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New York Same-Sex Marriage: NOM Has A Four-Year Plan To Force Repeal

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NOM, the National Organization For Marriage, has unveiled a four-year plan to repeal New York’s same-sex marriage law. Falsely claiming that marriage equality was enacted by a “secretive, ’emergency’ process,” NOM President Brian Brown writes in an email fundraising blast (below), “why? So Governor Cuomo could make the 11 o’clock news” (on a Friday!)

READ: Can Maggie Gallagher, NOM Get The NY Same-Sex Marriage Law Repealed?

NOM’s “4-year campaign strategy that will reverse same-sex marriage in New York?”

PHASE 1:
Elect pro-marriage majorities next November that will approve a marriage amendment in both the Assembly and Senate during the 2013 legislative session.

PHASE 2:
Protect pro-marriage candidates in the 2014 elections, so that the amendment can receive final legislative approval in the 2015 legislative session.

PHASE 3:
Successfully pass the ballot measure when it goes before voters in November 2015.

And of course, NOM needs your help!

Will you stand with us today? Your gift of $49, $99, or even $999 or more, will be the first step toward reclaiming New York from the special interests and backroom deals that resulted in same-sex marriage last Friday night. Give a gift for marriage, for transparency, and for New Yorkers’ right to vote!

Let’s remember, NOM is a marketing and money-taking operation that gets tremendous support from religious institutions. They actually claim they want you to “Give a gift for marriage, for transparency, and for New Yorkers’ right to vote!”

Ludicrous!, considering Maggie Gallagher, now NOM’s Chairman, at one point was reportedly taking 33% of all NOM’s donations into her wallet, ludicrous since NOM refuses to be transparent in revealing its donors, what organizations support it, where its funding comes from, and ludicrous! because no one has a right to vote on the civil rights of others!

READ: Same-Sex Marriage: The Compleat Guide To Refudiating NOM’s Anti-Gay Lies

NOM’s “4-year campaign strategy that will reverse same-sex marriage in New York” is a joke, but it is a highly-effective marketing plan to fatten Maggie Gallagher’s wallet even more.

Remember, NOM is the same group that falsely declared New York “Gay Marriage Defeated”, that last week released a fake poll — of mostly old people — that falsely claimed the majority of New Yorkers were opposed to same-sex marriage, that delivered the bigoted and embarrassingly-ignorant David Tyree on the media, that twisted and lied about what New York State Senator and Reverend Rubén Díaz said about marriage equality being inevitable — and that’s just in the past two weeks!

NOM is an unscrupulous, professional homosexuals-hating marketing machine. But don’t be fooled — they can do some damage along the way.

Here’s Brian Brown’s email.

 

National Organization for Marriage
We Pledge $2 Million to Reverse SSM in New York - Will You Stand With Us? 

Facebook ThisTweet ThisEmail This 

Reversing SSM in New York
The Campaign Begins

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Dear Marriage Supporter,

What can you do to restore marriage in New York?

The secretive, “emergency” process by which same-sex marriage was brought to New York last Friday night has left many outraged—even some supporters of same-sex marriage. It also made one thing abundantly clear: in order to change policy on marriage, we’re going to have to change personnel in Albany—starting with the turncoat senators who made promises their constituents on marriage and then voted the opposite way.

We’ve committed to spending at least $2 million to elect pro-marriage majorities in the 2012 elections. But in order to do that we need your help. We’ll have much more to share in the days ahead, but today, the single most important thing you can do is to make a generous contribution to NOM PAC NY. Will you stand with us today?

Like you, we’re incredibly disappointed—and frustrated—at both the procedure and especially the outcome in New York last week. I still find it unfathomable that Republicans thought they would benefit from handing Governor Cuomo a victory that his own party couldn’t achieve when they were in the majority.

The ugly details of the process by which same-sex marriage came to New York is still coming to light. Here’s how the Gotham Gazette describes it:

Essentially the Senate rules were changed in a backroom agreement before session started and then changed again during the vote to make sure it would be concluded to make the 11 p.m. newscasts.

Sen. Kevin Parker, a long time proponent of same-sex marriage, was informed by Senate staff that he would not be able to explain his vote. He was livid. He cursed out the governor and eventually stormed to the podium where Duffy was presiding—a number of other Democratic senators followed him, seemingly to calm him down.

Earlier when Sen. Ruben Diaz tried to lay the marriage bill aside he was ignored. Normal Senate procedure allows for any senator to lay a bill aside for debate. It gives legislators a chance to debate the bill then when they vote, they again have the chance to explain their vote. But the rules weren’t the same. . . .

After realizing he would not be allowed to speak despite his protests, Parker tried to leave the floor. The door he tried to exit was locked. Earlier Duffy had asked the crowd not to leave the chamber during the vote. Cuomo’s people—staff and security—had been in and out of the side door locking and unlocking it all during the debate. At one point a man wearing an ear piece emerged and surveyed the route Cuomo would take. When Parker tried to leave the door was locked again.

“I go to the door, and I tried to leave, and they had us locked in. I tried to leave, and they had us locked on to the floor,” Parker said. Finally he made it out of the chamber. “One sergeant of arms physically grabbed me. I was appalled. I’m a senator.” Parker then made his way through an ante chamber. “A plain clothes cop and secretary tried to close the door again,” he explains, trying to block his exit. “I’ve never seen a member treated in such a manner. I’ve never seen white member treated that way,” Parker, who is black, said. He was again also confronted by another sergeant of arms.

The bill was declared an emergency—allowing them to introduce new religious liberty language just hours before the vote, instead of the usual 3 days. The rules were changed again while the vote was taking place—and even senators treated shamefully, essentially locked on the floor of the Senate—and why? So Governor Cuomo could make the 11 o’clock news.

It’s high time for change in Albany.

A constitutional amendment in New York requires approval from the legislature in two successive legislatures—and does not require the governor’s signature—before going to the voters for final approval.

We’re putting together a 4-year campaign strategy that will reverse same-sex marriage in New York. We’ll have many more details, and ways for you to get involved, in the days ahead but the overall plan will have three phases:

PHASE 1:
Elect pro-marriage majorities next November that will approve a marriage amendment in both the Assembly and Senate during the 2013 legislative session.

PHASE 2:
Protect pro-marriage candidates in the 2014 elections, so that the amendment can receive final legislative approval in the 2015 legislative session.

PHASE 3:
Successfully pass the ballot measure when it goes before voters in November 2015.

A 4-year process seems like a long time—and it is—but it’s achievable. In New Hampshire and Iowa, they’ve had same-sex marriage for just 2 years, but are already well on the way to reversal. The key to success is electing legislative majorities who will answer to the people of their state, and not to special interests.

Tim Gill, the Human Rights Campaign and their allies are already promising millions to defend Republican senators who voted for same-sex marriage. But we’ve successfully defeated every pro-ssm Republican we’ve ever targeted, and I’m convinced we can do so again. We don’t have to match Tim Gill dollar for dollar—but we do need resources to make sure voters remember how they were betrayed on marriage. Republican primary voters are strongly pro-marriage, and don’t take kindly to politicians who say one thing and then do another.

Will you stand with us today? Your gift of $49, $99, or even $999 or more, will be the first step toward reclaiming New York from the special interests and backroom deals that resulted in same-sex marriage last Friday night. Give a gift for marriage, for transparency, and for New Yorkers’ right to vote!

Then stay tuned for more to come in the days ahead—and tell your friends to join us as we launch this campaign to reclaim marriage in New York!

Brian BrownFaithfully,

Brian BrownBrian S. Brown
President, National Organization for Marriage
Treasurer, NOM PAC New York

 

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Two-Thirds of Americans Say Economy is Keeping Them From Having Babies

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Nearly two-thirds of Americans aren’t having babies due to the economy, according to a new poll.

According to a Harris-Guardian poll, many Americans are deciding against having children, with 65% saying that they’ve decided against having children because they’re worried about the economy and doubt they could afford it.

The poll also asked about other regular life milestones. Americans are also holding off on getting married (60%), buying a house (75%) or pursuing higher education (61%). It’s not just major events, either—65% said the cost of living had only gotten higher since January, and half said they were having difficulty paying for regular living expenses.

READ MORE: Nikki Haley: Frozen Embryos Are ‘Babies’

A majority of adults, 52%, blamed either tariffs (29%) or other government policies (23%) for causing their household economic woes. Only 4% blamed themselves, with another 6% blaming employers; 16% blamed something altogether different. The only group that largely felt the economy was getting better was Republicans; 33% said it was getting worse, compared to 73% of Democrats and 64% of independents.

The survey of 2,102 adult Americans was conducted between April 24-26. The margin of error is 2.5%.

America’s birth rate has been declining since the 1950s, barring a small bump between 1978 and 1988, according to Macrotrends. In the last 40 years, the number of live births has fallen from a peak of 15.5 live births per 1,000 people in 1988 to 12.01 births in 2024.

The Trump administration has urged Americans to have more children. In April, President Donald Trump floated the idea of giving out a “baby bonus” of $5,000 to new parents, according to CBS News.

While not as generous, the House GOP’s first draft of the budget includes $1,000 to be placed in “MAGA accounts” for new babies, according to Raw Story. The $1,000 could come in handy for new parents—but a May 9 report from CBS estimates Trump’s tariffs have added $1,000 to the cost of raising a child. (This does not take into account Monday’s announcement of reduced tariffs on Chinese goods.)

Declining birth rates could lead to an imbalance of demographics. As Americans get older, there are fewer young people to fill their shoes in the workplace. Fewer workers means lower tax revenue, and aging typically means an increase in health care costs, as Mike Walden, Reynolds Distinguished Professor Emeritus at North Carolina State University, points out.

