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10/28/2009
Camenker, LaBarbera, Madore: They came, they saw, they bore out the 'Yes on 1' connections
The "No on 1" campaign's Jesse Connolly is back from today's "yes on 1" press conference featuring Brian Camenker, Paul Madore, and Peter LaBarbera, and he's in no mood to mince words:
"This is not the new face of the Yes campaign, it's been there all along. They can swap out their TV ads from attacks that have been called baseless by the Maine Attorney General and Maine newspapers across the state, to a gentler, softer approach, but the result is the same. They don't believe in treating all Maine families equally and these national and local spokespeople represent some of the most vitriolic, anti-gay voices in the country.
"They can't have it both ways -- to pretend to back civil rights, yet stand behind a group like Mass Resistance which is one of only 11 designated anti-gay hate groups listed by the Southern Poverty Law Center. And they can't stand behind Peter LaBarbera who has attacked Ben & Jerry's, supported rescinding women's right to vote and believes we should return to the Old Testament where gay people were stoned. And they can't stand behind Paul Madore and the Maine Grassroots Coalition which is behind some of the most anti-gay hate speech over the last 20 years.
"It won't wash. It doesn't fly. And we call on the Yes campaign to stop the attacks and get back to talking about what's really at stake in this election -- and that's whether or not we will treat all loving, committed Maine couples and their families equally under the law.
"And I'd like to hear what the leadership and the big funders of the Stand for Marriage campaign have to say about the hate-filled speech we heard today in our State House. Are they in line with these people and these organizations or will they disavow what was said?"
We've been saying it all along: Stand For Marriage Maine = The Christian Civic League of Maine and all of their assorted allies (which includes MassResistance, Americans For Truth, Concerned Women For America, etc.). There is no distinction. Most all of their players have ties to these groups. You barely even have to tug the thread to find the connections!
Folks like Bob Emrich have two choices: They either have to distance themselves from whatever went down today in Augusta, or they have to explain why these three men make up a different "pro-marriage" coalition (even though their histories and key players are undeniably intertwined)! We look forward to seeing how they spin it.
***
**UPDATE: The connections grow ever-deeper. This morning, Peter LaBarbera appeared on a radio show alongside Maggie Gallagher: Maggie Gallagher and Peter LaBarbera: Birds of a 'yes on 1' feather! [G-A-Y]
***UPDATE: Pam's House Blend has audio and photos from the feebly attended presser. Notice the official 'yes on 1' signs: Audio: Peter LaBarbera's anti-gay 'rally' at Maine statehouse draws feeble numbers [PHB]
**UPDATE: Paul Madore confirms the close ties with not only Stand For Marriage Maine, but also the Diocese:
(Video from AmericaBlog's Joe Sudbay)
**Reminder: Brian "my group is an SPLC hate group" Camenker is the one who brought the "yes on 1" side's pet issue, pro-acceptance children's books, into public light in the first place. He was the one who gave both the Parkers and the Wirthlins (a yes on 1 ad star) their first taste of exposure. In the earliest days of their martyrdom, the Wirthlins (or someone working with them) even gave Brian private email correspondence to post on the MassResistance site.
And Brian's still front and center in the children's book issue (which, again, is the key component of the "yes" campaign). Here's a video of Brian working the school book issue just two weeks ago in a Massachusetts legislative committee:
Testimony for David Parker Parents Rights Bill - MA [YT: MassResistance]
Your thoughts
After the States of CA, WA and ME get through investigating NOM, thier money laundering for the Catholics and the Mormons, they won't have a bible left to pray on.
Posted by: Mykelb | Oct 28, 2009 4:45:06 PM
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