Effort to ban same-sex marriage
criticized by gay-rights group
Opponents say petition's
signatu re-gathering
procedures were disobeyed
SARAH LINN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
PORTLAND, Ore. — Supporters of
a gay marriage ban pressured people
into signing petitions and failed to
witness voters' signatures, according
to complaints filed Monday by a Port
land-based gay rights group.
Basic Rights Oregon says it has
been monitoring the petition drive
by the Defense of Marriage Coalition
for weeks, watching for violations of
election law.
But a spokesman for the Portland
based Coalition said volunteers have
been careful to follow the rules, call
ing the complaints "insulting and in
flammatory."
The filing comes three days before
the group must turn in at least 100,840
valid signatures to qualify for the No
vember ballot. The proposed measure
would amend Oregon's constitution to
legally define marriage as between a
man and a woman.
"With an issue of this magnitude,
which has such a profound impact of
a specific group of Oregonians, we ex
pect every petition to be circulated
within the law," said Roey Thorpe, ex
ecutive director of Basic Rights Oregon.
Thorpe said the complaints filed
Monday stemmed from reports from
Basic Rights Oregon supporters sprin
kled throughout the state.
According to the complaints, vol
unteers at churches in Lowell and
Beaver Creek told food pantry patrons
that they needed to sign a petition
banning gay marriage if they were reg
istered voters.
Basic Rights Oregon also alleges
that signature collectors passed peti
tion sheets along church pews or left
them unattended in church lobbies
without witnessing the voters' signa
tures in person. And the group says
volunteers in Tualatin circulated a pe
tition on May 1— more than a week
before they could officially begin col
lecting signatures.
MMMMMMMMMMNN
State elections official Fred Neal
confirmed that the complaints have
been filed, but said they would be
treated as confidential.
Tim Nashif, political director for the
Defense of Marriage Coalition, dis
missed Basic Rights Oregon's claims as
"part of their campaign strategy."
"Where is this widespread abuse?"
he asked. "We're going to let our ac
tivities and what we've done speak
for itself."
Nashif said a guide to proper signa
ture gathering is printed on every peti
tion sheet. Volunteers for the Defense
of Marriage Coalition also receive an
"Important Instructions" pamphlet
detailing the process, he said.
Neal, the elections official, said
the state would respond to any crim
inal complaints with prosecution.
I hose would include failing to per
sonally witness a voter signing a
petition sheet.
Civil complaints, such as circulat
ing a petition sheet too early, would
cause the signatures to be declared in
valid, he said.
REACTION
continued from page 1
for the fune 30 deadline.
larrett White, senior political sci
ence major and chairman of the Col
lege Republicans, agreed, but said the
turnover could spur further violence.
"Terrorists could try and screw this
up to make the U.S. look bad," said
White. "We are going to stay the
course, but it will be tough."
Psychology graduate student Casey
Campbell said he doesn't think the
power turnover will do anything to
curb the violence in Iraq because the
United States is still seen as a foreign
occupying force:
Cramer said the power turnover is
n't very meaningful because the Unit
ed States is not really turning over any
power; U.S. officials will be making
all of the main decisions, while Iraqi
officials will only announce ll.S.
policy, she addecT.
Political science professor Richard
Kraus agreed and said the focus on
Iraqi sovereignty is misplaced because
of the continued U.S. occupation.
White said the continued U.S.
presence in Iraq is important to avoid
another dictatorship taking the place
of Saddam Hussein's regime, forcing
the United States to intervene again
10 years from now.
"Were not going to cut and run,"
White said.
Cramer said that turning over pow
er now is too soon, that without
democratic elections, there would be
no legitimate authority to receive
power. Cramer said the Kurdish
*ali ■ i
KRT PHOTO BY KHAMPHA BOUAPHANH/FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM
An Iraqi National Guard member (right) patrols with 1st Lt. Wade Aubin in Baghdad, Iraq,
on Sunday, June 27. With sovereignty being handed over to Iraqis, the same security
issues still exist.
people in Iraq were pushed aside dur
ing coalition-building because the
United States prefers to deal with the
more powerful Shiite majority.
"We're picking winners," Cramer
said.
Elections have been scheduled for
Jan. 31, but Cramer is doubtful that
the world will see a self-governed,
democratic Iraq anytime soon.
"Stable democracies are hard to im
plant," Cramer said. "We'd have to
stay there a long time."
White said that democracy in Iraq
will take time and an extended U.S.
presence because the Iraqis are not
used to democracy. White cited Ger
many and Japan in the years follow
ing World War II as examples of coun
tries that, after their dictatorial leaders
were defeated, became democracies
with the help of the United States.
Cramer also cited post-World War
11 Germany and Japan and said that
with foreign help there is a much
better chance that democracy will
flourish in Iraq. However, Cramer
said the administration should be
taken over by the United Nations
and not the United States.
White disagreed and said that we
should not have been trying to fight
a politically correct war and we
shouldn't now be trying to find a po
litically correct peace.
"We need to get the job done," said
White. "We shouldn't be scared of the
repercussions of world opinion."
benbrown@dailyemerald.com
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