>
>THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT AND ITS CURRENT ACTIVITY IN MASSACHUSETTS
>
>
>
>Following  is:  1)  a summary of currently-available information
>on how  the  religious  right  is  organized  and  operating  in
>Massachusetts,  emphasizing  attacks  on  public  school systems
>particularly       condom-availability       policies        and
>AIDS-prevention/Human Sexuality curricula 2) and overview of the
>religious  right's  political agenda and standard themes as they
>play  out  in   Massachusetts;   3)brief   background   on   the
>organizations  and  people  mentioned  in  the  summary; 4) some
>detail on information sources  (more  detail  is  available,  if
>needed); and 5)some opinions on the public policy issues for all
>citizens,  regardless  of party affiliation or special interest.
>This material reveals  a  highly-organized  political  movement,
>with coordinated political training, media, legal, research, and
>lobbying  arms;  and  leadership  that  is  taking aim at public
>school programs and School Committee elections  in  many  cities
>and  towns, as well as state-level legislation.  Its aims are to
>broaden support at the local level, elect  candidates  to  local
>offices and raise money.
>
>
>
>SUMMARY  OF FINDINGS ABOUT RELIGIOUS RIGHT ORGANIZATION, SOURCES
>OF NATIONAL-LEVEL SUPPORT AND KEY FIGURES IN MASSACHUSETTS
>
>Family First headed by Nancy Sutton is the central Massachusetts
>organization  in  this story.  Two national organizations can be
>identified  as  providing  significant  support:  Focus  on  the
>Family   (FOF)   and   Concerned   Women   for   America  (CWA).
>Identifiable support mechanisms from national  organizations  to
>Family  First  and  local  political  groups  are:  training and
>sample   materials--on   political   organizing,    public/media
>relations and information on school-related curriculum and legal
>issues; print materials--on sex education, HIV/AIDs, other STDs,
>teen  pregnancy  and  on homosexuality; curriculum materials and
>references--specific  abstinence-only  sex  education  programs;
>mailing  lists; video materials--on specific abstinence-only sex
>education programs and on "The Gay Agenda  in  Public  Schools";
>speakers  for  public and less-public programs; and some sort of
>communication  and  dissemination  network  of   fundamentalist,
>evangelical  and  other ultra-conservative churches.  Advice and
>direction to Family First from national Christian Right  leaders
>is also a likely resource, particularly Beverly LaHaye (CWA) and
>Dr.  James Dobson (FOF).  LaHaye is a member of the Coalition on
>Revivial  Steering  Committee,  a  group  of top Christian Right
>leaders who plan national strategy  and  coordinate  their  game
>plan  by  assigning coverage of topics and geographic regions to
>various organizations.  It's currently not possible to  pinpoint
>direct  financial  support, except to note that outside speakers
>from distant places have appeared in Massachusetts, sponsored by
>groups  that  say  they  have  severely  limited  funds.  Within
>Massachusetts,  The  Pilgrim  Family  Institute in Danvers is an
>affiliate of Focus on the Family, likely funded by  it.  It  has
>provided   training   and   disseminates   materials   to  local
>Massachusetts  anti-sex  education  groups,  most  recently  two
>sessions  (late  May/early  June and 6/22) with people from many
>communities at Grace Chapel in Lexington.  Some  materials  have
>come  from  two  national  organizations:  The  Family  Research
>Council , a lobbying  organization  which  has  been  owned  and
>funded  by FOF; and The Rutherford Institute , a Christian Right
>legal  organization.  The  latter  may   be   related   to   the
>Massachusetts   Constitutional   Legal   Institute   in  Granby,
>Massachusetts.    The     Rutherford     Institute     conducted
>strategy/training  sessions for local anti-sex ed groups in June
>1993, suggesting there may be a  rash  of  legal  challenges  to
>school systems in the fall.
>
>The  World  Medical  Health Foundation , based in New York City,
>funds an abstinence-only AIDS/sex  education  curriculum,  "Free
>Teens," and sponsors conferences to promote it and the Christian
>Right  line.  Leslie  Holliday  ,  founder  of  the local group,
>Newton Citizens for Public Education , promotes "Free Teens"  in
>a variety of places.  Dr.  Mildred Jefferson and Frank J.  Russo
>are   on   its   Advisory   Board.   Jefferson  is  a  long-time
>Massachusetts-based  anti-abortion  activist  who  has  run  for
>public  office as an extreme right-wing fringe candidate.  Russo
>heads  the  American  Family  Association's  (AFA)  Long  Island
>Chapter.  Other curricula pushed by the religious right are "Sex
>Respect,"  "Teen-Aid,"  "Choices,"  "Respect, Inc.," and "Facing
>Reality."  Don  Feder  ,  Boston   Herald   columnist,   is   an
>increasingly  frequent  speaker  for Family First on anti-sex ed
>and anti-tolerance/respect for gays themes in local communities.
