From: ACT UP via Jym Dyer <jym@mica.berkeley.edu>
Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive,alt.activism,alt.politics.homosexuality
Subject: RESOURCE: CO Amendment Info -- Citizens Project Newsletter (1 of 2)
Followup-To: alt.politics.homosexuality
Date: 5 Jan 1993 02:09:07 GMT
Organization: The Naughty Peahen Party Line
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NNTP-Posting-Host: remarque.berkeley.edu
Keywords: gay

[From ACT UP Mailing List]

================================================================
=> From: era@ncar.ucar.edu (Ed Arnold)
=> Subject: Colorado Springs Extremists (part 1 of 2)
=> Date: Mon, 4 Jan 93 16:51:53 MST

*----------------------------------------------------------------------*
| The following is the first of two parts of the ASCII version of      |  
| the Citizens Project Newsletter for Dec. 92.                         |
|                                                                      |
| The Citizens Project is a Colorado Springs, CO - based group of      |
| volunteers who seek to prevent extremists from eliminating our       |
| fundamental freedoms.  Amendment 2 is the extremists' most obvious   |
| success to date.                                                     |
|                                                                      |
| Slight reorganization of the articles was necessary in order to      |
| convert this text from a newsletter multi-font format to an          |
| electronic 80-column one. No alteration of wording was done.  The    |
| bumper sticker 'Celebrate Diversity' was omitted.                    |
|                                                                      |
|                         Please contact me if you have any comments   |
|                         or want any information,                     |
|                                                                      |
|                         Ken Farmer                                   |
|                         Internet: kfarmer@oldcolo.com                |
|                         Voice:    719-685-9899                       |
*----------------------------------------------------------------------*
  
  
  
                      F R E E D O M    W A T C H  
  
=======================================================================  
                    The Citizens Project Newsletter  
=======================================================================  
Vol. 1, No. 3    Dec-Jan. 1993  
  
  
  
WHO WE ARE  
=======================================================================  
  
     In the Pikes Peak area, we are seeing a push toward prayer in  
the schools, pressure to modify school curriculum to reflect  
religious views, the rise of stealth candidates in elections,  
increased anti-gay activity, and growing religious intolerance.  
Citizens Project was formed to challenge these trends.  
  
     We represent citizens from a broad spectrum of political  
parties and religious beliefs who are concerned about these threats  
to our constitutional freedoms by local sectarian and political  
extremists.  We are dedicated to maintaining the traditional  
American values of separation of church and state, freedom of  
religion and speech, pluralism, individuality, and tolerance and  
compassion for others.  
  
     Citizens Project will monitor attempts to challenge these  
time-honored American values in our local community and will  
disseminate information on these challenges to our supporters.  
With your help we will provide a countervoice to extremist views in  
the Pikes Peak region and right the balance against those who would  
threaten our basic freedoms.  
  
     We invite you to participate in this process with us.  
  
  
  
IN THIS ISSUE  
=======================================================================  
  
*   CFV and Amendment 2  
*   News Briefs of Interest  
*   Community Impact Seminar  
*   Ground Zero Information  
*   Religious Right Organizations  
*   Library Controversy  
*   Boards and Commissions  
*   How to Make a Difference  
*   Notable Quotes Centerfold  
*   CP General Meeting  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A COLORADO SPRINGS LEGACY  
=======================================================================  
  
       Although Freedom Watch is designed primarily to provide  
information, in certain circumstances we must also state our  
opinion.  The campaign for and subsequent passage of Amendment 2  
provides issues so clear, evidence of chicanery by Colorado for  
Family Values so strong, and potential for harm to the community so  
great, that Citizens Project Board member Richard Skorman wrote the  
following on behalf of Citizens Project:  
  
