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Approve Ref. 71 Community Organizing Meeting - Olympia

Tue, 09/08/2009 - 9:32am — CIAGuy

We want people to vote to APPROVE Referendum 71! We also want to encourage them to spread the word to their families and friends, and to get them more involved in the campaign as a volunteer.

The goal of these community meetings will be to:
- Very specifically educate activists as to what is going on
- What is needed of them
- What the challenges are
- What must happen to win

The campaign - Washington Families Standing Together - will provide the program and materials, in addition to assisting with turn out from their lists and the lists of coalition partners endorsing the campaign. When activists leave the meeting, each should know exactly what they need to do in the days and weeks left in the campaign.

For more information or to RSVP please contact the organizers at volunteer@wafst.org or by calling 206.324.2570


  Location: Olympia Timberland Library (Olympia, WA) 313 8th Ave SE
Olympia, WA 98501

 

Comments

Wed, 09/09/2009 - 10:26pm — agathafrye

full house

The meeting room was packed!
Wed, 09/09/2009 - 7:26pm — Rob Richards

Great meeting.

Just got back from it.

This was just a getting to know you kind of meeting led primarily by folks from Seattle. Local organizers, Reiko Callner and Anna Schlect, were introduced and contact info was gathered. The next meeting is Sep 26, 6pm, Olympia Center Room 101.

Wed, 09/09/2009 - 12:20am — luke

depends

It would be good if SB 5688 would have a better chance of passing if put to the state at large versus allowing it to make it's way through the legeslature. It would be bad if Ref. 71 passed and in state wide inititive what is SB 5688 failed, in effect limiting the potential level of rights extended to same sex couples by the state. I'm not sure which senerio has the greater likelyhood. I'd only argue that regardless of the outcome of ref. 71 their should be popular movement towards building greater equality for same sex couples. It appears that many proponents of ref. 71 believe that there is more a chance in striking down this attempt to expand these rights if left to initative. I would like to believe that the voters of this state would choose to recognize were there is unequal treatment and eliminate instances of it mandated under law.
Wed, 09/09/2009 - 11:14am — luke

I was confused

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referendum_71#Confusion

Confusion

Since the Washington State law mandates that when an existing law is put up for a referendum, voters must either "approved" to confirm the law or "rejected" to oppose it.

Therefore, the movement to allow the bill to be enacted WITHOUT a referendum was called "Decline to Sign" and urged people to oppose Referendum 71, by NOT signing the petition. Hence, at that time, people who wanted to repeal the law were 'pro-71' and those who wanted the law to stand where 'anti-71'.

However, once the petition to place Referendum 71 on the ballot was found to be valid, the labeling becomes confusing. The ballot wording is such that voters vote in the affirmative to approve the law to approve domestic partnership or in the negative to reject the referendum (and domestic partnership)."

Wed, 09/09/2009 - 11:39am — Rob Richards

Great trickery

I have no doubt it was handled exactly this way to confuse as many people as possible.
Tue, 09/08/2009 - 5:43pm — luke

A Ref. 71 endorsement.

Having friends and family who are affected by this, I worry about any attempt to limit the basic rights of people who have been consistently alienated by society. The lobby PAC leading the fight against SB 5688 goes so far as suggesting that children are in danger if domestic partnership benefits make it easier for same sex partners to raise them. This is an example of some of the rhetoric being used by endorsers of this referendum: 

Knights of Columbus endorse Ref. 71

Whereas, The Catechism of the Catholic Church (2357) states, that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered," and "contrary to the natural law." "Under no circumstances can they be approved."
Whereas, recognizing its many social benefits, society has long licensed marriage between husband and wife, and has granted such unions privileges and prerogatives.
Whereas, in passing SB 5688 last month, the legislature in Olympia states repeatedly that "marriage shall apply equally to state registered domestic partnerships." The legislature would thus put the sin against nature on an equal footing legally with the venerable and sacred institution of marriage between one man and one woman.
Whereas, in Anderson, et. al. v. State of Washington (2006) the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was upheld by a 5-4 margin in the Washington State Supreme Court.
Whereas, three members of that majority are expected to defect after final enactment of SB 5688. Under this widely expected sequence of events, the State Supreme Court would soon overturn DOMA, and would mandate the issuing of marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Whereas, the Knights of Columbus nationally and locally are duty bound to defend traditional marriage in American society and culture,

Therefore, be it resolved: Council 1379 of the Knights of Columbus endorses Referendum 71, filed in Olympia on May 4, 2009, in order to overturn SB 5688

To read more endorsements of R-71 see: State Leaders Supporting R-71!

We would be wise to not let this turn into another prop. 8 and continue to fight for full equality for everyone.

Tue, 09/08/2009 - 7:05pm — Rob Richards

So,

if they're endorsing it, they'll vote for it right? That's good.
Tue, 09/08/2009 - 3:58pm — Rob Richards

Thanks for posting this!

See you there!
Tue, 09/08/2009 - 10:33am — agathafrye

whoopsie...

The library actually closes at 7pm on Wednesdays- please help spread the word! Looks like the meeting will be from 6-7 instead of 6-7:30 as stated on most of the event listings. The meeting room contact I talked to said that they would finish the meeting on the sidewalk if they had to.
Tue, 09/08/2009 - 9:35am — CIAGuy

If you know others around the state

who want this to pass, you can see where more meetings are taking place here.