The Christian Civic League of Maine's Mike Hein calls Pam's House Blend: "a leading source of radical homosexual propaganda, anti-Christian bigotry, and radical transgender advocacy."
He is "praying that Pam Spaulding will "turn away from her wicked and sinful promotion of homosexual behavior."
(CCLM's web site, 10/15/07)
Ex-gay "Christian" activist James Hartline on Pam:
"I have been mocked over and over again by ungodly and unprincipled anti-christian lesbians."
(from "Six Years In Sodom: From The Journal Of James Hartline," 9/4/2006, written from the "homosexual stronghold" of Hillcrest in San Diego).
"Pam is a 'twisted lesbian sister' and an 'embittered lesbian' of the 'self-imposed gutteral experiences of the gay ghetto.'" -- 9/5/2008
Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth Against Homosexuality heartily endorses the Blend, calling Pam:
A "vicious anti-Christian lesbian activist." (Concerned Women for America's radio show [9:15], 1/25/07)
"A nutty lesbian blogger." (MassResistance radio show [16:25], 2/3/07)
Pam's House Blend always seems to find these sick f*cks. The area of the country she is in? The home state of her wife? I know, they are everywhere. Pam just does such a great job of bringing them out into the light.
--Impeach Bush
who monitors yours Bevis ?? Just thought I would drop you a line,so the rest of your life is not wasted.
State Rep. Norm Johnson (R-14th) was one of the 93 (of 147) Washington state legislators who voted last Spring for the 2009 domestic partnership expansion law (SB 5688). SB 5688 made Washington state registered domestic partnerships parallel with civil marriage, and was ratified by over 53% of voters on November 3rd via Referendum 71.
Johnson's vote was a most basic expression of family values; he has two gay sons and has personal relationships with gay people in his district. "I feel I voted the right way, because to me it was pure and simple a vote of equality." Similarly, Senator Curtis King (R-14th) stated that his support for full domestic partnerships stems from his appreciation of gay couples in his district.
Johnson's vote for SB 5688 has drawn the ire of local business owner Michele Strobel. Addressing the crowd at the One Nation Under God Tea Party* in Yakima last month, Strobel said "I really believe that I am called. And I am seriously considering running for office...This isn't the country I knew when I was young. This isn't the country my grandparents fought for." Johnson is up for re-election in November, 2010.
Strobel's company website quotes her as saying, "Being the person, who likes to give and do things I thought, you know what? I have a huge opportunity to use the talents and gifts I have to help others."
Although over 53% of voters statewide approved R-71, Yakima County voted to reject it 65% to 35%. The vote result for Johnson's district has yet to be released, but it seems likely that Strobel is largely in sync with the district's majority on this issue. The question is, would voters support her candidacy based on her opinion on that issue alone? According to the actions of the state Republican party and the statements of local Republican office holders themselves, the answer is "unlikely".
IN RECOGNITION OF THE APPROVAL OF REFERENDUM 71 GRANTING EQUAL RIGHTS TO DOMESTIC PARTNERS
Whereas, civil rights and liberties have long been values of the City of Seattle; and
Whereas, the Seattle City Council recognized the importance of extended domestic partnership laws by endorsing the Approve Referendum 71 Campaign; and
Whereas, equality for all Seattle families has a lasting, powerful effect on the city; and
Whereas, the LGBT community is an important and integral part of what makes the City of Seattle a vibrant place to live, work, and play; and
Whereas, the historic vote to approve Referendum 71 sends a message to the rest of the country that the rights and responsibilities afforded to heterosexual married couples are now available to same-sex domestic partners registered with Washington State, and provides important protections to all Washington families; and
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED THAT THE SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL DECLARES NOVEMBER 14, 2009 TO BE VICTORY, REFERENDUM 71 APPROVED DAY IN THE CITY OF SEATTLE.
***
Approve 71 Thank You Rally Saturday, November 14, from 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM, at Westlake Center Park in Seattle. Details after the flip.
Last week The News Tribune (Tacoma, WA) published a scathing criticism of the anti-domestic-partnership referendum effort known as "Reject R-71". The editorial was built around phrases like "...R-71 opponents' failure to mount anything resembling a viable campaign..." So far the accused, Larry Stickney of Protect Marriage Washington and Gary Randall of the Oregon-based Faith and Freedom Network, have neglected to step forward and take their lumps or refute the charges. Instead, their radical-right colleague Joseph Fuiten has piled on via an e-mail blast, web post and an opinion piece in The News Tribune. "Pastor Joe Fuiten on Referendum 71: Told ya so" is how Janet Tu at The Seattle Times characterized Fuiten's message.
