Oregonians, Petition 303, Down...But Not Out

Oregonians, Petition 303, Down...But Not Out! Wed, 10 Oct 2007 Dear Friends, Thank you for all your help with Petition #303 (same-sex marriage). The letter from David Crowe says it all. Concerned Oregonians was a key player in this effort and the Defense of Marriage and Family Again team, thanks them from the bottom of our hearts. I will just add that this effort afforded us the priviledge to see the Body of Christ is actiona true ecumenical movement based on love for Him. He was truly present and alive in each Protestant and Catholic who would have never met without this mission. Each person knew their part and gracefully worked together. It was amazing to witness: echoed by a new friend , "I am honored to be a part of this." Let's pray for #304 (sexual expression, and behavior as a protected minority ) and it's success. God Bless you and yours, Carolyn www.vocalnews.org "The destiny of mankind is not decided by material computation. When great causes are on the move in the world...we learn that we are spirits, not animals, and that something is going on in space and time, and beyond space and time, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty." Winston Churchill -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oregon Voters Arise to say "Let Oregonians Vote!" October 9, 2007 King City, Oregon - Yesterday marks the fourth time in three years that the People of Oregon sent a message to the Governor, the legislature, the courts, the media, and to those in Portland, Eugene and Corvallis who are determined to use government to make the people of Oregon yield to something they clearly oppose, and do not want. With less than $50,000 in expenses, an all volunteer army of unpaid circulators, no paid professionals and an unsympathetic media, Oregonians produced sufficient signatures to place HB 2007 on the November 2008 ballot only to see their efforts undermined by a highly questionable signature validation process that is often subjectively and arbitrarily applied by both state and county officials. 116 Signatures Short? Yesterday the Oregon Elections Division announced the results of that process, having determined that Concerned Oregonians and Defense of Marriage and Family Again, fell 116 signatures short of the required 55,179 valid signatures. Never mind that we turned in nearly 63,000 signatures on the due date. Never mind that they threw out 400 signatures because one individual signed twice. Never mind that in the neighborhood of 20% of the signatures that were rejected were rejected because the reviewer at the county level couldn't quite come to believe the signature on the petition matched the signature on the registration card. Never mind that entire pages of signatures were dismissed because of conflicting information from within the Elections Division during the signature gathering process. Never mind that this petition campaign submitted the cleanest list of signatures in Election Division history. Never mind. We apologize for the misleading information, but we have determined that you were short! The Signature Review System Needs an Overhaul The issue that is raised by these actions is about far more than the issue of same sex marriage or turning our moral base upside down. It is about the abuse of government in the hands of a few in the governor's office and in the state legislature who disregard the will of the people and the Oregon Constitution to achieve private and personal political goals to satisfy a small but powerful special interest group. It is about a system of signature validation that desperately needs review and overhaul if the people of Oregon are to have any chance to recover their rights and respect for our votes . . . and our signatures. There WILL be a VOTE on these bills! And it is about the good people of Oregon politely - but firmly - pushing back, saying "No, this is not right." The people of Oregon have a right to VOTE on the issues these bills address, especially when the legislature and governor choose to ignore the clear will of the people in Measure 36. And we will! This press release was sent today to nearly 100 news media outlets throughout Oregon and beyond. Please watch your local news and print media to see if there is any reference to it. Concerned Oregonians David Crowe Director Click www.concernedoregonians.com for more information. "Impress upon your children the truth that the exercise of the elective franchise is a social duty of as solemn a nature as man can be called to perform; that a man may not innocently trifle with his vote; that every elector is a trustee as well for others as himself and that every measure he supports has an important bearing on the interests of others as well as on his own." Daniel Webster, October 5, 1840 Copyright © 2007, Restore America. All Rights Reserved. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- email: david@restoreamerica.org http://www.restoreamerica.org Help us "Call All Christians to Exercise Their Citizenshp Responsibility" by forwarding this message to your friends and family. 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