Conservative Group Attacks Tim Tebow Over "Big Gay"

From the Huffington Post:

Commenters criticized Fischer for damaging Tebow's evangelical message and asked why such a hateful church like First Baptist [the church where Tebow was to speak] deserves respect. 

Still, Jeffress [the pastor of First Baptist Church] claims Tebow never cancelled his appearance at First Baptist Church of Dallas. In an interview with the AFA's Tim Wildmon, Jeffress said that Tebow has merely rescheduled the speech to a later date once the controversy blows overs, Right Wing Watch reports. 

Jeffress' inflammatory preachings have made headlines for the past 15 years.

In 1998, he checked out all books from the Wichita Library that included gay parents and refused to return them, The Advocate notes. He called homosexuality "filthy" and "degrading" in a 2008 speech, titled "Gay Is Not OK." In 2010, he claimed Islam is a religion that "promotes pedophilia." During the 2012 presidential election he advised his congregation to vote against Mitt Romney and claimed Mormonism is a "cult."

RWNJ: Blame Gays For Colorado Shooting

From Gay Star News:

An American pundit is saying acceptance of gays and lesbians in liberal churches and media led to the tragic shootings in Aurora, Colorado.

Anti-gay group American Family Association’s news director Fred Jackson made these comments while discussing the Batman movie theater shooting that killed 12 people.

According to Right Wing Watch, he believes because Americans no longer fear God and hell, and growing more welcoming of gays and lesbians in churches, it is no wonder ‘why all these terrible things are happening to us’.

On his radio show AFA Today, Jackson said: ‘I know the AFA Journal has been dealing with denominations that no longer believe in the God of the Bible, they no longer believe that Jesus is the only way of salvation, they teach that God is OK with homosexuality, this is just increasing more and more.

If you read the article on from there, it just gets more bizarre as he starts making even more unsubstantiated and ludicrous claims.

The Religious Wrong: Trying to Boycott Google

They may be biting off more than they can chew this time.

The Wrap-Up: May 17, 2012

There are many ideas of what the Bible says about homosexuality. Here is what one ordained priest/theologian has to say on the matter (SPOILER ALERT: it isn't what you think).

George W. Bush will be writing a book on economic growth...because his administration was so goo at it, we're still reaping the benefits of it. Oh, wait...

In news that surprises no one, the American Family Discrimination Association thinks that all Americans being treated equally under the law is like cancer.

When Governor Scott Walker (R-WI) didn't like the U.S government's job numbers on Wisconsin, Walker decided to create his own numbers. There's being innovative, and then there's just plain making crap up. Walker chose the latter here.

Proof of Mitt Romney's fiscal conservatism: in 2007 (i.e. when he was Governor of Massachusetts), the state had the highest per capita debt in the country.

The version of the Violence Against Women Act passed in the GOP-led House was watered-down so badly, that a sexist national men's group (the National Coalition For Men) endorsed it. Luckily, the bill faces a presidential veto threat.

World famous boxer Manny Pacquiao would like to clarify his statement against marriage equality. I guessing the clarification will fall on deaf ears.

Is the filibuster even constitutional?

And lastly, a rundown of conservative boycotts that either haven't worked, or have actually backfired. Ah, the perils of zealotry.

The Wrap-Up: May 7, 2012

As of Sunday morning, Vice-President Joe Biden is on-record as supporting marriage equality. Now, he just needs to get his boss on board.

A British Tory (conservative) member of Parliament has said she has not met any gay couples that want to marry. Gay couples in the nation are fixing that problem.

A North Carolina newspaper has retracted its endorsement of a congressional candidate from the state of birtherism.

What might Rick Santorum want from Mitt Romney before endorsing him?

Despite being a hero for the political left, Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren has some work to do in gaining support from he large pool of Massachusetts independents.

With its massive, "successful," and on-going boycott of Home Depot (among others corporations), the so-called American Family Association is now setting its sights on Campbell Soups. In future news, Campbell Soups stock just tripled in price.

There are precious few openly gay Olympic athletes (especially from the States), but here is the story of one current hopeful.