     The election was over a month ago, and many of us at Citizens  
Project are still stunned by the passage of Amendment 2.  The Pikes  
Peak Region has a new legacy: Colorado Springs originated the  
Colorado For Family Values (CFV) group and Amendment 2; we were the  
home of one of the most vicious campaigns of misinformation in  
recent American politics; and  El Paso County voted nearly two to  
one (105,000 to 54,000) in favor of Amendment 2--a margin decisive  
to its statewide victory.  
     This is the first major success of the religious right in our  
community, and one with serious implications across the country.  
Soon after the election, CFV moved from temporary to permanent  
offices.  Phone calls and money have been pouring in from across  
the nation.  Will Perkins was quoted on television the day after  
the election as saying, "We have learned a great deal from this  
election, and we think we can help many others with similar  
campaigns across the country."  A California-based group,  
Traditional Values Coalition (led by Rev. Lou Sheldon), has already  
announced its intention to push a similar ballot initiative in  
California and other states.  
  
CFV'S CAMPAIGN  
  
     What did CFV learn in their successful campaign?  They learned  
to hire constitutional lawyers to write the amendment using  
confusing language and voter-negative buzzwords such as "quotas,  
protected class, minority status".  
     They learned to convince the media to call this a "special  
rights" amendment, and reporters obligingly spoke and wrote about  
Amendment 2 during the entire campaign as the "special rights"  
amendment.  (Ironically, the words "special rights" do not appear  
in the amendment.)  
     CFV learned how to cleverly write and market this amendment so  
that voters in Colorado didn't have a clear choice.  Amendment 2  
contains two types of language: language prohibiting "quotas,  
protected class, and minority status", and language permitting  
discrimination.  Voters were not allowed to choose between these  
two, but were sold Amendment 2 "as a package".  
     Throughout their campaign, CFV steadfastly maintained that  
Amendment 2 didn't discriminate against anyone.  Yet,  
discrimination was clearly written in the last clause of Amendment  
2.  (Amendment 2 is reprinted on page 4, and the discrimination  
argument is analyzed on page 16.)  
     And finally, CFV learned that two weeks before the election  
was the best time to flood Colorado with vicious, grossly  
inaccurate and fear-producing misinformation about gay and lesbian  
behavior, because countering this mass of misinformation in the  
short time remaining would be very difficult.  
     Fears, stereotypes and misinformation about gays and lesbians  
are already ingrained in our culture.  CFV added new fuel to those  
fires in order to mobilize voters against gays and lesbians.  
  
     Legally, Amendment 2 makes Colorado gays and lesbians a pariah  
class--the only group in the United States specifically barred from  
receiving protection from discrimination.  
     The message that voters have given, whether real or perceived,  
is that the vast majority of the El Paso County electorate doesn't  
care if gays or lesbians are denied employment, housing or public  
accommodations, or actually wants to deny them those rights.  
  
WHAT ABOUT HOMOPHOBIA?  
  
     Three issues surrounding Amendment 2 and homophobia are  
especially disturbing.  
      First, why weren't Coloradans outraged about this amendment  
from the first?  If any other of the groups now receiving legal  
protection from discrimination (such as Jews, African-Americans,  
veterans, women, parents, handicapped or Christians) had been  
substituted for gays and lesbians in this amendment, the public  
outcry would have been tremendous.  
     Second, why was this the only statewide election or amendment  
campaign where the polls were so inaccurate (at least 10 percentage  
points different than the final result) going into election eve.  
Could it be that many voters intentionally misled pollsters even as  
they planned to vote for discrimination?  
     And finally, since Amendment 2 passed, many of our local  
public officials, clergy, civic, and business leaders have been  
afraid to publicly address the issue of discrimination and the  
level of fear and hatred that now divide our community as a result  
of Amendment 2.  
     Amendment 2 is one of the most significant discrimination  
issues we've faced in our community for many years, and one with  
serious economic and social impacts for the future.  Why don't our  
community leaders grapple with this issue?  
  
WHAT CAN WE DO?  
  
