The Portland Press Herald this afternoon notes that Stand For Marriage Maine is now not only lying for the Lord...they're stealing for the Lord, too.
National Public Radio has sent a ceast-and-desist letter to Stand For Marriage Maine, the organization fronting for the Catholic and Mormon churches in their attempt to repeal Maine's marriage equality law.
I'd link to the ad in question, but YouTube has already removed the ad because of NPR's remove order due to improper use.
The ad used part of a piece from a September, 2004, All Things Considered" piece about Massachusetts residents adjusting to then-new marriage equality. The piece is titled, "Massachsuetts Schools Grapple with Including Gay & Lesbian Relationships in Sex Education". Dana Davis Rehm of NPR's marketing and communications arm said that
NPR did not license use of this story or its content, and would certainly not have licensed or permitted it if we had been asked.
Stand For Marriage Maine spokesman Marc Mutty has already admitted, last night in an interview with Maine Public Broadcasting, that the campaign has misled voters:
We've never said that schools will be mandated - or, actually, perhaps we did in one ad, or certainly led people to believe that, inadvertently.
(AmericaBlog Gay)
When it comes to hating people enough to turn voters against civil marriage equality, apparently biblical principles simply don't apply; the ends justify the means.
The campaign's second major funder, the dubious National Organization for Marriage, is already under investigation by the Maine Ethics Commission for attempting to circumvent Maine elections law. Now the Yes On 1 side's spokesperson has admitted they lie, and NPR has accused them of stealing content.
And yet, if the just-released PPP poll is correct, this is still going to come down to turnout. Please donate at ActBlue to make sure No On 1/Protect Maine Equality has the funds to support a final push to get every possible vote they can to put the first nail in the coffin against the haters on November 3rd.
UPDATE: From Scarce (thank you!), a local TV story about the ad:
2ND UPDATE:
The fabulous lgmcp has linked us to the show from which the quotes used in the ad were "suitably edited":
Massachusetts Schools Weigh Gay Topics
September 13, 2004
As school begins in Massachusetts, teachers and parents are debating what to teach about homosexuality now that gay marriage is legal. Some say teachers must talk more openly about gay relationships, while others say they'd rather quit than assign books such as Heather Has Two Mommies. NPR's Tovia Smith reports.
Thanks, lgmcp!