FoxNews: "Obama = Terrorist"

You knew it was only a matter of time before Fox News did this, but when it happens, it's still makes your head hurt.

Fox News Barack Obama Madrasa Slander

Martin Luther King Day

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

When I stop to think about it, I marvel that despite the fact that the likes of Dick Cheney, Jesse Helms, Trent Lott, Strom Thurmond, Mitch McConnell, and John McCain voted against its creation, there is a national holiday honoring Dr. King - an honor that George Washington and Abraham Lincoln do not share.

* * * * *
For my generation - and any other generation too young to have been there - there is a need to tell ones self that if they had been alive during the Civil Rights movement, they would have stood shoulder to shoulder with Dr. King on the side of good.

My generation's attitudes about race are certainly more in line with those of Dr. King than Gov. George Wallace's, but does that mean that if you were there then, a product of those times and that culture rather than our own, that you would stand up for civil rights?

I once read, and forgive me for not remembering where, that a very good indicator of where you would stand on Civil Rights if you were alive in the '60s is your stance of Gay rights right now.

Though that statement seems self evident today. It was a revelation when I read it back when I was in high school in the '90s. Though I would have probably self identified as a Democrat and a liberal then, I was far less interested and far less involved in politics and/or social causes at the time.

People on both sides of the debate would probably point out differences between the struggle that Dr. King embarked upon and the one facing so many Americans today. And yes, there are incidental differences, but at the root, both struggles are the same -to ensure that every American, even those in maligned minority groups, is ensured equality.

Anti-gay forces understand that King's stance was the right stand. That's why they are so vocal in their claims that one struggle for civil rights is so different from the other. A realization by the public that they are the same struggle would lend incredible credence to to the efforts to end discrimination, both personal and governmental, against the LGTB community.

When we remember Dr. King, we do best to remember his struggle for equality for all Americans, period. The specific fronts in his battle are different than fronts we face today. Both are invaluable steps towards fulfilling the promise of America.

Martin Luther King

Goode To Keep Mouth Shut

Virgil Goode's Press Secretary has told RawStory that Goode won't be commenting on the fact that George W. Bush has appointed Zalmay Khalilzad, a Muslim, as the new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

This is in sharp contrast to the comments that Virgil Goode made about newly elected Keith Ellison (D-MN), the first Muslim to be elected to the House of Representatives, placing his hand on a Koran for his ceremonials and non-official swearing in.

I guess he just didn't want this to happen again...

If I ever find out who took the time and money to stencil (in matching gold leaf) "BIGOT" on the window of Rep. Goode's office, she or he will never pay for a drink so long as I'm in the bar.

Virgil Goode Keith+Ellison Zalmay Khalilzad

Citation du Jour

"I fear that in the next century we will have many more Muslims in the United States."

- Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA) in a letter to constituents.

The problem with writing bat-shit crazy things in letters to constituents is that one of those letters may inadvertently end up on the possession of someone who will send it to a newspaper.

Think Progress has more from the letter:

I do not subscribe to using the Koran in any way. The Muslim Representative from Minnesota was elected by the voters of that district and if American citizens don’t wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran.

You wouldn't even use it to keep your sofa level? That's what I'm doing with the NRSV...

The Ten Commandments and "In God We Trust" are on the wall in my office. A Muslim student came by the office and asked why I did not have anything on my wall about the Koran. My response was clear, "As long as I have the honor of representing the citizens of the 5th District of Virginia in the United States House of Representatives, The Koran is not going to be on the wall of my office."

Virgil Goode (if that name doesn't scream 'Antebellum South' I don't know what does) seems to be concerned that there will be more Muslims in America in the coming century. First, I'm more concerned that the number of Christianists will be higher in the coming century. Second, Rep. Goode is 60 years old. I'm less than half of his age. My opinion about what's happening in the coming century means a hell of a lot more than his because I'm gonna be alive for most of it.

Bigotry, hatred, and intolerance - alive and well in the U.S.A.

Talking Points Memo has an image of the letter here.