>
>WEZE/Boston  radio  station, particularly talk-show host Jeanine
>Graf , provides media exposure  to  selected  local  leaders  of
>anti-sex  education  groups,  as  well as political and lobbying
>directives to religious  right  listeners  on  many  issues  and
>pending   Massachusetts   legislation.   Other   radio  stations
>covering other parts of the state may do the same.  Whittemore's
>Christian Bookstore  in  Needham  disseminates  information  and
>registration  forms  on local events in its  store.  It has also
>been a location for training of local activists.  There  may  be
>other bookstores that do this in other parts of the state.
>
>The  Standard  of New England , a monthly newspaper based at the
>same Danvers address  as  The  Pilgrim  Family  Institute,  also
>provides  information  on  events  and  registration forms, plus
>coverage of political and other stories of interest to religious
>right readers.  Homer Allen's name has appeared as a contact  in
>The   Standard's   ads  for  training  sessions.  He  edits  the
>newspaper and heads the Pilgrim Family Institute.  Some  leaders
>of   small,   local  groups  that  are  anti-sex  ed/anti-condom
>availability in schools include:  Leslie Holliday  (see  above),
>Brian  Camenker  and  Marsha  Ciccolo, Newton; Esther Keeley and
>Carolyn Brewer , Braintree; Richard  Warren  and  Julie  Miller,
>Sudbury;  Sandy  Martinez , Chelmsford; Rob Bradley , Wellesley;
>Doug Yeo , Lexington; and  Jennie  Maroney  ,  Framingham.  Eric
>Anthony  of  Brighton  has  appeared in Newton, Braintree and at
>Family   First's   annual   dinner--perhaps   other   locations.
>Concerned  Citizens of Falmouth is another local group, one that
>was behind a lawsuit against the  Falmouth  Public  Schools.
>
>
>
>POLITICAL OBJECTIVES, TACTICS AND STANDARD POSITIONS 
>
>Nationwide  
>
>The  stated  objective  of  the  religious  right,  particularly
>Christian Right national leaders, is to take control of American
>government by the year 2000 or as soon as  possible  thereafter,
>and   "Christianize"   the   country  and  its  government.  Pat
>Robertson described a "religious war" to be fought  by  entering
>the  political  arena and taking thousands of seats each year on
>local school boards and  other  local  government  bodies.  This
>will  accomplish two things:  training local people in political
>skills, electing them and positioning them  to  run  for  higher
>office  over  time; and  building a base of political support at
>the grassroots level,  including  local  Republican  Committees,
>making  it  possible  to mobilize lobbying and voting campaigns.
>Playing on homophobia and anti- gay sentiment is a central  tool
>to  raise  money  and  activate  previously apolitical citizens,
>particularly  epeople  they   address   as   "Christians".   The
>Christian  Right's  stated  1993  target  is  to take 6000 local
>school board seats.  In this context, working with CWA and  FOF,
>Family  First  is  working in Massachusetts, fostering sexuality
>education controversies to launch School  Committee  candidates,
>raise money and increase its supporters' numbers.
>
>A  central  tactic  of the religious right is "stealth"--running
>candidates  without  identifying   them   as   affiliated   with
>organizations  outside  local  communities.  Stealth is used not
>only by people of Christian faith, but also by  Jews  or  others
>who  join  with  them.  Christian  Coalition  Executive Director
>Ralph Reed said that it's ".  .  .just good strategy.  It's like
>guerilla warfare.  .  .  .It's  better  to  move  quietly,  with
>stealth,  under  cover  of  night.  .  .  .  It  comes  down  to
>whether you want to be the British Army in the Revolutionary War
>or the Viet  Cong."  At  the  American  Family  Values  Festival
>Conference in Denver last March, participants were instructed in
>tactics  that  include:  hide  your affiliation and true agenda;
>use the gay issue to raise funds for  the  cause;  always  cover
>your   tracks; always use local front men--a wacko if necessary;
>appeal to people's  fears  of  society  and  change;  appeal  to
>Americans'  worst  impulses; remember that "tension will provide
>the winning (edge for candidates"; lie, if necessary.
