SAN DIEGO, Feb. 26, 2009 — Charles Merrill, the cousin of the man who founded Merrill Lynch & Co., and who predicted (Wall Street Journal, 10/31/2007) a stock market crash that will put the 1929 crash to shame, is urging a national Tax Tea Party Revolt to get equal rights for neutral-gender married couples. Merrill, a bisexual, was also married for 23 years to Evangeline Johnson, the only daughter of Johnson & Johnson founder Robert Wood Johnson.
Merrill recently stated, "A Tax Tea Party Revolt will be the only recourse available in the wake of efforts to not provide equal treatment to all citizens under law … This means gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people will not be filing taxes April 15th. LGBTs are angry and organized. Melissa Etheridge said on the Oprah Winfrey Show that she would see come April 15th whether she files a tax return."
The California Supreme Court will hear oral arguments challenging Prop 8 on March 5th. At stake are the marriages of the 18,000 loving and committed same-sex couples that were married last year. "My spouse Kevin and I may have our marriage annulled by the state if Prop 8 stands. It is a cause worth standing for and going to prison for. At courthouses in cities across the state, rallies and candlelight vigils are being held so we can send a strong message to the courts that we want our equal rights back and we are asking them to rule on the side of love," said Merrill.
On Wednesday, March 4th, Merrill and his spouse, one of the 18,000 couples legally married in California, will participate in a community rally with speakers and singing converging on the Hall of Justice at 330 W Broadway, San Diego CA 92101 from 4 to 6 pm. A candlelight vigil will then line the streets of downtown San Diego starting at 6 pm.
Merrill concluded, "Bring your friends, family, loved ones … and of course bring your candles, your signs, and your American and gay pride flags to encourage the courts to save the 18,000 couples' marriages and to rule on the side of love. If the Supreme Court allows Proposition 8 to be valid, then we have no recourse. A Tax Tea Party Revolt is the only answer."
Further information about the vigil is at:
Contact information:
Charles Merrill
760-219-1121
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