     We can all help the enormous legal challenge (which may go to  
the U.S. Supreme Court) to declare Amendment 2 unconstitutional by  
making contributions to: Colorado Legal Initiatives Project, Box  
44447, Denver, CO 80201 (voice phone 303-830-2100).  This will  
likely be a long and expensive battle.  
     We can also place an amendment to repeal Amendment 2 on the  
ballot next November.  Our new Amendment 1 now allows for state  
referendums in every November election.   A ballot approach, if  
pursued, would require the collection of 49,271 valid signatures to  
be filed with the Secretary of State at least three months prior to  
the election.  
     However, waiting for a successful court outcome before  
pursuing a new ballot campaign may be an appropriate approach,  
because a decision declaring  
Amendment 2 to be unconstitutional may effectively block similar  
amendments elsewhere in the country.  If Amendment 2 is repealed in  
a new election, pending court actions about this amendment may be  
terminated without a decision.  
  
BOYCOTT?  
  
     We can also support the boycott.  A national boycott of  
Colorado by various groups is underway, and a local group, Ground  
Zero, recently restated the need for a boycott (see page 4).  This  
national boycott has both pros and cons, but it has been almost  
singlehandedly responsible for keeping Amendment 2 and its  
aftermath alive in the press.  
     At this stage in Colorado's very fragile economic recovery, a  
threatened boycott might help to educate voters in our state and  
elsewhere about the discriminatory aspects of Amendment 2.  
     One of the arguments made against a boycott is that "the  
people have spoken" and that should be the end of it.  However,  
economic boycotts for moral reasons have a long and honored history  
in America.  
     Three of the more recent examples are: 1) the boycott of  
Arizona that persisted until that state established a Martin Luther  
King, Jr. holiday, 2) Focus on the Family's 1990 article calling  
for a boycott of American Express to protest their financial  
support of certain disapproved groups (which resulted in  
cardholders canceling their accounts), and 3) the ongoing American  
Family Association's boycott of certain businesses in  
response to their social policies.  
     To quote American Family Association on the morality of  
boycotts: "AFA ..believes economic boycotts are an effective way to  
bring about change and voice Christian principles and stewardship  
in the marketplace."  American Family Association's Journal  
(Nov./Dec. 1992, p. 15).  
     The question remains whether visitors and businesses will view  
Colorado discrimination against gays and lesbians as equal to  
Arizona's refusal to recognize the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.  
Is it all right to boycott a state that sent a message of racism,  
but not all right to boycott a state sending an anti-gay message?  
     Who will suffer the most from a statewide economic boycott?  
Boulder, Denver, and mountain resort towns--all communities who  
solidly voted no on Amendment 2.  
Colorado Springs, paradoxically, may fare better in a boycott than  
most of the rest of the state.  
  
WHAT MUST WE DO?  
  
     We at Citizens Project believe that all of us, particularly  
the heterosexual community, must let gay and lesbian citizens know  
that we will not be complacent if others in our community attempt  
to isolate or vilify them.  We must let them know that we will not  
tolerate anyone being denied employment, housing, public  
accommodations or simply being harassed because of their sexual  
orientation.  
     We must let our gay and lesbian neighbors know that they are  
wholeheartedly welcome in our lives.  
  
     Citizens Project is in the process of formulating a  
broad-based, city-wide coalition and educational campaign to  
support these goals.  We would like individuals, civic leaders,  
clergy and business leaders to actively share our commitment to  
diversity and tolerance in our community.  
     If homophobia, fear and intolerance are as widespread as some  
have suggested since the election, then our commitment to education  
must be a long one.  
  
OUR ANSWER TO THE MESSAGE  
  
     We have heard a number of interpretations about why Amendment  
2 passed, ranging from hatred to misunderstanding.  We do not know  
where the balance lies.  
     We do know that, whether intentional or not, the voters of El  
Paso County sent a message of discrimination on November 3rd: a  
message to many in our community who already live with the constant  
fear of having their sexual identity discovered; a message to many  
who have courageously come out of the closet hoping to be accepted  
and welcomed by a city that now seems to hate them; a message to  
many  who have gone through a lifetime of discrimination,  
humiliation and mental anguish for loving someone of their choice;  
a message to many in our community who have lost the people about  
whom they care most to the long, painful disease of AIDS and who  
live daily with the fear of becoming sick themselves.  
  
