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Showing posts with label amendment. Show all posts
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Mitt Romney Woos Christian Voters & Addresses Gay Marriage At Liberty University: "One Man & One Woman Before God"
Was Mitt Romney wooing Christian Voters today at Liberty University? Of Course! Just as Pres. Obama is wooing Gay Voters by Endorsing Gay Marriage.
And why would Romney mention his Mormon Faith at a Christian University?
Sometimes the Mainstream Media can be so Stupid!
In Liberty Address, Romney Defends Christian Values
In a bid to win over evangelical voters who have been skeptical of his candidacy, Mitt Romney offered a forceful defense of faith and conservative Christian values, including his stance that marriage should be between only a man and a woman.
In highlighting the virtues of American values before graduates of Liberty University, founded by Jerry Falwell, Mr. Romney said, “As fundamental as these principles are, they may become topics of democratic debate.”
“So it is today with the enduring institution of marriage,” he said. “Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman.”
Mr. Romney’s closely watched speech comes at an important juncture for the presumptive Republican nominee. Even as he moves to appeal to the general electorate, particularly independent voters, he must also solidify his support among evangelical Christians, an important part of the Republican base, many of whom had supported his rival, Rick Santorum.
Throughout the Republican primary contests, many evangelical Christians were wary of embracing Mr. Romney, citing his Mormon faith and what they saw as his lack of conviction on social issues, like same-sex marriage, abortion and the ability of religious institutions to keep birth control coverage out of their health plans, which is seen as a test of religious freedom.
Mr. Romney made sure to address those issues in his speech to the university’s crowd of 6,000 graduates and 30,000 friends and family members.
“Religious liberty is the first freedom in our Constitution,” he said. “And whether the cause is justice for the persecuted, compassion for the needy and the sick, or mercy for the child waiting to be born, there is no greater force for good in the nation than Christian conscience in action.”
And he added, “It strikes me as odd that the free exercise of religious faith is sometimes treated as a problem, something America is stuck with instead of being blessed with,” he said. “Perhaps religious conscience upsets the designs of those who feel that the highest wisdom and authority comes from government.”
Mr. Romney mentioned historic Christian figures, including Pope John Paul II, the novelist C.S. Lewis, Billy Graham, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Charles Colson, the Nixon enforcer who went on to become an important evangelical leader. And in a nod to his Republican rival, Mr. Romney also cited Mr. Santorum, saying Mr. Santorum had stressed to him that “culture matters,” that marriage, family and work determine success in life.
“What you believe, what you value, how you live, matters,” Mr. Romney said.
Without mentioning his Mormon faith directly, Mr. Romney also tried to assuage those evangelicals who are wary of his church. “People of different faiths, like yours and mine, sometimes wonder where we can meet in common purpose, when there are so many differences in creed and theology,” Mr. Romney said. “Surely the answer is that we can meet in service, in shared moral convictions about our nation stemming from a common worldview.”
The reaction from evangelical leaders was generally positive. “I thought it was a really good speech,” said Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, who had backed Mr. Santorum. “He hit on the religious freedom aspect, again recognizing the shared values while acknowledging the theological differences he has with them. I think he made very clear what marriage is, and in the context of his speech he spoke about the importance of marriage and the family, even giving a hat tip to Senator Santorum.”
“I don’t think I could have improved upon the speech,” he added.
Gary L. Bauer, the president of a Christian advocacy group called American Values, who had strongly pushed for Mr. Santorum, said that this speech would help assuage the concerns of Christian evangelicals.
“I thought it was a home run, and I think so will most values voters,” he said. “He also clearly stood for the sanctity of life, clearly stood for the traditional definition of marriage, and I think importantly, encouraged the students to be bold and stand for those kinds of values, too. I think it’s going to be hard for critics to find much in this to criticize.”
Despite concerns about Mr. Romney’s faith, surveys suggest that evangelicals are beginning to rally behind Mr. Romney’s candidacy. In the latest New York Times/CBS News national telephone poll, conducted last month, 59 percent of evangelical voters said they would vote for Mr. Romney if the election was held today, and among white evangelicals, that number was 72 percent.
Before his speech, some Liberty students, expressing distrust of Mr. Romney’s Mormon faith, were upset at his selection as the commencement speaker.
The university’s student newspaper, The Liberty Champion, even offered pro and con commentary on its editorial page, arguing in the “con” column that, “Choosing Romney to speak continues a dangerous and unethical trend.”
“Mitt Romney was announced as Liberty’s 39th commencement speaker, great — but he is a Mormon,” one article said.
Those concerns seemed to have dissipated yesterday. The crowd reacted warmly.
Debbi Bowen, whose daughter graduated from Liberty’s law school on Saturday, said that while Mr. Romney was not the main attraction — “I’m more excited about my daughter’s graduation, to be honest,” she said — she had no problem with him giving the commencement address.
“I’m glad to see there’s a variety and you don’t have to be one type to speak here,” Ms. Bowen said.
Romney builds inter-faith bridge in Liberty U commencement address
Mitt Romney used the commencement address he delivered Saturday at Liberty University to draw lines between the faith of the evangelical university - especially its founder, the late Rev. Jerry Falwell - and his own.
Among the shared values are Romney's view on marriage, which the GOP presidential candidate raised on Saturday for the first time in a speech since President Barack Obama announced on Wednesday that he personally supports same-sex marriages.
"Culture matters. As fundamental as these principles are, they may become topics of democratic debate," Romney said. "So it is today with the enduring institution of marriage. Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman."
