got this email today

[Flystripper]

Valencia 2nd Ward Friends -

In the next 24 hours your household should be receiving a telephone call and invitation to participate in the Proposition 8 kick-off as announced last Sunday. This email is a further request and invitation.

Proposition 8 (the "California Marriage Protection Act") is an initiative measure on the 2008 California General Election ballot that, if passed, would amend the California Constitution to provide that "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

In connection with the Prop 8 campaign grassroots efforts, the supporting coalition, of which the Church is a member, will hold three walk/phone days to help generate voter support on August 16, 23, and September 6. We invite everyone 16 and over to show their support of this crucial Constitutional Amendment by dedicating three hours of their time on each of these three days "walking," which is highly encouraged, or in the alternative - "phoning." (if 16 or 17 years-olds are participating, they need to be accompanied by a parent)

**We will meet this first Saturday, August 16th, at 9am in the Church parking lot for a three-hour effort. Everything will be explained in a pre-walk briefing and all materials will be provided. We are encouraged to work in pairs, so feel free to bring a friend or neighbor.

There are walking and phoning scripts, fact sheets, handouts/flyers, and all the necessary materials will be provided to make this as straightforward as possible.

Please commit your participation this Saturday either by responding to the phone call you receive or by emailing XXXX at XXXX

We look forward to seeing you Saturday - (and please prepare your schedules to be able to participate also August 23 and September 6 - most likely the same time). If you are unable to participate during the 9am-12pm time frame, you are encouraged to accept a walking or phoning assignment and then able to complete it on your own time.

Thanks so much for your support and sacrifice in this worthy effort.

Valencia 2nd Ward Leadership

I am so glad my son has football scrimmages on those days preventing our participation, but just to be honest I wouldn't participate anyway.

The thing that annoys me about this email is that they are encouraging teenagers to go canvasing. What a horrible formative activity for the youth IMHO. Then again, maybe they will be exposed to just how awful Prop 8 is when they go door to door. I just wish their parents were not going with them so that when a neighbor tells them that their support of prop 8 is bigoted they would not have their parents assuring them that they are on God's errand, and God is not bigoted. I understand why the church wants the parents to go though...not many teenagers would actually complete the task without prodding.

I have to just shake my head at this.