POLITICAL AMAZON: The Secrets of the Free Congress Foundation

UPDATE: Mr. Pasztor continues both his association with Paul Weyrich, and to be active in the Republican Party.

Mr. Pasztor was so kind as to sponsor ponsoring the attendance of Texas 14th District House Representative Ron Paul (R) at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation's Truman-Reagan Awards Dinner in November 2002 (refer to Mr. Paul's thank-you letter to Mr. Pasztor, dated 12/19/2002). It is noteworthy that Mr. Paul publishes a weekly column, "Ron Paul's Texas Straight Talk," on Mr. Paul's webpages (entitled "Project Freedom"), located on the house.gov webserver. I believe Mr. Paul owes his constituents some "Texas straight talk" about why he is accepting ANYTHING from a convicted Nazi who spent 2 years in prison after WWII for the crimes he committed in Hungary's "ethnic cleansing" programs.

Mr. Pasztor was also kind enough to give Laura Bush a gift, for which she wrote him a thank-you letter, as well. I believe the First Lady also owes an explanation regarding why she would accept a gift from a convicted Nazi who was such a loyal servant to Hitler and his Holocaust.

Mr. Pasztor continues to work with Paul Weyrich (for an example, see "Scoop®: Your Inside View to the Strategies and Activities of the Conservative Movement in Washington" (Issue 198 * September 11, 1998), published by The National Center for Public Policy Research. This "Scoop" documents the activities at the 09/09/1998 "Strategy Lunch chaired by Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Foundation and sponsored by Coalitions for America." One of the listings for this meeting is regarding a "foreign defense and policy meeting chaired by Laszlo Pasztor of Coalitions for America and Amy Ridenour of The National Center for Public Policy Research, and sponsored by Coalitions for America."

According to People for the American Way : "Much of FCF?s clout among the religious right centers around Weyrich?s ability to organize. Weyrich holds weekly a ? Weyrich Strategy Lunch,? sponsored by Coalitions for America. The lunch is held when Congress is in session and has 75 conservative leaders representing their organizations. These weekly lunches include regular briefings by leading Bush administration officials and key conservative congressional leaders."

According to reputable international monitoring groups, the Contras, in an effort to sabotage the Nicaraguan people's support of their government, conducted a campaign of terror, murder and torture of thousands of peasants, slaughtering of livestock, and destroying of villages. It is well known that Oliver North and his superiors created a covert financial funding system for the Contras. In addition, John Singlaub organized a funding operation for the Contras, and this system was tied to the Reagan White House. Reagan wanted to circumvent Congressional and public opposition to supporting the Contras. This financial support system involved the sale of arms to Iran. (1)

These private Contra financial backers, largely because the media and prosecutors focused on trying to tie the Contras to the Reagan administration, mostly escaped punishment**. Their network remained intact following the Contragate investigation (1), and some have gone on to create huge empires of conservative political influence.

According to Sara Diamond in Spiritual Warfare: The Politics of the Christian Right, "The 'contragate' scandal exposed that the private-aid network was not private at all, but merely a sophisticated effort to disguise the Reagan administration's deceptive dealings with foreign governments and wealthy private donors eager to finance murder and mayhem in Central America." (2)

Paul Weyrich and his operatives had tremendous power in the Reagan Administration. Weyrich's Heritage Foundation published a book called Mandate for Leadership: Policy Management in a Conservative Management to guide the Reagan administration as it assumed control of the White House. Fully two-thirds of the recommendations in the book were adopted by the Reagan administration.(2)

So it is interesting to note that the origins of the Contra private financial support apparatus goes back to September 1982 when Charles Moser, Secretary-Treasurer of the Free Congress & Education Foundation, came up with the idea to form a committee, in the style of the Committee for a Free Afghanistan, to provide financial funding to the Contras. He recommended that the Nicaragua Committee include Enrique Rueda of the Free Congress Foundation, and others, including Reed Irvine of the Accuracy in Media.(2)

The Free Congress Foundation is one of the groups that actively supported the Contras (1), along with The Heritage Foundation and the Conservative Caucus.