Romney said that "people of different faiths, like yours and mine, sometimes wonder where we can meet in common purpose, when there are so many differences in creed and theology."
"Surely the answer is that we can meet in service, in shared moral convictions about our nation stemming from a common worldview," he continued. “The best case for this is always the example of Christian men and women working and witnessing to carry God's love into every life."
His invitation to keynote the graduation was initially eyed skeptically by some students and others, who took to social media in protest of the Mormon's presence.
But Romney never mentioned his Mormon faith, and both he and the school sought to look past their differences.
The trustee board executive committee chair Mark DeMoss introduced Romney and encouraged the audience to recognize the difference between knowing someone personally, and simply knowing of them.
"You see, you can know about someone simply by reading about him or her," he said. "But you can only know someone by spending time with them."
DeMoss, who is also a senior advisor to Romney's campaign, recounted a meeting between Romney and the late Falwell, whose son is now chancellor of the school, as well as his own support of the candidate, which stretches back to Romney's term as governor of Massachusetts.
Romney offered a tribute to Falwell, who founded Liberty 40 years ago, remembering him as "courageous and big-hearted minister of the Gospel."
He praised the school for instilling "conviction and confidence" in its students, and lauded the graduates' "moral certainty, clear standards, and a commitment to spiritual ideals," which they share with other greats from history.
"Christianity is not the faith of the complacent, the comfortable or of the timid. It demands and creates heroic souls like Wesley, Wilberforce, Bonhoeffer, John Paul the Second, and Billy Graham," he said. "Each showed, in their own way, the relentless and powerful influence of the message of Jesus Christ. May that be your guide."
Some students, such as J.D. Wilkinson, a worship and music studies major from Springfield, Massachusetts, told CNN that they liked that Romney spoke out on the same-sex marriage issue.
"This school has always been about being not politically correct, just saying it, just telling the truth how it is and I thought he did that," Wilkinson said. "I think that's fresh in today's world and I think that's needed."
Another, Michael Kildare, said he doesn't identify strongly with a particular political party but is open to hearing more about Romney after today's speech. Kildare, who is from Orlando, Florida, will return to his home city to take a job as a computer technician.
"I was kind of skeptical at first but he definitely said some things that I have to take into consideration," he said. "He's definitely a good candidate for the presidency and I definitely look forward to his other speeches and other campaign ideas."
Romney did let his politics slip into his remarks, including an apparent jab at President Barack Obama.
"Lately, I've found myself thinking about life in four-year stretches," he told the 6,000 graduates present. "And let's just say that not everybody has achieved as much in these last four years as you have."
In a sign that the heated GOP primaries are behind him, Romney tipped his hat to former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, crediting his one-time rival for sharing statistics which support his own marriage stance. And Romney recalled the challenges of those primaries when he recognized restaurant founder Truett Cathy, who Liberty University recognized for his philanthropic efforts.
"The Romney campaign comes to a sudden stop when we spot a Chick-fil-A," Romney said. "Your chicken sandwiches were our comfort food through the primary season, and heaven knows there were days that we needed a lot of comfort."
Looking out at the graduates, who he noted are entering the job market, the presidential candidate teased about his current occupational hopes.
"Promotions often mark the high points in a career," he said. "I hope I haven't seen the last one of those."
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Sources: CNN, Fox News, NY Times, Washington Post, Youtube, Google Maps
North Carolina's Democratic Party Is A Corrupt, Dysfunctional, Political Hot Mess! 2012 Obama Trouble!
North Carolina's Democratic Party is a Racist, Corrupt, Confused Political Hot Mess!
And Due to a recent Gay Sexual Harassment Scandal among State Party leaders, North Carolina's Democratic Party is even more chaotic & messed up!
Yes, right now its truly embarrassing to be a Democrat if you live in North Carolina.
Its a Fact NC Democrats are making the National Democratic Party look so BAD!
That's why as a NC Resident I am a Registered Independent.
All of this Political Dysfunction is sure to cause major problems for Pres. Obama's 2012 re-election chances because North Carolina is a Battleground state.
Considering North Carolina's extremely Racist, Klan loving history I'm beginning to think some NC Democratic Party Leaders are Intentionally trying to create havoc because they really don't want him to Win.
Just a thought.
You don't have to agree.
North Carolina a political headache for Democrats
Once a bright spot for President Barack Obama, North Carolina is now more like a political migraine less than four months before Democrats open the party's national convention in Charlotte.
The causes are plenty.
Labor unions, a core Democratic constituency, are up in arms. Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue isn't running for re-election; Democrats say she was likely to lose. The state Democratic Party is in disarray over an explosive sexual harassment scandal. Voters recently approved amending the state constitution to ban gay marriage, a position that runs counter to Obama's. And unemployment in the state remains persistently high.
"Nobody can sugarcoat the fact that we got problems here," said Gary Pearce, a former Democratic consultant who was an adviser to former Democratic Gov. Jim Hunt. Pearce was referring specifically to state party woes but could have been talking about any of the troubles here for Democrats.
But, he added: "I think the greatest strength that the party has is President Obama. And he's the thing that people will rally around."
It wasn't supposed to be like this — at least that was the hope — when Democrats chose Charlotte to host the national convention, where Obama will formally accept his party's presidential nomination for a second time, Sept. 4-6.
When Democrats announced the choice in February 2011, they said selecting the Southern city signaled Obama's intent to fight hard for the conservative-leaning state like he did in 2008. They also highlighted the economic transformation in the state and in Charlotte — from tobacco, textiles and furniture-making to research, energy and banking. Party leaders noted the state's strong political leadership and expressed hope that a Perdue re-election bid would get a boost from the attention that would be lavished on the convention.
