I just got this in my inbox, and thought I’d share how the insane, bigoted and ignorant policies of the fringe, so-called “religious” right will be used yet again in an attempt to distract this country from the choices facing it. I’ll offer commentary throughout this very personal letter I received from Rick “Man Dog Love” Santorum.

Dear Friend of Marriage, My friend, I’ve never come to you with a more urgent message: Unless we act today, we will lose the battle for marriage–not a decade from now, not “someday,” but quite possibly in the next few months.

I’m pretty sure being called “friend” by Rick Santorum is a lot more threatening to me than any changes to the nation’s marriage laws

How? Just weeks ago, a handful of out-of-touch judges overturned the will of the people in California by repealing Proposition 22, which defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman and was overwhelmingly approved by the voters in 2000.

Four California judges endorsed two big, very bad ideas. First, they extended the internationally recognized human right to marry to include same-sex marriage. Not even in Massachusetts or in New Jersey could the courts stomach the idea that same-sex marriage is deeply rooted in our foundational American traditions of human rights.

You’re right Friend Rick. Extending international human rights is not a foundational American tradition.

The second big idea endorsed by the California court is even less promising: sexual orientation should be treated just like race under the California equal protection amendment, subject to “strict scrutiny.” This is a ruling which, if left undisturbed, means that Protestants, Catholics, Jews and Muslims who see marriage as the union of husband and wife, and view sexual activity as best confined to marriage so defined, are in the exact position as racists under California law.

I’m pretty sure you’re bullshitting me here. Do continue though!

Hollywood, academia and some in the medical profession launched a huge offensive over the past decade to change the attitude of Americans about the homosexual community.

Perfect. I believe Item One from the Official Gay Agenda was “build a coalition between Hollyood, academia and the medical profession — but not the entire medical profession, just some — in order to change American attitudes about our community”

They have succeeded in shaping the minds of young people against traditional marriage and intimidating and punishing anyone who offers a defense of marriage. A sophisticated network of wealthy gay activists are now trying to exploit this change in attitudes by spending millions on stealth campaigns to defeat pro-family state legislators and pass gay marriage laws.

Item Two from the Official Gay Agenda: “While the skyrocketing divorce rate may turn a subset of young minds against traditional marriage, the most effective way to promote gayness is to field a sophisticated — not “complex” because that word isn’t gay enough — network of wealthy gay activists.

They are pushing the battle first where the secular left is the strongest: deep in “blue states” including New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, Maryland and now even in my home commonwealth, Pennsylvania. That’s why I need you to act today. Use this hyperlink to help launch the National Organization for Marriage’s 2008 State Action Plan, including a sophisticated issue ad campaign–radio, TV, and print ads to drive home the point: don’t mess with marriage.

FIrst, congrats on figuring out how the Internet works and including a hyperlink, the doing what all users of the web commonly do: referring to a hyperlink as a “hyperlink.”

Second, I’m pretty sure you plagiarized that last line from the great state of Texas.

If we don’t fight back, our children and grandchildren will get harmful and confusing messages about marriage, including this one: there’s no difference between same-sex and opposite-sex unions and anyone who defends marriage is a bigot. Make no mistake, gay marriage is not about letting Adam visit Steve in the hospital or letting them do what they want in private. Gay marriage is about using the power of government to propagate a new faith: Individuals who oppose gay marriage are hateful bigots and they and their faith community should be punished.

[Insert joke about Adam and Steve here]

Why are they pushing so hard to push gay marriage laws through state legislatures? Because, they want to drive a nail into the coffin of any possibility of a federal marriage amendment. Because, once it is “normalized” in this way, they are counting on the courts and the culture to then spread gay marriage throughout the country. Because they know that once they get government committed to the idea that traditional marriage is bigotry, like racism, they can use the power of big government to marginalize, stigmatize and repress people of faith in American life. And because they believe people of faith like you and me have no way to fight back. Their strategy is simple: Use the big money power of high-tech billionaires to get politicians to ignore the values and voices of regular Americans.

Wait, which is it: academics? Hollywood? Medical Professionals? Sophisticated wealthy gay activists? Or now, “high-tech billionaires?”

That means, folks like you and me who: Know marriage is the union of husband and wife;

Don’t want their hard-earned tax dollars used to subsidize novel family forms, and;

Certainly do not wish their public schools to teach captive children that their parents and grandparents are evil discriminators for opposing gay marriage. That’s right, while we are tending to our jobs, going to church, and raising our families, a handful of wealthy gay men are plotting ways to use their giant fortunes to reshape the entire American political landscape in their own image.

You mean like these guys?

Sound a little hard to believe? I thought so too, until I read the March 1, 2007 Atlantic Monthly article that documents the detailed plans and huge influence these men are having, led by one gay billionaire activist named Tim Gill. The article is called “They Won’t Know What Hit Them,” and the subtitle pretty much says it all: “Tim Gill has a mission: stop the Rick Santorums of tomorrow before they get started. How a network of gay political donors is stealthily … reshaping American politics.” That grabbed my attention, how about yours? If so, I need your help to fight back.

And the best way I know is to help launch the

National Organization for Marriage’s 2008 State Action Plan,

so that we can send a clear message to politicians:

don’t mess with marriage. Use this hyperlink to make a

generous donation of $35, $50, or even $100 today.

There you go messing with Texas again!

These gay marriage activists know the marriage battle will be won or lost in state legislatures. And because they know that state legislatures are our farm team for the next generation of passionate pro-family leaders that’s who the gay donors are targeting. “[I]t’s often just a handful of people, two or three, who introduce the most outrageous legislation and force the rest of their colleagues to vote on it,” says Gill. “If you could reach these few people or neutralize them by flipping the chamber to leaders who would block bad legislation, you’d have a dramatic effect.” Their goal? “[P]unish the wicked,” as Gill puts it. Or, “snuff out rising politicians who were building their careers on antigay policies, before they . . . achieve national influence.” Their chief cautionary example of such a villain is . . . –Yes, there I am again!– “Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.” Let’s be clear here: by “punish the wicked” Gill means people like you and me who adhere to God’s vision of what marriage is and what it is for. By “outrageous legislation” he means laws that protect marriage as the union of husband and wife, and incidentally also protect faith groups from persecution by the government for our views of marriage. In the last election cycle Gill pumped $15 million into defeating the good guys. According to the Atlantic Monthly he succeeded seventy percent of the time. “In 2000, he gave $300,000 in political donations, which grew to $800,000 in 2002, $5 million in 2004, and a staggering $15 million last year, almost all of it to state and local campaigns.” Danny Carroll, for example, used to be speaker pro tem of the Iowa House, a rising pro-family star who had guided a state marriage amendment to passage in the Iowa House (the first step to putting it on the ballot). Then he was targeted by rich gay activists for his leadership on marriage. Carroll never even knew why he lost, until the Atlantic Monthly reporter pointed out to him all the $1,000 out of state checks: “I’ll be darned,” said Carroll. “Denver … Dallas … Los Angeles … Malibu … there’s New York again … San Francisco! I can’t–I just cannot believe this,” he said, finally. “Who is this guy again?” Who is this guy?

Can we afford to let Malibu, Beverly Hills, Manhattan,

and San Francisco control our country and our children

and grandchildren’s minds? That’s why I need you to

support NOM’s 2008 State Action Plan immediately.

You’re right, friend. The control of our children’s minds should be left to the 2005 Kansas Board of Education.

And remember: it doesn’t stop with gay marriage. When the gay marriage money comes in and “flips” a state legislature, they flip it on ALL the values issues that concern families like ours; Abortion, religion in the public square, abstinence education–not to mention a whole lot of tax and spending issues too.

I assume you mean “flip” as in “flip in preparation for gay sex?”

In Pennsylvania, Gill money helped the Democrats gain control of the House by only one vote. What happens if we permit this tiny minority to reshape marriage? The next step is to use the new law to suppress the liberties of Christians. Already: A Christian adoption agency–Catholic Charities!–has been shut down by the government because it will not do adoptions for gay married couples.

A volunteer fireman, who risked his life to rescue friends and neighbors in need, was told his services were no longer wanted–because he signed a petition supporting marriage as the union of husband and wife.

A father was arrested for trying to prevent a public school from teaching his son that gay marriage is normal.

In New Jersey, a Methodist organization just lost part of its state tax exemption because it refused to permit civil union ceremonies on church-owned property. How can this happen in the United States of America? One thing I’ve learned to trust after 15 years on the front lines: When things look the darkest, God raises up new reasons to hope.

Hey how’s life in the Senate, friend? Oh what? You’re not in the Senate anymore? God would rather use you to send emails with hyperlinks in them? God is so cool.

For those of us who are Christians, despair is a vice, and for us hope is not only a natural emotion, it’s a theological virtue. We are each called to “faith, hope and love.” It is the fuel for our battles with the forces of hate who seek (in the name of tolerance!) to silence God’s own truth.

Wow! So you’re voting for Barack Obama?!

And so with great hope and excitement, I learned about the launch of The National Organization for Marriage’s 2008 State Action Plan. Will you give a generous donation today to help ensure the plan succeeds?

Hey, why didn’t you refer to it as a hyperlink this time? I’m beginning to doubt your Internet savvy friend.

