Dear Hillary:

Today is Freedom of Information Day. The current administration and the "right wing" are opposed to Government in the Sunshine and are doing everything possible to undermine the U.S. and State constitutions. Thus, it's imperative that I share this lengthy statement with you on "Gay Marriage."

I've been leading Hillarynow.com, the movement to draft you for President. I have been to 47 cities and have done 334 media interviews since you first saw me at the West Indian Carnival on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn on Labor Day, 2003, with my sign: "Hillarynow.com." We've also done 4 TV ads that have run over 400 times in 6 states. We are happy to say that the more exposure we got, the more you got. Your visibility on policy issues gave the public trust in our efforts to make you the first woman President, with, its global revolution for men and women.

It hasn't been easy for me to sacrifice my full time, without compensation, and to be subjected to so much abuse from folks who don't like you. They've been taking it out on me for even suggesting that you might be the answer to the craziness, which is out of control nationally and internationally. On our web site you can see the many hundreds of hate mails I've gotten from people attacking both of us.

However, since you've endured those nasty right wing conspirators for the last ten years, I've come to admire you even more. I myself have been on the 'hot seat' before, in leading passage of the world famous 'affectional and sexual preference' non-discrimination ordinance in Miami-Dade, with Dr. Alan Rockway. While Anita Bryant and Jerry Falwell led opposition to our ordinance, we lead the opposition to Anita and Falwell.

Our effort to expose Anita, Falwell (and everyone from Jimmy Carter to 4 state legislatures and the Catholic and Baptist powers that be who sided with Anita and Falwell), plus their media, was the key turning point in our making 'gay' a household word. We made a local issue into a world event that is still raging.

Back in 1977, Anita and Falwell used the 'gay marriage' issue to stop ERA in Florida, which was the pivotal state for the nation. Even though our ordinance had nothing to do with this issue, the hysteria prevailed and, ERA was defeated. The women's movement retreated as a result.

Because of faulty voting and confusion we got 92,000+ votes or 31% of the vote. Imagine folks voting on civil rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Imagine our getting over 50,000 news clippings alone to make this everyone's issue.

By us collecting over 18,000 signatures to force Round II in 1978, we got 142,000+ votes or 42% of the vote.

Then we got sabotaged by the liberal Metro Commissioner Ruth Shack, who tripled the number of signatures it would take for us to get back on the ballot to defeat Anita/Falwell. We still collected over 40,000 signatures, but were denied ballot status during the 1980 Presidential Primary.

Instead we took the State Privacy Rights Constitutional Amendment to the November ballot and led its passage. It states, "All natural persons have the right to be free and left alone from government intrusion into our private lives."

We won statewide by 60% or 1,723,000 to 1,1230,000 and got over 300,000 more votes than Jimmy Carter got against Ronald Reagan. In Miami-Dade we got 62% or 262,000 votes. In Polk County we won by 33 votes out of over 60,000 votes cast. This was the seat of our world famous boycott of Florida orange juice.

Our victory in all of this was to take over the global media, getting millions out of the closet and helping form thousands of organizations to take our liberation movement into the community. Our process was simple: trust the public with the truth, don't look at any of this as left vs. right, but right vs. wrong, and do it peacefully, while definitely not hiding our sexuality. It all worked successfully.

Ironically all of this is still under attack today. The 'cultural war' that began then is raging now.

In '79 we tried to lay a wreath at the "Tomb of the Unknown" in Arlington, VA and the Carter administration stopped us, as if the 'unknown' was straight. It was a total betrayal of all Gays, Bisexuals and Heterosexuals who have given life and limb to preserve what really makes America different - diversity, freedom and our Constitution. We made international news on this issue as well.

So when Bill Clinton did his 'don't ask, don't tell' give-a-way to the right wing, betraying all those who made that sacrifice then and now, it left a very bad taste in my mouth. When Colin Powell agreed with abandoning his gay troops in the field and to the enemy, I lost all respect for him as well.

Yet during the 'impeachment' era, our Oral Majority did 150 protests across the country (starting at the White House) against this abuse by the GOPerverts. We put out 10,000 bumper stickers and buttons to "Impeach the GOP" and did over 1000 media in this process.

Again the priorities of the GOP were Bill's sex life and the rest of the issues that matter to America on a foreign or domestic level went to hell in a hand basket. It's deja vu all over again.

During the 1977 ERA debate here in Fla., we said 'gay marriage' wasn't the issue and I personally opposed it as well.

