Contact Your Public Officials

U.S. Representative
Bob Gibbs (R) - District 18
315 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C.  20515
Phone:  202-225-6265
FAX:  202-225-3394

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Ohio Representative - House
Margaret Ann Ruhl (R) - District 90

Local Address
3 Swingle Avenue
Mount Vernon, Ohio  43050
Phone:  740-393-1889

Capitol Address
77 South High Street
11th Floor
Columbus, Ohio  43215-6111
Phone:  614-466-1431
FAX:  614-719-6990

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Ohio Representative - Senate
Kris Jordan (R) - District 19
Senate Building
1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor
Columbus, Ohio  43215
Phone:  614-466-8086
email:  SD19@senate.state.oh.us

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US Senate
Rob Portman (R-OH) - Class III
338 Russell Senate Office Building
Washingon, D.C.  20510
Phone:  202-224-3353

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US Senate
Sherrod Brown (D-OH) - Class I
713 Hart Senate Office Building
Washingon, D.C.  20510
Phone:  202-224-2315

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Ohio Governor
John Kasich
Governor's Office
Riffe Center - 30th Floor
77 South High Street
Columbus, Ohio  43215-6108
Phone:  (614) 466-3555


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Speaker of the House
The Honorable John Boehner
Office of the Speaker
U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C.  20515

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The President
The White House
Washington, D.C.  20500
email:  comments@whitehouse.gov
website:  www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Take Action

Home Depot displays its true colors

In October Home Depot set up a booth at the Atlanta Gay Pride festival and entered a float in the parade. The float was constructed to look like a miniature Home Depot store with a rainbow flag on the front and “THD (The Home Depot) Pride” banners surrounding it. Employees on the float wore official “The Home Depot” shirts and aprons as well.

Participating in the parade with Home Depot were floats and marchers celebrating and exemplifying sadomasochism and bondage. One float was made to look like a cage with two homosexual men enjoying themselves being sex slaves. Some marchers had large dog collars around their necks while their leather-clad masters held chains and whips.

This is not the first parade Home Depot has participated in. AFA has been present at several, capturing photographs and videos of Home Depot’s public celebration of the homosexual lifestyle. Last year, it sponsored a gay pride event at which several homosexual couples went through a ceremony declaring themselves “married.”

Buddy Smith, executive vice president of AFA, said, “The Home Depot considers the homosexual lifestyle something to be accepted, promoted and applauded. We informed leaders of the corporation of the behaviors depicted in the parades they participate in. One leader said he visited an Atlanta gay pride parade and found it very tame.”

Smith said Home Depot claims the company is simply celebrating the diversity of its employees, but in reality, it is celebrating sin.

Randy Sharp, AFA special projects director, said 500,000 people are already boycotting Home Depot until its leadership decides to stay neutral in the culture war. For more information or to add your name to those boycotting The Home Depot, visit www.boycottthehomedepot.com.

VA backs down in cemetery controversy         
AFA activists played role in good outcome

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Houston National Cemetery agreed to allow prayer and religious speech at funerals for veterans after a firestorm of protest erupted following the revelation of numerous instances of religious discrimination.

AFA issued an action alert that resulted in supporters inundating the VA with over 375,000 e-mails complaining about the government’s attempts to quash religious speech.

In August AFA became aware that the VA and its director of the Houston National Cemetery, Arleen Ocasio, were denying the use of Christian words or phrases at veterans’ funerals. Veterans of Foreign Wars honor guards were even prohibited from saying, “God bless you,” to grieving families as part of their traditional ritual.

The VA had also instructed the VFW and a private funeral home that they could not offer to pray for families attending the funerals, and Ocasio closed the cemetery chapel and began using it for storage.

Several veterans groups – Veterans of Foreign Wars District 4, the American Legion Post 586, and the National Memorial Ladies – decided to sue the VA. They were represented in court by the Liberty Institute.

In October a settlement was announced in which the VA agreed not to ban or interfere with prayers or recitations at committal services; not to edit or control the content of private religious speech and expression by speakers at special ceremonies or events at the cemetery; and not to ban religious speech or words such as “God” or “Jesus” in condolence cards or similar documents given by veterans groups.

The VA agreed to a total of 50 provisions in the settlement.

“While the legal work in this case was carried out by the fine attorneys at Liberty Institute, at AFA we were pleased that so many supporters took the time to contact the VA concerning this obvious disregard for the First Amendment,” said Randy Sharp, AFA director of special projects.

Under pressure from several groups, including AFA, prayer and religious speech is once again allowed at funerals for veterans held at the Houston National Cemetery.