Proposition 8

I got this off my aunt's blog. Please take the time to research this issue!! And get the word out to as many people as you can! This is so important. We can't just sit idly by and do nothing.

YOU'VE BEEN TAGGED...Here's what you do:

In a special broadcast from Salt Lake City last week we (any California citizens) were asked to 'go viral on our blogs, etc' by Elder Ballard about YES on Prop 8. See below for more information. This is my way of going viral. If you feel this is an important issue I ask that you copy and paste this email and send it to all your contacts. If you have a blog see my instructions on my blog. I have gone public fro the next month so people can copy and paste off my blog. http://www.ourpitstop.blogspot.com/ My point in emailing this to everyone...even non-California residents is: the Internet knows NO STATE LINE. You know contacts in California that I do not...as do your friends and their friends...and so on. Please do this.

I have done most of the work putting together all the good resources about this proposition so people can read about it through this email or my blog. With the links already set. Read below and you will see. Also important dates for getting your absentee ballots and mail in votes...plus the links to do it! Hopefully this takes the work out of voting for everyone and the work out of researching it.

Failure to pass Proposition 8 will hurt children. If gay marriage remains legal, public schools will put it on equal footing with traditional marriage. Children will likely receive 'age appropriate' information about sexual relations within heterosexual and homosexual marriages.

Failure to pass Proposition 8 will hurt churches. The court's decision will inevitably lead to conflicts with religious liberty and free speech rights. Society will become more and more hostile to traditional beliefs about marriage and family. Over time, greater acceptance of nontraditional marriage will be demanded of all people. This could impact the ability of any religion to teach and practice its beliefs. Including adoption agencies.

A YES vote will not hurt gays. In California, the law provides for marriage-related benefits to be given to civil unions and domestic partnerships. Proposition 8 does not diminish these benefits.

For your information:

On Friday, October 10th, 2008 a first-grade class took a field trip to witness a lesbian wedding in California. Click here for the article from the San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/11/MNFG13F1VG.DTL

A father in Massachusetts was frustrated when his twin kindergartners were taught about homosexuality at school by the teachers. He insisted he be notified in the future before such things were discussed so he could pull his boys out of school. He was taken to jail. Click here for the story. http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1352578267/bctid1819819843

A Catholic adoption agency in the UK closed their doors because of the Government's new homosexual equality laws. The Equality Act forbids discrimination in the provision of goods and services on the basis of sexual orientation. The law was forced through Parliament last year despite past Prime Minister Tony Blair's recommendation that Catholic adoption agencies be exempted from the rules. Click here for more info. http://www.tldm.org/News12/UKCatholicAdoptionAgencyForcedToCloseDoors.htm

Earlier this month judges in Connecticut overturned the state law (just as the judges in California did) to legalized gay marriage. This is not just an issue in California. We voted years ago to keep traditional marriage as the only marriage recognized in the state of California, 4 judges overturned our vote…and we need to fight back. That is what this Proposition is about. This is happening everywhere and the leaders of the church and others have warned that the outcome of California's vote will affect the way the other states vote. So PLEASE…even if you don't live in California, put this on your blog or email this on. The Internet knows no state line. You know contacts in California that I don't…and so do your friends. Please pass this on as it could eventually have an effect on everyone!

'Occasionally discouragement may darken our pathway; frustration may be a constant companion. In our ears there may sound the sophistry of Satan as he whispers, 'You cannot save the world; your small efforts are meaningless. You haven't time to be concerned for others.' Trusting in the Lord, let us turn our heads from such falsehoods and make certain our feet are firmly planted in the path of service and our hearts and souls dedicated to follow the example of the Lord.' --Thomas S. Monson

Click Here for excerpts from the Broadcast given by Elders M. Russell Ballard, Quentin L. Cook and L. Whitney Clayton. http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/church-readies-members-on-proposition-8

A good resource mentioned in the broadcast: http://www.preservingmarriage.org/

October 20th: Last day to apply for an absentee ballot if voting out of state. Click here to get one. http://www.sos.ca.gov/nvrc/fedform/

October 27th: Last day to apply for 'Vote by Mail' Click here for info. http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_m.htm#apply

November 4th: Election day. Polls close at 8:00pm. Vote by mail must be received by this time and can be hand delivered if necessary.

Hopefully, this information has been helpful. Even if you don't live in California you can make a difference by emailing this to all your contacts and getting the word out. Whether you are into politics or not...this issue is so INCREDIBLY important. I can't stress that enough. So get the word out: VOTE YES ON PROP 8 in California.

Thanks for your time. Amber