Now traditional Democratic Party groups are threatening huge protests in part because they're deeply uncomfortable that the convention is being held in one of the least union-friendly states. And thousands of Democrats across the country are calling for the convention to be relocated because of the gay-marriage vote.
Democrats say that won't happen.
"Charlotte is going to host a great convention," insisted Mayor Anthony Foxx, who pushed to bring the event to North Carolina's largest city.
Said Democratic National Convention in Charlotte spokeswoman Joanne Peters: "The convention is staying in Charlotte."
Republicans point out the obvious.
"North Carolina is a mess for the Democratic Party and for President Obama," said Republican National Committee spokesman Matt Connelly.
Four years ago, Obama became the first Democrat to carry North Carolina since Jimmy Carter in 1976. He did it by exploiting voter anger at President George W. Bush and assembling a diverse coalition of supporters, including huge numbers of minorities who had never been politically organized and young voters. State law allowed people to register to vote on Election Day, which also meant the large student vote could be tapped.
The campaign also targeted highly educated newcomers to the state.
Obama's team has been hopeful about replicating that effort, while mindful of the new challenges confronting him here. They note that there are enough states in play that Obama can find a strategy to get the necessary 270 electoral votes to win a second term without the 15 North Carolina offers, while Republican Mitt Romney's path to victory is more limited, meaning he's more likely to need a victory here.
Criticism began immediately after Charlotte was announced.
Many labor leaders were upset that the convention would be held in a state that offers few protections for workers and in a city with no union hotels. While some unions plan to attend, more than a dozen trade unions are boycotting. Union protests also are planned for convention week.
But unions aren't the only ones stirring trouble for Obama.
Politically, things are much different in the state.
State unemployment was 9.7 percent in March, well above the national average of 8.2 percent that month, and it's much higher in some rural counties.
There's also the fired-up Republican base that turned out Tuesday to approve the constitutional ban on gay marriage. The vote prompted more than 28,000 people to sign an online petition — by the New York-based Gay Marriage USA — to move the convention from Charlotte. Twitter also was flooded with similar sentiment from angry supporters of same-sex marriage. Obama stated his support for gay marriage a day after the vote.
Democrats want to include gay marriage in the platform to be adopted at the convention. That could create controversy at a gathering that's intended to promote party unity by drawing attention to a divisive social issue when the economy remains the most pressing concern.
What's more, the state Democratic Party is in disarray.
With sagging poll numbers, Perdue announced in January that she would not seek a second term. Her decision came on the heels of bruising budget battles with the GOP-controlled Legislature. Republicans in 2010 captured the Legislature for the first time in 140 years.
Then there's the sex scandal roiling the state party.
State Party Chairman David Parker has refused to resign — although he has said he won't seek re-election — despite pressure to step down from Perdue and other Democrats who say his presence leading the party has become a distraction. Sexual harassment allegations against executive director Jay Parmley by a former party employee have siphoned off all the political air in North Carolina.
The turmoil is churning just as Democrats accelerate preparations for the convention.
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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, WRAL, Google Maps
Phil Bryant To Bev Perdue: "Mississippi's Low Tax State Is Better For Business Than NC"
Newly elected Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant To Incumbent North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue:
"Mississippi's Low Tax State Is Better For Business Than North Carolina's".
He's right!
North Carolina's Business Climate is Horrible under Bev Perdue's High Tax Administration.
Perdue Loves to Tax but Hates Reform & she refuses to Clamp down on Corruption unless its BLACK Community Corruption.
She has NO problem stepping on the necks of BLACK North Carolina Residents.
Mississippi leaders, residents fire back after Perdue's insult
Gov. Bev Perdue made it clear Friday how she feels about voters approving a Constitutional amendment defining marriage in North Carolina as between one man and one woman. In doing so, she likely offended residents of two states.
Reporters asked Perdue about the amendment, which passed by about 500,000 votes Tuesday, during her visit to a school in Greenville. The Democrat, who had said before the election she was against the law, made it clear she thought it was the wrong move for the Tar Heel State.
"People around the country are watching us and they're really confused to have been such a progressive forward thinking economically driven state that invested in education and that stood up for the civil rights people including the civil rights marches back in the '50s and '60s and '70s," Perdue said. "People are saying, 'What in the world is going on with North Carolina?' We look like Mississippi."
It didn't take long for Perdue's comments to move west to the Magnolia State, where elected leaders and residents resented her shot at the state's history.
"I am certainly disappointed by Gov. Perdue's statement regarding North Carolina's 'looking like Mississippi.' Apparently, North Carolina's voters are much more in line with Mississippi's traditional values on marriage than those of Gov. Perdue," Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, a Republican, said in a statement.
Mississippi's Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, also a Republican, reacted as well, calling out Perdue's record as governor.
"Gov. Perdue should know that her administration has a lot of work to do to make her state's business climate 'look like Mississippi," Reeves said in a statement. "We are creating an environment which encourages the private sector to invest capital in Mississippi, and I would invite any North Carolina-based company wanting to move to a lower-taxed, less-regulated state to look at our business-friendly opportunities."
Reeve's went on to cite rankings that put Mississippi ahead of North Carolina as a place for business, as well as a lower unemployment rate in Mississippi than North Carolina.
It wasn't just Mississippi's top politicians who fired back at Gov. Perdue. We asked our sister station WCBI in Columbus, MS, to see what Mississippians had to say.
"I don't think we're the bottom of the barrel, but I think we have some conservative values and core values that distinguish us from other states," Diane Malone said.
