In this Issue:

Article:	Marriage & Education
Action Alerts:	Make Your Voice Heard!
Announcement:	H4PJ launches Hope4Today Podcasts
Upcoming Event:	Come Ride the Peace Train
Update:	Hurricane Rita & Marriage Equality

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Marriage & Education

Texas prides itself on being the big ol’ rodeo buckle on the Bible belt. It does seem that in some hamlets there are more churches than people. Even in urban areas churches dominate many communities.

The Governor and the Texas Legislature have yet to do their basic job and figure out how to finance public schools in Texas. In an attempt to pander to the churches of the state, however, they did manage to pass legislation that will put an amendment to the state constitution on this fall’s ballot that, if passed, will ban same-sex marriage. This legislation is redundant and mean-spirited since, in both of the preceding legislative sessions, bills were passed defining marriage as being between one man and one woman.

I am beginning to wonder if the Governor and the legislature really want this amendment to pass. After all, if it passes they actually will have to do some productive work for the citizens of Texas. They may not have been able to get anything accomplished in the last three legislative sessions, but, by God, they can go home and brag about making marriage safe from homosexuals.

Ironically, this bastion of conservative Christianity has one of the highest rates of divorce in the country. The supreme irony may be that Texas’ divorce rate is 4.1 per thousand, while Massachusetts, the one state where gay marriage is legal, has a divorce rate of only 2.4 per thousand.

There are a wide variety of reasons that marriages so often fail in Texas, but homosexuality is not one of them. One final irony may be that education is!

Massachusetts has the highest rate of education in the country, with 85% of people completing high school. In Texas the rate is only 76%. One-third of Massachusetts residents have completed college, compared with 23% of Texans.

It seems to me that, once again, the Governor and the Legislature in Texas have gotten it backwards. If they want to strengthen marriage, they should have done the job for which they were actually elected. The education system in Texas is an embarrassment, which is just one of the many reasons why Texas is ranked 48th on the list of the best states in which to raise children.

Homosexuals are not a threat to marriage, and our government ought to be working on issues like education and poverty.

The best way to tell our elected officials how we feel about the job they are doing is to go to the polls and vote NO on Proposition 2. We can defeat this amendment, and we can defeat our poor excuse for a government. Let’s make the issue about THEM not us.

Let’s talk to our family and friends who are also fed up and recruit them to vote with us on November 8. That may seem like a long way off, but it is, in fact, only about 40 days away. If everyone receiving this email will recruit one ally a day between now and the election we could single-handedly defeat this amendment and send a message to our legislature about what is really important.

Download your Personal Packet to talk to your Friends and Family

Those of you who live outside of Texas can help with your family and friends who live here. We all have a stake in defeating Proposition 2 in Texas. If we can take our stand here, we can reverse a national trend and, perhaps, turn the tide toward true equality.

Sincerely,

Michael S. Piazza
President, Hope for Peace & Justice

Click here to Write a Letter to the Editor about the Marriage Amendment.

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Hope for Peace & Justice is now airing daily podcasts of Hope4Today. Featuring Rev. Michael Piazza, President of Hope for Peace & Justice, each Hope4Today podcast examines the issues of our day from a progressive perspective. It’s free to join and is a great way to stay informed.

To subscribe to Hope4Today, simply go to the Podcasts Directory of iTunes and search for Hope4Today or H4PJ. Click “subscribe” and Hope4Today will automatically be downloaded into your iTunes.

Click here for more information about Hope4Today podcasts.

Click here to download the latest version of iTunes.

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Come Ride the Peace Train!
a progressive dinner and silent auction benefiting Hope for Peace & Justice

Join Hope for Peace & Justice on October 15th as we gather friends and family to celebrate and encourage Peace. Become a host today and share H4PJ with your friends!

Become a Host Today!

If you do not wish to be a host, you can sign up to attend and be paired with one of our gracious hosts. This is a great opportunity to make new friends.

Sign Up to Attend

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Update: Hurricane Rita & Marriage Equality

Last week, I watched as Rita stumbled her way through the Gulf of Mexico, wondering if and when my family would decide to evacuate. I got my answer Thursday afternoon when Mom called to tell me that all of my immediate family would be leaving Victoria for the higher grounds of Dallas, TX.

Knowing that such a trip was going to be stressful, I called my grandparents to let them know that we were excited about their visit and to learn if there was anything special we could get to make their stay more comfortable. During the conversation, my grandma began to list all of the things she had to pack: family portraits, baptism records, insurance policies, powers of attorney, living wills, etc.

I found it strange that my grandmother had to pack so much documentation, but then it was the legal documents that would have authorized my mother to make medical decisions for both her and my grandfather should circumstances require it.

My grandparents have been married for 58 years and both are nearly 80 years old. The circumstances of the trip, combined with age and illness, justified her precaution. And it got me to thinking…what would happen to my partner and me if we were forced to evacuate?

• Would we have remembered all of the paper work required to “legally establish” our relationship?
• What if we had lived in Louisiana with everything under 8 feet of water?
• How do prove your relationship exists when everything is 8 ft underwater and the state that has taken you in tells you that there is no legally recognized relationship outside of marriage?

Makes you think, doesn’t it?

Join the Coalition against Constitutional Amendment 2 and write a letter to the editor today!

Sincerely,

H4PJ
H4PJ Volunteer Campaign Manager
mack.campbell@h4pj.org

Click here to write a Letter to the Editor

Upcoming Events:

Vigil – Sept. 29 at 5:45pm – South Steps of the Texas Capital, Austin
Town Hall Meeting – Oct. 9 at 6pm – Cathedral of Hope, Dallas
For more information about upcoming events related to the Marriage Amendment, email H4PJ at mack.campbell@h4pj.org.

Also visit the H4PJ Marriage Amendment site to:

Join the Equality Coalition
Make a Covenant to Vote
View Resources about Marriage Equality
Download your Personal Packet to talk to your Friends and Family

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