In addition to the FCF's Contra funding, The Heritage Foundation (founded and heavily influenced by Paul Weyrich) was involved in covert Contra funding schemes. In 1985, Heritage "donated" $100,000 to the Institute for North-South Issues, a conduit to the Contras, connected to Oliver North. The $100,000 came from Roy Godson, a consultant with the National Security Council, and director of the National Strategy Information Center. (B-220)
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** According to Russ Bellant, in The Coors Connection, this kind of covert funding appears to violate U.S. neutrality laws, which state:

" 'Whoever, within the United States, knowingly begins or sets on foot [sic] or provides or prepares a means for or furnishes the money for, or takes part in, any military or naval expedition or enterprise to be carried on from thence against the territory or dominion of any foreign prince or state, or of any colony, district, or people with whom the United States is at peace, shall be fined not more than $3,000 or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.'(B-221)

"In fact, several other private individuals supplying aid to the Contras have been prosecuted. Spitz Channell and members of the Civilian Military Assistance, for example, have been indicted for the violation of federal laws."(1)

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(1) Diamond, Sara. Spiritual Warfare.

(2) Bellant, Russ. The Coors Connection.

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Bellant, Russ The Coors Connection footnotes:

According to Russ Bellant (noted New Right researcher and author), in The Coors Connection, and others, the "Freedom Fighter" newsletter is one of the elements at the Free Congress Foundation that handle the FCF's foreign policy efforts.

The "Freedom Fighter" is a monthly newsletter that follows rightwing paramilitary efforts around the world. It was also co-published along with Dr. Jack Wheeler's Freedom Research Foundation. Wheeler, at WACL events, has praised the works of RENAMO.

RENAMO (Mozambican National Resistance) is a guerilla movement against the Mozambique government, financed starting in the 1980s by South Africa and others, with destabilization of the government as its goal, and which has been condemned by the U.S. State Department and international groups for it's murderous campaign.

The "Freedom Fighter" 's other publisher is the Freedom League (which operated out of Weyrich's offices, sharing the Heritage Foundation's address) mainly through the efforts of Charles Moser, a prominent FCF force, who was was treasurer of the Free Congress Foundation board of directors. (The Heritage Foundation and the Free Congress Foundation were both founded by Weyrich, with funds from sources including the Coors family and Richard Mellon Scaife. Weyrich controls much of their activities. These two organizations share common sources of funding, identical agendas, and interlocking boards of directors.)

"Freedom Fighter" not only followed the activities of RENAMO, but supported them, as well. "Freedom Fighter" also supported the Contras, and similar groups in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. RENAMO's history of bloody atrocities has been documented by UNICEF and others. Roy Stacy, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Africa stated that RENAMO had conducted "one of the most brutal holocausts against ordinary human beings since WWII." According to the State Department and others, RENAMO is estimated to have massacred 100,000 people Mozambique citizens.

RENAMO's tactics have included murdering civilians and terror campaigns against peasants. RENAMO, in its terrorist efforts, has been reported to have captured peasants and cut off their ears, burned their clinics and schools, and attacked medical teams involved in vaccination campaigns. This campaign of terror was also used to drive farmers from their land, which in turn caused famine. In 1987 RENAMO, in two massacres, killed over 400 people. RENAMO, like the Contras, kidnapped civilians for recruitment purposes.

It is noteworthy that, while the U.S. State Department condemned RENAMO's activities, and RENAMO's activities were so vicious that even Reagan with his freedom-fighter zeal would not support RENAMO. However, in 1987, thanks to rightwing pressure, Senator Jesse Helms and then-Senator Bob Dole continued to openly support the murdering "freedom fighters" in RENAMO.

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Bellant, Russ. The Coors Connection

Diamond, Sara. Spiritual Warfare: The Politics of the Christian Right.

Lee, Martin. The Beast Reawakens.

"How Rev. Moon Got Ensconced with the New Right: His Aid is Varied and Plentiful," Washington-Post (12/31/87).

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What do you know about the ideological underpinnings of the Free Congress Foundation?

Would you be surprised to learn that initially Paul Weyrich (founder and leading force of the FCF) and Richard Viguerie (who pioneered the direct-mail-campaign method of accessing millions of Americans who otherwise would not be exposed to the more extremist brand of conservative propanda) of had planned to use the racist-linked American Independent Party as the basis for his new political party, which was planned to be formed in time for the 1980 elections?

The American Independent Party was formed to back George Wallace's 1968 presidential candidacy. The AIP's roots are based in the racist south, and the AIP attracted the whites who were angry and fearful following the civil rights acts of 1964 and 1965. The AIP embraced elements of the KKK and John Birch Society, as well as members of the Liberty Lobby. The Liberty Lobby was a severely racist and anti-Semitic group, which operated as an intermediary between racist paramilitary factions (like the NeoNazis and the KKK) and the more radical right. In the early 1970s, Paul Weyrich had already linked with the Coors family which funded the start-up of the Heritage Foundation in the early 1970s. In 1974, with money from the Coors family (and the Coors family is not exactly a bastion of minority-friendly sentiment), Weyrich also started the Committee for the Survival of a Free Congress, which later became the Free Congress Foundation. Since the beginning, the Heritage Foundation and the Free Congress Foundation have been led and/or received oversight by Weyrich, and their boards of directors are interlinked, sharing members back and forth.