"What they're saying about Mississippi, I wouldn't even be studying it, because if they say it's against the law for two women to be together, then it's against the law," Arlissa Gardner said.
"I think that's ridiculous, and it shows the amount of ignorance politicians have about Mississippi," Andre Osby said. "Tell you what: Come down and give Mississippi a try."
Friday afternoon, WWAY e-mailed Perdue's press secretary to ask if the governor still stood behind her comments. So far, we have not received a response.
Phil Bryant, Mississippi Governor, Responds To North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue's Jab
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said Friday it was "petty" for North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue to insult Mississippi while bemoaning that voters in her state approved a ballot measure banning same-sex marriage.
Bryant, a Republican who became governor in January, said he intends to write to Perdue about her comments. She is a Democrat who isn't seeking a second term.
Perdue was in Greenville, N.C., on Friday when she responded to questions from WITN-TV in Washington. She said she was disappointed voters in her state on Tuesday approved a constitutional amendment defining marriage as only between a man and a woman.
"People around the country are watching us and they're really confused, to have been such a progressive, forward-thinking, economically driven state that invested in education and that stood up for the civil rights of people, including the civil rights marches back in the `50's and `60's and `70's," Perdue said. "Folks are saying what in the world is going on in North Carolina. We look like Mississippi."
In Jackson, Miss., Bryant said Perdue's comments were "very disappointing."
"To be able to use Mississippi in a disparaging way on a popular vote in her own state is, I think, something that's certainly petty and something I think she will reflect on and hopefully apologize for those types of remarks," Bryant told reporters after an unrelated news conference in Jackson.
Messages left with spokespeople for Perdue were not immediately returned Friday.
In the November 2004 general election, 86 percent of Mississippi voters approved an amendment banning same-sex marriage.
Bryant said he has met Perdue at National Governors Association meetings.
"She's a very nice lady," Bryant said. "It's just disappointing to be able to use Mississippi as she is in some way to disparage a popular vote in her own state. It's just very, very disappointing. And I think she'll regret that after she's had some time to reflect on it."
Bryant said in a written statement: "Apparently, North Carolina's voters are much more in line with Mississippi's traditional values on marriage than those of Gov. Perdue."
Mississippi's Republican lieutenant governor, Tate Reeves, and the head of the Mississippi Republican Party, Joe Nosef, both issued statements criticizing Perdue's comments.
"Thirty-two states have voted on the issue of defining marriage. Thirty-two states have voted in favor of traditional marriage," Nosef said. "Gov. Perdue is obviously out of touch with the voters of her own state and is trying to change the subject by attacking Mississippi. We are proud to stand with North Carolina and the majority of other states in our country who have supported traditional marriage."
Reeves did not mention same-sex marriage but said Mississippi has a better business climate than North Carolina.
"I would invite any North Carolina-based company wanting to move to a lower-taxed, less-regulated state to look at our business-friendly opportunities," Reeves said.
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Sources: AOL, AP, Huffington Post, WRAL, WWAY-TV3, Youtube, Google Maps
Friday, May 11, 2012
Obama's Gay Marriage Endorsement Divides 2012 Black Vote; Black Voters Replaced With Gay Voters!
Its Official! It Appears The 2012 Obama Re-election Campaign Has Officially Replaced BLACK Voters With Gay & Latino Voters!
If I'm Wrong on this Political Teory please prove me wrong.
It also appears Pres. Barack Obama's Endorsement of Gay Marriage has Officially Split the BLACK Vote, the American BLACK Community & some BLACK Churches.
The Mainstream Media & Hollywood wants the American BLACK Community to believe We are Stupid or NOT Intelligent for Refusing to Accept Gay Rights as Civil Rights.
The Mainstream Media & Hollywood also wants the American BLACK Community to believe We are Stupid for Refusing to Accept the Gay Lifestyle as Natural Human Behavior from God when its NOT.
To the Contrary!
The Mainstream Media & Hollywood is Stupid for trying to Force such Idiotic Theories about Human Beings & Human Behavior on the 21st Century American BLACK Community.
More than 50% of American BLACK Voters do NOT Believe Homosexuality is Genetic.
Nor do they Believe Gay Rights is Equal to Civil Rights because Human Ethnicity is NOT a Personal Lifestyle Choice.
The Ethnicity of Human Beings is due to Natural Genetics.
Human Babies don’t have the ability to choose their Natural, Biological BLACK, White, Latino, Asian, Indian or Bi-Racial Genealogy.
But.......
Adults Can have Sexual Intercourse with anyone they choose, Male or Female.
Thus the Gay Lifestyle is a Personal Lifestyle Choice.
Gay People Are NOT Born Biologically Gay!
No Human baby exits the Womb of a Natural Born Woman GAY!
To state such a thing is Ludicrous & beyond Logical, Human Reason!
God’s Word states he Created Male & Female Human Beings to Marry, Become One and Reproduce.
For Example: Adam & Eve.
NOT Adam and Adam or Eve and Eve!
At some point in their Young Lives Gay People were either Exposed to Homosexual Behavior or Inappropriate Touching, which Confused them and perhaps later caused them to Prefer Sleeping with Members of their Own Gender.
I repeat!
More than 50% of American BLACK Voters do NOT Believe Homosexuality is Genetic.
Nor do they Believe Gay Rights is Equal to Civil Rights because Human Ethnicity is NOT a Personal Lifestyle Choice.
So now that Pres. Barack Obama, America’s FIRST BLACK President, has Publicly Endorsed Gay Marriage how will such an Endorsement affect Pres. Obama’s Relationship with BLACK Voters during the 2012 Election?
