The rabid religious right will go to almost any length to express the so-called love of Supply-side Jesus in the form of hatred for LGBT people.
June may be “the month of Pride” but this year the Cincinnati parade has coincided with July 4th, leading some conservative leaders to warn residents [bigots delinked] against traveling downtown for the traditional holiday celebrations:
“We think its not right for them to invade the Fourth of July, and we’re trying to warn people that if they do go downtown they may be exposed to some deviant behavior,” Phil Burress, president of Citizens for Community Values. “Everything from sex in the streets to topless women.”…”It bothers me that they’re going downtown on the Fourth of July, and it has nothing to do with the July celebration. Nothing,” Burress said.
Parade organizers point out that “ninety-five percent of our parade entries are church organizations, student and university groups, political rights groups.” “They never want to focus on the reality of the GLBT community and the couples who have been together for 10, 15, 20 years,” parade organizer George Crawford said… [emphasis original]
Gee, the Pride parade in Portland goes right by my door every year. I always step outside to wave an show support. I’ve never seen any sex in the streets or topless women. :-( What gives, Portland? Let’s get with the program! 😉
Seriously, everyone has a right to take pride in who they are. I think these bigots have no pride in themselves and feel the need to put others down to make themselves feel OK. I also think that they want their sheeple to stay home, lest they see that LGBT folk are people like everyone else.
The machinations of the religious right never cease to amaze me. Lady brood mares, your service is required! 😉
The AFA’s Bryan Fischer points to an article reporting on a study that has found that more American women are choosing not to have children and sees in it an opportunity for Christians to ultimately gain complete social, cultural, and political dominance by simply breeding more [theocrat delinked]:
What this means quite simply is that liberals are breeding themselves out of existence … All this represents a marvelous opportunity for conservatives. We can regain political control of this country by simply following the biblical mandate to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” This cultural mandate from God, as recorded in Genesis 1:28, has never been rescinded. It is as much in effect today as the moment it was first uttered.
…
Since we need to make up for the childbearing aversion of our secular fundamentalist friends, perhaps each conservative family can set out to have at least four children. It won’t be too long before our poor, outflanked elites will be so badly outnumbered by a new generation imbued with the values of the Judeo-Christian tradition they may have to start having children of their own just to fight back and retain a sliver of cultural influence… [emphasis added]
I can see only one way that we on the left can overcome this vile Machiavellian plot. We must invest our precious bodily fluids and beat them to the bedroom. I’m not sure about my status as a warrior, as I may have forgotten how, but if one of you needs my assistance, I’d be happy to try to remember. 😉
In light of all the nay saying about Obama’s failure to pull a solution out of thin air to stop the GOP gusher, let’s consider the GOP solutions. The first, as always, is Drill Baby Drill.
A U.S. judge promised to rule by Wednesday on an oil industry challenge to the Obama administration’s six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico after the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
U.S. District Court Judge Martin Feldman heard opening statements in New Orleans on Monday in a case in which more than a dozen companies involved in offshore drilling operations called the ban "arbitrary and capricious."
The lawsuit is the first case seeking to reverse Obama’s May 28 moratorium, which the companies say will force job cuts in the labor force needed to service offshore oil platforms. The ban has caused the shutdown of 33 deepwater drilling rigs.
Obama imposed the six-month ban after an explosion aboard an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20 killed 11 workers and ruptured a well owned by energy giant BP, unleashing millions of gallons of crude into the ocean.
The Obama administration argues that the moratorium is necessary to prevent further accidents while a presidential commission investigates the cause of the BP spill.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, a Republican critic of the Obama administration’s handling of the spill, has sided with the companies in the case. Jindal argued that the ban could cripple the offshore industry… [emphasis added]
Like Keith, I have nothing against prayer. I have prayed regularly for the gulf victims, but depending a miracle in this case is the epitome of stupidity. I would think that when asking God to undo the consequences of unrepentant greed, she is likely to say no.
Then there’s this absurd notion that liberals hate Palin, because she’s beautiful. When I first saw her, I admit, I thought that the GOP was using the eye-candy approach that seems to work for Faux Noise. But as I became familiar with her, and the spiritual side of her nature began to show through, the ugliness within her outshone whatever physical attributes she has.
I often have occasion to question the mental health of several of the people GOP sheeple elect. In this case, there’s no question about it.
