Posted on 11/02/2006 2:32:26 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
Ask the typical college student in Wisconsin who is running for governor, and you may get a blank stare. Ask about the marriage amendment, and the response is sure to be animated.
Rich Orton, a senior who moderated a debate at Marquette University on Monday between speakers for and against the amendment, acknowledged in his opening remarks that the measure, on the ballot in Tuesday's election, has students riled up.
"I know," he told the nearly 400 students in attendance, "that people here hold very strong opinions."
The amendment would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman and prevent the state from recognizing "a legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals."
Many young Wisconsin voters say the issue has engaged them more than any political race this year.
Opponents mobilized by Fair Wisconsin, the leading group against the amendment, have been active at college campuses across the state, donning T-shirts that say "Vote No," plastering student unions with fliers and scribbling their message in chalk on sidewalks.
"They've been good at getting the word out," acknowledged Marquette junior Sarah Kirby, a supporter of the amendment.
Darryn Beckstrom, a political science graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and campus coordinator for the Family Research Institute of Wisconsin, has been working largely at private colleges to mobilize students who favor the amendment.
Long-range effect
Beckstrom said young voters understand the permanence of the amendment and that supporters want to preserve the traditional meaning of marriage.
"Governors come and go, but this amendment is going to be here to stay if it passes," she said.
Unlike with races for political office, young voters say, it is easy to form an opinion about the marriage amendment.
"You don't have to follow candidates to know where you stand," said Becky Manz, a Marquette sophomore who opposes the amendment.
Having grown up in an age where gay, lesbian and bisexual alliances were commonplace in high schools, others question why some policy-makers are focused on same-sex marriage instead of what they see as more pressing issues - such as the war in Iraq or health care. They think it is unfair to deny same-sex couples the right to marry.
"Everyone has the right to be happy," Manz said.
Party leaders said the youth vote in Wisconsin is an important segment to capture, because turnout rate among young voters is among the highest in the nation. In the 2004 presidential election, 63% of eligible voters between ages 18 and 24 in Wisconsin cast ballots.
While voter turnout across the board normally dips during midterm elections, get-out-the-vote activists on college campuses say the marriage amendment has the potential to propel young voters to the polls. Young Voter Strategies in Washington, D.C., reports that nearly 10,000 new young voters registered in Wisconsin this year, and same-day registration could drive that number higher.
'Big issue'
"It's a big issue for students," Jacob Warren said of the marriage amendment. He's a UW-Milwaukee senior who has been registering students to vote.
Rick Wiley, executive director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, isn't convinced the amendment is any more important to young voters than other issues, such as tuition increases and job creation.
Opponents of the marriage amendment describe it as the civil rights issue of their generation, and the crowd against the amendment has been especially active at UW-Madison.
"When you have a base of support from people who view the issue in that way, it's the heart and soul of the campaign," said Andy Gordon, campus organizer for Fair Wisconsin at UW-Madison, where he is a junior.
A kickoff meeting in September of a campus chapter of Fair Wisconsin attracted more than 350 people. A group on the popular social networking site Facebook called "A Fair Wisconsin Votes No!" boasts more than 11,500 members. And teams of students gather at 6:15 a.m. a few days a week to drop 6,000 pieces of literature in the biggest lecture halls on campus.
Beckstrom acknowledged that UW-Madison has been a stronghold for Fair Wisconsin but said students at private colleges, some with religious affiliations, are more likely to favor the amendment.
Voter registration and educational efforts have been targeted mostly to those campuses, she said. Nonetheless, her group also has helped organize speakers for debates at campuses across the state and put together a recent discussion at the UW-Madison's St. Paul University Catholic Center about the Catholic Church's position in favor of the amendment.
Internet interest
A Web group on Facebook.com in favor of the amendment - I Got a problem with Same Sex Marriage. Vote Yes! - has attracted more than 600 members. Among them is Brady Hundt, a UWM sophomore, who said: "I think gay marriage is just wrong."
