Longing for the white country

Pat BuKKKanan on Hannity and Colmes, longing for the good old days when the "brown menace" wasn't streaming across the border (Think Progress):

“What I would like is — I’d like the country I grew up in. It was a good country. I lived in Washington, D.C., 400,000 black folks, 400,000 white folks, in a country 89 or 90 percent white. I like that country.”

Someone get Tony Snow on the horn -- where's this end of racism he's been talking up?

Think Progress has the mind-blowing video.

The 'feminized' classroom causes 'gay bullying'

Talk about ass-backwards thinking. Teaching tolerance, according to the doyenne of Columbus, Ohio-based Mission[ary Position] America, Linda Harvey, is turning male students into stone cold killers and stressed-out neurotics. She's obsessed with Homosexual Agenda infiltrating the school system, and this freakout is par for the course.

Last year, 17-year-old Joshua Minks opened fire with a shotgun in a bathroom at Farmington High Schol in Missouri. The 6-foot-5, 400-pound boy recently pleaded guilty to assault on school property and unlawful use of a weapon. Amanda Minks says her son was bullied relentlessly by his classmates for his "unmanly" appearance and was called "gay" names.

Linda Harvey with the conservative group Mission America acknowledges that while bullying is rampant and children can be terribly cruel, many schools are feminizing boys with one-sided, pro-homosexual misinformation in the classroom. Homosexuality, says Harvey, is a "time bomb" that is "run into the schools" and left there.

"[T]hen, when chaos erupts ... our boys [especially] are greatly stressed over this issue and they only hear one side -- then we wonder why these things are happening," she says. "Of course, they are going to erupt in a very immature way. That doesn't excuse it, but that's what's happening."

..."[Students] are told that if you have one homosexual feeling, you're probably homosexual; [that] you're probably born that way and you'd better accept it," she says. "In the twelve- and thirteen- and fourteen-year-old boy, this is going to create a massive amount of internal stress that may erupt in all kinds of ways.

"The responsible thing to do is to de-stress the situation by taking the issue of homosexuality out of the schools," Harvey continues. "It doesn't belong there."

***

More on bullying -- as therapy

Sometimes you have to let the wingers just hang themselves with their own words:

The notion that a person is really someone of the opposite sex "trapped in the wrong body" is poetic stupidity. It doesn't exist in reality. A person wishing to change their external manifestations to appear to be a person of the opposite sex is someone very unhappy with being their "real" sex and/or believing in some idealized fantasy of how much better it is to be of the opposite sex.

...I suggest, indeed, letting children who wish go to school in clothes of the opposite sex -- but not counseling other children to not tease them or hurt their feelings.

On the contrary, don't interfere, and let the other children ridicule the child who has lost that clear boundary between play-acting at home and the reality needs of the outside world. Maybe, in this way, the child will re-establish that necessary boundary."

-- The wisdom of NARTH Scientific Advisory Committee member Joseph Berger, M.D., who feels that society is causing gender identity confusion among children -- and the cure includes letting kids be bullied for being different.

Some familiar names have much to say about this, including Blender Autumn, Wayne Besen and Daniel Gonzales of Ex-Gay Watch.

Autumn Sandeen a spokesperson for the Transgender Community Coalition of San Diego told PinkNews.co.uk: "It's shameful that NARTH's Dr Berger believes what children should bring with them to school is a propensity to ridicule gender variant children."

Wayne Besen, executive director of Truth Wins Out, an organisation which regularly protests against gay "conversion" groups, told PinkNews.co.uk: "This is cruelty disguised as compassion and an invitation to child abuse."

"NARTH regularly confuses self-righteous ridicule with research and this is why they are rejected by every respected medical and mental health organisation in the world."

Daniel Gonzales of Ex-Gay Watch, a similar campaign group, was shocked at the statement, he told PinkNews.co.uk "Regardless if a child's gender dysphoria persists into adulthood, allowing any child with a psychological condition to be harassed because of that condition is shameful.

But then later today, NARTH had a change of heart and released this retraction, sent to Dr. Warren Throckmorton:

Joseph Nicolosi this evening:

Narth disagrees with Dr. Berger's advice as we believe shaming, as distinct from correcting can only create greater harm. Too many of our clients experienced the often life long, harmful effects of peer shaming. We cannot encourage this.

Does the right hand not know what the left is doing here, if NARTH is distancing itself from its "Scientific Advisory Committee" member?

UPDATE: As Autumn pointed out, there has been little creative editing on NARTH's web site of the good doctor's text. That's not a retraction, only an admission that the comments were so out of bounds that it couldn't handle the heat.

Some screen captures...

Here's the original text (from Google cache):



And this is the scrubbed section up on the NARTH site now...

Open thread

Ho hum. Only confirming that the E-meter has no effect on queer suppression...Scientology can't take the homo out of the man.


Caught by the Enquirer.

Why doesn't he just hang it up already; has anyone believed that marriage of convenience to fellow Church of Scientology follower Kelly Preston?

Q: Which stars need to come on out of the closet already?

Conrad Burns and those swarthy killer cabbies

Montana -- you've got a winner in Conrad. (SFGate):

Republican Sen. Conrad Burns, whose recent comments have stirred controversy, says the United States is up against a faceless enemy of terrorists who "drive taxi cabs in the daytime and kill at night."

During a fundraiser Wednesday with first lady Laura Bush, the three-term Montana senator talked about terrorism, tax cuts and the money he has brought to his state. Burns is one of the more vulnerable Senate incumbents, facing a tough challenge from Democrat Jon Tester.

He has drawn criticism in recent weeks for calling his house painter a "nice little Guatemalan man" during a June speech. Burns, whose re-election campaign is pressing for tighter immigration controls, also suggested that the man might be an illegal immigrant. The campaign later said the worker is legal.

..."In Washington, Senator Burns is a respected voice on the issues facing rural communities in Montana and across the nation," Bush said.

Race to the bottom in FL gov race

It's obviously a badge of honor to be known as the biggest homobigot in the Florida Republican primary. Ms. Julien, who just relocated to NYC, sent this one in, saying, "There is no tax exemption in the world worth living full time in the land of the male clones of Anita Bryant…" (Advocate):

Candidates Tom Gallagher and Charlie Crist each claimed to be the "true conservative" in the Republican primary for governor of Florida during a Monday night debate that sounded much like the ad war they have launched against each other. Indeed, the back-and-forth heated up earlier on Monday in a new television ad released by chief financial officer Gallagher, imploring voters not to be fooled by his opponent's latest attacks that label him a tax-increasing flip-flopper and to oppose Crist because he supports gay rights.


The ad, titled "Sorry Charlie," notes that Crist, the state's attorney general, supports abortion and civil unions for gays. "Tom Gallagher opposes gay civil unions and is endorsed by Florida Right to Life," the ad says. "Only Jeb Bush conservatives get to be governor."

...Crist claims he is opposed to same-sex marriage but believes same-sex couples should have some rights similar to those afforded to married heterosexuals. The Gallagher ad comes after Crist released his latest television ad Friday, attacking Gallagher for supporting tax increases. Crist, 50, has run a campaign promoting a more moderate philosophy on social issues than his opponent.

Upcoming Focus on the Anus rallies

Daddy Dobson is ready to party, bringing along Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council and Gary Bauer, failed presidential candidate and head of the Campaign for Working Families. Also joining in the fun is black homobigot pastor Ken Hutcherson of Washington State's Antioch Bible Church.