Fuiten is the founder of the Faith and Freedom Network and hired Randall to run it in 2005. Fuiten is also on the board of Family Policy Institute of Washington, the largest single donor to the Reject R-71 campaign and one of Larry Stickney's recent employers. In other words, he's no piddly outsider. Back in May, Fuiten made a splash by splitting from his radical-right colleagues and actively trying to discourage the anti-domestic partnership referendum campaign, saying:
My belief is that it would be a mistake to run a referendum. I know that some will say that I just lack faith. It might be. I don't have any interest in being another General Custer. I also know that when Israel decided to enter the Promised Land without God's blessing they were soundly defeated.If I felt that God was telling us to go ahead, I would do it in a heartbeat. I don't feel the Lord has said not to, but I cannot get any peace about making this effort. ...I would be very disappointed to be dragged into an effort that is unlikely to succeed and very likely to ultimately be counterproductive.
Very disappointed indeed, it would now appear. This early and very public refusal by Fuiten and other radical-right conservatives to involve themselves with the referendum sparked the ongoing public feud between Fuiten, Randall and Ken Hutcherson. By July, Randall had put on his best passive-aggressive and came back hissing
I don't think people understand why he's trying to undermine the whole effort. Some people have said it's because he's not leading the charge. I wouldn't say that, but that has been said.
Soon after Ken Hutcherson, who actually expressed Fuiten-style doubt back in March about the wisdom of running a referendum, took this swipe at Fuiten in, of all things, his "Prayer Warrior" e-mail series:
Thank you for praying for Washington state! Enough signatures have been gathered to try and repeal SB5688 (Everything but Marriage). God proved He doesn't need certain shepherds from certain churches to get His will done!
Randall continued to snipe at Fuiten throughout the campaign. A few examples here, here, here, here, here and here. This looks to be quite the grudge match.
Although Fuiten opposed the referendum, he belatedly endorsed and supported it. A look at his schizophrenic relationship with R-71 and the sometimes apt, sometimes hypocritical accusations he now hurls at his brothers, after the flip.
With God's help and your support, this battle can be won. -- Gary Randall, February 23, 2009
With few votes left to count and Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed reporting an ever-increasing approval percentage for Referendum 71 (currently 53.1% to 46.9%), it is clear that the Washington electorate has APPROVED Referendum 71. Washington is the first state in the nation to approve full domestic partnerships at the ballot box. Starting December 3, 2009, when the law challenged by the referendum goes into effect, Washington will have domestic partnerships fully parallel to civil marriage in state law. Over 6,300 pairs of Washington State Registered Domestic Partners can begin to enjoy virtually all of the state-level rights, responsibilities and obligations that married couples do.
From the beginning, the radical-right evangelicals behind Washington state's Referendum 71, have had the shared delusion that God takes sides, and favors them. Oregonian Gary Randall said on July 1, 2009: (emphasis mine)
With your hard work and God's blessing, I believe we will succeed.
On Wednesday, July 22, 2009 as Randall and Stickney embarked on their campaign to hobble families:
Please join in prayer today that God will bless the effort and give us the needed signatures to put this issue on the ballot.
Upon subsequently obtaining a sufficient number of raw signatures to submit the Referendum 71 petitions to the Secretary of State, Randall jumped to this arrogant conclusion on Tuesday, July 28, 2009:
We are grateful to all of you who worked so hard and to God for His help.
And finally, on November 6, 2009 when it was clear that R-71 would be approved, Randall deployed God in the pursuit of his new anti-gay project:
I believe God has called me to this and I believe He will guide us and provide the necessary funding. Please consider a tax deductible donation to Faith and Freedom Foundation. Thank you and God bless you.
Randall was joined by Mr. "God will get all the glory!" Ken Hutcherson, who undeservedly (and painfully prematurely) wrapped himself in the cloak of God's favor, saying on Monday, July 27, 2009:
Thank you for praying for Washington state! Enough signatures have been gathered to try and repeal SB5688 (Everything but Marriage).
God proved He doesn't need certain shepherds from certain churches to get His will done!
Larry Stickney, Gary Randall's Washington operative, apparently also believes that God was a deciding factor in the referendum effort:
And indeed, Stickney literally exhorted his followers to "pray in a victory" after early returns showed that R-71 was heading towards approval.
As you may know, we have seen amazing things happen at every critical juncture of this campaign. Please join me today in getting down on our knees to lift up this effort to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Let's pray the REJECT R-71 effort across the finish line! Every family and church in Washington now and for years to come will benefit from our efforts if we win! Pray that we are in the lead by the end of today's counting!
