I stayed home from work sick today with a respiratory bug, that has me coughing, feeling yucky, and speaking an octave lower than usual. Never the less, when I heard about a noontime news conference to be held at the nearby Santa Ana Double Tree Hotel to discuss the hate, harassment, vandalism, violence, blacklisting, and domestic terrorism committed against supporters of traditional family values, I decided to attend.
There was a massive traffic jam due to lack of parking and anti-Prop8 protesters on several corners making as much commotion and getting as much camera time from the media as possible. I had to park blocks away and was late for the start of the press conference. After registering, I entered a large ballroom filled beyond capacity with people and media, with a large podium in front on which were standing about 2 dozen representatives from many communities, various organizations, and faith groups, including both Christian, Islamic, Jewish, and others, as well as representatives of the Black, Hispanic, and Asian communities. It was good to see a number of familiar faces in the room. On either side of the podium were large screens on which videos were shown of some of the harassment which some Prop8 supporters have been subjected to. About half a dozen of the representatives addressed the audience and the media. The speakers decried the ugly and illegal reactions of some of the anti-Prop8 protesters who are upset over the passage of Prop8, and also the lack of any statement from any government leader asking for restraint by the anti-Prop8 protesters or any adequate measures to protect the majority of citizens who exercised their right to vote and are being viciously slandered and attacked and vilified as hate mongers by those who are obviously extremely angry and who are themselves the ones being motivated by hatred. The speakers called upon everyone on all sides of this contentious issue to treat each other with respect and civility. Not withstanding that the news media was challenged to fairly and accurately report on the content of the press conference, if they hold true to form, they will show a very short non-representative video bite from the hour long news conference and then show plenty of video of the noisy, anti-Prop8 protesters.
Here are some links to news stories about this press conference.
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=6506835
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/prop-vassos-leaders-2229235-gay-marriage
Here is a video I took during the Press Conference and a photo of the gauntlet of anti-Prop8 protesters that awaited us upon leaving the hotel.
The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) issued the following statement on Friday, November 14, 2008.
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/first-presidency-urges-respect-civility-in-public-discourse
Additional articles worth reading:
http://www.mantecabulletin.com/main.asp?SectionID=24&SubSectionID=54&ArticleID=60259
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=81035
http://www.newswithviews.com/Usher/david182.htm
http://www.poligazette.com/2008/11/15/gays-entitlement-and-incivility/
http://www.ktla.com/landing_topstories/?California-Supreme-Court-Ponders-Challen=1&blockID=135216&feedID=1198
http://www.myfoxla.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=7804420&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1
Employees of boycotted and besieged restaurant make donation (pay-off) to anti-Prop8 protesters in attempt to lift siege of restaurant where daughter of owner financially supported Prop8. When organized crime demands payoffs to allow a business to continue to operate it is called extortion. How is this any different?
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-elcoyote15-2008nov15,0,6294928.story
Just so the Orange County Mormons don't feel left out, the anti-Prop8 demonstrators protested in front of the Newport Beach Temple (since they've already demonstrated at the Los Angeles, San Diego, Redlands, and Oakland temples) and adjacent Stake Center during Church services on Sunday, November 16th. What a nice way to end your church services- to have to run the gauntlet of these screaming people. If there is any doubt why they are doing this- let me clue you in. It is NOT to try to change the opinions of the people against whom they are demonstrating. Since almost all the TV/newspaper/radio outlets came out against Prop8, the demonstrators and news media have a nice little racket going. The demonstrators show up and make a bunch of noise and the news media has plenty of anti-Prop8 events to report on in order to keep the anti-Prop8 homosexual lifestyle agenda in the public's face in hopes that it will affect the outcome of the court challenges in their favor, but if not, to remind the public the price that must be paid if you disagree with the homosexual lifestyle agenda.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/church-beach-passage-2230532-clayton-fichter
The LDS Church issued another Prop8-related press release on November 21, 2008.
http://www.newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/measured-voices-provide-reason-support-amidst-proposition-8-reaction
Here's a link to an article about the legal challenges to Prop 8.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/prop-constitution-court-2235083-state-gay
Article about Prop 8, the LDS Church, and the First Amendment.
http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=YTU5MjZmMDIyMDU3NjRiMjBlNjcxYTlmOGQ2ODA5NjA
Article written by Jewish Rabbi entitled, "We are all Mormons".
http://www.lawatchdog.com/
A hint of things to come?
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-prop8-court25-2008nov25,0,1631563.story
I concur with the sentiments of the author of the following Letter to the Editor published in the Orange County Register on 11/8/08:
While Prop. 8's passage is encouraging, it isn't enough. People of faith who supported it must now address the high divorce rate among Christians, the appalling number of churchgoing men who use Internet porn and the ranks of single Christians who are sexually active (None of which can be blamed on gays). Only then can we say, with integrity, that we support traditional marriage.
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