the steps of the Supreme Court building in San Francisco on March 5. Organizers against Prop 8 are calling for a march of 100,000 people to the Court building (click here to view their events list). It has come to our attention that many Prop 8 supporters are also making plans to appear at the steps of the Supreme Court building on the morning of March 5. We welcome your participation, but request that all messages on homemade signs affirm traditional marriage, avoiding offensive statements regarding alternative lifestyles. If you are in close proximity to San Francisco, plan to arrive by 8 a.m. at the court, located at 350 McAllister. We do not wish to provoke or permit any kind of confrontation with our opponents. Please avoid any such activity carefully. Our only purpose is to remind the media, Californians and Americans everywhere that support for traditional marriage is the majority position in the state. Twice now voters have supported traditional marriage and rejected gay marriage. We won the Prop 8 election. The constitution has been amended. The will of the people should now prevail.

ProtectMarriage.com is the only group that will appear before the Supreme Court to uphold the vote of the people enacting Prop 8 and affirm traditional marriage as the law of the land. The upcoming Day of Prayer will provide a vehicle for all our supporters to express their own support for traditional marriage and to call on God, the author of marriage, to bless the arguments our attorneys will present to the Court and to grant the justices wisdom as they consider the arguments.

Thank you for your support of Proposition 8. Please participate in the Day of Prayer this coming Sunday and, if you are in proximity to San Francisco, come to the steps of the Supreme Court building at 8 a.m. on March 5 to show your support for Prop 8.

To make a financial contribution to the Proposition 8 Legal Defense Fund, click here.

Thank you so much for your attention and support.

Very truly yours,

ProtectMarriage.com, Yes on 8

The dangers of complacency

Here's a quick quote of the day for you to mentally chew on:

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing."

- Albert Einstein

I always knew I liked him, but wow - so insightful beyond his scientific brilliance!

Tea Party Movement: Mad as... you know where...

If I were to look up a clip to describe how I'm feeling about the many ways in which legislators and politicians are trampling all over the Constitution and the voice of the people these days (i.e. the Assembly and Senate resolutions to overturn Prop. 8 and, well, basically everything Pres. Obama is proposing, it seems), I'd have to go no farther than this clip from Network: (pardon the G-D that he drops):

If you feel mad as - well, you know where - and just can't take it anymore, then
STAND UP AND MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD THIS FRIDAY!!!

I'm sure by now that many of you have heard about the "Chicago Tea Party" movement, but for those of you who haven't, here's the scoop:

CNBC's Rick Santelli called for a "Chicago Tea Party" Thursday, drawing cheers from the trade floor in Chicago (see clip below). As a result, Santelli sparked the rallying cry to revolt against the Obama Administration's mortgage bailout plan.



As a result, dozens and dozens of grassroots protests have been planned across the nation for Friday, Feb. 27. Web sites have popped up all over the place with information (here's the "official" site with lots of location links), many referencing the Boston Tea Party of old, a tipping-point event that moved toward the American Revolution.



In putting this together, I'm amazed by how many tea parties are springing up across the nation! Google "Chicago tea party," and you'll see what I'm talking about. Driving forces behind this include #TCOT (Top Conservatives on Twitter) and the blogger extraordinaire, Michelle Malkin (click here for her excellent article on the movement).

Here's a short list of the events I know of in California. Many of the events are being organized via Facebook. If you know more (especially the Bay Area - surprise, surprise, nothing's come up in my searches), please let me know in the comments, and I'll add them in to the list!

SAN DIEGO: Just north of the Star of India on San Diego Bay - starts at 9 a.m. (I'll be at this one, if you want to say hi!)

LOS ANGELES: Santa Monica Pier - starts at 9 a.m. (Santelli's also planning one for July 4)

SACRAMENTO: California State Capitol, North Steps, L Street Sacramento - starts at noon

FRESNO: "Virtual" tea party March 2-9

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I know this isn't a California one, but we've got a fair number of Utah readers, so, FYI, there's a protest in SALT LAKE CITY slated for Friday at 10-11 a.m. at the Utah State Capitol.

Glenn Beck on what he forecasts ahead

Hi, friends -

There is so much to say on the topic of gay marriage right now, between Hawaii becoming the fifth state to legalize same-sex unions and with all the Prop. 8 bashing at last night's Oscars (but, seeing as it's Sean Penn, were we surprised? Not at all. Bring on the "shame.") - but for tonight, I'd like to share this clip by Glenn Beck. He strikes a chord that's played heavily on my mind lately: preparedness.



It is so important to be self-sufficient and to prepare for what's ahead. Latter-day Saint leaders have emphasized this for years and years, but I worry that those of other faiths (or of no faith, for that matter) haven't heard this message as clearly. Please, friends, do what you can now to stock your pantries and to get out of debt. Things will continue to get grimmer economically, and it's vital to be ready for the worst-case scenario. Think of New Orleans after Katrina, or of Manhattan immediately after the towers fell at 9/11.

And remember, Noah didn't wait for the raindrops to fall before he built the ark. The sun was shining, and people called him crazy, but when the deluge hit, He was blessed greatly for following God's counsel and not man's. Let's learn the same lesson.

BIG NEWS: CA lawmakers consider resolutions to oppose Prop. 8

Big news, folks!