     We at Citizens Project can't live with that message.  All of  
us need to get involved.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
NEWS BRIEFS OF INTEREST  
=======================================================================  
  
     MYTHOLOGY LAWSUIT THROWN OUT; MAY BE APPEALED.  The Woodland  
Park "mythology" lawsuit to promote the Bible in schools, discussed  
in our last newsletter, was dismissed October 14, 1992 by the  
Teller County District Court.  The five plaintiffs (including the  
Reverend David Skipworth, leader of  "Cowboys For Christ") were  
also ordered to pay the defendant's attorney fees and costs because  
the lawsuit was "frivolous and without any foundation in law".  The  
Plaintiffs have vowed to appeal to the next higher court, the  
Colorado Court of Appeals.  More information in our next  
newsletter.  
  
     CFV CARRIES ON.  Colorado's Amendment 2 proponent, Colorado  
For Family Values, is soliciting funds for future activities in  
Colorado and nationwide.  CFV has connections to other "family  
values" groups, including California's Traditional Values Coalition  
(TVC) through the director of Colorado's chapter of TVC, Barbara  
Sheldon, who sits on CFV's executive board, and Focus on the  
Family, which provided $8,183 in in-kind contributions to CFV's  
recent Amendment 2 campaign here in Colorado.  
  
     TEACHERS UPHELD.  Arbitration over the cancellation of gay and  
pagan panelists in School District 11's "Diversity Symposium" last  
April took place November 9.  This arbitration was between the  
teachers and the school administration on the issue of cancellation  
of the panel members.  The result: the rights of teachers to bring  
controversial panelists into the school was reaffirmed, consistent  
with the school district's written guidelines.  The affected  
teachers have not decided whether to host another "Diversity  
Symposium".  You can anticipate further controversy, however, if  
school staff should again attempt to "expose" any local students to  
any politically/biblically incorrect elements of our diverse  
society, such as the aforementioned gays or pagans.  
  
     GETTING THE CHRISTIAN MESSAGE ACROSS.  The November issue of  
Focus On The Family's teacher magazine Teachers in Focus has an  
article on how teachers can make use of Thanksgiving to present to  
students the American values of biblical beliefs, the Ten  
Commandments, prayer, and hymns.  The article is titled "A Journey  
To American Values: Mapping a Course For Thanksgiving".   "Use the  
spiritual values of the Pilgrims"  the article says, to teach kids  
"in need of a life preserver."  To avoid church-state problems, the  
article advocates using direct quotes: "By citing original sources,  
you are less likely to receive criticism."  
  
     DISNEY SLAMMED.  Just when you thought it was safe to let your  
kids watch "G" rated Walt Disney movies...   The Family Research  
Council, allied with Focus on the Family, is complaining that the  
recent Disney children's film "The Little Mermaid" constitutes a  
media attack on fathers.  "The film is a lot of fun, but it makes  
a mockery of fatherly authority."  
  
    WORRIED ABOUT YOUR AFTERLIFE?  Father Louis Marx of Riverside,  
California told his parishioners that a vote for Bill Clinton was  
a "mortal sin".  Similarly, a member of the audience at the recent  
Focus on the Family Community Impact Seminar asked the presenter  
how anyone who voted for Clinton could possibly claim to be  
Christian.  Is the road to Hell paved with Democrats?  
  
     FOCUS BECOMES NONPOLITICAL?  Paul Hetrick, representing Focus  
on the Family in a November panel discussion in Colorado Springs,  
stated: "We do not take political stands on issues."  As pointed  
out by the Gazette-Telegraph, that declaration surprised some in  
the audience, as "Focus has publicly opposed abortion, pornography  
and women and gays in the military".  
  
