As most of you know, Iowa recently became the 3rd state to allow marriage between 2 people of the same sex.  Now, mind you, this was not voted on by the people of Iowa.  No!  Rather, seven unelected judges unanimously struck down Iowa's 1998 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) last Friday, forcing same-sex "marriage" on the people of Iowa in a stunning act of judicial tyranny.

A lot of people across the nation have asked, "Why Iowa?"  Iowa is usually considered more "behind the times" and maybe even a little backward, compared to the states on the east and west coasts.  But, Iowa has seen many changes within the last 10 or so years.  These changes don’t come upon us suddenly either.  They have been slowly sneaking their way in.  Besides having a Democrat for a governor (who has lied and not supported Traditional Marriage like he said he would), there have also been multi-millionaires (for example, Tim Gill) pumping money into our political system, promoting pro-gay legislators.  (See "Gay Activists Target Smaller Races in U.S." for more info on this.)

So, now we not only have a "moral issue", with an unbiblical law taking effect on or around April 24th, but we also have a breach of the constitutional separation of powers.  The Iowa Supreme Court has attempted to make law--which is NOT the role of the judicial branch.  I would think that even the pro-gay supporters would stand up and take notice that something isn’t quite right here! 

That's why, when we received an email asking supporters of traditional marriage (between a man and a woman, as God set it up in the beginning of time) to come and join in their rally yesterday, we decided to get involved.  It was time to stand up for what we believe in!  Plus, I thought it would make a great Civics lesson for our boys.  J

Norman wasn't able to go, so the boys and I got up early Thursday morning and headed to the state capitol building in Des Moines at 6:30 am.  This was the day when the first procedural vote to bring the Iowa Marriage Amendment (IMA), also known as House Joint Resolution 6 (HJR 6), to the floor would occur.  This amendment (if passed) was going to put the marriage question on the 2010 election ballot, so "the people" of Iowa could vote on whether or not marriage should be just between a man and a woman.

Before the session started, however, both sides held rallies.  The Traditional Marriage supporters were on the West Terrace of the Capitol and the pro-gay marriage supporters were on the south side.  The email that we received asked us all to wear red, so we looked for the "red people" to make sure we were in the right group.  J  There ended up being around 300 or so people in ours.

Our rally started at 8:30 with a beautiful and emotional prayer (sorry, I didn’t get the man’s name who led it).  It was then followed by comments from Iowa Family Policy Center (IFPC) Action Board Chair, Danny Carroll, who is also a former Republican representative from Grinnell.  He instructed, “You can let them know today that this issue is different.  This is not about taxes or spending and regulations.  This is about morality and the word of God.”  Chuck Hurley (IFPC) also made some comments.

After our rally was over, we were herded into the capitol building and passed through security.  The South Gallery filled up quickly with the “red people”, so the rest of us were sent over to the North Gallery, where the gay activists were seated.  By now, it was standing-room-only, so the boys and I stood against the wall and waited patiently for things to begin.

“One Iowa” is the state’s largest gay-rights advocacy group.  I would say that our group of “red people” far outnumbered the “One Iowa” group.  And, although, extra law enforcement was brought in on Thursday, it was not needed.  Everyone acted in a very grown-up and respectable manner.

Finally at 10:00, the Speaker of the House, Pat Murphy (D-Dubuque), started the session.  Minority Leader Kraig Paulsen (R-Hiawatha) sought to force a vote on the marriage amendment bill.  The Speaker ruled the effort “out of order” and it was thrown out.  The exact ruling can be found at:  http://www.whotv.com/media/acrobat/2009-04/46095770.pdf

Another member was recognized and said something about the Republicans going to caucus in such&such a room and the Democrats going to theirs.  The House was then recessed until 1:00.  That is when the “red people” started chanting, “Let Us Vote!” over and over for quite a few minutes.

Everyone then started leaving, but I was a little confused about what had just taken place (or rather, hadn’t taken place), so I asked a woman who was standing next to us.  She explained it all very well to me.  Mainly, in order for this procedural vote to have passed, it needed 51 supporters.  It only got 43, who all happened to be Republicans.  We needed more support from Democrats, but that was very unlikely to happen.

So, what happens now?

Well, for us, we were tired from getting up so early and also hungry, so we took a quick tour of “our” beautiful Capitol…

… and then we left and went to Arby’s for lunch.  After that, we decided to head on home.

We had been informed that when the House came back at 1:00, they’d most likely discuss the budget or some issue like that.  But, I learned later that Christopher Rants (R-Sioux City) tried to revive the issue during the debate of the state’s health and human services budget.  His proposal would have gutted House File 811 and replaced it with the amendment measure.  It failed on a procedural vote, but this time with 2 Democrats joining hands with the Republicans to allow debate.

If lawmakers approved a proposed constitutional amendment this year, a second vote by the Legislature would be required in 2011 or 2012.  If it was passed a second time, Iowans could vote on the measure in November 2012.

Chuck Hurley said that Iowa Family Policy Project would continue to push for a vote.  So…  it’s not over yet!  Please keep praying for our lawmakers and the rulers over our land, that they would turn to God for quidance in all of their decisions.

And, like John Quincy Adams said, “Duty is ours; results are God’s.”

For more information and updates, check out these websites:

www.ifpc.org

http://letusvoteiowa.org/

~Connie~