It will most certainly Hurt him!
Why?
Because Most BLACK Voters although We Like Pres. Obama, We do NOT believe he has Invested as much into the American BLACK Community as he has in the WHITE Community, Asian Community, Latino Community & Gay Community.
Its almost as if Pres. Obama has completely Abandoned the American BLACK Community
Unless……
We Completely Embrace & Accept Gay Rights As Civil Rights.
NO other Ethnic Group was asked to Substitute Gay Rights for Civil Rights.
Only the American BLACK Community!
Why?
I would really like to know why.
So instead of helping to Uplift the Collective American BLACK Community, it appears Pres. Obama’s 2012 Re-election Campaign has just decided to basically Abandon us & Replace BLACK Voters with Gay Voters & Latino Voters.
In November BLACK Voters will have 3 Choices to make at the Polls:
1) Hold Your Nose & Vote For Pres. Barack Obama’s Re-election anyway.
2) Choose NOT to Vote for a Presidential Candidate.
3) Vote for Mitt Romney
You Decide!
Complexity in black church reactions to Obama’s gay marriage announcement
After the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. first gained wide public recognition in the mid-1950s, he made a special request to evangelist Billy Graham.
King was poised to join Graham on one of his barnstorming crusades, but he would do so only on one condition. He asked Graham to publicly speak out against segregation, a request Graham declined, says San Diego State University historian Edward Blum.
“What Graham feared was losing all of his influence,” Blum says. “For him, personal salvation was primary, justice secondary. For King, justice was primary.”
After President Obama this week became the first sitting president to endorse same-sex marriage, black clergy and churchgoers could be facing a question that's similar to the one that fractured King and Graham: Should my ideas about personal holiness trump my notion of justice?
The answer to that question is evolving – just as Obama’s views on gay marriage have been. Poll numbers and interviews with black clergy suggest it’s simplistic to say that the black church is anti-gay marriage and may desert Obama, as some pundits have suggested.
Equal rights for some people?
Some black pastors take the approach of Graham, who recently came out in support of a successful drive to amend North Carolina’s constitution to ban same-sex marriage and domestic partnerships.
For them, personal salvation is primary; homosexuality a sin, and so is gay marriage. Their enthusiasm for Obama will be diminished, Blum says.
“It will be, ‘I’m going to vote for him, but I’m not going to talk about him much,’ ” Blum says. “It’s the difference between voting for him, or voting for him and putting out a street sign and making sure your neighbor gets to the poll.”
Others in the black church say their approach centers on justice.
The Rev. Joseph Lowery, who was a part of King’s inner circle, says Obama had to support gay marriage because he believes in equal rights.
“You can’t believe in equal rights for some people and yet not believe in equal rights for everybody,” Lowery says. “That includes the right to marry the person of your choice. Equal rights for some people are an oxymoron.”
Lowery says Obama’s announcement was “more revolutionary” than the moment that President Lyndon Johnson went on national television during the heyday of the civil rights movement and called for racial equality, declaring, “We shall overcome.”
Obama’s “We Shall Overcome” moment will force Americans – black and white – to reexamine positions on same-sex marriage, Lowery says.
“A lot of white people didn’t believe in desegregation until the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional,” says Lowery, who presided over Obama’s inauguration. “And then they began to rethink it and basically came to the same conclusion.”
Pastor or President?
At least one black minister in North Carolina captures another neglected dimension to the debate. He opposes same-sex marriage but doesn’t like the energy Christians devote to opposing it.
“He’s the president of the Untied States, not the pastor of the United States,” says the Rev. Fred Robinson, who lives in Charlotte. “America is a democracy, not a theocracy. I’m not going to vote on one issue.”
Robinson says some Christians are better at being against something than for something. Christian divorce rates are just as high as those for secular marriages, he says.
“Our witness is stronger if we actually show that we believe in marriage and lived in and honored it,” he says. “That would be a greater witness than running to the polls to enshrine discrimination in the state constitution.”
The Rev. Tim McDonald, founder of the African-American Ministers Leadership Council, says he opposes same-sex marriage, but he is more concerned about issues like health care, education and jobs.
He's interested to see how black pastors handle Obama’s announcement when they step onto the pulpit Sunday.
“I don’t see how you cannot talk about it,” he says. “I have to. You can say I’m opposed to it [same-sex marriage], but that doesn’t mean I’m against the president.”
McDonald says more black pastors are talking about same-sex marriage than ever before: “Three years ago, there was not even a conversation about this issue – there wasn’t even an entertainment of a conversation about this.”
Polls show that black opinions on same-sex marriage are changing.
According to a Pew Research Center poll conducted in April, 49% of black respondents described themselves as opposed to marriage between gays and lesbians, 14% fewer than in 2008. The percentage of African-Americans in favor of it increased from 26% in 2008 to 39% in 2012.
In 2008, Californians voted on Proposition 8, a measure that would make same-sex marriage illegal in the state, at the same time that they cast ballots for president.
CNN exit polling showed that 70% of California African-Americans supported Prop 8 but that the overwhelming majority - 94% - also backed President Obama.
Black pastors who preach in favor of same-sex marriage know they may pay a price if they take Obama’s position, says Bishop Carlton Pearson.
Pearson is a black minister who says he lost his church building and about 6,000 members when he began preaching that gays and lesbians were accepted by God.
“That’s the risk that people take,” he told CNN. “A lot of preachers actually don’t have a theological issue. It’s a business decision. They can’t afford to lose their parishioners and their parsonages and salaries.”
