Why The Petition and why we must act When the Iowa Supreme Court struck down Iowa’s Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA) and ordered Recorder's Offices in all 99 counties to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, they not only changed the definition of marriage that has been established for thousands of years, but they stepped outside their constitutional authority. The court’s job is to give their opinion but instead they made law, which is the job of the legislature, and they executed that law, which is the job of the governor. Since the court had struck down Iowa’s DOMA law, the only course of action was to amend the constitution to clearly define marriage. This meant that an amendment must be approved by the legislature and then put on the ballot for the people to vote on. The governor could have put a stay on the court’s opinion until the people of Iowa had had a chance to vote on an amendment, but he did not. The legislature could have presented an amendment to the people, but even though conservative representatives tried, the liberal leadership would not even allow it to be discussed. In short, neither the governor nor the legislative leadership had the moral backbone to hold the court in check. Regardless about what you believe about same-sex marriage, this is a dangerous development. None of the rights we hold dear are safe from this kind of despotic action. Our state government has been hijacked. We the people must draw the line in the sand and take our government back. We start by making our voices heard on the marriage issue and voting the rascals out. I am asking Iowa pastors, and Christian leaders across Iowa to sign the petition below to let our government know that there are still Churches in Iowa who have enough backbone to stand by the scriptures and stand up to those elected to represent us. Pastor Brad Sherman Solid Rock Church Coralville, Iowa |