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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bridge Player who wrote (469093)	2/1/2012 12:49:10 PM
From: MulhollandDrive	Respond to of 793916

i reworded my post ....the point is the mormons were involved in defeating the push for gay marriage, prop 8 was the mechanism to take away same sex marriage rights you were responding to this: I think the Mormon church is trying to counter the elite media hostility that came after the failed California gay marriage proposition. and i was responding to the point that the mormons were indeed getting a media backlash because they were involved heavily in the prop 8 advertising Message 27920622 Prop. 8 protesters target Mormon temple in Westwood Gay-rights activists criticize the church for helping to collect millions to aid passage of ban on gay marriage. Comments 0 Share321 1 2 next \| single page Matthew McKelligon of Los Angeles protests Proposition 8 in front of the Mormon temple in Westwood. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times / November 6, 2008) Also Proposition 8: Full coverage Photos: Proposition 8 protests Photos: Long Beach Proposition 8 protest Gay marriage ban: A tale of two votes Prop. 8 and Prop. 4: Narrow votes, different outcomes Propositions Precincts reporting: ~100.0% 1A: High-speed rail Yes 52.2% No 47.8% 2: Farm animals Yes 63.2% No 36.8% 3: Children’s hospitals Yes 54.7% No 45.3% 4: Abortion notification Yes 47.8% No 52.2% 5: Drug offenses Yes 40.1% No 59.9% 6: Criminal justice Yes 30.6% No 69.4% 7: Renewable energy Yes 35.0% No 65.0% 8: Gay marriage ban Yes 52.2% No 47.8% 9: Victims’ rights Yes 53.4% No 46.6% 10: Alternative fuels Yes 40.0% No 60.0% 11: Redistricting Yes 50.8% No 49.2% 12: Loans for veterans Yes 63.3% No 36.7% Proposition results by county » By Jessica Garrison and Joanna Lin November 7, 2008 More than a thousand gay-rights activists gathered Thursday afternoon outside the Mormon temple in Westwood to protest the role Mormons played in passing Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California. It was the latest in an escalating campaign directed against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for its role in marshaling millions of dollars in contributions from its members for the successful campaign to take away same-sex marriage rights. Members of the Mormon church, who were strongly urged by church leaders to contribute to the Proposition 8 campaign, had an undeniable role in the measure's victory. Opponents of Proposition 8 have accused the church of discriminating against homosexuals, but the backlash against the denomination has also sparked accusations of discrimination. During the campaign, a website established by Proposition 8 opponents used campaign finance data and other public records to track Mormon political contributions to the Yes-on-8 campaign. Opponents estimated that members of the church had given more than $20 million, but the amount is difficult to confirm since the state does not track the religious affiliation of donors. Critics of the website noted that the religious affiliations of other political donors are not generally researched. A commercial opposing Proposition 8 also drew criticism. In it, two actors portraying Mormon missionaries forced their way into the well-kept home of a married lesbian couple. "Hi, we're here from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," one says. "We're here to take away your rights," says his partner. The missionaries then rip the wedding rings from the women's fingers and ransack their house until they find the women's marriage license, which they destroy. "Hey, we have rights," one of the women says. "Not if we can help it," answers the missionary. The ad was produced by an independent group not affiliated with the official No-on-8 campaign and was shown on MSNBC and Comedy Central, according to Rick Jacobs of the Courage Campaign, a progressive political group. Jeff Flint, strategist for Yes on 8, called the ad "despicable" and said it "crossed every line of decency." "I am appalled at the level of Mormon-bashing that went on during the Proposition 8 campaign and continues to this day," he said. "If this activity were directed against any other church, if someone put up a website that targeted Jews or Catholics in a similar fashion for the mere act of participating in a political campaign, it would be widely and rightfully condemned." Members and leaders of the Catholic Church and other Christian churches were also heavily involved in the campaign to pass Proposition 8. The Knights of Columbus, which is tied to the Catholic Church, gave $1 million, and several evangelical groups gave millions more. But they have not come under the same kind of attack. Leaders of the No-on-8 campaign said they did not believe they were engaged in Mormon-bashing. "This is not about religion," said Jacobs. "This is about a church that put itself in the middle of politics." Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said she had grown up in the Mormon Church and thought it was "very disappointing what the church has done and the alliances they have made with churches that don't even like them and have called the church a cult." Church officials made few public statements during the campaign. On Thursday, they issued a statement asking for "a spirit of mutual respect and civility." "The Church acknowledges that such an emotionally charged issue concerning the most personal and cherished aspects of life -- family and marriage -- stirs fervent and deep feelings," church spokeswoman Kim Farah wrote in an e-mail. "No one on either side of the question should be vilified, harassed or subject to erroneous information." She did not elaborate.