This 30 second video speaks about what Prop 8 is really about: what kind of world we want each person and our children to live in—one that is free from discrimination and intolerance.
Everyone you know needs to see this video.
NO on Proposition 8 Asks Grassroots Supporters to Move Video Through Groundbreaking Online Community
Largest online community created in California Political History
SACRAMENTO – In a final request to the enormous Web-based community that's skyrocketed around opposition to the discriminatory Proposition 8, the NO on 8 campaign today launched a 30-second video and called on supporters to share it widely with friends and family online.
The video, called "Parents,” accurately portrays the conversations that have encircled this unfair initiative from the beginning. Says one mother: "I don't want my kids to grow up with discrimination. Or thinking it's okay to take away peoples' rights."
The online community response to defeating Proposition 8 has created
the largest grassroots movement in California political history.
Consider these facts:
- The NO on 8 Facebook page now has more than 129,000 supporters over the course of less than a month when it was launched.
- The NO on 8 online community has contacted more than 100,000 friends and family.
- There have been more than three million views of NO on 8 videos online, with over one million from our YouTube channel.
- Yesterday, YouTube ranked the NO on 8 channel as 41st in viewer hits, even eclipsing the Obama channel, which was ranked 47th.
- In terms of online financial support, more than 72 percent of the donations to NO on 8 have come from California.
- More than 60 percent of those 96,000-plus online contributions have been $100 or less.
In an email accompanying the video to supporters, Geoff Kors of the NO on 8 Executive Committee wrote: "This 30 second video speaks about what Prop 8 is really about: what kind of world we want each person and our children to live in -- one that is free from discrimination and intolerance. Everyone you know needs to see this video."
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New No On Prop 8 videos:
CBS: Report on the Prop 8 Battle.
HOME INVASION: The Mormons taking their religion into our homes.
JOHN CHO: Harold & Kumar actor speaks out against Prop. 8.
FLASHBACK: San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders' press conference in which he changed his position on same-sex marriage.
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New No On Prop 8 videos:
CBS: Report on the Prop 8 Battle.
HOME INVASION: The Mormons taking their religion into our homes.
JOHN CHO: Harold & Kumar actor speaks out against Prop. 8.
FLASHBACK: San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders' press conference in which he changed his position on same-sex marriage.
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Via Towleroad.com
Please JOIN US tomorrow afternoon as we begin liveblogging the election results and election day news from across the nation.
A final push is underway in California and across the nation to defeat Proposition 8. Here is another huge update about rallies that happened over the weekend as well as new reporting and media clips. I will likely continue updating this throughout the day today.
If you missed our weekend updates, you can find them HERE and HERE. In addition Barack Obama reiterated his positions on Proposition 8 and same-sex marriage in an interview with MTV that aired today.
The "No on Prop 8" campaign urgently needs 10,000 volunteers on the ground to staff the final "No on Prop 8" push. They've been signing many up but they need more.
Here's the final SICKENING 'Yes on 8' ad from the anti-gay, intolerant "protectors of marriage":
Spread the WORD. Send EMAILS here to everyone you know in California.
SURVEY USA POLL: "81% of John McCain backers vote 'Yes' on CA Proposition 8, to redefine marriage. The more votes John McCain gets in CA, the better 'Yes' on 8 will do. 71% of Barack Obama backers vote 'No' on Proposition 8, to leave the definition of marriage unchanged. But white Obama backers and black Obama backers vote differently on 8, so it is an oversimplification to say, "the more votes Obama gets, the better 'No' on 8 will do." The Bay Area is 2:1 against 8. Greater Los Angeles is 5:4 against 8. The Inland Empire and the Central Valley are 3:2 in favor of 8."
The "Yes on 8" campaign's Halloween trick.
The Advocate goes deep into the belly of the "No on Prop 8" campaign.
