Archive for December, 2010

News Releases: National Organization for Marriage Late Again With Federal Tax Returns

Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC – The four year old National Organization for Marriage (NOM), and the National Organization for Marriage Foundation (NOMF) has once again failed to file its required Federal Income Tax Returns. Their IRS 2009 returns for both of these non-profits, their 501(c)3 and 501(c)4 were due on May 15, 2010. If they received an extension, then they were due October 15, 2010. Now they are 2 ½ months LATE!

How do you say, “Front Group?” I went again to the NOM National Office at 2029 K Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006 to see their 2009 Tax Returns. Notice the UPS delivery slip on the doorknob. Neighbors said they never see anyone there, yet they are leading the fight against gay marriage in 14 states.

I recently visited their new National Office in Washington, DC twice during regular office hours to view the returns. No one was there. They must make them available to anyone during regular business hours. We also have checked online repeatedly for their 2009 returns, and again, nothing. What is NOM trying to hide? Why do they not file their tax returns every year?

Déjà Vu


I went through the identical exercise in 2009 when I attempted to view NOM’s 2007 and 2008 990’s, but they never filed those either. We visited their then National Office in Princeton, NJ many times and no one was ever there either.

One set of 990’s was 5 months late. The other set was 17 months late, when finally, the night before NOM President Brian Brown was to testify in front of the Maine Ethics Commission last year, all of their delinquent tax returns magically appeared on the NOM web site.

It was too late to stave off a State of Maine investigation of NOM, because in spite of threatening to sue the State of Maine (which NOM eventually did), the Maine Ethics Commission voted to investigate the National Organization for Marriage for election “Money Laundering.”

NOM is not above the law. They need to file their Income Tax Returns like everyone else and every other organization. We are entitled to see just how much money they raised and spent in 2009. Whom are they trying to protect?

NOM President Brian Brown getting questioned by reporters right after Maine Ethics Commission voted to investigate his organization for alleged money laundering.

NOM has sued 14 states to invalidate those state’s campaign finance laws. 12 of those lawsuits were in 2010 alone. NOM hopes to invalidate those state’s election laws, so when they spend their millions in those 14 states, it would not have to be reported.

NOM goes into these states and attacks anyone and everyone viciously that dares to support marriage equality in this country, and they do it without obeying election laws. They even subpoenaed me last year as soon as I filed the complaint against them in Maine. They are relentless.

Congressional Investigation of NOM — Now a “Hate Group”

We have tried repeatedly to get the Congress to investigate the National Organization for Marriage. There are numerous active complaints filed against NOM with the IRS. We need to get to the bottom of this highly questionable organization, now officially designated a “Hate Group,” by the prestigious Southern Poverty Law Center. CLICK HERE

Where’s Doug Manchester? He’s Not on Bust the Blacklist!

NOM now has a new web site up to defend its multi-millionaire and billionaire contributors. Their most famous donor of all is missing, hotel owner Doug Manchester. Manchester’s own people have admitted that they are losing $1 million per month from the boycott that Californians Against Hate (now Rights Equal Rights) launched on July 17, 2008, because of Doug Manchester’s $125,000 early donation to qualify and pass California’s Proposition 8. Here’s NOM’s new site, Bust the Blacklist: CLICK HERE

Manchester’s close friend, fellow San Diegan Terry Caster, who gave $693,000 to qualify and pass Proposition 8, is on NOM’s list. Guess the last thing Doug Manchester wants is any more publicity. He got a lousy return on his $125,000 contribution to take away marriage equality in California – at least $30 million in lost business to the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel alone!

President Obama, Evolve Already

Sunday, December 26th, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC – Like millions of Americans, I was so happy to see the president’s bill signing ceremony. Don’t Ask, Don’ Tell created nearly 18 years of government sanctioned and enforced discrimination. Now that it is on its way out, the president seemed genuinely happy for the first time in months.

See how great it can be to do the right thing. All that excitement and emotion at the signing ceremony was seen and heard around the world.

Barack Obama was probably one of the first prominent Americans to support gay marriage way back in 1996 when he was first running for state office in Illinois.

“I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages,” Obama wrote in the typed, signed, statement 14 years ago.

Then he switched his position, to opposing gay marriage, when he ran for the U.S. Senate in 2004.

The president is undoubtedly the only person to ever change his position on gay marriage the wrong way. Every day, gay marriage opponents are switching their positions and supporting full marriage equality, but no one has ever gone the other way.

Now President Obama says that he is “evolving” (again) on gay marriage.

I hope that the president will continue to evolve and help our community end all the hate and discrimination that is hurled at us. There are way too LGBT Americans who do not feel equal. I know. I felt that way for far too long.

The lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender community is at least 21 million strong in this country, and we will no longer be second class citizens.

Gay marriage sends a very loud and clear message to LGBT youth that they are equal. When gay marriage is the law of the land, that will become our civil rights bill. What a strong message to younger people when that day comes.

Like the president said in his speech yesterday, “We area a nation that believes that all men and women are created equal.”

President Obama, please come back to the right side of history and lead. Support full marriage equality for everyone in this country, and let’s repeal the Defense of Marriage Act next year!


Cross-posted from The Huffington Post.

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News Release: What Would a President Romney Do?

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Fred Karger 619-592-2008

Switzerland Throws Out Mormon Missionaries
All 13 Mormon Members of Congress Fight Back

What Would a President Romney Do?

Washington, DC – The story just leaked out that all 13 Mormon members of the United States Congress sent a strong letter to the Swiss Ambassador to the United States. The 13 letter signers were protesting the Swiss Government’s banning of Mormon Missionaries from that county. This was reported yesterday in The Salt Lake Tribune: CLICK HERE

The one page letter signed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and four other United States Senators and eight House members was sent to Swiss Ambassador Urs Ziswiler and said, “We earnestly petition the Swiss Government to reconsider its decision and work with us and the LDS Church to find a solution which would permit LDS Missionaries to continue to perform their missionary service in Switzerland as they have done since 1850.”

Copy of Congressional Letter to Swiss Ambassador: CLICK HERE

Swiss Ambassador Ziswiler’s letter back to the 13 members of Congress — Thanks, but no thanks… CLICK HERE

U.S. Ambassador & Mormon Church Leader(s)
Meet With Swiss Government Officials

In his letter, the Swiss Ambassador refers to one recent meeting to discuss the situation between high ranking Swiss Government officials and the United States Ambassador to Switzerland Don Beyer, and at least one top Mormon Church leader, a Mr. E. Weidman.

How much other lobbying, regarding their Missionaries, has Senate Leader Harry Reid and the other 12 Mormon members of the U.S Congress done before with foreign government leaders?

What Would President Mitt Romney Do?

It begs the question, if Mitt Romney was elected President of the United States, would he take orders from the Mormon Church President like these 13 members of Congress have just done?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) requires “obedience” to the Church over family and country, period.

These five rogue Senators and eight House Members are attempting to conduct U.S. foreign policy on behalf of their faith.

Their letter to the Swiss Government states:

“It would be a great tragedy for our two nations if the long-standing missionary program of the LDS Church in Switzerland were terminated,” the members wrote. “Switzerland can have no more enthusiastic, lifetime ambassadors in the United States than these young people when they return home.”

Words like “our two nations” and “lifetime ambassadors” sure sound like diplomat-speak to me.

Mormon Church Prosecuted and Investigated in California

As a political watchdog, I’ve spent the last 2 ½ years researching the political practices of the Mormon Church. I filed a complaint against the Mormon Church with the California Fair Political Practices Commission two years ago that led to its prosecution, an 18 month investigation, a guilty finding and a fine; all for election law violations during the Mormon Church’s direct involvement in California’s Proposition 8 campaign in 2008.

Did Senate Leader Harry Reid Organize this Foreign Lobbying Campaign?

The group that signed was led by United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). Reid was joined by both United States Senators from Utah, Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Robert Bennett (R-UT), Senator Michael Crapo (R-ID) and Senator Tom Udall (D-NM).

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (left), Mormon Church President Thomas S. Monson (center), meet with President Obama in the Oval Office July 20, 2009.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (left), Mormon Church President Thomas S. Monson (center), meet with President Obama in the Oval Office July 20, 2009.

There were eight House Members who also signed the letter to the Swiss Government, Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Wally Herger (R-CA), Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), Mike Simpson (R-ID), Dean Heller (R-NV) and all three House members from Utah: Rob Bishop (R-UT), Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Jim Matheson (D-UT).

State Department Investigation Called For

Because the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) was in direct contact with officials of a foreign government, and even used a United States Ambassador on its behalf, I hereby request the United States Department of State conduct a full investigation of all lobbying activities and all other actions taken by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and members of Congress with the Government of Switzerland and all other counties that the Mormon Church is in direct contact with.

cc: The Honorable Hillary Clinton,
Secretary of State
The Honorable John Kerry,
Chairman, U.S Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
The Honorable Howard Berman,
Chairman, U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs
The Honorable Barbara Boxer,
Chair, U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics
The Honorable Zoe Lofgren,
Chair, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Standards of Official Conduct