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The Washington State Secretary of State's office undermined our press release yesterday regarding our filing a referendum to overturn SB 5688.
Here's what happened.
Within the last few days legal council has made us aware that we could actually file for a referendum before Governor Gregoire signed SB 5688 into law.
Larry Stickney, myself, and others decided to go ahead and file yesterday.
Larry had a couple of questions about the filing and was told to talk to Teresa Glidden in the Secretary's office. She is the expert on initiatives and referendums.
While Larry was driving to Olympia yesterday to file, both he and I began receiving calls from the press, asking about our filing. I told them we had not actually filed yet.
It was then that we learned that the Secretary of State's office had sent an unauthorized memo to the press regarding our intentions to file "today".
We had planned to file around midday yesterday, be sure everything was okay, then when everything was properly filed, put out our press release.
Both the Seattle Times and KING 5 told me they thought this was unusual and did not recall receiving anything like this before from the Secretary's office.
Larry confronted the Secretary's office and received an apology from David Ammons, former reporter, now working in the Secretary's office. He called it an "unofficial leak." People at the Seattle Times and KING 5 told me they believed the memo was from Ammons or Glidden. Larry told me that Secretary Reed gave a "sort of" apology as well.
We have not expected any help from either the press and certainly not from the Secretary of State's office, however, we did not expect the Secretary's office to undermine our ability to present ourselves to the press with our own release.
We have filed the referendum. It is Referendum 71.
It is classified as a "conditional" filing, which means that should the Governor change anything in the bill before signing it, the referendum would be adjusted accordingly.
Our preempted press release will be sent out this morning.
We can now begin to raise money for the effort, but cannot yet begin to collect signatures. That will follow in a few days.
If you are on the side of marriage, this is our time.
People of faith and conservatives must carry this referendum drive. There is no one else.
Let The Church Rise.
We need your donation today. We are underway and expenses have started.
To give directly to the effort you should give to Faith and Freedom PAC. As you know, that donation is not tax-deductible.
You may donate here or send a check to:
Faith & Freedom PAC
Box 65
Olympia, WA 98507-0065
This will likely be the last time we address homosexual marriage in this public way. If we fail and this bill stands, homosexual couples will file a discrimination suit, claiming that there is no difference between domestic partners and marriage and that they are being discriminated against if the name marriage is with held. They will win because there is now, with the passage of this bill to law, no legal difference between D.P. and marriage.
DOMA will be declared irrelevant.
Dozens of organizations are standing together on this issue. Will you stand with us? Soon we will be asking you to help gather signatures.
Today, we are asking for your most generous donation to Faith and Freedom PAC.
Please forward this to friends and family asking them to join us.
Thank you and God bless you.
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Gary Randall
President
Faith & Freedom
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