Matt Baume On Marriage In Constitution

NOM Launches 2016 Hate Pledge

As it did in 2012, today NOM will ask all GOP presidential candidates to sign its hate pledge promising to support a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

"Republicans need to not just give lip service to marriage," Brian Brown, president of the organization, told CNN in an interview. "By signing the pledge they are committing to concrete steps to protect marriage." Among other things, an advance copy of the five-point pledge provided to CNN calls on candidates to support a constitutional amendment. The National Organization for Marriage issued a similar marriage pledge in the 2012 Republican presidential primary, which was signed by most of the candidates including eventual nominee Mitt Romney.

Brown said his organization would send the pledge to the publicly announced GOP candidates on Thursday with a request for it to be returned within two weeks. Potential GOP candidates such as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker would be sent the pledge to sign once they formally announced their intentions to run for the White House. "Our hope is that as many candidates as possible sign, but at the end of the day what we want is a champion for marriage, someone who will stand up and do what is necessary to protect it," Brown said. "So whether we end up having four candidates or 15 we are going to support he candidates that stand up and sign the pledge."

Here is the text of the 2016 pledge.

NOM Presidential Pledge: I,__________________________, pledge to the American people that if elected President, I will: One, support a federal constitutional amendment that protects marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Two, oppose and work to overturn any Supreme Court decision that illegitimately finds a constitutional "right" to the redefinition of marriage. This includes nominating to the U.S. Supreme Court and federal bench judges who are committed to restraint and applying the original meaning of the Constitution, and appointing an attorney general similarly committed.

Three, conduct a review of regulatory, administrative and executive actions taken by the current Administration that have the effect of undermining marriage and work to restore our policies to be consistent with the proper understanding of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Consistent with this, prevent the promotion of a redefined version of marriage in public schools and other government entities.

Four, support the First Amendment Defense Act and other legislation that recognizes the right of organizations and individuals to act in the public square consistent with their belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman without fear of retaliation from the government.

Five, direct the Department of Justice to investigate, document and publicize cases of Americans who have been harassed or threatened for exercising key civil rights to organize, to speak, to donate or to vote for marriage and to propose new protections, if needed.

Christmas Is In The Constitution

"You go to the end of the Constitution, what do you find? It's dated from when? It's dated from the first Christmas! From the birth of Jesus Christ, 'the year of our Lord.' So we dated our Constitution, we dated the Declaration of Independence. We dated them from the very first Christmas! In other words, Christmas is IN the Constitution. Christmas is IN the Declaration of Independence. Because those documents are dated from the birth of what the Founding Fathers referred to as 'our Lord.' In the year of OUR Lord. All of them said, 'Jesus Christ is OUR Lord.' Our history began with the first Christmas. People say, 'Hey, the Constitution's a godless Constitution, God's not in there. There is no mention of Christ.' Absolutely wrong. It is an explicitly Christian document." - Hate group spokesman Bryan Fischer, speaking today on the AFA's radio network.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Same-Sex Marriage Shows The Genius Of The US Constitution

Speaking on Friday in Philadelphia, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said that growing acceptance of same-sex marriage demonstrates the genius of the US Constitution.

"So I see the genius of our Constitution, and of our society, is how much more embracive we have become than we were at the beginning," Ginsburg said in a far-ranging discussion of her work at the National Constitution Center, steps from the nation's founding at Independence Hall. Ginsburg, 80, gave no hint she would wind down her judicial career anytime soon, noting that the fall docket includes such important issues as campaign finance limits and affirmative action. And, despite her sharp ideological differences with some colleagues, including close friend Antonin Scalia, she said their work environment remains cordial.

Last week Ginsburg became the first Justice to officiate at a gay wedding.

Betty Bowers: Are We A Christian Nation?

Mississippi Ratifies 13th Amendment

It doesn't seem possible, but Mississippi never ratified the 13th Amendment. Until now.

Life really does move slower in the South. One hundred forty-eight years after Congress sent the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery to the states for ratification, Mississippi officially has joined the ranks. The state’s Legislature did vote to ratify it in 1995 — but the vote was never made official because lawmakers failed to inform the U.S. archivist, according to a report in the Clarion-Ledger. They’ve finally finished the job, Newser reports, and it’s official: Slavery is unconstitutional in Mississippi.

According to Wikipedia, Kentucky only ratified the amendment in 1976.

Atheist Group Asks Obama To Omit "So Help Me God" From Oath Of Office

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has written a letter to the president asking him to omit "so help me God" during his second inauguration oath. Via the Christian Post:

"When you stand to reaffirm your oath, do so using the language of the Founders. Eliminate the religious verbiage. While you're at it, why not place your hand on the Constitution instead of a bible?" FFRF attorney Andrew L. Seidel wrote in the letter. The words "so help me God" are not included in the oath as prescribed by the Constitution, the organization argues. The Constitution also does not require the president to place his hand on a Bible when taking oath, FFRF adds. FFRF argues that "so help me God" violates the Constitution as it alienates the nonreligious, which the organization believes is the future of America.

