ALIPAC NOTE: Andrea Lafferty's husband Jim Lafferty was a founding member of ALIPAC and served as our lobbyist in DC for a few years. While Jim is no longer active with us we hope people will support TVC and the other victims, like ALIPAC, of the Southern Poverty Law Center's violence inspiring rhetoric and defamation.
It's been 5 days since the FRC shooting, and the alarming news that Traditional Values Coalition was next still hasn't quite sunk in with staff.
...but I do want to let our steadfast TVC supporters know that we are all OK.
Here are the facts as we have them so far:
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The day after the shooting, the FBI stopped by the office. FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force visited the office the next day to interview staff and called me personally Friday morning while I was on travel.
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In an off-the-record conversation with law enforcement personnel, I was informed this psychopath had our address in his front pocket and that "if he had gotten out of FRC alive he was headed to TVC's office next."
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Immediately, I contacted the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and confirmed the unthinkable: Traditional Values Coalition was a target.
TVC asked the U.S. Justice Department for increased security, not knowing whether or not the shooter had acted independently or was part of a larger terror cell (as is typical in many cases of domestic terrorism).
After being transferred to the U.S. Attorney for the Washington D.C. area, we were blown off and told to contact D.C. police.
Just like that.
This isn't the first time this has happened where TVC has been the victim of serious threats and the FBI has refused to act.
Now if this had someone sending bacon to a mosque, a "hate crime" would have been reported and the Justice Department would have immediately dispatched an army of attorneys and established an immediate surveillance perimeter.
But this wasn't a mosque.
Or an abortion clinic.
Or a gay nightclub.
...this was Traditional Values Coalition. Once again, Christians take a back seat.
Is this is to be expected from an Obama Administration and a U.S. Justice Department that has been overtly hostile to Christian organizations? Sadly yes, America. We've come to that point now.
The scariest part? TVC can't afford security guards. The only thing that prevented this event from becoming a tragedy was the fact that Floyd Lee Corkins II didn't target TVC first.
What's causing this left-wing violence against Christian groups? The Southern Poverty Law Center.
For years, SPLC has listed mainstream Christian groups such as Traditional Values Coalition as "hate groups" for standing up for marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman, and exposing SPLC for comparing Baptists and Pentacostals with white supremacists.
Because we've stood up for Christian values in the public square, Traditional Values Coalition and a host of other Christian groups have had to tolerate being listed has hate groups on par with the Aryan Nation and the Ku Klux Klan.
The only two organizations in Washington the SPLC designated as "hate groups" on their list? Family Research Council and Traditional Values Coalition.
In fact, the SPLC knew that their designation of TVC (and others) as "hate groups" would inspire the sort of violence we saw on Wednesday. In a December 16th, 2010 letter to this office, the SPLC's J. Richard Cohen leveled this threat:
"You might disagree with our hate group designations. But it's hard for us to believe that you would "stand in solidarity," as the December 15th statement says, with organizations that knowingly spread demeaning lies like the ones we've outlined above. FBI data demonstrate that gay men and lesbians are, by far, the most likely group to be victimized by violent hate crimes. Spreading demonizing propaganda about them obviously does not help the situation."
What situation? Violence.
The implication? That this "violence" would be revisited upon Christian groups, organizations and charities.
It happened just like the SPLC promised it would, didn't it?
Now you see why Christian groups have been so concerned.
First they targeted Chick-fil-A for standing up for marriage. Now left-wing violence is coming for organizations like Family Research Council and Traditional Values Coalition.
Obama was right: “If they bring a knife to a fight, we bring a gun.”
They brought a gun last Wednesday.
We can only match it with prayers.
Prayers, and a redoubling of our efforts to take this great nation of ours back from left-wing violence.
All that stood between the FRC shooter and tragedy -- had he decided to come to TVC first -- was a rickety steel door.
We desperately need to improve our security at the Washington office. Our quick estimates run somewhere in the neighborhood of $70,000 to secure the windows, replace the steel door, put security locks and provide a 24-7 video surveillance solution around our perimeter, and above all else make sure our staff and our visitors are safe.
I can't skim that off the top of an already cash strapped budget.
So I have to ask you to help us -- now more than ever before.
This isn't one of those routine asks for money to support a mission, or a project, or a cause.
Lives are unquestionably at stake. Ours almost were.
Please... whatever the Holy Spirit inspires you to do, please do. Our mission here in Washington speaking on behalf of our shared Christian values is so very important to me, but the safety and security of our staff matters a great deal.
Will you help? Can you help?
Regards,
Andrea Lafferty
President
Traditional Values Coalition
