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Defending Traditional Marriage in Maine 7/9/2009 While most motor home owners in the "Vacationland" state of Maine head to the beaches or mountains on summer weekends, Howard Holinger drives his motor home to the city dump. Armed with pencils and folding tables, rather than sunscreen and beach towels, Howard spends his Saturdays collecting signatures for a petition to save traditional marriage.
Howard is a concerned citizen in Maine who has joined dozens of other members of Concerned Women for America (CWA) of Maine in utilizing their weekends to collect signatures. CWA of Maine members show up anywhere they are likely to find registered voters - from churches to grocery stores, and yes, even the city dump.
On May 6, 2009, the Maine legislature failed to defend traditional marriage, making Maine the fifth state in the nation to allow same-sex "marriage." Since those elected to protect Maine have failed to protect marriage, CWA of Maine members are taking the question to the people.
The state of Maine has a unique law that allows any bill passed by the legislature to be overturned by a "people's veto." If 10 percent of the voters in the last election request a veto petition, the law will be placed on the ballot during the next statewide election. A simple majority of voters can then overturn the law.
In this case, supporters need to gather 55,087 signatures on the petition by July 31 in order to place the question on the ballot for a statewide vote in November. If all goes well, the voters of Maine will be asked if they "want to reject the new law that lets same-sex couples marry and allows individuals and religious groups to refuse to perform these marriages?"
CWA of Maine State Director Charla Bansley argues that the people of Maine should have the right to vote on this question. "My neighbor's homosexual marriage might not affect me personally, but it affects the community around me," Charla says. Not only do homosexual marriage laws shake the foundation of our society - marriage and family - they also deny civil rights to individuals. "In each state, legalizing same-sex 'marriage' has stripped the civil rights of other parts of society - parents, churches, wedding professionals, and doctors, to name a few," Charla points out. "Proponents of same-sex 'marriage' often say that this law is just about civil rights. In fact, laws like LD1020 take away more rights than they give."
The people's veto petition process is in full swing, but CWA of Maine members still need more volunteers to sign and circulate the petition. Since the Secretary of State's office will inevitably invalidate some of the signatures, the petitioners aim to collect at least 70,000 signatures.
"July is already here and the deadline is fast approaching," Charla says. "If you haven't started, get your petitions today, and then spend an evening going door-to-door in your neighborhood. It is really that easy!" Organizers are asking everyone to send in their petitions by July 15, in order to get the people's veto on the November 2009 ballot.
Although the petition drive is still in progress, opponents have already mounted a campaign against the ballot measure. Even so, traditional marriage supporters are confident that Mainers will vote to protect marriage. Maine voters have twice before utilized the people's veto to overturn laws dealing with homosexual "rights." With the help of dedicated citizens like Howard Holinger and Charla Bansley, it will happen again.
For more information on the petition efforts, please e-mail the Maine Marriage PAC at veto1020@gmail.com.
For general information or to get involved in CWA of Maine, go to Maine.cwfa.org or e-mail director@maine.cwfa.org. If you would like to get involved with one of our other fine state organizations, please visit the CWA in the States site.
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Concerned Women for America 1015 Fifteenth St. N.W., Suite 1100 Washington, D.C. 20005 Phone: (202) 488-7000 Fax: (202) 488-0806 |
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