This past Sunday, an excited and focused group of people
gathered together for a singular purpose - to let our government leaders know
that we stand for traditional marriage and for the right to vote on issues that
affect the moral compass of our society.
Deitrick and Damita Haddon, the
Rev. Walter Fauntroy and the Rev. Alveda King (niece of Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr.) were among the notables who spoke. Here
is the speech I delivered at that event.
Today we are gathering in front of the greatest symbol
of American power - the Capitol. We come here today to express our confidence
in the institution of marriage. More specifically, we have also come to say to
the residents of Washington, D.C.; our two houses of Congress, the Supreme
Court and the President of these great United States that marriage (in its
traditional form) is one of the nation's richest treasures.
At the same time, we have come to voice extreme displeasure with the fact that there is a concerted effort by same-sex marriage advocates to steal the people's right to vote on this issue. From Sacramento, Calif. to Boston, Mass. and many points in between, we see a pattern emerging. The pattern is of runaway legislatures and overreaching judges imposing their vision for American's future without the express permission of the people.
Time and time again these groups search the dusty pages of our state, national or city charters or constitutions and somehow "discover" a right to re-define marriage. The better word would be that they "manufacture" new rights and benefits for our historic documents. If what we have at stake culturally were not so serious, it could almost become the substance of a stand-up comedy routine entitled - Justice: American style?
What we have here is injustice in which a privileged minority is imposing its will upon the concerned majority of the American people. Preventing the people from voting on marriage, is essentially denying all Americans our most fundamental right under the Constitution.
In 1954, a young black man was threatened at gunpoint by a state trooper. The trooper discharged his weapon right over the head of this zealous African-American, who had participated in voter registration and right-to-vote activism. This U.S. Navy veteran was so incensed that his Constitutional right to vote had been stolen by an abuse of power by elected officials, that he left the southern state where this incident occurred and threw himself into grassroots volunteer work in every election until his death. The young man I described was my father.
In 2010, the civil rights movement's glory and impact upon our culture is being hijacked. As I have already stated, a well-funded and well-organized minority is attempting to impose its will on the entire nation. At the same time, a growing majority believes that same-sex marriage and its impact on education and community laws are bad for America. Take for the example the debate going on in Helena, Mont. School children are going to be assaulted with inappropriate information at very early ages.
Same-sex marriage activists repeatedly declare that their victory is "inevitable." Their statements, if examined closely, actually reveal that their victory is anything, but inevitable. These declarations remind me of the threats youthful bullies made in my neighborhood when I was growing up. Taunting, jeering, and name-calling were all apart of their reign of intimidation.
We declare that there is coming an unprecedented political backlash against same-sex marriage being forced down our collective throats. Outraged parents, churches and other civic groups are waking up to the ramifications of a massive change to the definitions of marriage, family, and education. We will vote same-sex marriage activists out of office from the school board to the White House and every place in between!
Activist judges like Joseph Tauro in Massachusetts, Vaughn Walker in California, and the members of the Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. are examples of why it's so dangerous when judges usurp law-making authority and rip public policy decisions out of the proper hands. During the last two years, state legislatures and judges have played a tug of war with the people concerning the world's oldest social institution.
The battle will soon be over as marriage defenders fight back in the courts, in elections, and in the court of public opinion as well. We have over 5,000 years of history, proven social science, natural law, the teachings of every major religion, and common sense on our side.
Let's all vote for people in the 2010 election who understand the basics - marriage is between one man and one woman!
In conclusion, I repeat the almost inimitable words of Martin Luther King, Jr. - "Let Freedom Ring!"
