This falls under the category of “Gay People — Watch Your Wallet!!” I’ve discovered some troubling financial ties to another one of those national gay organizations that claim to be “non-partisan.”
Case in point: The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. I was under the very false impression that this was a balanced, shall we say at least, a “non-partisan” organization.
However, a simple search of the publicly available Federal Elections Commission reports show that they are nothing more than a tool for Organized Labor — their single biggest contributor.
Between 1999 and 2005, Organized Labor has donated close to $70,000 to “The Fund.” Here’s a sample from the 2004 election cycle:
AFSCME – $17,500
Carpenter’s Union – $5,000
National Teacher’s Association – $10,000
Service Employees International Union Committee – $2,500
Now there is nothing wrong with that. Unless you are still under the delusion that the Gay Rights Organizations in the US haven’t been co-opted by the Democratic Party and left wing radicalism. And it certainly isn’t an organization that I, as a Republican with pro-free enterprise and free market beliefs, could ever support.
There’s much more to come on this story in the next day or so… including how one prominent member of Patrick Guerriero’s hand-picked Log Cabin Board fits into the picture. Facts are a bitch.
But for now, if you support all that is great about America and its democracy and economic freedom — be very aware of where the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund is getting a lionshare of its money.
-Bruce (GayPatriot)
From the post
Facts are a bitch.
Yes, they are. And what have you done to set up a fund to support projects that conform to your ideas? Probably next to nothing.
And, even if you have set up such a fund, just how much have you raised? Also, probably next to nothing.
Let’s take a look at some of your links. In point of fact, the only link that might be relevant is http://herndon1.sdrdc.com/cgi-bin/cancomsrs/?_02+C00251835 That link gives the FEC’s summary of total receipts and disbursements to and by the G&L Victory fund for the 2001-2002 election cycle. That report shows the total receipts as being US$3.083 million and disbursements as being US$3.079 million. In comparison, your “sample” from the 2004 election cycle shows Organized Labor contributions as being US$35thousand. More than a bit lower than US$3+million.
As you said, facts are a bitch. Even your facts.
Because labor has had absolutely nothing to do with gay people being treated equally in the occupational world, right? Those decisions to treat gays equally were from the magnanimous hearts of single individuals deciding to do so in companies around the country. Right.
Big labor cares about gays as much Jerry Falwell does. Labor cares about one thing: electing Democrats of any shape or size. Since gays blindly vote for Democrats, big labor throws money to gay organizations. Of course maybe I’m wrong — is there a PRIDE float for the Teamsters?
So, what can we assume about GayPatriot’s contributions to Rick Santorum?
Perhaps these were for candidates who were labor folks or something. I don’t know, but it just seems hard to draw conclusions. You’ve had better posts than this, and I look forward to more.
This is nothing surprising. As I blogged two weeks ago, unions are paying gays to co-opt gay organizations and turn them in support of unions. They know gay “activists” are stupid enough to support unpopular unions and labor causes, even to the point of it being detrimental to gay rights and gay history.
They’d take money from Al-Qaeda, if it were offered — and then they’d turn around and demand terrorist rights.
Oops, I forgot. They already do.
What can we assume about your lack of ability to make relevant statements?
I won’t happily vote for Santorum in November, because he’s far too fond of pork and big government, but I’ll vote for him.
Feel free to list 4 conservative organizations that have progressive ideas for gay rights which should get a donation.
So, what can we assume about GayPatriot’s contributions to Rick Santorum?
What can we assume about HRC, NGLTF, and others giving millions of dollars to hateful and blatantly-homophobic candidates (by the definition they apply to everyone else) AND publicly calling them “pro-gay” and “gay-supportive”?
To #7 Rightwingprof. You say you will not happily vote for Santorum and give some pretty good reasons not to (aside from the fact that he’s a bigot) and then you say that you will. I’d be interested to know why.
JimG
I’m confused. I thought that a Gay Patriot would understand the importance of labor unions to building, defending, and protecting this country from those who would destroy it.
