I have heard these ads sometimes played hourly and it's infuriating. I'm just wondering when are we going to hear the ads for Approve Ref 71???

Fun fact: The loss of $200,000 is going to affect all of those people a lot more than civil unions between gays ever would.

Ballots hit mailboxes starting this Friday. The name of the game is motivating our voters to cast their ballots to APPROVE.

Please sign up to phone bank - they're happening any night of the week or you can make calls from home!

More the active type? Join the door-to-door canvass Saturday!

Check out ApproveReferendum71.org for details and sign-up.

I'm pretty sure that's Bill Gates the third, as in the founder of Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, not Bill Gates Sr., who gave 25K.

As a pro-family group, they should be spending that $200,000 to help out all of the parents who are out of work and having trouble buying food for their kids, or paying their rent. But apparently taking civil rights away from gay people is far more important.

@charliesierra: why would you think that? Bill Gates Sr. is alive and well and quite active in charitable circles. He speaks up on social issues quite a bit. (I'm sure his son will also be donating, if he hasn't already).

Their ads don't make any logical sense: Vote to Reject 71 because the legislature should have only been focused on the economy this year.

WTF!!!!

So we should vote down any laws not dealing with the economy, including laws that grant basic civil rights to gays and senior citizens???

That's just odd thinking.

But guess what? It's working!

It's the excuse I got last night from a woman voting against 71 while I was phone banking.

Jeez. This is nutso! Spock would be very angry!

Oh and go phone bank if you haven't already done so.

@8 fair enough :)

Focus on the Family really need to fuck right off and focus on their own damn families for once, instead of focusing on everyone else's.

What is the Approve 71 campaign doing? Phone banking is good, but all I ever hear about otherwise is fundraising. I hope they're planning some sort of saturation campaign that hits soon.

Even though I'm an atheist, I feel compelled to point out there is no such thing as "The Christian Church". There are christian churches though, and a great many of them were involved in the abolitionist movement, and the civil rights movement of the sixties. (I don't know about the suffrage movement, sorry.) Not so many involved in the gay rights movement, but many are supportive while others are conflicted.

Alright, I'm signed up to canvass on Saturday. Easy peasy.

http://fusewashington.org/page/event/det…

I did phone banking tonight. SO simple... two to three hours of you time... snacks provided (I brought a couple beers). Calling all sloggers!
http://approvereferendum71.org/volunteer…

Steven @14 the Approve 71 tv ad campaign went on the air today. Last week Equal Rights Washington Education Fund started airing an excellent ad also. It couldn't mention the referendum because of the org's 501(c)3 tax status, but it helps educate the public on the importance of the protections afforded by domestic partnerships. I believe Approve 71 also has radio ads.

ApproveReferendum71.org

I feel really proud to be a Microsoft employee in this fight. Not only am I able to give money earned through them, but my company is standing up for me and giving hugely disproportionate amounts, as is our senior leadership.

I know we all like to bash (well, make fun of our nerdom, evil empire) the microsofties in Seattle, but seriously. What other corporation is being this vocally supportive?

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Microsoft.

The Family Policy Institute of Washington is an arm of the KKK.

Thanks for the info Lurieen!

There is actually quite a history of the Mormons getting run out of their homes and lynched back in the 19th century, but that probably has more to do with their penchant for counterfeiting and thievery than anything having to do with their faith.

They don't do that anymore, of course.

But they did.

oops, posted that in the wrong thread. That's what I get for not drinking.

OK, I gave $100. But I would really have rather given it to the food bank. Stupid right-wing fuckheads.

Why is the entire country oblivious to the cruelty and inhumanity of having a family's constitutionally-guaranteed EQUAL RIGHTS placed on a state ballot?

People may criticize me for aggressively wanting to self-defend and "confront" those who vote to HURT my family, but they must be oblivious to what is at stake, or the pain and suffering that result when rights are not in place.
WE WILL HAVE A PROBLEM if America continues to think that my RIGHT to see my dying partner in a hospital equates with a vote on:

Tax limits
Transportation
Estate taxes
Car tabs
Gas tax
Performance audits
Property tax limits
Transportation funding

Having my family and children's safety and security decided by a public vote is reason enough to bear arms and confront those who think they can bully and harm my family at the ballot box without serious repercussions. If the LGBT community were doing the same to their families I would expect a similar response....but guess what?

We do no harm.

We didn't start this war, but some of us WILL resort to defending ourselves, especially since government refuses to protect us while it empowers the religious bullies and haters by allowing these ballot measures.

Let us hope this bankrupts Focus on the Family - aren't they suffering from financial problems?

UGH. I hate Focus on the Family (or Focus on the Wallet as we liked to call them in Colorado Springs). I freaking moved away from Colorado to get away from those jackasses. Hands off my State!!!!