The FFRF adds that since the president is no longer "beholden to any future constituency" he risks nothing by changing his oath.

Dems Launch Citizens United Repeal

Federal constitution amendments are the most difficult thing to achieve in American politics, which is why there hasn't been one in decades. But if ever there was a good shot at one, this might be it.

Tenth Grader Challenges Crazy Eyes To Debate About U.S. Constitution

I'd put my money on Amy, should Crazy Eyes dare agree to the challenge. But I'm not holding my breath on that ever happening.

Janine Turner: Our Founding Fathers Were Clapping From Heaven Over Constitution

It turns out actress Janine Turner is kind of a nut.

Birther Interrupts Constitution Reading

As Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) read the Constitution's stipulation that the president must be a natural-born citizen, a woman in the gallery of the U.S. House shouted, "Except for Obama! Except for Obama! Help us Jesus!" She was immediately removed. So much for the sanctity of our nation's most-revered document. UPDATE: Unsurprisingly, World Net Daily is ecstatic.

Antonin Scalia: The 14th Amendment Should Not Apply To Homosexuals

Speaking on Friday at the University of Richmond, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia denounced the concept of a "living Constitution" and said the 14th Amendment was not written with the intent of granting equal protection to ALL Americans. Just the heterosexual ones.

“The due process clause has been distorted so it’s no longer a guarantee of process but a guarantee of liberty,” Scalia expounded. “But some of the liberties the Supreme Court has found to be protected by that word - liberty - nobody thought constituted a liberty when the 14th Amendment was adopted. Homosexual sodomy? It was criminal in all the states. Abortion? It was criminal in all the states.” “The way to change the Constitution is through amendments approved by the people, not by judges altering the meaning of its words,” he added.

Scalia made similar comments in September when he told a San Francisco law school that the Constitution offers no protection whatsoever to homosexuals or females. Gay people and women, he said, should go to their state legislatures and see if "current society wants to outlaw discrimination" based on gender or sexual orientation. In the landmark 2003 Supreme Court ruling overturning laws against sodomy, Lawrence vs. Texas, Scalia was the most vehement dissenting vote.

The famous "Equal Protection Clause" of the 14th Amendment, upon which entirely hangs the hopes of the federal marriage equality movement, reads: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

RELATED: At 74 years old, Scalia is the longest-serving Supreme Court Justice, having been appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1986. He is thought to be in relatively good health and most court watchers expect him to remain on the bench for as long another decade.

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia: Constitution Does Not Protect Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination

Speaking to a San Francisco law school on Friday, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee gay people protection against discrimination. And the same goes for women.

"If the current society wants to outlaw discrimination by sex, you have legislatures," Scalia said during a 90-minute question-and-answer session with a professor at UC Hastings College of the Law. He said the same was true of discrimination against gays and lesbians. The 74-year-old justice, leader of the court's conservative wing, is also its most outspoken advocate of "originalism," the doctrine that the Constitution should be interpreted according to the original meaning of those who drafted it. The court has ruled since the early 1970s that the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection of the laws applies to sex discrimination, requiring a strong justification for any law that treated the genders differently. That interpretation, Scalia declared Friday, was not intended by the authors of the amendment that was ratified in 1868 in the aftermath of the Civil War.

In the landmark 2003 Supreme Court ruling overturning laws against sodomy, Lawrence vs. Texas, Scalia was the most vehement dissenting vote.

Teabagger Strikethrough

Tweet Of The Day - Sarah Palin

Mama Grizzly don't appear to understand the First Amendment, do she?

ARIZONA: Sen. Jon Kyl (R) Calls For Repeal Of The 14th Amendment

GOP Sen. Jon Kyl wants Congress to start proceedings to repeal the 14th Amendment so that the children of undocumented immigrants are not born as U.S. citizens.

Kyl told CBS' "Face the Nation" that he supports a call by fellow Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to introduce a new amendment to repeal the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. Support is growing for this stunning reversal from Graham, who in 2007 drew the ire of Republicans when he lobbied for granting legal status to 12 million undocumented workers, and along with President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., led the failed immigration reform effort that would have given illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. The 14th Amendment was enacted in 1868 to ensure that states would not deny citizenship to former slaves. It reads, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

Rep. Louie Gohmert: Hamas Women Are Having U.S. Babies So They Can Grow Up To Be Terrorists And Kill Us All

And therefore we must do away with the 14th Amendment.

AZ Sen. Russell Pierce On Anchor Babies

Arizona state Sen. Russell Pierce seems to think the Constitution is unconstitutional. Or something. Because he doesn't want citizenship granted to babies born to undocumented immigrants.

Quote Of The Day - Antonin Scalia

"My burden is not to show that originalism is perfect but to show that it beats the other available alternatives. Did any provision of the Constitution guarantee a right to abortion? No one thought so for almost two centuries after the founding. Did any provision in the Constitution guarantee a right to homosexual sodomy? Same answer." - Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, speaking on the issue of originalism, the idea that the Constitution should be interpreted according to the intent of its writers. In other words, we should live as if it were still 1787.