    DIVERSITY IN RADIO.  Colorado Springs is the 110th largest  
radio market in the country, with six Christian radio stations.  
Denver, the 24th largest radio market, has two Christian radio  
stations.  
  
     COMPUTER MESSAGE SPURIOUS.  In October, a note came through  
the Internet computer network, purportedly from the Oregon Citizens  
Alliance.  This note stated that OCA was planning a new ballot  
proposition to make Christianity the only acceptable religion in  
Oregon.  However, Citizens Project checked, and this computer note  
was a "plant" by unknown persons, and does not reflect anything  
planned for Oregon.  
  
     CITIZENS PROJECT GROWS.  Citizens Project now has over 3,000  
participants.  As a result of the November Associated Press and  
Denver Post articles on the religious right with extensive coverage  
of Citizens Project, we also mail Freedom Watch to interested  
people in the Denver, Boulder, and Ft. Collins areas.  
  
  
  
FOCUS ON OUR COMMUNITY  
=======================================================================  
  
     On November 9, Focus on the Family and Rocky Mountain Family  
Council presented an all-day Community Impact Seminar at Pulpit  
Rock Church on Austin Bluffs Boulevard.  This was the second  
Community Impact Seminar this year in Colorado (the first took  
place at Cherry Hills Community Church in Denver) and Focus' 25th  
Community Impact Seminar nationwide.  Some 600 people participated  
in the Colorado Springs seminar, including three Citizens Project  
members.  After participants heard why the Bible mandates community  
involvement by good Christians, the discussion moved on to the loss  
of morality in contemporary American government and culture, the  
"myth" of the separation of church and state, and opportunities for  
community and political involvement in Colorado Springs.  
  
                     A Leadership Failure  
  
     Seminar leaders stated that today's crisis in American  
cultural and political institutions is a direct result of a variety  
of "gatekeepers"--educators, politicians, journalists and moderate  
Christians leaders--who have lost touch with bedrock principles  
contained in the Bible.  This crisis is a "top-down" problem, where  
the leaders of our society have "abandoned their responsibility to  
preserve our heritage."  Community Impact Curriculum: A Biblical  
Case For Social Involvement, p. 16 (Focus on the Family, undated).  
  
  
     This Christian heritage, first carried over to America by the  
Pilgrims and other colonists, has increasingly been ignored or  
misinterpreted by these societal leaders.  Because the absolute  
biblical truths no longer control these leaders, our society has  
sunk into subjectivism and even further into "tolerance".  
According to the seminar, what is necessary to save our communities  
is a return by our leadership to the strict morality of the Bible.  
  
                   Most Everyone's To Blame  
  
     The seminar leaders made clear, however, that most Americans  
do not believe that this more restrictive biblical morality should  
control society.  "The fact is, despite all the Christian activism  
in the last 25 years, America has continued to grow increasingly  
secular; and there seems no end in sight."  (p. 23)  However, the  
seminar continued, don't pay attention to the "politics of sheer  
majoritarianism".  Rather, act to pressure and persuade our leaders  
to  
"do the right thing", or try to replace them with leaders who will.  
  
  
     Because the number of sympathetic voters is not there, the  
seminar acknowledged that a new "Moral Majority" campaign is not  
possible.  How then should sincere Christians act to effectively  
change their communities?  
  
  
               The Politics of "Principled Persuasion"  
  
     The way to proceed, according to the seminar, is four-fold.  
First, live a good Christian life.  Second, organize through your  
church.  
     Third, and most important, act upon the Bible by persuading  
your leaders and neighbors of the reasonableness and morality of  
your biblical position by using "principled persuasion".  
     Principled persuasion means getting your facts together,  
consulting with experts on how to be effective, and then going  
public with reasoned arguments and evidence to convince others  
about your truth.  Principled persuasion works because "God invites  
men to reason, to use their minds in the search of truth".  And  
these truths are the moral absolutes of the Bible.  
     The last step is to work to replace the leadership of our  
society, if necessary.  
     Of course, America's present civil war of values can use help.  
The seminar leaders recommended a plan of action involving soldiers  
(people), intelligence (information), and leadership to impact  
today's wayward leaders.  
     Specifically, here is what the seminar recommended for the  
Pikes Peak area.  
  
