It's starting.

From Clarinet, without permission:

	TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (UPI) -- Assistant State Attorney General Jeff
Peters said Thursday he won't bend to pressure from a ``fundamentalist
lynch mob'' that he resign as a gay rights activist, while a leader of a
group seeking to limit homosexual rights says Peters has a conflict of
interest in keeping both jobs.
	Peters told a news conference he has received death threats and hate
mail.
	``I'm not going to stand here and tell you (the threats come from) a
particular group,'' he said. ``But when you devalue a human beings, when
you attack them with this rhetoric, then obviously you're going to have
the extremists causing problems.''
	Peters, in his sixth year in the state attorney general's office, is
chairman of the group Floridians Respect Everyone's Equality. He said he
intends to fight David Caton and the American Family Association of
Florida every step of the way.
	``He doesn't scare me at all. I'm not someone who runs from a fight
or shies from a fight, and I don't intend to do that now,'' he said,
casting a stern glare at conservative lobbyist Carole Griffin, one of
Caton's allies.
	``They think that turning this 'fundamentalist lynch mob' loose on me
they will be one step closer to passing these initiatives,'' Peters
said.
	Caton is gathering names on petitions for a proposed constitutional
amendment that would outlaw ordinances in Florida protecting the rights
of homosexuals. It's not known how many signatures have been
accumulated.
	Caton says Peters' position could hurt those efforts when a legal
opinion on the proposal is rendered by the attorney general's office.
	``That is a conflict of interest,'' Caton said. ``He's jeopardizing
the integrity of the attorney general's office.''
	Peters said the charge that he could affect the legal opinions of
Attorney General Bob Butterworth is false.
	``To say that because I'm involved in public service that I can't be
involved in something that threatens my life is ridiculous,'' Peters
said.
	Peters claims he's gotten death threats over the telephone and in the
mail at his home, he's had to park his car in a different spot every
day, and that he's always looking over his shoulder.
	Caton said Peters' sexual orientation is not at issue, adding that
most politicians set aside their personal agendas when taking a position
that represents all people.
	``Most law enforcement officials in the state of Florida have to set
aside their personal agendas, because they have to enforce and interpret
the laws on an equal, fair and objective basis,'' Caton said. ``He is a
public servant for all of Florida, not just for the gay and lesbian
community.''
	Caton alleged that Peters performed work for the gay rights group
while on state time, and that his support for the cause was a conflict
of interest. He called on Peters to either resign from his post with the
gay rights group or leave the attorney general's office.
	Peters, who said Thursday's press conference was scheduled on his day
off, said all his work for gay rights is done on his own free time.
	Caton also urged residents to write to Attorney General Bob
Butterworth to force Peters out. Peters says Butterworth does not
succumb to blackmail.
	``Unfortunately the American Family Association has decided to thrust
us into 16, 17 months of what's going to be a very nasty, ugly and
violent campaign,'' Peters said.


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Sim Aberson      AOML/Hurricane Research Division       Miami, FL