Buttigieg's Rise Drives "Christian" Hate Merchants to Apoplexy

Regardless of whether or not he wins the Democrat nomination, Pete Buttigieg's rise among the Democrat contenders is causing the usual hate merchants of falsely labeled "Christian" organizations to reveal the full depth of their dishonesty and desire to be above the nondiscrimination laws that bind the rest of us.  A case in point is Bryan Fischer, a gay hater and extremist of the first order, associated with American Family Association ("AFA"), a certified hate group and one of the most dishonest of these toxic organizations.  In a tirade, Fischer rants that Buttigieg is an "open and defiant homosexual" - I've been called similar thing by Victoria Cobb of The Family Foundation, one of Virginia's leading hate groups. What's telling is that everything that Fischer accuses Buttigieg of is actually applicable to Fischer and his fellow dominion who want a Christian theocracy in America and most definitely want a "Christian Supremacy Act."   Having followed AFA's lies and extremism for over two decades, anyone AFA opposes is precisely who sane and moral people should support.  LGBTQ Nation looks at Fischer's mentally disturbed rant.  Here are excepts:  

A prominent Christian conservative [extremist] has said that South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg is the “biggest threat to religious liberty in history.”

Bryan Fischer is the Director of Issues Analysis for the SPLC designated anti-LGBTQ hate group American Family Association.

In a column on the far-right website OneNewsNow, he calls Buttigieg “an open and defiant homosexual” and says that it makes sense to reject him for his “sexual proclivities” – comparing being gay to being Donald Trump.

“We can certainly understand the left’s condemnation of President Trump for his sexual romps with porn stars 12 or 13 years ago,” Fischer writes. “This means, of course, that unless they are profoundly hypocritical, [progressives] will be able to understand our legitimate concerns about Buttigieg’s aberrant sexual conduct and what it means for his qualifications to become the leader of the Free World.”

Fischer is quite clear that his problem is with Buttigieg’s sexual orientation, not just his policies, but he also goes after his policies.

His first big problem is that Buttigieg is in favor of transgender people’s civil rights.

He also criticizes Buttigieg for supporting the Equality Act, which he calls “The Homosexual Supremacy Act,” claiming that the law that outlaws discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, and other areas would require churches “to hire homosexual choir directors” and would allow “men barging into restrooms reserved for little girls.”

“Therapists who try to help teens overcome unwanted same-sex attractions will have their professional licenses yanked and be put out of business,” Fischer writes, although he doesn’t explain why that’s a bad thing, or even how it’s related to the Equality Act.

Fischer was able to find one thing to compliment Buttigieg about. Who knew it would be his “boyish good looks”?

Did Trump Appoint a Raging Homophobe to an Advisory Council?

The Trump/Pence regime has had an open door policy toward some of the most extreme homophobes and Christofascists, some of whom claim to be on a "Faith Advisory Council."  Some of these individuals include Tony Perkins of Family Research Council who has documented white supremacist ties (and who boasts of his access to Trump), and noted "Christian" grifters Franklin Graham and Jerry Fallwell, Jr., each of whom routinely use religion and preying on the gullible to enrich themselves. Now, Tim Wildmon of American Family Association ("AFA"), perhaps one of the most rabid anti-gay organizations of them all which routinely disseminates off the charts outright lies and falsehoods (hence a perfect fit with Trump) claims to have been appointed to this Council.  Perhaps embarrassed by Wildmon's off the charts lunacy, the White House is denying that Wildmon received any such appointment and the that the Council exists. A piece in The Advocate looks at the competing claims.  Here are excerpts: 

Tim Wildmon, president of the virulently anti-LGBTQ American Family Association, announced Monday that he had been named to Donald Trump’s Faith Advisory Council — but on Wednesday, a White House spokesman said there had been no such appointment, nor is there any such council.

“I have no idea what he’s talking about,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere told the Washington Blade. “There is no such thing as a White House Faith Council or Advisory Board. There is a Faith & Opportunity Initiative led by an adviser, Pastor Paula White, but it does not include a council or advisory board.”

