Let Freedom Ring

This past Sunday, an excited and focused group of people
gathered together for a singular purpose – to let our government leaders know
that we stand for traditional marriage and for the right to vote on issues that
affect the moral compass of our society. 
Deitrick and Damita Haddon, the
Rev. Walter Fauntroy and the Rev. Alveda King (niece of Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr.) were among the notables who spoke. Here
is the speech I delivered at that event.

Today we are gathering in front of the greatest symbol
of American power – the Capitol. We come here today to express our confidence
in the institution of marriage. More specifically, we have also come to say to
the residents of Washington, D.C.; our two houses of Congress, the Supreme
Court and the President of these great United States that marriage (in its
traditional form) is one of the nation’s richest treasures.

At the same time, we have come to voice
extreme displeasure with the fact that there is a concerted effort by same-sex
marriage advocates to steal the people’s right to vote on this issue. From
Sacramento, Calif. to Boston, Mass. and many points in between, we see a
pattern emerging. The pattern is of runaway legislatures and overreaching
judges imposing their vision for American’s future without the express
permission of the people.

Time and time again these groups search
the dusty pages of our state, national or city charters or constitutions and
somehow “discover” a right to re-define marriage. The
better word would be that they “manufacture” new rights and benefits for our
historic documents. If what we have at stake culturally were not so serious, it
could almost become the substance of a stand-up comedy routine entitled –
Justice: American style?

What we have here is injustice in which
a privileged minority is imposing its will upon the concerned majority of the
American people. Preventing the people from voting on marriage, is essentially
denying all Americans our most fundamental right under the Constitution.

In 1954, a young black man was
threatened at gunpoint by a state trooper. The trooper discharged his weapon
right over the head of this zealous African-American, who had participated in
voter registration and right-to-vote activism. This U.S. Navy veteran was so
incensed that his Constitutional right to vote had been stolen by an abuse of
power by elected officials, that he left the southern state where this incident
occurred and threw himself into grassroots volunteer work in every election
until his death. The young man I described was my father. 

In 2010, the civil rights movement’s
glory and impact upon our culture is being hijacked. As I have already stated,
a well-funded and well-organized minority is attempting to impose its will on
the entire nation. At the same time, a growing majority believes that same-sex
marriage and its impact on education and community laws are bad for America.
Take for the example the debate going on in Helena, Mont. School children are
going to be assaulted with inappropriate information at very early ages. 

Same-sex marriage activists repeatedly
declare that their victory is “inevitable.” Their statements, if examined
closely, actually reveal that their victory is anything, but inevitable. These
declarations remind me of the threats youthful bullies made in my neighborhood
when I was growing up. Taunting, jeering, and name-calling were all apart of
their reign of intimidation.

We declare that there is coming an
unprecedented political backlash against same-sex marriage being forced down
our collective throats. Outraged parents, churches and other civic groups are
waking up to the ramifications of a massive change to the definitions of
marriage, family, and education.  We will vote same-sex marriage activists
out of office from the school board to the White House and every place in
between!

Activist judges like Joseph
Tauro in Massachusetts, Vaughn Walker in California, and the members of the Court of Appeals in
Washington, D.C. are examples of why it’s so dangerous when judges usurp
law-making authority and rip public policy decisions out of the proper hands.
During the last two years, state legislatures and judges have played a tug of
war with the people concerning the world’s oldest social institution. 

The battle will soon be over as
marriage defenders fight back in the courts, in elections, and in the court of
public opinion as well. We have over 5,000 years of history, proven social
science, natural law, the teachings of every major religion, and common sense on
our side. 

Let’s all vote for people in the 2010
election who understand the basics – marriage is between one man and one woman!

In conclusion, I repeat the almost inimitable words of
Martin Luther King, Jr. – “Let Freedom Ring!”