                  Organize Through Your Church  
  
     The primary way to have the necessary impact, the speakers  
said, is to organize through your church and become part of  
Colorado's Community Impact Network.  This Network, to be organized  
under the leadership of the Rocky Mountain Family Council in  
Denver, will "disseminate the information provided by the Rocky  
Mountain Family Council" and use RMFC's expert advice to  
effectively impact communities.  
     The organization and role of  these local Community Impact  
Committees was clearly laid out in Focus on the Family's Community  
Impact Handbook.  Always, these Community Impact Committees must be  
under the authority of a pastor, preferably from a church "that  
most exemplifies a respect for moral authority", but the committees  
must also expect to lead and persuade their sometimes lethargic  
churches into action.  
  
                       Stealth Activists?  
  
     When the seminar proceeded to Christians becoming involved in  
their community, the speakers strongly encouraged participants to  
work from the ground up to replace the present leadership.  
     However, the advice was blunt: If you want to get appointed or  
elected, don't  identify yourself as a Christian.  Don't quote the  
Bible, because the majority is not sympathetic.  Instead, use your  
platform of "principled persuasion" to reason with people and  
convince them of the benefits of your truth.  
      Don't ever represent yourself as part of a church group--500  
independently concerned citizens acting on the same issue are much  
more effective than a single church with 500 outraged congregants.  
     However, the seminar leaders also stressed that the doctrine  
of "principled persuasion" mandates that good Christians meet with  
and greet their opponents in a friendly and reasonable manner.  
Effective public persuasion requires more than just having moral  
arguments and facts; it requires a personable and sincere approach.  
  
     And indeed, Focus on the Family was most gracious and open in  
specifically inviting members from Citizens Project to attend this  
Community Impact Seminar.  
  
                          What It Means  
  
     This seminar was called a "community impact" seminar for good  
reason.  Here's what it means for our local community:  
  
     You can expect an increased push by the religious right in  
the Pikes Peak area to impact our community decision-making  
bodies--from elected positions to appointed boards to volunteer  
committees.  
     You can expect that the religious right will have its ducks  
in a row when it comes to effective (although not necessarily  
correct) arguments and evidence, as illustrated by Colorado For  
Family Values' well-orchestrated and successful Amendment 2  
campaign.  
     You can expect members of the religious right to run for  
election as stealth candidates, organizing and campaigning in  
churches and with parachurch groups, but reluctant to identify  
their "hidden biblical agenda" if and when they campaign in public.  
  
     You can also expect them, acting as good and friendly citizens,  
to press for policies not friendly to traditional American values  
of diversity and tolerance.  And, you can expect a greater impact  
on the lives of ordinary citizens if the religious right gains more  
control over our community.  
     You should understand that opposing these groups is not easy  
and will require increasing effort by everyone.  When their  
arguments and evidence are effectively prepared in advance,  
unorganized opposition is likely to fail.  Their "principled  
persuasion" campaigns must be countered with organization, study,  
preparation, commitment, and action.  
  
     As Focus on the Family's Community Impact Seminar  
acknowledged, a majority of Americans do not agree with a return to  
strict biblical morality.  The duty of that majority now becomes to  
effectively formulate and promote truly representative social and  
public policy alternatives to these new pressures from the  
religious right.  
  
     To Learn More:  One of our Citizen Project members has  
prepared a multi-page analysis of the philosophical and historical  
arguments presented at the November Community Impact Seminar.  You  
can receive one free by calling Citizens Project at 719-685-9899, and  
leaving your name and address.  
  