As I said at the time, for God to influence the election after ballots have been cast would require God to change people's votes. Thus, Stickney wanted God to tamper with ballots. Apparently God isn't into felonious activities, since He did not deliver unto Stickney such ill-gotten gains. I wonder why Stickney has deleted that post from the Protect Marriage Washington website.
If God really does take sides, and given that Randall & Stickney (not to mention Rep. Matt Shea & Sen. Valera Stevens) lied that the referendum was about civil marriage and not about domestic partnerships, the take-away message from the Referendum 71 experience is this:
God endorses marriage equality, and has spurned those who would twist His word into an instrument of judgment and vindictive hate. Perhaps Pastor Joe Fuiten was on to something when he said:
God is not coercive...The idea that people ought to be free to live their life and live the way they want to - I don't object to that.
Too bad Fuiten ultimately turned his back on Him a few weeks before the election by endorsing the referendum Rejects. If you ask me, Fuiten is a lost and conflicted soul to be pitied.
Now that God has eschewed hate and endorsed civil equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender couples, Gary Randall and his colleagues have a choice. They can either accept God's endorsement of marriage equality, or turn their back on their Creator and continue to scorn his beloved children.
The Washington Secretary of State's final vote count report for the week continues to validate the conclusion that all of Washington state is moving towards equality. Tonight's numbers of 52.6% to 47.4% are not final, as vote counting is still underway. However, even the Secretary of State seems pretty sure about R-71 since their Friday afternoon blog post was titled "R-71: Effective 12-3-09"!
King [County]'s approval rate has been running 68 percent, and a number of the ballots remaining to be counted are from that county. ... If the vote holds, Senate Bill 5688 will go into effect Dec. 3. The election returns will be certified by Secretary of State Sam Reed and Gov. Chris Gregoire, probably on Dec. 1, but under provisions of the Constitution, a bill referred to voters and approved takes effect 30 days after Election Day, or Dec. 3 in this case.
After failing to pray in a victory, campaign manager for Protect Marriage Washington Larry Stickney was expected to concede defeat earlier today. Stickney has failed in his effort to undermine families and disadvantage children through the repeal of Washington's Domestic Partnership Expansion Law of 2009.
Larry Stickney...told LifeSiteNews.com that they plan to wait it out for the rest of [Friday] afternoon (pacific time) to make fully certain of the result and then "probably at that point concede."
No word yet that Stickney has transmitted his concession message to the press. He very well may choose to not communicate with them at all. He locked the media out of the Reject election night party, even the local Everett Herald. "It's a little lonely in the media room at the Holiday Inn in Everett...", reported Janet Tu of The Seattle Times.
The Washington State Republican Party endorsed Stickney's anti-family campaign, a move even their major candidate this election, Susan Hutchison distanced herself from and that they themselves never apparently backed with any vigor. No reaction from them yet either.
I believe He will guide us and provide the necessary funding. Please consider a tax deductible donation to Faith and Freedom Foundation. Thank you and God bless you.
A new organization called Youth Revolution popped up in Washington recently. I've written a bit about them here. YR's Executive Director is none other than Russell Johnson, Director of Governmental Affairs for the Focus on the Family/Family Research Council affiliate Family Policy of Institute of Washington. FPIW is the local organization that helped funnel over $200,000 of James Dobson's Colorado money into Washington's Referendum 71 campaign. YR, a youth recruiting tool, has posted the following video on their front page. Without comment, I give you "The Government Can".
Note from Lurleen: Louise has allowed me to make this an all-purpose "reactions" diary. The AP has called the approval of R-71 inevitable, although the Secretary of State has yet to certify the result. More below the fold as they come in, but first let me share two headliners. First from Washington's Governor Chris Gregoire
"I am extremely pleased that voters have approved Referendum 71. I signed the original bill and believe it is the right policy for our great state. Washington state has a history of fighting to ensure everyone - mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters - enjoys equal rights. From the first bill I signed in 2007 to this new law, we have proudly made great strides on behalf of all Washington families."
Let's pray the Reject R-71 effort across the finish line!
The Task Force released the following yesterday:
Passage of Referendum 71 in Washington state is a victory for fairness and families "This victory promotes fairness, supports families, and is good for Washington state and the country. This victory sends the message that no family should be left vulnerable and without basic protections because of someone else's prejudices."
- Rea Carey, Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 - Voters in Washington state have approved Referendum 71, which preserves expanded domestic partner protections for same-sex couples and unmarried senior couples, according to unofficial results. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund committed financial and staff resources contributing to this victory. It supported Washington Families Standing Together with a $10,000 contribution to underwrite the hiring of a statewide field director, provided advice and expertise to develop campaign and field plans, and sent a senior organizer to train the campaign field team.