This is the start of something really big and new–and not only on the marriage issue. It’s a whole new model for getting politicians to do the right thing on traditional values. I know politicians–believe me!–and nothing gets their attention like the possibility of a competent, well-funded campaign to let voters know how they really vote! Listen to Maggie Gallagher, NOM’s new president, talk about the real disconnect between the polls–which show 60 percent of Americans oppose gay marriage–and the politicians: “Politicians think they can get away with ignoring what voters think on marriage. Unless that changes, gay marriage activists are going to push blue state legislators to pass gay marriage, whether the people in their state want it or not.” So she and some other folks have pulled together a brilliant team to head up NOM’s 2008 State Action Plan to take on the coming marriage and religious liberty battles in the states where it will be fought. Think about the success of the gay marriage movement: If 2 percent of the population funded by a handful of rich men can work a revolution in culture, what could 60 percent of the population–or the most committed quarter–do with the right tools and strategy? We can take Gill’s strategy and flip it against him: use it to protect marriage by creating the real possibility of political risk–that politicians SHOULD feel when they vote against their own constituents’ voices and values. The National Organization’s mission is to “protect marriage and the faith communities that sustain it.” The team they’ve brought together to accomplish this mission is extraordinary. Princeton Professor Robert George, Chairman of the Board, is a national treasure, a consistent and powerful intellectual defender of life, marriage and the natural law. Maggie Gallagher, NOM’s president, is one of the most powerful, consistent voices for marriage in the country. I got to know Maggie well during the battles over the Federal Marriage Amendment; Maggie helped me equip senators to speak on marriage. You may know her from her syndicated column that appears in the New York Post and many Pennsylvania papers as well. Brian Brown, the dynamic young executive director (the father of five kids under the age of eight!) spent five years reviving and running the successful Family Institute of Connecticut, so he knows what it is like to fight for marriage deep in blue-state territory. But don’t take my word for it alone: Dr. James Dobson personally donated $25,000 to the National Organization for Marriage. Why?, “It’s not just marriage that is at stake, it’s absolutely everything,” Dr. Dobson said on a recent Focus on the Family broadcast in which he invited Maggie Gallagher and Prof. George to speak about the National Organization for Marriage. On the October 10 Focus on the Family radio broadcast, Dr. James C. Dobson urged pro-family Americans to do something about it. “This has been an ongoing struggle that burns in our hearts,” Dr. Dobson says. “And now, marriage is really on the brink, and I don’t know how to emphasize that more.” Let’s get the good fight going! Gay marriage activists have to depend on a handful of very wealthy men, because they cannot count on the broad support of the American people. They know politicians who listen to your views and values will vote for marriage as the union of husband and wife. Together, with God’s help, there is no limit on what we can accomplish.

Except for a second Senate term right?

MUCH better, friend. You should use the word “hyperlink” as much as possible when writing on the Internet

We need your help to put NOM’s 2008 State Action Plan to work for your values, including: To launch a billboard campaign targeting state legislators who promised to vote for marriage and then broke their word. (For an example, click here.)

To develop radio and TV ads and launch a sophisticated new media campaign to let the American people know the real consequences of gay marriage.

To create a national grassroots email database of voters (segmented by state) who care about marriage and its related religious liberty issues, for state as well as national campaigns.

To provide protection–legal, moral and media–to individuals targeted by the gay lobby for their courageous stands for marriage. Our goal? Passionate, pro-family advocacy–with real muscle to back it up so the politicians can ignore our values no longer. But there is one big problem. The gay millionaires are writing big checks. But most Republican donors are afraid to take on this issue, afraid their businesses and their pocketbooks will suffer if they take on the gay lobby. All this, at a time when citizens and legislators in California, Florida, Rhode Island and other linchpin states are facing their most important opportunity to defend marriage, right now! So we are going to have to do it without the millionaires. It’s just us this time, fighting against the latest legislation from the bench in California and other acute challenges to marriage in America. We urgently need your gift for NOM’s 2008 State Action Plan:

$5 or $10 a month (think: one less Big Mac a month!) would make a huge difference. But we need your donation right now, whatever you can give. A one-time donation of $35, $50, $100, or even $1000, if God has given you the gifts to afford it, would go far to giving us the ability to fight for marriage, state by state, battle by battle. And don’t forget: we need your prayers, too. To thank you, I’d like to give you a gift in return: Everyone who pledges a monthly gift to NOM’s 2008 State Action Plan, no matter how large or small, will get a free CD of the Focus on the Family October 10 broadcast on gay marriage and what it will mean for churches and other Christian organizations throughout this country. One-time donations of $100 or more, or monthly donations of $10 a month, will receive a free copy of my book, It Takes a Family. Won’t you help right now? God bless you, Rick Santorum P.S. Send your monthly gift for $5 dollars or one-time gift of $35 today–for the cost of just one less Big Mac a month, you can help save marriage and prevent persecution of people of faith! Contributions or gifts to the National Organization for Marriage, a 501(c)(4) organization with QNC status, are not tax-deductible. The National Organization for Marriage does not accept contributions from business corporations, labor unions, foreign nationals, or federal contractors; however, it may accept contributions from federally registered political action committees. Donations may be used for political purposes such as supporting or opposing candidates. No funds will be earmarked or reserved for any political purpose. The first $5.00 of your annual gift keeps your membership status active for an additional year.

Wait, I was on board with all this denying of marriage to the gays, but ARE YOU SERIOUSLY ASKING ME TO SACRIFICE A BIG MAC?? EVERY MONTH? I’m sorry friend, as you must understand, some things are too sacred to mess with.