The Committee for the Survival of a Free Congress, targeted local elections, looking for candidates to back. The FCF required that the candidates they supported submit to a three-day workshop, and if the candidates toed the Weyrich party line, their elections would then receive campaign support from the CSFC.

Richard Viguerie, king of the direct-mail fundraising industry in America, and the top national fundraiser at that time, worked with the CSFC in their direct-mail money-raising efforts.

From the very beginning, Paul Weyrich and Richard Viguerie were both determined to become national political power brokers. With this goal in mind, they maneuvered their political work on campaigns and issues.

Unhappy with the GOP, which they regarded as too moderate, Weyrich and Viguerie wanted to start a more rightward-leaning political group. Instead of creating their own political party, they went to the American Independent Party's 1976 convention, with the idea of maneuvering Viguerie into the AIP's presidential candidacy seat. However, despite their best efforts, and promises of Viguerie's considerable power and expertise with fund-raising, the AIP chose Lester Maddox as its presidential candidate.

What kind of guys does the AIP chose as it's candidates? The AIP 1980 candidate, John Rarick, a former Louisiana congressional representative, was described by the Almanac of American Politics as the most rabidly right-wing member of the House, who championed "any far-right, anti-Semitic, or antiblack bilge that came across his desk." (Michael Barone, Grant Ujifusa, Douglas Matthews, The Almanac of American Politics).

Instead of being repelled by the ideology of the AIP, Weyrich and Viguerie sought to join with it and utilize it. Indeed, the ideology of the AIP does not seem to be at odds with the ideology of the Weyrich, the FCF, the Heritage Foundation.

The Free Congress Foundation and Heritage Foundation have initiated programs and efforts to limit the progress of blacks and minorities. Weyrich himself, in his book, The New Right Papers, opposed government efforts to end segregation.

Weyrich's Heritage Foundation has associated itself with known racist groups, and at least one very prominent, avid racist (Roger Pearson). Indeed, one of Heritage's former chairs, Ben Blackburn, was an advocate in the 1970s of literacy tests to limit voting rights. James McClellan, who ran the Center for Judicial Studies and participated in FCF conferences, was a top associate of racist Roger Pearson. McClellan also was one of the key operatives working with the Reagan Justice Department to dismantle civil rights protections in the mid-1980s.

Weyrich's Free Congress Foundation and Heritage Foundation have fought affirmative action every step of the way. They have worked to limit voting rights enforcement, to limit enforcement of civil rights law, lessen the redress for victims of racist actions, and further the negative myth of the greedy black welfare grabber.

Indeed, Charlton Heston in his keynote speech at a 1997 FCF event, in a speech full of imagery of violence, cannons, guns, war and warlords, as well as ominous descriptions of failed civilizations, told his rapt audience that:

"Mainstream America is counting on you to draw your sword and fight for them. These people have precious little time and resources to battle misguided Cinderella attitudes, ... blacks who raise a militant fist with one hand while they seek preference with the other..."

How would America be different today if Weyrich and Viguerie's attempts to take control of the American Independent Party had met with success? It is a chilling thought.

Especially when you consider this Weyrich quote:

"We are no longer working to preserve the status quo. We are working to overturn the present power structure in this country."

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Bellant, Russ. The Coors Connection.

Bellant, Russ. Old Nazis, the New Right, and the Republican Party.

Carter, Dan. The Politics of Rage: George Wallace, the Origins of the New Conservatism, and the Transformation of American Politics.

Ginsberg, Benjamin; Shefter, Martin. Politics by Any Other Means: The Declining Importance of Elections in America.

Smallwood, Frank. The Other Candidates: Third Parties in Presidential Elections.

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What do you know about the funding sources for the Free Congress Foundation? Would you be surprised to learn that one of its major source of funding and leadership actively works, through the FCF and many other groups, to further discrimination against blacks and other minorities?

The Coors family (Coors beer) provided the startup money for the FCF, has continued to heavily fund the FCF and Heritage Foundation over the years, and has worked closely with Weyrich in the FCF, Heritage Foundation, and other radical rightwing groups.

