Please Help me advertise the 1000 watt march..

[Jennifer5]

Last year our church helped send us to Colorado Springs... I need that help again.... but I'm working on how to convince them to do it again. What do you think are important things to tell them that will get them really engaged? I'm working on telling them about last years action to get them into this one.... any thoughts? Thanks:D

[Emproph]

Hey Jennifer,
I know I can be a bit brash and aggressive around here at times and I realize that can come across as out of control and potentially intimidating, but I do my best not to be offensive, unless it's necessary to confront someone who is not being truthful. So please know that there's a method to my madness. I just wonder sometimes if I come across that way, or maybe I'm just paranoid, I'm sure it's something inbetween. I should just take a poll. :)

That said, You must have a really cool church. I usually don’t feel confident giving advice on organizing or face to face encounters. I don’t get out much and the dynamic is so much different than writing, but I thought I’d give it a shot since this issue is becoming increasingly more important for me. I’m to the point where I’m actually considering going myself. So just a few thoughts here. Have you spoken with them yet?

I’d say start with the fact that this is becoming more an more important, especially with the election coming up, this year and in ‘08. And it’s not just about GLBT equal rights it’s about their move toward theocracy in the most not just un-Christian ways, but down right anti-Christian.

For example, I just got this in my email today. It’s a Citizen Link action newsletter from Focus on the Family, I get them every day and almost every single one is anti-gay or anti-gay related.

http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0040614.cfm

(Some paraphrased highlights of the article)
-Members of House Appropriations Committee have voted to double President Bush’s budget request for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
-More than 25 pro-family groups, including Focus on the Family Action, sent a letter to Congress to protest the additional U.S. contribution
-Amanda Banks, analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said "It's not a U.S. program, it's an international fund," she said, "and we have very, very little control over how it allocates money."
-(This is why they’re concerned>) “A lot of kids who would have gotten an abstinence message will now not receive it," he told Family News in Focus, "and that’s the tragedy.”

They literally prefer for people to die than to teach safe sex or how to clean needles or get counseling on abortion. I’m not a fan of abortion, but since the Bush administration has denied funding to anyone outside the US who even SPEAKS about anything other than “abstinence only,” 70,000 women per year have been dying from botched abortions. Yet FOF is worried about the 7, count them SEVEN women who have died from RU486 here in the US. Do a Google for global gag rule.

There’s dozens of examples like this. The war, economic policy etc., I could go through my emails if you want some more suggestions. The point is, these people are DANGEROUS. And James Dobson is “In” with the administration.

And the other thing is, nearly all the state marriage proposals and organizations running them all link back to Focus on the Family, someone who works for them or one of their cohorts, and the entire basis of their arguments "For" marriage is anti-gay. That’s dishonest enough, but they continue to use outright lies in addition to being deceptive.

FOF and others regularly use the results of Paul Cameron’s “research.” He runs the Family Research Institute. This is a man who took statistics from a VD clinic to show how diseased ALL homosexuals are. And this is typical of how they do their studies, that’s just one example of many. They take the worst examples possible and then say that it represents the whole.

They get everyone to hate us, then we commit suicide 3x more often and then they use that real statistic against us too.

Look at how they’re against hate crime legislation. The less hate crime laws there are, the less they can keep track of violence against GLBT people. Then they argue, “well look, attacks are going down, they don’t need protection, they just want special rights.”

I’ve ranted long enough, my point is though that FOF and other hate groups are literally killing people, start with that.

I know this is late from when you posted it and I’m sorry, but if you need any ideas on info or where to find it I’d be happy to help, just ask. :)

[Rick336]

Great post Emproph! You've got me reved up for the protest rally and vigil at Focus on the Family in July. I'll be purchasing my plane ticket tonight.

Rick

[Jennifer5]

Thank you so much... I think you've given me a lot of things to put together that will really get them going.

It's a UCC church.My dad's a big part of the church. We went to Colorado last year, he said he liked it but he would have perfered be out with his girlfriend... long story. Anyway, I think if I do this right I may be able to figure it out. I got us there once and I can't give up.... I missed the group of people every since we left may 2005.

Anyway, Thank you so much:love: , lets see.... now how will I convince them that this a good thing to support, why is this more important than the other groups that they support.... how do I convince them that this is better than all the other things they've been doing?

I can give you the church's website if that would help get a feel for what I'm dealing with.....

www.suquamishucc.org