Oklahoma State Senator Rex Duncan (R) is pushing for a ballot measure that would prohibit courts from considering international or sharia law when deciding cases. He says the measure is a "preemptive strike" against "liberal judges" who want to "undermine those founding principles" of America.
The "Save Our State" amendment would require Oklahoma courts to use state and federal laws only when ruling, and Duncan explained on MSNBC today that he wants to ensure "that our courts are not used to undermine those founding principles, and turn Oklahoma into something that our founding fathers and our great grandparents wouldn’t recognize."
He said that "Oklahomans recognize that America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles," and that his measure "is a pre-emptive strike to make sure that liberal judges don’t take to the bench in an effort to use their position to undermine" those principles by considering international or sharia law.
When asked if there was a danger of judges doing this, Duncan maintained that though it hasn’t happened yet, "it’s not just a danger. It’s a reality."… [emphasis added]
I have some news for Duncan. Our founding fathers gave Islam equal status with Christianity when they ratified the First Amendment. Furthermore, those Muslims that insist on strict observance of Sharia are not the liberals, just like those Christians who insist on strict observance of Old Testament Law, they are the most rabid right-wingers. Finally, I am completely unaware of any legal case where a US Judge has decided a case based on Sharia.
Run, Mr. Duncan, do not walk, to the closest psychiatrist. You are suffering from Teabuggery Disorder.
Sometimes I just have to scratch my head and wonder just how crazy is crazy enough for the GOP. This clown is actually the frontrunner to win the GOP candidacy for a House seat.
North Carolina Republicans are circulating court documents that suggest a far-right Tea-Party-backed congressional candidate claimed to be the Messiah, tried to raise his stepfather from the dead, believed God would drop a 1,000-mile high pyramid as the New Jerusalem on Greenland, and found the Ark of the Covenant in Arizona.
Tim D’Annunzio also has written that he wants to abolish several key government departments, including the IRS. But there’s more going on here than just another wacky conservative politician. The effort by GOP leaders to stop D’Annunzio at all costs offers an intriguing test case of their ability to keep control of the party in the face of challenges from the Tea Party wing. Or as D’Annunzio himself has put it: "The power brokers in Raleigh and in Washington are willing to go to any length and use any unscrupulous tactic to try to destroy somebody. They think that they’re losing their control over the Republican party."
D’Annunzio is seeking the GOP nomination to take on Rep. Larry Kissell (D-NC) this fall. He was the leader in a primary earlier this month, but didn’t win enough of the vote to avoid a runoff in June. The state and national party is backing his opponent, former T.V. sportscaster Harold Johnson. And how.
"I consider Mr. D’Annunzio unfit for public office at any level," Tom Fetzer, the North Carolina GOP chair, told reporters recently. "What he could do to the party as our nominee is secondary in my view to what he could do to the country if he got elected." And a spokesman for the NRCC said: "The issue is, do we give Democrats a candidate that they can absolutely tear apart in the general election? I don’t think most Republicans want to see that happen."
To undermine D’Annunzio, the state GOP has been circulating records from his 1995 divorce and from a 1998 child support judgment. In the latter, as the Charlotte Observer reported Sunday, the judge called D’Annunzio "a self-described religious zealot," and wrote that D’Annunzio had "described the government as the ‘Antichrist’."
In the divorce case, Anne D’Annunzio said her husband had told her that "God was going to drop a 1,000-mile high pyramid" on Greenland, and also that he had found the Ark of the Covenant in Arizona, among other unusual beliefs.
In addition, a doctor wrote in the custody proceedings that D’Annunzio told him he had once received treatment for heroin dependence, and was jailed three times for offenses that included burglary and assaulting a police officer.
D’Annunzio says his personal problems are in all in the past. But the Born Again candidate still has some pretty extreme political ideas. On a blog he writes, entitled "Christ’s War," D’Annunzio declared [Teabagger delinked] earlier this year that he wanted to "abolish the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Energy, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Transportation, Treasury, and Home Land Security," and the IRS, as well as "any appellate court that has shown an anti Constitutional activism." He also advocated giving control of Social Security and Medicare to the states… [emphasis added]
Now GOP apologists will claim that the main party is backing the other guy. I grant them that. Just like they did in Kentucky, they’re supporting a goose-stepper with a lower insanity level to save themselves embarrassment. But if he wins the runoff and becomes the GOP nominee, how much do you want to bet that Mitch “One Bought Bitch” McConnell and the GOP leadership will embrace his candidacy, just like they have that of Rand Paul?