>
>Massachusetts
>
>Tactics  that  have been used in Massachusetts include:  denying
>relationships  with  Family  First  (FF),  The  Pilgrim   Family
>Institute   (PFI)   or   other  organizations  outside  a  local
>community; threatening or initiating litigation  against  School
>Committees; criticizing educators, School  Committee members and
>other  citizens  by name in the press or in flyers to intimidate
>them; writing frequent op-ed pieces in local papers to  stir  up
>controversy,  with  the  result  that a handful of people appear
>more significant than their numbers warrant; claiming that  they
>represent  most  parents,  although  few in number; aggressively
>demanding  appointments  with   educators   on   short   notice;
>misrepresenting   what other people say and then criticizing the
>misrepresentation, rather than the actual  statement;  demanding
>documents  from  school  systems; taking material out of context
>and publicizing it  as  "frightening"  or  "shocking";  labeling
>people  who  expose  their  affiliations  as  "McCarthyite"  and
>calling opposition  statements  "disgusting";  using  statistics
>based  on  faulty  research  methodology  to disprove what their
>opponents advocate and to prove  what  they  advocate;  alleging
>that  school  systems'  plans for sex education were made behind
>parents' backs,  even  when  many  community  people  have  been
>involved in the process for a long period of time.
> 
>The   standard   educational   issues   and  buzzwords  used  in
>Massachusetts, that help to identify  potential religious  right
>operatives   include:   criticism   of  "moral  relativism"  and
>"secular humanism"; opposition to condom-availability in schools
>by  stating  that  condoms  are   ineffective;   opposition   to
>"multicultural"  school  programs  that  value diversity and are
>gay-inclusive--often  accompanied by warnings of a "gay  agenda"
>to  recruit youngsters and foster pedophilia; opposition  to sex
>or  AIDS-prevention   curricula   that   provide   comprehensive
>information  and are not  "abstinence-only"; characterizing such
>programs as "experimental"; dissemination of statistics  on  the
>former's  ineffectivenss and the latter's effectiveness that are
>based  on  faulty  research  methods;  labeling   curricula   as
>"values-free"  ;  opposition  to outcomes-based education and to
>"self-esteem" or "decision-making"  school  programs;  "usurping
>parental  rights";  "discriminating against religious people" or
>interfering with their free speech.
>
>
>
>CURRENTLY-AVAILABLE  BACKGROUND  ON ORGANIZATIONS AND KEY PEOPLE
>(alphabetized for easy reference)
>
>The  American Family Association:  Has a chapter that belongs to
>Family First , and reserved a table in one member's name at FF's
>6/4/93 Annual Dinner.  Based in Tupelo, Mississippi; focuses  on
>arts/entertainment   censorship  ,  assisting  local  curriculum
>censorship groups , with a legal arm that sues  school  systems.
>Its  head,  Rev.  Donald  Wildmon, is anti-Semitic (according to
>Skipp  Porteous).  Frank  J.  Russo  ,  heads  its  Long  Island
>Chapter,  and  is  on  the  World  Medical  Health  Foundation's
>Advisory Board.  In conjunction with  Dr.  Judith  Reisman,  AFA
>has  been ccalled to task by the U.S.  Department of Justice for
>deceptively using the Department's letterhead in publishing  and
>disseminating   a   Reisman  research  paper.  (Source:  Playboy
>magazine, May 1993)
>
>Brian  Camenker:  Co-Chair and co-founder of Newton Citizens for
>Public  Education  (NCPE).  Has  been  given  the  most   public
>exposure  by WEZE/Boston's "The Jeanine Graf Show." Has appeared
>at least six times since March 30, 1993 on this program.  No one
>else has appeared on this show as many times in that  timeframe.
>On  5/7/93,  he appeared with the new, second NCPE spokesperson,
>Marsha Ciccolo, and  exhorted  listeners  who  live  outside  of
>Newton to come to the Newton community's May 10 School Committee
>meeting.  On  6/4/93,  he  made statements on this program taken
>directly from a FF letter signed by Nancy Sutton;  said  he  had
>been  to  a session of "dozens and dozens" of anti-sex ed parent
>groups run by The Pilgrim  Family  Institute  at  Grace  Chapel,
>despite his consistent protestations to the 'secular' media that
>he   has   no   connection   to   outside  groups,  particularly
>fundamentalist Christian ones.  Said  he  and  groups  in  other
>communities   would  be  working  over  the  summer  on  sex  ed
>opposition.  FF may be positioning him  to  run  against  Barney
>Frank  in  the  next  Congressional  election,  using  an  anti-
>gay/homophobia-theme campaign  to  garner  Christian  Right  and
>other  supporters  who are anti-gay.  Camenker previously ran an
>unsuccessful campaign against Frank.
