Posted on 11/01/2015 6:03:17 AM PST by NKP_Vet
On Feb. 24, the Citizens Committee for New York City, a civic group founded in 1975 at the apex of the city’s fiscal crisis, honored the legal giants David Boies and Ted Olson. Paul Singer, the CEO of Elliott Management, presented them with the New Yorker for New York Award. Below are Mr. Singer’s remarks.
It is my honor to present tonight’s New Yorker for New York Award to Ted Olson and David Boies. Ted and David are receiving this award for their tireless work on behalf of marriage equality—the right of gay and lesbian couples to participate equally with straight couples in the institution of marriage.
They are two of the top lawyers in the country, a Republican and a Democrat, but on this issue, there is no division between them. They are united for a cause whose time has come. They had a busy year last year. Among the highlights was their successful advocacy at the Supreme Court in the case of Hollingsworth vs. Perry, which cleared the way for marriage equality in California.
But that wasn’t the only highlight: This dynamic duo was also featured in a star-studded play about the Perry case here on Broadway and in Hollywood. David was played by George Clooney, and Ted was played by Martin Sheen, because Brad Pitt wasn’t available. Actually—true story—Brad Pitt played the judge.
Far from resting on their laurels, Ted and David have continued their work in 2014. Just a few weeks ago, they won the first round in the fight for marriage equality in the state of Virginia—a decision that was handed down, appropriately, on Valentine’s Day.
Most of Ted and David’s recent work has been about marriage equality in other states, not New York. Nevertheless, it is right and fitting that the Citizens Committee has chosen to honor them with this year’s New Yorker for New York Award.
The Citizens Committee is all about supporting ideas that strengthen our neighborhoods and our communities, making them better places to live. And the building block of every community is the family.
New Yorkers understand on a fundamental level that marriage equality—securing for gays and lesbians the basic right to have their relationships and families recognized as a part of a community—makes all of our communities stronger.
The writer Jonathan Rauch summed it up this way: “America needs more marriages, not fewer, and the best way to encourage marriage is to encourage marriage, which is what society does by bringing gay couples inside the tent. I believe a generation from now, gay marriage will be seen as a profoundly traditionalizing act. It will have channeled love into the most powerful social institution on Earth: marriage itself.â€
There is a lot of work that still needs to be done, but the wind is at our back, public opinion is increasingly on our side, and the law is opening doors of opportunity that used to be nailed shut. Ted and David’s passionate and eloquent commitment to this cause is a big part of the reason that America is in the midst of a sea change when it comes to gay rights and gay marriage. And it’s a change for the better.
There is no division. That's like trying to say that two men are a bride and groom. In name only...
Can’t be. For decades libs have squawked that all corporations are conservative because they are capitalist.
They can try to pass laws, uplift their sexual deviance, or any other attempts to legitimize what is wrong in nature, and I haven’t in 63 years, nor will I in the time till I’m gone, accept, condone, agree, embrace, nor support such abberations.
My past might emulate a partial checkerboard, but this is something even I, will not accept.
Sad to see Ted Olsen as a leader in this awful anti-Christian mess. It would be hard for me to believe that Barbara would have supported this. I think Ted is just a sellout with zero moral convictions.
If little Marco had any morality whatsover he would refuse a penny from this leftist queer lover/open borders advocate. But since money talks you won’t hear one beep from him over this creep’s support of homo “marriage”. I hope and pray that one of the other candidates will bring this garbage up at the next debate. They need to look straight at Rubio and say “why did you just accept millions of dollars from one of the biggest open borders advocates and homosexual “marriage” advocates in the United States”. Guarantee you not a one of them will mention Singer’s money that went toward queer “marriage”. They’re all scared of being labeled homophones. All cowards.
“They are two of the top lawyers in the country, a Republican and a Democrat, but on this issue, there is no division between them.”
Because they can both see the gold mine in gay divorce.
You can see it now, the push is on by the establishment for Marco. Fat boy Luntz was drooling all over his words this AM on Fox.
Barbara Olsen was Ted Olsen’s THIRD wife ... so even a charitable view of him would suggest that his understanding of marriage is distorted to say the least.
Was at an eatery and they had cards for purchase among other things....saw the Mr. & Mr. “Wedding” card for 2nd time in past few months....eewwwhhh
Lovely. We have GOP candidates funded by creeps who promote open-borders and faggot-marriage, two major factors which have contributed to turning this once-great country into the current vomitous cesspool it has become.
Any wonder why I’ve lost all faith, confidence or respect in the GOP as a whole. The leadership and donor-class appear about poisonous to the nation as a battalion of Ted Kennedy’s.
All things fad in and then become old hat. While gay marriage is the breathless frontier today, its glories will soon be found both mundane and flawed.
Birds of a feather....This should eliminate Rubio from consideration by Christian voters.
Is this the 9/11 Olson?
But they aren't families, never were and never will be. They are tacked-on, ersatz, groups of disparate individuals posing as families. The desperation to call them families leads to the kind of sing-song, if-we-shout-loud-enough-they-won't-notice-the-reality propaganda exemplified here.
Similarly, being 'recognized' isn't a right and never will be. A right is exercised by one individual. Reactions and recognition are not, in theory or practice, rights.
Any time the word 'community' is beat to death, substitute the word 'commune' and you get a much clearer picture of what is intended and implied.
As always, PC is a War On Noticing Things.
With gay partnerships much more subject to infidelity, separation, emotional distress, etc. it's difficult, if not impossible, for such tenuous bonds (even if they are unilaterally declared marriages) to strengthen any community, especially when those communities were doing just fine before the militant gays subverted that same community's Constitutional, democratic process.
A Citizen's Committee sounds like a star chamber or a politburo. They hold no elective office and their opinion is merely that.
I’ve said many times it will be the Pet Rock of the 21st century.
METAPHOR OVERLOAD!
There’s no stopping the nuts now. Once you contaminate and expand the definition of marriage, there is no reason to be less than accommodating to other, even more outrageous expansions.
Yes its the 9/11 Olson. One and the same or should I say, shame.
“gay” and marriage are a contradiction of terms. Marriage is
a sacred union between a man and a woman! There is nothing in the Constitution about marriage, It is a state matter.
The Supreme Court created something that doesn’t exist.
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