Kansas. About to become the first full blown theocracy on the North
American continent.
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Posted on Wed, Apr. 06, 2005
Conservative coalition turns attention to evolution, abortion issues
By DAVID KLEPPER
Kansas City Star
TOPEKA, Kan. - Same-sex marriage ban: accomplished. Next up: evolution,
abortion and gambling.
The network of conservative preachers who successfully coordinated
Tuesday's passage of a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage say
they'll turn their newfound political acumen to other issues, even as
opponents of the measure wait for the legal challenge they hope will
overturn the people's decision.
"They won a battle, but not the war," said Pedro Irigonegaray, a Topeka
civil rights and defense attorney. He said attorneys opposed to the
amendment would likely begin looking for cases to challenge the
amendment, which passed Tuesday with 70 percent of the vote.
The amendment defines marriage as being between a man and a woman and
prohibits the state from granting marriage rights to any other
relationship, such as a civil union or domestic partnership.
One of the leaders of the movement that got the amendment on the ballot,
the Rev. Jerry Johnston of Overland Park, said its success proves
Kansans have an appetite for more conservative causes. This week
Johnston kicks off a month of sermons devoted to the evolution vs.
creationism debate. It's no coincidence, since the state school board is
currently debating whether to change science curriculum to reflect
criticism of evolution.
"We must be bold. We must be courageous," Johnston said. "We can't be
afraid to be leaders."
Johnston said the coalition of ministers and political operatives won't
abandon the communication lines and political infrastructure they formed
to support the amendment.
In the immediate future, he said, that political base may be put to work
on the evolution debate and campaigns for a federal marriage amendment.
After that, it's on to efforts to fight proposals that would allow
state-run gambling and the biggest of all targets, abortion laws.
"We are passionately pro-life and we have not fallen asleep at the
wheel," he said. "I just see some really great opportunities."
Opponents of the constitutional amendment say it's only a matter of time
before evangelical conservatives overreach and alienate moderate Kansans.
"They'll go too far," said Steve Brown of Prairie Village. "They'll go
too far, and Kansas will be there watching."
An immediate countermeasure to Tuesday's amendment, however, will have
to come from the courts. Lawsuits have been filed challenging similar
constitutional bans in other states. Opponents of the amendment say they
expect lawsuits in Kansas to center on the second provision of the
amendment - particularly if it leads to changes in health benefits,
child custody, inheritance or medical decisions now given to unmarried
partners.
Attorney General Phill Kline, who supported the amendment, released a
written statement Wednesday saying he believes the amendment will not
change any rights now enjoyed by unmarried partners. He said he stood
ready to defend the amendment if challenged.
The election brought out a surprisingly high turnout for a spring
election dominated by school board and local government races.
Statewide, 35 percent of registered voters cast a ballot, compared with
0-20 percent in most spring elections. Rural counties scored the highest
turnout, in some cases topping 50 percent. Turnout was 27.9 percent in
Johnson County, 29.9 percent in Wyandotte and 35.5 percent in
Leavenworth.
Johnson County voters approved the amendment with 60 percent endorsing
it; Wyandotte with 70 percent and Leavenworth with 74 percent.
With 63 percent of voters saying no, Douglas County was the only one to
defeat the amendment. After that, Riley County, which includes
Manhattan, was the closest to defeating the question.
Rural counties had the highest margins of approval for the amendment,
with a few hitting 90 percent. Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt, an
Independence Republican, said for most of those voters, the issue of
same-sex marriage is resolved. Schmidt's home county voted for the
amendment by a four-to-one margin.
"In the mind of folks back home, it's a settled issue," he said. "In my
part of the world, it's done."
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http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/11327721.htm
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John Hachmann aa #1782
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"
-Voltaire
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