Until recently, Jeffrey Coors served as chairman for the Free Congress Foundation. FCF is now chaired by Rep. Ralph Hall, D-TX (who voted for the articles of impeachment). (1)

The Coors family first got involved in national politics by sending to Washington Jack Wilson, an aide, to scout around for issues and groups that might be suitable for Coors' financial support. An idea as to the mindset of Wilson can be obtained from a statement he made in 1973, in a memo to Coors, Wilson :"Martin Luther King was an avowed communist revolutionary." (Bellant, The Coors Connection)

In addition, the Coors Company's hiring policies were so restrictive that they were charged in 1975 by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission with, over the previous decade, discriminating intentionally in the workplace. Also, the Coors company was found guilty of racial discrimination by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission for their 1969 firing of a black employee.

Besides the Free Congress Foundation and the Heritage Foundation, both Weyrich-founded and led/oversighted with the assistance of Coors money and family members direction, the Coors family has supported a number of groups which work to continue the racist divisions in the U.S., as well as outright racist groups, such as the Patriotic American Youth Group. This group's decidedly racist publications have included on the masthead active participants in groups such as the Citizen's Councils and the KKK.

William Coors was explicitly racist, and not shy about voicing it, either. In a 1984 speech he presented to a minority business group in Denver, he told them :

"'...that if they thought it was 'unfair' that their 'ancestors were dragged here in chains against their will...I would urge those of you who feel that way to go back to where your ancestors come from, and you will find out that probably the greatest favor that anybody ever did you [sic] was to drag your ancestors over here in chains, and I mean it.'

"Later in the speech, Coors elaborated on what he saw wrong in Africa: '...the government of these nations that have gotten the right of self-determination, that's where the operation of the government, the operation of the business, has switched primarily from white to Black--it's not that the dedication among the Blacks is any less. As a matter of fact, it is greater. There's tremendous motivation there, because they perceive themselves as being free people to succeed. They lack the intellectual capacity to succeed, and it is just taking them down the tubes. You take a country like Rhodesia, where the economy was absolutely booming under, you might say, white management. Now, Black management is in Zimbabwe, and the economy is a disaster, in spite of the fact that there is probably ten times the motivation on the part of the citizens of that country to make it succeed. Lack of intellectual capacity--that has got to be there.' " (Bellant, The Coors Connection)

Not surprisingly, the Coors family has also supported pro-Apartheid groups, as well.

In addition, the Coors family has long-standing ties to the Conservative Caucus, a group that is "...not truly conservative but is among the most radical of the reactionary groups in the U.S." (2) Coors family members were on the Conservative Caucus' Executive Advisory Board, and Weyrich worked with the Coors family, Richard Viguerie, and others on Conservative Caucus projects. The Conservative Caucus, founded in 1974 and led by Howard Phillips, has supported the efforts of pro-apartheid South African elements. Indeed, "Phillips has recently quoted favorably the head of South Africa's openly white-supremacist Conservative Party." (3) The Conservative Caucus has actively supported the UNITA operation, and tried to convince the UNITA leader to come to the U.S. to lobby for funding. Phillips lobbied the Bush administration and Capitol Hill for UNITA support. In addition, the Conservative Caucus has taken out newspaper ads to put a more positive spin on the documented UNITA's human rights abuses. Another Conservative Caucus board member was Richard Shoff, whose company's (Lincoln Log Homes) business practices have gotten him into lots of legal trouble. Shoff was also on the board of Coalition for Freedom, a Jesse Helms group that is funded by the Pioneer Fund. An excellent article on this frighteningly racist group can be found at Religion in Politics - Religion in Politics: THE PIONEER FUND

With the racist views and efforts of the Coors family, a main source of funding, leadership, and policy-setting for Weyrich's Free Congress Foundation and Heritage Foundation, it is not surprising that the FCF and Heritage Foundation have initiated programs and efforts to limit the progress of blacks and minorities, and have fought affirmative action every step of the way. They have worked to limit voting rights enforcement, to limit enforcement of civil rights law, and lessen the redress for victims of racist actions. The FCF has supported RENAMO, a South-African supported group of terrorists which was working to destabilize and overthrow the Mozambique government, which was anti-apartheid.

It is also not surprising that, given the FCF's background, Charlton Heston, in his 1997 speech before an FCF event, would feel it was appropriate to deliver this slam to Blacks:

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1. Bellant, Russ. The Coors Connection.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.

Also:

Bellant, Russ. Old Nazis, the New Right, and the Republican
Party.

Religion in Politics: THE PIONEER FUND

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According to the FCF website, the Liberty Award is a Bi-Annual (twice-yearly) award. The timing of the announcement of the Award being given to the house managers is, therefore, intriguing, coming as it did just less than one year following the date of the only other previous award, and IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING the house managers' failed attempts to get the Senate to vote for the articles of impeachment, an action which the majority of Americans opposed.