My lover and I have been together for 15 years. Why would we want a violent, fearful, guilty, stupid society, with those fanatical religious groups to endorse our lovemaking?

However, enjoying the 1049 federal rights that go only with marriage is exactly what we do want and should have, since we pay taxes as American citizens.

The issue in all of this is: "TAXATION WITH REPRESENTATION". This is the reason for the American Revolution and the reason any of us do pay taxes, which is our first Amendment right to be our consenting selves. As adults, it is only our business who we make love with. It isn't anyone else's business. It's called "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Our Bill of Rights is not subject to debate or to the will of the majority.

All of this is under attack again, by the fanatical "American Taliban" of the Anita/Falwell/Bush gang, who want to use the 'gay marriage' issue to get their foot in the door to tamper with the constitution. They don't want a separation of church and state or equal treatment under the law. It's no different than the Mullahs wanting an Islamic state and only their way is the way, or else.

In an AP story on March 15, 2004, A.P. you were quoted as saying that states should decide the contentious issue of whether gays should be allowed to get married. Since when do state's rights matter more than our constitutional federal rights?

Would you apply this standard to the right of a woman to choose an abortion? What if most of the states wanted to ban this right? Here in Florida the legislature wants to make an amendment to the state constitution forbidding teens to get an abortion without telling their parents. The Florida Supreme Court has twice said the opposite; based on decisions regarding the Privacy Rights Constitutional Amendment we passed in 1980 that allows for teens to get abortions without parental consent. Now we see this being amended. The Constitution is supposed to protects us all, but those who don't like it get it changed so that the law conforms to their political, emotional and sexual limitations and to hell with the rest of us.

Once this dangerous door is opened, it attacks all of us. Without the constitution we have no protections.

This week, I saw "Ironed Jawed Angels" on HBO. It was about the struggle for women to get the right to vote in the middle of WWI, and what they faced. It was so familiar to the struggle going on today, affecting us all again. The freedom to choose, the right to privacy and to honor taxation with representation is a constant struggle to keep and the present divisions could produce a catastrophe for this country.

We fought a civil war over slavery and state's rights. Why go back to this dangerous aspect of making Gays officially second-class, with constitutional amendments that could sweep the nation? This divide and conquer America strategy can only benefit our enemies who want to destroy everything America stands for.

"Kerry backs state ban on gay marriage" was the headline of the Boston Globe on 2/26/04. If he's willing to do this on a local state-by-state level, which Bush wants on a federal level, then he's lost me completely. Kerry's position is even more horrendous as it could sweep across to 50 states. Besides it attacks the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision that said that separate isn't equal and civil unions are not the same as marriage itself. For some inane reason Rep. Barney Frank of MA, who is also gay, thinks that it's okay to protect Gays in MA as second-class and not worry that this could spread to the rest of the nation.

The bottom line is that if one pays taxes, one is entitled to all that everyone else is entitled to. That is the U.S. constitution. We have invaded Iraq to install this so-called democracy, which Bush and Kerry want to deny at home.

For you to embrace this position is both immoral, and undemocratic and will come back to haunt you on all levels.

We need to embrace the U.S. constitution and not leave the potential for discrimination to each state.

We need to embrace free choice and love and stop worrying about protecting the institution of marriage that has a 50% divorce rate, with 35% of kids without fathers and 90% of the police work being domestic violence. If we go back to biblical times men had hundreds of wives if they could afford them, yet we have the Adam and Eve syndrome today as the only standard that must be protected (as if there is anything left of the nuclear family to begin with).

As a leading gay activist, and Jewish activist who has been fighting Nazis all of my life (I have been to 31 Holocaust death camps. See Shalom International), I must raise some very critical issues here as well.

For Gays and Lesbians who want to get married, let them. But our movement has been high jacked by this very limited group within our own community. All other issues of discrimination and neglect we have suffered from, including an Aids Genocide that has cost us over 500,000 of our brothers out there, is lost in this debate on 'gay marriage', pushed by Andrew Sullivan and his cronies. However, now that the gauntlet has been thrown down, it's become an all or nothing story here. I'm not sure that those pushing 'gay marriage' have a clue as to what they have done or are doing on this matter.

No question 'gay marriage' isn't going to go away and will play a key role in the 2004 election and sadly Kerry is already in trouble as a result of his capitulations. The City of Key West is getting on board with the issue. Yesterday two ministers were charged with criminal offenses for marrying 13 gay couples in Kingston, NY, where my dad came from. On Sunday, the Herald had a story about how the King of Cambodia was in support of Gay Marriages. On Saturday, Richard Gephardt came out for it. In NY State, Attorney General Elliot Spitzer and many other public officials are publicly supporting it.