Statement by Rea Carey, Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
"Passage of Referendum 71 is a victory for fairness and families in Washington state. Voters stood together, listened carefully and rejected the opposition's effort to distort the facts. This victory promotes fairness, supports families, and is good for Washington state and the country. This victory sends the message that no family should be left vulnerable and without basic protections because of someone else's prejudices.
"Washington Families Standing Together ran an excellent campaign to educate and mobilize voters all across the state about the domestic partner law and its protections for the 12,000 residents in registered domestic partnerships and their children. The campaign drove home the point that all families need and deserve fair treatment, especially in times of crisis. Health insurance, pensions, death benefits and family leave to care for a sick loved one were among the benefits made vulnerable by the threat to the domestic partnership law.
"Washington Families Standing Together brought together a broad spectrum of supporters who know that protecting all our families is good for the entire community. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force congratulates the campaign and thanks all the voters who cast a ballot in favor of equality."
Statement by Josh Friedes, Campaign Manager,
Washington Families Standing Together
"This is a wonderful victory for all those who value fairness and equality. Washingtonians have defended fairness and taken a strong stand for all families. We would not be celebrating this victory if it were not for Washingtonians' commitment to civil rights, our amazing campaign staff, our volunteers, our community and allies, and the support of organizations like the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. The Task Force spent time with us on the ground to train our campaign field team and contributed financially to help us ensure this victory."
To learn more about the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, visit www.theTaskForce.org and follow us on Twitter: @TheTaskForce
(http://www.twitter.com/theTaskForce).
And on a personal note, it was a true pleasure to meet Rea at the No On 1 gathering the other evening! :)
Washington voters have accomplished a national first by ratifying a new law that makes state registered domestic partnerships fully parallel to civil marriage. The provisional election result for Referendum 71 is currently 52.6% to 47.4%. This story is huge and is already getting some well-deserved attention. And remember, we won by a comfortable margin in an off-year election when the likely voter pool is dominated by older, more conservative voters. We know support for domestic partnerships is much higher in the general electorate.
Much is being made of the geographic clustering of counties where the majority of voters have approved R-71 (right, in green). Vote results are dismissed by some folk with a "well of course Puget Sound counties...". It is true that election results do rather neatly support the stereotype of Washington's east-west divide. But putting the R-71 results in historical context reveals a deeper story: almost every Washington county shows an increase in pro-equality voting.
The last time Washington voters had the opportunity to ratify a pro-equality law at the polls was in 1997. Initiative to the People 677 proposed an employment non-discrimination law. The ballot title read Shall discrimination based on sexual orientation be prohibited in employment, employment agency, and union membership practices, without requiring employee partner benefits or preferential treatment?.
The measure was rejected 59.7% to 40.3%. Contrary to the current image of the Puget Sound area of Washington as progressive, not one single county - not even Seattle's home of King County - voted to approve I-677. Contrast that with the current election where the electorate as a whole approved R-71 and majorities in 10 of Washington's 39 counties have approved R-71. But the truly stunning statistic is that the rate of ballot measure approval increased between 1997 and 2009 in all but one county.
Another mark of progress is the fact that voters in 21 counties approved R-71 by over 40%. Forty percent was the average statewide approval rate for I-677 in 1997. Those 21 counties are: Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Klickitat, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Whatcom, Whitman.
As you consider the graph, realize that in contrast to R-71, I-677 was rather narrow in scope. It dealt only with the employment discrimination of individuals. Voting yes on I-677 didn't ask voters to contemplate the meaning of family; didn't ask voters to recognize the existence of gay and lesbian parents; didn't ask voters to find the fiction in school-focused scare tactics. In other words, not only have Washington voters moved towards equality in virtually every county, they've shown by their R-71 vote that they're open to supporting equality much more comprehensively in the law. This is big.
States with mail-in ballots have the excruciating pleasure of having to wait days or even weeks to learn the result of tight races. Washington is one such state. So here's the latest but not the last word on Referendum 71. Reminder: we want to see R-71 approved because this means that the domestic partnership law will be preserved. As of 6 pm on Nov. 4th, the Secretary of State reports:
Looking good! However, there are still about 400,000 ballots on hand yet to be counted, so if you're cautious you'll want to wait a bit before celebrating victory. Bill sponsor Sen. Ed Murray and is already calling it a win since about 56% of the projected total number of ballots cast have already been counted. Captain Reject (Larry Stickney) hasn't conceded yet, but must be feeling as desperate as Sen. Murray is confident because he asked people this afternoon to do this:
As you may know, we have seen amazing things happen at every critical juncture of this campaign. Please join me today in getting down on our knees to lift up this effort to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Let's pray the REJECT R-71 effort across the finish line! Every family and church in Washington now and for years to come will benefit from our efforts if we win! Pray that we are in the lead by the end of today's counting!