Virgil Goode Bigotry Muslims

Dennis Prager: Lying Asshat

As I noted before, Dennis Prager angered me beyond words with his bigoted screed against Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison. Turns out that the 'outrage' that underlies his column never happened. From Think Progress:

Right-wing radio host Dennis Prager wrote a column earlier this week claiming that Rep.-elect Keith Ellison (D-MN), the first Muslim elected to Congress, had "announced that he will not take his oath of office on the Bible, but on the bible of Islam, the Koran." Prager claimed this "act undermines American civilization," and compared it to being sworn in with a copy of Hitler's "Mein Kampf."

[...]

But Prager's column is based on one other glaring error: the swearing-in ceremony for the House of Representatives never includes a religious book. The Office of the House Clerk confirmed to ThinkProgress that the swearing-in ceremony consists only of the Members raising their right hands and swearing to uphold the Constitution. The Clerk spokesperson said neither the Christian Bible, nor any other religious text, had ever been used in an official capacity during the ceremony. (Occasionally, Members pose for symbolic photo-ops with their hand on a Bible.)

I'll tell you where to stick that finger, Mr. Prager.

I'm not holding my breath for an apology...

Dennis Prager Keith Ellison Koran

Dennis Prager Angers Me Beyond Words

This man has more site traffic than I do. How does he get it? By being an asshat:

Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to the United States Congress, has announced that he will not take his oath of office on the Bible, but on the bible of Islam, the Koran.

He should not be allowed to do so -- not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American civilization.

First, it is an act of hubris that perfectly exemplifies multiculturalist activism -- my culture trumps America's culture. What Ellison and his Muslim and leftist supporters are saying is that it is of no consequence what America holds as its holiest book; all that matters is what any individual holds to be his holiest book.

Forgive me, but America should not give a hoot what Keith Ellison's favorite book is. Insofar as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is concerned, America is interested in only one book, the Bible. If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in Congress.

Wrap your head around that for a minute.

Mr. Prager goes on to assert (and I have no way of knowing if he's correct) that every Jewish Person elected to office in the history of the United States has sworn their oat of office on the Bible. Whether or not that's true, he follows up with this:

So why are we allowing Keith Ellison to do what no other member of Congress has ever done -- choose his own most revered book for his oath?

Because he asked, and because it's his right you ignorant mother-fucker.

[Mustn't stoop to name calling. Mustn't stoop to name calling. I'm better than the ignorant mother-fuckers on the right that always resort to name calling.]

The Constitution guarantees that no religious test be applied for public office. Being forced to swear an oath on the holy book of a specific religion sounds an awful lot like a religious test to me.

The people of Minnesota knew that Mr. Ellison was a Muslim when they elected him. Obviously his electorate wasn't "interested in only one book, the Bible" when they sent him to Washington to be their representative.

Dennis Prager Keith Ellison Koran

The Problem with Leviticus

Shakes Sis has a great take on this article. (Go read it.) I'm going to concentrate on a different part of the piece, so hopefully she won't accuse me of post-stealing. From the USA Today:

What if Christian leaders are wrong about homosexuality?

[...]

Religion's only real commodity, after all, is its moral authority. Lose that, and we lose our credibility. Lose credibility, and we might as well close up shop.

[...]

So, why are so many church leaders (not to mention Orthodox Jewish and Muslim leaders) persisting in their view that homosexuality is wrong despite a growing stream of scientific evidence that is likely to become a torrent in the coming years? The answer is found in Leviticus 18. "You shall not lie with a man as with a woman; it is an abomination."

As a former "the Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it" kind of guy, I am sympathetic with any Christian who accepts the Bible at face value. But here's the catch. Leviticus is filled with laws imposing the death penalty for everything from eating catfish to sassing your parents. If you accept one as the absolute, unequivocal word of God, you must accept them all.

For many of gay America's loudest critics, the results are unthinkable. First, no more football. At least not without gloves. Handling a pig skin is an abomination. Second, no more Saturday games even if you can get a new ball. Violating the Sabbath is a capital offense according to Leviticus. For the over-40 crowd, approaching the altar of God with a defect in your sight is taboo, but you'll have plenty of company because those menstruating or with disabilities are also barred.