The plan is to mobilize fundie voters for the fall elections because the GOP is afraid that the evangelicals are going to sit the midterms out. The "values" agenda will be front and center, meaning the straw homo is being dragged out again since they've got nothing to run on. Enter Daddy D. to scare the faithful to get them to the polls.

"It's clear that people of faith must continue to go to the polls and vote their values," Dobson said in a statement obtained by PageOneQ. "Our calling to be good citizens did not end in 2004 -– it requires us to be informed, diligent voters in each election," he added.

Eva at Dump Michele Bachmann says that the homo-obsessed Minnesota state senator and GOP Congressional candidate will be appearing at Daddy D's rally in that state.

Rallies are also planned for Pittsburgh and Tennessee; pass along any info about any counter demos you may hear of.

***

Meanwhile, FoF and FRC are also firming up speakers for their first annual Washington Briefing: Values Voter Summit, slated for Sept. 22-24, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. Again, they are planning to rally the faithful and pole-stroke one another.

Look at all the usual suspects who are going to be there. If only the earth would open up and swallow the Omni while this shindig is going on.

FRC Action President Tony Perkins and co-sponsors Dr. James Dobson, Gary Bauer and Don Wildmon will also be joined by Ann Coulter, Newt Gingrich, Bill Bennett, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Gov. Mitt Romney, Sens. George Allen and Sam Brownback, Gov. Mike Huckabee, Reps. Mike Pence and Marilyn Musgrave and many more.

With a combined network of over five million supporters, FRC Action, Focus on the Family Action, American Family Association Action and Americans United to Preserve Marriage, are gearing up for an event to galvanize values voters and shape the debate for this year's midterm elections and beyond.

The latest addition to that speaker's roster is Sean Hannity.

Court rules student can wear anti-Bush T-shirt

I wish there was a pic of this T floating around. A wingnut parent objected to the message on this middle school student's T-shirt and now the laugh's on the mind-control freak.

A Vermont schoolboy was within his rights to wear a T-shirt depicting George W. Bush as a chicken and accusing him of being a former alcohol and cocaine abuser, an appeals court ruled.



Zachary Guiles' school violated the First Amendment when it ordered him to cover parts of the shirt, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said Wednesday.

Guiles was a 13-year-old seventh-grader at Williamstown Middle High School in Williamstown, Vt., in May 2004 when he wore the shirt, which he had bought at an anti-war rally, to classes once a week for two months. Complaints from a fellow student and her mother who had different political views caused school officials to take a closer look.

...The front of the shirt had Bush's name and the words "Chicken-Hawk-In-Chief" beneath it. Below the words was a large picture of the president's head, wearing a helmet, superimposed on the body of a chicken.

To one side of the president on the T-shirt, three lines of cocaine, a razor blade and a straw appear. Elsewhere on the shirt, the president is shown holding a martini glass with an olive in it.

Knickers are twisting at Porno Petey's pad

"The message is growing across our nation: Christians are the only group that can be discriminated against--especially if they live out their faith in the public square"
-- LaBarbera, bleating about the temporary suspension of "highly rated" psychologist (and IFI-affiliated) Dr. Michael Campion, by the Minneapolis Police Department

This "religious persecution" bleating is getting so tired. I do admit it's very versatile wingnuttery, as it can be applied to just about anything these fundies object to these days. The baby Jeebus in their minds is offended by secular society, homos, women who don't want the state in their wombs, and folks who might enjoy going to a strip club now and then.

Campion was psych screening potential officers for over a year for the Minneapolis Police Department. When community concern about his Illinois Family Institute affiliation was brought to the attention of interim Chief Tim Dolan, Campion was suspended pending an independent review. There was reason to take this step (Strib):

This isn't the first time Campion's objectivity has been questioned. In 2003, nine applicants to the Springfield, Ill., Fire Department sued the city claiming they were unfairly disqualified by either background checks or Campion's psychological evaluation. A judge dismissed the suit, but the Springfield City Council didn't renew Campion's contract last year.

...Members of the Police Community Relations Council had concerns about this group and had heard complaints from several people who weren't hired to be Minneapolis police officers after they were deemed "unqualified" by Campion's psychological tests, said council cochairman Clyde Bellecourt. During a meeting with council members last week, Campion made statements about single parents and race that disturbed them, said council member Ron Edwards.

Last fall, Lisa Epps was deemed unqualified. A Bloomington firefighter and former State Fair police officer, she had been through at least three psychological exams, she said. "But this one felt very different. I felt like he was judging me," she said. "He was asking me questions about being a single parent, and then he would make facial expressions."

Is it too much to ask that people working for public institutions be vetted for professional objectivity (Campion was on IFI's board of Directors from 1998-2005)? Apparently so. The shields went up at IFI HQ:

Campion, who didn't return repeated telephone calls from a reporter, was a board member three years ago, said David E. Smith, who became the Family Institute's executive director two weeks ago. He didn't know Campion's current level of activity with the group.

"We are absolutely, positively not anti-gay," Smith said. "Homosexuals were made in the image of God, and we're commanded to love them. But we don't have to accept their behavior. We tell them in a loving way that it's an unhealthy and unsafe lifestyle."

OK. Whatever. Former IFI executive director Porno Pete and Corporate Outreach Director Matt Barber worked the PR machine from the Americans for Truth offices.

"This official government action by the Minneapolis Police Department is a transparent and egregious violation of Dr. Campion's First Amendment rights to both freedom of association and religion," Barber said.

"The message from Minneapolis is clear: The Constitution be damned! If you work for the city, and you happen to be a person of faith belonging to a church or public policy organization that advocates traditional family values, then you might as well clean out your desk now -- because as soon as we find out…you're done."

Andy at Eleventh Avenue South nails it.

The Minneapolis Police Department merely responded to concerns by citizens over Campion's involvement with the Illinois Famliy Institute. The IFI is based in religion, but is not a church or place of worship, nor is it a specific belief system. It's a non-profit dedicated to making life miserable for gay people. The talk of Christian discrimination is a page from the Christian Nationalism movement, a network of churches and organizations such as IFI that are committed to forcing their version of Christianity down everyone's throats.

Yes, IFI is part of the "pray the gay away" school of thought, and spends an inordinate amount of time and bandwidth working to deny LGBT citizens civil rights in the name of "saving" marriage, the schools and any other public institution we pay for.

Andy noted in another post that the batsh*t crazies at Renew America (the home of Guy "sex with infants is the new gay trend" Adams) have been weighing in on the Campion dustup as well, whining away, the same broken record.

If you're a Christian working for the City of Minneapolis, watch your step - your job may already be in jeopardy. In what may be one of the most blatant acts of anti-Christian bigotry and discrimination by an American government agency to date, the Minneapolis Police Department has suspended a Police Psychologist, Dr. Michael Campion of Campion, Barrow & Associates, at the behest of pro-homosexual activists.

You can contact Dolan with support; the wingers are filling his inbox:
Timothy Dolan
Interim Chief of Police
350 South 5th Street
Room 130
Minneapolis, MN 55415-1389
612-673-2853
Fax: 612-673-2613
E-mail: police@ci.minneapolis.mn.us

Timothy at Ex Gay Watch has more on Campion's blatant anti-gay views.

Hat tip, Eva.

