California's Proposition 8 has been getting all sorts of attention, but let's not forget that Floridians also have a gay marriage-themed ballot measure, Amendment 2, which would define marriage as between a man and a woman. And Amendment 2's passage, writes Jack Romberg, would bring the state closer to a theocracy:

Marriage is a sacred ritual that takes place within all mainstream religious traditions. However, not all religions agree on what marriages should be sanctified. Even within the Jewish or the Christian world are disagreements. For example, many rabbis will sanctify interfaith weddings, others will not. How would my fellow clergy feel if an amendment were proposed allowing only same-faith weddings to be legally sanctified?

These are decisions that should be left to individual religious communities to decide, guided by their clergy. Religious decisions should not be at the whim of a voting public or by government fiat.

Why don't we just give everyone equal rights and call it a day? That would be heavenly!

"…Two prominent West Michigan philanthropists are writing big checks to help keep it front and center. Holland resident Elsa Prince Broekhuizen [pictured] has pumped $450,000 into a Nov. 4 California ballot issue to ban gay marriage. It is one of the largest private donations to that cause. In Florida, protesters gathered last month at Amway Arena to decry $100,000 given by Amway Corp. co-founder Rich DeVos to Florida4Marriage, a group that supports a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage." [Muskegon Chronicle]

"Failing to ban gay marriage in the state constitution could result in the indoctrination of schoolchildren into a gay lifestyle, supporters of Amendment 2 said today." Those people should take a look at California school superintendent John O'Connell's commercial decrying such false, panic-driven arguments. [Palm Beach Post]

"The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Sunday that the ballot measure — Amendment 2 — would amend the state constitution to bar gay marriage. A Sun Sentinel and Florida Times-Union poll reveals 53 percent of 600 likely voters said they supported the plan, far short of the 60 percent approval required for the constitutional amendment. The poll found 77 percent of likely voters favored equal rights for same-sex couples, while 15 percent were opposed and 8 percent were undecided." [UPI]

Michael Schiavo hasn't lost his fighting spirit!

Schiavo first drew the national spotlight a decade ago, when he began his battle to remove his brain dead wife Terry's feeding tube. Her parents objected, thus sparking a lengthy court battle that putted Schiavo against the nation's right-wing conservatives, including Congress' Republicans, who turned the family matter into a political circus. Michael Schiavo ultimately prevailed.

Well, now he's back and fighting against Florida's Amendment 2, which would constitutionally define marriage as between a man and a woman even though same-sex marriage is already prohibited in the Sunshine State. The Amendment reads: "Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized." Such a measure would also prevent straight and gay domestic partners from gaining marital benefits, an argument that provides the thrust for Schiavo's argument.

Saying he's "troubled" by the Amendment, Schiavo takes on "the same people who thought they knew what was best for my wife, Terry," who are "once again trying to tell others how to live." He goes on to say it's "hard to respect people who only pay lip service to family values. As a former Republican, I think that if the people behind Amendment 2 really cared about legal marriage between husband and wife, they would have respected mine."

Bipartisan group "No On 2" today released a video urging voters to, well, vote "no" on Amendment 2, which would ensure gay couples - and straight domestic partners - never receive full marriage benefits.

Recent polls show the amendment's gaining steam, so these guys need all the help they can get and have concocted a matching donation mechanism.

Click here for more information!