The truth is that mainstream religion has moved beyond animal sacrifice, slavery and the host of primitive rituals described in Leviticus centuries ago. Selectively hanging onto these ancient proscriptions for gays and lesbians exclusively is unfair according to anybody's standard of ethics. We lawyers call it "selective enforcement," and in civil affairs it's illegal.

I have this sort of twisted fantasy where I impersonate a preacher. I arrive at some megachurch as a 'guest pastor' to deliver the sermon. The bulletin declares today 'Bible Believer's Day' and promises an exciting sermon that will have the congregation participating in ways they never have before.

"Good morning! As you may have read, today Biblical Inerrancy Day. I'd like to invite anybody who's gay to leave."

(The Congregation is shocked. Nobody leaves.)

"I'd also like anybody who's eaten shrimp, lobster, or catfish in the last week to please go to the narthex, where coffee and donuts are being served."

(Again, nobody leaves.)

Surely somebody here has had shrimp this week! On a salad, perhaps? At TGI Fridays? I'm very serious. According to Leviticus 11:12, to eat anything from the sea without fins or scales is sinful in the eyes of God. Please leave.

(At this point, a few people leave.)

Excellent. We're beginning our journey towards a Church that fully adheres to the Inerrant Word of God. Anybody who wears contact lenses or glasses, could you please remove yourselves from the sanctuary.

In addition, any women that are menstruating, any person that has both onions and potatoes planted in their garden, and anybody wearing a cotton/poly blend should leave now too.

Anybody who mowed their lawn Saturday or had a ham and cheese sandwich should leave...

You get the picture.

Oliver "Buzz" Thomas, the author of the article, calls attention to one of the things that has always bothered me about using Leviticus to argue against providing gay people with human rights. There are so many other parts of Leviticus that even the most Christian of people ignore.

Either you believe that everything in the Bible is completely and perfectly true (and you don't eat shrimp or mow your lawn on Saturdays) or you believe that it isn't. There is no half-way. You can't have it both ways.

This makes people uncomfortable. It exposes the fact that they're using scripture to discriminate against people they hate. At best, it's a 'biblical shield' to protect them from something that they think is 'icky.'

Oliver Thomas notes that Jesus' teachings are vastly different from what many Christianists preach. When I was growing up, the minister at my church was fond of saying 'The Devil can quote scripture for his own ends.'

We don't write laws against people that commit adultery. We don't enact legislation against people that work on the Sabbath. There is no statute on the books punishing a person from coveting his neighbor's wife or her neighbor's husband. Usury, gambling, pre-marital sex, swearing, and worshipping god's other than that of Christians are all protected or codified by law in one way or another.

This hypocrisy isn't lost on people. While Christianists loudly proclaim that America is a Christian Nation, the number of non-Christians is quietly growing. Between 1990 and 2001 the percentage of Americans that self-identify as Christian fell from 86.2% to 76.5%. At that rate, by 2042, non-Christians will outnumber Christians in the United States.

There are more Americans who say they are not affiliated with any organized religion than there are Episcopalians, Methodists, and Lutherans taken together.

Mr. Thomas tells us this:

Religion's only real commodity, after all, is its moral authority. Lose that, and we lose our credibility. Lose credibility, and we might as well close up shop.

It's happened to Christianity before, most famously when we dug in our heels over Galileo's challenge to the biblical view that the Earth, rather than the sun, was at the center of our solar system. You know the story. Galileo was persecuted for what turned out to be incontrovertibly true. For many, especially in the scientific community, Christianity never recovered.

My take: If Christians are reduced to 'the anti-gay people' in the eyes of the public, America will look like Europe by the beginning of the next century.

Homosexuality Leviticus Christianity Religion

Glenn Beck is an Ass

From Media Matters:

On the November 14 edition of his CNN Headline News program, Glenn Beck interviewed Rep.-elect Keith Ellison (D-MN), who became the first Muslim ever elected to Congress on November 7, and asked Ellison if he could "have five minutes here where we're just politically incorrect and I play the cards up on the table." After Ellison agreed, Beck said: "I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.' " Beck added: "I'm not accusing you of being an enemy, but that's the way I feel, and I think a lot of Americans will feel that way."