***

Oh, almost forgot about this fun. Daimeon mentioned this in an earlier thread, but the Blend (and other worthy blogs) made it onto Porno Petey's newly minted Resources page:



Kudos to Good As You, Ex-Gay Watch, News Fit To Post, and Sully

Of course we must balance the homos with the "Truth". Take a look at what PP says represents "Truth" --



Mike Adams?! ROTFLOL -- the unhinged UNC-Wilmington prof who writes for Townhall.com, who believes gays are "afflicted with an emotional or mental illness." Remember, he wrote this in a recent column.

For the record, I have never cheated on my wife. I did, however, attempt to cheat on my wife one time. Unfortunately, I couldn't get past Ms. Coulter's bodyguard.

Charles Barkley: gay marriage is ok

And the former NBA MVP may just run for Alabama governor. Gee, after Patricia Todd rocking the boat for change, are they ready for Barkley down there?

More sick perverted bastards

Christian bookstore owner, cop admit sex with boy. The hits keep on coming, this time in Pennsylvania. Suffer not the little children.

A former college administrator, a former Christian bookstore owner and a former policeman admitted to sexual misconduct with a teenage boy.

They were among five men arrested in March as part of an ongoing investigation of men who meet boys through Internet chat rooms, authorities said.

William Gillin, 53, and Paul Skiles, 63, both of Johnstown, pleaded guilty yesterday to corruption of minors, indecent assault and unlawful communications with minors. Mr. Gillin is the former alumni relations director at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. Mr. Skiles owned the now-closed B&K Christian Bookstore in Richland Township.

And for a double dipper of sickness, how's this bizarre news out of the Lone Star State:

A Texas pastor accused of raping a church member after telling her she was possessed by a lesbian demon at his house last year has been indicted.

Leonard Ray Owens, 63, who is free on $25,000 bail, is now awaiting trial on a charge of sexual assault, a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison. He was arrested in November.

..Owens told her that a sex spirit and lesbian demon were inside her and needed to be cast out, police said. The pastor then asked her to lie on the floor and began yelling at her as if she were a demon, saying, "Loose her in the name of Jesus," according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

The woman told police that Owens pulled down her pants as he called for the demons to come out.

When she tried to get up, he pushed her down, the affidavit said. The pastor then began to fight with her as if she were a demon before climbing on top of her, pinning her down and raping her, police have said.

Damn. Where do you even begin with this one?

UPDATE: Oh geez, it does get worse; look at this child porn bust. At least he was caught by America's Most Wanted:

Robert M. Carey, 52, of Bowie, Md. was sentenced today to 15 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for producing and possessing child pornography, announced U. S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein, of the District of Maryland. U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus also ordered Carey to pay more than $50,000 in restitution to a family victim.

... According to the statement of facts presented to the court at Carey's guilty plea on May 19, 2006, Carey was employed at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) since 1974. Carey used government computers at his office and home to access child pornography over the Internet. In Aug. 2005, federal law enforcement agents searched Carey's NOAA office and residence, and recovered more than one million images of prepubescent girls and girls in their early teens in erotic or sexually graphic poses contained in photo albums, DVDs, CD ROMs and on the computers. Carey admitted to downloading child pornography for approximately 10 years at work. [OMG. How did this go on?]

Among the images recovered during the execution of the search warrant at his residence were images of a family member taken when the minor female was between eight and 13 years old. Many of these images were sexually explicit, and included photographs taken at Carey's NOAA office. These images also included photographs of sexual acts between Carey and the minor.

H/t PageOneQ.

Q of the day - what was your worst day at work?

The usual insomnia that allows me to write and post before heading out to work has now been exacerbated by dealing with a crush of projects at work that is leaving me nearly brain-dead.

Today tested about the last bit of my sanity. I was out the door around 7 AM to get snacks and drinks and such to feed all the folks who are attending this software training Tues-Thurs, I get to my office to check on things before going over and lo and behold, the freaking database system that we use to track projects is suddenly dropping records, searching is crippled and of course, the entire IT department is at training.

I dropped off all the foodstuffs and beverages at the training facility, and head back to the office. No one left at the office can do any work in the system without risk of losing data so I shut the whole f*cker down to begin recovery. Needless to say it isn't a simple affair, though we have adequate backups to work with. Out of 80+ files, almost all have some sort of index corruption, and it's not clear how long it has been going on and how far back the backups are affected.

To make a really long story short (I'm just getting home after a meal at 10PM), it took all freaking day, with the usual interruptions from obviously frustrated users asking when things would be back up -- can you see that I'm dancing as fast as I can?

Lord, I need to get out of IT before I lose my mind or get an ulcer.

And I have to go back to training tomorrow, and before that, check in and make sure the db is stable. Like I'll get any sleep tonight.

Oh, and did I mention the terrific thunderstorms we're experiencing right now?

***

Anyway, here's the Q of the day - what was your worst day at work?

A few polls to check out

Holy Joe's trailing Ned Lamont, even with the White House and the RNC staying away from the GOP candidate to help him out. Tiny violin...

You know...these last two days of training and now sh*t blowing up today are really wearing on me (more on that in a later post). That was written at 4AM after going to sleep around 1AM.


Source: Zogby Interactive survey of 533 likely voters statewide, conducted August 15 through 21, 2006. MOE +/- 4.2 percentage points.

It's not looking good for man-on-dog...


Source: Zogby Interactive survey of 671 likely voters statewide, conducted August 15 through 21, 2006. MOE +/- 3.8 percentage points.

These numbers below may explain the Governator's gay rights bill signing, he's trending up...


Source: Zogby Interactive survey of 1057 likely voters statewide, conducted August 15 through 21, 2006. MOE +/- 3.0 percentage points.

More from Zogby here.

Open thread

I saw this at Think Progress and, well, what can you say about the guest selection by Neil Cavuto?



***

And how about this development for George "Macaca" Allen. More white supremacist lovin' history rises again. How does he explain his relationship with the Council of Conservative Citizens, which is the velvet glove descendant of the old White Citizens Council.

The Nation exposes the little problem -- Allen's shill can't seem to explain the enthusiasm for the chumminess with racists away.

Asked whether Allen supports or deplores the CCC, John Reid, his communications director pleaded ignorance. "I am unaware of the group you mention or their agenda and because we have no record of the Senator having involvement with them I cannot offer you any opinion on them," Reid told me in an e-mail response.

I think this campaign may be circling the drain, though there are quite a few wingers in VA who would still cast a vote for this turd.

Shakes Sis has more.

***

I'm sure you all will have something to say. Feel free to chat, blogwhore and post links...

Exodus and Focus on the Anus: homos are violent

Head over to Box Turtle Bulletin, where Jim looks at the contortions Daddy D and "former homo" Alan Chambers go through to interpret data from the National Violence against Women Survey to make the claim that gay relationships are more violent than het ones.

The critical information that they don't share in the report is telling. Jim points out, "But the real question is who is doing the raping, assaulting, and stalking?"

Many women with a history of same-sex partnership also have a history of opposite-sex partnership. Because of that, they are far more likely to report being raped, assaulted or stalked because it is the men in their lives who are doing the raping, assaulting or stalking. Not the women. Same-sex cohabiting women were nearly three times more likely to report being victimized by a male partner than a female partner.