>
>Marsha  Ciccolo:  Spokeswoman  for  Newton  Citizens  for Public
>Education since about April 1993.  Took  out  nominating  papers
>for  School  Committee.  Appeared with Camenker on Graf's 5/7/93
>show to  encourage  non-Newtononians  to  attend  Newton's  5/10
>School  Committee  meeting  and  bring  placards.  Citizens  for
>Excellence in Education:  Headed by Dr.  Robert Simonds, CEE  is
>the  activist  arm  of  the  National  Association  of Christian
>Educators.  Together, they claim 925 chapters in all 50  states,
>with   130,000   members.   Based  in  Costa  Mesa,  California.
>Promotes "Teen-Aid".  Has "Issues in Education" radio program on
>53 stations  in  26  states.  Challenges  books  and  curricula,
>particularly  drug-abuse  prevention  and  self-esteem programs.
>Opposes "secular humanism" in schools that teach the  theory  of
>evolution;  is  intent  on  restoring  Christian religion in the
>public schools; works  for  the  teaching  of  'creationism'.  A
>primary  focus  is  electing  their  people  to  school  boards,
>claiming 1,965 victories through 1992, targeting 6000  in  1993.
>"There  are 15,700 school districts in America.  When we can get
>an active Christian parents'  committee  in  operation   in  all
>districts,  we  can  take  complete  control of all local school
>boards.  This  would  allow  us  to   determine  local  policy."
>(Simonds) "As the church watches from the sidelines, the ungodly
>elect    atheists   and   homosexuals   to   school  boards  and
>legislatures  to  enact  policies  and  laws  that  destroy  our
>Christian children and discriminate against Christian families."
>( Simonds)
>
>Coalition  on Revivial Steering Committee:  Formed in 1986 as "a
>close-knit alliance of Christian  Right  political  leaders  who
>direct  geographical 'regions' and 'spheres' of influence." "All
>COR members sign a pledge in  which  they  vow  to  work  toward
>Christianizing  America--and ultimately the world." 112 members.
>(Source:  Penthouse article by Skipp Porteous, n.d.)
>
>Concerned  Citizens of Falmouth:  A parent group affiliated with
>Family First.  Had a table at FF's  6/4  Annual  Dinner.  Leslie
>Holliday  of  NCPE  spent  a  fair amount of time visiting their
>table.  Brought a lawsuit against the Falmouth School Committee.
>
>Concerned  Women  for  America and Beverly LaHaye:  Nancy Sutton
>(FF) has been the Massachusetts Area Head and knows LaHaye well.
>Based in Washington, D.C., CWA is lanti-equal rights for  women;
>anti-choice;  anti-fairness  in employment and other spheres for
>gay people; opposes funding the National Endowment for the Arts;
>criticizes working women; funds opposition to sex education that
>is not abstinence-based ; has 1200 chapters,  an  annual  budget
>reported  at  $10  million,  a  full-  time  legal  staff; has a
>nationally-syndicated  radio  program  ("Beverly  LaHaye  Live,"
>which  is  aired  in  45  communities,  including daily on WEZE/
>Boston-- 4 p.m.  Mon-  Fri.,  other  times  on  week-ends);  and
>provides political training and assistance to local school board
>Rcandidates.   Beverly  LaHaye  is  married  to  Tim  LaHaye,  a
>well-known  fundamentalist    elevangelist.   A   fundamentalist
>pamphlet,   "How   to   Elect   Christians  to  Public  Office,"
>acknowledges CWA's contribution, along with Jerry Falwell's, Pat
>Robertson's and another fundamentalist  pamphlet,  "How  to  Get
>Elected   to  the  School  Board,"  published  by  Citizens  for
>Excellence in Education.  LaHaye is on the Coalition on Revivial
>(COR) Steering Committee.  A CWA chapter  had  a  table  at  the
>Family First Annual Dinner.
>
>Curricula promoted by the Religious Right:  "Sex Respect", "Free
>Teens,"  "Teen-Aid,"  "Choices,"  "Respect,  Inc.,"  and "Facing
>Reality." "Teen-Aid" was  written  by  a  Spokane  Bible  school
>teacher  and  adopted  by  Duval County, Florida, where 60 books
>were  restricted or banned from school libraries, including Snow
>White .  Litigation on the curriculum is now  pending  there.  A
>court  threw  "Sex  Respect"  out  of  the Shreveport, Louisiana
>schools on March 18, 1993 because  of  its  Christian  religious
>message.  The  author  of  this  curriculum,  Colleen  Mast, had
>completed a religious curriculum for parochial schools in  1985,
>just prior to writing this  one.  The first one ("Love and Life:
>A  Christian Sexual Morality Guide for Teens") was basically the
>same as the second,  with  some  word  changes.  (Source:  phone
>conversation  with  Leslie  Kantor  at  SIECUS in NYC) Braintree
>parent group advocates "Sex Respect." NCPE  materials  encourage
>bgetting  information  on  it  and  "Teen-Aid."  Leslie Holliday
>promotes "Free Teens" in the northeast.
