Dear Joshua,
Jerry Falwell has a lot to say. Falwell is the fundamentalist who opened the Republican National Convention in 2000 (the GOP kept him under lock-and-key this time around).
He asserts that the AIDS crisis is "God's punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals."
Now he has started a law school. The purpose: to train fundamentalists to ignore laws they don't support and reinterpret others to enforce their radical agenda. The "school" is only the latest move in a monumental power play by the extreme right wing. They have taken over the Republican Party - and have set their sights on every branch of our government.
In the coming weeks, Democracy for America wants to distribute $250,000 to candidates who will stop them. Supporting these candidates now builds the infrastructure we will need to compete with the radical right.
The press didn't say much about the new law school. But a timid, shallow media is not the only problem. People who support common sense and fairness do not have the same infrastructure as the radical right. For decades they have spent billions of dollars funding, training and amplifying their movement.
That's why we are supporting judicial candidates like Anita Kelly in Alabama. She will use her office to enforce the law and address real problems. She has spent her career fighting to enforce laws that guarantee access to education, labor rights, and other liberties that people like Falwell would roll back.
Democracy for America is the organization dedicated to stopping them. DFA is the only organization who will not be afraid to stand up and fight back now and build the infrastructure to compete with them for decades to come.
In the days after September 11th Falwell said that America deserved to be attacked for, "throwing God out successfully with the help of the federal court system, throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools." He implicated supporters of civil liberties and women's rights, among others, saying: "I point the finger in their face and say, 'You helped this happen.'"
Like the rest of his and George Bush's agenda, the purpose of Falwell's law school is to roll back the progress of the last hundred years. The people of this country have spent a century unraveling hate and prejudice from out legal system. Falwell wants to bring all that back.
I am committed to stopping him. The dozens of candidates DFA has endorsed for every level of office are committed to stopping him and his allies. There are just over 40 days left to make an impact on this election. With your help, we can make this substantial investment in the future of our movement for socially progressive, fiscally responsible, common sense change. Thank you.
Gov. Howard Dean, M.D.Democracy for America
