A Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority [WMATA] Board member, Robert J. Smith, a Catholic husband, father of four and a seasoned Republican activist, was fired from his three-year term board position by the Republican Governor who appointed him.

Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. fired Smith on June 15 because he spoke against sodomy during a local cable television round-table discussion. During a taped June 9 weekly-televised show, Smith told the program's discussion panel that same-sex marriage was wrong and homosexuality was a deviancy.

Referring to Vice President Cheney's lesbian daughter who has stated publicly she does not want government interfering in her personal life regarding a proposed ban against same-sex marriage, Robert Smith told the discussion panel members:

"That's fine, that's fine, but that doesn't mean that government should proffer a special place of entitlement within the laws of the United States for persons of sexual deviancy."

Robert Smith spoke to this writer for RenewAmerica.com:

"My family and I are worn out in just the past 24 hours from the repercussions. I haven't had much time to think of anything other than answering phone calls and media questions on this matter."

Mr. Smith said he was greatly encouraged, however, that his family, friends, and professional colleagues have come forth to support his action. Smith said that his religious beliefs and what he stated on air as a private citizen should have nothing to do with his board position regarding running trains and buses. He said his Catholic moral beliefs have not been a detriment to his actions or decisions while sitting on the transit board.

"It's good to know that what I did was not anything wrong but in fact was the right thing to do. It's good to know that others, like you, agree with me, that I'm not actually crazy, and I'm not out here all alone."

When asked if Law Centers such as Alliance Defend Fund or Thomas More Law Center might possibly be interested in taking on future legal actions, Robert Smith stated said it was not yet 24 hours from his sorrowful termination from the Metro transit board position and he was not yet considering any action.

"Because the Secretary of Transportation, a friend of mine, worked so hard yesterday to protect my position on the board, I would not want to do anything legally if it meant hurting my friend."

In a related matter recently, the State of Massachusetts denied the Massachusetts Catholic Conference of Bishops' request to exempt Catholic Charities, a social service agency, from having to place adoptive children within sodomite households. Without the exemption, the Catholic adoption agency was forced to stop providing extraordinary service to the State by placing many special needs children every year in homes, rather than comply with an evil law that requires adoption agencies not to ‘discriminate against homosexual couples.'

As Christians, we are called to prayerfully and vocally support the moral leaders in our society, which Robert Smith certainly is. It would be most encouraging to all Catholic faithful for Robert Smith's bishop, William Cardinal Keeler, archbishop of the archdiocese of Baltimore [email: communications@archbalt.org], to reiterate the Church's infallible moral teachings on the subject of homosexuality, particularly in Robert Smith's defense among so much secular and humanistic relativism and confusion on this subject.

If you would like to email Robert Smith with your encouragement and support, you are invited to do so at his personal email:

smithcolen@aol.com. In addition, his office contacts are: fax: 301-947-0719; phone: 301-330-1023

Please also consider emailing the intolerant Governor Ehrlich who initiated Smith's termination: http://www.gov.state.md.us/mail/

Governor's phone: 1-800-811-8336