Presented by Religious Freedom Coalition

John Peterson's office like others we called, stated that his position is that Witches aren't a "Real" religion" and in fact are an evil cult.  What is a real religion, Mr. Peterson?  What you have been practicing?  Read the following and remember: "By their Works may they be known."  This is a summary of information collected from several sources about John E. Peterson.

(Remember it is best to investigate on your own when looking at allegations about anyone.     Don't believe us, think for yourself and investigate for yourself!  And remember, the First Amendment Coalition does not represent any political party nor do we recommend any political candidate, nor are we involving ourselves in the political process.  This information is only for students of John E. Peterson )

Republican John E. Peterson has represented Pennsylvania's 5th Congressional District since 1996. Although he is a relative newcomer to the House of Representatives, Peterson has already established himself as one of the premier hypocrites of the family-values party.

In a May 6, 1998, House floor speech attacking the ethical conduct of the Clinton Administration, Peterson accused the White House of "an almost pathological inability to be honest with the American public." He capped his oration by roaring, "Why sugarcoat what everyone else knows to be true? The emperor has no clothes!"

If Peterson had been living by a lesser double standard, he might have felt a draft down where his trousers should have been. The 60-year-old grandfather, who publicly characterizes himself as a Sunday-school teacher and small-town grocer from Pleasantville, has been married to the same woman for more than 30 years. During the 1996 Congressional campaign his wife, Saundra, wrote an open letter to voters claiming that her husband was "the most honest, decent and caring person I have ever known."

The missive was precipitated by published charges that her spouse had engaged in improper behavior toward women in the workplace during the previous ten years. When the allegations surfaced, he promptly blamed his opponent, State Representative Ruth C. Rudy. "It's pretty obvious that it's a political ploy, no doubt about it," said Peterson, expressing a sentiment that he opted not to echo during what many saw as a politically motivated vendetta against President Clinton.

During the campaign the Harrisburg Patriot-News published accounts of four women who spoke out against the Congressional aspirant. Peterson, then 57, claimed the episodes "just never happened." As an afterthought, he admitted that he "may have been an excessive hugger." A large range of activities can be lumped into that area between "just never happened" and "may have been an excessive hugger." Such activities might include the forced kissing and unwelcome groping described by Peterson's accusers.

Emily Gruss Gillis, former associate director of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, is on record stating that Peterson­while on CRP premises­grabbed her behind the neck and exerted pressure, kissing her against her will. "I offered resistance, pushing back, and I felt like he overcame my resistance," recalled Gillis in the Philadelphia Inquirer. "My first concern was personal safety." From that moment on she refused to be alone with Peterson again.

Katherine Northam, at the time an 18-year-old page in the Pennsylvania state Senate, recounted an incident in which Peterson allegedly groped one of her breasts in an elevator. "I was holding a box of invitations, and it was the size of a cake box," Northam told the Philadelphia paper in 1996. "I had both my arms extended in front of me. He [Peterson] said, 'What are these?' And as he said that, he grabbed my breast." According to Northam, she escaped by hunching her shoulders and running from the elevator when the doors opened. As is so often the case in incidents of this kind, Northam "didn't feel that there was anyone who would have taken my allegations seriously. It was my word against his."

Two unnamed women, a lobbyist and a former state Senate employee, told the Harrisburg Patriot-News that they had been the victims of crude come-ons from Peterson. The lobbyist claimed to have suffered "a hug and deep-throat kiss" when she had gone to tell Peterson that a mutual friend had died.

The newspaper went on to say that three more women had sought reassignment from Peterson's office due to "uncomfortable work situations." These transfers were verified by David Atkinson, executive assistant to State Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Jubelirer.

A special investigator hired by the Pennsylvania Senate concluded that the incident with the young page "most probably occurred." Ultimately the legislative body established a more specific policy prohibiting sexual harassment in honor of Peterson's efforts in that field.

The Congressman acknowledges that his past bad publicity "is definitely a political noose around my neck. I understand that." That tightening noose hasn't prevented John E. Peterson from stepping up to the scaffold to denounce naked human failings whether his own pants are pulled up or not.