20.5% of women in opposite sex relationships were raped, assaulted or stalked by their husband or male partner. That compares to 15.4% of men who were raped, assaulted, or stalked by their male partners. In other words, gay men are safer around their same-sex partners than straight women are around their husbands or opposite-sex partner.

But Alan Chambers blindly clings to his off-kilter interpretation and offers this gem of an explanation:

Chambers blames the violence on an extreme sense of unhappiness that often leads to addictive behaviors.

If that's the case, then it looks like the straight men need to get over their unhappiness so the rest of us can live in peace.

Sink or swim solution

I can't stop laughing. Satire to die for -- Jon Swift: A Conservative Message to Blacks: Sink or Swim. There's so much rich stuff in this post that it was hard to decide what to excerpt.

Frankly, I don't know how it is racist to point out that blacks can't swim and it seems to me it's better that we confront this problem instead of sweeping it under the rug. Think of how many lives could have been saved if we had known about this before Hurricane Katrina and done something about it. I wonder if liberals want to keep a lid on this crisis so that they can blame President Bush for the lives lost after the hurricane, when it may in fact have been the fault of African-Americans themselves for not learning how to swim. Clearly, Hudson was trying to help black people by discussing this issue and it's unfortunate he was forced to apologize for broaching the subject.

The section on wingnut black blogger La Shawn Barber is exquisite.

I don't know how people could think conservatives are racists when La Shawn has one of the top conservative blogs. Yes, although you would barely know it from her completely colorless prose, La Shawn is, in fact, black (and, apparently, a poor swimmer).

...No one had to dumb down the blogosphere to let her in. In fact, her success is all the more remarkable when you take into consideration that, according to her, "whites generally have higher cognitive ability than blacks."

But while I am happy that La Shawn triumphed over her lack of cognitive ability, I am concerned about the possibility of her drowning. I think something should be done about blacks' inability to stay afloat. No doubt Democrats would want to throw money at the problem by handing out free life preservers or providing government-subsidized boat rides or swimming classes. A better solution might be to consider vouchers or private accounts to pay for life jackets or private swimming classes.

Just go read the whole thing. Beautifully done.

H/t, Steve.

Related: I guess I'll just sink to the bottom of the pool

***

And a few of you recommended this Jon Swift winner as well: Science Is Dead.

Recently there was some controversy when the Bush Administration accidentally left off evolution from a list of subjects eligible for government grants--whoops! But Mark Noonan at Blogs for Bush has an even better suggestion: That we just leave off science altogether. The debate between Evolution and Intelligent Design, he says, "got me thinking, and today ii [sic] occured [sic] to me: science is dead. We have reached the end of the Age of Science." I must say I haven't been so happy since we reached the End of History. What is especially great about Noonan's theory that science is dead is that he doesn't have to conduct any experiments or present any evidence to prove science is dead because science would actually have to be alive to do that.

...I'm hoping that the Bush Administration will redouble its efforts to kill off two other subjects I didn't much care for, Math and Geography. While important strides have been made, I still think more can be done to send Math and Geography to the dustbin of History, which, course, has itself been sent to the dustbin of . . . something else, I guess. I'm not ready to declare victory until our schools are teaching only two subjects: Religion and Gym.

Q of the day - beater wheels

Kate and I were watching Pimp My Ride tonight, and this poor guy had a piece of sh*t '68 Cougar that had no hood, no working turn signals or brake lights. The best part of it all is that it took a three-step process to start the damn thing -- key in the ignition, press some sort of start button, and then he had to get out of the car with a wire to jump the engine.

Jeezus - I don't see how this crapper was on the road. Doesn't California have any inspection laws?

Anyway, the Q of the day -- what beater wheels have you owned/driven?

Mine was a 1973 Ford Pinto station wagon. That was the car I learned to drive on back in the day. Oh so sh*tty - it shook uncontrollably when you "floored it" up to 55 mph. Bucket vinyl seats that scorched your ass in the summer. No A/C. Not that the engine could have handled A/C; it probably would have required you to put your feet down like Fred Flintstone and pedi-power it up a hill.


Quality Is Job One.

This car was such a beater that one day (we were living in Brooklyn at the time - late 70s), I came out to go to the store, got in the car and turned the key...nothing. I tried again...nothing. I got out of the car and popped the hood. Someone had stolen the battery. Not the car, the battery.

The Pinto wagon's only saving grace was that the model wasn't the explosive variety. That lucky model was the Pinto hatchback:


See video of the crash test here.

Governator signs gay rights bill -- the wingers erupt

Instead of using their resources to educate future leaders, these schools will now be forced to defend themselves in discrimination lawsuits brought by the male teacher who perceives himself as female and wears a dress to school....For those who still don’t believe that there is a radical homosexual agenda, keep in mind that the characteristics added to the protected list are designed to target people of faith alone.
-- Karen England, Capitol Resource Institute, suffering from the vapors after Gov. Schwarzenegger signed SB 1441, which includes gays in anti-discrimination laws affecting state funded and run programs

[UPDATE: Added some more hot air from bible beaters below.]

Been in training class all day, and returned to a ton of emails in my inbox about this one...

The fundies are losing their cookies over Arnold. Blisssssss....(365gay):

The legislation is designed to protect from discrimination, Californians who utilize public services such as police and fire protection, financial aid, social services and food stamps. The measure would also include protections for those associated with a person receiving services who has, or is perceived to have, any characteristic covered by the bill.

The legislation passed its final hurdle in the legislature earlier this month when the Assembly approved it on a 43-25 vote.

This bill will help to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Californians are treated equally by our government and is an important step towards our goal of ending discrimination in the Golden State," said Geoff Kors, the executive director of Equality California which lobbied for the measure's passage.

Don Wildmon's ass-monkeys at AgapePress were right on it:

Shock and dismay -- that's how pro-family groups in California are reacting to news this morning that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill that gives homosexuals new and far-reaching powers.

...Karen England, executive director of the Capitol Resource Institute (CRI), described the measure as not "even a veiled attempt at subtly advancing the radical homosexual agenda," but "an outright, blatant assault on religious freedom." She calls the bill "yet another attempt to prevent citizens with moral and religious principles from expressing their beliefs and educating their children according to those beliefs."


...California activist Randy Thomasson, head of the group Campaign for Children and Families (CCF), charges Arnold Schwarzenegger with betraying the state's pro-family citizens.

In signing SB 1441 into law, the governor has "trampled religious freedom to satisfy hyperactive sexual activists," Thomasson contends. He says Schwarzenegger apparently "has two faces. He speaks at churches and says he believes in religious freedom and family values, yet he's stabbing pro-family Californians in the back."

The WingNutDaily headline on this bleats "Gov. Arnold tosses
school moral codes: Bill forces condoning of homosexuality, critics say 'the gates of hell are prevailing'." Sweeeet.

You know where I had to go, friends...

Actual Freeper Quotes™

This law makes a mockery of the free exercise clause of the First Amendment.

I'm just speechless. Is he doing it because he's up for re-election?

This is just more proof that California is lost, and that victories by liberals like Schwarzenegger are nothing to brag about or to take hope from for the party. The only hope is that such madness can be mostly contained to the deep blue states.

Howl all you want Freepers, I am now sitting out the election for governor in the state of California this year.

And there are those who think the Patriot Act takes away freedom.

He did the same thing last year signing a bunch of onerous GLBT legislation, people just weren't paying attention.

I'll be voting Constitution Party for the governor's office.

