South Dakotans Against Discrimination continues their push against Amendment C

There's an awful lot of activity on the part of Amendment C opponents in the past few days.

First, Amendment C gained a bit of attention last night with their hiring of Todd Epp to work on the South Dakotans Against Discrimination campaign.

Then this morning, in the Rapid City Journal, Dakota Voice publisher and fellow blogger Bob Ellis found himself in the letters column doing an unintentional point-counterpoint exchange on Amendment C with Barry Wick.

First a snippet from Bob's letter:

The marriage protection amendment doesn’t discriminate against anybody; homosexuals have the same right to marry someone of the opposite sex that heterosexuals do. It prohibits homosexuals from having “special” rights and preserves the sanctity and meaning from activist judges who would hijack it.

You can’t legally call a maple leaf a $20 bill, and you shouldn’t be able to call two people of the same sex shacking up together “marriage.” Why? It counterfeits marriage — thus undermining its value — just like making a fake $20 bill would.

and then a clip from Barry's:

These are the people who resist change, make laws to resist change and make laws and rules to restrict others. They bury their heads in the present and think it will always be the way they think it is never realizing the world is different from what they perceive it to be.

They have gathered their forces to pressure society to adopt strictures on love in the form of Amendment C on this fall’s ballot. They think that by stopping people from getting married that the love they oppose will cease. Those who support Amendment C think they are changing the world. They might as well stop the wind by turning off the sun. No on C.

Read both of their full letters here at Rapid City Journal.com.

Then, in the latest, an announcement went out about a South Dakotans Against Discrimination event to be held in Rapid City on October 12th at the home of (soon to be former) Republican Senator Stan Adelstein:

Save the Date

Join fair-minded South Dakotans at the home of Senator Stan Adelstein (R-Rapid City) as we show our opposition to Amendment C.

October 12, 2006
6 pm - 8 pm
Rapid City, SD

Special Guests: Patrick Guerriero, Executive Director of the Gill Action Fund and former President of the Log Cabin Republicans; Jimmy LaSalvia, field consultant for the Log Cabin Republicans.

Those interested in serving on the host committee, please contact South Dakotans Against Discrimination or (605) 360-7948. More information and details coming soon.

And a press release also just went out from the campaign during press secretary Todd Epp's first full day on the job:

EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF SOUTH DAKOTA PASSES RESOLUTION URGING CONSIDERATION OF "NO" VOTE AGAINST AMENDMENT C

SIOUX FALLS --South Dakotans Against Discrimination (SDAD) welcomes a resolution passed by the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota opposing Amendment C, the quasi-marital relations state constitutional amendment.

At its 123rd convention in Pierre this past weekend, the state's Episcopalians passed a resolution (see attachment) urging its members and all voters in South Dakota "to consider rejecting Amendment C not only because it writes discrimination into the State Constitution, but also because its implementation may have many negative and unintended consequences that would harm children, elderly persons, and families across the state."

SDAD campaign director Jon Hoadley said the resolution is important for all citizens to consider.

"SDAD's members are greatly moved by the showing of support by the state's Episcopalians," Hoadley said. "We hope all South Dakotans will look at how the church logically and patiently arrived at its position in favor of keeping discrimination out of the state constitution and making sure all citizens' civil rights are protected."

Curtis Price, an Episcopalian from Rapid City, drafted and submitted the resolution.

"The faithful Christians of the Diocese clearly took a close, prayerful and honest look at Amendment C and found it wanting," Price said. "Amendment C is intended to discriminate--to divide families into two groups: those worthy of support in our society and those that aren't."

Price noted that the discussion about the resolution included a priest, a lawyer, and a psychiatrist "all speaking to actual consequences to people's lives this Amendment will have if approved in November."

SDAD is a grassroots ballot issue group opposed to the passage of Amendment C in the November 2006 general election. For more information, contact Jon Hoadley at the information above.

This is in strong contrast to the campaign in favor of the amendment which continues to hold it's cards close to their chest. With not much than a month left in the campaign season, the activity and advertising effort in favor of Amendment C remains to be seen.