This is, without a doubt, the best response to the homophobic/violent words of Pastor Sean "crack the wrist" Harris.

And lastly, here is more on what is wrong with America's health care system compared to that of other nations.

Tomorrow is the day of decision on North Carolina's Amendment 1 so make sure you are getting the word out to any and all North Carolinians that you know on the damage this amendment will do, not just to the LGBT community, but many other swaths of society in the state.

The Wrap-Up: March 13, 2012

Mitt liking grits may not be enough to pull off a couple of wins in the South from today's primaries.

Someone actually thinks that the super-rich don't have enough influence in politics. Guess who he's backing in the presidential race?

On the other hand, some progressive groups are attempting to diminish the influence of big donors and corporations in politics.

It's no surprise to me that in the South, President Obama's religion is still an issue. Things just change slowly there apparently.

Given all of the talk about SuperPAC's and Citizens United, you would think this GOP race was the most expensive one ever. About that...

Rick Santorum's brand of conservatism includes outlawing teleprompters. So much for less government and fewer regulations.

Chris Christie of all people is saying someone (an ex-Navy Seal no less) doesn't have the right to be a jerk. Hypocrisy much?

The grassroots effort to change the rating of "Bully" from R to PG-13 is getting support from some big names.

And lastly, Cracked.com has an epic take-down of One Million Moms Forty-Thousand Moms and the American "Family" Association.

The Wrap-Up: March 5, 2012

Over the weekend, Mitt Romney won the Washington caucuses. 

Republican operatives and politicians appear to be looking for an end to the nomination process on Super Tuesday (with 10 states having primaries/caucuses), which is tomorrow.

Nancy Pelosi lambasted the Republican party on their governmental priorities (i.e. yes to controlling what women and gays can do, no to protecting the environment, education, health, etc.).

Rush Limbaugh offered a half-assed apology for calling Sandra Fluke a slut (for advocating for contraception). Even as big as he is, half-assed is NOT enough. Of course I'm convinced that the apology has more to do with the fleeing advertisers than any genuine sincerity.

Speaking of contraception, it has had some very significant long-term economic implications.

Rick Santorum may be regretting calling President Obama a snob for being pro-university. That stance certainly hasn't been helping him in his presidential race.

The American Family Association calls for a boycott (or as the group's president calls it when liberals boycott, "Economic Terrorism") for having an Archie comic with two men getting married. What happened next is pretty hilarious and awesome.

Virginia's legislautre has defeated something being referred to as the "Tebow Bill."

And lastly, there were some great responses by celebs and (former) fans to Kirk Cameron's homophobic remarks.

The Wrap-Up: December 22, 2011

Senator Scott Brown (R-MA)

In an effort to keep his Senate seat, Scott Brown (R-MA) appears to be backing away from his previous Tea Party positions.

Rick Santorum was asked (and no this is not a joke) how he could get the "gay vote."

Newt Gingrich, on the other hand, has a very different perspective on the "gay vote."

Speaking of Newt, some people REALLY don't like him...like the guy at the top of this video.

Stirring up the fight against Newt Gingrich, yet again, is Ron Paul with a full-court press (I don't actually watch basketball, so I hope that metaphor works).

Conservatives are none too happy with how Republicans (House Republicans in particular) are handling the payroll tax cut.

Matt Damon

Despite Obama's improved approval numbers, there is one of his early high-profile supporters that has some strong criticism of the President: Matt Damon.

Establishment Republicans are going to some extreme lengths to downplay the possibility/importance of a win by Ron Paul in the Iowa Caucuses.

Media Matters counts down the 10 stupidest "Fox & Friends" moments of 2011. I honestly have no idea how they narrowed it down to ten with all of the material they had.

Totally overrated Chuck Norris pinned an op-ed FOR the "American Family Association." I'll never understand why he was ever famous.

Today in awesome anti-Scott Walker signs...

Openly LGBT elected officials are in office in almost every state of the union.

