Bush Tells Evangelicals He Will Fight Gay Marriage


Thursday, March 11, 2004 12:07 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush on Thursday sought to solidify his standing with evangelical Christians by restating support for a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage as part of his championship of conservative causes.
"I will defend the sanctity of marriage against activist courts and local officials who want to redefine marriage. The union of a man and woman is the most enduring human institution," Bush, himself a born-again Christian, told the National Association of Evangelicals Convention in Colorado via satellite from the White House.
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Kerry's Catholic Conundrum
By Bill Berkowitz, AlterNet
March 11, 2004
There are some 25-30 million eligible Catholic voters and they usually turn out at the polls in large numbers. Once Catholics overwhelmingly voted for Democrats, but now some 40 percent are unaffiliated. Political operatives from both parties are targeting at least six or seven swing states – Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida and Missouri – where the Catholic vote could play a significant role in the outcome of the presidential race.
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‘I do’ or ‘I don’t’
Same-sex marriages
get mixed reviews
By KELLY GILBERT - GM Today Staff
March 11, 2004
OCONOMOWOC - Regardless of a person’s race, religion or background, most people would agree marriage should be based on love.
But while that idea is accepted, the idea of homosexuals being given the right to marry and therefore be eligible for full marriage benefits is an ongoing battle.
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No Gay Marriage No Civil Unions Declares Jeb Bush
03.10.04
By Fidel Ortega
(Miami, Florida) "Marriage is safe in Florida," Gov. Jeb Bush declared on Tuesday, telling a travel industry conference that he will not support civil unions. Gay marriage is already illegal in the state.
Bush said the he supports his brother the President in a constitutional amendment to bar same-sex couples from marrying. Of civil unions, he said that he would veto any bill coming before him that would recognize gay and lesbian relationships.
Questioned by reporters as he left the University Center Club at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Bush said if same-sex couples want protections they should turn to civil law.
"My personal opinion is, if people are in a union - if a gay couple has made a lifetime commitment or a long-term commitment - there are ways for them to create a contractual arrangement that provides the benefits that they claim they can't get. There's nothing in the law that says someone can't provide money to their survivor."