Marriage amendment serves the greater good

Editorial: Oct 30, 2007- Tallahassee Democrat Marriage amendment serves the greater good My View: By John Stemberger (A response to the Tallahassee Democrat Editorial Opinion, Sept. 30). The Tallahassee Democrat published an editorial against the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment, which would define marriage as the union of one man and one woman on the ballot in 2008. The reasons for the Democrat’s opposition were varied but included arguments that the amendment was “discriminatory” and the especially wild claim that “it could have particularly adverse effects on seniors.” Let me set the record straight. Current marriage laws do not arbitrarily discriminate against homosexuals. Thirteen years ago, I applied for a marriage license in Leon County. They did not ask me if I had a same-sex attraction, if I ever had a homosexual experience, or whether I identified myself as “gay.” They did ask me if I was over the age of 18, marrying someone over 18, marrying my sister or my cousin, or already married. They also wanted to know if I was marrying someone of the opposite sex. If I failed to meet any one of these legal requirements, then I could not have obtained the license. The reality is that all of us have limitations on whom we can marry. Most of us react negatively to any claim of discrimination. But every law discriminates in the sense that it sets forth distinctions and creates limitations for human behavior. The real question is whether those limitations are arbitrary and capricious – or whether they serve a greater purpose to benefit the common good. Consider how differently government treats homeowners versus home renters. Owners get tax breaks, incentives, protections and other goodies that renters do not. Is it because we think homeowners are greater in value, worth or dignity under the Constitution? No. It is because homeowners benefit society in unique and important ways that renters may not. Homeowners typically stimulate the economy; they take care of properties, and they create greater stability for communities. It’s the same with natural marriage. If the only two criteria for marriage are love and commitment, then where do we draw the line? Should society allow every person – or groups of persons – to marry irrespective of age, current marital status, closeness of familial relations, or what expression of sexuality they prefer? Of course not. The institution of natural marriage is not like a buffet where you can pick and choose whatever you like best. Without explanation or analysis, the Democrat argues that the marriage amendment could prohibit people from getting benefits and will adversely affect senior citizens. The language of the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment closely follows the existing state marriage law and will have the same legal effect. The amendment defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman – and then bans polygamy, group marriages and same-sex marriages. The language does not prohibit any of the existing domestic partnerships in Florida. These partnerships grant only a small bundle of rights such as hospital visitation and burial rights – all of which incidentally can be obtained through private contract and simple estate-planning documents. Florida domestic partnerships are clearly not “treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent” and they are therefore permitted under both the current law and the proposed amendment. In fact, Florida courts have already made this clear. The amendment does not interfere with same-sex benefits granted by private or public entities for the same reasons. Gay men and women are citizens of the United States of America. They pay taxes, serve in the military and contribute to our society. They should be afforded the full dignity, respect and protection given to all other citizens. However, they should not be granted special rights to fundamentally redefine this basic human institution and then force that definition upon the rest of society through unelected, activist judges. John Stemberger is an Orlando attorney and president of the Florida Family Policy Council He is also state chairman of Florida4Marriage.org, the official sponsoring committee for the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment. IMPORTANT NOTE: We are 90 days out from the final legal deadline of Feb 1, 2007 to submit all petitions. We are still some 13,000 short according to the official count in Tallahassee. Yesterday in Fort Lauderdale, we spoke with a wonderful supporter of ours who said she has a box of about 1,000 petitions at her house that have still never been turned in! Please send in any in your possession ASAP. Lets do all that we can to finish the job. Ask your pastor to do one final collection at church. We will need to collect many, many more over the actual goal needed of 611,009 in order to make sure we hit the mark safely and avoid a legal challenge. The official Petitions in PDF format can be downloaded from our website at www.Florida4Marriage.org Thanks for all you do for this historical effort to preserve marriage for children and the next generation. PLEASE ALSO HELP US BY FORWARDING THIS EMAIL TO ALL YOUR FAMILY AND FRENDS!