Simply disgusting, so rather than strange people getting indoctrination rights with the children, I think they should have to offer vouchers to have a choice in the private sector away from this circus.

Actions have consequences. I'm willing to live with the consequences of being a Christian; the GOP had better be prepared to find new voters. I'm not the only cultural conservative/Christian out there that's now "ex-GOP".

The money will be spent, regardless. Would you rather see a parent use their CalWorks voucher at a Christian School or the communist La Raza charter school? This basically discriminates against all faith based organizations, or requires them to embrace the homosexual agenda.

So--if some person, business, group, or institution refuses to join in someone's fantasy that they've changed or "transcended" their sex--that's grounds for legal action? Fine. Conservatives should welcome a trial/test case to determine the scientific validity of these claims.

The reality is: California is several perfectly fine conservative states held under the political thumb of some coastal cities... and that ain't gonna change until there are some *major* changes. Seccede from California. Split Nor Cal off on it's own. Get the Central Valley and the Sierras away from the control of Sac and San and LA. Let the whackadoodles have fun in the Bay Area Nation.

Well, well well.....we impeached the last waste of skin. What makes Arnie think he can't be impeached as well? :I'm just sayin'.:

This is why when conservative Christians are quiet they allow evil to prosper. The pendulum has swung to the far left in CA. - moral relativism is also very alive on this board - many so called Freepers claim that this is all well and good and could care less about morality. The problem is who decides what is moral and what is superior? Everyone discriminates and the left makes the KKK look like angels - leftest are immoral, racist and hate filled - I guess many Christians will have to pay for their silence...shame to put this on children who deserve better.

I'm beginning to think Arnoiled himself is GAY!!! This certainly is queer behavior!!!

The Gay Agenda is no longer live and let live for a minority. Its about enlisting the state in the Gay Lobby's and by the extension, the Left's war on religion and traditional values in our society. It is more than just about eliminating religion from the public square; its about eliminating religion altogether.

Jeremy and Scott comment as well.

***

Joseph Farah loses his mind in his WND column, saying the Governator will now force all religious folks to homeschool their kids.

It's not Islam that Schwarzenegger and the state are forcibly pushing through all schools that accept any public form of financial aid for students. It's paganism. It's the worship of Baal. It's a primitive form of religion that is making a comeback. It's a faith that says sacrifice your sons and daughters on this altar – or else.

...I don't want to overstate this, but this is the end of religious freedom in the biggest state in the union.

The only alternative left for Christians and Jews and people of other faiths in California is quite literally to drop out. That means homeschooling. It means creating new institutions that won't touch any public funding – even when it is as tenuous as one student accepting a state grant. When you submit yourself or your institution to government regulation in California now, you tacitly accept the official state religion of paganism.

I saw this coming 15 years ago when I chose to leave California for good. It's over. It really is the late, great state of California.

The mullahs have nothing better to do

Islamic Clerics: Ban Freddie Mercury Birthday. Good grief.

He may be Zanzibar's most famous son but religious leaders on the mostly Islamic island are demanding the government block an international party to mark what would have been Freddie Mercury's 60th birthday.

The mullahs say that the openly gay Queen frontman who died of complications from AIDS in 1991 brought shame on the island because of "his lifestyle".

"Associating Mercury with Zanzibar degrades our island as a place of Islam," the islands' Association for Islamic Mobilization and Propagation said in a letter to the culture Ministry.

The letter, signed by chief mullah Abdallah Said Ali, said Mercury led a life condemned by Islam. Mercury was not Islamic.

More model parents

Foster parents locked their three-year-old in a closet for two days to attend a family reunion. Unspeakable horror in Ohio -- the little boy died and the foster dad burned the body to cover up the crime -- after sending police on a massive manhunt to find the "missing" child.

Goofy Ass Chick describes the heartbreaking, enraging events. A snippet:

But then I watched Liz and David Carroll Jr. live right on Local 12 giving an interview to Deborah Dixon crying her eyes out and pleading to everyone. She seemed sooo convincing! (Looking at this video now makes me so angry!!!) I felt guilty for suspecting that crying mother.

Then there were the reports coming out that the Children's Services agency that placed little Marcus in their home had been their recently and was told Marcus was sick and wasn't allowed in. And then reports came out that about the time Marcus went missing is right around the time that Children's Services workers were supposed to have another followup visit with him.

...The lady and man in that video went to a family reunion in Kentucky on August 4th "restraining" poor little Marcus in their home's closet for two days until they arrived back home. But Marcus wasn't alive when they got home. Just imagine that poor little boy. Suffering without any light, any food, any water, and temperatures that were surely up in the 90s even if the home had the air conditioning on. I wouldn't even think of leaving my dog alone for over 24 hours without any of those things.

This boy had no chance with his biological mother either.

Poor little Marcus. In January he fell from a two story window at his biological mother, Donna Trevino's home. In April, Marcus was discovered roaming the street by himself and was almost struck by a car. Officers removed Marcus Fiesel and two other siblings from the home of their biological mother. Marcus' bedroom had a foam mat, and there was feces on the walls and carpet, according to police. His biological mother told them that she couldn't care for the children any longer and they were "their problem now."

Jay Andrew Allen @ Parents Behaving Badly:

But, of course that’s preferable to letting Marcus live with a…a…gay couple. Goddess knows what would have happened then. I mean, he might still be alive! And maybe even (gasp!) happy!

Katrina, one year later: mission not accomplished

It's the anniversary of hurricane Katrina's assault on the Gulf Coast and there's no place to hide for the Bush administration. From the incompetence of the federal response, to the handing out of no-bid contracts and fleecing of the taxpayer, the man-made disaster almost equals the misery of the natural disaster.






10,000 FEMA trailers rotting away...

***

From the Institute for Southern Studies, here is Facing South's The One Year After Index:

* Estimated percentage of New Orleans metro area's pre-storm population of about 460,000 that had returned as of June 30: 37

* Of the 368 buses operating in New Orleans before Katrina, number operating as of July 2006: 61

* Gallons of water the new Orleans water system loses each day due to breaks caused by Katrina and an underfunded repair budget: 85 million

* Months after Katrina that federal money for housing reconstruction was approved: 10

* Total federal funds dispersed so far to rebuild homes: 0

* Occupancy rate of livable apartments in New Orleans: 99

* Number of hospitals in Orleans Parish before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: 22

* Number as of August 2006: 11

* Approximate increase in New Orleans suicide rate since Katrina: 300%

* Percent of New Orleans small businesses destroyed by Katrina: 60

* By May 2006, percent of small businesses that had been approved for disaster loans from the Small Business Administration that had actually received them: 37

* Value of wages that contractors had not paid their workers but were eventually recovered by the Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance: over $700,000

* Number of New Orleans prisoners whose trials have never been set or have been delayed, or who have never seen an attorney: about 6,000

* Amount of oil spilled in Louisiana from damaged tanks and other production facilities during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: 10.5 million gallons

* Amount spilled from 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska: 11 million gallons

* Portion of hazardous materials that authorities would be "lucky" to remove from the post-Katrina waste stream, according to an EPA official: 20 to 30 percent

* Percent of New Orelans cultural institutions that remain closed from storm damage: 75

* Of the 30 U.N. Principles guiding the handling of "Internally Displaced People," number that legal scholars believe were violated in the case of Katrina: 16

Source: One Year after Katrina, Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch/Institute for Southern Studies, August 2006.