>
>Family  First  and  Nancy  Sutton:  A Massachusetts coalition of
>political  organizations,  including  chapters  of   AFA,   CWA,
>Operation  Rescue,  Morality  in Media ; also Plainville Baptist
>Church , the Committee for  Concerned  Citizens  of  Falmouth  ,
>several  Catholic  anti-abortion groups and Presswatch.  Appears
>to be the "hub"  organization  in  Massachusetts  for  religious
>right organizing.  It appears that a core of FF is anti-abortion
>groups.  Mailing  address  is a P.O.  box in Needham; used to be
>Whittemore's Bookstore.  Germinated in 1987, when  Jeanine  Graf
>pulled  some people together to oppose the pending Massachusetts
>Gay Rights bill.   Started a  petition  drive  to  get  the  Gay
>Rights  law  put  to  a  statewide  referendum,  after  its 1989
>passage.  Failed on legal grounds, resulting in a $30,000  debt.
>Formed  under  current  name  in 1990 to oppose the Mapplethorpe
>exhibit.  Has stepped up its efforts to  raise  funds  recently.
>Nancy  Sutton was the former area head of CWA.  Sutton knows Dr.
>James Dobson (FOF) well; and also has  a  personal  relationship
>with  Beverly  LaHaye (CWA) .  She's authored a pamphlet on "The
>Gay Agenda." Speakers at its first Annual Dinner in  Milford  on
>6/4/93  included  William Dannemeyer, Don Feder , Jeanine Graf ,
>former State Senator  Kirby,  John  McGovern  (who  spoke  at  a
>Braintree  anti-sex  ed  group  meeting  on June 7).  John Birch
>Society flyers were distributed.  In her Annual  Dinner  speech,
>Nancy  Sutton said that FF had been providing "stacks and stacks
>" of training and other materials to local Massachusetts  groups
>that oppose sexuality education.  Eric Anthony provided music at
>the dinner and was one of the anti-sex ed non-Newton speakers at
>Newton's  May 10 School Committee meeting.  He also attended the
>Braintree  meeting  on  June  9.  A  member  of   the   Medfield
>Republican  Town  Committee  also  attended  the FF dinner.  The
>dinner program acknowledges WEZE and Whittemore's  ,  a  regular
>advertiser during Graf's program.
>
>The  Family  Research Council:  Headed by former Reagan domestic
>adviser, Gary Bauer.  Based in Washington,  D.C.  A  legislative
>strike  force  (was the lobbying division of FOF until 10/92) on
>issues such as abortion, home-schooling, pornography  and  child
>care.  Had chapters in 17 states, as of 1990.  Anti-gay handouts
>from  this  organization were provided at the Braintree anti-sex
>ed group meetings in June.
>
>Don  Feder:  Columnist  for  the  Boston  Herald,  known for his
>anti-gay bigotry.  Syndicated in about 35 newspapers.  Spoke  at
>NCPE's  3/31  symposium  from  a "Jewish" perspective, at the FF
>Annual Dinner, and most recently at a meeting on sex ed in Stow.
>Has been on Graf's show and other WEZE programs.  Was a  speaker
>at  the  3/93  Conservative Political Conference, along with Dan
>Quayle, in Washington.
>
>Focus   on   the   Family   and   Dr.  James  Dobson:  Providing
>significant  resources  in  Massachusetts.  Based  in   Colorado
>Springs.  Claims  2  million  supporters.  1993  budget  of  $77
>million,  about 900 staff.  Affiliate and likely funder  of  The
>Pilgrim  Family Institute in Danvers.  Has a large media empire,
>including 9 magazines and radio broadcasts from  1600  U.S.  and
>2500  Russian stations.  "Family News in Focus" program is aired
>several times a day on WEZE/Boston.  Urges  "pro-family"  voters
>to  become  active  in  state  and local politics.  Local school
>censors frequently use FOF material when  challenging  a  public
>school book or curriculum.  Owned and funded the Family Research
>Council from about 1988 until October 1992.
>
>Grace Chapel:  A large Evangelical Christian church in Lexington
>,  with  a  projected  1993 budget of $2.5 million.  People come
>from as far as New Hampshire to attend  it.  The  PFI  conducted
>two   training  sessions here for many anti-sex ed parent groups
>in late spring 1993, according  to  Brian  Camenker,  who  spoke
>about  it  on  Graf's  6/4  program.  Doug  Yeo, a leader of the
>anti-condom  group in Lexington comes from this church  (Source:
>Lois  Coit,  Lexington  School  Committeewoman)  A  pamphlet  is
>available here, "A Guide to Rebuilding  America's  Walls,"  that
>instructs  people  in  how  to  take  action  in  their schools,
>libraries, local stores, media and government  "to  change  this
>tide  that threatens to sweep away Christian and family values."
