Friday, January 9, 2009

Feeling Burly

The nameless corporate interests behind California's Prop. 8 are back, this time DEMANDING11!!! that the state of California change their "unconstitutional" campaign finance laws that identify donors...you know, to prevent people from finding out who the nameless corporate interests astroturfing crap like Prop. 8 are.
The suit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Sacramento, cites numerous examples of threatening e-mails, phone calls and postcards – including death threats – allegedly made by opponents of the November ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage in the state.

Ron Prentice, chairman of the Yes on 8 campaign, charged the harassment was made possible by the state's "unconstitutional campaign finance disclosure rules."

California's Political Reform Act, which voters approved in 1974, requires the name, occupation and employer of any individual who makes a campaign contribution of $100 or more.

In an interview, Prentice said the suit was prompted by "hundreds of people who informed us of harassment, intimidation and threats that came to their places of employment as well as their homes."

"This is a small percentage of all those who have been contacted by those who oppose Proposition 8," Prentice said. "This could significantly influence participation in the future for social issues if this kind of intimidation continues to be allowed because of disclosure laws."

Just keep in mind the entire point of this exercise is to have the Supremes eliminate disclosure laws at the federal level so that corporate America can freely donate to whatever legislation they want passed without all that bad PR.

The whining to the refs to have the Nasty Evil Homosexuals stop picking on Cali's avowed bigots (who gleefully removed the civil rights of their fellow citizens, mind you) is disingenuous, transparently self-serving, and just assholish in the extreme. No sympathy at all. It's a land mine, meant to go before the US Supreme Court so that Scalia can take his swing at ending transparency and sunshine laws.

Remember, privacy for donors to politicians is more important than privacy for a woman's own body, or dignity for equal rights to all Americans.

Gotta love it.

No comments:

Post a Comment