Nice campaign email from Paul Hackett on gay rights...

[crizzo5137]

I supported this man from the start.. Hes a good guy, lives about 15 minutes from me, and turned a republican stronghold into a close margin against oll mean jean schmidt... He proves there is still hope for America...
.........................
Thursday, January 26, 2006

Last week the Columbus Dispatch published a column about my candidacy that said, in part, the following:

I stand with Paul Hackett"Asked to define being pro-gay rights, Hackett said anybody who tries to deny homosexuals the same rights, including marriage, as every other citizen is un-American. Are you saying, he was asked, that the 62 percent of Ohioans who voted in November 2004 to constitutionally deny same-sex marriages are un-American?

"If what they believe is that we're going to have a scale on judging which Americans have equal rights, yeah, that's un-American. They've got to accept that. It's absolutely un-American." Columbus Dispatch (01/15/06)

http://www.hackettforohio.com/istand

It wasn't long until the Republican attack machine came after me demanding an apology. They called what I said "hate speech." The Republican Party was up to its old tricks again, using fear to silence opposition. They expected me to back down like too many Democrats have in the past.

My response?

I said it. I meant it. I stand behind it. Equal justice under the law for all regardless of who they are and how they were born is fundamental to our American spirit and our American freedoms. Any person or group that argues that the law should not apply equally to all Americans is, frankly, un-American.

http://www.hackettforohio.com/istand

The Republican Party has been hijacked by religious fanatics, who are out of touch with mainstream America. Think of the recent comments by Pat Robertson a religious fanatic by any measure - that the United States should assassinate a democratically elected leader in Venezuela, and that Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine punishment because Sharon wished to trade land for peace.

It was about time someone called it like it is.

If there is one thing the Republicans fear it's a fighting Democrat who won't back down when push comes to shove. They rely on fear and intimidation to divide Americans. I believe that those who would use religion and politics to divide rather than unite Americans should be ashamed.

http://www.hackettforohio.com/istand

I will continue to stand up to these extremists who have hijacked the Republican Party and want to divide the country, but I need you by my side to do so. Show the Republican Party that you will not tolerate the extremist behavior of the religious right.

Use the link below to sign a pledge of support. I need to know that you stand with me. I need to know that I can count on you to amplify our message of change. Let the Republican attack machine know you've had enough and refuse to be beaten into submission this time.

http://www.hackettforohio.com/istand

I hope I can count on your continued support. Together, we can fight back AND win in 2006.


Sincerely,

Paul Hackett
.....................

I posted this is GLBT, but hey, if a moderator wants to move this into an area where it gets more views, then... :)



ahh hell,i just move it myself...:)

[Hello_Kitty]

1. Nice, very nice

I wish I could vote for him. The guy's got integrity and people respect that. And you know what? The Religious Right represents about 20% of voters, tops. Screw them. They make it seem like there are so many more of them than there are. And even a few of them will respond to appeals to true Christian values like charity and compassion if you give them the chance.

[crizzo5137]

2. yeah i hear ya man...

the true fundies are just a tiny minority and they have managed to hijack this country.. Ive decided im going to volunteer for his campaign and go door to door if i have to.. There just needs to be some sense back in this country

[phylny]

5. Christian values

In my extended family, the only parent (one in five) who wouldn't blink an eye to gay marriage is my dad, a conservative Catholic. Yes, a conservative Catholic. He and I have discussed this very issue, and he said that while he doesn't like how "they" parade around (Think NYC Gay Pride Parade - what can I say, dad's in his late 70s and generally prudish and private. Gotta love him), he can't understand why anyone would care what people do in the bedroom and doesn't see why people can't marry who they want to marry.

Switch to the other side of the family: Four other grandparents, all who would be staunchly against anything having to do with gay rights. Not one of them is religious, and all but one of them have been divorced.

Ignorance and intolerance isn't necessarily a religious requirement.

Oh, and the conservative Catholic doesn't LIKE abortion, but doesn't want to see it outlawed, either.

[wiley]

3. It's a Dupe Thread. But it's nice to be reminded

what an incredible guy Hackett is.

Yo Ohio!:yourock:


DIY!

[crizzo5137]

4. well its duped

cause i want it to get the most coverage

[Pryderi]

6. Goldwater quote

On religious issues there can be little or no compromise. There is no position on which people

are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate

than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful

weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that

are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to

force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these

religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or

votes or both. I'm frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a

citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in A, B, C, and D. Just who do they think

they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me?

And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who

thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate. I am

warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral

convictions to all Americans in the name of conservatism.'

~Barry Goldwater

Hackett rocks.