Now, for God to influence the election after ballots have been cast, wouldn't that require God to change people's votes? So Stickney wants God to tamper with ballots. Apparently God isn't into felonious activities, since He did not deliver unto Stickney such ill-gotten gains in the 6 pm count.
Results of the count of ballots received before election day are encouraging but too close to call. So far Referendum 71 is passing 51.12% to 48.88%, meaning the domestic partnership law is safe for the moment. Tomorrow late afternoon the state will release the count of ballots deposited into drop boxes today, and some recently mailed ballots. Final results may not be available for several days as ballots mailed at the last minute make their way to the county auditors' offices.
Hopeful note: of the estimated number of ballots on hand left to be counted, by far the most are from King County. This is encouraging, since King County is home to a large concentration of our base.
Fun fact: so far we're winning in Snohomish County. That would be Larry Stickney's county. ;)
Voters affirming domestic partnerships for gay and lesbian families
For Immediate Release - Nov. 3, 2009
Washington may be first state in nation to support domestic partnership by popular vote
SEATTLE - Washington voters today appear to be approving Referendum 71, upholding a state law that provides important legal protections for gays and lesbians and seniors in registered domestic partnerships.
Nearly all of the state's voters now vote by mail and ballots only need to be postmarked by Election Day, not counted by Election Day, so many ballots won't actually be counted until Wednesday or Thursday. In King County, where 'Approve' is winning by a two-to-one margin, fewer than half the ballots have been counted, and the campaign estimates that the ballots that remain to be counted in King County will account for over 30 percent of the votes remaining to be counted statewide.
"Based on the results we saw tonight, we will be making history in moving forward toward full equality for gay and lesbian Washingtonians and their families," said Anne Levinson, Chair of the Approve 71 campaign. "Voters across the state listened to the personal stories of gay and lesbian families, and the challenges they face, and, based on the returns so far, they are sending a resounding message - we want to see all families treated equally under the law."
"We believe the end result of this election will be a win not just for the couples and families, but for all Washingtonians who believe in values of fairness and equality," Levinson continued. "It was profoundly wrong for some to try to eliminate the rights of others."
"We are all harmed when any of us is treated differently under the law. We hope this puts an end to the divisive and mean spirited attacks by extremist groups against gay and lesbian Washingtonians and that we can all work together on the real problems confronting all families - gay and non-gay alike."
The Approve 71 campaign was supported by a broad statewide coalition and received more than 500 endorsements, including faith-based groups and organizations representing communities of color, seniors, education, health care and public safety; clergy of many denominations; labor; large employers such as Microsoft, Google, Starbucks, Boeing; small businesses; civic groups, organizations that care for families, immigrant populations and children, who all took a stand in support of their friends, neighbors and co-workers.
"This was one of the shortest statewide ballot campaigns in Washington. We had only weeks between certification and the first ballots going out. If these trends continue, this will be only the sixth referendum approved in the history of our state," said Josh Friedes, Approve 71 Campaign Manager. "To have these kinds of numbers in an off-year election where those who vote tend to be older and more conservative is a real testament to the broad support for Washington's gay and lesbian families."
Friedes and Levinson both noted that because of Referendum 71 - which Protect Marriage Washington, the Family Policy Institute, the National Organization for Marriage and others fought to force on the ballot -Washingtonians now have a greater understanding of the challenges faced by gay and lesbian families and the legal protections they lacked.
"Were it not for the referendum, the law would have just quietly gone into effect in July. By forcing the referendum, those groups have likely done quite a lot to advance the cause of full equality for lesbian and gay families in Washington state," Levinson said.
Lunch hour reports from Seattle indicated brisk business at official ballot drop boxes. Even the Approve71 webmaster Joshco finally voted (Pic)! Good thing too, since as of this morning only about 20% of ballots had been received back by the county elections division. Voter turnout in King County is thought to be key to passage of Referendum 71. To be counted, ballots must be deposited in an official drop box by 8 pm tonight or postmarked today.
WARNING: dropping your ballot in a mailbox today is not the same thing as having it postmarked today! Be sure to read the pick-up times/days on the mail box. Better yet, take it inside the p. o. and ask to have it postmarked then and there.
A shout out to Kamal & Ghada Aboul Hosn, proprietors of Pizza Brava, 4222 University Way N.E. in Seattle for prominently displaying an Approve 71 poster! Pizza Brava is just down the street from the ballot drop box pictured above. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by for a pizza slice or a tasty Mediterranean sandwich. Then stop in again next week, when the duo premier their new menu!
