Posted on 09/22/2005 6:38:02 AM PDT by davidosborne
FLORIDA4MARRIAGE.ORG FILES OPENING BRIEF WITH FLORIDA SUPREME COURT AND LAUNCHES MARRIAGE PROTECTION SUNDAY.
ACLU RESPONDS WITH DESPERATE Rhetoric, AND A Frivolous LAWSUIT
(Tallahassee, FL) On Wednesday, September 21, 2005 Attorney Mat Staver, lead counsel for Florida4Marriage.org filed the Opening Brief in the Florida Supreme Court defending the language of the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment. State Chairman of Florida4Marriage.org John Stemberger said, Mats legal brief is simply an outstanding piece of advocacy and irrefutably demonstrates that our language is clear, proper and meets the single subject requirement.
Stemberger also said After reviewing the opposing brief it seems as if the ACLU has not even read the language of the amendment, because it is clearly about one thing and one thing alone- and that is natural marriage. Their arguments seem desperate, emotional, and simply stretching bounds of credibility."
Staver, who is also President of Liberty Counsel is the primary author of both Floridas current marriage statute and the language of the amendment itself stated, The Florida Marriage Protection Amendment has one objective the protection and preservation of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Same-sex marriage advocates know that a majority of Floridians support traditional marriage so they have resorted to raising unfounded scare tactics. This amendment will not strip unmarried persons of basic rights or benefits. This Amendment protects marriage by prohibiting polygamy and same sex marriage. The Marriage Protection Amendment enshrines in our state constitution what has been true since Florida was a territory marriage is between one man and one woman.
The same time their filed their legal brief, friends of the ACLU also filed a frivolous law suit attempting to block the proposed Florida Marriage Amendment claiming that it interferes with the rights of same sex couples which in turn somehow violates the Florida Constitution.
Finally, this weekend thousands of churches across the state will begin to participate in "Marriage Protection Sunday" starting September 25, 2005 and continuing throughout October. Pastors and ministers all over Florida will preach on some aspect of traditional Marriage or make announcements and bring their members attention to the petition drives being held in their churches. For more information on how to participate in marriage protection Sunday click HERE.
* The legal brief filed by Florida4Marriage.org can be found HERE:
* The legal brief filed by our opponent the ACLU can be found HERE:
* Information on Marriage Protection Sunday or the Pastors Resource Kit click HERE:
* If you just simply want to download print out and sign the Marriage petition click HERE:
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I think a bill needs to be signed to outlaw marriage. It causes too many problems. Just my opinion and flame away.
No flame.. Just dicussion... I think the States need to grab this issue so that we can get this settled is the U.S. Constitution..
I somewhat agree with you.. I think the government should get out of the marriage business.. I do not need the government to validate my relationship with my wife.
I guess some gay relationships are so lacking they feel they need this.. But it's also tacit acknowledgement of government control over what is entirely a personal thing.. I think that's why the socialists are on the bandwagon...
If only it were an entirely personal thing - marriage is tied to a whole bevy of unconstitutional carrots and sticks. Same-sex couples want the carrots.
Don't they want the stick too. LOL
You're correct... and untangling all that mess is they really should be doing...
But WHERE do they want the carrots????
In their bank accounts, where else?
ACLU PING!
It appears that we have fallen a little short of the petitions required for the 2006 ballot. However, we must press on towards 2008... some interesting facts as posted on the website.
Florida Marriage
Amendment
02/09/05
Money Collected : $193,758.40
Money Spent: $189,432.77
Petitions obtained 455,730
IN COMPARRISON ........
Tobacco Education
07/20/05
Money Collected: $2,070,553.46
Money Spent: $2,017,724.10
Petitions Obtained 645,620
“We are still collecting petitions and need another 155,000 to make the goal of 611,009 petitions to put this amendment on the ballot.”
TO DOWNLOAD PETITION FORMS CLICK HERE:
FLORIDA4MARRIAGE.ORG MOVES FORWARD TO 2008 BALLOT:
FLORIDA SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW LANGUAGE NEXT WEEK
(ORLANDO, FL) On Wednesday evening February 1, 2006, at 6:55 PM EST, the Florida Division of Elections website reported that Florida4Marriage.org, the official sponsor of the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment reported 456,336 verified petitions. February 1, 2006, is the legal deadline created by the Florida Legislature in 2004. This is approximately 155,000 petitions short of the 611,009 valid petitions needed to put this measure on the ballot. In response to this, Florida4Marriage.org has released the following statement in light of the current status of the petition effort:
Almost one year ago, Florida4Marriage.org undertook the challenge of conducting the single largest volunteer-run citizen's initiative ever undertaken in Florida's history. No state, including California and Texas, requires as many signatures to gather as does Florida to amend its state constitution. A volunteer run state petition effort of this magnitude has never been done before in the United States. The two other proposed amendments that have reached the 611,009 number have used paid petition gatherers and spent millions of dollars to collect the number of signatures required by law. In the last election cycle before 2004, the number of petitions required for a Florida initiative was 488,722.
Under Florida law, the signatures gathered for the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment remain valid through 2008. It is the plan of the Florida Coalition to Protect Marriage to continue this effort with the goal of putting this amendment on the ballot in November of 2008. The leaders of the major organizations supporting this amendment will not encourage, pursue or support a legislative bill to put a similar amendment on the ballot in 2006.
John Stemberger, State Chairman of Florida4Marriage.org stated "The people started this amendment and the people will finish it. If there was ever a need for direct democracy-- this is it. We would ask the hundreds of thousands of leaders, pastors and supporters of Florida4Marriage.org to continue their support for this petition effort into 2008 as a non-partisan, non-political approach to preserving natural marriage in Florida."
The Florida Supreme Court has scheduled oral argument to review this proposed amendment on Wednesday February 8, 2006, at 9:00AM EST third of three cases on the docket. The almost half million citizens who signed the Florida4Marriage.org petition look forward with great interest to the long awaited review of the language of this proposed amendment for the "single subject"requirement by Florida high court.
NAME OF AMENDMENT
DATE
STARTED
MONEY
COLLECTED
MONEY
SPENT
NUMBER OF
PETITIONS
COLLETED
Apportion Districts
03/23/05
$2,838,199.13
$2,732,081.26
653,425
Redistricting
03/23/05
$2,838,199.13
$2,732,081.26
406,844
Tobacco Education
07/20/05
$2,070,553.46
$2,017,724.10
645,620
Florida Marriage
Amendment
02/09/05
$193,758.40
$189,432.77
455,730
For More Information Contact
John Stemberger at 407-251-1957
pd. pol.adv. Florida4Marriage.org
BTTT
If you expect the state to enforce your property rights, then the state has an interest in marriage.
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