>The pamphlet lists the addresses for "action resources" of  CWA,
>FOF, AFA and Family Research Institute.
>
>Leslie Holliday:  Newton Citizens for Public Education's founder
>.  She's argued that the hNewton Schools adopt "Free Teens." Was
>quoted in a 4/2/93 WSJ article about a NJ community  considering
>it, and was reported in the York County Coast Star , 4/14/93, to
>have made a presentation on the curriculum to an AIDS Task Force
>at  a  School  Committee  meeting  in  Kennebunkport,  Maine  on
>4/13/93.  Listed  as  the  Boston-area  contact  for  a  6/26/93
>conference  on  AIDS  education  run by The World Medical Health
>Foundation at the University of Bridgeport,  which is  owned  by
>the  Moonies.  Her  neighbors  report  Leslie  is a Moonie.  Was
>seated at the table of Dr.  Mildred Jefferson at Family  First's
>6/4/93  annual  dinner,  appeared to know many people  she spoke
>with during table-hopping visits, and spent a good deal of  time
>at the table of Concerned Citizens of Falmouth.  In a phone call
>to  her  on  2/16/93,  Leslie said that she had talked to Robert
>Simonds, Beverly  LaHaye,  Nancy  Sutton  and  other  well-known
>national   Christian   Right   leaders.   Draws   heavily   from
>fundamentalist  and  other  religious  right  material  in   her
>writings.  Holliday authored "Values in a Decade of Decision," a
>paper  she  gave  to  Newton's  Health  Education  Task Force in
>January,  1993.  Closely   mirroring   standard   fundamentalist
>Christian  arguments  throughout this paper, she expounds on the
>Ten Commandments, then states, "What contraception, abortion and
>homosexuality all share is the absolute  divorce  of  life  from
>love  "  (italics hers).  She bolsters her anti-gay arguments by
>referring to CWA's magazine, Family Voice.  This paper and  NCPE
>handouts   contain   material,   arguments  and  many  identical
>references found both in Pilgrim Family Institute "fact  sheets"
>and  Family Research Council "research papers" distributed at an
>anti-sex ed 6/9/93 meeting in Braintree, and in a letter  signed
>by Nancy Sutton on Family First letterhead at some time prior to
>4/22/93.  Holliday started the anti-sex ed activity in Newton by
>writing  in local papers, reportedly entering a public school to
>talk to teachers during the school session unannounced and  with
>no  appointment,  and  by  initiating  appointments  with school
>administrators--sometimes demanding such  appointments  on  very
>short  notice.  NCPE's  early  organizing meetings took place at
>her home.  Was reliably reported  to  have  approached  Newton's
>Republican  Town  Committee  in  December  1992 to seek support.
>Appeared on "The Jeanine Graf Show" with Camenker on 3/30/93 for
>the purpose of getting listeners to  come  to  NCPE's  March  31
>symposium  on  sex education.  Around April, she ceased her role
>as NCPE spokeswoman.  She has since  refused  to  speak  to  the
>press.
>
>Dr.  Mildred  Jefferson:  Long-time  anti-abortion  activist and
>sometime political candidate.  On BU Medical School Faculty.  On
>World Medical Health Foundation Advisory Board and co-signer dof
>an invitation to an AIDS education conference at the  University
>of Bridgeport on June 26, 1993.  This university is owned by the
>Moonies.  Reserved  a  table  at  Family  First Annual Dinner at
>which Leslie Hollidy sat.
>
>Massachusetts   Constitutional   Legal   Institute   in  Granby,
>Massachusetts:  Made demands under the  Freedom  of  Information
>Act  to the University of Lowell for materials its staff used in
>a training session for Newton school staff.  Little else is  yet
>known.
>
>Newton  Citizens  for  Public  Education:  Newton's  anti-sex ed
>group, claiming 130 parent members in a city of 83,000+  people,
>of which 20% are parents.  Started by Leslie Holliday , Co-Chair
>with  Brian  Camenker  .  Sponsored  a  symposium  on  sex ed on
>3/31/93 which was heavily plugged on Graf's  radio  program  and
>advertised  in  the  Sudbury  Town  Crier.  Don  Feder  was  one
>speaker.  Another, Judith Reisman , is connected to a network of
>religious  right  organizations.  She  has   been   a   research
>consultant  to  CWA.  Reisman  has also been a consultant to the
>AFA.  At NCPE's March 31 symposium , Reisman  labelled  Catholic
>priests,  sex  education  teachers,  gays  and lesbians as child
>molesters  .  She  exhorted  Newtonians  to  sue  their   School
>Committee.  Camenker  has  similarly been reported in the Newton
>press to say NCPE was looking for a lawyer who  would  handle  a
>lawsuit  against  Newton's  School Committee, for free.  Reisman
>also told the audience to make Newton into 'another  Fernandez'.
