Union Pacific Accused Of Funneling Money To Anti-Gay Groups

[freetobegay]

(Washington, D.C.) Using the Freedom of Information Act and IRS filings a public interest group has discovered that Union Pacific, the largest railroad in America is funneling large sums of money to extreme rightwing political organizations.

The Center for Political Accountability, a watchdog group based in Washington, D.C., says that the company does not make public its political contributions or tell shareholders how it decides on donations made with corporate assets. It intends to raise the issue at the company's annual meeting on April 16 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Center says that it has been able to determine that Union Pacific made $1,032,022 in corporate contributions in the 2002 election cycle. The company gave to conduits that, in turn, contributed to controversial groups like Texans for a Republican Majority (TRM), an organization that played a key part in underwriting the change in control of the Texas House of Representatives in 2002, and to extremist groups such as the Traditional Values Coalition (TVC).

Led by the Rev. Louis Sheldon, the TVC bills itself as the largest church lobby in the United States. It pushes a strong socially conservative agenda that includes opposition to gay and lesbian rights, a woman's right to choose, and the teaching of evolution in public schools.

http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/04/041204unionPac.htm

[mouse7]

1. Union Pacific: Fighting for running Heterosexual "trains"

I expect this makes tham very supportive of social fraternities on college campuses across the country.