Equal Marriage Opponents Use Intimidation and Blackmail

Our old nemesis, Barbara Anderson, of the Citizens for Limited Taxation -- the people who brought us Proposition 2 1/2, the people who think government should do as little as possible and who don't care if municipalities are struggling to pay for schools, police, and other essential services, have jumped aboard the bullying of the legislature. After all, if the legislature loses its independence, just think what wonderful tax initiatives can be put on future ballots. On a holiday weekend, legislators received individual "warnings" -- threats that if they did not vote on the pending initiatives, Barbara Anderson would make a formal complaint to the Bar of Board Overseers. That's right, a complaint to the Bar that considers disciplinary measures for lawyers who steal from escrow funds or who otherwise mistreat their clients.

Legislators who are lawyers are being threatened that the BBO complaint process will be used if they do not vote on the initiatives. What ever happened to "freedom of conscience" for lawmakers?

Since current leadership of the BBO could never respond to potential complaints, the following letter was sent by former bar counsel and assistant bar counsel.