Statement of Ron Prentice, Chairman, ProtectMarriage.com – Yes on 8
“In last Tuesday’s election, the people of California placed the traditional definition of marriage into the state Constitution. This victory would not have been possible without the support of our 70,000 contributors and over 100,000 dedicated volunteers. It was accomplished with the strong participation of about 80% of California voters, or nearly 14 million people participating in this expression of the People’s will. It is the same process that resulted in the historic election of Barack Obama as President of the United States – with about the same percentage of the national vote as received by Proposition 8 in California.
“Since Proposition 8’s victory, a series of protests against churches, small businesses and individual supporters of traditional marriage have taken place in cities across the state. Tragically, some opponents of Prop. 8 who claim to cherish tolerance and civil rights are unabashedly trampling on the rights of others. Protests and boycotts have taken place against a Hispanic restaurant owner in Los Angeles, African American religious leaders in the Bay Area, and a musical theater director in Sacramento, among many others.
“As a diverse group representing many cultural backgrounds, our coalition stands together in solidarity with those whose property and rights are being attacked for the simple act of supporting traditional marriage. No matter your opinion of Proposition 8, we should all agree that it is wrong to intimidate and harass churches, businesses and individuals for participating in the democratic process. We call on our governmental leaders to urge all citizens to respect the rights of everyone to express their views on marriage without fear of reprisal and recrimination.
“ProtectMarriage.com also wants you to know that a strong legal defense of Proposition 8 is being prepared. We anticipated that Prop 8’s passage would result in advocates of same-sex marriage turning to the courts to attempt to overturn the People’s affirmation of traditional marriage as a societal good. We will be announcing our legal strategy next week, but rest assured that we will vigorously defend the People’s will to enshrine traditional marriage in the state Constitution.
“We are extremely grateful to the 5.7 million voters who stood up to support traditional marriage, and to all those who gave generously of their time and resources to protect the institution of marriage. We look forward to continuing to work with you to protect marriage in California and ensure that the People’s vote is respected.”
© 2008 ProtectMarriage.com. All Rights Reserved. ProtectMarriage.com is a project of California Renewal (I.D. #1302592) | Contact Us
6 comments:
"No matter your opinion of Proposition 8, we should all agree that it is wrong to intimidate and harass churches, businesses and individuals for participating in the democratic process. We call on our governmental leaders to urge all citizens to respect the rights of everyone to express their views on marriage without fear of reprisal and recrimination."
Are you kidding me?! You people sent certified letters to major donors to the No Campaign, attempting to extort donations to the forces of bigotry.
Are there no limits to your hypocrisy?
Doc, I think the record is pretty clear on who is hypocritical in this matter.
I agree, Reidbump. The Yes on 8 people attempted to blackmail people into donating money. They hacked the No on 8 website. They exploited children's images against their parents' wishes, and ridiculed the parents' tearful pleas to stop abusing their kids. They put on advertisements that were completely false (in some cases, after their claims were adjudicated as false). They disregarded Pepperdine's request that its name be taken off its hateful, misleading ads. They sent out mailers and robocalls falsely implying that President-Elect Obama supported their cause. All in the name of Jesus.
And that's not even taking into account that the Mormon church has one of the least "traditional" views of marriage in the country. Most marriage ceremonies, including same-sex ones, don't involve sacred undies, secret handshakes, and sealing for "eternity," and most marriage ceremonies don't exclude family members and close friends of the happy couple. And one might think that a church that was driven into the wilderness and persecuted for its disagreement that marriage is only between one man and one woman would be the first to condemn similar persecution against others with different views. As my 11-year-old son put it when I explained Prop 8 in the context of LDS history, "You mean they're doing to other people the same thing that was done to them?"
Yep, you're right -- the record is extremely clear as to who are the hypocrites.
Doc - are you or have you ever been a Mormon?
What difference does that make? My basic point -- that the Yes on 8folks are being complete hyprocrites for criticizing "intimadation" tactics when they threatened and attempted to extort money from supports of equality and religious freedom -- cannot be disputed.
For my own curiosity, indulge me.
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