Madison - The ad wars on the proposed ban of civil unions and gay marriage officially have begun. On July 10, Fair Wisconsin began airing the ads in three media markets covering nearly all of greater Wisconsin outside of the Madison/Milwaukee metro area.
  The thirty second ad introduces the two-sentence amendment on the November 7 ballot to viewers in Eau Claire, the Fox Cities, Green Bay, LaCrosse, Stevens Point, Wausau and surround areas.   The ad explains that although voters will hear a lot about gay marriage, the ban is about much more than just gay marriage.
  The ad goes on to explain that the second sentence of the ban will outlaw civil unions and domestic partnerships for all unmarried couples - gay or straight - and the critical legal protections that would be available. "Because the language of the ban is so far-reaching, it will jeopardize even existing legal protections for unmarried couples, including hospital visits, health care decisions, health insurance, and pensions," the narrator in the ad warns.
  The ad also directs viewers with Internet access to a new website devoted to opposing the ban: www.GetTheFactsWi.com, which also is affiliated with Fair Wisconsin.  The ads will supplement the work of a reported 7,000-plus volunteers canvassing door to door, phoning and speaking out to educate likely voters statewide about the far-reaching consequences of the amendment and to encourage them to vote "No."
    The ads' early impact apparently has ruffled the feathers of the "Vote Yes On Marriage" campaign. On July 14, Julaine Appling issued a press release claiming the ad contained "outrageous lies," and took offense with even the "GetTheFactsWI" website name. However, the press release avoided directly challenging any of the substantive points of the Fair Wisconsin ad.