Here you go, California.... VoteYesMarriage! coming to you soon!

[Bluebear]

PRESS RELEASE

To: National Desk

Contact: Agency Contact, 530-405-4095 x2

SACRAMENTO, May 19 /Christian Wire Service/ -- VoteYesMarriage.com, a California marriage protection coalition, today filed "The Voters' Right to Protect Marriage Initiative" with the state Attorney General's Office as the first step toward placing a constitutional marriage amendment before California voters in 2006.

"We all know that marriage is for a man and a woman, and that having a mother and a father is in a child's best interest," said Randy Thomasson, an organizer of VoteYesMarriage.com and an initiative proponent. "It's high time that we the people override the judges and politicians who've been relentlessly attacking marriage. This vitally-important ballot initiative empowers average Californians to stop the insanity of judges and politicians flushing our precious vote on marriage down the drain."

The attack on marriage isn't just from anti-family mayors like Gavin Newsom of San Francisco. This year alone, out-of-control politicians and judges have attacked marriage at every opportunity:

- San Francisco Judge Richard Kramer ruled that marriage for a man and a woman is "unconstitutional." The judge also struck down the people's vote on Proposition 22, actually claiming that "no rational purpose exists for limiting marriage in this state to opposite-sex partners." The ruling has been stayed while the case is being appealed.

- San Francisco Assemblyman Mark Leno reintroduced his "same-sex marriage license" bill, now named Assembly Bill 19. Coauthored by 30 Democrats, AB 19 proposes to delete the phrase "a man and a woman" from California's marriage laws. The bill has already passed one committee on its way to the Assembly floor.

- A state appeals court ruled in favor of "marriage by another name" to award virtually all the rights of marriage to homosexual "domestic partners." This case is being appealed to the state Supreme Court.

The Voters' Right to Protect Marriage Initiative is the only true-blue constitutional marriage amendment that will be introduced this year. "It protects the essence of marriage for one man and one woman, as it's always been and always should be," said Ed Hernandez, one of the initiative proponents.

From marriage licenses to marriage rights to everything about marriage under law, the Voters' Right to Protect Marriage Initiative provides rock-solid protection for marriage and the voters, who, in March 2000, voted overwhelmingly for Proposition 22 to keep marriage between one man and one woman.

The legal effect of the California Marriage Amendment is as follows:

Marriage Licenses:
Protected for one man and one woman

Marriage Rights:
Protected for one man and one woman

Individual Rights:
Individual rights are unaffected; private agreements are protected, allowing two persons to make medical decisions, own property, establish wills and trusts, and make other arrangements

Private Entities:
Private organizations and businesses allowed to choose their own
policies on marriage benefits

Domestic Partnership Registry:
Domestic partners may continue to register their relationships with the government, but cannot be awarded marriage rights of a husband and wife (Note: Well that's big of them. You can register for future sexual re-education camps but can't receive any benefits of marriage rights.)

Hospital Visitation:
Remains a defined privilege for all Californians

"As we kick off the Voters' Right to Protect Marriage Initiative, we need 10,000 Californians and Americans to donate $100 at VoteYesMarriage.com to protect marriage for one man and one woman in California," said initiative proponent Assemblyman Larry Bowler, a 30-year veteran of law enforcement who served six years as a state legislator. "We're also looking for ten generous persons who will dig deep and contribute $100,000 to this vitally-important and historic campaign. :rofl: VoteYesMarriage.com needs to quickly raise one to two million dollars to gather one million signatures empowering California voters to override the bureaucracy and protect marriage once and for all. For the signature-gathering phase, contributions are tax deductible, so there's no reason for concerned citizens not to do their part right now to protect the sacred institution of marriage in California."

Because the Attorney General may take up to 60 days to prepare title and summary, petitions should be ready for California registered voters to sign and circulate sometime in July.

The text of the Voters' Right to Protect Marriage Initiative will be posted soon at www.voteyesmarriage.com. The VoteYesMarriage.com web site will launch on May 20, 2005

http://www.earnedmedia.org/vym0519.htm