In denying the Reject 71 campaign's motion, the judge said "The State has a real and vital interest in showing the money trail...I do not believe it is in the public interest for the court to intervene and change the rules of the game at the last minute."Judge Leighton, who was appointed by former president George W. Bush, added, "I do not believe there is a real emergency. The constraints imposed upon the plaintiff are self-inflicted."
The emergency suit was filed by Family PAC, a new political action committee formed to challenge the law and accept money from out of state special interests. It has the same board of directors and address as the Family Policy Institute of Washington, and its only contributor is the National Organization for Marriage (NOM). On the same day Family PAC filed its motion in Washington, NOM filed a nearly identical lawsuit in Maine, challenging the constitutionality of that state's financial reporting requirements. NOM is also the single largest contributor to a pending ballot initiative in Maine, where they are trying to overturn Maine's civil marriage equality law.
This is a real victory for the good guys, and prevents NOM, FotF and local anti-gay organizations from pooling their money for such things as giant media buys.
The bad news is that NOM, FOTF or other organizations can still legally spend money in Washington in an effort to kill Referendum 71 and strip senior citizens and gay and lesbian domestic partners of vital legal protections. Well, not just can spend. T;nbsp;The operative word is actually is spending. More on that below.
Dominic Holden over at SLOG broke this story. It seems that Focus on the Family's Focus on the Family Action (FOTFA) has dumped almost $92,000 so far into the Referendum 71 campaign in the last few weeks. About $10,000 went to glossy mailers and $80,000 to radio buys.
From Dominic's article
So what's an out-of-state organization doing campaigning-using disengenuous arguments, no less-on a measure in Washington? Focus on the Family Action hasn't registered to work on a specific ballot measure, according to the state's Public Disclosure Commission (PDC). Nor have any of the campaigns that are designated to advocate around R-71 reported a contribution from FOTFA. But, it turns out, state laws allow FOTFA to register as an independent expenditure campaign to spend money on any issue as it sees fit. ...And what message is FOTFA bringing to Washington? I bet you can get it in one guess. Their mailer says that"If they already have money and they don't have to go out and raise it and they want to spend it to share their message, there are no limits," says Lori Anderson, a spokeswoman for the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission. ...
[E]ven though the Family PAC lawsuit was delayed yesterday, Focus on the Family Action doesn't need to wait to spend big money here. It also doesn't have to report how much money it has, where its money came from, or how much it plans to spend. "They get to spend as much as they want whenever they want. Their only requirement is that they report what they spend and report it within 24 hours," she says.
How much does the organization have? That's unclear. But to give you a sense, the annual report for Focus on the Family Action shows the group raised $10,544,226 last year.
...if Referendum 71 is passed, "public schools will be required to teach kids as young as kindergartners that domestic partnerships are the equivalent to marriage. ... Do you want your kids or grandkids to be taught about gay partnerships?"Same old, same old. Dominic concludes:
So anti-gay campaigns in Washington don't need to accept large, out-of-state donations to push expensive propaganda campaigns that claim R-71 will change the curriculum of public schools. (For the record, R-71 doesn't say anything about curriculum, and even if it were rejected, two other domestic partnership bills would remain on the books, and those haven't changed curriculum.) Focus on the Family Action can spend as much as it wants from afar. It's already started. And that's perfectly legal.And something tells me that FOTFA isn't the only national anti-gay organization that'll be peddling fear in Washington this week.
Maybe now would be a good time to remind folks to help the Approve 71 campaign preserve the domestic partnership law by signing up to canvass or to phone bank, or make a donation to keep the Approve 71 t.v. ads on the air. And if you're a Washingtonian, vote "approved". And make sure everyone you know votes "approve".
Omigosh- we've got an especially delicious freshly-baked batch of "SchadenfreudeWith Nuts" today on the Blend!
Yummy!
Not only has Teh Peter/ Leatherman/ Porno Pete finally arrived in Maine, long after CCL MFPC Tanzania Tupperware salesman Mikey Heath first announced the kickoff of LaBarbera's "ZOMG, TRUTH TOUR 2009 !!11!!", but he stopped in Massachusetts and brought a friend up to Maine for SFMM/ Schubert-Flint's version of a "Volunteer Vacation"!
Here's the announcement from mASSresistance's website of Brian's travel plans:
Waitaminute, this can't be right!
How is it that Maine Family Policy Council's site has this important news- and Camenker's own organization is dead SILENT about it???
Hmm. Must be an oversight.
Well, enjoy these Blend "Leftovers" that need polishing off instead!!
Video break: Brian Camenker and Bam-Bam Barber yuck it up with Phyllis Schlafly
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/...The bunching knickers of MassResistance's Brian Camenker (whining that state senate President ignores him)
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/...Brian Camenker too Nutty 'n Hateful for the Haters.
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/...MassResistance hard up for ca$h
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/...MassResistance: the lowest of the low
(his fellow hater outs her own daughter)
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/...Porno Pete defends Massachusetts fundie slapped down by Mitt
http:// fefwww.pamshouseblend.com/...
