Lame-Duck Issue Has Legs!
Posted August 28, 2009

A recent NJ.com headline read "N.J. activists from both sides prepare for gay marriage bill debate." NBC40.net heralded the header , "Same Sex Marriage Advocates Prepare for Fight." And SmartBrief.com captioned its blurb, "Garden State could be next marriage battleground."

Wherever you look and whatever news outlet you frequent, the message in the same: the battle for marriage in New Jersey is intensifying like never before. With the legislature expected to debate "marriage equality" during the upcoming Lame Duck session — the period after the November elections and before the start of the new legislative session in January — it could just be a few short months before the definition of marriage is decided.

Disturbingly, if events follow this course, marriage — the foundational institution of society for millennia — will be defined by a group of 120 elected officials, with the voice of the people virtually silenced in the decision.

There is a reason legislators have pinpointed the Lame Duck session to debate this critical issue: traditionally, during Lame Duck, people's attentions are focused elsewhere. They've just been through a campaign season rife with television, radio, internet, newspaper, and mail ads, and with Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, few want to spend time thinking about politics. Anti-marriage crusaders intend to capitalize on this to stealthily push through a bill that will fundamentally alter the foundation of our society and pave the way for the legal recognition of even more radical relationships in the future.

Mark my words, when the only criteria for labeling something "marriage" is that two people "love each other" and are in a "committed" relationship, no barrier exists to granting the status of marriage to any form of relationship, be it triad, man-boy, etc. Some will call this statement absurd, but simple logic says otherwise. When no standard exists, anything goes.

By choosing the Lame Duck session to take up the marriage issue, many legislators hope to avoid having the issue impact their own re-election efforts this fall as well as the gubernatorial election. Afraid to face the truth that citizens actually about marriage — and care enough to have it affect their vote — legislators hope to pass the measure quietly and without backlash after the election, when public eyes are, by and large, looking elsewhere.

Friends, the truth is that many legislators are afraid of the people whom they represent — afraid the voice of the people will derail their agenda to push same-sex marriage. If this were not the case, they would willingly place the measure on the ballot and let the people decide — as some 30 other states have already done, with the result in every case being that the people voted to preserve the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman .

But there is hope. The end in New Jersey is not a foregone conclusion. We have been traversing the state meeting with hundreds of concerned citizens who are stepping out and taking a stand. For some, this is their first foray into "politics," but they recognize they cannot sit on the sidelines with such a critical and historic issue at stake.

Time is short; there is much to do, but we can win this battle to preserve the time-honored institution of marriage.

We invite you to be a part of this historic effort. Contact us at 1-800-653-7204 to learn how you can make a difference today.

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