House vote on same sex marriage

Each chamber of Congress must pass a resolution for a Constitutional amendment by a 2/3 majority. It would then go to the states where 3/4 must ratify. To put that in numbers, you would need 67 positive votes in the Senate and 289 positive votes in the House. So, with only 236 votes, the amendment failed in the House. It is no surprise that most of the Democrats voted no. On a straight party vote, there would have been no chance (231 Republicans, 201 Democrats and one independent). Only 34 Democrats supported the amendments. Twenty-seven Republicans voted against it. Here is the text of the amendment:

`Section 1. This article may be cited as the `Marriage Protection Amendment'.

`Section 2. Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.'.

Here is the vote:

(Republicans in roman; Democrats in italic; Independents=Sanders)

H J RES 88 2/3 YEA-AND-NAY 18-Jul-2006 2:00 PM
QUESTION: On Passage
BILL TITLE: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to marriage

	Yeas	Nays	PRES	NV
Republican	202	27		2
Democratic	34	159	1	7
Independent		1
TOTALS	236	187	1	9

---- YEAS 236 ---

Barrow Berry Bishop (GA) Boren Boucher Boyd Chandler Cooper Costello Cramer Cuellar

Davis (AL) Davis (TN) Edwards Etheridge Ford Gordon Herseth Holden Jefferson Marshall Matheson McIntyre

Melancon Ortiz Peterson (MN) Rahall Ross Scott (GA) Skelton Spratt Tanner Taylor (MS) Thompson (MS)

---- NAYS 187 ---

Bass Biggert Boehlert Bono Castle Diaz-Balart, L. Diaz-Balart, M. Dreier Fitzpatrick (PA)

Foley Frelinghuysen Gerlach Gilchrest Hobson Hostettler Johnson (CT) Kirk Knollenberg

Kolbe Leach Paul Pryce (OH) Ros-Lehtinen Schwarz (MI) Shays Simmons Sweeney

---- ANSWERED “PRESENT” 1 ---

Lipinski

---- NOT VOTING 9 ---

Brown (OH) Davis (IL) Evans

Hinojosa Johnson, Sam Kind

McKinney Northup Strickland

Happy Fourth of July

I think it is good to reflect on what it really means to be an American. Some folks have no concept of history beyond their own personal experience. So let me direct you to a few articles that are well worth the read today:

Kenneth Copeland discusses the flag and the anthem that refers to it in The Star Spangled Banner.

Bill Whittle discusses civilization as a whole in Rafts.

The Patriot Post talks about a Nation of Resolve. (Pemanent link).

Cassandra, as always, stands Behind The Flag.

And here is a quote from Ronald reagan:

"The day of our nation's birth in that little hall in Philadelphia, [was] a day on which debate had raged for hours. The men gathered there were honorable men hard-pressed by a king who had flouted the very laws they were willing to obey. Even so, to sign the Declaration of Independence was such an irretrievable act that the walls resounded with the words 'treason, the gallows, the headsman's axe,' and the issue remained in doubt. [On that day] 56 men, a little band so unique we have never seen their like since, had pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. Some gave their lives in the war that followed, most gave their fortunes, and all preserved their sacred honor... In recent years, however, I've come to think of that day as more than just the birthday of a nation. It also commemorates the only true philosophical revolution in all history. Oh, there have been revolutions before and since ours. But those revolutions simply exchanged one set of rules for another. Ours was a revolution that changed the very concept of government. Let the Fourth of July always be a reminder that here in this land, for the first time, it was decided that man is born with certain God-given rights; that government is only a convenience created and managed by the people, with no powers of its own except those voluntarily granted to it by the people. We sometimes forget that great truth, and we never should."
—Ronald Reagan

Have a great day.