And lastly, a bi-partisan group made this video to speak against the Republican-led move by the New Hampshire state legislature to repeal marriage equality:

The Wrap-Up: December 21, 2011

Jonathan Capehart

Jonathan Capehart pinned an op-ed discussing how some in the GOP (*cough* Rick Perry *cough*) think we're electing a pope instead of a president.

Members of the Pennsylvania state legislature have formed an LGBT Equality Caucus.

First the "Family Research Council" gives Rep. Joe "Deadbeat Dad" Walsh (he owes $117,00 in child support) a family award, and now the "American Family Association" supports Newt "Serial Adulterer" Gingrich in his GOP nomination bid. If it wasn't official before, it certainly is now: these groups have zero interest in families.

A Wisconsin Supreme Court justice is on the hot seat when it was discovered he received free services from Gov. Scott Walker AND ruled in Walker's favor on his anti-union law. I'm thinking this surprises no one.

Former Half-Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK)

Politifact's "Lie of the Year" goes to congressional Democrats. I guess Republicans can't win it all the time.

The scourge unleashed upon us by John McCain (a.k.a. Sarah Palin) continues to tease her supporters about a possible 2012 run. They honestly need to give up on her because she's just doing it for attention and money.

Yale and Columbia universities announced they will reimburse gay employees who pay more taxes because the federal government doesn't recognize their marriages. Of course if DoMA were repealed, this wouldn't be an issue.

President Barack Obama

In a disgusting abusive of power and strike against free speech, a Florida priest was removed while speaking (perfectly calmly and well-mannered) to a city council about someone who was forcibly removed while speaking to that city council for something the city council (apparently) got wrong. If that sentence sounded confusing, the video pretty much explains what you need to know.

Mitt Romney gave us some more evidence then he is on the side of Wall Street and not the side of Main Street.

President Obama's numbers are on the rise as Congressional Republicans' numbers are...not.

And lastly, Rick "Google" Santorum continues to unwittingly make a joke of himself.

The Religious Wrong: A Plethora of Falsehoods

There is so much wrong with this video, hence this post's title. Let's start at the beginning.

As to the whole GOProud/CPAC thing, I think that deserves its own post (i.e. about gay conservative groups) which I will hopefully get to in the next few days, so I'll leave that alone here).

As to that "infallible" argument on homosexuality and human health (4:45), there are a couple of problems with that:

-That blood donation ban was implemented and perpetuated based on prejudices and stereotypes not on facts

-All donated blood is tested...ALL OF IT...no matter where/who it comes from, hence, the ban is unnecessary (Source)

-Saying that the ban is proof of need for the ban is circular reasoning and does not hold water

People also said the Titanic was unsinkable. So much for that in both cases.

The claim that he makes saying that Reuters says that gays comprise 2% of the population is, in my opinion, patently bogus. The main reason for me saying this is that there are some people who, for whatever reason, will not under any circumstances identify themselves as LGBT. The only way we would ever know an even quasi-accurate figure as to how many people are LGBT would be if we lived in a world where there were no anti-gay stigma. Until that happens, there is no reason to believe ANY study saying that X% of people are queer. This is such a basic notion that I'm not sure how much weight should be given to that article as a whole.

Fischer says at the end of this video that public policy should be guided by science. Well, the American Psychological Association just endorsed marriage equality based on years of research, so maybe he will be for marriage equality too, right? Fischer doesn't really believe in facts, or the consistency of his own statements, so maybe not.

The Religious Wrong: The Bullying Hypocrisy

We all know of the incalculably large bullying problem, particularly in schools, that is faced by the LGBT community. Several incidents of suicides resulting from anti-gay bullying hit the national news last year not to mention several since, and who knows how many that did not reach the national news. Of course there is also that faced by LGBT adults, such as gay couples who are harassed merely walking down the street minding their own business. It is a rampant epidemic being ardently fought on multiple fronts.

Over the last few months however, I have become aware of many people on the other side saying it is the faithful who are being bullied. For example these people and organizations say that businesses that face boycotts because their leadership has voiced opposition to various gay rights are the true victims of bullies (versus, say, a kid who gets shot in the back of the head in the middle of class, or a kid who unknowingly gets streamed online with another man). The fact of the matter is that such a boycott, at least in my opinion, is far more valuable than taking such a business to court. Actions have consequences. Saying that a group of people is unworthy of rights because of who they are (when who they are causes no real harm to others) is going to get you in some type of trouble. While businesses and business leaders have the right to say what they want and what they believe, so do consumers. They may choose to do so by taking their money to a more enlightened business. 

