Calif. gay marriage ban backers target businesses

Source: Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Leaders of the campaign to outlaw same-sex marriage in California made an offer to businesses that have given money to the state's largest gay-rights group: Give us money or we'll publicly identify you as opponents of traditional unions.

Supporters of same-sex marriage called the tactic "an attempt to extort people" and "a bit Mafioso."

... Certified letters from the group this week asked companies to withdraw their support of Equality California, a nonprofit organization that is helping lead the campaign against Proposition 8.

"Make a donation of a like amount to ProtectMarriage.com which will help us correct this error," reads the letter. "Were you to elect not to donate comparably, it would be a clear indication that you are in opposition to traditional marriage. ... The names of any companies and organizations that choose not to donate in like manner to ProtectMarriage.com but have given to Equality California will be published."

Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hZmLBrL36NObNyMR0ghXN7vB5hYwD940GN1G0

Or is it possible that this is spontaneous stupidity from the grass roots?

Either way it is foolish, this achieves nothing in the long run.

but to me the tactics reek of extortion and blackmail. I'd be contacting the state Atty General with copies of those letters.

doesn't this fall under the laws against blackmail and protection rackets?

It is extortion to demand money under a threat to ruin someone's reputation.

Clearly, this group believes that disclosing these businesses names would ruin their reputations.

I think they have completely gone over the line and have now turned into a full time extortion racket

"nice shop windows you have there" I'd hate to see it broken, wouldn't you...."

they have no idea what will be unleashed - they may have tons of money but it is based on hate and discrimination

Anyone with a brain and some life experience knows the GLBT community generally has more disgressionary income than most people. If you're in business it's not a good idea to piss on people with money to spend. That's a Michelle Bachmann stupid way to shoot yourself in the foot.

Looks a lot like extortion, huh?
These folks have more aliases and shells than the Oracle of 'The Matix' fame
Check 'em out. Follow the money.

Should the CA AG (Jerry Brown) be contacted by a concerned citizen about the above story?
:popcorn:
hey. you didn't think this was over yet, did you?
Lets get back to work people!

also see http://californiaslates.com/invoices/invoiceDetail.php
12881 Knott St., Ste 105 — Garden Grove, CA 92841
(714) 895-3195 — Fax (714) 895-6729 — www.CaliforniaSlates.com
The CA Family Voice Newsletter (Newsletter) mailing is devised, designed, and prepared and paid for entirely by Policy Issues Institute (PII), thru its separate fund for political action. Advertiser has no control over the mailpiece itself, or the mailing list utilized. All decisions regarding the mailpiece, including its contents, are made exclusively by PII and its duly authorized agents. Advertiser is placing an advertisement in the Newsletter.

See also: Visteva and BPark Consulting.

PROTECTMARRIAGE.COM

Registrant:
California Family Council
PO Box 20012
Riverside, California 92504
United States

Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: PROTECTMARRIAGE.COM
Created on: 24-May-02
Expires on: 24-May-11
Last Updated on: 10-Aug-07

Administrative Contact:
Adminstrator, Domain admin@visteva.com
Visteva
12881 Knott. St., Ste 105
Garden Grove, California 92841
United States
7148953195

Then ask the public who is harming the sanctity of Marriage?

It sounds slightly illegal to me.

CALIFORNIA CODES
PENAL CODE
SECTION 518-527

518. Extortion is the obtaining of property from another, with his
consent, or the obtaining of an official act of a public officer,
induced by a wrongful use of force or fear, or under color of
official right.


519. Fear, such as will constitute extortion, may be induced by a
threat, either:
1. To do an unlawful injury to the person or property of the
individual threatened or of a third person; or,
2. To accuse the individual threatened, or any relative of his, or
member of his family, of any crime; or,
3. To expose, or to impute to him or them any deformity, disgrace
or crime; or,
4. To expose any secret affecting him or them.

520. Every person who extorts any money or other property from
another, under circumstances not amounting to robbery or carjacking,
by means of force, or any threat, such as is mentioned in Section
519, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for two,
three or four years.

521. Every person who commits any extortion under color of official
right, in cases for which a different punishment is not prescribed
in this Code, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

522. Every person who, by any extortionate means, obtains from
another his signature to any paper or instrument, whereby, if such
signature were freely given, any property would be transferred, or
any debt, demand, charge, or right of action created, is punishable
in the same manner as if the actual delivery of such debt, demand,
charge, or right of action were obtained.

523. Every person who, with intent to extort any money or other
property from another, sends or delivers to any person any letter or
other writing, whether subscribed or not, expressing or implying, or
adapted to imply, any threat such as is specified in Section 519, is
punishable in the same manner as if such money or property were
actually obtained by means of such threat.

524. Every person who attempts, by means of any threat, such as is
specified in Section 519 of this code, to extort money or other
property from another is punishable by imprisonment in the county
jail not longer than one year or in the state prison or by fine not
exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both such fine and
imprisonment.

525. Upon conviction of a felony violation under this chapter, the
fact that the victim was an elder or dependent person, as defined in
Section 288, shall be considered a circumstance in aggravation when
imposing a term under subdivision (b) of Section 1170.

526. Any person, who, with intent to obtain from another person any
money, article of personal property or other thing of value,
delivers or causes to be delivered to the other person any paper,
document or written, typed or printed form purporting to be an order
or other process of a court, or designed or calculated by its
writing, typing or printing, or the arrangement thereof, to cause or
lead the other person to believe it to be an order or other process
of a court, when in fact such paper, document or written, typed or
printed form is not an order or process of a court, is guilty of a
misdemeanor, and each separate delivery of any paper, document or
written, typed or printed form shall constitute a separate offense.


527. Any person who shall sell or offer for sale, print, publish,
or distribute any paper, document or written, typed or printed form,
designed or calculated by its writing, typing or printing, or the
arrangement thereof, to cause or lead any person to believe it to be,
or that it will be used as an order or other process of a court when
in fact such paper, document or written, typed or printed form is
not to be used as the order or process of a court, is guilty of a
misdemeanor, and each separate publication, printing, distribution,
sale or offer to sell any such paper, document or written, typed or
printed form shall constitute a separate offense, and upon conviction
thereof in addition to any other sentence imposed the court may
order that all such papers or documents or written, typed or printed
forms in the possession or under the control of the person found
guilty of such misdemeanor shall be delivered to such court or the
clerk thereof for destruction.

Might people who aid, abet, solicit, or conspire to do that stuff
also be in trouble?

:popcorn:
Golly. This doesn't look very good at all!
I think I'm going to need more popcorn.