Brian Brown: We Can Still Undo This

Via press release from NOM:

Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage, recently joined Republican presidential candidates and conservative luminaries in addressing the 2,500 activists who attended the FAMiLY LEADER’s Family Leadership Summit, which NOM was proud to co-sponsor. In his interview, Brown discussed the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision, and counseled conservatives on what to do next. "We must overturn this decision. This point is a particularly daunting task. In the upcoming election we need to elect a president who will champion the cause for the family, and work to overturn this decision within the next election cycle. Until we overturn Obergefell, we must contain the effects of the decision. There are a number of ways to contain the effects of the ruling, including FADA, a bill that guarantees first amendment rights." Brown ended on an optimistic note, saying never to give up hope; all things are possible with God. He then said that we should be glad that we are to be persecuted—for we have an extraordinary opportunity to stand up for truth.

Yesterday's Headline

Sorry not sorry haters!

Brian Brown: Internet Meanies Are Trolling Ryan Anderson's New Anti-Gay Book

"An important new book has been published today that we highly recommend to you. Authored by Ryan Anderson, a great friend of NOM's and a scholar at The Heritage Foundation, the book 'Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom' is a tour-de-force examination of the issues in the marriage debate and an enlightening reflection on what is at stake. Please consider purchasing a copy today. And if you agree with us that the book is extraordinary, please write a favorable review. As you might imagine, the 'haters' among our opponents are busy trolling the Internet to criticize the book because they realize that it is a powerful, principled witness to the truth of preserving marriage as the union of one man and one woman." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, in today's money beg.

NOM: This Is No Time To Panic

"Despite the dreadful blow the Court dealt to traditional marriage, it is not time to panic. Instead, we must massively expand our efforts to restore marriage in America as the union between one man and one woman. We must take action! We must fight back! This is not just about marriage — it is about protecting the rights of people of faith, houses of worship and religious institutions — the very foundation of our nation. Because you are reading this, I believe you are a defender of marriage. But it is not time to stay silent! Take an important step RIGHT NOW by making a gift to the National Organization for Marriage. We need your immediate contribution if we are not to lose a day in this critical fight. We must raise $500,000 in the next 60 days — an amount that is reachable if everyone, including you, gives your best gift right now to help us restore marriage in America." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, a money beg that contains eleven links to their donation page.

SCOTUS Denies NOM's Last Attempt To Repeal Same-Sex Marriage In Oregon

Via Oregon Live:

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear one last legal attempt by the National Organization for Marriage to overturn a federal judge's ruling allowing gays and lesbians to marry in Oregon. The high court's action came nearly a year after U.S. District Judge Michael McShane of Eugene on May 19, 2014, struck down Oregon's voter-approved constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage. "It's a good day," said Portland attorney Lake Perriguey, who brought one of the two lawsuits that led to McShane's ruling. "It's a distraction we don't have to worry about anymore." Tom Johnson, a Portland attorney involved in the other lawsuit, said he was confident that the Supreme Court would deny the National Organization for Marriage's last-ditch legal appeal. But until the court ruled, there was "that tiny, little bit of uncertainty," he said.

What a perfect way to set the stage for next week's hearings!

Liberty Counsel: If We Win At SCOTUS, We'll Repeal Marriage Laws In The States

SCOTUS: Same-Sex Marriage Opponents Must Reveal Names Of Their Donors

Via the Associated Press:

The Supreme Court has turned away an appeal from same-sex marriage opponents in California who want to keep the identities of their campaign donors secret. The justices on Monday let stand a lower court ruling against ProtectMarriage.com, the National Organization for Marriage and other supporters of a 2008 ballot initiative that outlawed same-sex marriages in California until the ban was overturned five years later. The groups sought to conceal their past and future campaign finance records because they feared harassment of donors. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against them in part because the names have been publicly available for five years. State law requires political committees to identify those who contribute more than $100 during or after a campaign, along with the donor's address, occupation and employer.

Lawlessness! Judicial activism!

TEXAS: Petition To Repeal Plano LGBT Rights Ordinance Ruled Totally Invalid

From the Dallas Morning News:

A Plano petition drive aimed at the city’s LGBT ordinance is invalid, the city has announced. Last month, opponents of the city’s Equal Rights Ordinance say they turned in petitions containing more than the 3822 signatures required to force the City Council to repeal the measure or put it on the ballot.

Plano officials say the petition contained false information about the ordinance, claiming that it regulates bathrooms. “By making this false representation, the Equal Rights petition asked signees to repeal an ordinance that does not exist,” according to a statement issued by the city.

The petitions did not include a copy of the ordinance, as required by the City Charter, and did not include a a column for the county of voter registration, as required by the Texas Election Code, according to the city. Plano officials say they sent an email to the organizing groups prior to their deadline to inform them of some of the problems, with links to the appropriate websites.

BOOM. Read the full statement from the city.