It is interesting to note that when I contacted the FCF and asked for a list of the names of the previous Liberty Award recipients, it took three email exchanges before they would give me the information. The first reply to my request for info asked "Who are you with?" When I replied that I was with nobody, the next email from FCF asked if I would be attending the award dinner. When I replied in the negative, the reply was, "That is more than okay! Just wanted to direct you in the right direction if you were with the media," which seems a strange response given the fact that I had just told the FCF rep that I was not with anybody.

The third FCF reply indicated that attorney Shari Steele with the Electronic Frontier Foundation had received the first ANNUAL Liberty Award.

I had also asked in my original email if there were any articles on the FCF website about the Liberty Award, the people to whom it had been awarded, etc. The FCF rep never addressed that point.

I did find an FCF article about the Liberty Award which had been awarded to the EFF. It is part of their "Center for Technology Policy." This FCF article also indicates that the Liberty Award was actually given to the EFF, and that Ms. Steele just accepted it on behalf of the EFF.

I had also asked the FCF Rep why the award had been given, and the reply was that it had been awarded "for her their fight to preserve our endangered liberties!" The "her their" in the quote is not my typo--it was in the FCF reply.

Well, "endangered liberties" is a might catchy jingoism, but really doesn't explain much, especially when the FCF uses it, because they are quite adroit at gushing forth with catchy jingoisms. I asked the FCF rep which "endangered liberties" Ms. Steele had been "fighting to preserve," but have not yet received a response.

However, I did receive a response from my inquiry to Ms. Steele. I had asked for confirmation of her receipt of the award, and asked why the award was given. She confirmed receiving the award, stating that the "...EFF did receive the first Liberty Award from the Free Congress Foundation for the work we do on encryption, specifically our work on the Bernstein case. "

Apparently there is a conflict between the FCF's February 1998 (when the first award was given) statements regarding the name of the recipient of the Liberty Award, and FCF's current statements regarding the name of the recipient.

There also seems to be a conflict surrounding the timing of the award, which does not coincide with the original February-1988 FCF statements which indicated that the Liberty Award was a "bi-annual" award. The timing of the award is, however, compatible with the FCF's current statements that the Liberty Award is an "annual" award.

According to Ms. Steele, the Liberty Award was given for the EFF's work on the Bernstein case. Daniel J. Bernstein had sued the U.S. State Department after he failed to receive government approval to present his paper and findings on encryption. The State Department regulates the use of encryption software because it is classified as munitions. Bernstein had initially applied to the State Department on two issues: permission to publish the paper, and permission to publish the encryption software source code. The State Government combined the two requests and denied permission, citing issues of national security. Bernstein filed suit, and subsequently the State Department sent Bernstein a letter stating that he could publish his paper and stated that it had never been forbidden. However, the EFF and Bernstein then pursued the case in an effort to force a court decision on the constitutional issues surrounding encryption technology. The ruling indicated that, for the purpose of First Amendment analysis, Bernstein's encryption software and source code can be classified as speech and, therefore, it is constitutionally protected from prior restraint.

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FCF Center for Governance & Technology : Free Congress Foundation's webpage for this center. This page contains the FCF's website information about the first "bi-annual" Liberty Award and its recipient.

EFF Bernstein Press Release April 17, 1996 : The Electronic Frontier Foundation's press release about the Bernstein ruling.

Federal Judges Rules Encryption Restrictions ... :Article about the Bernstein ruling.

Political News from Wired News : Article about the Bernstein ruling.

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Would you be surprised to learn that Paul Weyrich, founder and leading force behind the Free Congress Foundation, not only was behind the formation of Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority, but even gave Falwell the "Moral Majority" name?

In the late 1970s, Weyrich, Viguerie, Howard Phillips and others were working diligently to raise money, manipulate issues, manipulate candidates, and manipulate voters. They formed several New Right organizations to address the various issues they were using. Their goal was to become the center of an ultra-rightwinger power machine.

One of the groups they formed was the Moral Majority. According to Sara Diamond in Spiritual Warfare: The Politics of the Christian Right:

"In May 1979, Robert Billings of the National Christian Action Coalition invited Falwell to a meeting with Phillips, Viguerie, Weyrich and Ed McAteer. The four told Falwell of their shared opposition to legalized abortion and pornography, and their intention to influence the 1980 GOP platform. Weyrich proposed that if the Republican Party could be persuaded to take a firm stance against abortion, that would split the strong catholic voting block within the Democratic Party. The New Right leaders wanted Falwell to spearhead a visibly Christian organization that would apply pressure to the GOP. Weyrich proposed that the name have something to do with the moral majority."