So what's the news from your part of Washington? Will there be a mad rush on the Post Office at 4:55 pm?
Today is the day! Here's some great advice from campaign buddy Josh:
Please make sure to mail in that ballot ASAP if you haven't yet and keep on your friends & family all through today to vote. Call them, text them, email them, FB them, show up at their house, bang on their windows. Its too critical to sit this one out! Let's make sure we can call this an Approve 71 VICTORY PARTY!!!
Yes, party! Join us Election Night at a party in your area. Here's the list. The Seattle party will be broadcast live starting at 8:00 PM. Video feed is below the fold, or you can watch here.
You can follow @ApproveRef71 on Twitter throughout the day today and on Facebook.
Results of King Co. mail ballots counted on election day will be posted at 8:15 pm over here. Statewide results will be posted here starting at 8 pm. (thx Tech Bear!)
Microsoft made a big splash a few weeks ago by donating $100,000 to the Approve 71 campaign. Indeed it was a significant and much-needed contribution by a major Washington employer. But the really big story is that Microsoft's gift was only one of 4,175 donations made by Washingtonians from across the state (see map). In fact, 85% of all cash donations to Approve 71 have been made by Washingtonians for a total of $1.16 million. Excluding the Microsoft gift, 89% of WA donations were for amounts below the average donation of $253. In the main, the Approve 71 campaign has been funded by small Washington donors.
In stark contrast, only 34% of donations to the anti-domestic partnership campaign totaling $104,233 have come from Washingtonians. The other 66% comes from James Dobson's Colorado-based Focus on the Family (FOTF) and National Organization for Marriage. FOTF made two cash dumps into Washington state. The first was $200,000 into the PAC Vote Reject on R-71 via the local FOTF affiliate Family Policy Institute of Washington (FPIW). The second was last-minute direct independent spending of $91,852 on radio ads, etc. by Focus on the Family Action. Is it fair to say that James Dobson is the reject campaign?
The anti-domestic partnership campaign has also received an undisclosed amount of in-kind assistance from the undisclosed entity that paid for Protect Marriage Washington's signature gatherers.
~~~Reminder from WAFST: Only 20% of voters have mailed their ballots. Your vote and those of your friends can make the difference. Don't hold onto your ballot, mail it today. Remind your friends. VOTE APPROVE ON REFERENDUM 71
I was just poking around over at the Approve 71 web page, and wow! Take a look at the list of Approve 71 Letters to the Editor on their Press Room page. This list is meaningful in several ways.
First, letter-writing Approve 71 supporters live all over the state (see map), not just in the Seattle-Olympia corridor as the opposition likes to allege. And interestingly, the reject letters I've seen came from some of the more densely populated cities and urban areas, not from some mythical conservative rural paradise.
Second, the Approve 71 letters greatly outnumber the other kind. Now of course you can't tell that from the Approve 71 web site because the opposition letters aren't printed there, but I've been keeping close tabs myself on publications from both sides, and I can say with certainty that the Approve 71 letters are vastly more numerous than the others.
With these thoughts in mind, it isn't at all surprising to me that the Domestic Partnership Expansion Law of 2009 (SB 5688) passed by the comfortable margin of 92 to 53 in the legislature. If numbers and distribution of letters to the editor has any validity as a straw poll, the legislature was quite simply enacting the will of the people when they passed this law.
For fun, I've pilfered the Approve 71 list of LTEs wholesale and reproduced it below, although you'll have to go to the Approve 71 web site for links if you want to read the actual letters. But have a look below and understand that treating all Washington families equally is a something that a plurality of Washingtonians fundamentally agree on. Now all we have to do is make sure that they get out and vote their convictions.
(Bumped to the top for timeliness! - promoted by Lurleen)
There are only a few days left to vote APPROVE on Referendum 71. If you haven't already, please mark your ballot "approved" on R-71 and mail it in now (but no later than November 3rd). Don't procrastinate! In 2008 over 8,000 ballots in King County alone were not counted because they were postmarked too late! The Approve 71 campaign manager says
This race is still too close for comfort. As we've said from the beginning, this election will be decided by voter turnout. Money is pouring in from out of state to fund our opponents, and they are investing heavily in radio ads. We know the best way to counteract the outrageous lies our opponents are telling is with direct conversations with voters.
You can help us win by phone banking any night of the week between now and the election, canvassing at our Trick or Vote event, and waving signs at intersections to raise visibility for the Approve 71 campaign. It is essential that we each do all we can to get out the vote. Our state-of-the-art system is set up to only call voters who have not voted yet.
