Issues@Hand
AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs
October 1999 – American Family Association of Alabama and its president, Tom Blackerby, have been named in a lawsuit in state court by a county government and a dog race track for publicly opposing a gambling bill. Other pro-family groups who spoke out against the measure have also been named in the suit, which seeks $50 million in compensatory damages and $250 million in punitive damages.
This past April the Alabama state legislature narrowly defeated a proposal which would have legalized video poker on the premises of dog racing tracks, already legal in Alabama. Profamily groups see video poker as a particularly addictive form of gambling, especially within an atmosphere which already promotes betting.
AFA of Alabama and other pro-family groups, which had actively and publicly opposed the bill, were named in the lawsuit in August just four months after the law’s defeat. Stephen M. Crampton, chief counsel for the AFA Center for Law & Policy (CLP), which is defending Blackerby and AFA of Alabama, thinks the timing of the suit is no coincidence.
“In October 1999 there is a statewide referendum in Alabama on the creation of a state lottery, and it’s a big issue,” Crampton said. “This lawsuit appears to be an attempt to neutralize pro-family forces before the initiative comes to a vote, in an effort to pass the lottery measure.”
Brian Fahling, senior trial attorney for CLP, said the most disappointing aspect of the lawsuit was that the government of Greene County was participating, presumably because the county stood to make money off video poker.
“It is almost inconceivable that taxpayer dollars would be used to fund a lawsuit designed to punish some of the very same citizens who paid the taxes in the first place,” Fahling said. “This lawsuit is clear retaliation by government officials against those with whom they disagree.”
Retaliation, said Crampton, is contrary to our concept of government. “Ordinary citizens should be active in the political arena. This lawsuit is the equivalent of Bob Dole suing Bill Clinton because he campaigned against Dole and won the 1996 presidential election. This is the scorched earth policy of so many people in politics nowadays. If you have an enemy, take him down using any means necessary.” 