***

Some of the features in the Institute's 96-page Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch report, One Year after Katrina:
* Profiting from Disaster: Fraud, scandal and greed has crippled the Gulf recovery -- but made some very rich. By Jordan Green.
* Feds Disaster Plans Neglect Nursing Homes: Those most vulnerable during the storms could be left behind again. By Sue Sturgis.
* A Place for Women after Katrina: An interview with New Orleans activist Shana Griffin. By Elena Everett.

This represents a herculean effort by Chris Kromm and the folks at the Institute. Help support its work. Print copies of the full report are available for $12 at www.southernstudies.org. For help or more information, please contact Elena Everett at elena@southernstudies.org or 919-419-8311 x25.

***

Chris and Sue Sturgis will be on the radio today:

Thom Hartmann at Air America Radio -- Tuesday 8/29 at 1 pm EST (Chris Kromm)
WEKZ in Wisconsin and Illinois -- Tuesday 8/29 at 8:35 am EST (Sue Sturgis)
KKSM in Sacramento, CA -- Tuesday 8/29 at 11 am EST (Elena Everett)
GW on the Hill on XM Radio --Tuesday 8/29 at 3 pm EST (Chris Kromm)

***

Blogswarm on Katrina: Shakes Sis / Royally Kranked / I’m Not One to Blog, But… / Night Bird’s Fountain / Amberglow at MetaFilter / Fluxview / Changing Places / Grumpy Old Man / Morning Martini / What Do I Know? / A Blog Around the Clock / After the Bridge / Swampytad / Rusty Idols / The Science Pundit / Harp and Sword / Mike the Mad Biologist / Momusfire / The Crazy Bird / The Psychotic Patriot (and here) / Truth, Justice & Peace / Stephenson Strategies / Konagod / Paul Krugman (provided by C&L) / BlondeSense / Driftglass / Gideon Starorzewski / The Talent Show / Mike’s Neighborhood / Pen-Elayne on the Web / Mockingbird’s Medley / Bark Bark Woof Woof / Progressive Purls / Booman Tribune / TalkLeft / The Intersection / Stranger Fruit / Poor Impulse Control / Quaker Agitator (and here) / Blue Gal / Talking Points Memo / Hughes for America / Brilliant at Breakfast / Aetiology / Legal Fiction / 300 Dollar Wonder / Drifting Through the Grift / Property of a Lady / HuffPo / Corpus Callosum / The Unknown Candidate / The Tattered Coat / 1115 / The Last Duchess / Facing South / True Blue Liberal / Demagogue / The Daily Background / Think Progress / Thoughts from an Empty Head / Afarensis / Life and Times of NotSoccer Mom / Thoughts from Kansas / Blanton’s and Ashton’s / State of the Day / Article of Faith / The Rude Pundit / The Katrinacrat Blog / The Democratic Daily / A DC Birding Blog / Zen Comix / Liberal Catnip / Firedoglake / First Draft / Left I on the News / The Left Coaster / The Garlic / Puffs and White China Dogs / Linkmeister / Bitty’s Back Porch / Thinking Meat / Lab Cat / Notes Toward Something / The Aristocrats / Dr. Joan Bushwell’s Chimpanzee Refuge / The Evil Petting Zoo / This Space for Rent / Pushing Rope / And This Too Shall Pass…

AFA columnist pits blacks against gays in Alabama race

I love how the fundies know exactly how to read the recent Patricia Todd/Gaynell Hendricks dustup over the Alabama House District 54 race. And it looks like Joe Murray (Mr. Sodomy Squadron) wants to make it all about civil rights as a zero-sum game with the evil homos pushing blacks out of office and raising the rainbow flag over the last bastion of "Christianity", the Deep South.

Jeezus, how transparent is this BS? (AgapePress):

The Todd story shows there is a power shift occurring in the Democratic Party. Homosexual activists are marching out of strongholds such as San Francisco, South Beach, and Provincetown, and they have their eyes set on other places, such as the Land of Cotton. It is not a coincidence that Howard Dean took great interest in this obscure Alabama race, for Patricia Todd stands to be Alabama's first lesbian representative -- and this will be seen as a major victory in cultural politics. Dean understands the new look of the party he chairs.

And while it may be true that some party bosses, such as Joe Reed, may be worried that District 54 will become a Michael Jackson district (i.e., once black and now white), the crux of this controversy centered on tensions between black and gay ambitions. Black Democrats are not eager to embrace the homosexual agenda. Just look at Miss Childress' complaint.

Conservatives need to take notice of this situation, for it is now happening in our backyards. This is not a tale emanating from the Northeast or Left Coast; it has its roots in the heart of Dixie. What is happening? How could a family values state like Alabama become a branch office of the Victory Fund? These questions must be answered.

Understand this -- the homosexual lobby is on a quest to raise its rainbow flag over every state house in the Union. Blacks in the South are now learning this lesson, for their party is on the receiving end of a forcible makeover. Make no mistake, Todd was a trophy candidate; a candidate funded by the gay lobby, and her victory signals the Democratic wind is blowing in a new direction. Gays in, blacks out.

That last bullsh*t is horrifying. I read that back to Kate and she nearly went apoplectic.

No, Joe, Todd won the race legitimately and black kingmakers who were unhappy with the outcome tried to overturn it -- are you advocating this kind of reaction if gays win races outright? Maybe you're prefer the "Diebold method" to ensure the "right" outcome.

We have to paint a picture for feeble minds like Murray -- civil rights aren't a limited quantity, to be doled out in portions with the fear of running out. He refers to "pro-homosexual bloggers were giddy with the news that Dean had called eight times during the meeting and been on the phone with Yellowhammer Democrats all week."

I guess that I'm one of those pro-homosexual bloggers...then again, I'm black as well -- how does that fit into Murray's little scenario?

His other scenario, as we've seen with the Rovian/Mehlman tactics over the last couple of years, is to try and woo the religious black community and turn social conservatism into votes.

Traditionalists must recognize this rift and bring the message of traditional values to the newly dejected black southern Democrat. Traditionalists must offer blacks a new home by using the issues of marriage protection, life, and school choice. Traditionalists must show southern blacks there is an alternative to the Democratic Machine -- that it is a reason to break ranks with the likes of the NAACP.

Kathy has more on this knob-end's column.

***

The question is, will this courting of blacks work? No one really knows, but the GOP is going to beat this like a dead horse while the Dems squirm about addressing homophobia in the religious black community.

It's the elephant in the room (irony there) that the Dems, as I've blogged about before, don't want to address because it swirls around race and the unwillingness to discuss the "tough stuff" for fear of offending defensive blacks. That fear's logical conclusion is that religious blacks may turn to the GOP -- who talk up a good game about moral values and throw faith-based cash around.

The GOP has managed to appeal to a growing number of black pastors, if not the flock. It's planting the seed, hoping those pastors in the pulpit can sway the people in the pews on the "values" issues (as spun by the GOP).

It hasn't worked in the past because the GOP cannot manage to eradicate the institutionalized racism in its policies, politics and populace. It's like an old comfortable shoe that the party turns to time and again. The sad truth is the GOP could gain broader appeal among many blacks and other minorities on if it truly wanted to, because Dems have taken those votes for granted time after time.