Weyrich, Phillips, Viguerie and McAteer helped Falwell assemble the board of directors and Robert Billings (also a director of the Free Congress Foundation) was named as the executive director. This group worked towards ending sex education, ending legalized abortion, and they worked against legal protection for gays and lesbians. The FCF helped fund the Moral Majority, as did members of the Coors family.

Falwell's promise to turn America into a "Christian nation," combined with his anti-gay, anti-abortion, and anti-ERA fervor, have fit well with Weyrich's agenda. Over the years Falwell and Weyrich have worked towards the same goals. They have both worked diligently to end a woman's right to decide what happens to her body. They have both worked especially hard to use fear and ignorance to fan the flames of gay-hate in America. Their efforts have gone towards keeping women from gaining equality with men.

They have both worked with Moonie organizations.

For a more visual representation of the interlinking Weyrich and religious-right groups, check out the organizational chart at PROSOCS-ORG CHART

One of the groups to which both Weyrich and Falwell belong and participate is the Council for National Policy. This supersecret organization is a shining example of Ralph Reed's "stealth politics." The CNP is an entire subject in and of itself, and I urge you to read the short, clearly written article at PROSOCS about this group: PROSOCS: Council on National Policy

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Bellant, Russ. The Coors Connection

Diamond, Sara. Spiritual Warfare: The Politics of the Christian Right.

Ginsberg, Benjamin; Shefter, Martin. Politics by Other Means

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Weyrich was on the forefront of using the demonization of gays as a political tool. The Free Congress Foundation and others in the anti-gay movement have, over the decades, to build their own power base, developed a sophisticated approach to capitalizing on the fear and ignorance of many Americans. This approach includes:

Framing the bid by the gay community to gain equal rights under the law as "gays want special rights."

Spreading disinformation about gays and lesbians, capitalizing on the uninformed nature of their target audiences, to build unwarranted fear and anger against the gay community.
"Stealth" politicking, by making their sophisticated, well-funded, and carefully orchestrated political manipulations appear to be spontaneously coming from grassroots efforts.
Intentionally cloaking the religious nature of their movement, and instead terming it as a more benign "defense of the family."
Networking and coordinating (and often covering up this collusion) their anti-gay efforts with other like-minded organizations.

The very roots and funding lifeblood of the Weyrich empire can be traced to openly anti-gay funding sources.

The Coors family has been a significant, sustaining source of funding and leadership to Weyrich and his organizations, including initially the Committee for the Survival of a Free Congress and then the Free Congress Foundation, over the past three decades. In addition, other executives of the Coors company have provided money to Weyrich.

The Coors family is outspokenly antigay, and fund many organizations with anti-gay platforms, including Weyrich's Free Congress Foundation. According to the LATimes in 1988, "Joe Coors' sons are also in harmony on at least one other point: Homosexuals are an abomination in the eyes of God."

In addition to the Coors' funding, Free Congress Foundation leadership was provided by Jeffrey Coors who for years, until just recently, was the Chair for the Free Congress Foundation.

Even the Free Congress Foundation's precursor, the Committee for the Survival of a Free Congress, used an anti-gay and anti-lesbian platform as a vehicle to attract and unite followers, and they were the forerunners in the national campaign to demonize homosexuality as a threat to Americans. Gays and lesbians had been so thoroughly suppressed that mainstream heterosexual America really knew little about the gay/lesbian community. Weyrich recognized early on that this ignorance could be manipulated into fear and then hatred--and then political power.

The Free Congress Foundation and Weyrich's other groups have subsequently used this Hitler-proven-effective technique to attempt to turn an entire nation against one group, effectively scapegoating gays/lesbians, and blaming much of the nations ills on them.

The Free Congress Foundation's efforts have been many; sometimes simply supporting a gay-hate group, sometimes sponsoring gatherings where anti-gay politicking is discussed, and sometimes actively working to demonize and scapegoat gays/lesbians. For instance, in 1977 the Committee for the Survival of a Free Congress--the precursor to the Free Congress Foundation-- recommended cutoff of federal Legal Services Corporation assistance in legal matters involving gay and lesbian rights.

Weyrich/Free Congress Foundation has built the anti-gay movement in America by the linkage with, the endorsement of, and the support of other groups with kindred anti-gay goals.

One of the groups the FCF endorsed is the Christian Coalition, led by Pat Robertson. Robertson and the CC have been active anti-gay agitators. It uses homosexual scenes to demonstrate the moral decline of America, and it has acted at every turn to defeat gay-rights initiatives. Its fundraising letters and newsletters frequently utilize anti-gay fear-engendering images.