Florida Family Action is a new cultural action organization that is completely separate from the Florida Family Policy Council, legally. It has been created by separating out of Florida Family Policy Council those activities which constitute lobbying under the IRS code so that they can be expanded in scope. It will provide a platform for informing, inspiring and rallying those who care deeply about the family to greater involvement in the moral, cultural and political issues that threaten our state. Florida Family Action will give our team much greater freedom to take our views to the public square, where the great debate over culture, rights, freedom and values is taking place, and allow us to ask people to take specific actions such as calling senators and congressmen to pass important, family-friendly legislation. The bottom line is we can be more effective in fighting for the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment and against judicial tyranny among other issues with this new lobbying organization.

Cool!

Todd Friel Holds Joel Osteen to the Bible (1of2)

This is a Way of the Master Radio clip where Todd Friel goes through the recent TV interview with Joel Osteen to see if his answers hold up to Biblical authority.

http://www.wayofthemasterradio.com

Todd Friel Holds Joel Osteen to the Bible (2of2)

This is a Way of the Master Radio clip where Todd Friel goes through the recent TV interview with Joel Osteen to see if his answers hold up to Biblical authority.

http://www.wayofthemasterradio.com

Give Me A Break – Global Warming

ABC 20/20 John Stossel’s Give Me A Break on Global Warming

CAIR hits a new low of defamation

Over at Robert Spencer’s site Jihad Watch, Robert Spencer has blogged that CAIR has hit a new low (not surprising to me).

Robert states that,

The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) has never cared much for the truth when speaking about me. The organization’s spokesman, Ibrahim Hooper, has defamed me on national television, and the organization’s website even featured a link, for a time, to a tissue of lies penned by a pathetic convicted felon.

But now CAIR has reached a new low, in a press release entitled, “‘Islamo-Fascism’ Week Speaker Meets With European ‘Neo-Nazis.’”

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) revealed today that the main speaker for an upcoming series of “Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week” lectures at university campuses nationwide recently offered a keynote address at a European gathering that included representatives of racist or “neo-Nazi” political parties.

You can read the rest here.

Health Care

A Japanese doctor says, “Medicine in my country is so advanced that we can take a kidney out of one man, put it in another, and have him out looking for work in six weeks.”

“That is nothing,” a German doctor says. “We can take a lung out of one person, put it in another, and have him out looking for work in four weeks.”

“In my country,” says the British doctor, “medicine is so advanced that we can take half a heart out of one person, put it in another, and have both of them out looking for work in two weeks.”

The American doctor, not to be outdone, interjected:
“You guys are way behind. We are about to take a woman with no brains, put her in the White House, and then half the country will be out looking for work.”

Move America Forward (An email I received today)

News is spreading across the nation about what happened in Berkeley, California yesterday – when hundreds upon hundreds of patriotic Americans jammed the streets of Berkeley to denounce the anti-military protests of the Marxist group, Code Pink. Code Pink, the same group that traveled to Iraq and gave $600,000 to the families of terrorist insurgents who kill U.S. troops, had defaced and vandalized the U.S. Marine Recruiting Center in Berkeley. They called our troops “traitors” but it is not our troops who are traitors – it is Code Pink. Above: Code Pink Co-Founder Medea Benjamin (on the left) is confronted by Move America Forward Chairman, Melanie Morgan, holding the “Code Pink are the REAL TRAITORS” shirt. Yesterday we unveiled a new Move America Forward t-shirt, sweatshirt and hooded sweatshirt with the message: ” Code Pink are the REAL TRAITORS” and now we are excited to announce that you can get those shirts online. Get your “Code Pink are the REAL TRAITORS” shirts – HERE. Above: The “Code Pink are the REAL TRAITORS” shirts on the left, and on the right is Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin being arrested at an anti-war rally.

Interesting

Over at REDSTATE I read that all of the Democratic presidential hopefuls were invited to speak at the FRC Action Washington Briefing on October 19 – 21, 2007, but all of them declined.

I think the reason is that these Democrats fear answering to people with real American Values. They fear that their true “Liberal” selves will be exposed, and as we all know Liberalism is destroying our great country!

Jackie Mason Vlog 62 Fred Thompson

Any Nation that cannot secure its borders will not remain a sovereign nation.

“Any Nation that cannot secure its borders will not remain a sovereign nation.”
- Fred Thompson

No truer words have been spoken!

Watch Fred’s video reply here to the question that was asked if we will ever finish the wall on the Southern Border.

Rush Limbaugh is the Man!

Okay, I’m Crying!

The Difference between RIGHT and wrong (left)!