 |
Among Four 'Defenders of Democracy' Annual Awards Presented by People for the American Way Charlton Heston & Wayne LaPierre are Horse's Patooties |
|
Compiled By GayToday
"Barney Frank, Ann Lewis, Carrie Meek, and Kendrick Meek are true leaders, in every sense of the word, in the struggle to defend liberty," said PFAW President Ralph G. Neas. "By their words and their example, they remind us all that the work of our democracy is never done - and they give us the heart and spirit to stay in the fight." U.S. Representative Barney Frank (MA-4) is a long-time defender and outspoken advocate for the rights of all Americans. On the floor of the House of Representatives and behind the scenes, he consistently leads the debate on issues ranging from civil rights and education reform to worker and environmental protections. Ann Lewis, as former Counsel to the President, has used both grace and humor in presenting President Clinton's agenda to the American people. She has played a key role in shaping public policy on a range of issues. A well-known and highly respected figure in Washington, Lewis has previously served as Vice President for Public Policy at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, National Director for Americans for Democratic Action, and Political Director at the Democratic National Committee. As the first African American elected to Congress from Florida since Reconstruction, U.S. Representative Carrie Meek (FL-17) has emerged as a strong advocate for minorities, senior citizens and the working class. She has worked hard to use the resources of the government to promote economic opportunity and the creation of new jobs. As a State Senator, she developed much of Florida's housing finance policy, which made home ownership a reality for thousands of working class families. Florida State Senator Kendrick Meek has used his position as a Florida State Senator to successfully fight for children and gun control. He has become a leading advocate for affirmation action. He is a lifetime member of the NAACP and the founder of MAD DADS, an anti-drug campaign. He is a board member of the Greater Miami Service Corps, Community Action Agency and South Florida Food Recovery. And now, the Offenders of Democracy…
In the case of this year's awardees, we also don't know whether to grab the babies and run for cover. The actual "Horse's Patootie" is a statue that was designed by renowned artist Robert Rauschenberg and cast in bronze by FDR Memorial sculptor Donald Graham. Explaining the choice of this year's awardees, Neas admitted that the organization had some initial misgivings. "We didn't want to see a priceless Rauschenberg statue melted down into bullets," he explained. "But in the end, the extra effort by Heston, LaPierre, and the NRA couldn't go unrecognized. Their own words put them over the top." Among their many qualifications, PFAW noted especially Heston's speech to the right-wing Free Congress Foundation in 1998 where he said, "God-fearing, law-abiding, Caucasian, middle-class Protestant" men who owned guns were the victims of a brutal cultural war. He reportedly concluded that speech with this rant: "Mainstream America is counting on you to 'draw your sword' and fight for them. These people have precious little time and resources to battle misguided Cinderella attitudes, the fringe propaganda of the homosexual coalition, the feminists who preach that it is a divine duty for women to hate men, blacks who raise a militant fist with one hand while they seek preference with the other, New Age apologists for juvenile crime who see roving gangs as a means to only the merchandising of violence as a form of entertainment for impressionable minds, and gun bans as a means to only the Lord-knows- what. We have reached that point in time when our social policy originates on Oprah. It's time to pull the plug." For his part, LaPierre earned the recognition he received for his widely reported statement that the Clinton Administration was willing to accept a certain level of gun-related murders in order to further its political goals. www.ngltf.org www.ngltf.org National Gay & Lesbian Task Force |
