Ohio AG certifies petition for Freedom to Marry and Religious Freedom Amendment

The Ohio AG has approved the petition
filed by Freedom to Marry Ohio. The
next step is the Ohio Ballot Board.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has certified the petition for the Freedom to Marry and Religious Freedom Amendment.

This means that it will be sent to the Ohio Ballot Board to ensure the amendment contains a single issue and, if so, petitioners can begin to gather the signatures necessary to put the measure on the ballot.

Interestingly, today a federal judge is expected to issue a ruling on whether or not Ohio must recognize the marriages of gay couples who marry in other states.

Ohio voters approved a state-wide gay marriage ban in 2004.

According to the summary, the amendment would repeal and replace Section 11 to Article XV of the Ohio Constitution to:

• Allow two consenting adults not nearer of kin than second cousin, and not having a husband or wife living, the freedom to enter into a marriage regardless of gender.
• Define religious house of worship as one where the primary activity is religious worship and provides that no house of worship or its clergy shall be required to perform a marriage.
• Provide that all legally valid marriages shall be treated equally under the law.

Here is the press release with a link to the petition:

(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today determined that the proposed Freedom to Marry and Religious Freedom Amendment seeking to amend Article XV, Section 11 of the Ohio Constitution submitted the required 1000 valid signatures of Ohio electors and a summary of the amendment that is a "fair and truthful "statement of the proposed law.

Attorney General DeWine has sent letters to both the committee that represents the petitioners and Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted.

"Without passing on the advisability of the approval or rejection of the measure to be referred but pursuant to the duties imposed on the Attorney General's Office under Section 3519.01(A) of the Ohio Revised Code, I hereby certify that the summary is a fair and truthful statement of the proposed constitutional amendment," Attorney General DeWine stated in a letter to the petitioners.

Once the summary language and initial signatures are certified, the Ohio Ballot Board must determine if the amendment contains a single or multiple issues. The petitioners must then collect signatures in 44 of Ohio's 88 counties, equal to 5 percent of the total vote cast in the county for the office of governor at the last gubernatorial election. Total signatures collected statewide must also equal 10 percent of the vote cast for the office of governor in the last gubernatorial election

The full text of today's letter and of the amendment petition may be found at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/BallotInitiatives.

If you enjoy your freedom, thank a Vet!

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it." ~ Thomas Paine

Last night, I slept very soundly. I had no fear of being pulled out of my bed in the middle of the night and carted off to some detention center.

I awoke this morning and turned on the radio - talk radio, that is - and listened to news and opinion that hadn't been filtered through the state. And it came from a station broadcasting publicly without fear of reprisals for doing so.

I drove my husband to the plant where he's working this week. It's a privately-owned company that makes a product of its choosing and employs willing workers - all benefitting from a (relatively) free market.

I crossed a state line and didn't need papers of any kind. I passed through no checkpoints and had no curfew. I was free to travel where I wanted, when I wanted and no one questioned me about where I was going or what I was doing.

On the way home, I considered stopping for carryout - or maybe doing some grocery shopping. I had no fear of shortages, lines or rations.

And now, I'm connected to the entire world through the Internet, posting my opinions on line and I have no fear of being arrested for what I write or say.

I'm an American - with all the freedoms and benefits of liberty promised and established by our nation's founders - but guaranteed by those who have served to protect them: our Veterans.

For all these things, the simple words, 'Thank you!' just don't seem like enough, though they convey the eternal gratitude of so many.

So to all the Veterans, thank you so very much for ensuring my freedom and for safeguarding our nation, our rights and our liberty!

Happy Veterans Day!

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." ~ Ronald Reagan

What do Toledo and Memphis have in common?

Well, besides being dominated by the Democratic Party, having high unemployment, poor economic growth, and a host of depressing conditions? They've both drawn the attention of the Freedom From Religion Foundation over their prayers before city council meetings.

While visiting my family in Memphis this past weekend, I happened to page through the Sunday paper looking for the section with the movie schedule. That's when the lead story in their local news section caught my eye: "Council prayers draw protest" (on-line headline is expanded). When I saw that it was the same organization that protested Toledo's prayers, I read the whole article.

Interestingly, the letters sent to the two city councils (Memphis letter here, Toledo letter here) are nearly identical when it comes to the prayer section. Memphis also does a 'Chaplain of the Day' program which draws the ire of the foundation.

The foundation has also targeted Tehachapi, CA, Turlock, CA, North Richland Hills, TX, and Philadelphia, PA, with the same letter and objections. All in the last month.

This is an organization of only 14,000 members nationwide, with headquarters in Madison, WI. It was incorporated in 1978 and led by co-presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, who are married. According to their IRS 990 form for 2008, they have roughly $6.5 million in assets and had income of about $2 million from grants, membership dues, contributions, interest and program revenue. Memberships range from $40 for an individual up to $5,000 for an 'After-Life' membership (one-time payment).

