Hartzler: Democrats using defense spending to advance gay agenda

Former Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, a candidate for the Fourth District Congressional seat currently held by Ike Skelton, issued the following news release attacking the use of defense spending bill to advance "the agenda of the homosexual rights lobby":

Instead of funding American troops as a national obligation, congressional Democrats are again using defense spending legislation as a place to hide their pet political projects.
Congressional candidate Vicky Hartzler said: “This is a terrible example of liberals using the good will of our men and women in uniform to advance their radical agenda. It’s wrong.

“First, by Congressman Skelton’s decision, the House used military funding to make a backroom deal for an agenda of the homosexual rights lobby. Now, House leaders are said to be extending the disreputable game of ‘using the troops,’ to create a new House seat for the District of Columbia.

“The way to stop the partisan political games with the U.S. military is to replace go-along liberals like Congressman Skelton, who has lived in Washington DC for 33 years, with new thinking and new blood. If elected, I will support the military 100 percent. I will never play politics with troop funding by using defense legislation for unrelated partisan political payoffs.”
Hartzler, a Republican, said the possibility of the new plan to force the military to haul water for liberal partisan politics was mentioned last Thursday by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland.

As with Skelton’s recent acquiescence to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and homosexual lobbyists, the new bill would be included in a defense bill during final negotiations with the Senate. The earlier Skelton-arranged deal expanded federal law to create a caste-system for victims of certain violent crimes giving more justice to some based on the perpetrator’s intent.
This Skelton-managed special rights bill, voted on party lines October 8, was sought by homosexual lobby groups. It came from a closed-door House-Senate deal to include the special-rights language in the annual defense spending bill, as a "rider" and "special provision." It sets special federal penalties in violent crimes where sexual orientation is claimed as a motive. Hartzler believes in equal justice for all, with strict enforcement against all violent criminals.

The latest liberal move to use the troops as hostage to liberal politics would use defense appropriations to create a new Washington, D.C. vote in the House along with a second new seat created for Utah.