The New York Times reports on the similarity between today's Proposition 8 battle and Harvey Milk's battle against the Briggs Initiative (Proposition 6) which would have banned gay teacher's from the state's public schools: "Call it life imitating 'Milk,' or vice versa, but the parallels between the campaign chronicled in the movie and the real-life battle over Proposition 8 are striking. Social conservatives pitted against gay activists? Check. A Republican governor (and former movie star) siding with gay Californians? Check. Close polls, a nationally watched campaign, the potential for heartbreak?"
Nancy Pelosi went on KRON last night to express her opposition:
AP: Gay marriage backers make the political personal: "In recent weeks, other gay opponents of the ban, including a Roman Catholic priest, a former Republican mayor and a small-town newspaper editor, came out of the closet to show how the issue cuts across religious and social lines."
According to Californians Against Hate: "The new total Mormon money contributed to pass California's Proposition 8 is now a staggering $22 million dollars! Just 8 out of state Mormons have given $2 million of the $3 million total in the last week alone. These are the 8 who have given $100,000 and more:
Alan Ashton, Lindon UT $1,000,000
Hartford Holdings, Provo, UT $300,000
David Moon, Alpine, UT $200,000
Michele Adams Watterson, Cache, UT $100,000
Roger Bayer, Salt Lake City, UT $100,000
Katharine Garff, Bountiful, UT $100,000
Belinda Vandersloot, Idaho Falls, ID $100,000
The Vineyard Group (Cardon & Hiatt Families), Mesa, AZ $100,000
RALLIES:
Last night in Salt Lake City, a group of Mormon mothers organized a "NO on Prop 8" protest that drew hundreds of people: " The group held a special candlelight vigil at the plaza of the Salt Lake Library and listened to a number of guest speakers. The event was organized by some LDS mothers who have gay children. They feel the LDS church's support of Proposition 8 takes away the civil rights of their children and they urged Californians to vote no on the gay marriage ban. After the speeches, the group marched in a procession around the city block of the library." More from MyFOX.
Video of a "Yes on 8" rally at L.A. City Hall.
SF Chronicle: Both sides make last minute Prop. 8 push. "Checks of $500,000 or more are arriving from places like Cleveland; Brooklyn, N.Y.; Linden, Utah; and Bryn Mawr, Pa. A Kansas City minister brings thousands of evangelical Christians to San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium for a religious/political rally. The New York Times writes an editorial endorsing a 'no' vote on Prop. 8, even though Sacramento is 2,800 miles from the paper's Manhattan headquarters."
More on the anti-gay marriage rally in San Diego's QualComm Stadium over the weekend lead by James Dobson of Focus on the Family and Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council from Truth Wins Out's Wayne Besen.
"No on 8" supporters rally in West Hollywood: "With less than 48 hours until Election Day, hundreds of "No on 8" supporters gathered in West Hollywood Park on late Sunday afternoon, showing their resolve to defeat Proposition 8, the ballot measure that seeks to eliminate the right of gays and lesbians to legally marry in California. The peaceful demonstration was the largest of its kind in West Hollywood since May 15, 2008, when gays and lesbians celebrated the California State Supreme Court ruling that first legalized same sex marriage."
Feverish debate in Citrus Heights: "With three days to go before Proposition 8 is settled, protesters weren't about to let rain hold them back. 'I saw maybe 1,000 people,' said protester George Popko. 'But I don't know how many more are out there.' ... 'Pretty much everyone out here is honking for one side or the other. I don't think anyone is neutral on this subject,' said protester James Adams." ARRESTS made.
PREVIOUS UPDATES
Obama Reiterates Position on Gay Marriage, Opposition to Prop 8 [tr]
Urgent: Help Get Out the Vote Against Prop 8 in California [tr]
Mega Prop 8 UPDATE: Weekend of Action [tr]
From 11/02/08 Los Angeles Times:
The campaign promoting Proposition 8, which proposes to amend the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriages, has masterfully misdirected its audience, California voters. Look at the first-graders in San Francisco, attending their lesbian teacher's wedding! Look at Catholic Charities, halting its adoption services in Massachusetts, where same-sex marriage is legal! Look at the church that lost its tax exemption over gay marriage! Look at anything except what Proposition 8 is actually about: a group of people who are trying to impose on the state their belief that homosexuality is immoral and that gays and lesbians are not entitled to be treated equally under the law.