It’s not all downsides, however. Walden says lower birth rates could also lessen competition for good housing. It could also lead to less traffic congestion, less waste and more land for food production.

Image via Shutterstock

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Trump Promises to Lower Drug Costs as House GOP Tries to Cut $880B From Medicaid

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday aimed at cutting drug costs. Meanwhile, his fellow Republicans in the House are trying to gut Medicaid.

Trump’s executive order, “Delivering Most-Favored-Nation Prescription Drug Pricing to American Patients,” is an attempt to “equalize evident price discrimination,” allowing Americans to pay the same price as other “comparably developed nations.”

“This abuse of Americans’ generosity, who deserve low-cost pharmaceuticals on the same terms as other developed nations, must end.  Americans will no longer be forced to pay almost three times more for the exact same medicines, often made in the exact same factories.  As the largest purchaser of pharmaceuticals, Americans should get the best deal,” the EO reads in part.

READ MORE: ‘Pushed Up to the Edge of the Cliff’: GOP Proposals Would Kick Millions Off Health Care

Prior to the announcement, Trump posted to Truth Social that “DRUG PRICES TO BE CUT BY 59%,” but did not provide details on where that figure came from. It is also unclear if the White House has the authority to enforce this order, according to NPR.

PhRMA President and CEO Steve Ubl dismissed the executive order, saying that it was other countries paying such low prices that drives up costs for Americans. Ubl implied that the executive order may require those countries to pay more.

“The Administration is right to use trade negotiations to force foreign governments to pay their fair share for medicines. U.S. patients should not foot the bill for global innovation,” Ubl said. “Importing foreign prices from socialist countries would be a bad deal for American patients and workers. It would mean less treatments and cures and would jeopardize the hundreds of billions our member companies are planning to invest in America – threatening jobs, hurting our economy and making us more reliant on China for innovative medicines.”

While Trump was promising to help American health care consumers on Monday, the night before, his colleagues in the House revealed legislation that would cut over $880 billion in Medicaid funding. Republicans say that the cuts will result in savings to the average American, but Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) said “millions of Americans will lose their health care coverage,” according to the AP.

“Hospitals will close, seniors will not be able to access the care they need, and premiums will rise for millions of people if this bill passes,” Pallone continued.

Not all Republicans are on board with this bill. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri wrote a guest essay for The New York Times condemning the legislation. He called the bill “both morally wrong and politically suicidal.”

“If Republicans want to be a working-class party — if we want to be a majority party — we must ignore calls to cut Medicaid and start delivering on America’s promise for America’s working people,” Hawley wrote.

Image via Reuters

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US Lifts Ban on Afghan Deportations, Despite UN Warning of ‘Escalating Crisis’

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Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Monday that the ban on deporting Afghans had been lifted due to improvements in their home country. The United Nations has warned this isn’t the case, and deportees could be in danger.

The about-face is yet another example of the Trump administration reversing a Biden-era policy. Beginning in 2022, Afghan refugees were granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS), according to NPR. In addition to stopping deportation, TPS also gives refugees authorization to work in the United States.

Noem said the decision to rescind TPS was due to improving conditions in Afghanistan, citing an “improved security situation” and “stabilizing economy,” according to The Hill. The TPS designation expires on May 20, and becomes effective July 12, 60 days after the announcement is scheduled to be officially published in the Federal Register.

READ MORE: Trump Team Pushing ‘Utter Propaganda’ on Deportations to Create ‘Climate of Fear’: Experts

Despite Noem saying Afghanistan is safe for refugees, the State Department still gives the country a “Do Not Travel” designation. The State Department warns “travel to all areas of Afghanistan is unsafe,” according to NPR.

The United Nations also disputes Noem’s claims. A report published by the U.N. last month refers to an “escalating humanitarian crisis” in the country, and say increase deportations could further destabilize things. Iran and Pakistan have forcibly deported 96,000 Afghan refugees in April alone, the U.N. reported.

Afghan refugees in America—even those with green cards—say they’re afraid to return.

“It doesn’t matter just how you got here,” Muhammad Amiri, a Afghan refugee with legal permanent residency, told NPR. “We don’t feel safe, and we don’t feel good because now, we feel threatened, if they send us back to our country, it will be the same story. [We] feel threatened to be tortured, maybe be killed by [the] Taliban.”

Though Amiri has a green card, the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration has many worried. Amiri’s fiancée is in Afghanistan, and he told NPR he was afraid to visit her, due to fears he may not be allowed back into the country. Amiri’s fears are not unfounded; Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at airports have already turned away or detained those who come to the United States legally, according to The Verge.

The Taliban,a militant Islamic fundamentalist group, is still in control of Afghanistan. The Taliban bans women from working or being educated. This week, it also banned chess, according to the Telegraph. The Taliban has been in control since the 2021 withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country, ending the longest war in which America has been involved.

Image via Reuters

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