But the AFA had sent out a press release Monday saying Wildmon had joined the body, which it said is “made up of key leaders who support and help guide the president’s faith-based initiatives, give insight on policy important to evangelicals and, most importantly, pray for the president.” It said other members of the council include White and such well-known Christian right figures as Tony Perkins, Robert Jeffress, and Jerry Falwell Jr., all of whom have worked with Trump on various projects. . . . The press release is still posted on the AFA’s website.

The AFA, based in Tupelo, Miss., is classified by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a progressive watchdog organization, as a hate group because of the dangerous misinformation it spreads about LGBTQ people. It considers homosexuality a sin, as many religions do, but it seeks to infuse public policy with that belief. It is also deeply transphobic, having often portrayed transgender people as predatory, and antichoice, with a recent blog post saying billionaire philanthropist Warren Buffett is going to hell because of his support for reproductive rights.

Bryan Fischer, who hosts a radio show for the AFA and blogs on its website, is one of the most hateful commentators in the nation, demonizing LGBTQ people, feminists, Mormons, Muslims, and many other groups. He recently wrote that when the Hallmark Channel agreed to re-air a wedding planner’s ads featuring a lesbian couple, it was caving to the “gay gestapo.” One Million Moms, an AFA offshoot, was one of the groups that had campaigned against the ads.

The Blade sought comment from the AFA on the conflicting reports about Wildmon’s appointment but has so far not received anything. The Advocate has put in its own request for comment with the AFA’s public relations representative, Hamilton Strategies, but also has not received a response.

Christofascist Furious With Chick-fil-A for Maybe Ending Anti-Gay Funding

Chick-fil-A has a long history of funding through its foundation a who's who of anti-LGBT organizations, some of of which would be better classified as hate groups rather than supposed charities.  Indeed, one prominent friend refers to the company as "hateful chicken."  Last week Chick-fil-A announced that it was going to cease funding such organizations - something it has done before in the past but then failed to actually implement. I and many people I know have avoided Chick-fil-A for many years and increasingly the company's funding of anti-LGBT organizations has come home to roost as the company has been refused franchises at some airports and universities and saw its first outlet in the United Kingdom closed shortly after opening. As The Advocate reports, Chick-fil-A's announcement has caused an outcry among Christian extremist hate groups and the scamvangelist/professional Christian set to react with near hysteria.  Meanwhile, perhaps the majority of members of the LGBT community will continue to avoid Chick-fil-A.  Here are story excerpts:

Right-wingers are saying Chick-fil-A has chickened out by announcing its foundation will (maybe) not be donating to anti-LGBTQ charities.

The fast-food chain is getting roasted by the American Family Association, the Family Research Council, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and more.

Company officials said Monday that they had fulfilled multiyear commitments to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, both of which have anti-LGBTQ views or histories, and would concentrate on organizations addressing hunger, homelessness, and education. It has already ceased giving to the Paul Anderson Youth Home, which teaches that homosexuality is a sin. President and Chief Operating Officer Tim Tassopoulos told Bisnow that none of the groups now under consideration for grants have anti-LGBTQ policies.

The decision appeared to have economic motivations. The company has been denied franchises in various municipal airports and on some college campuses due to objections to its grants to homophobic and transphobic organizations, and uproar over its first U.K. location caused the business to lose its lease. LGBTQ activists and allies have also been outraged by statements that executive Dan Cathy made against marriage equality several years ago.

Tassopoulos then appeared to backtrack a bit in a statement given to Vice, saying, “No organization will be excluded from future consideration — faith-based or non-faith-based,” without addressing if an organization’s stance on LGBTQ rights would be a concern. The Advocate has requested clarification from Chick-fil-A but has yet to receive a response.

But as far as the far right is concerned, the damage is done. The notoriously anti-LGBTQ AFA has started a petition to the company, stating, “It looks like you are abandoning Christian values and agreeing with homosexual activists who say believing the Bible makes you a hater. Please clarify that you still hold to biblical teachings regarding human sexuality, marriage, and family, and reinstate these Christian ministries.” 