Pearson navigates the tension between the Bible’s call for holiness and justice this way:
“I take the Bible seriously, just not literally,” he says. “It’s more important what Jesus said about God than what the church says about Jesus.”
What Did Jesus Christ Say About Homosexuality? Read Matthews 19:1-8.
Contrary to what Lawrence O'Donnell & many Hollywood Celebs think Jesus did NOT Endorse Homosexuality!
1) And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;
2) And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.
3) The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
4) And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
5) And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
6) Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
7) They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
8) He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
This Is Big Trouble For Obama: Hispanic And Black Voters Aren't Registering to Vote
The Washington Post today digs into voter registration numbers that should leave the Barack Obama campaign a bit worried: among black and Hispanic voters — especially in key states and districts — voter registration is trending sharply down.
Consider these numbers: Registration among Hispanics nationwide is down 5 percent. But even more troubling is in key swing states like New Mexico and Florida, where registration is down 28 and 10 percent, respectively.
The decline in minority registration “is obviously an area of concern,” said Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg, president of NDN, a left-leaning think tank.
But he predicted the Obama campaign “will have enough money and enough focus to mitigate the problem. . . . They have five months to get the electorate looking the way they want.”
But this is why the Obama campaign and Democrats should be severely concerned: According to that Pew Research Center survey, the 2008 electorate "was the most racially and ethnically diverse in U.S. history, with nearly one-in-four votes cast by non-whites."
Pew Research Center
The voter registration for both black and Hispanic voters rose by a combined 7.6 percent in the 2008 election.
Now this:
That shows how voter registration affected turnout. And in overwhelming numbers, those voters picked Obama. He won the Latino vote 67 percent to John McCain's 30 percent, and only 5 percent of black voters picked McCain.
But in a twist, this could also provide the Republican Party, led by its first national Director of Hispanic Outreach, Bettina Inclan, with an opportunity to pounce with its never-before-seen strategy to appeal for the Hispanic vote.
“I think the more we talk about the issues and the more we have Republicans going into local communities and saying, ‘This is what Republicans believe in. This is what Democrats believe in,’ Hispanics are going to make decisions for themselves," Inclan told Business Insider.
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Sources: ABC News, Bible Gateway, Business Insider, CNN, Eurweb, Pew Research Polls, Politico, WRAL, Youtube, Google Maps
Bev "Anti-Black Agenda" Perdue Compares North Carolina With Mississippi; She's Delusional!
Gov. Bev "Anti-BLACK Agenda" Perdue claims North Carolina looks like Mississippi after the passage of Amendment One.
She's Delusional!
Perdue: 'We look like Mississippi' after amendment vote'
Passage of a constitutional amendment defining marriage as solely between a man and a woman makes North Carolina "look like Mississippi," Gov. Beverly Perdue said Friday.
Perdue was in Greenville as part of her tour to tout her proposed state budget for 2012-2013. The governor was responding to a question on the amendment from a reporter from WITN-TV in Washington.
"I think it's wrong for North Carolina, clearly and simply," she said. "People around the country are watching us and they're really confused, to have been such a progressive, forward-thinking, economically driven state that invested in education and that stood up for the civil rights of people, including the civil rights marches back in the '50s and '60s and '70s.
"Folks are saying, 'What in the world is going on in North Carolina?' We look like Mississippi."
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant took offense at Perdue's comment.
"I am certainly disappointed by Gov. Perdue's statement regarding North Carolina's 'looking like Mississippi,'" Bryant said in a statement. "Apparently, North Carolina's voters are much more in line with Mississippi's traditional values on marriage than those of Gov. Perdue."
The chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party also issued a statement, saying his state is proud to stand with those who voted for the amendment in North Carolina and people in other states who support traditional marriage.
"Gov. Perdue is obviously out of touch with the voters of her own state and is trying to change the subject by attacking Mississippi," Mississippi GOP chairman Joe Nosef said.
On Tuesday, North Carolina became the 30th state to pass a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. The amendment passed with nearly 61 percent of voters supporting it.
Outside of Mississippi, however, many people are blasting North Carolina for approving the amendment, and some critics are letting their dollars do the talking.
Tourism officials from the Outer Banks to Asheville confirmed Friday that visitors are contacting them to say they won't vacation in North Carolina because of the amendment. The Facebook page for the state tourism office has been deluged by thousands of comments about the amendment, the majority of which are negative.
House Majority Leader Paul Stam, who sponsored the legislation that led to the amendment, said that doesn't prove anything.
"That's anecdotal evidence. South Carolina has (a similar amendment). Virginia has virtually the same thing. That's just trivial," said Stam, R-Wake.
Before North Carolina's vote, it had been three years since a state had voted on a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages, and attitudes toward gay marriage are quickly evolving. Two new polls show more than half of Americans now support same-sex marriage.
"We warned from the beginning that this was bad for business, bad for the economy, bad for tourism," said Stuart Campbell, executive director of Equality North Carolina. "We've seen it in other states where, when they passed anti-gay legislation, they suffered economically."
Tourism officials say it's too soon to tell how much impact the national furor could have on North Carolina.
Commerce Department spokesman Tim Crowley said he suspects it will pass eventually.
"Obviously, it's still fresh in people's minds. We're going to concentrate on what we've always done – making visitors welcome in North Carolina," Crowley said.
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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, WRAL, Google Maps
Mitt Romney Woos Charlotte Voters: "Its The Economy Stupid!"
Today Mitt Romney stumped in Charlotte, NC.
He's gaining ground in NC due to the passage of Amendment One.