  
  
  
"GROUND ZERO" GROUP FORMED  
=======================================================================  
  
     A new group, Ground Zero, has formed in Colorado Springs to  
"Undo 2" and to counter gay, lesbian and bisexual "ethnic  
cleansing".  According to their mission statement, "Ground Zero is  
a grassroots lesbian, gay, bisexual and gay supportive movement  
dedicated to securing and maintaining basic civil rights for  
lesbian, gay and bisexual citizens and to unifying and promoting  
full participation of lesbian, gay and bisexual citizens in the  
community at large."  
  
     Ground Zero actively supports the boycott, will increase the  
visibility of the local gay and lesbian community to combat  
stereotypes promoted by Colorado for Family Values, and is planning  
a national march in Colorado Springs next spring.  For more  
information or to volunteer money, time or support, contact Ground  
Zero at P.O. Box 1982, Colorado Springs, 80901; phone 719-635-6086.  
  
AMENDMENT 2  (AMENDING THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION)  
   "Neither the State of Colorado, through any of its branches or  
departments, nor any of its agencies, political subdivisions,  
municipalities or school districts, shall enact, adopt or enforce  
any statute, regulation, ordinance or policy whereby homosexual,  
lesbian, or bisexual orientation, conduct, practices or  
relationships shall constitute or otherwise be the basis of or  
entitle any person or class of persons to have or claim any  
minority status, quota preferences, protected status, or claim of  
discrimination."  
  
  
  
WHO'S WHO AND WHAT'S WHAT  
=======================================================================  
  
       Many people have asked for a primer of politically active  
fundamentalist and religious right organizations and a summary of  
their political positions.  Here is a brief overview of some local  
organizations and their issue areas and political stands.  
  
      Focus on the Family--An international traditional-values  
organization using radio, books, magazines, films, video and public  
policy efforts for family ministry.  Annual income: $77 million.  
Colorado Springs employees total nearly a thousand, and that number  
is predicted to increase dramatically when Focus moves to its new  
46-acre campus at the north end of Colorado Springs.  Focus is very  
active, very visible, and very professional.  Focus founder Dr.  
Dobson is said to have the second most listened to radio show, on  
3,000 radio stations worldwide.  Press reports state that Focus  
receives 8,000 letters and 2,000 phone calls per day.  To keep up  
with Focus, call them at 719-531-5181 for a complimentary subscription  
to Focus on the Family magazine, or spend $20 for a subscription to  
Citizen, their monthly political magazine.  
  
     Rocky Mountain Family Council--A Colorado political and legal  
arm set up with the assistance of Focus on the Family to provide  
"advocacy for traditional families".  Location: Denver; estimated  
annual budget: $96,000.  Recent achievements: produced and  
distributed 150,000 voter's guides in Colorado; assisted Colorado  
For Family Values in its work for Amendment 2; involved in Denver  
and Colorado Springs church-state court cases. To keep up with  
their latest activities, you can call their Family Hotline at (303)  
292-1800.  
  
     Colorado Family Coalition--A Colorado Springs-based group  
founded by Amber Jorgensen, state coordinator of Citizens For  
Excellence In Education.   Chief activity of this group to date  
appears to be countering Outcome Based Education in public schools.  
CFC literature on Outcome Based Education states: "[O]ne of the  
primary goals [of outcome-based education] is to take the teachers  
out of the teaching process and, instead, make them 'facilitators,'  
'coaches,' and 'fellow learners' of all the new progressive,  
affective, new age materials.  Children are taught to accept  
'alternative life-styles', such as homosexuality. This is called,  
'learning to accept our diversities.'  New age globalism is to  
transcend all national patriotism....That would be the end of  
America!  Why isn't that spelled out..?"  
  
     Citizens For Excellence in Education (CEE)--A nationwide  
activist group founded by Bob Simonds, with over 500 local  
chapters.  Very vocal against sex education other than total  
abstinence, psychological testing, exposure to religions other than  
Christianity, and a host of other issues.  Colorado Springs' local  
CEE chapter has monthly meetings; its head (and also state-wide CEE  
coordinator) is the same Amber Jorgensen, Colorado Springs  
resident.  
  