In addition to religious-right groups like the CC, the Free Congress Foundation has also linked to more extremist Christian groups, including Christian Reconstructionist groups. (For a visual representation of the links between the Weyrich groups and the Christian right, check out PROSOCS-Organizational Chart

Christian Reconstructionists believe in Old Testament law, and would like America to do away with its current system of law and instead adopt Mosaic law. In Old Testament law, some of the things for which one can be executed is being a homosexual, being a woman and getting married without an intact hymen, and being rebellious teenager. For a more thorough discussion of Christian Reconstructionism, visit: The Political Amazon: Christian Reconstructionism/Links.

Christian Reconstructionists vary in how they approach the earthly manifestation of their God's OT law; some believe it will happen of its own accord and as a result of passively bringing others into the CR way of believing. Some Christian Reconstructionists are actively working towards that goal. The most extremist Christian Reconstructionist groups are linked to radical militia groups. One noted Christian Reconstructionist, a prolific writer, Gary North, used to be on the board of Chalcedon, a prominent Christian Reconstructionist organization, founded by R.J. Rushdoony, considered to be the "father of Christian Reconstructionism." North has since left Chalcedon, following his appearance at rabidly militant, racist, and gay-hating Christian Identity Jubilee rallies. North has more recently been connected with the jural societies.

Rushdoony, because of his often racist, anti-women, and anti-gay writings, has attracted a legion of extremist followers, including many in the violent militia and jural society groups. Christianity Today notes about Rushdoony, "True to the letter of the Old Testament law, homosexuals...adulterers, blasphemers, astrologers, and others will be executed." For Rushdoony's beliefs in his own words, read some of his quotes at: Christian Reconstructionist Thought: Rousas Rushdoony

It is noteworthy that the Free Congress Foundation has featured Rushdoony as a speaker at its events, and called Rushdoony a "prominent Christian writer."

Rushdoony is also a member of the supersecret Council on National Policy, as is Gary North, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and Weyrich For a short, easily understood article on this stealth political group,visit : PROSOCS: Council on National Policy

One group, Coalition on Revival--which is heavily influenced by Christian Reconstructionism---is linked to the Free Congress Foundation; one of the ways it is linked is through one of its past board members, Connie Marshner. (who was simultaneously members of the boards of the CSF and COR).

COR has actually defined 17 spheres of life over which they have developed detailed plans to impose Old Testament law in America. These "spheres" include education, the arts, media, economics, law, medicine, etc. Other members of COR are/have been Gary North, Gary DeMar, Donald Wildmon, and Dennis Peacocke. One of the ways COR seeks to effect its goals is by convincing pastors to adopt a "shepherding" type of ministry. It is noteworthy that Christian Reconstructionists are highly visible in the homeschooling movement. It is also noteworthy that Weyrich has repeatedly said that homeschoolers were an area on which he and the Free Congress Foundation would be focusing. Although he has made these comments publicly most recently following the house managers failure to get the Senate to oust Clinton, Weyrich's efforts in the homeschooling arena actually go back to at least 1996.

Gary DeMar, a member of the Coalition on Revival, clarified his stance on what future gays would face in his ideal America. This quote is from the PROSOCS: Quotable Quotes page:

"The Bible doesn't say that homosexuals should be executed. What it says is this: if two men lie together like a man and a woman lie together, they are to be put to death." Gary DeMar, Pres., American Vision; Senior Editor, Worldview Magazine, Atlanta, GA, Signer COR "Manifesto."

Other areas in which Weyrich/Free Congress Foundation has worked to use an anti-gay/lesbian platform to build his power base is by repeated attempts to subvert AIDS funding and treatment programs. For instance, the Free Congress Foundation's Center for Catholic Policy, in its efforts to change the Catholic Church's policies and public positions in America (through the Siena Group), targeted the Catholic Church's AIDS policy which the Free Congress Foundation saw as "too favorable to the objectives of the gay and lesbian rights movement" (1988 Free Congress Foundation Annual Report).

Another effort to manipulate and further anti-gay sentiment was made by Weyrich (with Edwin Feulner of the Heritage Foundation) when they put forth "Issues '88," which they called an ideal platform for the elections in 1988. "Issues '88" had several hundred issue-based targets, including the recommendation to reintroduce and enforce anti-sodomy laws, the mandatory testing for HIV for all middle- and high-school students, as well as public employees, hospital patients, participants in drug-abuse rehab programs, and prisons, warning that we should not condone "official pandering to small socially destructive special interests."

