Ron Hill’s site Republicans 4 Freedom‘s slogan is “Advocates For The Rational Wing of the Republican Party.” And that he is. Hill wrote for conservative CNN commentator David Frum’s web site, and has advocated for repeal of “DADT” and for marijuana legalization. He wrote this in response to Mike Signorile’s Advocate commentary, “Lessons Learned,” about GOProud, the Tea Party and the grip of the fundamentalists on the Republican party. This piece is cross-posted with permission.

The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the largest workplace giving program in the world, and if you’re a federal civilian employee or member of the military, you can give to certified hate groups through it.

You can even arrange to make donations on government time. Federal employees are given time off from their usual duties (and paid by the taxpayers) to attend meetings on organizing the local CFC campaign and also take time during the work week to encourage and assist their fellow employees in giving through the CFC.

In essence, your tax dollars help make the CFC possible, and when someone gives to a hate group like the American Family Association or the Family Research Council, government employees will help make it possible to deduct the donation from federal employees paychecks and send it to the respective organization of hateful bigots.

Your tax dollars hard at work.

When I contacted the CFC, Ms. Mary Capule of the U. S. Office of Personnel Management (which is responsible for managing the CFC), replied:

“An organization which meets the requirements of the regulations may participate in the CFC regardless of its political views or expressive message…by law, the CFC is a limited public forum and OPM can restrict participation without offending the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.  However, OPM’s ability to restrain participation is limited to minimizing disruption to the federal workplace, ensuring the success of the fund-raising effort, or avoiding the appearance of political favoritism without regard to the viewpoint of excluded groups.  An organization’s viewpoint or position on controversial issues does not, in and of itself, support exclusion from the CFC.  See Cornelius v. NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, 473 U.S. 788 (1985).

Does this mean the OPM would allow the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan or the Aryan Nations to raise funds through the CFC, with the help of government employees? One would think that inclusion on the list of certified hate groups would exclude an organization from the CFC. Would a pro-pedophile group be able to raise funds through the CFC? I would hope not. Some organizations are so morally reprehensible to civilized societies they should not be allowed to participate in the CFC; and the AFA and the FRC are certified hate groups just like the KKK and the Aryan Nations. What are they doing in the CFC? (See CFC’s “Charity Eligibility & Participation” page)

It’s important to remember why the American Family Association (CFC charity#12037), and the Family Research Council (CFC charity# 10523), are considered hate groups.