NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #27/NN_1992_27.iso/spool/soc/bi/15390

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From: [e-mail] (Ed Arnold)
Subject: Colorado's Amendment #2
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Organization: Nat'l Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR); Boulder, CO
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 00:17:17 GMT
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The recent 53%-47% approval of Amendment #2 in Colorado was perfect
proof of the comment Nietzsche was alleged to have made:  "We shall
certainly have to pay for 2,000 years of Christianity."  Amendment #2,
sponsored by Colorado for Family Values (CFV), inserts a clause in the
Constitution of Colorado which prohibits any governmental entity from
enacting anti-discrimination laws in employment, housing, etc., based
on sexual orientation.  In so doing, it will require the cities of
Aspen, Boulder, and Denver to repeal pre-existing ordinances in those
communities, unless the legal battle(s) now being organized are
successful.

Among other problems, the passage of Amendment #2 has re-introduced a
couple key ideas which other minorities have fought for centuries:

(1) The idea that a majority should ever have the right to decide
    which minorities get protection.
(2) The idea that there is only a certain amount of civil rights, i.e.
    a doctrine of scarcity which assumes that civil rights must, like
    gold or platinum, be rationed carefully to minorities because there
    is only so much to go around.  CFV's battle-cry for their campaign
    was that homosexuals were granted "special rights" by the existing
    ordinances, which must now be repealed.

The victory of this legislation caught many by surprise; polls had
predicted that it would fail.  During the campaign, when the polls were
showing it would fail by a few percentage points, my hunch that this
was an issue which the electorate would lie to the pollsters about,
lingered.  Election day proved that some of the electorate did not
admit their true feelings about the issue, but went to the polls and
voted their prejudice.  Had this happened to any other minority, there
would have been open conflict on the streets.  As it is, the most vocal
minorities (esp. Jews, who share the Holocaust with homosexuals), have
spoken out most loudly against the law; the majority of the population
has remained curiously silent.

It is unlikely that all votes for Amendment #2 were purely hate-based;
the passage of the Amendment was probably helped along by logical
tricks employed by its supporters.  First, the amendment was put on the
ballot such that voting "yes" meant "no rights laws for homosexuals,"
and vice-versa.  It has been theorized that some people who thought
they were voting FOR gay rights, were actually voting against them.
Second, the Amendment #2 proponents ran a Newspeak campaign in which
they claimed pro-civil rights regulations such as the ordinances in
Aspen, Boulder, and Denver granted homosexuals "special rights", and
their campaign was very well-financed so that more people would hear
CFV's message on TV, than would hear EPOC's (the equal-protection
organization) message.  Of course, no "special rights" (in the sense of
affirmative action) were granted by any of the existing
anti-discrimination ordinances.  However, the proponents of Amendment #2
(mostly white male, Republican, Bible-thumpers) knew that the phrase
"special rights" would bring into play the distaste of most caucasian
males for affirmative action and what it represents.

The victory of Amendment #2 at the polls was made possible by a
peculiarity of Colorado law not shared by all states.  An amendment to
the state constitution requires only a simple majority, rather than 2/3
as in many states.  Thus, CFV's nasty campaign ("all homosexuals are
child-molesters", etc.) caught the fancy of an electorate which, in
rural areas, has never received positive images of gays and lesbians,
much less personally known any.

The loud and vociferous cries of "BOYCOTT COLORADO", which have come
from outside the State, and particularly from Atlanta, San Francisco,
and a few public figures like Barbra Streisand, ignore the
schizophrenic character of Colorado politics: there are really two
states within the State of Colorado, which, for the most part, are
both attitudinally and geographically distinct.  A boycott campaign
which boycotts both Colorados could hurt that part of Colorado which
will continue to fight against the philosophy typified by Amendment #2.