Chapter 3, in which a ballot signature is validated and the voter is credited with single-handedly saving the Domestic Partnership law from the scourge of hard-hearted anti-family judgmentalists!
Well ok, maybe not single-handedly. In fact, my vote will have been for naught if your vote doesn't join it in the R-71 APPROVED bin. Ahem!
Some housekeeping reminders:
King County voters can track their ballots just like I did by clicking here.
Ballots must be dropped in an official drop box or postmarked on or before Tuesday, Nov. 3rd to be valid. Don't make the mistake of dropping your ballot in the mail after the Post Office has closed on the 3rd. Vote early to avoid mishaps, kerfuffles and discombobulations.
Mailed-in ballots from Pierce County require 61 cents in postage. Ballots from other counties require first-class postage.
If you want to avoid the mail, locations of official ballot drop boxes can be found in your voter guide and on the website of your county auditor or elections department.
Fair warning: if I learn on Nov. 4th that you forgot to vote or were "too busy", as Bjork says you'll meet an army of me. This will be an understatement!
Joe Mirabella has given us permission to re-post this story. I think anyone working in the trenches for human rights will appreciate it. I think of my own late mom often these days - a registered nurse who started the first AIDS testing and support network in her region early in the epidemic, a time when people were refusing medical care and kinship to HIV+ people. She would have been 75 last month. Reading this, I know she and Whidbey's mom were kindred spirits. Let's carry the torch forward and honor these amazing women.Whidbey left the following comment on my blog yesterday:
Posted by Whidbey at 10/27/09 8:46 a.m.
My 73 year old mother, voted for R71 last week as she lay in her hospice bed. She wanted to make sure that if she did not live till election day, that her vote would be registered in favor. Last night, at 5:05 pm, she died peacefully. Her R71 ballot was the last document that she attached her signature to.
There are hardly words to express how touching this story is. It immediately brought tears to my eyes. As so many of us are working around the clock to make sure referendum 71 is approved, this moment gives us pause. It reminds us why we are doing what we do. Whidbey's mom did not live long enough to see a world where all people are treated equally, but as part of her legacy she wanted to use her last moments of energy towards that goal.
I thought of my Grandmother, who passed away in 2008 when I saw Whidbey's comment. She developed Alzheimers just as I came out. She met my partner and I remember her asking once when he left the room to use the bathroom, "he is special to you, isn't he?"
I replied, "yes he means a lot to me, and I hope to spend the rest of my life with him."
She said, "Well you deserve to. He is a wonderful person." When he returned from the bathroom she had already forgotten the conversation. "Hi, I'm Helen. Have we met?"
Her birthday was in September, so I visited her grave to leave flowers. I meditated there for a moment and wondered what she would think of this fight. I wondered what she would say to comfort me the way she did when I was a child. She never hated anyone in her life, so her kindness and gentle attitude would have been a gift to us all. For a moment, I wished as people do at cemeteries, for a sign that she was watching. It started to rain.
As I drove away I thought, "I hope you are proud of me, because you meant the world to me." The rain stopped and an enormous rainbow spanned across the sky appearing to land directly on my grandmother's grave. In that moment my atheist tendencies were challenged. I felt loved.
It is important to take pause and think of all the people who love us. These campaigns are emotionally challenging for the LGBT community. On a daily basis we face our opponent's attacks. They say we are less than human, deserve to go to hell, and in some cases they say we should be killed. And then after months of enduring the onslaught of anger, the entire state votes on our worthiness to society and whether we should have the simple right to care for our families in times of crisis. Nationally, our community always loses these races -- reaffirming the anger that so violently attacks our psyche and our families.
Our country is evolving, though. I firmly believe that this year may be the year we make history by approving referendum 71 to keep the domestic partnership law. As our neighbors are voting on our right to care for our families, I am making the conscious choice to tune out our opponents hate and focus entirely on all the wonderful people who love our community. When times get rough, think of Whidbey's mom. Feel her love. I don't know who she is, or what the rest of her life was like, but I know she would be proud of us. I know she cared enough to use her name one last time for good. For that she will be immortal in my heart, as I am sure she will be for many of you.
By Brian Bershad and Scott Silver, Seattle, WA
Submitted on October 27, 2009
To the Editor:
Google has a reputation for actively participating in policy debates surrounding information access, technology and energy. However, we do not generally take positions on social, legal or political issues that arise beyond our normal, day-to-day business. With that said, there are issues that are so important and so clear cut that we feel compelled to lend our voice. Supporting Referendum 71 is one of those issues.
To be clear, we respect the strongly-held beliefs that people have on both sides of this argument. Nevertheless, we see this debate as one that comes down to equality, plain and simple. If we believe in equal protection under the law we must, in our view, support a man or woman's right to enjoy the legal benefits of domestic partnerships -- no matter who they love.
