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Seacoast NOW Action Alert Archive
September 16, 2003

Executive Council to vote TODAY on Benson's Nomination of Extremist to the NH Commission on the Status of Women

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THIS MESSAGE IS BEING SENT TO SEACOAST NOW MEMBERS

URGENT ALERT!

Executive Council to vote TODAY on Governor Benson’s Nomination of Extremist to the New Hampshire Commission on the Status of Women.

Executive Council meeting TODAY
Wednesday, 9/17/03
10:30 AM
New Hampshire State House


MAKE A PHONE CALL RIGHT NOW!

JUMP IN YOUR CAR AND GO TO THE MEETING IF YOU CAN!

[We have been informed that Councilor Griffin will not be at the meeting today. The following information is reprinted from a message we received from a Nashua NOW member.]

Benson Nominates Extremist to Commission on the Status of Women

The Executive Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday on Gov. Craig Benson's nomination of right-wing extremist Karen Testerman to the Commission of Status of Women. We need your help in calling Executive Councilors Ruth Griffin, Ray Wieczorek, Ray Burton and Peter Spaulding and urging them to vote against Testerman's nomination.

An anti-choice activist, Testerman, who worked for Family Research Council's Gary Bauer's presidential campaign, is executive director of the Cornerstone Policy Research center.

She has a clear anti-choice, anti-gay agenda, and apparently anti-non Christian agenda.

* On New Hampshire Public Radio, Testerman compared being gay to being a shoplifter and an alcoholic.

* In a policy paper on the website of Cornerstone, Testerman claims that the "the presence of homosexuals in the armed services threatens the military's highly regarded merit-based system. Sexual attraction encourages special relationships without regard to rank and increases the risk of favoritism." These are the same claims that could be - and have been made - about women in the military.

* On Cornerstone's website, Testerman includes a prayer that the people of Iraq will find the "true God." It says: Please pray for the people of Iraq as they seek to rebuild their nation. Ask for God fearing leadership and the salvation of the people, that they will find the true God and discover a relationship with him.

* Testerman attacked Congressman Charlie Bass for refusing to block an amendment allowing the District of Columbia to implement local domestic partner benefits law (along with all couples, that includes elderly parents disabled dependents and the like) and for allowing service women to use their own money to obtain abortions at overseas military hospitals.

* Testerman believes that the only good Christians are anti-gay Christians. When Craig Benson nominated homophobe Gary Daniels to the Human Rights Commission, Testerman sent out postcards claiming that the Executive Council was saying "Christians-Need-Not-Apply."

The Commission on the Status of Women was formed to end discrimination. Testerman fosters discrimination against gays, non-Christians and against anyone who does not share her narrow beliefs.

Call the Executive Council and urge them to reject her nomination on Wednesday.

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL CONTACT INFORMATION:

Ray Burton
338 River Road
Bath, New Hampshire 03740
Home: 603/747-3662
Business: 603/787-6941
Car: 603/481-0863
E-Mail: rburton@gov.state.nh.us

Peter Spaulding
386 Gage Hill Road
Hopkinton, New Hampshire 03229
Home: 603/746-2670
Business: 603/227-8251
Fax: 603/226-4364
E-Mail: pspaulding@gov.state.nh.us

Ruth Griffin
479 Richards Avenue
Portsmouth, New Hampshire 03801
603/436-5272
E-Mail: rgriffin@gov.state.nh.us

Raymond J. Wieczorek
1060 Ray Street
Manchester, NH 03104-1620
Home: 603-624-1655
Office: 603-271-3632
E-Mail: rwieczorek@gov.state.nh.us

David K. Wheeler
523 Mason Road
Milford, New Hampshire 03055
Home: 603/672-6062
E-Mail: dwheeler@gov.state.nh.us

For more information, email Seacoast NOW at info@seacoastnow.org.

Last Updated September 17, 2003