Date: Mon, 01 Sep 1997 07:33:41 -1000 From: lambda@aloha.net (Martin Rice) Subject: SA 180: Results of the Informal Poll: Gambling in Hawai`i Aloha kakahiaka kakou. Last week, an article appeared HONOLULU STAR-BULLETIN written by Debi Hartmann, co-chair of Hawai`i's Future Today, one of the main groups that have been fighting our access to civil rights. HFT was allegedly founded around three main principles: blocking same-sex marriage, blocking legalized gambling and blocking legalized prostitution. Their focus has been on the marriage issue, but this article takes a public stance against legalized gambling in Hawai`i. A poll request when out in response, asking TLBG community what action we should take. The springboard questions for community discussion posed were as follows: "Should we, for instance, appear at Senate and House hearings to expose the source of HTF's funding? Should we *NOT* get involved. Should we take a public stance on gambling as a community? What are the ramifications, in your opinion? How much information on HFT should we give to the pro-gambling groups? Would this be a good diversion for our community? Do you think the letter-blitz of last month/this month a part of an ongoing public relations campaign? How can we neutralize HFT? Do we want to? Etc." Here are the responses, presented in the order recieved. Two responses have been edited for vulgarity, and one response had two clauses removed which may have identified an individual, otherwise, all are presented as originally received. It *appears* that only one response is from Hawai`i. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> >Should we, for instance, appear at Senate and House hearings >to expose the source of HTF's funding? I feel very strongly that this is an imperative. The general public is simply not aware that the opposition to this is trying to appear as moderates concerned only with the good of the community, while in reality they are ultra-conservative religionists whose goal is to impose their own beliefs on the rest of the community by using the law. >Should we take a public stance on gambling as a community? What are the >ramifications, in your opinion? This may be difficult to do. Personally, I would not like to see gambling instituted in Hawai'i. Simply because the promises of income, increased econcomy, etc..do not materialize. I would not, however, seek to make this decision or influence it for the people of Hawai'i. I'd say that the only intervention we have the right to make is to present facts...and to object to distortion of the facts by HTF. > How much information on HFT should we give to the pro-gambling groups? AS much as is available... the pro-gambling groups will be confronted with the same distortions that we are battling right now.. and any funds we can force HFT to divert to the gambling battle will take funding away from their battle against us. > Would this be a good diversion for our community? Lets get real... if it is good for us...and bad for them...we ought to do it.. as long as we do not resort to lies, or distorting the facts... If we can shift this battle against HFT to the pro-gambling interests it puts them under attack from another direction. >Do you think the letter-blitz of last month/this month a part of an ongoing public relations campaign? Yes, I do... and I've been writing letters faithfully for several years and will continue to respond to any requests. >How can we neutralize HFT? Do we want to? Etc. I believe that the most effective way is to expose them publicly for who and what they are. Catch them in their own lies...and put them on the defensive. If we can use the gambling issue and even the prostitution issue to discredit them then we should. PROVIDED that we do not stoop to lying, deceit, or BSing to do it. What we cannot afford to do is give them room to put US on the defensive. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> We should definitely expose the right wingers' funding sources. Also, we should support casinos if the gaming interests are willing to support marriage. I think they would--after all, they'd rake in a fortune from all the gay and lesbian couples flooding into Hawaii to get hitched and then honeymoon at the new casinos. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> When you see all the trash that's attracted to Las Vegas, you'd vote no to gambling anywhere else. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> For what it is worth, I believe that individuals with information helpful to the pro-gaming [or pro-prostitution, for that matter] forces which could tend to diminish the credibility of HFT ought be sharing that information as soon [and as quietly] as possible. Politically, "Let's you and him fight" is a VERY Effective tool [particularly when you are underfunded and out-gunned--figuratively speaking]. It also tends not to offend unnecessairily folks who have taken positions on these divisive issues [gaming and prostitution] and, finally, it preserves "media capital"--getting the attention of editors, as a group, is often work in and of itself, focusing that attention on "gay tangent" issues [there could be argued a tangential relationship to both these being "gay oriented" issues] is spending capital best preserved. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Give as much information to the pro gambling groups as possible. They (HFT) wouldn't hesitate to do the same thing to us. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> You should NOT get involved in this issue publicly. This could alienate many voters who might otherwise oppose HFT on this particular issue, but wouldn't even look at it if they had already made up their minds on the issue of gay marriage. You SHOULD give the pro-gambling interests, privately, anything and everything you have on HFT. They can use this information to inform the voters as to what sort of nasty organization HFT is. They've got a lot more money to do this with than you do, by the way. When the public finds out about that, some of them may even be willing to revisit the gay marriage issue. I don't what letter blitz you are referring to. You do want to neutralize HFT. You can best do this by quietly siding with the pro-gambling issue, but not tie it to either gay marriage or legal prostitution. You would also be well advised to quietly give the pro-prostitution (pro-pros?) people all the info you have collected on HFT. You should expect--and perhaps request--that those other groups would give you anything they had dug up on HFT as well. Anything which can be used to marginalize HFT on ANY of these issues, helps those who are fighting them on the other issues as well. Those facts should be made as public as possible. Those best able to do so are the gambling interests, which have both money and access to the media. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> HFT on gambling: the GLBT community should ignore gambling as an issue; It will win no friends, and lose some of the religious who do support us. I have advocated legalized gambling through my union, an action that barely passes muster. Having HFT cloak themselves in this "holier-than-God" crap is infuriating, but it's best ignored. Remember, THEY are choosing this battle ground for a good reason---their polls show that it helps them. Stay cool and focussed. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "If I had to pick today, it would be George Bush." --Larry Sabato, University of Virginia political scientist, when asked to guess the next Republican presidential nominee ~~~~~~ Fred and Martin, strangers before all but 16.7% of the law, and fading fast, due in part to Hartmann's "love." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~