For the residents of Washington who want for themselves or their children the right to engage in domestic partnerships, we urge the voters of this state to APPROVE Referendum 71.
Brian Bershad - Engineering and Site Director, Google Seattle
Scott Silver - Engineering and Site Director, Google Kirkland
Google joins the major Washington employers Boeing, Nike, Vulcan, Microsoft, RealNetworks, Puget Sound Energy and Starbucks in supporting fair treatment under the law for all Washington families. Thanks Google! You've been my home page for eons now, btw. :)
Following is a message from Courage Campaign Equality Program. Below the fold are details on how you, no matter where you live, can help make Nov. 3rd a day of triple delight in Washington, Michigan and Maine. If you are a blogger, grab this code from Courage Campaign and run with it yourself.Help WA, ME and Kalamazoo Win on November 3rd: Blog About the Campaigns Today
Progressives are closer than ever to a victory on health care reform. As 2009 comes to a close, we've moved forward on other issues. But what's looming up ahead could be a disappointment.
On Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009- less than a week away- there will be critical votes on on LGBT equality in three states: Washington State, Maine, and Michigan. With so much attention devoted to other issues in the political realm, bloggers have banded together to ensure we don't forget the ones with a firm deadline next week.
For that reason, we've joined with these three campaigns to put together a summary of who, what, and how. If you haven't heard of these campaigns, and/or haven't done anything yet to support them, please consider helping out. If you are a blogger please feel free to grab this content whole cloth and use it for your blog posts.
Last year, as Obama and Democrats were winning across the country, we lost marriage equality in California. It was a bittersweet victory. Pitch in to make sure 2009 isn't a bittersweet year. Take action to support LGBT equality TODAY.
Good news and bad news from Washington State. The good news is that a federal judge in Tacoma denied the attempt of the local Focus on the Family affiliate Family Policy Institute of Washington (via its Family PAC) to gut Washington state's campaign finance laws a week before the election. From the Washington Families Standing Together press release (link added).
In denying the Reject 71 campaign's motion, the judge said "The State has a real and vital interest in showing the money trail...I do not believe it is in the public interest for the court to intervene and change the rules of the game at the last minute."
Judge Leighton, who was appointed by former president George W. Bush, added, "I do not believe there is a real emergency. The constraints imposed upon the plaintiff are self-inflicted."
The emergency suit was filed by Family PAC, a new political action committee formed to challenge the law and accept money from out of state special interests. It has the same board of directors and address as the Family Policy Institute of Washington, and its only contributor is the National Organization for Marriage (NOM). On the same day Family PAC filed its motion in Washington, NOM filed a nearly identical lawsuit in Maine, challenging the constitutionality of that state's financial reporting requirements. NOM is also the single largest contributor to a pending ballot initiative in Maine, where they are trying to overturn Maine's civil marriage equality law.
This is a real victory for the good guys, and prevents NOM, FotF and local anti-gay organizations from pooling their money for such things as giant media buys.
The bad news is that NOM, FOTF or other organizations can still legally spend money in Washington in an effort to kill Referendum 71 and strip senior citizens and gay and lesbian domestic partners of vital legal protections. Well, not just can spend. The operative word is actually is spending. More on that below.
State Rep. 
Johnson's vote for SB 5688 has 
Last week 
If God really does take sides, and given that Randall & Stickney (not to mention Rep. Matt Shea & Sen. Valera Stevens) 
The Washington Secretary of State's final vote count 
A new organization called 
Much is being made of the geographic clustering of counties where the majority of voters have approved R-71 (right, in green). Vote results are dismissed by some folk with a "well of course Puget Sound counties...". It is true that election results do rather neatly support the stereotype of Washington's east-west divide. But putting the R-71 results in historical context reveals a deeper story: almost every Washington county shows an increase in pro-equality voting.
Even the Approve71 webmaster Joshco finally voted (
A shout out to Kamal & Ghada Aboul Hosn, proprietors of Pizza Brava, 4222 University Way N.E. in Seattle for prominently displaying an Approve 71 poster! Pizza Brava is just down the street from the ballot drop box pictured above. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by for a pizza slice or a tasty Mediterranean sandwich. Then stop in again next week, when the duo premier their new menu!
I was just poking around over at the 
You can help us win by 
Dear readers, we have reached the penultimate chapter of our story 
Whidbey left the following comment on my blog yesterday:
Following is a message from Courage Campaign Equality Program. Below the fold are details on how you, no matter where you live, can help make Nov. 3rd a day of triple delight in Washington, Michigan and Maine. If you are a blogger, grab 
