The Shame of Race Baiting

By M. Ulric Killion

[Photo Source: “The National Organization for Marriage, a lobbying organization dedicated to battling the prospect of certain people getting married, recently had some tax documents leaked to the press, via their enemies at gay rights group Human Rights Campaign, which says it received the documents from a “whistleblower.” The documents reveal that Mitt Romney’s campaign donated $10,000 to NOM right before the 2008 election, when the group was fighting to ban gay marriage in California. Romney’s donation was not disclosed in public documents”; by Alex Pereene, NOM unveiled: It’s not pretty, Salon, March 6, 2012; Supporters gather during a "No on Prop 8" rally in West Hollywood.  (Credit: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni)].

On Easter Day, it seems appropriate to revisit the recently revealed secret documents of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM). This is because lying at the heart of their efforts, or what many are characterizing as marriage discrimination, are strategies of setting minority groups against one other, or simply, out and out race baiting.

The source of NOM’s now exposed strategy is the  “Confidential 2009 Strategic Report,” which is titled “National Strategy for Winning the Marriage Battle.”

The Human Rights Campaign, pursuant to an ongoing ethics investigation of NOM’s campaign finances in the state of Maine, was able to obtain documents marked confidential, which, despite their attempt to block the disclosure of these documents in state court, were unsealed on March 26, 2012.

For example, an excerpt of one of the earlier confidential documents of NOM, which is from the Confidential 2009 Strategic Report to NOM’s Board, reads:

The Latino vote in America is a key swing vote, and will be so even more so in the future, both because of demographic growth and inherent uncertainty: Will the process of assimilation to the dominant Anglo culture lead Hispanics to abandon traditional family values? We must interrupt this process of assimilation by making support for marriage a key badge of Latino identity -- a symbol of resistance to inappropriate assimilation.

In another example, which is actually an update of the “Confidential 2009 Strategic Report,” there is their explicit strategy of attempting to divide LGBT and African Americans, which reads:

The strategic goal of this project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks -- two key Democratic constituencies. Find, equip, energize and connect African American spokespeople for marriage; develop a media campaign around their objections to gay marriage as a civil right; provoke the gay marriage base into responding by denouncing these spokesmen and women as bigots. No politician wants to take up and push an issue that splits the base of his party. Fanning the hostility raised in the wake of Prop 8 is key to raising the costs of pushing gay marriage to its advocates ... find attractive young black Democrats to challenge white gay marriage advocates electorally.

Personally, I found this shocking and appalling, especially for what many are characterizing as a post-racial American society. Quoting from the words of Rev. Dr. Nancy Wilson,

Leaders of a group that calls itself the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) were exposed for their plan to manipulate the religious sensibilities and identities of African Americans and Latino Americans so that marriage for loving, same-sex couples would become a wedge issue that would divide the vote of people of color in the upcoming election.

The words of Rev. Dr. Wilson directly addressed the insensitivities of NOM and their intended and shameful exploitation of race (i.e., race baiting), and equally the same of those who would associate with groups like NOM, and their intended shameful activities.

As for Willard, given his seeming insensitivities to the plight of others or, just simply, his perpetual state of being out of touch with average Americans or real America, it hardly comes as a surprises that:

The documents reveal that Mitt Romney’s campaign donated $10,000 to NOM right before the 2008 election,

Granted, Willard has neither the compassion nor sympathy to understand the plight of others. Given his insensitivities and his consistent state of being out of touch with average Americans, one would hardly expect him to feel a sense of shame from his name now being associated with the shame of NOM and their race baiting.

But then again, Willard also displayed neither appropriate feelings, nor appropriate comments, about Rush Limbaugh referring to Georgetown law Student, Sandra Flute, as a slut and prostitute. 

In the same vein, Willard shows no remorse for probably making millions of dollars from the sales of security cameras to the Chinese government. He also recently used a near obscure ethics exception to avoid disclosing his wealth, especially his Bain holdings. One suspects that his financial records will reveal the real Willard, who is a person that he does not really want us to see.

Nonetheless, and despite the suspected lack of shame and normal sensitivities on Willard’s part, this is why on Easter Day, I thought it would be appropriate to share Rev. Dr. Wilson’s words with others.

This is because Rev. Dr. Wilson has a message for all of us, especially those who consider themselves to be Christians and even those who consider themselves to be Mormons.

With that being said, the article written by Rev. Dr. Wilson follows.

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“NOM Insults Dr. King's Dream”

By Rev. Dr. Nancy Wilson, Global Leader, Metropolitan Community Churches

March 6, 2012 --

Our nation marked April 3 as a tragic day in our country's history, when one of our most historic leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on a Memphis hotel balcony. We mark the day; we do not celebrate it. But we dare not forget that this country's pattern of racism is not over.

As the head of a Metropolitan Community Churches, a multi-racial denomination with ministries in 37 countries, we know that Dr. King is known worldwide, and "We Shall Overcome" is sung in movement after movement that seeks freedom.

Last week the need for freedom and for challenging racism arose again. Leaders of a group that calls itself the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) were exposed for their plan to manipulate the religious sensibilities and identities of African Americans and Latino Americans so that marriage for loving, same-sex couples would become a wedge issue that would divide the vote of people of color in the upcoming election.

Through crass manipulation of people's deepest desire to serve God and be loyal to their communities, NOM hopes to compel people of color to make condemnation of loving gay and lesbian couples a marker for religious and racial/ethnic identity. This strategy aims to divide the votes of African Americans and Hispanic Americans -- and ignores the fact that all families and communities include lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.

In NOM's words, "The strategic goal of this project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks -- two key Democratic constituencies." In another memo: "The Latino vote in America is a key swing vote, and will be so even more so in the future..." NOM wants to make rejection of marriage for same-gender couples "a key badge of Latino identity."

Dr. King faced interlopers in his day who used fear of communism to "divide and conquer" communities of color to make sure there was doubt and internal conflict rather than a cohesive struggle for freedom and justice for all. It is up to each community to expose the falsehoods on which these strategies lie.

Today, NOM's leaders and members want to convince this country that prejudice should be protected as a religious freedom, but NOM is not interested in protecting freedom; it is only interested in dissolving marriages and families of loving couples of all races who happen to be the same gender. And if you are not with them, they will say you are against Christianity.

A growing number of leaders know that justice is at stake for all of us. Coretta Scott King said, "Gay and lesbian people have families, and their families should have legal protection, whether by marriage or civil union." This year Dr. King's daughter Bernice moved away from her anti-LGBT stand to say that we need LGBT people to fulfill her father's dream of unity.

Today, churches must speak out and let the world know that the mark of a Christian is not exclusion and condemnation but love and respect for all of God's unique families. If we do not speak out, we will continue to be vulnerable to the machinations of political operators who would drive a wedge between us, not because they care about what is right, but because they want to divide our vote and turn us against our own family members and church members.

Source: NOM Insults Dr. King's Dream

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See also The Republican Conundrum

All Rights Reserved by M. Ulric Killion, 2012.