Raw Story reports that six days before his death, Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) told a constituent that he supported the repeal of the military policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

“Repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ does not change the composition of our Armed Forces,” Sen. Byrd wrote in a letter to constituent Jim McKay.

“It merely allows troops to continue to do their jobs without fear of dismissal or blackmailing because of their personal life,” Sen. Byrd wrote.

In 1993, Byrd was a big opponent of allowing gay people to serve openly in the military.

Bryd’s replacement Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has not expressed whether he will vote for repeal. During his first appearance on the Armed Services Committee in early December, Sen. Manchin warned that repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” may cause military chaplains to leave the service in large numbers.

Of course, this is nonsense and just one more empty scare tactic designed to obscure the fact that lifting the ban will have virtually no affect on the military.

Truth Wins Out (TWO) called on The Family Policy Council of West Virginia to immediately remove an online video ad that compares same-sex marriage supporters to snipers targeting families. The goal of the ad is to rally supporters to lobby in favor of amending West Virginia’s constitution to prohibit same sex couples from marrying.

“This kind of overheated rhetoric creates a climate where hate crimes can occur,” said Truth Wins Out’ Executive Director Wayne Besen. “We demand that The Family Policy Council of West Virginia apologize and take down this violent ad. This video is reckless, wrongheaded and irresponsible.”

In the Federal Bureau of Investigation’ latest hate crime report, such crimes based on sexual orientation were ranked third (16%), slightly below religion (19%) and race (52%). The ad is part of a plan to get hundreds of churches across West Virginia to participate in a “Stand4Marriage Sunday” on March 1.

According to the Associated Press, “about a minute into the video, the crosshairs of a rifle scope appear over the image of a family blowing bubbles.” The narrator warns that “same-sex marriage is a closer reality in West Virginia than you may think,” and that activists are “working tirelessly to define marriage away from God’s design.”

The AP also reports that The Family Policy Council of West Virginia, has yet to register as a charity with state officials, though it’s reported raising enough to trigger that requirement.

“The Family Policy Council is not above the law,” said Besen. “The state of West Virginia has an obligation to immediately investigate and ensure they are following the rules.”

Like other attempts to ban marriage in state constitutions, there is evidence that this effort is no more than a sneaky attempt to elect Republicans. Th

e AP story said that both of the council’s Web sites were created with the help of CampaignSecrets.org, a Georgia firm that says it is “focused exclusively on electing Republicans to local office.”

Such “Family Councils” are often tied to Focus on the Family, an organization that runs the Love Won Out conference that teach homosexuals to “pray away the gay.”

“This is a golden opportunity for Focus on the Family to demonstrate their professed love for gay people by reining in their renegade offshoot in West Virginia,” said Besen.

Truth Wins Out is a non-profit organization that defends gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people from anti-gay lies. TWO also counters the “ex-gay” myth and educates America about gay life.