Although social/cultural issues are getting little (if any) attention whatsoever in the current presidential election, the campaign to defend traditional marriage rolls on in California, Florida (likely to pass) and Arizona this year via proposed state constitutional amendments.

To date, such amendments have passed over 30 states with an average of about 70% of the vote, only failing in one state (in Arizona in 2006 by a few points, largely due to a poorly drafted amendment).

California is obviously the state that everyone's had their eyes on, for several reasons. First, because it's the biggest state in the country; second, it's home to the epicenter of the gay-culture universe, San Francisco...not to mention Hollywood and third, this is the first time such an amendment has sought to overturn the damage already done by a state court (having ruled gay marriage legal in that state by a one vote margin of its Supreme Court).

As mentioned previously, the pro-amendment forces, after having been down considerably for months, now have a slim lead in the polls, thanks in large part to running their first TV ad. And now, much to the consternation of liberals and the media, it turns out they've also got the deepest pockets. In some cases, with the help of...(oh no!)...Mormons! (Possibly contributing up to 75% of the 27 million raised so far). Even the Knights of Columbus have pitched in over a million.

The latest numbers how the pro-amendment forces with 27 million and the "no" group with 19 million. But before the liberals get away with tagging the conservatives as being the "big money" crowd, consider that 27 million came from 62,000 contributors...with 30,000 for the opposition.

The Mormons are even getting in on the ground game:

Mormons living outside California have been asked to volunteer for a telephone campaign to help pass a ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage in the state. ...

Church elder L. Whitney Clayton said members may be asked to call friends and family at home in California before the Nov. 4 election to encourage support for the measure. The out-of-state phone campaign would be on an "if-needed" basis.

Clayton, a liaison between the church and the coalition, also says many students attending church-owned universities have asked how they might help and could be enlisted to make calls. There are three branches of the church-owned Brigham Young University - in Utah, Hawaii and Idaho.

"In California, the phone trees are up and running. We just want to be able to help and one of the things we can do is we can organize," Clayton said in an interview Wednesday. ...

There are about 770,000 Mormon church members in California. ...

Its involvement in the California same-sex marriage debate this year began with a letter from church President Thomas S. Monson asking California Mormons to give their time and money to pass Proposition 8. Monson's letter has been read repeatedly in Mormon churches, and opponents of the forthcoming initiative have credited LDS members with giving the Yes on 8 camp an edge in donations and volunteers.

The church planned its appeal on Wednesday night with a satellite broadcast to church buildings in California and on the three Brigham Young campuses. Mormon leaders were scheduled to speak directly to members, with a particular focus being placed on reaching young married couples, single church members and those already active in the campaign, Clayton said. ...

"We also think it will be helpful to them to just be fortified in this last month," he said. "It's a political campaign, and time is short and there's a lot to do."

Oh my goodness. The gay marriage crowd - and liberals in general - out in LaLa Land have to being going absolutely apoplectic.

As an added bonus, the liberals are worried that the likely heavy turnout in the black community in support of Barack Obama will also lead to a net gain for the marriage amendment, given generally socially conservative views of blacks on the issue...leading libs to lament "black homophobia".

In the meantime, gays are "rushing to the alter" while there's still time.

Given the latest stunt on the part of the supporters of gay marriage, I guess I see their point. Get this:

SAN FRANCISCO, October 11 In the same week that the No on 8 campaign launched an ad that labeled as "lies" claims that same-sex marriage would be taught in schools to young children, a first grade class took a school-sponsored trip to a gay wedding. Eighteen first graders traveled to San Francisco City Hall Friday for the wedding of their teacher and her lesbian partner, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. The school sponsored the trip for the students, ages 5 and 6, taking them away from their studies for the same-sex wedding. According to the Yes on 8 campaign, the public school field trip demonstrates that the California Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage has real consequences.

Want to help out? Go to ProtectMarriage.com and pitch in.

Now if we could only get this kind of issue on the agenda in the Presidential campaign.

***

More: Michelle Malkin - Stop the ACLU - Bench Memos