The first Colorado is typified by places like Aspen, Boulder, Denver
(metro Denver, not the suburbs), and Durango; and by people like Tim
Wirth (U.S. Senator and environmentalist) and Dottie Lamm (wife of
outspoken former governor Dick Lamm).  In these places, Amendment #2
was turned down by margins ranging up to 3-1.  These places represent
"liberal" Colorado: academically-oriented, "live and let live",
environmentally aware, fond of alternative life-styles and religions,
publicly-spirited, inclusive, minority-aware, pro-feminist, etc.
(I use the word "liberal" with some reservation; after all, what's
"liberal" about the desire to work, which is the heart of
anti-discrimination laws?)

The second Colorado is typified by Colorado Springs, from whence
Amendment #2 came; and by people like Bill Armstrong (former U.S.
Senator) and Will Perkins (Springs car-dealer and Chairman of CFV).
That community is possibly the most reactionary, right-wing community
in the country, one in which Jesse Helms would feel quite comfortable.
It is home to about 40 (that's forty) far-right "Christian" groups.
Colorado Springs has been a bigoted community for a very long time;
when my mother was growing up there in the 20s, the "Negro mammies"
lived on the other side of the railroad tracks and only crossed them to
do maid service in the big homes along Nevada Avenue and elsewhere;
underneath, things haven't changed much in 70 years.  It's only in the
past 10 years, however, that the Springs has become the nation-wide
home to many far-right political/religious groups.  Amendment #2 was
only one of several far-right issues on the ballot, which have their
genesis in Colorado Springs; among other issues, the passage of
Amendment #1 and failure of Amendment #6 mean that the public school
systems will be running on fumes in the coming year, since
fundamentalists are notoriously hostile toward public education.
Fortunately, enough voters were smart enough to see through Amendment
#7, the issue to transfer monies to wealthy parents sending their kids
to private schools, and parochial schools, by issuing vouchers: that
amendment failed.

Although Colorado #2 is typified by Colorado Springs, it includes other
urbanized areas (e.g. certain suburbs of Denver), and virtually all
of rural/farming Colorado.  It does not include "rural" areas which
are resorts, e.g. Pitkin county.

What can one say about a visit to Colorado?  That should be simple.
By and large, Aspen/Boulder/Denver/Durango can be trusted, though it
never hurts to check.  The rest of Colorado cannot be trusted, and
the simple question of an inn or shop owner, "Did you vote yes on
Amendment #2", should provide (assuming honesty) the information that
is needed to make a choice about where to place one's dollars when
visiting.

A total boycott of Colorado will probably have the following effects
on the state:

1) It will hurt the finances of communities such as Boulder which will
   be fighting hard against Amendment #2 in court.
2) A very vocal boycott campaign will attract yet more fundies to the
   state, either for vacation, or permanently.  The CFV-type groups
   in Colorado Springs will call in their "Christian" friends from all
   around the country to help them, which will work: they are very well
   organized and funded.
3) It will further de-diversify a state which is already lacking in
   diversity.

What can YOU do?  Some suggestions:

1) Pass this information on to friends and relatives.
2) Support the people of Colorado who are fighting Amendment #2 with
   your travel dollars.  Come to places like Aspen and Boulder.  Check
   other areas more carefully first.  Consider a trip to Colorado Springs
   if you have friends there who have been devastated by this amendment,
   because they need your support more than ever; just check to make sure
   you aren't supporting fundie-owned inns and restaurants.
3) Express your opinion, thoughtfully, via letters to the editor in
   Colorado newspapers, and especially the Colorado Springs
   Gazette-Telegraph.  These are the papers in the state having over
   10,000 circulation:

   Aspen Daily News; Letters to The Editor;
     517 E. Hopkins Ave.; Aspen, CO  81611
   The Coloradoan; Letters to the Editor;
     PO Box 1577; Fort Collins, CO  80522
   Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph; Letters to The Editor;
     30 So. Prospect; PO Box 1779; Colorado Springs, CO  80901
   Greeley Daily Tribune; Letters to The Editor;
     501 8th Ave.; Greeley, CO  80631
   Longmont Daily Times-Call; Letters to The Editor;
     350 Terry St.; PO Box 229; Longmont, CO  80501
   Loveland Daily Reporter-Herald; Letters to The Editor;
     450 Cleveland; PO Box 59; Loveland, CO  80537
   Rocky Mountain News; Letters to the Editor;
     400 W. Colfax; Denver, CO  80204
   Denver Post; Open Forum;
     POB 1709; Denver 80201
   The Pueblo Chieftain; Letters to The Editor;
     PO Box 4040; Pueblo, CO  81003-4040
   The Daily Sentinel; Letters to The Editor;
     734 So. 7th St.; PO Box 668; Grand Junction, CO  81502
   Vail Daily; Letters to The Editor;
     143 E. Meadow Drive; PO Box 81; Vail, CO  81658

4) Consider contributing to the Colorado Legal Initiative Project (CLIP).
   CLIP will be spear-heading legal action against Amendment #2.  Contact:

   Colorado Legal Initiative Project;
     PO Box 44447; Denver, CO  80201
     303-830-2100


A recent article in the Boulder Camera summed up the threat to the
whole state that is emanating from Colorado Springs, shortly after the
election.  Here's a brief look into the strange people and groups that
are making the Springs their home:

************************************************************************

IDEAS CLASH IN FOCUS ON FAMILY VALUES
Colorado Springs at Storm's Center
by Peggy Lowe, AP

COLORADO SPRINGS - When President Bush spoke to a group of conservative
state legislators here in August he made one side trip.

Bush went to a refurbished bank building to talk on a radio program that
was closed to the media, but that was beamed into thousands of radio
stations nationwide, part of the network established by Dr. James
Dobson's Focus on the Family organization.

For many, Bush's visit to the conservative minister's show put the
official stamp on what was already common knowledge:

Colorado Springs, where 40 international evangelical ministries are
located, had become ground zero for the explosion of the family values
movement nationwide.

"Colorado Springs is a conservative place to begin with.  The
para-church groups that have come in have simply added to the
conservative atmosphere," said the Rev. James White, pastor of the First
Congregational Church and a critic of the conservative ministries.

"We're not living Murphy Brown down here.  They're trying to prevent
Murphy Brown and Focus is certainly trying to do that in their narrow
definition of what `family' is."

The political clout of one group based here - Colorado for Family Values -
was demonstrated on election day.  Amendment 2, a CFV-proposed ballot
initiative that would outlaw civil rights laws protecting gays,
lesbians, and bisexuals, was approved by Colorado voters.

Local officials, who have watched defense contracts dry up with federal
budget cuts, are ecstatic about the new jobs and the estimated $300
million the ministries pump annually into the city's economy.  Focus on
the Family, the largest ministry in Colorado Springs with an annual
income of $77 million, moved here a year ago from the Los Angeles area.

Focus on the Family's move brought with it more than 950 jobs and
generated millions of dollars in city and county tax revenues.  While
Colorado Springs has always been conservative because of the strong
military presence here, the number of ministries that have settled here -
especially Focus on the Family - has alarmed some who see the religious
conservatives as a threat to the city's cultural diversity, schools and
civil liberties.

"A chunk of the community is in love with them.  A chunk of the
community thinks they're responsible for everything that happens,"
resident Amy Divine said of Focus on the Family.

According to research by the Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph, the
ministries employ more than 2,200 employees in the area with a payroll
of more than $45 million.

Divine, her husband Doug Triggs and several other residents launched The
Citizens Project in May in an attempt to show another side to the city's
conservative bent.

"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 extremist candidates in elections, increased anti-gay
activity, and growing religious intolerance," says "Freedom Watch," the
Citizens Project Newsletter.

Focus on the Family officials say they don't want to get involved in
local politics and moved here to save money, not to be part of some
secret agenda.  The group, with its more than 11,000 weekly airings of
Dobson's program and magazines and newsletters distributed nationally,
says it preaches and teaches "principled persuasion."

