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"How
is it possible for a man to repeat the pledge of allegiance that
contains these words, and then call his fellow citizens 'social
misfits' when they are simply asking for liberty and justice?"
— Shirley Chisholm
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!Opportunity: |
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Tell a Personal Story—The power to change hearts and minds lies
in our personal stories. Do you want to help human rights in this
country move forward? Tell stories of friends and family who are gay
and loving—and ordinary. People in many areas have little
exposure to gay men and women. Help us evolve by demonstrating
humanity, familiarity and you're own natural concern for the rights
of another person who is more like you than not.
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"We must remember that
any oppression, any injustice, any hatred, is a wedge designed to
attack our civilization."
—Franklin
Delano Roosevelt
Bill of Rights
"...the Bill of Rights is the guardian of our
security as well as our liberty"
— John
Kennedy
What's in a word? by George Lakoff
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Equal Rights for Every American. Civil Rights
March, August 1963
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Equal Right to Marry
and a Right to Privacy |
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Position statement:
Democrats are the party of the Constitution, defenders
of equal rights for all Americans. We believe that
all men and women are created equal and should not be
discriminated against because of race, religion, creed
or sexual orientation. We believe it's not the
Federal government's business to enter our homes and bedrooms
to
legislate against family rights and privacy.
By contrast, radical
Republicans believe that they can promise anything to
any special interest group as long as the promise gets
votes. Their priorities are to support corporate
financial sponsors with favorable legislation.
They care little for making good on promises to
religious groups to curtail citizen's rights or to fund
promised faith-based initiatives. Their interests
are set square on maximizing power and wealth and not in
pursuing the divisive promises made to special groups
— until the next election.
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Make "frame sandwiches" using any of these values:
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Fairness
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Equal Rights
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Personal Freedom
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Equal Protection
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Patriotism
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Respect
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Repeat these ready-made frames:
"Domestic
Rights" as civil rights; |
| Use these
themes:
Civil rights; Full equality under the rule of law; Equal
rights; Human dignity; All Americans are guaranteed
equal rights under the law; right of people to form
legal contracts |
| Reframe using these
concepts: "Do you want the government telling
YOU who you can love or marry?"; "Keep Government out of
our bedrooms!"; "Equal rights under the law"; The 9th
Amendment guarantees our rights to privacy; "Why are
gays treated differently than you and me? That's
discrimination and it's anti-American."; "You may not
approve but it is un-American to deny any American his
or her
rights";
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| Contrast
using these words: "Callous Conservatism";
Anti-American; "Tyranny of the Majority in action";
Discrimination; |
| Avoid repeating these
words:
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Know the tools in the
radical Republican tool chest:
1.
The Radical
Republican Manifesto:
The Integration of Theory and Practice: A Program for
the New Traditionalist Movement by Eric Heubeck;
2. Frank Luntz Republican Playbook — Searchable Text-Version
3. "14
Words Never to Use"
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Quick facts*:
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A legal denial of
rights or benefits without substantive
due process, proponents of marriage equality
say, directly contradicts the
14th Amendment of the US Constitution which
provides for
equal protection of all citizen across
classes.
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A fundamental concern
is that the legalization of same-sex marriage will
lead to a direct attack via lawsuits against
religions to force them to perform marriage
ceremonies of which they do not approve, and
additionally that established churches could be
bankrupted by these types of lawsuits. This is a
realistic fear only in jurisdictions which fail to
recognize
freedom of religion.
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A typical definition
of marriage proposed by those who support same-sex
marriage is as follows:
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A socially sanctioned, voluntary, committed,
legally contracted union, of two adult
people, which the government and/or
society recognizes by conferring certain
rights, privileges and
responsibilities, such as finances, taxes,
and inheritance, child-raising,
adoption, visitation, and
medical decision-making.
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Sources:
Freedom to Marry Coalition
Federal Marriage Amendment (proposed ban on all
forms of same-sex unions)
Religious Beliefs Underpin Opposition to
Homosexuality
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