Take the story of Catholic Charities. The service arm of the Roman Catholic Church closed its adoption program in Massachusetts not because of the state's gay marriage law but because of a gay anti-discrimination law passed many years earlier. In fact, the charity had voluntarily placed older foster children in gay and lesbian households -- among those most willing to take hard-to-place children -- until the church hierarchy was alerted and demanded that adoptions conform to the church's religious teaching, which was in conflict with state law. The Proposition 8 campaign, funded in large part by Mormons who were urged to do so by their church, does not mention that the Mormon church's adoption arm in Massachusetts is still operating, even though it does not place children in gay and lesbian households.
How can this be? It's a matter of public accountability, not infringement on religion. Catholic Charities acted as a state contractor, receiving state and federal money to find homes for special-needs children who were wards of the state, and it faced the loss of public funding if it did not comply with the anti-discrimination law. In contrast, LDS (for Latter-day Saints) Family Services runs a private adoption service without public funding. Its work, and its ability to follow its religious teachings, have not been altered.
That San Francisco field trip? The children who attended the wedding had their parents' signed permission, as law requires. A year ago, with the same permission, they could have traveled to their teacher's domestic-partnership ceremony. Proposition 8 does not change the rules about what children are exposed to in school. The state Education Code does not allow schools to teach comprehensive sex education -- which includes instruction about marriage -- to children whose parents object.
Another "Yes on 8" canard is that the continuation of same-sex marriage will force churches and other religious groups to perform such marriages or face losing their tax-exempt status. Proponents point to a case in New Jersey, where a Methodist-based nonprofit owned seaside land that included a boardwalk pavilion. It obtained an exemption from state property tax for the land on the grounds that it was open for public use and access. Events such as weddings -- of any religion -- could be held in the pavilion by reservation. But when a lesbian couple sought to book the pavilion for a commitment ceremony, the nonprofit balked, saying this went against its religious beliefs.
The court ruled against the nonprofit, not because gay rights trump religious rights but because public land has to be open to everyone or it's not public. The ruling does not affect churches' religious tax exemptions or their freedom to marry whom they please on their private property, just as Catholic priests do not have to perform marriages for divorced people and Orthodox synagogues can refuse to provide space for the weddings of interfaith couples. And Proposition 8 has no bearing on the issue; note that the New Jersey case wasn't about a wedding ceremony.
Much has been made about same-sex marriage changing the traditional definition of marriage. But marriage has evolved for thousands of years, from polygamous structures in which brides were so much chattel to today's idealized love matches. In seeking to add a sentence to California's Constitution that says, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized," Proposition 8 supporters seek to enforce adherence to their own religious or personal definition. The traditional makeup of families has changed too, in ways that many religious people find immoral. Single parents raise their children; couples divorce and blend families. Yet same-sex marriage is the only departure from tradition that has been targeted for constitutional eradication.
Religions and their believers are free to define marriage as they please; they are free to consider homosexuality a sin. But they are not free to impose their definitions of morality on the state. Proposition 8 proponents know this, which is why they have misdirected the debate with highly colored illusions about homosexuals trying to take away the rights of religious Californians. Since May, when the state Supreme Court overturned a proposed ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional, more than 16,000 devoted gay and lesbian couples have celebrated the creation of stable, loving households, of equal legal stature with other households. Their happiness in no way diminishes the rights or happiness of others.
Californians must cast a clear eye on Proposition 8's real intentions. It seeks to change the state Constitution in a rare and terrible way, to impose a single moral belief on everyone and to deprive a targeted group of people of civil rights that are now guaranteed. This is something that no Californian, of any religious belief, should accept. Vote no to the bigotry of Proposition 8.