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council [and documented white supremacist sympathizer], took Chick-fil-A to task in a column published Wednesday. “Some of you might argue that walking away from the Salvation Army or Fellowship of Christian Athletes isn’t an endorsement of an LGBT agenda,” he said. “But it is exactly that. And here’s why. Chick-fil-A didn’t just switch their giving practices, they broadcasted it. They made a conscious choice to draw attention to this very public divorce from two Bible-believing charities. And then, in a calculated move, announced their support was going to an organization that, on its website, openly and proudly supports everything about the LGBT community.” That group is Covenant House, which serves homeless youth and has an LGBTQ-affirming policy.

Huckabee, who once sought the Republican presidential nomination and now hosts a show on the Christian TV network TBN, tweeted that Chick-fil-A had caved to hate groups.

Meanwhile, LGBTQ groups such as GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign urged consumers to be cautious, as Chick-fil-A has made promises before about backing away from donating to anti-LGBTQ groups but kept doing so. And the company does not have an inclusive antidiscrimination policy either.

Walmart Wins the Wrath of "Christian" Hate Group for Valentine's Commercial

Here in America many children and elderly adults go without adequate nutrition and health care and in various parts of the globe, people are literally starving to death and dying of easily treated diseases. One would expect true Christian organizations to be focusing on addressing such situations and striving to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, provide medical assistance to the sick, and provide housing to the homeless.  But not American Family Association ("AFA"), a certified hate group. Instead of doing Christ's bidding, AFA is launch a campaign against Walmart which aired a Valentine's commercial that featured, the horrors, gay men shopping for a blind date.  Sadly, AFA is but one of a number of "Christian" organizations that make a mockery of Christ's message and traffic instead in hate and bigotry (others include Family Research Council, Traditional Values Coalition, and Focus on the Family).  Metro Weekly looks at AFA's spittle flecked rants against Walmart.  Here are excerpts: 

Anti-gay organization the American Family Association is not happy about Walmart’s new “pro-homosexual” commercial.

The retailer released a series of videos on social media to celebrate Valentine’s Day, showcasing various people visiting Walmart stores for blind dates.

One episode of “Love Is In The Aisle” features same-sex pairing Pat and Andy. The fairly innocuous video shows the men discussing their habits, shopping for hair and cooking products, and Andy giving Pat a Creme Pie.

Unfortunately, two men sharing a Little Debbie snack was apparently enough to rile AFA, which sent a livid message to its followers demanding they rise up against Walmart and its “cultural revolution.”

“In a move that most Christians probably never expected to see, retail giant Walmart has posted an online video that normalizes homosexual relationships,” the organization wrote in a press release, adding, “for most Christians and other traditionalists, the idea that marriage is between a man and a woman is sacred.”

AFA sent an “Action Alert” to its followers urging them to sign a petition demanding Walmart remove the video and “remain neutral on controversial issues.” (It should be noted that homosexuality is not illegal, and same-sex marriage has been legal nationwide since 2015.)

“We’ve seen many large corporations reject that in their marketing, but I honestly never thought Walmart would join the cultural revolution and reject the beliefs of its customer base,” said AFA President Tim Wildmon. “It’s clear that Walmart is on the path of elevating homosexual relationships to the same level as the male-female model of marriage.”

Wildmon continued: “We have no choice but to ask our supporters to let the company know how customers feel about Walmart’s shift away from neutrality on this controversial issue to full support for same sex relationships.”

AFA is no stranger to anti-LGBTQ campaigns, having previously spearheaded campaigns against Walgreens and Target over their transgender-inclusive restroom policies.

It should be noted that there are currently zero reported incidents of a transgender person harassing women or children in restrooms — but multiple counts of transgender people being harassed or discriminated against for simply trying to use a toilet.

[I]n 2015, AFA’s Bryan Fischer blamed horrendous flooding in Texas on “sodomites,” agreeing with a caller who opined that “sodomite mayor” Annise Parker (Houston’s openly lesbian mayor) was the cause of the floods.

AFA also tried to scare its followers in 2014 by asserting that “homosexual activists” were “intentionally seeking out Christian business owners for the sole purpose of attacking and destroying religious liberties.”

It is "christian" organizations like AFA that have driven 40% of the under 30 generations from religion.