Other recommendations in "Issues 88" included:

Home education
School prayer.
Criminalization of abortion.
Restrict the availability of divorce (because of the "states interest" in keeping marriages intact)
Appointing a "guardian" for children in divorce proceedings, whose sole role would be to stop the divorce.
The only place "Issues '88" addresses child abuse is "Restore common sense to child abuse reporting," calling for "better protection of the rights of accused parents."
Rape and battery of women by men is not addressed.
Opposes minimum wage laws.
Opposes rent control.
No sex education besides telling GIRLS to "just say no."
Require parental consent for abortion because parents would need to grant their daughter "permission to take the life of their grandchild."
Encourages women to work at home (elsewhere the Free Congress Foundation has made it clear that it is the right of corporate America to utilize isolated homeworkers that is their concern).

The Free Congress Foundation has linked itself in many ways to rabidly homophobic groups. For instance, in addition to Jeffrey Coors chairing the FCF for years, the Free Congress Foundation embraced as one of its board members John D. Beckett. Beckett was the president of the Intercessors for America, an avidly anti-gay group.

Free Congress Foundation has played a significant role in supporting publications that demonize gays and lesbians. One of the most notorious anti-gay writers, Paul Cameron, couches his tomes in scientific verbiage and illusion. To review Cameron's publications, an analysis of them, and background on Cameron, visit:

Cameron: Medical Consequences of What Homosexuals Do

Rebuttal to "Medical Consequences of What Homosexuals Do"

Background on Paul Cameron

The Free Congress Foundation early on was a supporter of Cameron's work.

In addition, a Free Congress Foundation's "Senior Contributing Scholar," Father Enrique Rueda, wrote "Gays, AIDS and You," in which he actively works to instill fear in the reader through anti-gay opinions and manipulation of the truth. He wrote, "once you understand the agenda of the homosexual movement, you will probably perceive it as a terrible threat--to ourselves, our children, our communities, our country." He further accuses the gay/lesbian community of using AIDS to pursue its political agenda. He recommends that this gay threat to America be fought actively in schools, churches, economic institutions, the media, and professional organizations.

Rueda also wrote, under the sponsorship and direction of Weyrich and the Free Congress Foundation, "The Homosexual Network." This book clearly details the activities and ideology of gay rights organizations, and much of his criticism of gays/lesbians is aimed at their liberalism.

Then in 1987 the Free Congress Foundation developed an updated version of "The Homosexual Network" which also covered the AIDS crisis. In this book, written with Michael Schwartz, the reader is told: "For the homosexual movement is nothing less than an attack on our traditional pro-family values. And now this movement is using the AIDS crisis to pursue its political agenda. This in turn, threatens not only our values but our lives..." and "They are loved by God as much as anyone else. This we believe while affirming the disordered nature of their sexual condition and the evil nature of the act is this condition leads to, and while fully committed to the proposition that homosexuals should NOT be entitled to special treatment under the law. That would be tantamount to rewarding evil."

Through many different methods, the Weyrich and the Free Congress Foundation has fostered a gay-scapegoating environment in America. These attempts have met with such success that they are quite open about the anti-gay beliefs they support. One need go no further than to review Charlton Heston's keynote address at a Free Congress Foundation 1997 event to get a picture of how the FCF wants gays to be portrayed. In a speech filled with violent images, images of guns, war, fighting for our families and country, Heston puts forth this image of gays and lesbians:

"...I find my blood pressure rising when Clinton's culture shock troops participate in gay-rights fundraisers but boycott gun-rights fundraisers---and then claim it's time to place homosexual men in tents with Boy Scouts, and suggest that sperm donor babies born into lesbian relationships are somehow better served and more loved..."

and,

"Mainstream America is counting on you to draw your sword and fight for them. These people have precious little time and resources to battle misguided Cinderella attitudes, the fringe propaganda of the homosexual coalition, the feminists who preach that it is divine duty for women to hate men, blacks who raise a militant fist with one hand while they seek preference with the other..."

_________________

Bellant, Russ. The Coors Connection

Issues '88: A Platform for America (Volume I), published by the Free Congress Foundation

Ginsburg, B; Shefter, M. Politics by Other Means.

**
Cameron: Medical Consequences of What Homosexuals Do
Rebuttal to "Medical Consequences of What Homosexuals Do"
Background on Paul Cameron
CHRISTIAN RECONSTRUCTIONISM, DOMINION THEOLOGY.
Christian Reconstructionist Thought: Rousas Rushdoony
G.O.A.L. Reference Library
The Donald Wildmon Monitor

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