Sam Brownback: “I take a few minutes of the leader's time to speak in morning business on one of the issues this week that has drawn…”

“I take a few minutes of the leader's time to speak in morning business on one of the issues this week that has drawn, obviously, the attention of everybody across the country. It has happened in Massachusetts where, 3 days ago, in keeping with the rulings of four Massachusetts Supreme Court justices last November, the State of Massachusetts started issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, as thousands descended on the State. This event has significant repercussions for all Americans. According to news reports, local officials across the State were giving licenses to all who requested them, without asking for proof of State residency. This is in open defiance of Massachusetts law, which bars out-of-State couples from marrying in the State if the union would be illegal in their home State. Let there be no mistake about this. The stakes in this battle over the future of our culture are enormous. This attempt by an imperious judiciary to radically redefine marriage by a few people is both a grave threat to our central social institution and a serious affront to democratic rule in our Nation.”