Your cops are union. Your firefighters are union. Your teachers are union. Your subway drivers are union. Your postal carriers are union. Are you telling me that the representatives of those organizations decide to support gay rights groups because they need the votes? That is patently ridiculous. Workers include gays in their movement, because gays include workers in theirs. It’s that simple.
If jobs are to have justice, then they should have justice for all workers, gay or straight. I don’t care if the job is choreographer to the stars or carpenter at the local Catholic Church. It doesn’t matter what someone does in their free time. What matters is can someone work and do they deserve fair treatment.
Jefferson, Madison, Washington and all the rest would have had a fit if they had known that two hundred years later an entire major political party could wage war on a tiny segment of the population that isn’t killing anyone or advocating violent revolution. They would have been even more shocked to find that individual members of that persecuted minority were advocating in support of the same party that is presently attempting to legislate them out of existence.
You may be gay, but you’re no patriot. You’re just a sad, confused little man with no clear understanding of what hypocrisy is and just why exactly you’ve chosen to live in it.
Your cops are union. Your firefighters are union. Your teachers are union. Your subway drivers are union. Your postal carriers are union.
And that, dear children, is why crime is up, emergency response is down, American schools are doing exceedingly well at turning out incompetent high school graduates who can’t read at high school level, and bus drivers and the postal service are the butt of late night comics’ jokes.
What needs to be explained is how “fair” it is that competent workers must be paid the same rate as incompetent workers. What needs to be explained is how “fair” it is that unions take money from members without their direct consent and put it into causes that said members do not support.
In San Francisco, it is common knowledge that numerous antigay epithets and gay bashings come out of the mouth and at the hand of union workers. Yet gays here, as I documented above, pander to these groups, channel contributions to them, and slavishly perform at their demonstrations on command.
Less than 8% of the private-sector workforce is unionized. Yet these groups seem bent on antagonizing the remaining 92% with unreasonable demands and threats of economic blackmail. Why should gays continue to support these entities and thus have our good name besmirched, especially when a) not all gays support unions and b) union members repeatedly bash and namecall gays?
He’s not a bigot. He’s a principled man. And if there were a conservative running against him, then I would have another option.
#13 rightwingprof — April 25, 2006 @ 7:56 am – April 25, 2006
He’s not a bigot. He’s a principled man.
THis is a joke, right? Just because someone is principled, doesn’t mean that he isn’t a bigot.
And if there were a conservative running against him, then I would have another option.
Um, you do have another option. Not voting at all. I’ve opted for that option a number of times.
Raj, did you have to register as a “Non-conforming voter character” when you decided to stay home and not vote in those elections? Just curious… since you have a penchant for lying & decpetion when it comes time for exercising your voting rights. Lawyers, gheez.
Tahoma Activist writes “…It doesn’t matter what someone does in their free time.”
Actually, employers are able to engage in all kinds of discriminatory practices relative to employees in their “free time”, as you put it. Catholic and private schools have decency standards which they can compel employees to observe while off-work. Other employers can prohibit you from visiting all those porn sites at work or using the employer’s equipment to visit them at home… for instance.
Here in Michigan, employers can force employees to stop smoking or lose health care benefits, pay a higher share of the insurance premium for their risky, death-dealing behavior… and of course, employers in baseball, football, hockey, soccer, basketball and most college sports can demand players not use certain drugs while “on their free time”. Companies can direc t CEOs and other officers to refrain from actions which might reflect adversely on the corporation, its value, or standing.
I guess the “let me be free to feel the wind” spirit of Tacoma and being gay got to you? Maybe you need to be downwind from the “Tacoma Aroma” of the papermills when you think grandly of labor, worker democracies, and the founding fathers. Those toxic fumes are getting to you.
This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever read here. It’s also infuriating that someone could read this and assume its implications are true. Contributions from organized labor don’t even amount to 2 percent of the total budget, so would you puhhhhhleeeeeeze explain how that represents anything like a “lionshare.” Why would 2 percent of the budget, coming from a variety of labor organizations, make the VF a “tool” of labor?