>Reisman's  Institute for Media Education received funds from and
>was "taken under our umbrella" by Accuracy in  Media,  a  right-
>wing  censorship organization (not specifically religious).  Its
>Chairman, Reed Irvine, was on the board  of  Phyllis  Schlafly's
>anti-feminist  Eagle  Forum.  At  its  symposium  and the Newton
>Schools' Health Task  Force  presentations  to  parents  ,  NCPE
>distributed   material   that   tells   people  to  contact  two
>organizations "for moral sex education programs," Teen-Aid, Inc.
>and Project Respect.  Camenker has said NCPE plans to run a full
>slate of School Committee candidates in '93.
>
>The Pilgrim Family Institute:  Located in Danvers.  An affiliate
>of  Focus  on the Family.  Headed by Homer Allen , Editor of The
>Standard of New England .  Provides material on condoms and  sex
>education,  and  trains  parent  groups,  most recently at Grace
>Chapel.  Located  hat  the  same  address   as   The   Standard.
>Publication  date  of  its handouts mostly 1992.  It may conduct
>other activities.
>
>The  Rutherford  Institute:  A  national  Christian  Right legal
>organization.  Based  in   Charlottesville,   VA.   Handout   on
>fighting outcomes-based education, distributed at Braintree June
>anti-sex  ed meetings.  Spoke at a training/strategy session for
>many anti-sex ed groups on 6/22/93 at Grace Chapel, sponsored by
>The PFI.  Will conduct another session on 7/26-27/93.
> 
>The  Standard  of New England , a monthly newspaper based at the
>same Danvers address as The PFI.  Anyone can subscribe  to  this
>paper  for  $19.95/year.  Homer  Allen is the Editor.  He was at
>the FF Annual Dinner.  His name appeared in the  February  issue
>of  The  Standard  as  a  contact  person  (with a Danvers phone
>number) for a  February  27  training  session  on  how  to  get
>involved  in  local  politics.  This  training session was to be
>held at Whittemore's.
>
>WEZE/Boston   radio  station  (AM  1260)  and  Jeanine  Graf:  A
>Christian broadcasting  station  (Salem  Communications;  parent
>company,  USA  Radio  Network)  carrying religious and political
>programs,  including  Dr.  Dobson's,  Jerry  Falwell's,  Beverly
>LaHaye's   and   other  nationally-syndicated  "ministries."  On
>3/30--a day  before  NCPE's  symposium,  Camenker  and  Holliday
>appeared  on  "  The  Jeanine Graf Show " ( a call-in talk show,
>Mon.-Fri., 2:05-4:00 p.m.) to promote the event.  WEZE announced
>NCPE's symposium roughly every  hour  on  the  day  it  occurred
>(3/31/93),  along  with  detailed  driving  directions and Brian
>Camenker's Newton phone number.  On 5/7/93 , Graf described  the
>Newton  Schools'  proposed health/sexuality education curriculum
>as "this really weird sex  therapy  class".  Graf  exhorted  and
>then  excused  uherself for being "insulting" to the audience by
>calling them "sissies .  .  .spineless jellyfish" if they didn't
>"hustle" to Newton.  Detailed  directions  to  the  meeting  and
>Marsha Ciccolo's phone number were broadcast to assist outsiders
>in  finding  the  meeting's  location.  On her 6/4 program, Graf
>called for a "Master Plan" for all the local  parent  groups  to
>follow in the fall.  The two Braintree anti-sex ed group leaders
>and   Camenker   appeared  that  day.  Graf  gave  Camenker  the
>"assignment" to find out names of SIECUS Board members  and  its
>funding  sources.  She  said she thought they could do something
>"really creative" with  that  information.  On  6/22/93,  Graf's
>program topic was criticism of Jeanne Blake's TV program on AIDS
>and  adolescence,  which had aired on WBZ the night before and a
>few days earlier on WGBH.  She gave the  WBZ  phone  number  and
>told  the  audience  to  call  the  station's General Manager to
>register  complaints.  A  Braintree  anti-sex  ed  parent  group
>leader called in to report a victory in defeating her town's sex
>education  program  at  a  6/21 School Committee meeting.  Harry
>Coin, an early NCPE member, called in with congratulations,  and
>said  that  he and others from Newton had attended the Braintree
>meeting.  A discussion about media appearances ensued, and  Graf
>offered  to  "rehearse" Brian Camenker for one he was seeking or
>had  scheduled.  (It  would  be  useful  to  know  if  Graf   is
>personally  connected  with  any  national groups or leaders who
>help steer her, since she may direct much of  what  goes  on  in
>furthering  this  political  movement  in Massachusetts.  She is
>reported to have  worked  previously  for  WEEI  radio  station.
