LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY amethyst_hunter)

From Pandagon comes this:

Peter LaBarbara of the Illinois Family Institute thinks GOP candidate Judy Baar Topinka is part of O NOES Teh Gay Agenda.

An excerpt:

Enter our friend Peter LaBarbara, of the Illinois Family Institute. He’s started up an anti-Topinka web site, aptly titled StopTopinka.com, which goes full-out in proclaiming that she is a shining beacon of the “Homosexual AgendaTM. From winger Matt Barber’s commentary in the Post-Chronicle. :

StopTopinka.com provides must-see video of Judy Baar Topinka’s annual participation in the Chicago “gay-pride” parade. By virtue of her active participation in the parade, one can only conclude that Topinka endorses its cause and message. This parade features nudity and lewd public displays - even though young children march in the parade and attend as observers. Additionally, it provides facts relative to Topinka’s pro-homosexual activism, and her diversion as state treasurer, of $10 million in state taxpayer dollars to build a “gay” community center in Chicago.

Oh, did I tell you that that her opponent Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Oberweis is trying to stay under the radar on this, but J. Matt Barber works for the Oberweis campaign?

It should be noted that Judy Baar Topinka has a reputation as one of those endangered species, the moderate, sensible Republicans. If I had to pick a Republican that I could tolerate replacing current governor Rod Blagojevich, it would be Topinka (Though I still hope Blagojevich stays on as governor).

On the other side, Jim Oberweis - famous for the Oberweis Dairy business, which sells ice cream, among other things - has a record of sucking up to the right-wing hardliners if not trying to appease them, for past screwups. (Oberweis attempted Senate runs in 2002 and 2004) Said screwups include an ad campaign that was perceived by many as racist and anti-immigrant, pissing off the zealot base by making a comment about likening adamant pro-lifers to the Taliban (to cover for this he pledged to support a state constitutional amendment concerning marriage), and signing a Renew Illinois pledge that defines Republican stands on taxes and homosexuality (No prize for guessing how those swing). With the latter, the pledge includes these nuggets of non-joy:

- supporting parental notification and consent for minors (Note: This is something I would ordinarily not have a problem with, except that it's a damn sure bet zealots will misuse this and deny even those females who are pregnant as a result of rape/incest - as we've just witnessed, several states have declared all-out war on female reproductive rights and while Illinois is at the moment better off than those places, the GOP attack squad is on the march to take over and instill their agenda what with the 2006 gubernatorial elections at hand)

- pledging to work to repeal taxpayer-funded abortions

- opposing government funding of embyronic stem cell research

- pledging to promote abstinence in public health education

- opposing mandatory health insurance coverage of morning after pills

Mark my words - watch Illinois this year. It will be a key battlefield.