WASHINGTON: Anti-Gay Florist Found Guilty In Public Accommodations Case

Via the Associated Press:

A judge has ruled that a florist in Washington state who refused to provide flowers to a gay couple for their wedding violated state consumer protection and anti-discrimination law. In an opinion Wednesday, Benton County Superior Court Judge Alex Ekstrom rejected arguments from the owner of Arlene's Flowers in Richland that her actions were protected by her religious freedom. He said that while religious beliefs are protected by the First Amendment, actions based on those beliefs aren't necessarily. Courts have long held that lawmakers can prohibit discriminatory conduct, and the judge said florist Barronelle Stutzman broke the law when she refused to sell flowers for a same-sex wedding in 2013. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson and the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington welcomed the ruling.

The wailing has already begun at World Net Daily:

A judge in Washington on Wednesday authorized the “personal ruin” for a florist whose Christian faith prevented her from promoting a same-sex “marriage” and was sued by both the state and the homosexuals. Officials with the Alliance Defending Freedom confirmed that Benton County Superior Court Judge Alex Ekstrom granted a summary judgment in the case against Barronelle Stutzman, so the case won’t proceed to trial now. It had been scheduled for March 23. It was Ekstrom who said last month that Stutzman personally was liable for the claims against her, placing both her business assets and her home and savings at risk. The judge ordered that the state and the homosexuals, who each filed lawsuits, could collect damages and attorneys’ fees from Stutzman. “The message of these rulings is unmistakable: the government will bring about your personal and professional ruin if you don’t help celebrate same-sex marriage,” said ADF Senior Counsel Kristen Waggoner.

What was that we were just saying about the track record of Alliance Defending Freedom?

NOM Announces 2015 Hate March

Because the first two were such roaring successes.

With the Supreme Court's announcement a few weeks ago that they will be hearing a case this term that could decide the legal definition of marriage in America, we are now on the clock. We have just a few short months to make our case for marriage before the Court weighs in. With that in mind, we have scheduled the third annual March for Marriage in Washington, DC on April 25th, 2015. And I need your help today to make this critically important March a success. Thanks to a generous donor who understands the incredible importance of this year's March, we have a matching grant in the amount of $100,000! That means every dollar you donate today will be matched dollar-for-dollar. And all contributions are deductible for federal income-tax purposes.

Our first two Marches brought together thousands of marriage supporters in our Nation's capital to stand together for marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and the truth that every child deserves both a mother and a father. People from all across the country and all walks of life — men, women, and children; African-Americans, Latinos, and Asians; Evangelicals, Catholics and Orthodox Jews — gathered in front of both the Capitol building and the Supreme Court to make the very clear point that the battle for marriage was not over in America... it was only just beginning. Defeatism is a recipe for disaster, and exactly what the gay ‘marriage' lobby's carefully crafted strategic plan is designed to do: convince ordinary Americans that the battle is already lost and to give up the fight.

Below is a photo of last year's hate rally, which NOM, true to compulsive lying form, claimed was attended by 10,000.

Tweet Of The Day II: John Stemberger

You'll recall that Stemberger had stompy-feet meldowns over gay marriage coming to his home state after vowing that it was an issue "worth dying for." (Tipped by JMG reader Erik)

IDAHO: Ninth Circuit Court Denies Gov. Butch Otter's Demand For En Banc Review

After referring the issue to the full roster of nonrecused judges, the Ninth Circuit Court has denied Idaho Gov. Butch Otter's demand for an en banc rehearing of his same-sex marriage appeal. The National Center For Lesbian Rights reacts:

“The Ninth Circuit correctly recognized that there is no need to reconsider the panel’s decision that Idaho’s marriage ban violates basic constitutional guarantees of equal protection. The Ninth Circuit’s decision striking down the Idaho marriage ban is consistent with the rulings of three other federal appeals courts, which have rightly concluded that our Constitution cannot tolerate the profound harm that denying same-sex couples the freedom to marry inflicts those couples and their children.”

Three judges dissented from the majority. The dissenting opinion, which goes on and on for many pages, cites the 1970 Baker V Nelson ruling.

FLORIDA: Osceola County Judge Tells Liberty Counsel That They Can Suck It

Osceola County Circuit Judge Leticia Marques today told the Liberty Counsel to suck it, dismissing the Florida Family Policy Council's lawsuit against County Clerk Armando Ramirez, the state's only county clerk who had vowed to officiate same-sex weddings despite contrary advice from the legal group that represents all Florida clerks. Per local news outlets, Marques ruled that the suit was moot in light of yesterday's ruling by federal Judge Robert Hinkle. I'll update this post when the Liberty Counsel's suit against Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer meets the same inevitable fate.

NOM Appeals Denial Of Legal Fees After Losing Suit Against Feds

Back in June a federal court declared that NOM had not "produced a shred of proof" that their donor information had been deliberated leaked to the Human Rights Campaign. The government did agree to pay NOM $50K for the "unintentional disclosure" of that information, prompting chairman John Eastman to hit Fox News and every teabagger site to declare victory - even though NOM actually lost their lawsuit, a pesky detail that none of those outlets reported. In October NOM lost again when the same court told them to suck it regarding their legal costs. Today NOM filed notice that they are appealing that "suck it" to the Forth Circuit Court. Named in today's appeal notice is Brian Brown's ActRight group, which also today told its supporters that they are nearly flat broke. Pity.

