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Rally for Democracy
On Sunday, November 19, the same day in history that President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, a crowd of 7,000 according to park ranger estimates gathered at the State House in Boston to rally the legislature to a vote on the marriage amendment. CLICK HERE to view some pictures of the crowd. See Remarks ... "Democracy in Crisis" DVD If you missed the rally or would like to relive the excitement of that Sunday afternoon, a DVD of the rally titled "Democracy in Crisis" is now available! For a suggested donation to VoteOnMarriage.org of $15 or more you can request a DVD copy of this historic event that includes all the speeches, including Gov. Romney, MFI President Kris Mineau, former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn and VoteOnMarriage.org Chairman Roberto Miranda. You can watch a report from PrayTV about the rally and the marriage battle on Beacon Hill. You can view the VIDEO HERE, and use the links below to order your copy of the full "Democracy in Crisis" DVD today! You can donate online by CLICKING HERE. To make sure you receive the DVD "Democracy in Crisis," please send an e-mail to info@voteonmarriage.org that includes your full name and mailing address.
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Remarks by Governor Mitt
Romney It's quite an interesting view I get from those windows. All I have to do is glance this way to see the stream of tourists. They come in duck boats, trolleys, and as foot pilgrims. They're not here for the beauty. They're here for the history. For this was the place where an astounding idea was born. It revolutionized America, it revolutionized the world. The idea was this: our nation would be guided by the voice of the people. This nation would trust the voice of the people rather than the wisdom of a king, or anyone else. The idea was embodied in the first Constitution, written by John Adams, here in Massachusetts. It established how the voice of the people would be heard - through elections and votes, petitions and initiatives, representatives and senators. Lincoln said that as elected leaders, we promise to follow the law, to follow the Constitution. He called this "America's political religion." Last week, 109 legislators decided to reject the law, abandon the Constitution, and violate their oath of office. For the Constitution plainly states that when a qualified petition is placed before them, the legislature "shall" vote. It does not say may vote, or vote if its procedures permit a vote, or vote if there are enough of the members in attendance. It says "shall" vote. A decision not to vote is a decision to usurp the Constitution, to abandon democracy and substitute a form of what this nation's founders called tyranny, that is, the imposition of the will of those in power, on the people. As I listened to the debate in the legislative session last week, I was struck by the irony, and the hypocrisy. Legislators so energized to protect the newly discovered gay right to marry had no compunction about trammeling the long established, constitutional right of the people to vote. The issue now before us is not whether same sex couples should marry. The issue before us today is whether 109 legislators will follow the Constitution. Tomorrow, I will send these 109 a copy of the Constitution and of their oath of office. And this week, we will file an action before the courts, calling upon the judiciary to protect the constitutional rights of our citizens. Let us not see this state, which first established constitutional democracy, become the first to abandon it. Remarks by Kris Mineau Ladies & gentlemen, fellow citizens, welcome to your statehouse. On July 4, 1795, Governor Samuel Adams, assisted by Paul Revere, laid
the cornerstone of the State House which says, "May the principles
of our excellent Constitution, founded in nature and in the rights of
man, be ably defended here: and may the same principles be deeply engraven
in the hearts of all citizens." Fellow citizens, our excellent Massachusetts Constitution, the oldest
living constitution in the world, is deeply engravened in the hearts of
all Americans because our Constitution became the model for the US Constitution,
just as our State House became the architectural model for the US Capitol
Building in Washington, D.C. With that historic background, I want to
take a few moments to share some very personal thoughts with you. I spent 35 years of my life serving our nation as an Air Force fighter
pilot in a career that spanned the Vietnam and Gulf Wars. The US Military
Code of Conduct starts with the statement, "I am an American, fighting
in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared
to give my life in their defense." Under that Code I flew over 100 combat missions and lost a number of
close friends whose names are inscribed on the Vietnam Memorial. Many
of you ask why I walk with a limp. It's because both of my legs and arms
were broken and mangled in a supersonic ejection that cost me six years
of my life in and out of military hospitals. Believe me, I know the cost
of freedom, as do the other 43 million Americans who served in our Armed
Forces for the past 230 years of our great nation. As a commissioned officer, I took an oath of office to support and defend
the Constitution of the United States, so help me God. Likewise, the 200
men and women who serve as our state senators and representatives in this
State House took an oath of office to uphold the Constitution of the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts, so help them God. Yet 10 days ago, in this very State
House, 109 of those legislators refused to carry out their duty under
Article 48 of our Constitution. Had I, as a commissioned officer, failed to uphold my oath of office,
I would have been court-martialed and sent to Leavenworth! Why are these 109 legislators above the supreme law of our Commonwealth?
Fellow citizens, I say to you today that they are not above the law,
and we must demand their accountability!
Remarks by Karen Reddy Good afternoon. My name is Karen Reddy. I live in Georgetown, Massachusetts and proud to say that I have been a life long resident of this great state. Two years ago I graduated from Merrimack College in North Andover with a business degree and currently work for State Street Corporation here in Boston as a Mutual Fund Accountant. Last year I would have described myself as a concerned citizen. I was asked if I would like to volunteer my time with VoteOnMarriage in an effort to collect signatures for a citizens petition that would define marriage as between one man and one woman. At the time I was new college graduate working a full time job with a demand on my schedule between work, family, and church commitments, but I recognized the importance of this issue and decided to give of my time. We worked long hard hours from the day we received those blank petitions until the day that we turned them in. Weekends that could have been spent going apple picking, watching soccer games, or going to the fair were spent driving from town to town picking up petitions from volunteers all over Essex County. Weekday evenings that could have been spent leisurely watching my favorite T.V. show or meeting up with friends for dinner, were spent on the phone organizing and encouraging fellow signature gatherers. I had the good fortune of working along side many great people from the Essex County area. We all believed in the legal process by which our state constitution grants us to petition the government. We all believed that if we worked hard and collected the number of signatures required that our legislators in due process would vote on the matter. We all believed that 170,000 voices could not possibly be ignored. We all believed in democracy and participation in government. However, I stand here today as an outraged citizen. After all the hard work that we put in collecting over twice as many signatures as required 100 legislators felt it unnecessary to vote at the July constitutional convention conveniently postponing their duties until two days after the election. We all know that they voted to recess in July to avoid accountability on Election Day. No one was fooled by their blatant disregard of the peoples petition. And then, as if we weren't outraged enough, November 9th came and went, and to our dismay, again without a vote on the peoples petition. What more do we, as law-abiding citizens, need to do in order for our voice to be heard? I am concerned about the future for the ability of regular people like us to participate in government. Our constitution grants us the right to petition government and yet our legislature has flat out denied our rights. Their actions have said to me and to you that our rights are irrelevant. They have forgotten their oath of office and it is our responsibility to remind them. Which is why it is imperative that each of you call or write or personally visit both your senator and representative. I would like to mention that on November 9th out of 196 legislators 87 voted not to recess and it is important to congratulate those individuals that stood up for democracy. Both my Senator & Representative voted not to recess in July and November. I wanted to publicly thank Senator Bruce Tarr and Representative Harriet Stanley. Though Representative Stanley and I probably disagree on the out come of the amendment, she has exemplified respect for the democratic process and a sense of duty to the oath that she took and I thank her for that. Just remember we are expected to abide by the law. Doesn't it make sense that our lawmakers be expected to abide by the law as well? Join me in calling our State Senators and Representatives. We will not be silent. Thank you and God Bless.
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| ©2005-2006 VoteOnMarriage.org. All Rights Reserved. Paid for by
VoteOnMarriage.org. Robert H. Bradley, Treasurer. |
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