From the "new and improved", Maine Family Policy Council now led by "Two Fisted Man of God" Mike Hein- the very same folks who gave Mikey Heath the boot, er, sent him to hock crock pots in Tanzania, comes the following missive:
The Maine Grassroots Coalition will hold a press conference in the Hall of Flags at the State House in Augusta at 11:00 on Wednesday October 28th, to alert the public to the dangers of the radical homosexual agenda.The press conference will feature three well-known pro-family speakers, Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth about Homosexuality, Brian Camenker of Mass Resistance, and Maine's own Paul Madore, from the Maine Grassroots Coalition.
Paul Madore warns that clever advertising by pro-homosexual groups is trying to portray the Yes on 1 campaign as dominated by out-of-state money, when in fact, the pro-homosexual marriage campaign has raised three times more money than our side.
Madore also warns that pro-homosexual marriage groups are recruiting same-sex marriage activists from around the country - including San Francisco - to take "Maine Volunteer Vacations" and campaign against our Peoples Veto.
Who sez Christmas is in December???
Here are some of the best of:
This first post shows LaBarbera's obsession with attending and covering fetish events. His reports have made mainstream fundie orgs distance themselves from Peter's bizarre rants - it completely discredits him:
The Peter whines that his repeat IML reports are simply research
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/...
Peter LaBarbera - the self-destruction of an anti-gay activist
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/...
The bullying Peter LaBarbera calls on the back bencher fundies to back up his 'Christian cred'
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/...
Peter LaBarbera proves 'trash is as trash does'
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/...
The Peter outlaws the buttsecks for all (simply insane radio appearance)
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/...
The Peter's sad obsession continues - his report on International Mr. Leather 2008
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/...
The Peter's flaccid fed lawsuit against Holiday Inn charges 'religious discrimination'
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/...
AFTAH's Peter LaBarbera is FINALLY Coming To Maine
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/...
This Would Be Funnier If Healthcare Reform Weren't So Serious An Issue
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/...
The full Blend LaBarbera archive: http://www.pamshouseblend.com/...
2 comments:
Scientology couldn't care less if you share your bed with another woman or man. Ask a Scientologist.
Or read up on it:
Is Scientology against homosexuality? Are there gay Scientologists?
There was some early writings that appeared to be "anti-gay", stating that homosexuality was covertly hostile. But one must look at that in the context of the times. In the 1940s – 1950s most people in western countries did consider homosexuality to be a mental or even physical illness.
I do not have any knowledge or evidence of anti-homosexual actions taken by the church at any point, other than the few writings on the subject. It was pretty much left alone for many years.
Then in 1967 Hubbard issued a policy which reads, in part, "It has never been any part of my plans to regulate or to attempt to regulate the private lives of individuals. Whenever this has occurred, it has not resulted in any improved condition…
Therefore all former rules, regulations and polices relating to the sexual activities of Scientologists are canceled."
Hubbard later released a book about ethical behavior that was silent on the subject of homosexuality, and offered a gender-neutral ethical guidelines about being faithful to one's partner and avoiding promiscuity.
The Church of Scientology is a leading proponent for human rights for all people of earth as can be seen by their campaigns with Youth for Human Rights and the Citizens Commission on Human Rights.
In October 2009 a spokesperson of the Church of Scientology International put it this way:
"The church supports civil rights for everybody, regardless of sexual orientation, race, color or creed. We are a minority, too; we understand what it’s like to be persecuted, so to the extent that anything prohibits or inhibits on civil rights, we don’t agree with it.” (MSNBC, 28 October 2009)
(this is from scientologymyths dot info)
Scientology couldn't care less if you share your bed with another woman or man. Ask a Scientologist.
Or read up on it:
Is Scientology against homosexuality? Are there gay Scientologists?
There was some early writings that appeared to be "anti-gay", stating that homosexuality was covertly hostile. But one must look at that in the context of the times. In the 1940s – 1950s most people in western countries did consider homosexuality to be a mental or even physical illness.
I do not have any knowledge or evidence of anti-homosexual actions taken by the church at any point, other than the few writings on the subject. It was pretty much left alone for many years.
Then in 1967 Hubbard issued a policy which reads, in part, "It has never been any part of my plans to regulate or to attempt to regulate the private lives of individuals. Whenever this has occurred, it has not resulted in any improved condition…
Therefore all former rules, regulations and polices relating to the sexual activities of Scientologists are canceled."
Hubbard later released a book about ethical behavior that was silent on the subject of homosexuality, and offered a gender-neutral ethical guidelines about being faithful to one's partner and avoiding promiscuity.
The Church of Scientology is a leading proponent for human rights for all people of earth as can be seen by their campaigns with Youth for Human Rights and the Citizens Commission on Human Rights.
In October 2009 a spokesperson of the Church of Scientology International put it this way:
"The church supports civil rights for everybody, regardless of sexual orientation, race, color or creed. We are a minority, too; we understand what it’s like to be persecuted, so to the extent that anything prohibits or inhibits on civil rights, we don’t agree with it.” (MSNBC, 28 October 2009)
(this is from scientologymyths dot info)
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