So, in Glenn Beck's twisted head, the simple fact that you're a Muslim means that you have to do something to prove that you're not a terrorist.

This makes as much sense as asking all Christians to prove that they're not Branch Dividians or Abortion Clinic Bombers.

As Media Matters for America has noted, Beck previously warned that if "Muslims and Arabs" don't "act now" by "step[ping] to the plate" to condemn terrorism, they "will be looking through a razor wire fence at the West" and declared that "Muslims who have sat on your frickin' hands the whole time" rather than "lining up to shoot the bad Muslims in the head" will face dire consequences.

All of this begs the question: Why does Glenn Beck still have a TV show? Yeah, there probably are Americans that think just because Keith Ellison is a Muslim, he's a terrorist. These people are bigoted, backwards idiots with views that don't deserve the reinforcement of having them repeated on CNN. Would Beck ask the same question to a Jewish person? A Mormon? A Catholic? Somebody from the wrong sect of Protestantism? I know that there are people that think Atheists are unfit for office, but that doesn't mean that an anchor on a major news channel should be delving into spiritual matters to placate their strange, religious blood-lust.

Mr. Beck, you are a disgrace to your network and a disgrace to the values enshrined in our Constitution.

Glenn Beck Bigotry Keith Ellison

More on Ted Haggard

From KKTV 11 - Colorado Springs:

A sudden about-face in the scandal facing New Life Church's pastor.

After Pastor Ted Haggard went public Wednesday night denying allegations of a homosexual affair, senior church officials told KKTV 11News Thursday evening, Pastor Ted Haggard has admitted to some of the claims made by a former male escort. The church's Acting Senior Pastor, Ross Parsley, tells KKTV 11 News that Pastor Haggard has admitted to some of the indiscretions claimed by Mike Jones, but not all of them.

Which ones? The world wants to know!

Some would accuse me, among others, of schadenfreude. They're wrong. Schadenfreude is a sense of satisfaction in somebody else's misfortune. Schadenfreude would be me being pleased that Ted Haggard broke his leg in a skiing accident. What's happened to Haggard isn't misfortune, it was a choice.

There is no choice in being gay, of course, but nobody forced Haggard to spend his days preaching to a crowd of 14,000 the sinful nature of homosexuality, demonizing gay marriage, and sitting in on conference calls with a White House that rode anti-gay legislation into office. If Haggard hadn't chosen to actively pursue an anti-gay agenda, nobody would care if he had sex with men - though his wife might be angry that he's having sex with somebody out of wedlock.

But he wasn't having sex with a mistress. To get a straight extra-marital affair to count for anything in an election, you have to do something extreme, like choke her.

Haggard set up being gay as a sort of über-sin, one far and away worse than breaking the sabbath, eating shell fish, or taking the Lord's name in vain. (That's why we're not writing laws outlawing NFL games on sunday, cotton-poly blend socks, or Red Lobster.) He's become a victim not of misfortune, but of a concerted effort by a significant portion of this country to marginalize anybody who isn't 'stright.'

There are millions of people in the United States that are victims of the same effort - Haggard's victimhood doesn't make him special. The hypocrisy, the fact that Haggard was/is one of the leaders of that effort makes this story noteworthy.

Hypocrisy is the only reason that news organizations as far flung as the BBC are running this story.

For all those who would see Americans as Pollyannas when it comes to politics, hypocrisy always draws a clear and sharp reaction from the American public. We'll have to wait to see what the fallout from this situation will be.

Ted Haggard Evangelicals Homosexuality Sex Scandal

The 'Real Virginia'

From AP:

Members of the Manassas [Virginia] City Council are hearing plenty of opinions on whether a gay man should be allowed to open a massage therapy business in his home.

Howard Daniel is a former Marine Corps reservist who is also a certified massage therapist. He wants to open the business in his home, but nearly two dozen Manassas residents have spoken out against his application.

Daniel already offers his massage therapy services at the local hospital and in the homes of clients.

Two other applications for a home based massage business have been approved by the Manassas City Counsel in the past 3 years, yet half of the council's members have said they'd vote against Daniel's application.

