Article 8 Alliance – Massachusetts –
** October 1, 2004 Update **

Statewide movement to remove the SJC 4 and take back our government.

Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts CAN be stopped. 

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In this update:1.  Homosexual activists holding “youth” workshops this weekend to help in Nov. elections!  2.  Margaret Marshall to speak at fundraiser Oct. 19.  3.  New publishing schedule, etc.  

NEWS ITEM:  Pols now face voters on gay ban  [Boston Globe–Sept 30]  You’ve got to love this.  Elitist leftie Globe opinion columnist Joan Vennochi whines that poor Sen. Marian Walsh is having to explain to her working class West Roxbury constituents why she decided to deny them the right to vote on same-sex marriage.  That’s because Bob Joyce is running against her, and making it an issue!!  Oh, my!  And by the way, Bob is an EXCELLENT candidate who deserves everyone’s support. NEWS ITEM:  Old boy Sal  [Boston Globe–Sept 29]  The liberal media’s been fawning all over the new House speaker, Salvatore DiMasi, as a breath of fresh air.  Of course, we know him as a lot of stale, smelly air.  Every now and then, a Globe opinion columnist lets a bit of actual journalistic honesty leak out.   

 ===  1.  Homosexual activists holding “youth” workshops this weekend to help in Nov. elections!  ===

 

Just thought you’d be interested in seeing first-hand what the gay election machine is up to.  They’re dead serious about changing our legislature.  The following email was sent across the state yesterday.  The gay movement’s obsession with kids also manifests itself here – they’re making a special effort to get “youth” involved as much as possible.  (If you’re not doing anything this weekend, it might be interesting to go and see.) Also, of course, they lie a bit, even in their own internal communications.  Their descriptions of the Sept. 14 primary are, well, exaggerated.  For example, they claim they ousted TWO “anti-equality” incumbents.  Well, one of them was Rep. Mark Howland, of Freetown.  Howland voted pro-gay on just about everything.  But since he wasn’t “pure” enough, they financed a “real” gay activist against him in the primaries to make a point.  We just didn’t bother with that race. So here’s what the homosexual activists received yesterday:

  From: MassEquality Update Team [mailto:info@massequality.org] Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2004 6:50 PMTo: ejgraff@gis.netSubject: Campaign Update Please Read, Take Action and Forward As I write this message, we are experiencing a monumental shift on Beacon Hill. Today, Massachusetts state representatives will elect Sal DiMasi the new Speaker of the House. On behalf of supporters of equality across the Commonwealth, I congratulate Representative DiMasi on his election.  Throughout his distinguished career, Representative DiMasi has been one of our legislature's strongest supporters of fairness and equality. We truly look forward to working with him as our next Speaker. Much has been made in the press about this change in leadership, especially since outgoing Speaker Finneran was a staunch opponent of equal marriage rights who earlier this year sponsored a "compromise" constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage. In yesterday's Boston Globe, House Minority Leader Brian Lees was quoted saying our campaign "is pretty much over."  Despite Representative Lees' assurances, we continue to strengthen our operations so that we can organize better around the state to meet any political challenge that could turn back the clock on equality for same-sex couples. Let me be clear -- our campaign is not over. We still have a tremendous amount of work to do up through November and then the next Constitutional Convention to ensure that equal marriage rights are here to stay.  Our legislative team is working hard to assess the implications of the leadership changes, and we will continue to let you know how you can have the greatest impact in our campaign to preserve equal marriage rights in Massachusetts. Our recent history in the September 14th primary elections -- every pro-equality incumbent won, two anti-equality incumbents were turned out of office, and we increased momentum in the legislature to defeat the discriminatory amendment -- proves that the sustained efforts of MassEquality members can make an important difference on Beacon Hill.  Of course, we need to redouble our efforts over the next few months to ensure that we reelect all of our legislative allies and create even more momentum heading into the next Constitutional Convention. We will be calling upon you to donate your time and financial resources to pro-equality candidates and to our work at MassEquality supporting those candidates.  Because we will continue asking a lot of you, we are committed to doing even more over the coming months to provide you with better information about the rapidly shifting political landscape on Beacon Hill and throughout the Commonwealth. To this end, I am pleased to announce that Marc Solomon will be joining MassEquality as our new Political Director on October 1st. Coming to us from his position as Legislative Director of the Freedom to Marry Coalition, Marc will work with our professional lobbyists to ensure that you and all our members have access to the most accurate and up-to-date information about how to make a difference in our campaign on a day-to-day basis. You can send your congratulations (or questions) to MarcSolomon@MassEquality.org. In addition, we are ramping up our organizing with two exciting events this weekend. On Saturday, MassEquality and the Freedom to Marry Coalition will be bringing together students and youth organizers from around the state for a historic day-long Youth Summit. To find out more about the Youth Summit or to register for this free day of inspiring speakers and practical training workshops, please visit www.MassEquality.org . And on Sunday, we are gathering for the first time leaders working at the local level to advance equality through MassEquality affiliates and Freedom to Marry chapters. Next week, we will formally launch the MassEquality Affiliate Network -- providing you with a clear and easy path to work for equality no matter where you live.  Finally, we are working improve our effectiveness as a coalition. Soon, we will make it easier for MassEquality coalition members to effectively organize to keep discrimination out of our constitution. While we are still finalizing a date, I expect to announce soon the first-ever meeting of leaders from all MassEquality coalition members. These full coalition meetings, to be scheduled monthly, will provide invaluable opportunities to exchange information and maximize the organizing potential of our tremendous coalition.  All in all, I believe we are doing everything we can to ensure that Massachusetts remains a state of equality. I look forward to seeing you in our new office for a night of phonebanking, at a MassEquality affiliate meeting, or out on the campaign trail as we use the electoral process to spread the message of equality. Our campaign in Massachusetts has vital national implications. At MassEquality, we are preparing for any challenge. As always, we rely on your continued willingness to support our efforts with your time, your voice, and your financial contributions. Our fiscal year ends tomorrow, and it seems unlikely that we will meet the $100,000 fundraising goal we had set at the beginning of the month. Meeting this goal will allow us to end the year on budget. Please take a moment today to consider the value of what MassEquality has done so far this year, our shared successes, and the groundwork we have laid to more fully prepare for the challenges of the future. If you believe, as I do, that our efforts have been a success and that we are preparing wisely to meet the new challenges we will surely face, I hope you will help us close out our fiscal year on a strong footing by making a contribution today online at www.MassEquality.org. Thank you, Marty RouseCampaign Coordinator MassEquality.org is a coalition of local and national groups dedicated to ensuring that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision on marriage equality is upheld, and that any anti-gay amendment or legislation is defeated. 

