From: Carris Kocher [mailto:kochercj@earthlink.net]
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 4:38 PM

Subject: PA Marker Commemorating Sodomites
 

To the Friends of Virtue and Liberty in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
                Please Forward This Message

On Sunday, May 1st, 2005, a historical marker is scheduled to be unveiled in
Philadelphia commemorating the site of the first GAY RIGHTS RALLY in 1965.
The application for this marker was approved by the Pennsylvania Historical
and Museum Commission on March 15, 2005.  It is to be the highlight of a
weeklong sodomite festival beginning on April 24th, organized by the
Equality Forum. The advertising theme is “Come to Philadelphia: Get your
history straight and your nightlife gay!”

This simply must not happen.

At first it was reported that Governor Rendell would be doing the honors
(!!???!!), but his office now says that was misreported, that he will not be
unveiling the marker.

It has also been represented as being placed in Independence Park. National
park officials have clarified that it is NOT to be in Independence Park, but
on state property on the immediate west side of the park, on 6th Street near
the Curtis and Public Ledger buildings.

This DOES NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN.  It certainly SHOULD NOT HAPPEN.

The Pennsylvania legislature can stop it. Let’s insist that they do. It
doesn’t matter if the historical commission is under the governor’s office
(the governor appoints the executive director)…       the Executive Branch
is to carry out the will of the people as expressed through the voice of
their elected legislators within the bounds of the state constitution. In
our American form of free government, do not the citizens exercise ultimate
authority over our officials? Does not government derive its just powers
from the consent of the governed? - to say nothing of the great contrast
between a rally for gay and lesbian rights and our state motto, “Virtue,
Liberty, and Independence.”

CALL the Governor’s Office, (717) 787-25, and insist that he put a stop to
it.
CALL your state Senator and your state Representative. Call their home
office because they are not scheduled to reconvene until May 2nd. Isn’t it
convenient that they are out of session until after this abominable event?
However, they CAN put pressure on the governor AND on the commission to
delay this thing until the legislature has had opportunity to consider it.

I was told that the decision by the commission to approve this marker was
unanimous. These folks need to be replaced. Frankly, I would love to serve
in such as one of the commissioners, and in view of what I have seen and
heard, I think I am well qualified. Regardless, this commission needs to be
sent home to look for another job. Here are their names:

Chairman: Wayne S. Spilove Members: Francis Barnes, ex officio, Secretary of
Education; Rhonda R. Cohen; Representative Lawrence Curry; Senator Jane
Earll; Dr. Gordon A. Haaland; Robert A. Janosov, Janet S. Klein;
Representative Stephen Maitland; Cheryl McClenney-Brooker; Dr. Brian C.
Mitchell, Kathleen Pavelko.

If you can figure out how to get hold of these people (three are PA
legislators, one is the PA secretary of education) CALL THEM!!!

This can and MUST be stopped.

Attached are: 1) the letter sent me from the PA Historical and Museum
Commission Executive Director in response to my objection to this marker –
note the lists of events they have chosen to commemorate - and 2) the email
I received from Diane Gramley of the American Family Association of
Pennsylvania with the connecting links and websites.

That the matter has even come this far is a disgrace to the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania. Let it go not further. “When the enemy comes in like a flood,
the Lord raises up a standard.”

“Endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable rights”

Carris Kocher
Bill of Rights Bicentennial Committee