Crazy Eyes Suffers Final Hilarious Fail

Via Mother Jones:

What happened to her big protest? Bachmann's office did not respond to a request for comment. A TPP spokesman said in an email that the "gathering in Washington is not a Tea Party Patriots event per se, but we are fully in favor of it and have encouraged our supporters in the area to come out if they can." The lackluster response to Bachmann's high-noon call is a far cry from five years ago, when the congresswoman made a similar appeal on Fox for a protest against Obamacare. She asked for tea partiers to hit Capitol Hill and tell legislators "don't you dare take away my health care." And the fledgling tea party movement responded enthusiastically. The Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity dispatched dozens buses full of activists—29 just from New Jersey. FreedomWorks, then headed by former House majority leader Dick Armey, organized more. Glenn Beck promoted the event. Thousands of people showed up, as did the entire GOP House leadership. The momentum generated from that rally helped the GOP in the 2010 midterm elections. Bachmann, after a failed run for the White House, is spending her last days on the Hill writing listicles for BuzzFeed. And even before her final day as a congresswoman, Bachmann, with this non-rally, seems a has-been.

Here's Bachmann's big call for a massive protest, which aired on Fox News on November 20th.

OREGON: Ninth Circuit Court Denies NOM's Appeal For En Banc Rehearing

BOOM.

Headline Of The Day

NOM's latest financial report has been released:

According to analysis of the organization’s 2013 tax filings done by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), NOM raised $5.1 million in 2013, dropping by over 50% since 2012. Just 2 donors accounted for more than half of the organization’s funding – further evidence that everyday Americans have little interest in furthering NOM’s extremist agenda. In addition, the NOM Education Fund also dropped by nearly $3.5 million in funding -- a drop of almost 70% since the previous year. NOM ended the year more than $2.5 million in debt.

“NOM should start figuring out that people aren’t willing to give their hard-earned money to an extremist agenda that's going nowhere,” said Fred Sainz, HRC Vice President of Communications. “If I were Brian Brown, I’d be worried that my two or three mega-donors are soon going to come to terms with the fact that they’d largely be better off flushing money down the toilet. Americans certainly aren’t buying what NOM is selling, and it’s only a matter of time before the trickle of money keeping the lights on at NOM HQ dries up.”

Hit the link for more enjoyable taunting by the HRC.

Local Haters Have The Arizona Sadz

"I am heartbroken for a country and a state that has had the redefinition of marriage forced upon them by an out of control federal judiciary. In what amounts to the de-facto Roe v Wade of marriage, voters throughout the nation have watched their voices be silenced, and their votes voided. Now, Arizona’s marriage amendment and our voters are the latest victims. While the United States Supreme Court may still take up the issue of marriage redefinition, for now the courts have settled the issue in our state. Today, we grieve. We grieve for the children who now have no chance of growing up with a mom and a dad. We mourn the loss of a culture and its ethical foundation. We mourn a culture that continues to turn its back on timeless principles. But we do not despair. We do not throw in the towel. We do not give up. Just as we have worked to build a culture of life, we will focus on rebuilding a culture of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”- Cathi Herrod, head of the Center For Arizona Policy, the group behind that state's attempt to legalize anti-LGBT discrimination.

Court To NOM: No, You Don't Even Get Legal Fees For Your Failed IRS Lawsuit

Back in June a federal court declared that NOM had not "produced a shred of proof" that their donor information had been deliberated leaked to the Human Rights Campaign. The government did agree to pay NOM $50K for the "unintentional disclosure" of that information, prompting chairman John Eastman to hit Fox News and every teabagger site to declare victory - even though NOM actually lost their lawsuit, a pesky detail that none of those outlets reported. Today NOM lost again when the same court told them to suck it regarding their legal costs. BOOM. Anybody know how much they won't be getting?

UPDATE: Whoa. The demand was for nearly $700,000.

Perkins On North Carolina Magistrates

"Pasquotank County is hard to pronounce -- but it's not nearly as difficult as pronouncing two women 'wife and wife.' That's how North Carolina Magistrate Gary Littleton felt when a same-sex couple asked him to 'marry' them at a courthouse this week. Unfortunately for Littleton, his constitutional rights are of no concern to local liberals, who insist that the judge should have to check his religious beliefs at the workplace door.  Like the overwhelming majority of Tar Heels, Littleton probably voted to define marriage as the union of a man and woman in 2012. Now, two years later, he doesn't believe that a handful of unelected judges should be able to override his vote -- and the vote of 1,317,177 others. Yesterday, the county met to determine if Littleton could face criminal charges for exercising the freedom the First Amendment guarantees. While he and other clerks await their fate, a federal judge has given Speaker of the North Carolina House, Thom Tillis, the right to defend his state's marriage amendment in court. An appeal could kick the issue back to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which struck down Virginia's law." - Tony Perkins, in a press release about two battles that he's essentially already lost.