To #13 Rightwingprof. Thanks for your reply. One of the definitions of bigot is “a person who is extremely intolerant of another’s creed, belief or opinion”. This can come from someone who is “principled” or not. But interestingly enough, most bigots have principles, very strong principles. Tolerance just doesn’t happen to be one of them. People like Santorum, whether right wing or left, are blinded by their principles and unfortunately too many of them are in positions of power.
JimG
Down with the National Teacher’s Association! These union bastards are soaking the American tax payer for every cent! They wouldn’t be so obscene if they weren’t forcibly taking money from all of us so that teachers can retire at age 55 with $80,000.00 per year pensions per year for life while having failed to provide excellent education. In fact they are only brain washing young minds! That’s how it is in Illinois and all over. I HATE THE F*CKING TEACHERS UNION! Stop robbing us you donkeys asses!
Organized labor is on here big time tonight! How pathetic are they? Let’s wait and find out, shall we?? Stay tuned…
raj writes “…Just because someone is principled, doesn’t mean that he isn’t a bigot.”
You schmuck. A bigot by nearly everyone’s standard is not principled –they are driven by an irrational hatred of others and are clothed in ignorance.
How is THAT prinicipled? Even in your vaunted Teutonic republic or in the Peoples’ Commonwealth, bigots are not principled people, raj.
Do YOU even think about what you write before sending it? Gheez.
Looks like Matt ain’t too principled by his own definitions.
Ding ding ding. Let’s have an explanation of how less than 2 percent of the Fund’s contriubutions, all from different labor organiations, makes it a tool of Big Labor.
Raj, thanks for being a voice of sanity here. I don’t see how you maintain your sanity, rading this crap day in and day out, though.
Since you apparently have a dictionary, look up the distinction between “tolerance” and “acceptance,” then get back to me.
RightWingProf…Santorum has warned that societies that accept homosexulaity are doomed and will be destroyed, implying that America shouldn’t accept gay Americans if she doesn’t want the same consequences.
How can you, as a gay person (I assume), support someone like Santorum in that light?
Because Santorum is pro-family!
Just not pro-RightWingProf’s-Family.
“Yeah, Santorum says I want to destroy Western Civilization… but he’s givin’ me a tax cut! Too bad I can’t get married..”
Republicans protect your the bank accounts of rich gay people, and help them find good business connections in their good-ol-boys network.
Democrats protect your civil rights and do their best to keep the Republicans from rounding you up into concentration camps.
Log Cabin Republicans are parasites.
They reap the benefits of their associations with the GOP, while Democrats spend all their time and money trying to protect them from their “friends.”
nitpickin-4-Jesus = raj? someone else? Hmmmmmmm
We have to get Bruce to track IP addresses of these multiple personalities.
Santorum has warned that societies that accept homosexulaity are doomed and will be destroyed
Exact quote, please.
Except that Democrats don’t, particularly. They’re just really good at convincing people that they *care*. If it’s women or minorities or gays or the little guy/working man or woman, they *care*. Doesn’t matter if what they do works or not or has negative results in the long run, they convinced people that they *care*, so if *they* sign defense of marriage measures it doesn’t really matter because everyone knows what they *really* think. They all know that there were political things going on and that politicians *never* say what they really think (this from my sister who lobbied democrats at the state level.)
Similarly everyone *knows* what Republicans really think… they *never* say it either, but we *know* they’d go for the concentration camps and unequal treatment under the law… that they aren’t *really* concerned about the future effect on marriage or actually even think it’s important… just like the pro-lifers don’t care about babies, but only about doing violence to women.
It’s useful to have an enemy, when it comes to politics, but you can’t *possibly* believe the garbage about concentration camps, can you?
Democrats protect your civil rights and do their best to keep the Republicans from rounding you up into concentration camps.
Really? How is Democrats supporting state and Federal constitutional amendments that strip gays of rights “protecting” us?
And as for concentration camps, you and yours claim they already exist. Evidence, please.
Actually, they do believe it, Synova. It is established Democratic doctrine that Republicans are operating concentration camps for gays in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon.
Yeah.
Thos gay concentration camps?
They’re called Catholic Seminaries.
Ian writes “Democrats protect your civil rights and do their best to keep the Republicans from rounding you up into concentration camps.”