As a break from our serious political study, I thought I’d give you three very funny pieces.
First, here is a wonderful email I received from my friend Sandi.
In her radio show, Dr Laura Schlesinger said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following response is an open letter to Dr. Laura, penned by a US resident, which was posted on the Internet. It’s funny, as well as informative:
Dear Dr. Laura:
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God’s Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination … End of debate.
I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God’s Laws and how to follow them.
1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can’t I own Canadians?
2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of Menstrual uncleanliness – Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord – Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?
6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination, Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don’t agree. Can you settle this? Are there ‘degrees’ of abomination?
7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?
8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?
9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn’t we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)
I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I’m confident you can help.
Thank you again for reminding us that God’s word is eternal and unchanging.
Your adoring fan.
James M. Kauffman, Ed.D.
Professor Emeritus, Dept. Of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education
University of Virginia
(It would be a damn shame if we couldn’t own a Canadian 🙂
I’d like to own a Canadian too. Wouldn’t you?
The second is from Andy Borowitz.
MINNEAPOLIS (The Borowitz Report) – In a sign of his increasing prominence in the so-called Tea Party movement, a new poll shows Kentucky senatorial candidate Rand Paul topping former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin among voters who describe themselves as morons.
In the poll, conducted by the University of Minnesota’s Opinion Research Institute, 42% preferred Paul, 36% preferred Palin, and the remaining 22% were unsure what the word “prefer” meant.
According to Davis Logsdon, who supervised the poll for the University of Minnesota, Paul’s surging popularity among morons is bad news for Palin, who previously had a lock on that important constituency.
“I never thought I’d say this, but if Palin is going to stay competitive with Paul, she’s going to have to start dumbing down her message.” More here.
He is a classic! But in Minnesota, shouldn’t that be a three way race including Michelle Bachmann?
Finally, here are Bill Maher’s New Rules from May 21.
Warning: profanity
He outdid himself on this one.
To see all the videos I’ve uploaded to You Tube, click here.
The state of Texas has decided to rearrange history to indoctrinate students with GOP propaganda.
Today, the right-wing Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) will give final approval of content for state social studies curriculum. The standards will “dictate what is taught in all Texas schools and provide the basis for textbooks and student achievement tests over the next decade.” Yesterday, this unqualified board — which includes a woman who thinks public education is a “tool of perversion” and a chairman whose real profession is a dentist — continued to inject their right-wing ideology into the state’s standards, pushing for inclusion of more conservatives, more Confederate glorification, and more distortion of progressive viewpoints.
Whether To Require Students To Learn Obama’s Middle Name: Republican David Bradley is one of the leaders of the SBOE’s far-right faction. Yesterday, he suggested that if students were going to learn about Barack Obama as the first African-American president, they should also learn his middle name — Hussein. However, fellow Republican Bob Craig objected, saying, “The intent of what you’re doing is pretty obvious, but I don’t think it is necessarily correct,” pointing out that other presidents like Kennedy and Reagan don’t have their middle names in the standards. Bradley eventually withdrew his amendment, and the board decided to list Obama as he is on the White House website: Barack H. Obama.
Elevating Confederate Leader Jefferson Davis To The Level Of Abraham Lincoln: There was “prolonged debate” yesterday over whether to “include Confederate President Jefferson Davis’ inaugural address with a lesson on Abraham Lincoln’s philosophical views.” Far-right Republican Cynthia Dunbar said that excluding Jefferson would be an attempt to “whitewash” history. (TFN Insider adds, “But that’s what Davis’s address does! The address doesn’t even mention the reason southern states seceded: slavery.”) Eventually, the SBOE votes to keep in Davis and require students to “contrast” his speech to Lincoln’s speeches.
Requiring That Historical Figures — Except Conservative Ones — Must Be Dead For Students To Study Them: Yesterday, SBOE voted to strip United Farm Workers of America co-founder Dolores Huerta from a third-grade list of “historical and contemporary figures who have exemplified good citizenship.” Several officials argued that she is a socialist and therefore should be excluded. But perhaps the most blatantly biased objection came from Bradley, who said:
I am very reluctant to include persons who are still alive. By definition of “history,” you must be dead, because you never know when you might embarrass us later.
For all intents and purposes, they are transforming Texas classrooms, and those in whatever other states follow the Texas standard to save money, into indoctrination centers teaching children what to think, not how to think.