From NoOnProp8.com
New No on Prop 8 Ad Calls Upon Californians to Reject Discrimination
Ad is Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson
SACRAMENTO – The NO on Prop 8 campaign today announced a dramatic new television ad, narrated by actor Samuel L. Jackson. The ad calls upon Californians to reject discrimination, and Vote NO on Prop 8.
The full text of the ad follows:
"It wasn't that long ago that discrimination was legal in California.
"Japanese Americans were confined in internment camps.
"Armenians couldn't buy a house in the Central Valley.
"Latinos and African Americans were told who they could and could not marry.
"It was a sorry time in our history.
"Today the sponsors of Prop 8 want to eliminate fundamental rights.
"We have an obligation to pass along to our children a more tolerant, more decent society.
"Vote No on Prop 8 it's unfair and it's wrong."
The ad places Prop 8 in its appropriate historical context as a measure that would discriminate against certain Californians and treat people differently under the law.
"We believe it is important in the final days of an unfair initiative attacking individual rights, to remind voters that there have been other times in our history when we stood at this threshold of fairness," said Patrick Guerriero, NO on 8 Campaign Director. "We know that most California voters do not want to wake up Wednesday morning to learn that we've taken a step back to a darker time. That's why we believe on Tuesday, voters will resoundingly reject Prop 8."
"Proposition 8 would take away fundamental individual rights, and I believe the historical analogies presented by the NO on Prop 8 campaign are completely appropriate," said Congressman Mike Honda (D-Campbell). "I am opposed to Prop 8, and I hope my fellow Californians will reject it."
"California used to ban people of different races from getting married under the law. It was wrong then and it's wrong now," said Fabian Nuñez, Former Speaker of the California Assembly. "Proposition 8 is a lot like that unfair ban on interracial marriage. And even though people may feel differently about marriage, everyone ought to agree unequal treatment under the law is a bad thing."
"Proposition 8 eliminates equal rights for one segment of the population while continuing to grant that right to others," said Maria Armoudian, an Armenian-American radio personality on KPFK in Los Angeles. "We Armenians have had to endure a century of discrimination. Let us now stand together calling for an end to discrimination for all people. Vote NO on Prop 8."
Using historical footage, the ad reminds voters of three particularly bleak periods in state history:
- Japanese American Internment: Authorized by President Roosevelt in 1942, the Army ordered all people of Japanese descent, whether citizens or non-citizens, living in CA to be interned in permanent "relocation centers." Those centers remained operational until the end of the war. Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, who was California Attorney General at that time, later wrote that the internment was "not in keeping with our American concepts of freedoms and rights of citizens."
- California's Ban on Interracial Marriage: In 1948, California became the first state in the nation to wipe away a state law banning interracial marriages. In the 1967 case of Loving vs. Virginia dealing with the remaining state bans, the United State Supreme Court ruled that: [T]he freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men. Marriage is one of the 'basic civil rights of man,' fundamental to our very existence and survival."
- Racially Restrictive Covenants: These covenants were widely enforced in the early 20th century to discriminate against African Americans, Jews and other ethnic groups by prohibiting the lease or sale of property. The covenants were widely used in the Central Valley against Armenians. They were declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1948.
In 2007, on the 40th anniversary of the Loving vs. Virginia decision,
Mildred Loving wrote: "I am still not a political person, but I am
proud that Richard's and my name is on a court case that can help
reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that
so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight seek in
life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That's what Loving and
loving, are all about."
You can help defeat Prop 8 here.
From NoOnProp8.com:
From Calitics.com:
Dear Friends,
Thank you for the opportunity to welcome everyone to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club's Pride Breakfast and to congratulate you on continuing a legacy of success, stretching back thirty-six years. As one of the oldest and most influential LGBT organizations in the country, you have continually rallied to support Democratic candidates and causes, and have fought tirelessly to secure equal rights and opportunities for LGBT Americans in California and throughout the country.
