By Dr. Mark H. Creech
Executive Director, Christian Action League
A police officer was waiting across the street from a bar parking lot late on a Saturday night watching for drunks trying to drive home. After a short wait, one particularly sad case stumbled out the door with the front of his shirt soaked. He appeared bleary eyed and confused as he wandered to the parking lot looking for his car. When he finally located his vehicle, he fumbled for his keys, bumped his head getting in, drove off and bumped the curb on the way.
Of course the man didn’t get very far before the police officer was on him, and he immediately pulled over. The policeman had him step out of the car and proceeded to administer several sobriety field tests. The driver seemed to have considerable difficulty understanding some of the tests. In fact, he failed all of them miserably: he couldn’t stand on one foot, he couldn’t touch his nose, he couldn’t walk straight, and he couldn’t recite the alphabet correctly. The final legal step, of course, was the Breathalyzer, so the police officer asked his subject to blow into the tube. The green light indicated that the man was not drunk. In complete disbelief, the policeman checked the Breathalyzer and had the suspect try once more. This time another green light – the guy’s blood-alcohol level was legal!
“All right,” said the police officer, “but how can you pass a breath test when you’re falling-down drunk? I just don’t get it.”
“Well, it’s like this,” replied the man. “I’m the designated decoy.”
Recently, news reports from across North Carolina featured the results of an Elon University poll, a study, which ABC 11, the Charlotte Observer and the Raleigh News and Observer collaborated on, saying opinions had now shifted regarding the proposed Marriage Protection Amendment. The survey supposedly found 54 percent of Tar Heel residents currently oppose the constitutional amendment, while only 38 percent supported it.
Don’t be fooled! The Elon University poll is nothing more than a designated decoy – something meant to lead people away from the truth and discourage backing for the amendment. Contrary to what’s being reported, support for the Marriage Protection Amendment is not waning.
The Elon poll was not limited to registered voters, nor did it employ the exact wording of the amendment that will appear on the ballot in May. But a Civitas poll, which was scientifically conducted during the same period of time, using the exact wording of the proposed amendment, while polling only those who had voted in at least one of the past three general elections or had registered since November 2010 (likely primary voters), was completely ignored by the media.
Tami Fitzgerald, chairwoman of Vote For Marriage NC noted: “The Civitas Institute poll stands in complete contrast to the Elon poll. By asking likely voters the actual May 8th ballot question, we have a scientific test showing that 64% of likely voters in North Carolina support the Marriage Protection Amendment. Furthermore, when asked if a recent court case in Guilford County challenging North Carolina’s marriage laws made them more likely to support the Amendment, 60% of likely voters responded ‘yes,’ which includes 20% of people who had previously not supported the Amendment. In addition to African-American support remaining strong for the Amendment by a 40% margin, the poll showed that unaffiliated voters support the Amendment by a 24% margin, which is an increase from January’s 11% margin.”
So support for the Marriage Protection Amendment has not shifted with most people now being opposed, but it is, in fact, slowly picking up momentum.
You know, a very prominent and powerful man of yesteryear said the role of the press should be one of a collective propagandist and agitator. That certainly seems to be what is going on today, especially when it comes to the proposed Marriage Protection Amendment for North Carolina. There has yet to be one positive story about it in any of the major dailies, or any other news venue for that matter. Every story is propagandist in nature and obviously meant to agitate the public against the measure. The sad thing, however, is Vladimir Lennin was the one who advocated this is how the press ought to work. In contrast, America’s founders believed the hope of sustaining a free people was a free press that would freely tell the whole truth.
Despite the negative reports of the media, efforts to protect marriage as one man and one woman in this state are succeeding. Therefore, like a runner who has his eye upon the goal and pushes through every difficulty to reach it, let us bear down all the more toward the mark. (Philippians 3:11).
This is no time to be distracted – no time to be discouraged – no time to be following after designated decoys.