Of course Texas can count on the GOP Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise, for support.
It’s apparent that Fox News is fully on board with the conservative effort to change the Texas curriculum in order to mold it to their Christian right revisionist view of history. Yesterday, despite having originally booked somebody from the “other” side (“People From The American Way”) Martha MacCallum hosted only a far right, Texas conservative Christian supporter of the conservative changes whose views went unrebutted by MacCallum who agreed with her. Turns out that People for the American Way were, according to theircommentary, told that the segment had been scratched. (Guess Fox had its fingers crossed when they said that!)… [emphasis added]
I have for some time referred to Michael Steele as “the gift that keeps on giving”. But compared to some of the groups with which Rand Paul associates himself, Michael Steele seems quite sane by comparison.
Bruce Wilson writes:
…So it isn’t altogether surprising that Rand Paul could be found, in April 2009, at a rally held by a political party that’s been heavily influenced by a movement whose founder, Rousas Rushdoony, advocated executing homosexuals by stoning, wanted to reimpose the institution of slavery, and maintained that the Sun rotated around the Earth.
On April 25, 2009, Rand Paul was the featured guest speaker at The Constitution Party of Minnesota’s "event of the year." I’ve found video of Rand Paul at an afternoon Minneapolis rally, so he was without a doubt in the vicinity.
Just to make sure I talked to Tammy Houle, whose phone number is the Minnesota Constitution Party [Wing-nuts delinked] listed contact number, and she confirmed to me that Rand Paul had indeed spoken at the April 25th evening event.
The odd thing about Rand and Ron Paul’s political tendency is that it offers liberals and progressives a number of points of agreement, probably more than with more ‘mainstream’ conservative GOP politicians. For example, Ron Paul has been a principled opponent of the invasion of Iraq and US military adventurism in the Mideast generally, and Rand Paul espouses the same position.
But it’s hard to get much more extreme than Christian Reconstructionism, whose founder Rushdoony was a Holocaust denier, a racist, a creationist, and an advocate for slavery who claimed that African-American slaves were lucky.
Weigh it for yourself — Howard Phillips, who founded the Constitution Party, has, according to journalist Frederick Clarkson, described Rousas J. Rushdoony as "my wise counseler."
As Rushdoony wrote in Politics of Guilt and Pity:
The white man is being systematically indoctrinated into believing that he is guilty of enslaving and abusing the Negro. Granted that some Negroes were mistreated as slaves, the fact still remains that nowhere in all history or in the world today has the Negro been better off. The life expectancy of the Negro increased when he was transported to America. He was not taken from freedom into slavery, but from a vicious slavery to degenerate chiefs to a generally benevolent slavery in the United States. There is not the slightest evidence that any American Negro had ever lived in a "free society" in Africa; even the idea did not exist in Africa. The move from Africa to America was a vast increase of freedom for the Negro…
None of this, of course, is Rand Paul’s direct responsibility. But it certainly is suggestive… [emphasis added]
If that is not enough, according to the same author, Christian Reconstructionism also wants to expand capital punishment.
…Epitomizing the Reconstructionist idea of Biblical "warfare" is the centrality of capital punishment under Biblical Law. Doctrinal leaders (notably Rushdoony, North, and Bahnsen) call for the death penalty for a wide range of crimes in addition to such contemporary capital crimes as rape, kidnapping, and murder. Death is also the punishment for apostasy (abandonment of the faith), heresy, blasphemy, witchcraft, astrology, adultery, "sodomy or homosexuality," incest, striking a parent, incorrigible juvenile delinquency, and, in the case of women, "unchastity before marriage… [emphasis added]
No doubt, Paul and his GOP Supporters will deny that Paul holds these views. If that is true, why was he keynoting their event? If they do not represent his views, he should not be associating himself with them. This is even worse that the GOP dominated Indiana legislature. They just want to keep ladies Barefoot and Pregnant, but Paul’s associates want most ladies and other folks dead.
Rand ‘Son of Tin Foil Hat’ Paul may be just one wing-nut in a very red state, but he is still very important as the new face of the GOP. He has come right out with things that most Republican leaders keep barely hidden beneath their sheets and hoods.
June may be “the month of Pride” but this year the Cincinnati parade has coincided with July 4th, leading some conservative leaders to warn residents [bigots delinked] against traveling downtown for the traditional holiday celebrations:
