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ELECTION 2004 19 DAYS AWAY
"Imagine a Supreme Court with one, two, or three additional Scalias. With a Scalia-Thomas majority on the Supreme Court, marriage equality would be a distant hope, and a return to other forms of institutionalized discrimination would be an imminent threat."
-- Ralph G. Neas, president of People For the American Way in The Advocate this week - read the full article here.
Dear Friends:
The future of the Supreme Court is hanging in the balance this November. With your help, our education campaign is in full swing.
The candidates are talking - during the presidential debates:
President George W. Bush: said last Friday he will appoint "people that would be strict constructionists" -- coded language for the states'-rights extremists who want to reverse decades of social justice progress and return to a 19th century approach to the Constitution.
Senator John Kerry: said yesterday, "I'm not going to appoint a judge to the Court who's going to undo a constitutional right, whether it's the First Amendment, or the Fifth Amendment, or some other right that's given under our courts today -- under the Constitution. And I believe that the right of choice is a constitutional right."
One of these men will appoint one, two, or even three justices to the Supreme Court. Is this November's election for four more years, or 40 more years?
Voters are taking action. Hundreds of activists around the country have requested organizing kits. In just four days, you've raised over $20,000 to run ads in swing states -click here to help us reach our goal. Our experts are talking to journalists daily about the future of the Court. To join the effort, visit our 2004 Supreme Court Online Headquarters:
http://www.pfaw.org/go/four_or_forty/
This November, vote to protect a Supreme Court that will protect you.
Threats to the Rights of Gays and Lesbians
This week in 1979, over 500,000 people converged in Washington D.C. for the first major gay and lesbian civil rights march on the capital. The Court remains vitally important in the fight for equal rights. Your vote for President in November will help decide the rights of lesbians and gay men for the next 40 years or more.
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One or two more justices like Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas on the Court would revive the infamous Bowers v. Hardwick ruling allowing states to treat gay men and lesbians as criminals. They would also likely reverse the landmark holding in Lawrence v. Texas that all adults, including gay men and lesbians, are entitled to privacy with respect to private sexual conduct by consenting adults.
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More right-wing justices on the Court would further threaten the First Amendment rights of gay artists and performers against anti-gay censorship. Also, after a federal employee was fired after revealing he was gay, Justice Scalia argued that the employee should not even be able to have a court consider his constitutional claims.
Click here to read more about threats to the rights of gays and lesbians
Whatever your views on these specific issues, it's clear that the next President will help determine gay rights for decades. Urge your friends and neighbors to think carefully about the Supreme Court when they vote in November.
Vote Like Your Rights Depend on It. They do.
PS. Supreme Court Organizing Kits are still available. Click here to request yours! | 
