UPDATE: Portland Press Herald just now (2:15pm EDT) reporting that “Stand For Marriage Maine” now claims to have the 55,000 signatures they need to force a November referendum..

From PRNewswire:

PORTLAND, Me., July 8 PRNewswire-USNewswire — Looking to overturn a bill signed by Governor John Baldacci in May approving same sex marriage, Stand For Marriage Maine announced today that they have collected more than the 55,087 signatures needed to place a People’s Veto on the November ballot and are collecting additional signatures as insurance to meet the deadline to qualify the measure for the 2009 statewide election.

“In just four weeks, we’ve gathered more than 55,000 signatures from Mainers who believe they, not the legislature and governor, should have the final say on the definition of marriage,” said Marc Mutty, Chairman of the coalition. “There has been an extraordinary outpouring of support from voters across the state. This response gives us momentum that will lift us over the first hurdle of putting the issue before the people and, ultimately, carry us to victory in November.”

All signatures must be certified by the Secretary of State for validity. Once certified, the issue is cleared to appear on the November 2009 ballot.

Here we go, folks…

Click HERE to donate to MaineFreedomToMarry!!!

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.. is the damned “out-of-staters”.

Most visitors to our state are considered by the natives to be “folks from away”- they are nice, are attracted to and come here to enjoy Maine as it is, with no desire whatsoever to change her or any of us.

Apparently NOM doesn’t know, understand or give a rat’s ass about Maine’s state motto of DIRIGO- “I Lead”, or that our highways are festooned with signs like this.

Check out this recent and desperate email (h/t Orion45):

Stand for Marriage Maine!

July 8, 2009

Dear Orion45,

This spring, [out-of-touch politicians in Maine pushed a same-sex marriage bill through the legislaturehttp://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/10828/breaking-maine-gov-baldacci-will-announce-decision-on-signing-marriage-equality-bill — ignoring the will of their constituents.

Fortunately, under the Maine Constitution, legislators can’t pull a stunt like that and get away with it. With a “people’s veto,” the people of Maine can have the final say on any bill passed by the legislature.

And that people’s veto effort is well underway on the same-sex marriage bill. With your help, the people of Maine will have the chance to vote up or down on the same-sex marriage bill this November.

Stand for Marriage Maine!

Leading the charge is Stand for Marriage Maine, a coalition of grassroots activists and pro-family groups (including NOM) formed to allow Maine voters to restore the definition of marriage under Maine law.

Visit StandforMarriageMaine.com for the latest campaign updates and to see how you can join the effort to save marriage in Maine.

Your help is needed as we take our pro-marriage message to every corner of the state. Right now, we’re in the signature-gathering phase of the campaign, and with your help we’ll far exceed the 55,000 signatures needed to put the same-sex marriage issue on the November ballot.

But time is short. Here’s what I need you to do today:

1) Visit StandforMarriageMaine.com, and consider how you can help protect marriage in Maine! Join the Facebook group, or follow Maine4Marriage on Twitter!

2) Make an online donation at StandforMarriageMaine.com to make sure we have the resources needed for collecting tens of thousands of signatures in a short window of time. Your donation of $20, $35, or $50 or more will help ensure success!

3) Forward this message to everyone you know that lives in Maine! We’re reaching out to voters all across the state, and we need your help to spread the word! Do it right now!

God bless,

Brian S. Brown

Executive Director

National Organization for Marriage

20 Nassau Street, Suite 242

Princeton, NJ  08542

bbrown@nationformarriage.org

©2009 National Organization for Marriage.

Hey, NOM- vacation OVER. Pack it up and head back to Jersey.

“Y’all FORGET where we live now, ya hear??

UGH.

Now, a request to the Blenders… let’s show NOM and the rest of their gang that “TURNABOUT IS FAIR PLAY”.

Click HERE to donate to MaineFreedomToMarry!!!

Many thanks, everyone.