I guess this is the 'Real Virginia' George Felix Allen talks about...

Howard Daniel Manassas Virginia Bigotry Discrimination

Phelps to Protest at Amish Funerals - UPDATE

According to the odeous and right-wing CNSNews.com:

A Kansas-based group that says "God hates fags" plans to picket the funerals of the Amish girls killed by a disturbed man in Lancaster County, Pa.

The Westboro Baptist Church -- described as a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League -- has made a name for itself by picketing the funerals of U.S. troops killed in Iraq. The troops are dying as punishment for America's tolerance of homosexuality, the group says.

The Westboro group says the Amish school girls were "killed by a madman in punishment for Gov. Ed Rendell's blasphemous sins against Westboro Baptist Church.

"Gov. Ed Rendell -- speaking and acting in his official capacity to bind the State of Pennsylvania -- slandered and mocked and ridiculed and condemned Westboro Baptist Church on national Fox TV," the group says on its website.

"Rendell also revealed a conspiracy to employ the State's police powers to destroy WBC in order to silence WBC's Gospel message. Co-conspirators identified by Rendell included state officials, citizens, lawyers, legislators and media," the website says.

Westboro Baptist Church said it is "continuing to pray for even worse punishment upon Pennsylvania."

This should be interesting because the funerals will be held in private homes (the Amish don't worship in churches) on private property probably some distance from any public area.

That said, the WBC's bullshit may go over ok in Kansas, but I promise you Pennsylvania won't be as receptive.

Interesting side note: In Phelp's twisted mind, this wasn't punishment for sins against God, it was for sins against Phelp's Westboro Baptist Church. Call me crazy, but I think this relates to a story my church's minister told when I was a kid:

"There are no Proud Christians, just people who are one or the other."

God is personally intervening because Gov. Rendell said some nasty things about you're bat-shit crazy 'church?' I think not. If there's any justice in this world, Fred Phelps will be killed by a lightning strike.

UPDATE: 3:21 pm - More info via Fox News:

The controversial anti-homosexual Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., has canceled its plans to stage a protest at the funerals of the five Amish girls executed in their Pennsylvania school, a church official said Wednesday.

Shirley Phelps-Roper, the daughter of church's pastor, told FOXNews.com the group canceled the protests in exchange for an hour of radio time Thursday on syndicated talk-show host Mike Gallagher's radio program.

How big of FoxNews to give up an hour of radio time to a hate group that wouldn't be able to go to the funerals anyway because as I noted above, they're on private property. If you've never been to Lancaster County, it's beautiful country. The Amish houses (you can tell because the power lines go past without connecting) generally sit far back from the roads.

Speaking of the Amish, this is what Shirley Phelps-Roper, Fred Phelps' daughter had to say about them:

"Those Amish people, everyone is sitting around talking about those poor little girls — blah, blah, blah — they brought the wrath upon themselves," Phelps-Roper said, adding that the Amish "don't serve God, they serve themselves."

And they'll know you are Christians by your love. Or something.

Fred Phelps Christianists Hate Bigotry

Anti-Muslim Bigotry

It's always strange to read about what is, for me, local news in far-flung sources. Though I hadn't heard about it in local news, ABC 7 out of Denver reports on events in my own back yard:

A Maryland substitute teacher was arrested after an alleged anti-Islamic tirade in front of high school students.

Carol Joan McVey, 49, was charged with resisting arrest, trespassing, disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace.

Police said McVey became upset when she heard some students at Gaithersburg High School, who were being assisted by another teacher, practicing a speech and using some Arabic words.

[...]

Charging documents allege McVey shouted, "Islam doesn't mean peace, it means killing everyone for peace" and "Because of you, our families died in New York!"

After being told by the principal told McVey that her services were no longer needed, she was escorted out of the school by the educational facilities officer. At that point, she thought it might be a good time to yell at a teacher of Hispanic descent about talking to students in a language other than English. Then she tried to re-enter the school. The educational facilities officer had to call in an additional officer to arrest her.

Hmmm... Recognize any key election issues brought strikingly to life in this incident?

Bigotry Religion Education Republicans

No, Dogs Aren't, Mr. Dobson, But...

