'Ethicists': City voters are immoral

By RICK CASEY
Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle

Jan. 26, 2010, 8:46PM

When Houstonian Ginny Camfield received a letter from the Texas Ethics Advisory Board two weeks ago, it took her a few minutes to figure it out.

The letter began by saying that the Texas Ethics Commission had “launched an official inquiry into the campaign financing activities of Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas Action Fund” based on a “sworn complaint.”

It enclosed of a copy of a page filed by the Planned Parenthood political action committee with the state Ethics Commission showing Camfield's contribution of $75.

“If the record is not consistent with your knowledge of the facts or if you have any information relevant to the Texas Election Commission investigation, please send any applicable information to: (in large letters, centered on the page) Texas Ethics Advisory Board, 1016 Elkins Lake, Huntsville, TX 77340-8829.”

It looked quite official — until Camfield focused on a disclaimer in small type at the bottom of the page saying the “Advisory Board” was a general-purpose political committee unaffiliated with the Ethics Commission. And on the enclosures.

One was a two-page presentation of “Arguments Against Abortion.”

Another was headed: “Who is Kathy Hubbard?”

Hubbard is treasurer of the Planned Parenthood PAC. But she has another role:

“Answer: Homosexual Partner of Annise Parker,” the enclosure advised.

It reprinted a couple of pictures, including “Parker with daughter Daniela, life partner Kathy, and daughter Marquitta at her victory party. No males in this picture.”

“Regrettably, voters have chosen her life partner Annise Parker for mayor of Houston, TX.,” the mailing continues. “Voters in so doing endorse both homosexuality AND baby killing.”

It also includes a photo of an aborted baby, and a three-page anti-gay screed.

“The material on abortion was so old,” Camfield said. “But I had to read the letter two or three times to figure out what was going on. They wanted you to think they were an official group.”

I called William Elmer, who signed the letter as a “member, Texas Ethics Advisory Board.”

Elmer turned out to be a jolly old (77) man who expressed delight at my call. The Ethics Advisory PAC is about a year old, he said, but descends from a group of “social conservatives” who have been active for years.

Targeted books, statues

They probably received the most attention for trying to get books they considered pro-homosexual removed from the Montgomery County library some years back and for trying to get the owners of a faux-classical mall to provide a fig leaf for a nude male statue of the sort found in museums.

Elmer said the group felt that Planned Parenthood “is famous for the good things they do, particularly for women's health,” but that many contributors might not know that the organization does abortions.

Rochelle Tafolla, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood, said they had received quite a few calls from donors concerned about the mailings.

The alleged finance report violation, she said, were either wrong or based on typos and other minor errors.

Elmer admitted as much, but said his organization has “zero tolerance” for errors, and has filed a number of successful complaints.

Apparently someone filed a complaint against him.

“I had a call from the Texas Ethics Commission,” he said. “They read me all the laws I might have broken (with his official-looking letterhead). I maintained control of my bladder and went and got some advice.”

He said he strengthened the disclaimer at the bottom of the page and the matter was resolved.

Meanwhile, Tafolla said the main fallout from Elmer's mailing was that offended donors have added about $4,000 in response.

“I'm sure Mr. Elmer didn't intend to fund raise for Planned Parenthood,” she said.

rick.casey@chron.com

 

apmech(19)

apmech wrote:

Ambush advertising, for whatever reason, is scuzzy.

1/27/2010 5:43:22 AM

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deogcat(9)

deogcat wrote:

What exactly in the mailing was not true?

1/27/2010 6:14:59 AM

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KRTNY(1)

KRTNY wrote:

I just made my donation to Planned Parenthood. This organization is providing health care services to people who would not otherwise get them. Certainly the people who run around town pretending to love Jesus while doing hateful things won't lend a hand. http://www.plannedparenthood.org/pphset

1/27/2010 7:03:44 AM

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deogcat(9)

deogcat wrote:

KRTNY what is hateful in trying to save the lives of babies?

