Mike Tidmus

Californians Against Hate out the right-wing religionistas pouring big bucks into the Golden State to enshrine hate in the state’s constitution

Californians Against Hate has assembled a Dishonor Roll of big money donors supporting Proposition 8, which, according to the official ballot title, ”eliminates the right of same-sex couples to marry.” The proposition, should it pass, would add the text “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California” to the California Constitution.

From Californians Against Hate :

Knights of Columbus, New Haven, Connecticut $1,275,000.00

National Organization for Marriage, Princeton, New Jersey $941,134.80

John Templeton, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania John Templeton Foundation, Chairman/President $900,000.00

Fieldstead & Company, Irvine, CA $600,000.00

American Family Association, Tupelo, Mississippi $500,000.00

Elsa Prince, Holland, Michigan $450,000.00

Focus On the Family, Colorado Springs, Colorado $412,246.63

Terry Caster & Family, San Diego, CA $293,000

Dorothy Nielson, La Verne, CA $150,000.00

Doug Manchester, San Diego, CA Manchester Financial Group, LLC, Chairman $125,000.00

(Emphasis on the states of origin: mine)

Californians Against Hate has posted detailed profiles on these holier-than-thou high-rollers and others at their website.

Big money has also been pouring into the effort to fight the initiative from donors as diverse as The California Teachers Association, The Human Rights Campaign, Tim Gill of the Gill Action Fund (and Quark Xpress fame), Bruce Bastion (co-founder of WordPerfect), Pacific Gas & Electric, and many others.

It’s all but assured that the boycott-crazy Godfather of the American Family Association, Donald Wildmon, will now call for a boycott of PG&E: All you California Christians, turn off your gas and electricity. We’ll show those evil homos, just like we showed Disneyland, Ford and McDonalds!

While a recent Field Poll shows the proposition losing among California voters, the Pro-Prop 8 forces are currently winning the all-important fundraising war. This has to change. Donations to aid the fight against Prop 8 can be made at these links :

• Vote No on Prop 8
• Equality California
• Let California Ring
• The Human Rights Campaign
• The Center Advocacy Project
• Republicans Against 8

Yes, many Republicans, including Governor Schwarzenegger, oppose Prop 8. They share the attitude of conservative Barry Goldwater who said, “To see the party that fought communism and big government now fighting the gays, well, that’s just plain dumb.”

As Republican, and Pajamas Media founder, Roger L Simon sees it :

The preeminent social issues – gay marriage and abortion – are quite separate. Lumping them together, as is often done by the media and by ideologues on both sides, is insulting to our intelligence.

For me, same-sex marriage is by far the simpler issue. I am one hundred percent for it on moral, civil rights and scientific grounds. (Sexual orientation is not elective.) And I am surprised so many of my fellow citizens would want to deny others a chance to experience a life of recognized love and commitment, something I have found, through hard experience, to be easily the most fulfilling and socially useful way to live. It would seem almost, dare I say it, unchristian.

The Ballot Argument Against Prop 8 can be read online. It reminds us that “Proposition 8 mandates one set of rules for gay and lesbian couples and another set for everyone else. That’s just not fair.”