The Mormon church, whose members have emerged as the leading backers of a ballot measure to end same-sex marriage in California, is scaling back its Utah campaign operation but will continue to support the initiative. Church members will no longer be making phone calls from Utah to California voters, Kim Farah, a spokeswoman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said in a prepared statement Friday.

Good. They shouldn't be doing it in the first place. Pressure on the Mormon Church to cease their funding of the lying, blackmailing Prop 8 campaign is working.

The Courage Campaign has been keeping the heat on with our petition to LDS President-Prophet Thomas Monson demanding that his church cease funding the Prop 8 campaign and all forms of advocacy for the ballot measure, which was referenced in the SacBee article.

Opponents of the measure have criticized the church's involvement in the campaign. The Courage Campaign, a liberal advocacy group, plans to deliver a petition to a Mormon church in Los Angeles next week demanding the church stop funding the Yes on 8 campaign. But a spokesman for the church, which holds traditional marriage is a sacred institution ordained by God, said the church continues to support the measure despite curtailing its Utah phone bank operation.

We are not the only ones ruffling their feathers. hekebolos sure got under their skin with his Daily Kos post suggesting kossacks work on a distributed research project to look into the Mormon donors to Prop 8 and see if there is any dirt. The info is all out in the public domain and he was not doing anything illegal and unethical, but when the blackmail story broke the Prop 8 campaign tried to use it as an excuse.

His post was the subject of a story by the Salt Lake City ABC affiliate. It's really funny to watch the newscaster emphasize "damn" and "hell" as in Hell to Pay, the competition on Daily Kos that netted $150,000 for the No on Prop 8 campaign.

The lesson we should take from all of this is to keep it up. Keep up the focus on the Mormons. Keep exposing their lies and blackmail. Keep pointing out the hypocrisy of a religion funding lies and distortions. We can respect their freedom to choose not to conduct same-sex marriages, we only ask that they respect Californians to make up our own minds on whether we should take away the rights of loving couples to marry.

And if you haven't already, go sign the letter to the President-Prophet. We are going to deliver it on Tuesday and invite the press. The more names we have with us the better.

Update [2008-10-25 17:52:31 by juls]: Here is a great TV report on the blackmail.

Update [2008-10-25 18:19:47 by juls]: for more crazy from the Prop 8 campaign, check out Donald Lathbury's post on CA Majority Report.

I do love the title: "Prop 8 Legal Adviser Fears Ghosts, Goblins, and Gays -- And Don't Even Get Him Started on Halloween or Harry Potter!"

Update [2008-10-25 18:19:47 by juls]: juturna in the comments just asked where people can sign-up to volunteer for election weekend and election day.

The campaign just launched today a drive for 10,000 volunteers. Sign-up here and they will be in touch with ways you can help out in your local area down the final stretch. Personally, I will be camped out at the SF office, helping with whatever they need. Please join me in volunteering!

Update [2008-10-25 18:26:35 by juls]: itswhatson in the comments submitted the SacBee story and the YouTube report to digg. Go digg if you have an account. Thanks itswhatson!

http://digg.com/...

http://digg.com/...