     Concerned Women For America.  Concerned Women For America  
(CWA), the national group headed by Beverly LaHaye, pursues an  
educational and lobbying role covering the scope of the religious  
right political agenda (see below).  As part of CWA's educational  
function, LaHaye has a nationally broadcast daily half-hour radio  
show, carried in Colorado Springs at 2PM on KGFT (100.7 FM).  CWA  
has a local chapter, headed by Paula Stern.  
  
     Colorado For Family Values (CFV)--Our own home-grown group of  
far right conservatives.  Their present objective: Focus on the  
Homosexuals.  Watch for them to broaden out geographically and  
philosophically as a result of the victory of Amendment 2.  
  
  
COMMON AGENDA  
  
     The above groups share all or a portion of the following  
agenda.  This agenda was concisely stated in the "HELPFAMILY 1992"  
platform, designed to "...help candidates develop a platform for  
their campaigns [and] to help California citizens determine  
pro-family candidates."  The platform was published by the Capitol  
Resource Institute, California's counterpart to our Rocky Mountain  
Family Council.  Following are excerpts:  
  
1. God and government:  "[T]he powers of the government are limited  
first by God given and natural laws and second by the consent of  
the governed. Government shall not endorse a religion, but  
government may acknowledge the Creator God and government shall  
provide the highest constitutional protections to religious faith  
and practice."  
  
2. Marriage and Family:  "The family is the primary social unit of  
civilization and is established and blessed by God Almighty...  The  
natural family, consisting of the union between a man and a woman  
in marriage and the bond between parent and child, represents the  
living foundation sustaining American culture, civilization and  
government. Marriage shall be preserved as available only to  
members of the opposite sex.  Marriage, parenthood and the family  
deserve constitutional recognition as sacred human rights and shall  
be accorded honor and respect when taught in the public schools.  
Government is most helpful to families financially when policies  
and tax codes reward stable family life and increase deductions for  
child-raising while deterring the dissolution of marriages,  
especially those with dependent children."  
  
3. Education:  "Families have a rightful expectation that schools  
will 1) offer a rigorous curriculum that emphasizes basic core  
subjects, 2) not force doctrines of moral relativism on children,  
3) teach children about traditional concepts of right and wrong..."  
  
4. Life Issues:  "The abortion of almost a third of our children,  
the medical neglect of disabled newborns which results in  
infanticide, and the acceptance of euthanasia for others with  
disabilities and for our elderly, demand that we work to restore  
laws which will protect these innocent human beings.  The right to  
life is the foundation upon which all other issues of human rights  
and justice depend..."  
  
5. Public safety:  "Law enforcement and corrections should be  
fiscal priorities... The right of a person to bear arms against any  
entity that would threaten life or property must not be abridged.  
Finally, exceptions for first degree murder which allows the use of  
the death penalty should be defended and implemented."  
  
6. Taxation:  "Families and businesses are most helped when  
government is limited in their taxing and regulatory authority and  
when regulatory agencies are directly accountable to the voters  
they tax..."  
  
7. Land use and environment: "Present regulations often violate  
property rights, retard development and inhibit economic growth.  
A reformation must occur that accomplishes the following:  
 1) economic impact of all proposed regulations must be determined  
so that benefits outweigh the costs,  
 2) private property rights must be protected,
 3) command-and-control regulations should be replaced by market-based  
policies that are founded on property rights and economic  
incentives..."  
  
     If you would like to receive a copy of the two-page  
"HELPFAMILY Platform", please call the Citizens Project office at  
719-685-9899.  

--------
Ed Arnold * NCAR * POB 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000 * 303-497-1253(voice)
303-497-{1298,1137}(fax) * internet: era@ncar.ucar.edu * bitnet: era@ncario
compuserve: internet:era@ncar.ucar.edu
Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive