Big Bullies: How the Religious Right is Trying to Make Schools Safe for Anti-Gay Bullies

The Religious Right has been leading a concerted effort to stop programs that seek to protect LGBT youth from bullying and to deny that the problem of anti-gay bullying exists. Today, People For the American Way released a report exposing the Religious Right's pro-bullying efforts and the myths it is using to promote them.

The report, Big Bullies: How the Religious Right is Trying to Make Schools Safe for Bullies and Dangerous for Gay Kids, can be found online at http://www.pfaw.org/rww-in-focus/big-bullies-how-the-religious-right-trying-to-make-schools-safe-for-bullies-and-dangero

GOP Prayer Guru Says Gays Possessed by Demons

As Rachel Maddow recently showcased, on December 16th the Family Research Council sponsored a "Prayercast" event, attended by GOP luminaries including Senators Jim DeMint and Sam Brownback, and House Representatives Michelle Bachmann and Randy Forbes. Lou Engle, Founder of TheCall led the prayer at the event. Besides leading the capstone stadium rally for pro-Proposition 8, antigay marriage organizers last November 1, 2008 at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium, Lou Engle could also be found, at a special ceremony at a Virginia Beach megachurch last summer, anointing and blessing GOP presidential hopefuls Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich.

Meet the Republican Party's new spiritual guru, Lou Engle

The Radical, Violent Right: Homegrown Terrorists

Here are some good articles I found on Alternet about the radical violent right and the radical anti-abortion terrorists:

A Brief History of the Radical, Violent Right: How Racist Hate Groups Joined With Anti-Abortion Terrorists
By James Ridgeway, MotherJones.com.
Alleged murderer Scott Roeder was once a white separatist before he became an anti-choice zealot -- many others have followed the same deadly path.

The Dangerous Lies of Anti-Choice Extremists

The Right's False Rhetoric on Abortion

Anti-Gay Bigots LIE!

Anti-gay religious bigots get all worked up over a "sin" that is not even in the Top Ten Commandments, but they sure piss all over one of the biggies: THOU SHALT NOT LIE!

The Christo-Fascist "World Net Daily News" has been stirring right-wing opposition to the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 (Hate Crimes Bill) by confusing "sexual orientation" with paedophilia, and calling the bill the "Pedophile Protection Act."

Faith2Action's anti-gay crusader Janet Porter has been leading the right-wing campaign to kill the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, falsely claiming that the hate crimes bill would infringe on the religious freedom and freedom of speech of Christians and would protect pedophiles and other "sexual deviants."

First, there is nothing in the Hate Crimes Bill to infringe on any one's freedom of speech! The bill clearly targets CRIMINAL ACTS that target people based on race, gender, religion, handicap, sexual orientation or gender identity. People can say or think whatever they want about gays, or Jews, but they cannot commit CRIMINAL ACTS! If someone commits CRIMINAL ACT, like physically attacking or killing someone because they are Jewish or gay, the bill will provide FEDERAL resources to prosecute the crime and enhanced penalties. (Our criminal justice system takes motivation into account in sentencing crimes.)

Second, religious fundamentalists are free to preach their anti-gay bigotry, as long as they don't preach VIOLENCE against people who are gay, Jewish, etc. Why are bigots like Janet Porter defending violence against gay people as "freedom of speech" or "freedom of religion"???

These Christo-fascist anti-gay campaigns are not just targeting the U.S. Congress, they are sowing their anti-gay bigotry across the states. Here in Tennessee they are using the very same radical right-wing propaganda against a state hate crimes bill and against a non-discrimination ordinance here in Memphis!

A group of anti-gay preachers have formed an ad hoc group, Memphis City Churches, to fight the Shelby County non-discrimination ordinance, using the same lies they used against the hate crimes bill. Memphis City Churches is a front group for the Christo-fascist Traditional Values Coalition

If you live in Memphis or Tennessee, visit the Tennessee Equality Project to take action against this anti-gay bigotry and support LGBT civil rights in Tennessee

Take Action on the Shelby County Non-Discrimination Ordinance

Take Action on the Tennessee Hate Crimes Bill

See Also:

American Family Assocaition: Senate Poised to Give Special Protection to Pedophiles

RIGHT WING WATCH: A HATE CRIMES THOUGHT EXPERIMENT

HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN

Grand Divisions: News and Comment on TN Politics: A refresher course on the Ten Commandments needed for some Shelby Co Churches

GOP Right-Wing Base Revolt

There is a Rebellion Brewing in the GOP Base

While Barack Obama's approval ratings remain high, anger is growing in the radical base of the Republican Party against Obama and the mainstream GOP "elites" who want to move the party away from the right-wing fringe. Gay marriage, in particular, seems to be one of their main issues, as more and more New England states, including many Republican leaders, embrace marriage equality.

The Reagan coalition, of socially liberal Northeast Republican capitalists with southern working class whites (including religious fundamentalists and racists) is falling apart. That's good news, unless the Republican Party follows their right-wing fringe base and ignores mainstream Americans, which seems to be the case right now.

The Republican Party will die if it continues to follow the direction of the religious fanatics, anti-gay bigots, racists, and global-warming denying idiots it calls its base.

Religious Fanatics & Bigots Have Destroyed the GOP

Religious Fanatics and Bigots are destroying the Republican Party, but only a few in the GOP seem to care. So far, the only Republicans who willing to take on the Republican Reich are John McCain's daughter, Meghan McCain, and McCain's former campaign manager, Steve Schmidt.

Meghan McCain may be the only Republican I can say anything nice about! She has taken on the right-wing fascists, like Ann Coulter, and has come out strongly in support of gay rights, including marriage equality (but why is she still a Republican??)

Meghan McCain: Old School Republicans are "Scared Shitless"

Steve Schmidt, McCain Campaign Manager: Religion Could Kill the GOP

Schmidt Defends Marriage Equality at LCR Convention

Frank Rich demolishes the anti-gay bigots in this NYT Column:
The Last Hurrah

Fanatical Religion is Killing America

Is the Religious Right Dead?

Boy Frank Rich nails the coffin shut on the Religious Right:
The Culture Warriors Get Laid Off

Not sure we can count the religious nuts out completely, like Vampires they seem to creep out when you don't expect them...
They survived PTL and Jimmy Swaggert...

But it is amusing listening to adulturers and drug addicts like Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh try to lecture Barack & Michelle Obama on "famlily values" !

Hate-Murder Suspect "Did it for God"

Hate-Slaying Suspect: I did it for God
Terry Mark Mangum, a Texas man charged in the hate-crime murder of Southwest Airlines flight attendent Kenneth Cummings Jr. says he killed Terry Magnum for God. He told reporters that he believed "with all my heart that I was doing the right thing" when he stabbed Cummings in the head wth a six-inch knife June 4, becasue "Sexual perversion" is the "worst sin"? Worse than Murder?? Cummings charrged body was found days later on Mangum's grandfather's ranch near San Antonio. Wonder where Terry Mangum got those crazy ideas? Wonder why the anti-gay religious right is so opposed to "hate crime laws"?
And why does it seem that most of these hate-crimes occur in TEXAS??

Bush's Surgeon General Pick Another Right-Wing Ideologue

Bush's nominee for Surgeon General, Dr. James Holsinger, has been under attack from gay rights groups for his past writings on the "pathology" of homosexuality and his alliance with anti-gay religious groups who promote various "cures" for homosexuality. Holsinger told a congressional hearing that those past writings no longer reflect his current views. Still, there are reasons to be concerned about his nomination. Former Bush Surgeon General, Dr. Richard Carmona, has accused the Bush administration of censoring his reports to support conservative ideological views on sex education and stem cell research. It is clear that the Bush administration is using every government position to promote right-wing extremist policies and is beholden to anti-gay religous groups.

John McCain: Flip-Flopper

I hope John McCain is the GOP Presidential candidate, the Democrats could recycle those anti-kerry flip-flop ads. John McCain has been flip-flopping so much lately it is hard to keep a straight face when the fawning media continue to describe him as a straight-shooting guy. First, while McCain in 2004 criticized Jerry Falwell and the Religious Right for being intolerant, the 2007 John McCain embraces the "agents of intolerance." He has been meeting with Falwell and other RR leaders, and now wants to meed with and make amends with James Dobson who this week said he could not support John McCain and accused him of not supporting traditional marriage. No harm, John McCain wants to kiss and make up with Dobson:

James Dobson criticizes McCain presidential bid
copyright AP1/17/2007 9:30:07 AM

John McCain

Senator John McCain says he hopes to talk with a conservative Christian leader who has declared that he won't support the Republican's presidential bid under any circumstances.

In an interview last Thursday with a Dallas Christian station, Focus on the Family's James Dobson said the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law has prevented Christian broadcasters "from telling the truth right before elections."

Dobson also contended that McCain "is not in favor of traditional marriage," adding, "I pray that we will not get stuck with him."

In South Carolina Tuesday, McCain said he's "obviously disappointed" with the remarks and would like to have a dialogue with Dobson. McCain said he already has had dialogue with the Reverend Jerry Falwell, the Reverend Rick Warren and the Reverend Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention.
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Wow, talk about Flip Flop!

And then there are the different positions taken by the "straight-shooting" John McCain on the Iraq War. Moveon.org has launched ads calling out McCain on his Iraq Flip-Flops. Lets see if the medias love affair with McCain will end soon.