Ken Mehlman's job of courting minorities might be a lot easier if he didn't have to stand behind this disaster of a president. The GOP wants to scrape any votes it can from that demo -- our country is so polarized and elections are close; even a small shift is meaningful. As you can see, they always find black fundie pastors to buy off and hope that they can spew poisonous bigotry from the pulpit.

Dems can't sit tight and think religious black votes will never cross over and vote GOP if the Dems are unwilling to address 1) black homophobia and 2) perceived anti-religious sentiment in its party.

As we've seen, the Dems aren't good at addressing #2 either, since the idea of outreach is for Dean to go on The 700 Club. It's as if the only "religious" people are the fundies watching Crazy Pat.

What Karl Rove and the GOP are aware of (and the Dems have trouble with), is that the religious left is weak because such a vocal and powerful segment of the party is comprised of secular voters and non-believers. The one thing that has been proven on the right is that it is much easier to shape the views and mobilize a captive audience (fervent churchgoers), than to wrangle all the factions — as the Dems have to do.

A recent Pew poll confirms this : Many Americans Uneasy with Mix of Religion and Politics: 69% Say Liberals Too Secular, 49% Say Conservatives Too Assertive.

The Democratic Party continues to face a serious “God problem,” with just 26% saying the party is friendly to religion. However, the proportion of Americans who say the Republican Party is friendly to religion, while much larger, has fallen from 55% to 47% in the past year, with a particularly sharp decline coming among white evangelical Protestants (14 percentage points).

...On the left, a larger share of the public (32%) identifies as "liberal or progressive Christians." But unlike evangelicals, progressive Christians come from different religious traditions and disagree almost as often as they agree on a number of key political and social issues.

At least the GOP is losing its stranglehold on believers as well.

The Tool's ready to swing by Bob Jones U.

Bush humping John McCain, so desperate to win over the fundies, has come full circle in embracing Bob Jones University in SC, the very state in which Dear Leader basically cut off his balls in 2000.

U.S. Sen. John McCain riled Bob Jones University leaders in South Carolina's nasty 2000 GOP presidential primary by criticizing the Christian fundamentalist school - known for its ban on interracial dating and its anti-Roman Catholic views - and George W. Bush for speaking there.

Now McCain says he would consider speaking at the school himself.

"I can't remember when I've turned down a speaking invitation. I think I'd have to look at it," he told The State newspaper.

McCain, R-Ariz., says he would have to look at Bob Jones University's latest policy statements. "I understand they have made considerable progress," he said.

It's amazing how John McCain has thoroughly degraded himself, seemingly with masochistic pleasure, tossing a formidable surface political reputation as a war hero down the rat hole by sucking up to Bush and the AmTaliban. Is the presidency really worth this:


Get a room, already. via Mike Tidmus.

***

BJU's student handbook says "Loyalty to Christ results in separated living. Dishonesty, lewdness, sensual behavior, adultery, homosexuality, sexual perversion of any kind, pornography, illegal use of drugs, and drunkenness--all are clearly condemned by God's word and prohibited here." The campus bans all lAbercrombie & Fitch logos because it has "shown an unusual degree of antagonism to the name of Christ and an unusual display of wickedness in their promotions."

In checking out the dress code for women, the BJU guide provides a few good chuckles.

* The middle area of the torso may not be exposed, and tops must be long enough to meet the top of the skirt or pants.
* Sleeveless tops and dresses may be worn with a blouse, jacket, or sweater; otherwise, sleeves are required.
* Necklines may be no lower than four fingers below the collarbone--the choice of "four fingers" being only a convenient measurement.
* Tops may be fitted, but not clingy.
* Hemlines, slits or other openings may never be higher than the bottom of the knee. Denim skirts are allowed for casual dress but not in class or for other professional events.
* Shoes such as combat boots or hiking boots are not permitted.
* Hairstyles must be neat, "orderly," and feminine. Masculine cuts and "cutting edge fads" should be avoided.
* Tattoos are prohibited. A maximum of two matched sets of earrings are allowed, and they must be worn in the lobe of the ear. Any other body piercings are prohibited.

The guys get off easy though your hair will receive some scrutiny by the BJU staff:

* Men's hair must be traditionally styled with a conservative cut. Hair must not be colored, highlighted, shaved, shelved, tangled or spiked. Sideburns may not reach past the lower opening of the ear. No facial hair is permitted; students must be clean shaven. (Some exceptions are made for older students.)

And there shall be no naked man-toes. Socks must be worn at all time.

The whackadoo had zero to do with it

I've been offline most of the day, so I just flipped on the news to see this ho hum development all over the news.

Prosecutors abandoned their case against schoolteacher John Mark Karr on Monday, saying that DNA tests failed to link Karr to the slaying of child beauty contestant JonBenet Ramsey.

Karr was briefly freed from jail but was quickly returned to await extradition to California, where he is wanted on five misdemeanor child pornography counts, Boulder County Sheriff Joseph Pelle said.

District Attorney Mary Lacy revealed how the case against Karr was built -- and unraveled -- in a five-page motion asking a judge to drop the arrest warrant that brought Karr from Bangkok, Thailand. (Read the documents. (Viewer discretion advised.))

DNA tests completed Saturday confirmed that Karr "was not the source of the DNA found on the underwear of JonBenet Ramsey" -- disproving his claim that he was sexually involved with the child and killed her by accident.

Karr's family also provided "strong circumstantial" evidence he was with them in Georgia at the time of the crime, court papers stated. The prosecutor's motion said "no evidence has developed, other than his own repeated admissions, to place Mr. Karr at the scene of the crime."

I called it (as did most people with brain cells).

Fundie follies at Charlotte Pride

Matt Hill Comer has a gallery of photos up from the recent Charlotte Pride. He was there representing the North Carolina Advocacy Coalition and promoting the Right to Serve DADT protest campaign (Greensboro will be holding one of these Soulforce-led events in Sept; check here for details). Over 30 cities will be participating.

Matt's comment on Pride:

We had a success with the NC Advocacy table and I took a bunch of great pictures, including some of the crazed, religious fanatics from Operation Save America who stood outside of the festival all day shouting their throats through loud speaker systems and blowing weird looking "Horns of God" (ooo… that so could be twisted to mean something else, lol).

MattHillNC.com | The Q-triad Blog

The Operation Save America trolls had a big-*ss Ten C out there for everyone.


MattHillNC.com | The Q-triad Blog

The goal of OSA, besides returning homos to the closet, is to get God back in the classroom and the state back into a woman's womb. This is the sort of drivel the Texas-based organization, headed by unhinged Rev. Flip Benham, spews.

Each year the radical homosexual agenda attempts to shove immorality down our throats through their pride festivals. The picture these militant sodomites like to paint of homosexuality in America's government schools is a far cry from the stark reality of sodomite culture. It is pornographic, obscene and disgusting and these festivals are tame compared their club scene. The depravity inherent in those choosing this perverted lifestyle of death is flaunted openly at their festivals held in public venues. Their clear intent is to destroy the Christian morality that is the glue that holds our society together.

He's an equal opportunity bigot, attacking other religions in the name of Jeebus, and rebuking "those who would use carnal weapons of war to win Christ's cause."

Unfortunately, if one wants to see the kind of extreme identity politics typical of fascism, there are examples nearby. Last month, in Pearl, Miss., the Rev. Flip Benham, leader of the anti-abortion group Operation Save America, burned a Quran, the Islamic holy book. Apparently, the intention was to demonstrate that Islam is one of several practices “detestable to the Lord."