Tomorrow morning (Tuesday, February 17th) at 10:30 a.m., The Assembly Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on Proposition 8, followed at 12:30 p.m. by a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. The committees will be considering crafting a joint resolution encouraging the California State Supreme Court to overturn Prop 8.

By issuing the resolution, the Assembly will officially express its opposition to Proposition 8, calling for its repeal, and stating that it was an “improper revision” to the state constitution.

THIS IS WRONG!!! The people of California have spoken - the lawmakers who the people voted into office (lest they forget who they're representing) have a responsibility to protect the people's voice, not to disregard it!

Several of my DNA colleagues and others who want to preserve traditional marriage will be there to represent the votes of the nearly seven million California citizens, whom these legislators fail to represent. If you can make it, attend the hearing. By attending you will send a visible signal to the committee members in support of the family.

The Assembly hearing will be in room 4202 at 10:30 a.m. The Senate hearing will be in room 4203 at 12:30 p.m. We encourage you to make the trip.

Here's the skinny:

WHO: Defenders of traditional marriage

WHAT: Prop. 8 rally and attending the hearings

WHERE: The California State Capitol - 1400 Tenth St., Sacramento

WHEN: 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17

WHY: Because California lawmakers need to remember who it is they're representing - the people of California who passed Prop. 8. The voters have spoken - the lawmakers need to listen!

Event info is up on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/event.php?eid=67214066808

If you can make it to Sacramento, GO. If you can't but you still want to support the cause, contact your local lawmakers. Call the members of the committees and fax letters asking them to VOTE NO on HR5 and SR7.

Assembly Judiciary Committee-Vote NO on HR5

Mike Feuer - Chair (Dem-42)
(916) 319-2042
Assemblymember.Feuer@assembly.ca.gov

Van Tran - Vice Chair (Rep-68)
(916) 319-2068
Assemblymember.tran@assembly.ca.gov

Julia Brownley (Dem-41)
(916) 319-2041
Assemblymember.Brownley@assembly.ca.gov

Noreen Evans (Dem-7)
(916) 319-2007
Assemblymember.Evans@assembly.ca.gov

Dave Jones (Dem-9)
(916) 319-2009
Assemblymember.jones@assembly.ca.gov

Steve Knight (Rep-36)
(916) 319-2036
Assemblymember.Knight@assembly.ca.gov

Paul Krekorian (Dem-43)
(916) 319-2043
Assemblymember.Krekorian@assembly.ca.gov

Ted W. Lieu (Dem-53)

(916) 319-2053
Assemblymember.Lieu@assembly.ca.gov

William W. Monning (Dem-27)
(916) 319-2027
Assemblymember.Monning@assembly.ca.gov

Jim Nielsen (Rep-2)
(916) 319-2002
Assemblymember.Nielsen@assembly.ca.gov

Senate Judiciary Committee-Vote NO on SR7

Ellen Corbett: Phone: (916) 651-4010; Fax: (916) 327-2433

Dean Florez: Phone: (916) 651-4016; Fax: (916) 327-5989

Tom Harman: Phone: (916) 651-4035; Fax: 916 445 9263

Mark Leno: Phone: (916) 651-4003

Mimi Walters: Phone: (916) 651-4033; Fax: (916) 445-9754

Thanks, BeetleBlogger, for the info!

CA Supreme Court to hear marriage case March 5

Hey, marriage fans!

Sorry for the dearth of posts lately, but I fell victim to that nasty bronchitis going around and was out of commission for a few weeks. I'm just finally feeling back to my cheery, bloggerific self - and feeling very ready to catch up on so much that's happened! Lots of news to report - watch for a flurry of posts in the next week.

In the meantime, I wanted to alert you all to mark March 5 on your calendars - it's the date the California Supreme Court will be hearing the oral arguments on the legality of Prop. 8.

A little more info from the L.A. Times:

The hearing is one of the most anticipated in the court's history. Supporters and opponents of Proposition 8 will make their case about whether the measure should be invalidated. Pro-gay marriage groups filed a lawsuit after the November election, saying the gay marriage ban violated the state Constitution.

Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown at first said he would defend Proposition 8, but then he changed his mind and argued that it was unconstitutional. Backers of the measure have filed briefs supporting the ban. According to the court, justices will consider three issues:

-- Is Proposition 8 invalid because it constitutes a revision of, rather than an amendment to, the California Constitution? (Christa's note: I believe Jerry Brown already said no on this point)

-- Does Proposition 8 violate the separation of powers doctrine under the California Constitution?

-- If Proposition 8 is not unconstitutional, what is its effect, if any, on the marriages of same-sex couples performed before the adoption of Proposition 8?

What are your thoughts on the three points of discussion?

I'm very, very interested to see how the third point is addressed. Under the "no ex post facto" concept of the Rule of Law, the legality of an action has to be based on the way the laws were on the books at the time the action happened. In this case, that would mean that gay marriage was legal at that point... but, then again, how legal was it for the court to overturn Prop. 22?

Anyways, back to the trenches for me - watch for some more info coming soon, though, and be sure to check out the brilliant blogs of my DNA colleagues!

Great Video with Elder Maxwell

Mormons - Same-Sex Marriage, Family, Abortion and the Secular Church