This isn't bullying, it is the American way: power of the purse.

Having said all of that, it is incredibly hypocritical that these anti-gay organization accuse gay "activists" of being bullies for boycotting when they have at least attempted to do the same thing. The American Family Association (AFA) is calling for Home Depot, which is on record as supporting gay rights. The AFA in the past has also boycotted Ford (for two years) and various other auto-companies, McDonald's, Disney, and others.  So here is the question: how is it bullying when one group does something, but when another group does THE EXACT SAME THING, it is not?

I would submit that these people do not know what being bullied is really like and, thus, have zero credibility on the matter.

The Religious Wrong: Open Your Eyes

This was a statement made by arch-Theocrat Bryan Fischer of the (so-called) American Family Association:

[T]he First Amendment was written neither to guarantee freedom of religion to Muslims or Buddhists or Hindus nor to prohibit their free exercise of religion. It wasn’t written about them one way or another.

 It was written for one specific purpose: to protect the free exercise of the Christian religion ... We must be clear: the First Amendment does not prohibit the free exercise of alternative religions, but neither does it guarantee it. It simply does not address the issue at all.

Let's look at the evidence. The U.S. Constitution does not once mention Christianity (nor any specific religion for that matter). It does not mention God. It does not mention Christ. It does however say "...Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." in the very First Amendment that this guy says only applies to Christians. He has absolutely zero knowledge of the United States Constitution. It is a real shame that his bigotry blinds him to the extent that he cannot see what is right in front of him in plain English.

Side note: I feel sorry for anyone else named Bryan Fischer because I'm sure they get tons of hate mail by accident.

The Religious Wrong: 4 Minutes of Hate

See if you can get through the whole thing.

P.S. I got half way through before I threw in the towel on this one.

Religious Wrong: Spotted

One of the primary targets of this segment, as you may have noticed is Bryan Fischer, one of the leaders of the so-called American Family Association. He gives me a lot of material, most of which comes to me from Right Wing Watch and their YouTube account. Well, it appears as though mister Fischer is on to them:

Well, when someone says things like you do Bryan, you can expect a heightened amount of scrutiny. If you can't stand the heat as they say...

Bryan Fischer & Gutting the First Amendment

More hypocrisy. The same first amendment that people like Bryan Fischer and his so-called American Family Association use when spewing their hate speech is the same one he is talking about gutting.

It is really sad to see these groups take something that millions of Americans have fought and died for (i.e. the United States Constitution), and advocate for its destruction...while have the blessing of millions of Americans. And Memorial Day was just yesterday.

AFA Says Yoga is For Heathens

From the American family Association's website:

"These people need to buy a Bible — and read it.

The professing Christian who practices yoga as a way to keep fit should heed the words of Mohler and Groothuis who both agree that yoga, even if it's labeled Christian, is diametrically opposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Many Christians practice yoga for "relaxation and exercise" without realizing that classical yoga is intended to put you into an altered state of consciousness. Yoga is not "just exercising." Participants are being swept into a counterfeit religion. According to God's Word, pagan religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism, are evil. The Bible clearly says that God's people are to have nothing to do with wicked customs. (Deuteronomy 18:9-14) Believers are instructed to, "Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." (Romans 12:90) Ever noticed how professing Christians are no longer uncomfortable in the face of evil? The reason is that we have been desensitized!

Sadly, Christians have become worldly. Instead of being beacons of light in a dark world we have become world-minded. In fact, we have blended into the dishonest, destructive and debase culture so thoroughly that it's near impossible to tell the difference between Christians and heathens!"

I, personally, find it virtually impossible to fathom how anyone can lend credence to this group. It isn't just that I am diametrically opposed to them on almost every political and social issue, it is the fact that most of what they say makes little to no sense whatsoever.

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