After listening to weeks of unchecked lies on the radio and television — lies about how same-sex marriage in California (which is already legal and protected by the constitution) will affect children (not true!), change classroom curriculum (not true!), and impinge on the religious rights of the balance of the state (not true!) — I finally heard a sensible ad yesterday. Supported by the California Teachers Association and quoting the state Superintendent of Schools, it pointed out the untruths. (You can see the television ad here.)
But now, get this…
The leaders of California’s “Yes On 8″ campaign are stooping to new lows in their attempt to manipulate the California State Constitution with special-interest (read religious) money.
Businesses who have contributed money to Equality California have received letters threatening to “out” them for their contributions, unless they contribute equal amounts to the proponents of this assault on civil rights.
This action implies the possibility of boycotts and a loss of business for these companies.
Once again this insidious campaign is completely unclear about the state political process. Listen up: The names of these companies, as contributors, are already public record. There is no trick to finding out who contributors are to a political cause. Do the pro-8 folks assume we’ll think they got the mailing list for their blackmail project by direct transmission from God?
The lists includes companies such as Pacific Gas & Electric, Levi Strauss and AT&T.
Meanwhile, if you’d like to see a complete list of the donors that are supporting this initiative, check out the complete annotated list on Californians Against Hate. I encourage you NOT to do business with these individuals, businesses, and organizations that are promoting hate, attempting to remove the civil rights of their follow citizens, wasting taxpayer money, encouraging the spending of private money that could be used for important social causes (like feeding the hungry, or housing the homeless, for example), and co-mingling church and state.
The letter was signed by a representative of the Mormon Church, the executive director of The Catholic Conference, and the lawyer for protectmarriage.com.
Read the San Francisco Chronicle’s story here on the SF Gate website.
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