Dear Marriage Supporter,
The audience at a congressional hearing isn't supposed to give applause, but they did when they heard what our Chairman John Eastman had to say.
Let me explain why his testimony has gained the admiration of tea party and conservative activists and the renewed attention of politicians and the media across the country.
Yesterday Eastman was invited by Congress to testify about the illegal disclosure of NOM's confidential tax documents, along with five other heads of conservative organizations that were targeted by the IRS.
What made Eastman's testimony different — and explosive — was the fact that NOM's case is far more egregious, because our private donors were exposed to intimidation and harassment when President Obama's political allies were given our confidential information.
See how Eastman responded to the "scurrilous" attacks made against NOM, conservatives and marriage supporters by some of the members on the committee — completely shutting them down and leaving them speechless:
Here's the line of Eastman's that everyone is quoting, when he responds to an attack by Rep. Earl Blumenaur claiming marriage supporters shouldn't be allowed to participate in the public square:
"Representative Blumenauer, it's your kind of statements that have empowered IRS agents to make determinations about which organizations qualify for the public good and which do not. The notion that defending traditional marriage doesn't qualify as a defense of the public good is beyond preposterous."
Wow!
Of course it's always disappointing to see some representatives like Bluemenauer attempt to make marriage partisan when it is not. We proudly collaborate with many democrats who support marriage. In fact, during the same hearing Rep. Rangel (D-NY) proposed working together with Eastman to help make sure the mess at the IRS is cleaned up.
But back to Eastman's testimony: I'm sure now you can understand why applause erupted inside the hearing room as Eastman delivered his bold reprimand, and why his comments have received so much attention and support in the aftermath.
Neil Cavuto of Fox Business called Eastman "the man in the center of the storm who put up quite a storm" and told Eastman he was "on fire" during his testimony. NOM's story (and Eastman's explosive testimony) is now going viral across the internet.
Facebook and Twitter lit up yesterday with praise for Eastman and thanksgiving for his passionate articulation of why what the IRS did is unacceptable and how liberal politicians have emboldened bureaucrats to harass and abuse those they perceive to be their political opponents.
Eastman's testimony is our best chance yet to get to the bottom of what happened inside the IRS — and to find out who may have known about it outside the IRS and was an accomplice to the crime.
One of the facts that Eastman shared during his testimony is how much NOM has been forced to spend to defend and shield its donors in the aftermath of the IRS's illegal disclosure of our tax documents — hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Please contribute to NOM right away to help us recoup these losses and help us pursue a just remedy — including seeking financial damages — for what has happened. Your gift of $35, $100 or $500 will help us expose the truth and stand up for the constitutional rights of all Americans to participate in democracy without fear of harassment or retribution.
Thank you for being generous.
Together, we will find answers and see that justice is done.
The Minnesota House will hold a final floor vote on whether to legalize same-sex marriage Thursday.
