From: WEWoodsMPH Date: Tue, 19 May 1998 23:27:15 EDT Subject: Hawaii Investigation - Alert of Mormon facts draws death threats & propaganda Aloha Folks, Re-distribute as possible. The following is a directed response to me from elected Representative Robert McDermott as a response to my factual material (5-14-98) about Mormon propaganda (published by Mormon owned Deseret News of Salt Lake City) and the facts related to the campaign spending report filed by Save Traditional Marriage 98 which identified alleged violations of campaign spending contributions by Mormon owned and controlled entities: Brigham Young University - Hawaii, Hawaii Reserves, Inc., Laie Community Association and Polynesian Cultural Center. His statement to me and the original I sent to you all - legislators - and others is below. His statement of condemnation and telling me what to do according to his - religion ? oppressive values? or from wherever they come. Strangely, he has never shared my bed - nor would I ever allow him to do so, so I am shocked he has authority to comment on any sexual "behavior" of mine. What he is commenting on is his apparent prejudice and lack of understanding and concept of agape. Where did he get it????? Besides this message I received three death and hate-message threats - one from Europe, two from South San Francisco (called and Emailed both). They both stated they were responding to the Email alert I sent out last week. do good William E. Woods, MPH *** Date: 98-05-19 17:45:40 EDT From: repmcdermott@Capitol.hawaii.gov (Rep. Bob McDermott) To: WEWoodsMPH@aol.com ('WEWoodsMPH') Bill, You should stop engaging in your deviant non-normal behavior. After all, that is exactly what Homosexuality is - - a behavior. Consider this, What happens to a child molester when he arrives at a Prison? He is systematically sodomized by the other inmates. Why? Is it a common genetic proclivity that all inmates share, or is it a behavior? Obviously, you know the answer. Please stop your crusade to destroy our society. Aloha and God Bless, Bob McDermott ** What was sent out from me. Mormon generated attack - with insight to tentacles of Church funded oppression Aloha Folks, Please redistribute as possible - News contacts to this address of (808) 537-2000 Are we at all surprised that Mormons are using their controlled media to oppose same-sex marriage? The evidence in Hawaii is clear about use of Mormon controlled assets and resources to the political campaign of Save Traditional Marriage '98 - BYU-Hawaii, Laie Community Association, Polynesian Cultural Center, Hawaii Reserves, Inc., -- all owned and/or controlled by the "Office of the Presidency" of the Mormon Church in one manner or other. Key leaders in Hawaii's Future Today and Save Traditional Marriage 98 are also officers, staff, and church activists of these businesses and Mormon assets.---- Jack Hoag, Debi Hartmann and Jack Shea just to name a few. Aggregate Parent Company Ownership/Control: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints $4,225 (aggregate total owner/controllers of: Polynesian Cultural Center $1,025 - non-profit. Bringham Young University - Hawaii $1,200 - non- profit; and Hawaii's Reserve, Inc. $1,000 - business of Mormon Church land management; and Laie Community Association - $1,000 appointed unit of Hawaii Reserves, Inc.) (This does not include officers of said organizations which are also to be calculated in aggregate amounts - Jack Hoag, Chair Hawaii Reserves, Inc. contributor of $400 and Debi Hartmann, BYU-Hawaii $400; George Shea $200 are known to be directly linked to these organizations). Total of $5,225 which does not include others that may also be connected such as family members, staff and other personnel of Mormon owned or controlled entities. As I noted in yesterday's alert, the attorney representing Save Traditional Marriage 98 has requested to eliminate the contribution cap of $1,000 which was violated most extensively by the groups and individuals above who in aggregate (current interpretation of Hawaii campaign spending law). I thought the Deseret News item is most transparent and deserves even more attention and scrutiny. Hope you see some way to help bring the truth home to the general public who is critical to bring about ethical and legal changes to make the process fair. do good William E. Woods, MPH DESERET NEWS (LDS Church owned daily news) Salt Lake City, Utah THURSDAY May 14, 1998 Utah must join fight against same-sex vows By Lynn D. Wardle Utah Attorney General Jan Graham rejected a request that she join a brief opposing same-sex marriage. The brief was filed by the Nebraska Attorney General and 10 other state attorneys general in a case before the Vermont Supreme Court involving a claim for same-sex marriage. If Vermont (or any other state) legalizes same-sex marriage, it will create problems for Utah and all other states. Gay and lesbian couples will get married in Vermont and move to Utah (and other states), and demand that Utah (and all other states) recognize their homosexual "marriages" for purposes of marital status, inheritance, insurance, tax exemptions, benefits, etc. Utah's Legislature passed a law in 1995 declaring that same-sex marriage is against strong public policy and will not be recognized. To protect that law, Utah's attorney general was invited to join the Nebraska amicus curiae brief. But Jan Graham refused. In 1996, the Nebraska Attorney filed a similar "friend of the court" brief for a dozen state attorneys general in a same-sex marriage case in Hawaii. Attorney General Graham's office initially refused to join in that brief, but after Gov. Leavitt's office intervened, the Utah attorney general belatedly filed a letter with the Hawaii Supreme Court joining that amicus brief. This time, despite a direct request from Governor Leavitt's office, Attorney General Graham refused to join the brief. She did not notify the Nebraska attorney general of her decision not to join until just hours before the brief was sent to Vermont, so there was no timely opportunity to provide her with input that could persuade her to change her mind. There would have been no cost to Utah if our attorney general had joined the amicus brief. On the other hand, if the Vermont court legalizes same-sex marriage, it will be very expensive for Utah to defend and enforce its refusal to recognize same-sex marriages from Vermont. Utah clearly has an interest in encouraging Vermont not to legalize same-sex marriage. If Utah had joined the brief, it would have strengthened the credibility of the arguments that it will violate the public policy of other states to recognize same-sex marriage and that legalizing same-sex marriage will create a divisive interstate dilemma that will interfere with cooperative federalism. Utah's support would have increased the persuasiveness and impact of the brief. Three same-sex couples in Vermont have filed suit demanding that the state courts order the legalization of same-sex marriage. A state trial court barely rejected their claims, and the gay and lesbian couples appealed to the Vermont Supreme Court. The Vermont Supreme Court is very liberal and in the past has ruled in favor of same-sex family relations. In Adoptions of B.L.V.B. and F.L.V.B., 628 A.2d 1271 (Vt. 1993), the Vermont Supreme Court allowed the lesbian partner of a biological mother to adopt the mother's child using the step-parent adoption procedures, so the child had two legal mothers. A couple of other state attorneys general who signed the states' amicus brief in 1996 in the Hawaii case (including Dan Lundgren of California who is running for governor) also changed their minds and declined to sign the states' amicus brief in Vermont this year. It appears that the politics of opposing same-sex marriage has changed in the past two years. Lynn Wardle is an attorney and professor of law at Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School.