Ding, ding, ding! Right, Ian. Right on target with the radical GayLeft and Democrat talking points for this week.
Ian’s next time at bat: “Down Street Memo proves Bush lied, Americans died.”
Gosh, it’s getting harder to find someone on the GayLeft that isn’t a tool.
#12 Refering back up there to labor and attitudes toward gays…
I was just reading, more or less random click-links, about Tony Snow and quite unsurprisingly found myself reading a rant about how stupid people believe whatever Bush & co. feed them… why? Because of gay-love towards Bush. In other words, accusations of homosexuality were considered fair condemnation from the left, toward the right. Sort of like… anything you do or say can be explained by the fact that you’re stupid… except exchange stupid for gay.
Sure, it was one idiot… if I didn’t see the same sort of BS so often, though, I might have found the remarks surprising instead of typical.
Michigan-Matt — April 26, 2006 @ 12:41 pm – April 26, 2006
nitpickin-4-Jesus = raj?
No. Try another door.
Wow, so now Ian has joined the “they want to put us gays in concentration camps” brigade, with Kevin?
I hope V is here to see it 🙂 Pass out the tinfoil, guys! Hat-making classes start at 4… taught by Gryph of course.
raj, No thanks on another door –it’s too scarey to contemplate which names you’re using here.
Nice job, Calarato –very funny and witty. VdaK would have loved it.
I’m still waiting for an explanation of how less than 2 percent of the VF’s contributions coming from a handful of labor groups makes the fund a tool of organized labor….or even how it represents a lionshare?
How come everyone always demands people stay on track here…but only part of the time.
Yes, I’m Raj. After all, there could only be one person who questions the received wisdom here.
Anyway…exlanation, puhleeeeze.
To #24, rightwingprof:
My Random House/Webster’s states: “Tolerance-a fair and permissive attitude toward those whose race, religion, beliefs, etc. differ from one’s own.”
“Acceptance-receiving willingly and with approval”
There you go – now make your point.
I’ll take the first definition but not the second. The second requires a paradox… an active intolerance of some things in the interest of tolerance. If you approve of all things… are “tolerant” of all things, then you *must* also be tolerant of ideas that you don’t like and must be *accepting* of other people’s intolerance. Obviously this doesn’t work as an over-all philosophy and that is why the “tolerance = acceptance” folks are among the most IN-tolerant in practice. All they need to do is label something IN-tolerant and they are free to hate it, revile it, and paint nasty slogans on it. The obvious result is that only certain viewpoints, beliefs, and ideologies are acceptable.
This is the antithesis of the word “tolerance” which, when it comes to other people, hasn’t got anything to do with “acceptance” at all… other than accepting other people’s rights to their own beliefs and opinions even when *you* are right and *they* are utterly wrong and you find their existance offensive. Tolerance means that you grin and bear it, not that you sign on as a true believer.
#38 Michigan-Matt — April 26, 2006 @ 6:05 pm – April 26, 2006
On most web sites, IP addresses are logged by the website when a comment is posted. If you are really interested in finding out whether I am “nitpicking4jesus,” ask the webmaster here to check my IP address (or addresses, since IP addresses can be assigned by the Internet service provider dynamically), versus the IP address(es) for nitpicking4jesus.
It is oftentimes a surprise to many people that posting on the Internet is not really as anonymous as they tend to believe it is.
I generally use “raj”, but I have also used “raj49” or “rajmgk” if “raj” was not available or was being used by others. The common thread “raj” should be evident.
I don’t see “raj” in “nitpicking4jesus.” I might be persuaded that “raj” is there somewhere, but I doubt it.
Yes, Synova in #41, I agree with your ideas. I believe for me personally tolerance requires us to be much greater because it requires that we actively allow that which we believe is wrong. And I am not talking about tolerating that which harms. I am talking about the basic right of every living breathing human being to make the determination as to how their life is going to turn out. No matter how offensive it may seem to someone else.
Now when we come together as a collective, then things begin to become interesting. I, personally, am not seeking acceptance. But I require a level playing field for myself and insist on every right AND RESPONSIBLITY that every other person has. And if that means someone has to tolerate me, then so be it.