Hate Group Goes Ballistic Over Parents Magazine Gay Dads

The Southern Poverty Law Center monitors hate groups across American.  While the organization's mission began focused and white supremacist groups, it now follows neo-Nazi and other far right groups.  It also monitors anti-gay hate groups that disseminate deliberate lies and untruths about LGBT individuals with the goal of demonizing us and stripping us of civil rights.  One such group is falsely named "One Million Moms" ("OMM") which in actuality is a very small extremist group operating under the umbrella of American Family Association, itself a hate group, that disseminates wildly untrue propaganda against LGBT, including claims that gays were behind Hitler's Third Reich.  Not surprisingly, Parents Magazine's recent decision to place a family with two dads on its cover has sent the toxic women at OMM into absolute conniption fits.  Like most Christofascists, the leaders of OMM seek to impose their Bronze Age beliefs on all of society.  If given an opportunity, they would erase the very existence of LGBT people and our families.  A piece in The Advocate looks at this latest disingenuous round of OMM hysterics.  Here are excerpts:

Right-wing extremists are losing it over the February cover of Parents magazine, which features a same-sex couple — the first such cover in the publication’s 93-year history.

“Parents is using its magazine as a platform to promote the pro-homosexual lifestyle,” screams an online post from One Million Moms, a Christian right group affiliated with the American Family Association. “Even if families do not personally subscribe to the publication, they should be warned that it could be displayed in waiting rooms of dentist and doctor offices, where children could easily be subjected to the glorification of same-sex parents.”

The cover shows fitness trainer Shaun T and his husband, Scott Blokker, and their 1-year-old sons. A story inside tells of their journey to fatherhood – the boys were conceived with the same egg donor, but one with each father’s sperm, and delivered by the same surrogate. They were born prematurely and spent the first three weeks of their life in intensive care.

One Million Moms doesn’t seem to care about the difficulties faced by the boys or their dads but instead worries about “children being indoctrinated to perceive same-sex couples as normal.” The group also claims that being gay is a “lifestyle … that the medical community identifies as unhealthy,” something that is blatantly untrue.

The organization implores its supporters to sign an online petition expressing their disapproval to Parents. As of Tuesday afternoon, the petition had a little over 10,000 signatures, far less than the million members the group claims. The Million Moms group has a history of objecting to LGBTQ-inclusive media and advertising.

Charity Database Tags "Family Values" Organizations as Hate Groups

Tony Perkins - the white supremacist president of Family Research Council ("FRC") who is pictured above - is livid that charity database group Guidestar has tagged his organization and similar Christofascists groups a hate groups.  For those unfamiliar with Guidestar, it posts publicly available tax documents for charities to enable would donors to see which organizations make the best use of donated dollars and other information that is relevant to making charitable donations.  FRC is not the only "family values" organization that pretends to be an educational charity to receive the hate group designation even as it disseminates lies and untruths about gays and others.   Having followed the activities of FRC for roughly 20 years, there are few more dishonest organizations other than perhaps The American Family Association and Traditional Values Coalition.  All three are designated hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center which tracks hate groups across America due to the virulent lies and propaganda they publish (some have used Nazi like propaganda against LGBT individuals).  The Raw Story looks at these groups finally being exposed for what they are (The Family Foundation in Richmond needs to be added to the list).  Here are story highlights:

A non-profit resource that posts publicly available tax documents for charities has infuriated anti-gay Christian and conservative nonprofits by  using a widely available database at the Southern Poverty Law Center and tagging  each of them as a “hate group.” 

Charity database  GuideStar— which bills itself as “the world’s largest source of information on nonprofit organizations” — now includes information provided by the SPLC.

Among the putative Christian non-profits with a political bent who made the “hate group”  list are the Alliance Defending Freedom, Liberty Counsel, Family Research Council, and the American Family Association — all of whom promote anti-LGBTQ policies,

Also being tagged with the “hate group” designation is the anti-Muslim group American Freedom Defense Initiative, headed by conservative gadfly Pam Geller.

As Guidestar notes on their website: “The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is a respected hate group watchdog. There is disagreement on some of SPLC’s specific choices, but on balance GuideStar believes the analysis is strong enough to share. We leave it to you to come to your own conclusions.”

Fearful that the “hate group” designation may be cutting into their non-profit cash haul, the groups are lashing out at Guidestar for “liberal bias.”

 

FRC vice president Jerry Boykin also blasted Guidestar, calling bet use of the database, “another attack on conservative Christian organizations and individuals.”

Greg Scott, the spokesperson for the Alliance Defending Freedom said his organization would like to ignore it, and attempted to dismiss the civil rights watchdog SPLC as a “tabloid’ operation.

Several of the organizations have pushed back at Guidestar, writing a letter at letter to CEO Jacob Harold that attacks the SPLC, saying it incited violence. . . .

“Despite its denials to the contrary, this highly refined method of ostracism and dehumanization practiced by the SPLC isn’t just about verbal debate – it can foreseeably lead to violence,” the letter read.

In truth, the only ones seeking to incite violence are these false charities.  It is long past time that they public be informed of their true toxic nature.  Kudos to Guidestar..   

Trump to Address Virulently Anti-Gay Hate Groups

Donald Trump and a small percentage of gays who seemingly cannot shake their internalized homophobia continue to presidential candidate for protecting gays.  As noted before, however, Trump's actions tell a far different story than Trump's claims (indeed, Fact Checker has found that at more than 70% of Trump's statements on almost any issue are untrue).  Now, Right Wing Watch ("RWW") reports that Trump - and Mike Pence - will be appearing at Family Research Council's right wing hate fest "Value Voters Summit."  As RWW reports, the gathering is sponsored by the most extreme anti-LGBT groups in the nation (some are certified hate groups) that have actively opposed civil rights for LGBT Americans and have in some case argued for criminalizing homosexuality.  Here are report excerpts:

Donald Trump is scheduled to speak this week at the Values Voter Summit, the annual confab hosted by the Religious Right powerhouse the Family Research Council. While Trump has claimed that he will be a better “friend of LGBT Americans” than Hillary Clinton (just “ask the gays”), his appearance at VVS shows the extent to which he has cozied up with some of the country’s fiercest opponents of LGBT equality, going so far as to offer them their pick of Supreme Court justices. 

Many of the summit’s organizers and speakers have a long history of anti-LGBT rhetoric and promoting anti-LGBT policies, from denigrating gay and lesbian armed service members to falsely linking homosexuality with pedophilia. In fact, a glaring number of VVS participants have defended laws criminalizing homosexuality in the U.S. and around the globe.

While the Religious Right has changed its messaging in recent years to claim that conservative Christians in the U.S. are facing persecution from LGBT rights activists, it was not long ago that many of the same groups were fighting to preserve laws that made gay people criminals—and some still support enacting these policies at home and abroad.

The Family Research Council, which is the chief organizer of the conference, is a case in point. In 2003, when the Supreme Court was considering the constitutionality of Texas’ ban on “sodomy” in the landmark Lawrence v. Texas case, the FRC filed an amicus brief on behalf of the state. When the court ruled against Texas in the case [Lawrence v. Texas], the FRC called it “a direct attack on the sanctity of marriage” and the group’s president, Tony Perkins, declared, “What’s at stake here is the very foundation of our society, not only of America but all Western civilization.”

Not only has Perkins defended state laws criminalizing same-sex relations, he once defended a notorious anti-gay bill in Uganda that at the time he discussed it proposed life in prison or even the death penalty for people who have sex with someone of the same sex. Perkins lauded this bill as an effort to “uphold moral conduct that protects others and in particular the most vulnerable,” criticizing President Obama for opposing it. The FRC even spent $25,000 to lobby Congress about a resolution denouncing the Ugandan bill—the group later claimed that it didn’t oppose the resolution, it just wanted to make its language less friendly to gay rights. In 2011, FRC asked its members to pray to give Malawi the “courage to withstand U.S. coercion” and maintain its ban on homosexuality.

The American Family Association, another sponsor of the Values Voter Summit, likewise backed Texas in the Lawrence case, writing in the amicus brief that a law like Texas’ could prevent the “injury caused to the public by same-sex sodomy” and would even protect the gay people it targeted by sparing them “illness, disease and death resulting from [their] conduct.” That same year, the AFA published an essay lamenting that the disappearance of sodomy laws showed that “Judeo-Christian views” were being abandoned in favor of “moral relativism.” In 2011, then-AFA spokesman Bryan Fischer said that homosexuality should be a “criminal offense.”

First Liberty, another sponsor of the event, likewise backed Texas in the Lawrence case (under its previous incarnation as the Liberty Legal Institute), with the group’s leader Kelly Shackelford—also a speaker at this year’s VVS—declaring that there is “no constitutional right to engage in homosexual sodomy.” Other figures at the Values Voter Summit have also supported criminal bans on homosexuality.

Other figures at the Values Voter Summit have also supported criminal bans on homosexuality.

Many Religious Right leaders have rallied behind Trump because he has promised to give them their ideal Supreme Court justices and lower court judges. Very recent history shows that these groups aren’t just interested in using the courts to reverse marriage equality—which would be harmful enough on its own—but also to severely roll back years of hard-won legal protections for LGBT people.  

Any LGBT American who believes Trump or, worse yet, votes for him - or almost any Republican, for that matter - needs to have his or her head examined.  They obviously have severe problems and mental deficiencies.

Hate Group Affiliate Fuming Over Campbell's Soup Ad With Gay Dads

As Americans are increasingly accepting of gays and their families, hate groups such as The American Family Association ("AFA") are finding it harder and harder to keep the cash rolling in so that the Wildmon clan - the group's founding family - can live the good life to which they have become accustomed.  Thus the need to constantly convince the organization's sheep like, lobotomized followers that they and their fantasy world religious beliefs are under attack.   Hence the latest threats against Campbell's Soup from falsely named AFA front group One Million Bitches Moms  - AFA itself only has 186,000 paid members, so it's unlikely its smaller affiliate has numbers remotely approaching a million - in the wake of the company's ad showing two gay dads and their son.  A piece in Huffington Post looks at the self-serving rants from the sexually frustrated women at the AFA affiliate. Here are highlights:

Days after Campbell's Soup unveiled a new commercial featuring gay dads, a right-wing group notorious for getting worked up over everything from Toys 'R' Us to Chobani yogurt slammed the ad for "normalizing sin." 

In a post on its website, One Million Moms members argued that Campbell's Soup is "attempting to desensitize viewers" with the clip, which is part of a larger campaign called "Made for Real, Real Life."

"Obviously, Campbell's is sending the message that homosexual men are raising children, whom they wouldn't have if a woman wasn't involved, and they are ok with it," One Million Moms wrote. Calling the commercial (which can be viewed in full below) "a marketing decision [the company] will regret," they urge readers to stop buying Campbell's products if the company continues to the air the ad. 

"They should not be highlighting who is attracted to whom or who sleeps with whom," they wrote. "There is concern about the way this ad is pushing the LGBT agenda, but an even greater concern is the way that they are attempting to redefine 'family' and 'real marriage.'"

In June, they argued that Greek yogurt giant Chobani was "attempting to normalize sin" with a recent commercial that featured a same-sex couple. 

Still, it's unlikely that Campbell's Soup will take One Million Moms' words as a legitimate threat anytime soon. The group's best-known boycotts, including one of JCPenney after the retailer hired Ellen DeGeneres as its spokeswoman, have had a zero percent success rate. 

As noted, the One Million Bitches are not interested in a real boycott.  No, it's all about shaking down the ignorant, bigoted and gullible for more money by pretending to be "protecting" marriage" and the family.   Carnival barkers have higher integrity than these bitches.  The biggest fear of the Wildmon family is that someday they all might have to get real jobs. Oh the horror!!

Is The GOP Evangelical Base Splintering?

One of the foulest influences on the Republican Party over the last 25+ years has been the rise of evangelical Christians - the Christofascists as I call them - who have worked to merge their ugly religious beliefs into the nation's civil laws.  Along the way, they have made the embrace of ignorance and denial of science a prerequisite for any candidate who wants to win a GOP primary at almost every level.  These knuckle draggers cannot countenance anything that challenges their myth and fantasy world based beliefs.  That Ted Cruz, even as insane as he is, chose to announce his candidacy at Liberty University shows how strong the strangle hold on the GOP has become.  There are some, however, who conjecture that the evangelical base may be splintering, which could be a good thing for the GOP and America over the longer term,  Here are excerpts from a piece in Salon:

In a new profile of supposed evangelical kingmaker David Lane, the New York Times’ Jason Horowitz describes Lane as “emblematic of a new generation of evangelical leaders who draw local support or exert influence through niche issues or their own networks.”

“New” generation is a bit misleading; Lane, after all, has been around working the room since the 1990s. The “new” moniker is meant to distinguish him from the Pat Robertson/Jerry Falwell generation, although it’s really less of a generational difference than an organizational one.

[T]he key distinction between Lane’s efforts and the Moral Majority or Christian Coalition models is not local versus national: it’s a function of evangelical base splintering in different directions. Lane represents the pander-by-praying and extolling-the-Christian-nation wing. The other wing, as I reported last week, has tired of that routine. They’d rather hear the candidates talk about religious freedom, not offer overwrought displays of piety blended with patriotism.

[Lane] He’s certainly a player, and perhaps even more so because of the support he has received from the American Family Association, which was behind Lane-inspired efforts like The Response (hosted by then-Texas Governor Rick Perry in 2011, and this year by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal). . . . . The AFA is known for its virulently anti-gay and anti-immigrant stances, and not just because its ongoing affiliation with the execrable Bryan Fischer. Former employees have recounted appalling conduct within the organization. On the other hand, as I reported last week, a growing number of evangelicals support immigration reform, including a path to citizenship. And many realize the futility of continuing to talk about opposition to marriage equality, hence the shift to talking about religious freedom instead. They still share opposition to same-sex marriage with the AFA. But they’ve adopted a different frame: advocating for what they claim are endangered religious freedom rights in the face of the new marriage equality reality.

No matter how dubious one might find those religious freedom claims—notably, claims for exemptions from serving same-sex marriage celebrations, and, in other contexts, covering reproductive health care in a company insurance plan—it’s a mistake to ignore how that conversation is driving the evangelical world. Will Lane’s single-minded Christian nation demagoguery carry the day with evangelical voters? Or will they be looking toward a candidate who has thus far avoided making Lane appearances but can nonetheless satisfy their religious and political concerns?

While there are a multitude of reasons why Huckabee and Perry didn’t get their party’s nomination in 2008 and 2012, Lane’s evangelical voter mobilization certainly didn’t deliver what was necessary to win.  If that pattern repeats in 2016, we’ll likely see some of the candidates (say, Perry, Huckabee, Jindal, Ted Cruz) scrambling to get in front of Lane’s vaunted audiences of pastors. But that doesn’t mean one of those candidates will get the nomination. The next step to watch: will the candidates who thus far have tied their fortunes to Lane feel compelled to do so, or will they be confident they can win over evangelicals without him?

The more divided the Christofascists become and the more its leading demagogues fight among themselves for power and control, the better.  It will make it easier for Republicans to ignore that demographic and perhaps begin a drift back to sanity.  It will not happen over night, but I hope the infighting among the "godly folk" intensifies. 

Bible Belt States Lead in Advance Ticket Sales of 5o Shades of Grey

Apparently, just as the Bible Belt leads in Internet Porn usage, so too do they lead in a lust to see the movie "50 Shades of Grey."  Even more delicious is the fact that top advance ticket sales have been in Tupelo, Mississippi, home of the hate group "American Family Association.  Hypocrisy remains a hallmark of the "godly folk."  The New Civil Rights Movement has details:

[A]dvance ticket sales for the movie "50 Shades of Grey" have been pretty spectacular, and no faster than in the bible belt, of course. Mississippi, Arkansas, and West Virginia top the list, and no town has done better for the film than Tupelo, where many shows have sold out. 

Tupelo, of course is home to the anti-gay hate group and Christian ministry, American Family Association. The group's most famous face is Bryan Fischer, their radio host and now-former spokesperson, after a particularly embarrassing series of events forced them to distance themselves from him.

The AFA has denounced the film, calling it "damaging," and saying a "more apt title for the movie would be ‘Fifty Shades of Evil.’"

 Why do I suspect that sexually repressed women married to overweight, chauvinist "good old boys" have been the top purchasers?