As the Democratic nominee for President, I am proud to join with and support the LGBT community in an effort to set our nation on a course that recognizes LGBT Americans with full equality under the law. That is why I support extending fully equal rights and benefits to same sex couples under both state and federal law. That is why I support repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, and the passage of laws to protect LGBT Americans from hate crimes and employment discrimination. And that is why I oppose the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution, and similar efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution or those of other states.
For too long. issues of LGBT rights have been exploited by those seeking to divide us. It's time to move beyond polarization and live up to our founding promise of equality by treating all our citizens with dignity and respect. This is no less than a core issue about who we are as Democrats and as Americans.
Finally, I want to congratulate all of you who have shown your love for each other by getting married these last few weeks. My thanks again to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club for allowing me to be a part of today's celebration. I look forward to working with you in the coming months and years, and I wish you all continued success.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama
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From NoOnProp8.com:
Prop 8 is on pace to be the costliest race in the nation, except for the billion-dollar presidential election. The Yes on 8 campaign estimates that up to 40 percent of its donations come from Mormons. Some others estimate that Mormons account for over 70 percent of donations from individuals.
* * * * *
The San Francisco Chronicle: Mormons Face Flak For Backing Prop 8
(10-26) 14:40 PDT OAKLAND -- Christine Alonso's body trembled and her lips quivered as she walked up and spoke to a few of the 50 protesters in front of the Mormon Temple in Oakland on Sunday.
"Don't think they're all against you," said Alonso, 27, explaining that she was Mormon and that despite her religious leaders' support of a ballot measure banning same-sex marriage, she was actively opposed.
As she walked away, she said, "I'm afraid that a gay or lesbian friend might hear that I'm Mormon and think that I want to tear their marriage apart."
Alonso's solitary act came as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members are increasingly under fire for their support of Proposition 8, which would take away the right of gays and lesbians to marry. In addition to increased protests, online campaigns seek to identify and embarrass Mormons who support the ballot measure.
The church largely stays out of politics. But in this case, the Salt Lake City-based church has sent letters, held video conferences and in church meetings asked for volunteers to support the campaign. In response, some church members have poured in their savings and undertaken what may be an unprecedented grassroots mobilization for the effort.
Prop. 8 is on pace to be the costliest race in the nation, except for the billion-dollar presidential election. The Yes on 8 campaign estimates that up to 40 percent of its donations come from Mormons. Some others estimate that Mormons account for over 70 percent of donations from individuals.
All of California's Catholic bishops have all come out in favor of the measure. So have many evangelical Christians and Orthodox Jews. Yet it is Mormons, who account for 2 percent of the state population, who are catching the most heat.
"We seem to be the symbol of the Yes on 8 campaign," said Rand King, 60, a Walnut Creek resident who is Mormon and who was watching Sunday's protest from inside the temple's gates.
Prop. 8 opponents are increasingly narrowing their focus on Mormons, harnessing technology and open-records laws in their efforts. One Web site run by a Prop 8 opponent, Mormonsfor8.com, identifies the name and hometown of every Mormon donor. On the Daily Kos, the nation's most popular liberal blog, there is a campaign to use that information to look into the lives of Mormons who financially support Prop. 8.
It has led some Mormons to question why other religious groups in the coalition aren't being targeted.
"I don't think it's politically expedient to point the finger at the Catholic Church," said Dave Christensen, 52, a Mormon and an Alamo resident who donated $30,000 to the Yes on 8 campaign. "You don't get the mileage criticizing a church that has more clout."
Nadine Hansen, who runs Mormonsfor8.com, said the church decided to enter politics and can't excuse itself for the ramifications.