Marquette sophomore Nathan Cinefro gave up Bible study to attend Monday night's debate and left convinced that the institution of marriage would be in jeopardy should the amendment fail. He said he feels so strongly about it that he plans to vote in Wisconsin rather than his home state of Illinois.
"This is an issue I care about," Cinefro said.
Theo Braden, a Marquette junior, said he is heading to the polls because he thinks it would be immoral to deny gay couples the right to marry.
"I could care less about the governor's race, but I have a strong stand on this," Braden said.
Jeepers; and I thought having a very left wing step-sister was tough to deal with. Your gay and 200# overweight sister make my problem sis seem trivial. I assume she is a leftie also.
Bless you, dealing with all that.
Then why are you going to a Catholic university?
Which is the gaystapo's stated goal: recruit for their cause from the young in society, whom they cannot beget themselves.
I believe, though, that once kids get away from the leftist school environment, they think better of what they've been told. Most reestablish themselves in the rational belief in natural affinities. I was once of a nonconformist mindset myself, more out of rebellion against the "system", but that all now looks silly to me in hindsight.
"OVERHAULING OF STRAIGHT AMERICA"
http://www.parentsrightsusa.com/Overhauling%20of%20Straight%20America.htm
BRAINWASHING 101 [THE PRO-GAY AGENDA] HAS BEEN EFFECTIVE IN OUR SCHOOLS AND THUS A WHOLE GENERATION HAS BEEN LED TO BELIEVE WE MUST ACCEPT THAT SAME SEX ATTRACTION BEHAVIOR IS AS NORMAL AS HETEROSEXUAL...SAD INDEED!
Hey, Diana. How are the winds blowing concerning the amendment in WI lately? Do you have any different feelings than a few months ago (closer, razor thin margin, doubtful?) Homogroups calling Wisconsin a possible victory, but I'm sure that's spin.
bookmark
There is a bill in the Massachusetts legislature that would force the homosexual agenda on all students.
For more information, google H1641 S102
And 100 lbs. of THAT is in unshaven body hair alone. *Ba-Dump-Dump*
Thank You! I'll be here all week. Try the buffet! ;)
"Homogroups calling Wisconsin a possible victory, but I'm sure that's spin."
The more they yap, the more I'm convinced that they're in their death throes. The pro-amendment crowd has been VERY civil about the whole thing, and continually states time and again that they want to protect the sanctity of marriage, not deny gays any rights.
However, there was a BIG dust-up today. The "homophobic" name calling started today by the head guy that is pro-gay and it will continue until Tuesday. (He's 'Pulling a Kerry,' claiming that his comments were just misunderstood. Yeah, right...)
Since anyone that wants to vote to protect traditional marriage has been painted into a corner and called every un-PC name in the book, I'm sure the phone polls are totally skewed. We Wisconsinites keep our card hands close to our vests and if someone called me on the phone to ask me how I'd vote, I'd tell them what they wanted to hear and then vote my faith and conscience.
I really hate like h#ll to mess with our State Constitution. I'm a tad Libertarian (without all the pot smoking and drunk driving arrests, LOL!) If the demanding, shrill, girly-man freaks hadn't of backed ANY of our States into a corner, this wouldn't be happening. I cannot belive New Jersey caved! But I don't blame the citizens; I blame Judges With An Agenda.
I believe that if you want to get "married" do it in your Church in the eyes and love of God. If you want to form a "civil union" of some sort, go see a lawyer. I see a clear difference where others sometimes don't. I'm not too crazy that the state demands I pay them a stipend to "recognize" my marriage in the form of a license, to tell you the truth.
And then that tax "benefit" of being married? Well, I can't tell you how much I've gained from THAT through the years, being married to a man who has an innate FEAR of money; if he has some, he needs to rid himself of it pronto, LOL!
Lots to weight and think about between now and Tuesday. I may surprise myself on this one, actually. *SHRUG*
The Vote no people are very pushy here. They are also controlled by the College Democrats.
Read tomorrow/pingout.
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