Since July of this year, they've issued 12 action alerts to their members, In 2008, they only issued five. In 2007, it was eight alerts and in 2006, it was nine.

I believe this organization is embarking upon a coordinated campaign to raise the awareness of their group. Now, that's probably what the members would want them to do, and they are keeping with the stated goals of their organization in doing so.

However, as a Toledoan, I resent being used as a pawn for their public relations efforts. And I wonder if other people feel the same way.

The Freedom From Religion website says that only 14% of the American public is non-religious, according to a CUNY American Religious Identification Survey conducted in 2001. Which means that 86% of the population has some sort of religious belief, with 77% identifying themselves as Christian.

Most city councils who have prayers rotate among various clergy members from all faiths. FFRF objects because the majority of the prayers offered by those clergy members are 'too christian' in content. Is it any wonder, since three-fourths of the population is Christian?

Here's an idea: If atheists want to 'be represented' in the rotation of 'prayers,' that's simple. Just ensure that 14% of the meetings have no prayer. In Toledo, that means 3 of the 26 council meetings would not have anything. This way, everyone, including atheists/agnostics would be represented. How could such an idea possibly 'offend' a nation that teaches tolerance for others' views and beliefs?

Somehow, though, I don't believe the FRRF would agree. From their website:

"(We fail to see why divine guidance is needed over such earthly matters, anyway.)"

They are not interested in being tolerant and inclusive of all views. They don't want any religious demonstration in any way by any part of government - no matter what other people think or want. And they're willing to sue to ensure their opinions and desires are the ones everyone must live by.

As I've said before - we have a prohibition in our Constitution against government establishing a religion. I know what the courts say, but common sense will tell you that government doesn't 'establish' any religion when it allows prayers from all faiths to take place prior to a meeting. And isn't 'atheism' a religion in its own way? Isn't rejection of a deity a type of 'belief' in and of itself?

The Constitution never guaranteed freedom from religion ... something this foundation fails to acknowledge. And since they are likely to pressure politicians into agreeing with them, we will all have to live by their beliefs instead of our own.

Random thoughts on a rainy Friday

* Lisa Renee at Glass City Jungle has a post about the Freedom From Religion Foundation's opposition to the prayers said prior to Toledo City Council meetings.

First, I thought the Constitution guaranteed our freedom OF religion, not FROM. Also, despite my Christianity, I'm NEVER offended by someone of another religion offering up a prayer and have never thought that a prayer from a Muslim, Jew, Hindu, etc, prior to any gathering, including a political/governmental one, would in any way whatsoever hinder my participation in the function.

And then I wondered, considering all the talk about 'representing' the community, just what the religious affiliation of Toledo was. The Census Bureau is prohibited by law from tracking religion as a statistic, so it's hard to tell what portion of the city's population identifies itself as religious, or to get a breakdown of which religions. Here's the question: if the majority of citizens identify themselves as 'Christian' and the city council is trying to be representative of the community in their selection people to offer prayers, isn't it likely that the majority of those prayers will have Christian overtones?

Here's the other point: tolerance. I'm tolerant of people who have a different religion than me, or who are atheist/agnostic. Why can't they be tolerant of me and my Christian faith? And if they don't like the prayer being offered, can't they just get up and leave during that portion?

And just who is the person identified in the letter from this organization that is so offended by a prayer that mentions Christianity and Jesus Christ? Are they as offended by the mention of Muhammad by an Imam who practices Islam? The letter doesn't say...

* I'm tired of polls that ask people what they think about something without first finding out if the people can properly define the subject matter PRIOR to offering an opinion. I've written about this in relation to a poll about the recession and am now seeing it in polls about health care.

From a recent Denver Post story:

"Nearly 8 in 10 Americans support a federal health insurance plan for those who can't afford or can't get private insurance, but only 37 percent define "public option" correctly, a new national poll found."

If 63% of the people can't define a 'public option' correctly, why would we trust their support for it? How can they be in favor of something if they don't really know what it is?

At least this poll asked about the definition. Most pollsters don't want to include that aspect in their questions for fear of the criticism I've just given.

* This morning I heard a news clip of Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner saying that the only mayoral candidate he's heard present an economic development plan is Republican Jim Moody. Considering Carty's history, I could only wonder if this was the kiss of death for the Moody campaign.

* I love rainy days when the clouds make it so dark in the house that you need to turn on the lights. I love the sound of the rain on the windows and the way I can watch the heavier downpours move across the surface of Maumee Bay. It's the kind of day where you want to stay in your pajamas, curled up on the couch with a good book or good movies on TV.

Alas, nothing good on TV and, not being able to predict the weather, I spent all day Wednesday reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. So I guess I'll have to get my work done, instead.