James Dobson's Focus on the Family has started a counter-campaign to Born Different's campaign to end homobigotry. Dr. Dobson's great scientific observation?

"Dogs aren't born mooing, and people aren't born gay."

Thanks for missing the point. And, incidentally, just because you choose to ignore it doesn't mean that homosexuality doesn't show up in the animal kingdom. Take Silo and Roy for example. But then again, Focus on the Family has never bothered to let facts (or gay penguins) stand in the way of hate.

James Dobson BornDifferent No Moo Lies Focus on the Family

When will the Republicans Jump the Shark?

Apologies for the sporadic posting. My life outside of blogging has been busy. It will continue to be busy up until the beginning of July, at which point I will be going on vacation, sans laptop. Thought you might want to know.

But back to the subject at hand.

Think Progress reports (and has video) of Republican James Inhofe, Senator from Oklahoma, making an ass out of himself during the 'debate' about gay marriage:

INHOFE: As you see here, and I think this is maybe the most important prop we'll have during the entire debate, my wife and I have been married 47 years. We have 20 kids and grandkids. I'’m really proud to say that in the recorded history of our family, we've never had a divorce or any kind of homosexual relationship.

Ok, we get it. Your a man. Your penis works. And you don't really like gays. And you're hoping that it will keep getting you elected.

But let's get real here. This guy's just spouting bigotry on the floor of the Senate. What if JImmy Inhofe boasted about not having any African American blood in 'the recorded history of our family?'

Any time you can't substitute 'black' for 'gay' in your sentence, you're being bigoted. "I wouldn't mind black people so much if they didn't rub their blackness in our faces."

At what point do people see all this gay-baiting for what it is?

James Inhofe Bigotry Gay Marriage

Right Wing Christianist Insanity

I've expanded from just Pat Robertson Lunacy.

"The separation of church and state is a fiction. The nation is the kingdom of God, period." --Bishop Harold Calvin Ray of West Palm Beach, FL

The Good Bishop said this just months before he attended the House and Senate Republican Conferences "Faith-Based Summit" held April 25, 2001. At this 'summit' there were 32 committee members, only 2 were women, only 2 were Jewish, and no other minority faith was represented.

"In your re-election, God has graciously granted America - though she doesn't deserve it - a reprieve from the agenda of paganism. Put your agenda on the front burner and let it boil. You owe liberals nothing. They despise you because they despise your Christ."
--Bob Jones III, president of Bob Jones University in a letter to George W. Bush after Nov. 2nd

"When I, or people like me, are running the country, you'd better flee, because we will find you, we will try you, and we'll execute you. I mean every word of it. I will make it part of my mission to see to it that they are tried and executed."
--Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue, speaking of doctors who perform abortions, in an address to the U.S. Taxpayers Alliance, 8/08/95

"If this bill goes through, Congressman...it is going to guarantee one day pro-life judges on the Supreme Court, pro-family members of Congress. It's going to make it very difficult for someone like Bill and Hillary Clinton to ever get in the White House again."
--Jerry Falwell, September 13, 2002 - Discussing the "Houses of Worship Political Speech Protection Act" (H.R. 2357)

"Two things made this country great: White men & Christianity. The degree these two have diminished is in direct proportion to the corruption and fall of the nation. Every problem that has arisen (sic) can be directly traced back to our departure from God's Law and the disenfranchisement of White men."
--State Rep. Don Davis (R-NC), emailed to every member of the North Carolina House and Senate, reported by the Fayetteville Observer, 08-22-01

Ok, just one more. We'll, it's two for the price of one.

"I think Mohammed was a terrorist. He - I read enough of the history of his life written by both Muslims and – and - non-Muslims, that he was a - a violent man, a man of war. And I do believe that - Jesus set the example for love, as did Moses. And I think that Mohammed set an opposite example."
--Jerry Falwell, 60 Minutes, October 6, 2002

"I have never said in a sermon or a speech that Muhammad is a terrorist."
--Jerry Falwell, interview with Religion News Service

"Thou shalt not bear false witness..." Right Jerry?


Religious Right Christianists Christian Intolerance