1/27/2010 7:06:00 AM

Scott2010(0)

Scott2010 wrote:

Old fart.

1/27/2010 9:35:19 AM

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DigObamaDig(31)

DigObamaDig wrote:

Both sides pull this garbage. Just take it with a grain of salt. I voted for Parker simply because I thought she could run the city with the least amount of malfeasance. Pro-life issues are a different fight.

1/27/2010 9:39:34 AM

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CAD1936(0)

CAD1936 wrote:

After this sleezy attack, just for the fun of it I'm going to send Planned Parenthood a nice donation. KRTNY has it right.

1/27/2010 10:36:01 AM

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HDad(0)

HDad wrote:

Strange that someone purporting to check on the ethics of others would display such a cavalier disregard for their own ethics.
There is nothing unethical per se about working to "save" a baby. The methods employed may, however, not be ethical at all. Attacking and even shutting down Planned Parenthood (or killing doctors and nurses or terrorizing health care providers and pregnant women) is not "saving" babies. Even blocking the abortion of non-viable fetuses that may one day develop into babies is not "saving" babies. It's just punishing those in need and adding to the nation's social problems.
I'm waiting for the "pro-life" crowd to step up and be "pro" instead of just "anti" by establishing their own widespread system of women's health clinics providing absolutely all of the medical, health, education and birth control services Planned Parenthood provides -- minus the abortion they so oppose for all the rest of us. And then to finance and maintain all of the support services for the mothers and children they have "saved" to make absolutely certain that they have the shelter, food, education and medical care required until the child reaches the age of majority -- and that includes institutional care and support for the disabled and special needs children that were born because of the intervention based on their own personal beliefs on the sanctity of human life from even before conception. I'm tired of this group trying to claim a moral high ground by just attacking the folks who are trying to help without stepping up, paying for and providing a true alternative.
And, yes, I just sent off a extra check to Planned Parenthood myself after this reminder of why the organization is so desperately needed.

1/27/2010 11:29:00 AM

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sandyhavens(0)

sandyhavens wrote:

However you feel about abortion--or any issue for that matter, using tactics so deceptive as to verge on fraud in order to put forward your message is unethical--even if the factual content is true.
As for me, I upped my contribution to Planned Parenthood.

1/27/2010 12:06:02 PM

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Thunder1(60)

Thunder1 wrote:

Seems that we should be talking about the Ethics violation here and cleaning up Texas politics rather than seeing who is pulling the biggest ball of wool. Sadly the reporter does nothing about the violation or the ethical lapse, but is rather poking fun at the players.
.
I bought a copy of this paper yesterday, and sadly it only had what appeared a total page count of what one section had a few years back..... I now know why!

1/27/2010 12:20:37 PM

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davidcnelson(0)

davidcnelson wrote:

I love it when a pro-life groups unwittingly raises $4,000 for Planned Parenthood.

1/27/2010 12:49:04 PM

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conlaw(13)

conlaw wrote:

Affable or not, this kind of deception is not funny. I am sure the Nazi Party in Germany was full of affable old men. Free speech is a right but with rights come responsibilities. Fortunately people see through this stuff rather quickly.

1/27/2010 12:52:48 PM

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OPlease(0)

OPlease wrote:

People like Mr. Elmer stand on their pedestal and look down their noses at those that are trying to serve the public good. Doing so under the guise of the ethics police is not only deceitful but wastes organization's and government's resources, costing taxpayers more for achieving less. He should be ashamed by his practices and any organization with which he holds a religious affiliation should be ashamed of his non-Christian behavior of judging and vilifying others.

1/27/2010 1:05:24 PM

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BenDickson(0)

BenDickson wrote:

In framing the initial page as a letter from an investigative committee, this man has committed a henious fellony, impersonation of an officer of the law. If I came up to a lady, flashed a phony police badge and demanded to give her a strip-search for drugs, I would be hauled off in chains, even if my badge said "Sesame Street Police". That is no different than what this man is doing. Fine print disclaimers cannot be used to override official-looking demands in the main text.