>According  to  Skipp  Porteous,  Richard  Viguerie  owns a radio
>station in  Boston.  Following  Barry  Goldwater's  Presidential
>campaign,  Viguerie  started  what  is  now  the well-organized,
>well-funded Christian right political machine, using a  list  of
>12,500  campaign contributors and supporters.  Perhaps his radio
>station is WEEI.  This bears checking out.) Graf served as emcee
>of Family First's 6/4 Annual Dinner.  Her program is  a  virtual
>bulletin  board of religious right political activity, plans and
>events, and  she  evidences  in-  depth  knowledge  of  national
>Christian   Right   organizations  callers  mention.  She  often
>focuses on upcoming Massachusetts legislation, telling listeners
>the phone numbers to use in lobbying legislators.
>
>Whittemore's   Christian   Bookstore:  In  Needham  disseminates
>information and registration forms on local events in its store.
>A flyer and reservation form for the  Family  First  dinner  was
>available  here.  It  has  also  been a location for training of
>local activists.  A free yellow pages of Christian businesses is
>available here, with information  on  Christian  radio  stations
>around.  Massachusetts and a listing of churches.
>
>The  World  Medical  Health Foundation:  Based in New York City,
>funded Free  Teens,  Inc.,  which  developed  the  "Free  Teens"
>curriculum.  Sponsored  a  conference  on  AIDS education at the
>University of Bridgeport on June 26, 1993.  May do other as  yet
>unidentified things.
>
>
>
>OPINION:  DANGERS  TO  THE INTEGRITY OF EDUCATION POLICY, PUBLIC
>HEALTH POLICY AND ELECTORAL PROCESSES IN MASSACHUSETTS
>  
>Although political activism among any citizens with strong views
>is  important  and  guaranteed  by   our Constitution, there are
>central  elements  of  this  well-organized  activity  that  run
>counter  to  the   public  interest  and  pose  a  threat to the
>integrity of the usual  and  established  political  and  public
>policy-making  processes  in  Massachusetts  and  our cities and
>towns.  These elements are:
>
>    o The  extensive  effort  to  hide  from the citizenry local
>      leaders' affiliation with Family First   and its  national
>      Christian right organization supporters
>
>    o The systematic dissemination to parents and other citizens
>      of  false and misleading "statistics" and "expert opinion"
>      regarding:  
>
>        - AIDS and other STD-prevention among youth, endangering
>          their lives
>
>        - behavioral   outcomes   of  both  abstinence-only  and
>          "comprehensive" health and   human sexuality curricula
>          that aim at disease-prevention, misleading parents and
>          school  officials  on  how    best  to  protect  their
>          children
> 
>        - gay   and   lesbian   youth  and  adults,  reinforcing
>          homophobia, stereotypes and     promoting  intolerance
>          and  discriminatory  behavior  in  schools  and  local
>          communities
>  
>
>    o The  systematic effort to disseminate sensational and false
>      information to parents about local school health and  human
>      sexuality curriculum programs
> 
>    o The  use  of  tactics by small groups of parents to attract
>      attention by making public, false and sensational  personal
>      attacks on professional educators, elected School Committee
>      members, clergy, local citizens, and state officials
>
>  
>In addition, the stated aims of this national political movement
>include   elements  that  violate  First  Amendment  protections
>against censorship and Church-State separation.
>
>The  ingredients of stealth and public misinformation on serious
>educational and public health  matters point to the need for  an
>effective  public  information effort to help citizens recognize
>religious right activity aimed at local public  school  programs
>when  it  occurs; and designed to counter false information with
>truthful and  accurate  information.  Given  full  and  accurate
>information on what's occurring in the state and its localities,
>individual citizens will have the wherewithal to determine their
>own   positions  on  the  issues  and  local  political  figures
>involved.  To  date, the local and regional press and media have
>done a poor job of informing the public on  these  matters;  and
>most  media  people remain in the dark about what's occurring in
>Massachusetts.   Because   Family   First   and   its    related
>organizations target local communities one by one, this  problem
>is heightened by the need to rely frequently for complete public
>information  on  the local press, tight on resources and made up
>in substantial part of low-paid, novice and part-time  reporters
>who have little time available  to  do  in-depth,  investigative
>journalism.