Romney tries to shift focus back to economy
Republican Mitt Romney used an appearance at a Charlotte foundry on Friday afternoon to try to return the focus of his campaign to the sluggish economic recovery.
The presumptive GOP nominee for president has spent recent days restating his opposition to gay marriage and shrugging off a newspaper report that he bullied a gay classmate in prep school.
"We've had economic policies that haven't worked for this nation," Romney told a cheering crowd at Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Co.
He repeatedly attacked the "old-school liberal" policies of President Barack Obama, which he said have left the U.S. with a tepid recovery from the global recession.
"We've got a government that's gotten in the way of the American people," he said. "We're going to change that."
Romney said he would balance the budget and cut spending by eliminating some federal programs and shifting things like Medicaid and food stamps to the states, which he said could operate them more efficiently. He also called for an energy policy that promotes domestic drilling for oil and natural gas and trade policies that "crack down on cheaters like China."
"The right policies are going to put America back to work and make us the economic powerhouse we've always been," he said.
The crowd gave Romney his biggest cheers when he vowed to repeal the national health care reform law, dubbed "Obamacare" by many, and when he attacked programs that benefit labor unions.
"Some people feel that the future's bleak. I don't," he said. "This is a great time in America. It's a great opportunity time."
Romney's visit came three days after he handily won the North Carolina primary, and many political observers expect a tight race in the state in November.
"I think he spoke to what people wanted to hear – what I wanted to hear – and I think that's the way we're going," said Eric Nelson of Raleigh, who went to Charlotte to hear Romney.
Cheryn Rowell said she brought her 9-year-old son, Jordan, to see a presidential candidate up close.
"I think he spoke to us. He spoke to everyone in this building," Rowell said.
Obama's unexpected embrace of gay marriage on Wednesday – the day after North Carolina approved a constitutional amendment defining heterosexual marriage as the only union recognized in the state – continued to overwhelm the presidential campaign as liberals and conservatives debated the political merits of his endorsement of an issue over which a president has little practical impact.
For Romney, the discussion of gay rights turned personal when The Washington Post published a story recounting how he and several schoolmates held down classmate John Lauber and cut off his bleached blond hair after seeking him out in his dorm room at their boarding school in the wealthy Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
The Post said Lauber was "perpetually teased for his nonconformity and presumed homosexuality" and that he screamed for help as Romney held him down and forcibly hacked off his hair. The paper recounted another incident in which Romney shouted "atta girl" to a different student at the all-boys' school who, years later, came out as gay.
At no point on Thursday did Romney volunteer comments about the report or about Obama's views on gay rights. But he did apologize for what he characterized as tomfoolery when asked by reporters.
"I participated in a lot of hijinks and pranks during high school and some may have gone too far. And for that I apologize," Romney told Fox News during a hastily arranged radio interview.
Romney said he didn't remember the Lauber incident, but also didn't dispute that it happened. He stressed that he didn't know either student was gay and moved quickly to counter any suggestion he had targeted students because they were.
"That was the furthest thing from our minds back in the 1960s, so that was not the case," he said, adding that the students involved "didn't come out of the closet until years later."
On Saturday, Romney will use a commencement speech at Liberty University, a conservative Christian school founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, to cast strong families as central to a strong economy.
"Although opportunities seem scarce in this economy, it is not for nothing that you have spent this time preparing. America needs your talent and your energy, all the more now that our country's in a tough spot," he will say in his prepared remarks. "In the most practical, everyday terms, the best cultural assets are values as basic as personal responsibility, the dignity of hard work, and, above all, the commitments of family."
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Sources: WRAL, Google Maps
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Gay Marriage Loses In North Carolina! Pat McCrory Will Be The Next NC Governor! Hallejuah!
]"I Am Evolving".
Yesterday Millions of North Carolina Residents Voted in the 2012 Primary races.
There were 4 Ballots for NC Voters to choose from:
Democrat
Republican
Liberterian
Non-Partisan
Here's how I Voted in North Carolina's Primary Tuesday & Why.
Although I am an Registered Independent Voter, at the Polls I had to choose a Party.
I chose the Democratic Party Ballot so I could Support Barack Obama's re-election.
I also Supported Joel Ford for Congress NOT Mel Watt! NOT Mel Watt!
And Pat Cotham for the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners.
That's IT!
I repeat: That's IT!
And of Course I Voted in Favor of BLOCKING Gay Marriage & the Legalization of Shacking Up (Domestic Partners) in the State of North Carolina.
However..........
Several people from My Family and....
More than 200 People from My Church Voted for Pat McCrory (NC Governor) & in Favor of BLOCKING Gay Marriage & the Legalization of Shacking Up (Domestic Partners) in the State of North Carolina.
How will I Vote in November in the General Election?
I am "Evolving" but I will Most Certainly Support Pat McCory for North Carolina Governor without a Doubt! NO Questions Asked!
Let's Just say that since I DID Support Barack Obama in the 2012 North Carolina Primary, I Expect a Good Return on My Investment.
Last week a BLACK U.S. Army Soldier from Charlotte, NC was Killed in Afghanistan by an IED. He was just 34 Years old & was Stationed at Fort Drum in New York.
Pres. Obama Please Protect & Bring Our Troops home from Afghanistan. Please Sir.
One more thing......
Hundreds of Thousands of BLACK NC Voters Approved the Amendment to BLOCK Gay Marriage.
Why?
Because BLACK People Need JOBS & Small Businesses to Create JOBS NOT Gay Marriage!
Peace.