1/27/2010 1:28:04 PM

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Larissa(11)

Larissa wrote:

So we have conservative activist James O'Keefe arrested yesterday for attempted wiretapping of a United States Senator's office, and this guy using unethical means to spread hate. And after seeing the anti-Planned Parenthood protests last week, organized and led by out-of-towners (with police protection paid for by Houston taxpayers) it only serves to remind me what Planned Parenthood is up against, and why there is a need for financial support to help them provide health services to those seeking them.

1/27/2010 1:58:43 PM

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DarbyMom wrote:

Thanks for the article. Just sent an extra check to Planned Parenthood. Especially like the coment of 'HDad' previously

1/27/2010 3:24:07 PM

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Radar56(56)

Radar56 wrote:

The Conservatives that organized the Ethics Advisory PAC should have known people would figure out the concept is an oxymoron ran by morons. Some choice group should organize a PAC called "Pro-life Watch" to profile the radical right wing nuts that kill Dr.'s and fire bomb clinics.

1/27/2010 4:22:20 PM

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Radar56(56)

Radar56 wrote:

deogcat wrote: What exactly in the mailing was not true?“ --------- Well let's see Regrettably, voters have chosen Annise Parker for mayor... ,” - Who regrets voting for the best person for the job? answer: no one. Next - “Voters in so doing endorse both homosexuality AND baby killing.”
answer: false - this was an endorsement for mayor. Ms. Parker didn't put "a vote for me is a homo vote" in her slogan line. nor did she say "I'm for killing babies" -- that is pure conservative hyperboyle. It would be like saying that voting a Catholic into office would be an endorsement of the Pope and pro-life. No one is buying it and the sheeple that do need to start thinking....
It also includes a photo of an aborted baby, and a three-page anti-gay screed

1/27/2010 4:41:55 PM

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smokerbehr(0)

smokerbehr wrote:

The pro-life group doesn't really care about life. Why don't they take care of the lives already here like the homeless/hungry or the sick/uninsured?

1/27/2010 10:26:09 PM

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wyatttrash(10)

wyatttrash wrote:

I had a friend in the Woodlands take me to the shopping center with offending statue. She pointed it out to me, with the pathetic little fig leaf attempting to cover its privates. What gets me is that someone would have to look very hard to see the penis, as the statue is very high up in the air. If you are trying that hard to see a penis on a classical statue that the general public would barely notice, you either have no life or you have some same sex tendencies yourself. And I also just sent a donation to PP!

1/29/2010 10:34:37 AM

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Jollyoldguy(0)

Jollyoldguy wrote:

To Smokerbehr: The guy the article named spends 20 hours a week raising money for a homeless shelter. Is that enough or should I donate more time? To the rest who commented negatively, I suggest you imagine you are back to a single fertilized egg but able to have a conversation with your mom about her pro-choice view of abortion versus yours. What would you say? As for Radar 56, what is it about Catholics who do not endorse the Pope? Huh? I hear a lot of unhappy people complaining. I hope you can be happier one day.

1/30/2010 11:01:13 AM

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smokerbehr(0)

smokerbehr wrote:

To Jollyoldguy, I'm glad you have the time to spend raising money for a homeless shelter. They might need more than money. Maybe heath care such as cancer treatment or rehab for addiction. Yes, health care is based on money and most treatment centers aren't willing to spend it on the indigent. They might need something as simple as reason to live.
To me life is pointless. I once told my mother I wish she had aborted me. At that day and age it would have involved a coat hanger.

1/31/2010 11:52:06 PM

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Jollyoldguy(0)

Jollyoldguy wrote:

Hi Smokerbehr, Actually our "shelter" is a shelter for the spirit too. We have a 9 month chemical dependency rehab grogram. You must feel like I used to about the crap in life. What lifts you up, smoke, go toward that. Love you.

2/3/2010 11:52:49 AM

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