September 1998 Home   Newsletters

October 1998

November-December 1998

Update on Campaign Finance Reform - HI.CLEAN (Toni Worst)
President's Message (Grace Furukawa)
Board of Education Survey (Pearl Johnson)
Education Committee (Mary Anne Raywid)
Annual Vigil
Elections That Are For Sale Are Not Free (Marilyn Bornhorst)
Final Push on Con Con and the Amendment (Jean Aoki)
Survey on Gambling in Hawaii (Dorothy Bobilin)
Membership
Candidates in Focus (Pearl Johnson)

Final Push on Con Con and the Amendment

With only a little over two weeks before Election Day, our Protect Our Constitution Coalition is in high gear convincing voters to vote no on Con Con and the amendment to the Constitution

The opposition claims that this is not a civil rights issue. Our voters need to understand that if this amendment passes, the Bill of Rights will be amended by adding a new section that will read:

Section 23. The legislature shall have the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples.

Article I of our Constitution, Bill of Rights, now consists of 22 sections, each section reserving certain rights for all of Hawaii's people. This Section 23 would be the only section that would indicate that a certain right is reserved for one segment of the population and not for another. This will be setting a precedent that opens the door to other discriminations.

If this, as the opposition claims, is not a civil rights issue, why would this amendment be placed in our Bill of Rights?

None of our rights are absolute, of course. Where the State can prove compelling interest for restricting certain rights in certain cases, those rights may be denied. In the case of homosexual marriages, the Supreme Court has ruled that under our Constitutional provisions, homosexuals have a right to be married unless the State can prove compelling interest to ban such unions. In the Circuit Court, the State could not prove compelling interest and appealed to the Hawaii Supreme Court. The case was heard, but the decision is pending.

If we are to succeed in preventing the passage of this amendment, we need to get our message to our voters. A oneto-one contact is the most effective method for most of the voters. We urge our members to discuss this issue with as many people as you can.

WE NEED YOUR HELP AT THE POC HEADQUARTERS AT 870 KAPAHULU AVENUE, #110. CALL 739-6263 TO OFFER YOUR HELP OR CALL THE LEAGUE OFFICE AT 531-7448 FOR MORE INFORMATION. POC NEEDS HELP ESPECIALLY OVER THE WEEKEND PRECEDING ELECTION DAY. LET'S ALL GET INVOLVED IN THIS FINAL PUSH.

Jean Aoki

September 1998 Home   Newsletters November-December 1998