Feds Hired Columnists to Boost Anti-Gay Bill
Feds Hired Columnists to Boost Anti-Gay Bill
Monday, January 31, 2005
Christopher Curtis
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) revealed Thursday that the Bush Administration paid a third conservative columnist to promote its policies.
The administration paid syndicated columnist Mike McManus $10,000 to train marriage counselors as part of the agency's effort to promote marriage, the Associated Press reported.
McManus, whose weekly column appears in at least 30 newspapers, has written several pieces on marriage, exhorting conservatives to join the fight against recognizing same-sex couples.
On Oct. 2, 2004, McManus wrote "Marriage: The Surprise Issue of 2004." After citing some unnamed study, which he said proved fidelity was not part of homosexuality, McManus asked, "Do you want to be part of this historic battle? Join a million people gathering at the Washington Mall on October 15 from noon to 3 for a 'Mayday for Marriage.'"
Last week, the Washington Post reported that Maggie Gallagher also received money from HHS.
The paper reported she received more than $40,000 during a two-year period to promote the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA). The Washington Post claims that Gallagher commissioned polls to contradict other columnists who opposed the president's marriage initiative.
Gallagher continued writing on marriage as an independent journalist without revealing her relationship with HHS.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has asked the acting inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services for an investigation. HRC wants to know whether Gallagher violated federal law by not disclosing the funding to the public or Congress. Gallagher testified before the Senate in support of the FMA on Sept. 4, 2003, and March 3, 2004.
"In an era of pinched funding, where critical health care and social service programs are experiencing severe budget cuts, we find the use of government funds for political advocacy to be deeply troubling," said HRC Political Director Winnie Stachelberg.
Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., have requested an investigation from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
"The issue here isn't just whether a journalist violated ethics, but whether the Bush administration broke the law," Lautenberg said in a quote published by the Associated Press.
Commentator Armstrong Williams was the first journalist discovered to have taken money from the Bush administration. He produced ads promoting President Bush's No Child Left Behind law.
Last week President Bush ordered his Cabinet secretaries not to hire columnists to promote administration agendas.
But John Marble, spokesman for the National Stonewall Democrats, is not sure that will be enough. "This White House is pursuing an activist agenda that hurts gay people, and they're going to continue whether they pay for it or not," he said.
Source=> http://www.planetout.com/news/article.html?2005/01/31/1
