New petition try could rapidly hit hundreds of churches

By JOHN FORTMEYER
CNNW publisher
    SALEM — If a green light is given by the state Supreme Court, there could be a sudden flurry of activity in hundreds of Oregon churches during three consecutive Sundays this month.
    Tentatively, the weekends that include Sundays, June 8, 15 and 22 have been set by sponsors for a new statewide petition campaign both inside and outside of churches, with an aim of eventually overturning one of Oregon’s new homosexual rights laws.
    The immediate goal is to collect at least 82,769 valid signatures from Oregon voters by the state-mandated deadline of July 3 to place Initiative 145 on this November’s statewide ballot to repeal Senate Bill 2. That law bans discrimination against homosexuals in work, housing and public places.
    But whether the go-ahead is received is up to the state court, which is reviewing the proposed wording of the ballot initiative.
    Meanwhile, a federal court recently authorized a step toward seeing the state’s other new homosexual rights law — House Bill 2007 — also facing a possible repeal on this November’s ballot. That law allows domestic partnerships for same-sex couples.
    The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on April 29 granted a motion by the Alliance Defense Fund, an Arizona-based Christian legal action agency, to expedite an appeal of a federal judge’s Feb. 1 rejection of ADF’s lawsuit that sought to block implementation of the domestic partnership law.
    The San Francisco court agreed to hear the appeal in July. For the Ninth Circuit to open the way for House Bill 2007 to be placed on this fall’s ballot, it would need to issue a ruling sometime this summer, according to Austin Nimocks, senior legal counsel for Alliance Defense Fund.
    Alliance Defense Fund filed the lawsuit on behalf of several Oregonians, alleging that the secretary of state and several different county clerks wrongfully rejected valid citizens’ petition signatures for last year’s referendum that sought to allow voters to decide the domestic partnerships issue.
    At this point, the Ninth Circuit seems to be the only pathway for getting House Bill 2007 on the fall ballot, because there doesn’t appear to be enough time for a petition effort allowing that to be authorized.
Basic Rights Oregon, a homosexual rights group that supports the new laws, reiterated on its web site its opposition to the Christian agency’s efforts:
   “Basic Rights Oregon is committed to defending Oregon’s domestic partnership law We believe discrimination is wrong, and we know that a majority of Oregonians agree with us. Basic Rights Oregon will continue to do whatever is necessary to preserve these fundamental protections for Oregon families.”
    Initiative 144 was filed in late February with the intent of a petition drive, but there were some legal problems with that filing, according to sponsors. A corrected version was filed as Initiative 146, but the review process likely will not allow enough time for signature gathering to be completed by July 3, said Craig Myers of Salem, a spokesman for Concerned Oregonians. “It (Initiative 146) will not see the light of day,” he said.
    Concerned Oregonians is one of several Christian groups that backed last year’s initiative drive, and is spearheading the renewed effort. Another is LetOregonVote.com, headed by former state Rep. Marylin Shannon of Brooks. Both intend to activate a ready network of petition distributors in hundreds of churches as soon as the OK is given.
   “There is a lot of organization going on,” said Shannon.
    Myers said the groups are building upon last year’s experience with a process that will see muchactivity on the local level. “This is going to be a very local process this time — very decentralized,” he said.
   Myers said churches and individuals wanting to take part in the petition drive should phone 1-888-303-1304 or go to www.concernedoregonians.com.
   Likewise, Shannon said www.letoregonvote.com will be updated with fresh information as petitioning is authorized.
    Shannon believes that last month’s approval of gay marriage in California by a court in that state is causing many Oregonians new concern about society’s moral direction.
   “Absolutely,” she said. “I think they are realizing that there is an agenda.”