Tweet
UPDATE: Check out the lies being spewed by signature gatherers in Seattle today, after the jump.
UPDATE 2: Chris Mason has posted the entire 9 minute video (thx Chris!). I’ve updated the post below. It is clear that the referendum mercenary was telling people that this is a yes/no vote on legalizing gay marriage. That is a baldfaced lie. R-71 is only about repealing an incremental domestic partnership law.
H/T Joshalot
Wow. Just wow. This is what false Christianity looks like. Gary Randall and Larry Stickney, sponsors of the anti-domestic partnership Referendum 71, have a lot to answer for. This video was recorded by Chris Mason from Driving Equality a few days ago at the Port Angeles, WA Wal-Mart. While watching, keep in mind that Referendum 71 has NOTHING to do with marriage licenses.
[The paid signature gatherer] approached a woman and asked her if she supports same-sex marriage. When she said yes, he handed her the clipboard to sign the referendum. She though she was signing in favor of equal marriage. He tricked her, right in front of me, on camera. I called him out on it.He said to her:
Did you have a chance to sign our petition yet? We’re giving you an opportunity to decide whether or not you’re in favor of giving homosexual couples legal marriage licenses. Not just the same rights as married people, but a marriage license too. Do you have an opinion on that, yes no or don’t care?The woman said yes, that she will sign, and he handed her the clipboard. It was obvious to me that she was signing what she thought was a petition in favor or giving same-sex couples marriage licenses. So I asked her if she supports same-sex marriage. She said that she did.
Referendum 71 has nothing to do with granting marriage licenses. Referendum 71 would repeal an incremental domestic partnership law. It isn’t a fluke that this mercenary lied. Randall and Stickney have lied from day one that the referendum was about marriage. In fact, their petition sheets have the lie “Protect Marriage, Protect Children” emblazoned across the top with the following lies printed directly beneath
• The legislature just passed a law that effectively makes same sex marriages legal. By signing R-71 we can reverse that decision and protect marriage as between one man and one woman.”• If same-sex marriage becomes law, public schools K-12 will be forced to teach that same-sex marriage and homosexuality are normal… even over the objections of parents. Sign R-71 to protect children.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Related
* Protect Marriage Washington Using Paid Signature GatherersDominic Holden at SLOG reports
The bigots trying to repeal the domestic-partnership bill-which has zilch to do with kids, curriculum, or graphic depictions of sex-aren’t just lying in Port Angeles. Slog tipper Jennifer writes, “Just took this photo outside the Key Arena (fountain side) where the petition signers are mingling in the crowd headed into the Women of Faith conference.”
Join Washington Families Standing Together in their fight to defeat Referendum 71 by clicking on the graphics below.
19 Comments
Well, that’s pretty hopefulIt had originally seemed like the paid gatherers were very recent and they were just now using these tactics. If they’re desperate like this, days ago, then maybe…
well let’s hope.i was bummed to read that if the signatures get turned in tomorrow, we may not know until late august whether the referendum qualifies. the process takes time. in the mean time, enactment of the d.p. expansion law is on hold.
It’s standard operating procedure.Signature-gatherers getting people to sign petitions saying something other than they’ve been lead to believe are a dime a dozen. They have tactics ranging from this to getting signatures for a completely different petition and then asking for a second “backup” signature which is actually for another petition entirely.
Chris MasonChris Mason is doing an amazing thing. With “Driving Equality” he is driving across the country, filming LGBT activists and those who are working against us, at some risk to himself. However, he did not raise all the money he needed for the trip before he left, and I am worried that he is running out about now. You can go to his Website of the same name to donate.
is it truethat these “tactics” of lying to get signatures isn’t even illegal? I’ve heard that signing petitions is “buyer beware” and that it is up to the signer to figure out what they are actually signing.
ButWhere’s the rest of the video? She said “yes” she supports marriage, but it cut off before she signed it.