"We're not trying to lead a great crusade here - to recapture
Jerusalem," said Tom Minnery, Focus on the Family's vice president of
public policy.  "We're just trying to get people to offer what they can
offer in a humble, constructive fashion and to be part of the process."

According to one story that made the rounds here, Focus on the Family
tried to obtain a list of single teachers in certain school districts as
part of an effort to get rid of any gays or lesbians.  Focus on the
Family confirmed it was called by principals who said they were
approached by people claiming to belong to the religious group.

The religious movement's growing influence is evident through these
recent developments:

o Colorado for Family Values, the group that was successful in passage
of the anti-gay rights amendment, was created out of a local group that
had already quashed a local ordinance that would have prohibited
discrimination against gays, lesbians, and bisexuals.
  While the group is not tied to Focus on the Family, Minnery said his
organization has offered "advice" to CFV and that they "share the goal
of Amendment 2."  Several Focus on the Family employees sit on CFV
advisory boards.

o In April, School District 11 barred gay and pagan participants from a
diversity symposium after receiving complaints from parents, many
identifying themselves as Christians.  The Colorado Springs Teachers
Association filed a grievance and requested that the banned panelists be
permitted to speak to students.  The school district refused, and the
issue will be placed before a state board.

o Rev. David Skipworth, leader of "Cowboys for Christ," and four other
parents filed a lawsuit in May against the schools in Woodland Park, a
town west of Colorado Springs, to force them to stop teaching Greek and
Roman mythology without also teaching the Bible.  The suit also sought
to have the schools teach the Bible as the only source of American
morality.  A judge recently dismissed the case.

o Colorado Springs, population 281,140 and the 110th largest radio
market in the country, has six Christian radio stations.  By comparison,
Denver, the 24th largest market, has two Christian radio stations.

o "Pumsy: In Pursuit of Excellence," a self-esteem educational series,
was restricted at Pioneer Elementary School in the 1991-92 school year
following 23 complaints by parents.  The complaints came after published
opposition by Citizens for Excellence in Education, a national group
dedicated to restoring prayer in the classroom, banning anti-biblical
language and teaching the story of creation in science classes.  CEE has
a chapter in Colorado Springs.

o Citizens for Responsible Government, a Denver-based anti-abortion
group, held seminars here on "How to Elect Pro-Life Candidates" and
distributed leaflets in church parking lots the Sunday before the March
presidential primary.  The leaflets identified candidates' abortion
stances.

o At least two small businesses have documented harassing calls from
people who identified themselves with Focus on the Family.  Regina's
Unique Boutique was criticized for selling "scanty" clothing.  The Rocky
Mountain Men's Center, led by therapist Greg Snyder, simply left town.

Divine said many in the community live "in fear of backlash," especially
teachers and small business owners.

"Our sense is that they (the ministries) provide a critical mass of
people that are thinking a certain way.  I don't know that the
organizations are necessarily involved," she said.

Most of the Colorado Springs ministries are considered "evangelical,"
not an easy term to define.  The ministries "cut across denominational
lines but share a commitment to conservative values and Bible-based
theology," said Steve Rabey, religion editor for the Colorado Springs
Gazette-Telegraph.

Most are donor-supported, not-for-profit ministries, and operate under
Section 501(c)3 of the IRS code, making them exempt from federal and
state income taxes.

Focus on the Family officials bristle when described as "fundamental,"
or even "religious right."  That, they say, lumps them with such
television evangelists as Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson.

"Sometimes when Christian people get involved they do so in a way that
frightens other people because it makes other people think `Well,
they're just trying to shove their religion down my throat,'" said
Minnery.

Instead, the group tries to "frame issues in a way that appeals to
common sense, not to any narrow religious doctrine," he said.

For instance, Focus on the Family holds seminars around the country to
instruct evangelical Christians on how to get involved in the political
process.
************************************************************************
--
Ed Arnold * NCAR * POB 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000 * 303-497-1253(voice)
303-497-{1298,1137}(fax) * internet: [e-mail] * bitnet: era@ncario
compuserve: internet:[e-mail]