"Any group that gets involved in the political arena has to be treated like a political action committee," said Hansen, 61, a Mormon who lives in Cedar City, Utah, and has stopped going to church. "You can't get involved in politics and say, 'Treat me as a church.' "Hansen said she focused on Mormons because she is one. She said Mormons have contacted her to shut the site, saying it was being used by the Daily Kos campaign in a "witch hunt."
"I didn't think there were any witches on the list, so I wasn't worried," said Hansen, whose site is "neutral" on its views, though she is opposed because she views it as "divisive."
The person who initiated the Daily Kos campaign to look into the lives of Mormon donors is Dante Atkins, an elected delegate to the state Democratic convention who said he's the vice president of the Los Angeles County Young Democrats.
Atkins said his goal was to "embarrass the opposition by pointing out and publicizing any contributors they may have." He said focusing on Mormons made sense. "If one religious group is putting close to the majority of the money and the effort into passing this proposition, it is fair to single them out."
The Mormon church hasn't taken the same level of interest in Arizona or Florida, which also have constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage.
But California is a bellwether, said LDS spokesman Mike Otterson. "If same-gender marriage is approved in California... other states will follow suit."
Several Bay Area Mormons said they would support the right of gay and lesbian unions to have all the rights of married couples. But the word marriage was sacred, pivotal to their concept of families, who can be "eternally united" in the afterlife. A key church document - "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" - says that "marriage between man and a woman is essential to His eternal plan." They also believe that children are entitled to be raised by a father and a mother.
Those words speak for Michele Sundstrom, 47, of San Jose, who has been married for 18 years and has five children.
She and her husband gave $30,000 to the Yes on 8 campaign and put a sign on their home. But in response, two women parked an SUV in front of their home, with the words "Bigots live here" painted on the windshield.
Sundstrom believes such responses must come from deep places of pain - and that gays and lesbians are entitled to the same rights as heterosexuals, just not the word marriage. Any animosity toward gays or lesbians is wrong, she said.
"There must be such deep, deep, deep hurt; otherwise there couldn't be so much opposition," she said. "They've lived with this. I guess we're getting a taste of where they live."
Database: Look up Prop 8 contributors.
From NoOnProp8.com's YouTube channel:
Looking straight at the camera, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) says:
"Proposition 8 would be a terrible mistake for California. It's about discrimination and we must always say NO to that."
Senator Feinstein joins the chorus of leaders across California who are calling on voters to reject this unfair initiative.
Support the No On Prop 8 campaign by rating, commenting on, favoriting, and sharing this video with your friends. Find out more at http://noonprop8.com/
Senator Dianne Feinstein Denounces Prop 8
Feinstein Speaks Directly to Voters in New Television Ad
SACRAMENTO – Today the NO on Prop 8 campaign released a new television spot featuring Senator Dianne Feinstein who, speaking directly to voters, tells Californians "Proposition 8 would be a terrible mistake for California. It's about discrimination and we must always say NO to that."
"We are so moved to have the strong, trusted and independent voice of Senator Feinstein joining the chorus of those voting NO on 8," said Patrick Guerriero, Campaign Director for NO on Prop 8. "California voters know that Senator Feinstein speaks from the heart and it matters when she urges voters to reject this unfair initiative."
The Feinstein ad represents a significant purchase by the NO on Prop 8 campaign and will run statewide.
Feinstein, speaking directly to the camera, says:
"In my lifetime, I've seen discrimination. And I see it again in Proposition 8. Proposition 8 would be a terrible mistake for California. It changes our Constitution. Eliminates fundamental rights. And treats people differently under the law.
"Proposition 8 is not about schools or our kids. It's about discrimination and we must always say NO to that.
"No matter how you feel about marriage, vote against discrimination.
"And vote NO on 8."
The ad's placement on statewide television happens to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the murder of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk. Feinstein, who was President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors 30 years ago, immediately became the city's mayor at a time of great unrest and anguish. Re-elected twice, she became the first California woman elected to the United States Senate.
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