   

===  2.  Margaret Marshall to speak at fundraiser Oct. 19.   === 

Just because the Massachusetts Code of Judicial Conduct (Canon 5, Section B) states that:

 

A judge should not solicit funds for any educational, religious, charitable, fraternal, or civil organization, or use or permit the use of the prestige of his office for that purpose … He should not be a speaker or the guest of honor at an organization's fund raising events, but he may attend such events.

 . , , that doesn’t get in the way of Chief Justice Margaret Marshall, who is, after all, not bothered by such pettiness.  If she can find a “fundamental right to same-sex marriage” in our Constitution, she can certainly get by this.  On Tuesday, October 19, she’s the main speaker at a breakfast at the Boston Harbor Hotel for the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.  They’re charging up to $900 per table for admission.  If this ain’t a fundraiser, it’s an awfully expensive hotel breakfast.   You can read more about this event by clicking here.

  

===  3.  New publishing schedule, etc.  === Due to demand (well, suggestions) that we communicate in a less haphazard manner, we’ve decided to impose on ourselves a little more discipline.  We will now be publishing these email updates, until further notice, every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings at 6:00 pm.   

We’ve also had some (justified) complaints about the website being behind.  We’ll be soon announcing a regular schedule for those updates, also. LIST OF IMPORTANT PRIMARY RACES.  We’ve been working hard on that, and you’ll see it with this Sunday’s email.    There is a little over a month until the Nov. 2 elections.  This is an incredibly crucial time – what we do (or don’t do) in these elections could affect Massachusetts (and America) for decades to come.

 

AS WE’VE BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG – IT’S UP TO THE PEOPLE NOW!  THIS CAN AND WILL BE WON.

  

We can’t stress enough how, at this critical time, every dollar is desperately needed and greatly appreciated.  The homosexual movement is holding expensive dinners, getting corporate funding, and raising millions over the Internet.  Our money comes from individuals like you.

 Click here to donate to Article 8 – we depend on support from individuals!.Donations can also be mailed to:  Article 8 Alliance, PO Box 1612, Waltham, MA  02454

Or CONTACT US . . . Remember, freedom isn’t free.