Amendment One: N.C. voters approve measure to block same-sex marriage
Riding a Bible-influenced coalition that cut across political and racial lines, the marriage amendment stormed to approval Tuesday, making North Carolina the latest state to put stronger legal barricades before same-sex unions.
With 90 percent of the counties reporting, the constitutional amendment to make marriage between a man and a woman the “only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized” won resoundingly, 61 percent to 39 percent.
It goes into effect Jan. 1. North Carolina has had a law banning same-sex marriages for 16 years.
Turnout, fueled largely by the marriage debate, was the largest for a primary in decades, election officials said.
“This was an issue of standing on the principle of God’s word that marriage is between one man and one woman, and I believe that message has gotten across,” said the Rev. Mark Harris, pastor of First Baptist Church of Charlotte and a leader in the state campaign for passage.
North Carolina becomes the last Southern state – and the 31st overall – to pass a “defense of marriage” amendment. Such measures have yet to lose. Eight states, plus the District of Columbia, have passed laws allowing same-sex marriage.
Opponents of the N.C. amendment called it a threat on a variety of fronts, from domestic-violence protection and health benefits for unmarried families, to industrial recruitment and job retention.
But for most voters, Tuesday’s decision appeared to be a referendum on gay marriage.
“The pro side could have not spent a single dollar, and they would have still won by double digits,” said Tom Jensen of Public Policy Polling in Raleigh.
Duke law professor Mike Munger said the amendment’s real impact might not be known for months.
“The screaming, excruciating paradox of all this is that supporters wanted to take this out of the judges’ hands. Clearly it will have the opposite effect,” Munger said. “…There will be litigation, and judges will have to decide what the darn thing means.”
The amendment lost in the state’s largest areas, including Charlotte, Greensboro, Asheville, Raleigh and Durham. But it ran strongly almost everywhere else.
The Rev. Robin Tanner of Charlotte, a leader in the effort to defeat the amendment, looked beyond Tuesday’s loss.
“Hope lives on in this place we all call home,” the pastor of Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church said in a prepared statement. “Hope is our promised companion, and equality for all our promised land.”
Added the Rev. Murdoch Smith, pastor of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church: “The goal is not destroyed, just delayed for the moment.”
Conservative voting bloc united
In passing the amendment, many conservatives and African-Americans set political differences aside to vote along spiritual lines. Conservative Christians believe homosexuality is a sin and that traditional marriage between a man and a woman is ordained by God as a cornerstone of life.
In Charlotte-Mecklenburg, the strongest support came from the predominantly white suburban areas of Mint Hill and Matthews. Across town, voters in the African-American neighborhoods of Coulwood and Paw Creek voted almost 2 to 1 in favor. The margin was the same in predominantly black precinct 79 near Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
While the NAACP campaigned hard against the amendment, many black voters continued to see same-sex marriage not as a civil rights issue, but as a lifestyle choice with which they don’t agree.
“This amendment has always been about one thing and one thing only, marriage and family,” said Bishop Phillip Davis, pastor of Nations Ford Community Church, a black congregation in southwest Charlotte. “The voters of North Carolina have chosen to protect the soul of the state and the nation; that is marriage and family.”
The campaigns were fueled by more than $3 million in spending. With Charlotte hosting the convention to renominate him this fall, President Barack Obama called for the amendment’s defeat. Around Charlotte, prominent Republicans such as former mayor and gubernatorial candidate Richard Vinroot spoke out against it.
“But it never extended to rank-and-file GOP voters,” pollster Jensen said. “This never got beyond the point of ‘Do I like gay marriage or not?’ ”
Last week, evangelist Billy Graham endorsed the measure, and the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte and Raleigh made $50,000 donations.
Charlotte area voters didn’t necessarily follow party affiliations in taking sides on the amendment.
At the Forest Hill Church precinct in south Charlotte, Democrat Don Hawley, 57, voted in favor. “I don’t know that we need to start protecting another class of citizens,” he said.
Mary Settlemyre, 49, a Republican, voted no. “My understanding of the Republican Party is it’s limited in your personal life,” she said. “That (intrudes) in the parts of your personal life they need not be in.”
College counselor Catherine Odum, a Democrat, also voted against, saying, “I don’t understand why allowing gay marriage hurts marriage between men and women.”
A national shift
Nationwide, attitudes appear to be changing on same-sex marriage. Polls show that younger voters strongly support giving gays the same opportunities as straight couples, and the opposition of older voters appears to be softening.
House Speaker Thom Tillis, leader of the Republican majority in Raleigh that put the measure on the ballot, said earlier in the campaign that he expects the N.C. measure to be reversed in the next generation because of changing attitudes.
And while North Carolina passed the measure convincingly, it did so by a lesser margin than many of its Southern neighbors. In 2006, 78 percent of S.C. voters supported their amendment. Elsewhere the endorsements ranged from 86 percent in Mississippi to 57 percent in Virginia.
In November, Minnesota voters will decide their own marriage amendment. In Maine, residents will decide whether to rescind their 2009 same-sex ban.
A year ago, Lisa Macdonald of Charlotte was among a group of local same-sex couples who went to Washington, D.C., to be married by their pastors and rabbis.
She later volunteered to work in the campaign to defeat the amendment. She said Tuesday’s vote is a setback for her native state.
“With this amendment, we have written discrimination into our constitution,” she said. “It’s not the end of the conversation.”
Harris, though, said the issue has never been about discrimination.
“I believe North Carolinians took the took the amendment at face value, and they voted as such,” he said. “The only winner tonight is marriage.”
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Sources: AP, CBS News, McClatchy Newspapers, WCNC, WRAL, Youtube, Google Maps
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