Supporters of Amendment Two accused of illeagal activity UPDATE! Link fixed!

[rpmdfw]

Check out the story:

http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid64373.asp

 

[TuckandStuiesMom]

CRISCO?!?! MOM-WRATH?!?! My head is reeling...

 

[ConcKahuna]

Am I missing something in that thread?

 

[rpmdfw]

OOPS!

I meant to post this link to an article in the Advocate

http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid64373.asp

At the same time I was emailing the link to that thread to someone.

Apparently, I shouldn't try to multitask, as the links got switched.

I've fixed it now.

Seriously, though. Check out the article. It looks like the supporters of Florida's gay marriage ban are guilty of some serious violations. (Not that it's a surprise or anything)

 

[TuckandStuiesMom]

That was very inneresting, Rob...I am thinking it might be worthwhile to turn over a few legal rocks here in AZ and see what things crawl out from under them...

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Thanks for the link to the article.

Maybe we should print some copies and post them near the polling places. No one said the campaign signs had to be slick willies, eh?

 

[rpmdfw]

And an update!

http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid64533.asp

October 29, 2008
Lawsuit Filed Against Opponents of Florida Marriage Equality
Florida Red & Blue -- the organization running the campaign against Amendment 2, a ballot initiative that would constitutionally ban same-sex marriage in the Sunshine State -- has filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against a group opposing marriage equality.

Red & Blue claims that Florida4Marriage.org has refused to disclose their campaign donors or comply with election laws. The lawsuit names Florida4Marriage.org, the amendment's sponsor, the organization's chairman John Stemberger, and Florida Family Action, a group affiliated with Florida4Marriage.org that has raised and spent more than $750,000 to underwrite the pro-Amendment 2 campaign.

According to Red & Blue, Stemberger sent an e-mail in September that advised prospective donors that contributions to Florida Family Policy Council were "confidential." Red & Blue lawyers say this was a scheme to circumvent Florida's campaign finance laws that mandate transparency of all donors.

The suit seeks a court order that would compel the Florida Family Action Committee to disclose their donors and an emergency injunction to stop the expenditure of illegally obtained funds. The suit also seeks to end the broadcast of pro-amendment advertising that was paid for by illegal contributions.

"This is a pernicious and sordid attempt to evade Florida's comprehensive campaign finance laws intended to promote full disclosure of political contributions and expenditures," said Red & Blue attorneys Joseph Geller and Ben Kuehne in a release. "The facts demonstrate those named in this lawsuit have flagrantly displayed a blatant disregard for Florida's campaign finance laws." (Neal Broverman, The Advocate)

 

[zulemara]

what are the polls showing about the amendment? It has been flying under the radar and it's hard to get any stats from up here in dah nort

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

You know? I really could get myself banned if I wanted to state my true thoughts on this matter.

I'll leave it with, "what else can you expect." Liars and cheats. All in the name of bigotry.

Perhaps there is some truth to the entire concept karma. One can only hope.

 

[rpmdfw]

It's too bad the entire amendment can't be pulled from the ballots. Or disqualified or something.

Isn't that what would happen to a candidate who violated campaign finance rules?

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

I honestly don't know. I know nothing about election law here in FL. (NY and Maine, that's another story).

It seems logical (WARNING!!! WARNING!!!) that if something were put forth by illegal means it should be disqualified on that alone.

I guess I'm simply stunned, not at the lengths liars and cheats go to, but rather at how much, how deeply this bothers me.

You'd think I'd been around long enough not to get my hopes up, eh? Wrong. Pollyanna is my long time nick.

 

[rpmdfw]

After finding out that Mike's grandfather's name was on the petition to get this on the ballot when he didn't sign it, nothing about these people.

What galls me is that these people are hiding behind the bible to justify this hateful amendment.

What about "Thou shalt not lie"? Isn't that one of the "Big Ten"?

I guess it's okay to commit other sins as long as it keeps people like us in legal limbo. Permanent second class citizens, the last minority that can legally be descriminated against.

I voted yesterday. That's all I can think of to do that I haven't already done. For Obama, against Amendment 2.

Hopefully by living openly and honestly, Scott and I have inspired the straight people around us to vote no on 2 as well.

 

[TuckandStuiesMom]

Hopefully by living openly and honestly, Scott and I have inspired the straight people around us to vote no on 2 as well.

Well, you (and everybody else here too -- of course) have certainly done so -- for me at least.

Oddly, I got called out in the local paper today for being a liar by one of the local wing-nuts. I tangled with this kid's grandma on another "Culture Wars" issue 30 years ago. (This bunch has made a family business out of right-wing-holier-than-thou crap for at least as long as I've lived in the White Mountains). Even though I know I should consider the source, it still made me REALLY mad. I've been telling myself "You wrestle with a pig in the mud, you both get dirty and the pig likes it that way." over and over and over again. Next Tuesday cannot come too soon IMHO.

 

[TuckandStuiesMom]

Update on my post from Wednesday night:

OK -- Wednesday was a bummer -- nothing quite like getting called names in the local paper.
Yesterday, on the other hand, was absolutely the opposite. I have a 100 mile roundtrip commute from work to home. The "headquarters" for the family "foundation" mentioned in my previous post is located along that route. (You can't miss it. It's covered with "Vote Yes signs and is lit up like Christmas tree at night.) As I drove by, I noticed seven or eight young people out front of that bastion of all things stereotypical and WRONG about small town America with signs. One sign read "My Marriage -- My Business". Others read "Vote NO". Of course I honked my horn and waved. I was so excited and pleased that I turned the car around and went back and honked and waved some more. I was SO thrilled!!!! Those kids are AWESOME!!!! That family has been doing its level dirty best to set the political tone for southern Navajo County for as long as I can remember and these kids were givin' em back some of their own. It was a GREAT moment.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Ah. That is great!!!

Same here. For Obama, no on 2 (both of us). We voted last weekend.

I wonder if the HRC or Lambda could give direction (or at least an opinion) on what, if anything can be done about the illegal activities that are behind the "yes on 2" people?

Surely, surely something can be done to intervene and cause them to bear the consequences of their actions?

 

[zulemara]

Just found an article on the recent polls:
http://www.wesh.com/news/17856975/detail.html

It's encouraging news, but we need those undecided voters. Please, no hanging chads!

I was actually looking for evidence that Disney has donated to both the FL and CA campaigns. It seems a company with such deep pockets and an absolutely stellar diversity record would be matching those 100k donations by Spielberg and others.

 

[inkkognito]

The pro-amendment 2 ads are so stupid. They give no good reason why gay marriage should be banned or why I should accept their view that marriage has to be "one man, one woman." I hope there are enough older FL citizens who look at it from the losing benefits standpoint rather than anti-gay paranoia. Back when the amendment passed raising the amendment-passing threshhold percent, I was against it. But if that new threshhold keeps amendment 2 from getting through, I will change my opinion!

 

[zulemara]

it's all deja-vu of 2 years ago when WI passed this exact amendment. It takes away rights for EVERYONE, yet they peg it as anti-gay to mobilize the conservatives. Lets just hope if Obama takes FL, that the amendment will fail.

 

[wallyb]

it's all deja-vu of 2 years ago when WI passed this exact amendment. It takes away rights for EVERYONE, yet they peg it as anti-gay to mobilize the conservatives. Lets just hope if Obama takes FL, that the amendment will fail.

I never thought of the Obama linkage angle!
That's a great - and hopeful - point.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

The Bilerico Project has just sent out an email that talks about Amendment 2 and 8 having their respective websites cyber attacked.

I didn't read the entire thing yet, but it seems the sites were down for a period of time yesterday.