Thursday, June 19, 2014
To: Friends & Supporters
From: Gary L. Bauer
March For Marriage
Today Americans who support traditional marriage gathered in Washington, D.C., for the second annual March for Marriage. I am proud to say that American Values co-sponsored today’s march.
The men and women who came from all over the country today stood for the values of faith, family and freedom in spite of a coordinated effort in the media and the popular culture to demoralize everyone who believes marriage is between a man and a woman. Polling on this issue is being used as propaganda. Don’t buy the left’s spin.
Here’s something that may surprise you. Homosexual rights groups have abandoned plans to put same-sex marriage on the ballot in Ohio this year. After going through the signature collection process to repeal Ohio’s marriage protection amendment, which passed in 2004 with 62%, they decided that they don’t want the people to vote after all.
How could that be? The reason is clear: they are not at all confident they could win. As my friend Phil Burress of Ohio’s Citizens for Community Values said, “I don’t see where 10 years has changed anything. But if they do [put it on the ballot], we’ll beat them again.”
While many reporters breathlessly note the sea change of public opinion on this issue, the biggest thing that has changed is that unelected judges are forcing the left’s morality on the rest of society.
It used to be a hallmark of conservatism to forcefully criticize judicial activism — unelected judges forcing radical change on the country. Now there is barely a peep from many Republican leaders whenever a voter-approved marriage amendment is struck down. Regardless of whether they support the radical redefinition of marriage, I thought Republicans at least respected the will of the people and the proper, limited role of the judiciary.
Some consultants argue that Republicans should stop defending normal marriage because young people support same-sex marriage. I would be careful about arguing that just because young people are more liberal, the whole party should adapt to their whims. For one thing, people change — especially as they mature, get jobs and start having families of their own.
Here’s an idea: Why don’t conservatives devote more time to making the case for conservative values to young people, rather than allowing them to dictate the values conservatives should believe in?
Priorities?
Tuesday night, President Obama spoke at a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender gala in Manhattan and bragged about how much he has done to advance the radical homosexual public policy agenda.
Today, while supporters of traditional marriage were marching on the National Mall, homosexual rights activists were in the White House meeting with administration officials discussing President Obama’s latest executive order pushing special rights for sexual orientation and gender identity among federal contractors. Media reports indicate that they are “warning the president not to undermine [the order] by exempting religious groups.” That’s right — they want to force churches and religious charities to hire those engaged in activities contrary to the teachings of their faith.
Think about that for a moment. Iraq is burning. Food prices are skyrocketing, further squeezing family budgets. There is a humanitarian crisis caused in part by administration policies on the U.S. border. And this president is spending his time servicing a small minority group and its extreme policy agenda.
Silencing Faith
I and other pro-family leaders have warned for years that the radical movement to redefine marriage and family isn’t about tolerance. It won’t end in “live and let live.” It is about power and silencing those who disagree with the left’s agenda.
One of the main speakers at today’s March for Marriage was San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone. Nancy Pelosi and several other high-ranking California politicians urged the archbishop not to speak at the march, which Pelosi denounced as “venom masquerading as virtue.” The archbishop responded that it was his duty “to proclaim the truth.”
We’ve already seen the “tyrants of tolerance” force out business leaders and sue bakers. Now, liberal politicians are bold enough to demand that a leader of the Catholic Church not defend marriage in the public square. How much longer before they demand that pastors stop defending marriage in their pulpits?
Lerner’s Hard Drive Destroyed
When news broke last week that the IRS couldn’t provide all of Lois Lerner’s emails because her computer had crashed, Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, issued a subpoena for the hard drive itself.
Last night members of Congress were informed that the hard drive had been recycled or thrown away. Chairman Issa responded, “ the e-mails of a prominent official, don’t just disappear without a trace unless that was the intention.”
Perry To The Rescue
Frustrated with our current de facto open borders policy and the crisis it has created along the Texas border, Governor Rick Perry is ordering a surge of state law enforcement officers to the border. “Texas can’t afford to wait for Washington to act on this crisis and we will not sit idly by while the safety and security of our citizens are threatened,” Gov. Perry said.
Good for him. Unfortunately, I expect Attorney General Eric Holder will announce a federal lawsuit to block Perry’s action any day now. Meanwhile, Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ) introduced legislation this week calling for the deployment of 10,000 National Guard troops to the southern border.
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