NOM's White Hooded Terrorists!

(Copyright, Sean Chapin, 2011)

Last Thursday (30 June, 2011), the Minnesota Campaign Finance & Disclosure Board ruled in a 5-to-1 vote that the so-called National Organization for Marriage (NOM) must disclose their secretive handful of donors who contribute more than $1,000 in an effort to provide the citizens of that state with a transparent democracy, rather than allow the manipulation of their citizens by a shadowy group with unknown donors which seeks to defame Gay people in the media and in their own back yards.  Expect NOM to file a law suit challenging the state - as they have elsewhere whenever the group flagrantly disobeys a state's finance and disclosure laws - in order to have the Supreme Court rule Minnesota's campaign and finance laws un-Constitutional, perhaps because NOM qualifies as a "corporation" under the SCOTUS "Citizen's United"-ruling (more on that, later).  After all, Maggie Gallagher-Srivistrav once facetiously admitted, "[defending 'traditional marriage'] requires very expensive lawyers."  At worse, however, should NOM file a suit against the state of Minnesota, the desired result may be one in which a stay of the Disclosure Board's ruling is issued, thereby allowing Maggie Gallagher and Brian Browne to again play in Gay Minnesotan's back yards.  However, the Board's ruling already appears to be having an immediate effect due to the strength of the MN. law..  According to Andy Birkey of The Minnesota Independent, the publication was able to disclose many of the identities - not of NOM's backers - but of local MN. tycoons and local anti-Gay "Family" organizations who have all kicked in large sums of money, privately, to ensure Civil Marriage Discrimination:

The Minnesota Independent took a look at lobbying reports, campaign finance filings and foundation tax records and found a large amount of money coming from a handful of people. Lobbying reports don’t include the amount of money given to a particular lobbyist, only whether the donation was more than $500 per year. And campaign finance reports are limited to funds that went toward advertising, print or other electioneering communication and activity. 

Three groups have been behind the push for a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. The Minnesota Family Council (which also runs Minnesota for Marriage), the Minnesota Catholic Conference (a part of Minnesota for Marriage) and Minnesota Citizens in Defense of Marriage (which reformed under the banner of Minnesota Majority several years ago).

Read the full article to glean who these wealthy anti-Gay movers and shakers are!  Though, one wonders how, given it's shamelessly transparent political activities and motivations that Catholic Church in various states has not been legally censured by the state or the IRS!