Can take name OFF petitionIn Alaska, you must be a registered voter in order to sign a petition – signers who are not registered voters are not counted. In addition, if you find out that the petition was misrepresented to you, you can call the City Clerk, Borough Clerk or Lieutenant Governor’s office and ask them to remove your name. You might want to check into your state law on the matter and, if possible, publicize that option so that people who were lied to can downsize the lists.
And BTWHe is caught on video lying about “giving a marriage license too”, which is not true. So that’s good.
Chris Mason said on his blog
Interpret that however you will.
it is trueIt went to the Washington Supreme Court and they decided that the state can’t be validating political claims
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c…
If it does get on the ballot the first thing I am printing up is ‘Defend Marriage, Protect the Children, Agree on Referendum 71″
If you want to donate to Driving Equality,here is the direct link to Chris’s donation page. I met Chris years ago when he was a canvasser for MassEquality. You couldn’t meet a more dedicated advocate.
HmmmmI can only assume he is referring to the fraudulent “marriage license” part of the video.
If only we can get someone on tape telling someone it’s explicitly pro-gay marriage, as we’ve heard has been happening. That would the great.
Lurleen, thanks for all your hard work and investigation in this. Great work! I don’t know what we’d do without you and also Louise in Maine.
be sureto emblazen the posters with images of flags, bibles and sundry americana. the “protect marriage” folks really seem to fall for that stuff, no questions asked.
also give your organization (it need only consist of yourself) a name like “freedom eagles bible institute” or “alliance of values defenders” or any random combination of words from the following set (faith, flag, freedom, eagle, morals, values, bible, judeo-christian, family, marriage, research, institute, network, foundation, alliance, congregation, defend, protect, save).
aw shucks
Qhat really gratesI think its deplorable what these signature gatherers are doing to the American public and there really should be a law about misrepresentation when gathering signatures. But what really bothers me is that Every conservative “reporter” has been all over ACORN for the same crazy crap since they found out about their close association with Obama but not a peep about the industry wide problem or any misconduct among signature gatherers for conservative issues. Its like listening to crickets in the weeds.
Rest of the footageHey folks -
Here is the rest of the footage from the interaction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…
I ask her and you can clearly hear her say that she is in favor of same-sex marriage. The problem is that I am just driving through Washington state. I had no idea that referendum 71 WASN’T about marriage, so I didn’t know to challenge him on that point. But I did blast him for tricking the girl into signing. After arguing for a bit, he does admit that he misled her.
felonyamazing how the mercenary tells chris that chris has committed a felony for using his 1st amendment right to express a political opinion. all the while the mercenary is committing fraud with every word he utters. intimidating others while breaking the law with impunity – this is what “protect marriage washington” stands for.
My God, Chris, that stuff is GOLD!You got the signature gatherer to say that he is in favor of same-sex marriage!
I couldn’t believe what a terrier you were to keep talking to that jerk, but then you got him to admit to all kinds of things contrary to what the petition proponents claim. The part where he shows you the petition and claims that the verbiage about protecting children is “obscene, insulting, I don’t want to show it to anybody, I disrespect the church for putting that up there.”
This should be edited down and plastered around everywhere.
Reporting 135,000 names submittedAs I noted in a previous post, these people lie and lie and you can’t take anything they say at face value. Supposedly they were just at 120K yesterday. We are supposed to believe that they gathered 15,000 names in 24 hours? I doubt if any of the status updates reported over the past month have been accurate.
Anyway, they are claiming “at least” 135K turned in. That is more than needed, but less than the recommended 150K to allow for 18% disqualification. However, that 18% is an average; I doubt if they disqualify 18% on each and every referendum. So they might have done it.
I suppose we won’t know whether it really is 135K until the Sec of State’s office actually does a count.
Assuming that it is 135K, I would say it is a good thing if they got a lot of names at the last minute. That would suggest a greater potential for errors, and thus, for disqualifications.