That should help with community relations and brotherhood.

Check out the rest of Matt's Pride pix.

***

Also over at his pad, Matt Hill talks about the fundie losers at Called2Action, who are getting worked up for this year's attempt control what is read in the Wake County (Raleigh) schools because certain titles offend their "Christian" sensibilities, you know, works like the satanic "Beloved" and "The Color Purple."

The anti-gay Called2Action group, based in Raleigh, is gearing up again this year to challenge the Wake County Public School System on books they find "objectionable" due to vulgarity and sexuality… books like The Color Purple.

Called2Action, which has supported a number of blatantly anti-gay efforts in the past (including the promotion of the "Day of Truth," a cheap, prejudiced rip-off of the Day of Silence), is looking for parents who want to serve on its Parents Council. The parents would cross-check books on reading lists from the public schools with lists of "objectionable material" put together by groups like themselves from across the nation.

Check out more Blend posts on that awful Day of Truth nonsense.

Homobigot Ken Blackwell going nowhere with GOP voters in OH gov race

Well how about this -- Ken Blackwell, despite all the public support from the bible-beating Talibangelist Rod Parsley of Reformation Ohio and Russell Johnson, founder of the Ohio Restoration Project, his numbers continue to tank. These polling results are from Rasmussen.

During the past several months, Democratic Congressman Ted Strickland's edge over Republican Secretary of State Ken Blackwell has ranged from four to seventeen percentage points. Now, in our latest election poll of Ohio's gubernatorial race, Congressman Strickland leads his opponent by an intimidating 57% to 32%.

We conducted the new survey August 22, several days after the Strickland campaign began airing positive TV ads about the Democrat. The health of the steel industry has been one issue this electoral season, and Strickland's ad touts his help in securing a loan for an ailing steel company.


Blackwell: "Christians should show that they are not going to be whupped."

Blackwell is not well established even with GOP voters, only 59% of whom now support him. He is perceived as conservative by 51% of all voters. By contrast, Strickland appeals to 88% of Democrats, and 55% of unaffiliated voters. A plurality of all voters (44%) see him as moderate.

Strickland is viewed favorably by 59%, Blackwell by 40%. Blackwell is viewed unfavorably by 55%. More ominously, 35% view him "very" unfavorably, a four-point increase since last month.

Look at how hard he pushes the gaybashing:

"I think homosexuality is a lifestyle, it's a choice, and that lifestyle can be changed. I think it is a transgression against God's law, God's will. The reality is, again, ... that I think we make choices all the time. And I think you make good choices and bad choices in terms of lifestyle. Our expectation is that one's genetic makeup might make one more inclined to be an arsonist, or might make one more inclined to be a kleptomaniac. Do I think that they can be changed? Yes."

Gee, Ken, why do you think you're not gaining any traction with the rank-and-file fundie voters? Hmmmmm? You're saying all the right things, but it's just not gelling, is it? What could be the problem?

Hell, even Karl Rove, who pimped you at a fundraiser, can't get those numbers up.

I love this photo w/a caption from Gilliard:


Man, I can't do shit with this negro

***

A side note: if you want to see religious black homobigotry in action, look no further than this campaign. A group of black pastors (who are Dems) will be crossing over to join white wingnuts like Russell Johnson in support of Blackwell.

The ministers, including the director of the Memphis-based Coalition of African-American Pastors, say they support Blackwell's conservative message, including his anti-tax position and his opposition to gay marriage...The minister group, Clergy for Blackwell, which includes black and white ministers, plans news conferences Monday in Columbus and Cincinnati in a move sure to add to a debate in Ohio over the role of religion in politics.

Related:


* The friends of homo-bigot Ken Blackwell
* Ken Blackwell's outreach flyer
* Ken Blackwell is a vile individual
* Ken Blackwell is a vile individual, part 2
* Chris King's 1st Amendment Page on Blackwell
* More posts on Blackwell

TN judge: my wife's lesbian affair made me take kickbacks

Here's a novel plea for mercy. A judge in Roane County, Tennessee pleaded guilty to using his position to shake down driving school instructors as well as the probation police chief.

Thomas Alva Austin simply couldn't help himself because the stress of learning his wife was carrying on a lesbian affair just short circuited his brain, turning him to a life of crime to fatten his coffers by tens of thousands of dollars. Nice.

...Austin's attorney, Gregory P. Isaacs, in seeking a reduced sentence argues the judge had a breakdown.

"In early 2005, while Mr. Austin and his second wife were in marital counseling, she admitted her year-long involvement in an extramarital lesbian relationship," Isaacs wrote in his court filing.

"Mr. Austin was quite distraught, sought medical help for depression and was prescribed anti-depressants. Additionally, he began drinking heavily despite earlier struggles with alcohol. All of the charges that are included in this indictment occurred after this difficult and tumultuous period in Mr. Austin's personal life."

"He is corrupt to his core," [U.S. Attorney Charles ] Atchley wrote in his brief of Austin. "This case represents an almost incomprehensible breach of the public trust," Atchley wrote in the brief.

Austin was caught on video receiving cash from a victim who wore a wire after going to the FBI and reporting Austin's "stress-induced" behavior. The judge certainly doesn't sound like a man tortured by his actions when he brags to the victim about the kickbacks as well as a sexual harassment case he sat on:

"I've pulled every fucking thing in the book," he was recorded saying. "I've granted girls divorces in the morning and fucked them that afternoon."

Some top 10s - Princeton Review college rankings

These lists are always interesting. The Princeton Review's "Best 361 Colleges" rankings are out, and it's always good to take a look at some of the interesting categories. I have a few top 10s below; the site lists 20 for each category if you want to surf over (registration reqd). There are plenty of other entertaining categories, such as Dorms Like Dungeons, and "Is It Food?"

Gay Community Accepted

1 New York University
2 Eugene Lang College--The New School for Liberal Arts
3 New College of Florida
4 Macalester College
5 College of the Atlantic
6 Simon's Rock College of Bard
7 Wellesley College
8 Mount Holyoke College
9 Bryn Mawr College
10 Bennington College

And I assume that homos would want to steer clear of any institution on the top 10 list of "Alternative Lifestyles Not an Alternative":
1 University of Notre Dame
2 Hampden-Sydney College
3 Brigham Young University (UT)
4 Wheaton College (IL)
5 College of the Holy Cross
6 Baylor University
7 Texas A&M University-College Station
8 Grove City College
9 University of Tennessee--Knoxville
10 Samford University

Here are the Top 10 Party Schools :
1 The University of Texas at Austin
2 Penn State--University Park
3 West Virginia University
4 University of Wisconsin-Madison
5 University of Mississippi
6 Ohio University-Athens
7 University of Massachusetts--Amherst
8 Louisiana State University
9 University of Iowa
10 University of California-Santa Barbara

Kate's shocked that Alabama wasn't on that list; however the University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa made the "Students Most Nostalgic For Reagan" list.

And Russ, here's your category: Reefer Madness - How widely used is marijuana?
1 Warren Wilson College
2 Bard College
3 Colorado College
4 University of California-Santa Cruz
5 Oberlin College
6 Pitzer College
7 Hampshire College
8 New York University
9 New College of Florida
10 Lehigh University

Wal-Mart blasted on all sides for partnering with G&L Cham