While I enjoy watching all these same sex couples kissing on the evening news and giving indigestion to all those homophobes who want to destroy the U.S. Constitution, we must realize that this issue isn't going away, but is growing.

This is the" Boston Tea Party" and "Second American Revolution" all over again with America demanding freedom from the religious fanatics and threats to our Democracy from within, no different from those who would do us in from afar.

We have suffered from 9/11, Iraq, Afhganistan and are asked to pick up the tab for it all, and yet we are still treated as second-class in this country by folks willing to sell out their own gay children.

We already have our personal freedoms, but we must also have our political freedoms, which the constitution embraces. "Taxation with representation" means Gay marriage, and all of our rights now AWOL by those sworn to protect and defend those rights. Our lawmakers have instead become the lawbreakers, while dishonoring their own oaths of office.

My Rabbi once said: "Nurture the roots and the blossoms will grow."

Obey the U.S. Constitution and so much of the mess will resolve itself.

Daily, I have had to defend your lifestyle with Bill and why you didn't throw him out of the house altogether. But love is stronger than anyone else's politics, and it is your business and no one else's.

So this advice is to ask you to reconsider your positions on all of this. Support those who love as consenting adults, no matter who wants to get married. Support all who don't want to get married or even to have children

On 9/11, Al Qaeda cared less who was Gay, Bisexual or Heterosexual. Father Mike of the NYFD, the co-pilot of the plane that went into the Pentagon and the "let's roll" guy on the Pittsburgh flight were all Gay among so many who lost their lives.

I plead that you reconsider your position on 'Gay marriage', for it is the moral and American thing to do and the Democratic position we must take.

Feeding the right wing that is already against you makes absolutely no sense.

I deeply believe you can be a spiritual light for this nation and planet. We need a leader who understands that the right wing's secrecy and dictatorship politics are so dangerous. It's the Patriot Act, and Howard Stern being taken off the airwaves and the insanity surrounding Janet Jackson's bared breast. We are all under attack. It's Martha Stewart getting hanged by standards not being applied to Ken Lay of Enron.

I ran for Governor of Florida, demanding a federal investigation of the 2000 election, (see:www.floridafightsback.com on our resistance movement). I got over 42,000 votes on a $17,000 budget, while being ignored by the media and not allowed into the debates. I led 650 protests nationally and did 1000 media demanding justice and trying to prevent the next theft in 2004

Bush came out to support a federal amendment to the U.S. Constitution to ban 'gay marriages', and used 'activist judges' as his excuse for this treachery. Where were the Democrats on the issue that Bush was 'selected' by 'activist judges' on the U.S. Supreme Court, who ignored our state's rights to count all votes and have those votes honored? Bush didn't have the votes from America or from Florida, yet the Democrats gave up and refused to fight back on any of it.

Now Kerry is abandoning Florida and the South, giving the election back to Bush by default. He wants to use the monies for other states, but the strategy means he's got no backbone to stand up in the South.

The passive Democrats image of not fighting back for this country on the stolen election, on Bush covering up Saudi Arabia's role in 9/11 and now this disaster to make Gays officially second-class, is why the public won't trust the government to the Democrats. If the Democrats won't defend America, how can we trust them?

Our personal and collective securities are all at stake here. We need you to fight with us and for us.

So many of us want with you to be a beacon of light and consciousness who will unite us.

Everything I've stated here makes sense and is the right thing to do. I urge you to make this change of heart and take your role in this leadership fight to save this nation and this party.

This is our condition for further support.

Hopefully, you'll fully understand and see us as a valid ally, with the expertise and experience to make this a reality.

Would you consider doing a fundraiser with us in Boston at the National Democratic Party in July, where we can do a re-enactment of the Boston Tea Party?

In MA marriage licenses will be issued on May 17, 2004, to gays and lesbians who want them.
This is also the date of the NY State Democratic Convention in NYC.

We have lots of opportunity here as well to plan strategy.

Whether it's "Hillary for Veep in '04" or "President in '08," the issues above are the foundation for positive change in America.

I will be leading a rally on 3/25/04, 5 P.M. at the National Bldg. Museum at 13th and E St., N.W., in Washington, D.C. when Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter will be at a DNC dinner.

Come join with us. Let's unite on the inevitable. Please respond to me immediately so that I may include this to the media.

Yours Faithfully,
Bob Kunst
Pres., Hillarynow.com
305-864-5110

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