The GOP's Love Affair With Hate

Today's Republican Party is largely motivated by hate, thanks to the hijacking of the party by Christofascists and their thinly disguised cousins in the Tea Party. the mast majority of whom likewise identify as "conservative Christians."  And the list of those who are hated is long: gays, of course, Muslims, blacks, the foreign born, the poor, etc., etc.  This love affair with hatred towards others is daily demonstrated by the manner in which Republican elected officials pander and "kiss the ring" of hate groups.   Here in Virginia, The Family Foundation virtually dictates GOP policy and determines what legislation should be enacted.  Nationwide, groups like the American Family Association and Family Research Council are among the leading hate groups the GOP seeks to please.   A recent example is Bobby Jindal, a Hindu by birth, who was key note speaker at a AFA gathering.   Always willing to prostitute himself, Jindal, now a Christian, said to the gathered haters that "Our God wins" and drew a round of applause.  But Jindal is far from alone in his self-prostitution.  A piece in The Daily Beast looks at the larger GOP phenomenon after skewering Jindal.  Here are highlights:

“Our God wins!” Who do you think made this statement on Saturday in the hopes of rallying a group of religious fundamentalists? A. The leader of ISIS; B. A Yemeni militant commander; C. A radical Islamic cleric; or D. Louisiana Republican Governor Bobby Jindal.

The correct answer is Jindal. He made the "our God wins" statement as the keynote speaker at an event sponsored by the conservative Christian organization, the American Family Association. (AFA.) Now, Jindal’s “our God wins” is a more impressive boast than you might first realize. Jindal, who is now a Christian, was raised a Hindu, a faith that features literally millions of Gods. So for Jindal’s new God to win, he is surely fully aware that it has to beat throngs of Hindu Gods.

[F]or those unfamiliar with the AFA, here’s a primer. They are a hate group. It’s really that simple. And that’s not just my opinion, but the view of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which named the AFA a hate group for its vicious anti-gay statements over the years.

As the SPLC’s Mark Potok has noted, in recent years the AFA also added Muslim bashing to its repertoire of hate. Apparently if you ask the leaders of the AFA, “What would Jesus do?” they would respond: demonize gays and Muslims.

The AFA, however, can’t simply be ignored. . . . . it boasts 500,000-plus members and employees more than 100 people. It also operates its own popular radio network featuring Bryan Fischer, a man who is hateful as he is compelling to listen to on the radio.

Republican candidates for president have long visited Fischer's show and teamed up with AFA in the hopes of attracting its followers. And not just the likes of Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, and Rick Perry, but also more moderate candidates like former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty who went on Fischer's radio program during his failed 2012 bid for president.

[H]ere’s a sample of the AFA’s views so you can understand what they are all about.

Gays are to blame for The Holocaust: “Homosexuality gave us Adolph Hitler, and homosexuals in the military gave us the Brown Shirts, the Nazi war machine and six million dead Jews.” –May 27, 2010, Fischer’s blog.
God will use ISIS to punish America for gay rights: "God will use the pagan armies of Allah to discipline the United States for our debauchery." August 22, 2014, Fischer’s radio show.
Freedom of religion is for Christians only: “I have contended for years that the First Amendment, as given by the Founders, provides religious liberty protections for Christianity only. “ August 1, 2014 article by Fischer.
The Charlie Hebdo attack was God's punishment for the magazine's blasphemy: "They made a career out of taking the name of God, the God of the Bible, the father of the Lord Jesus” which was in violation of the commandment "you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain." January 9, 2015, Fischer radio show.Immigrants to the United States must convert to Christianity: Our immigration policy should be, “convert to Christianity, fully assimilate (become an authentic American, not a hyphenated American), and support yourself. If you commit to those things, you are welcome here.”  April 9, 2011, Fischer Blog.

And the list goes on and on.  Yet Jindal and other Republicans have no problem being the keynote speakers at their event and appearing on the AFA radio program.

If Republican candidates want the support of groups like the AFA, both the general public and the AFA’s followers deserve to know which issues they agree upon and which ones they don’t.  Isn’t it time that the media started asking those questions?

 What the author suggests is responsible journalism.  Don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen.  Sadly, most f the mainstream media NEVER asks such questions and instead merely parrots GOP talking points, giving the haters a pass.

Bobby Jindal's Hate Group Relationship

Among the would be Republican presidential nominees the willingness to prostitute themselves to the Christofascist/Tea Party element of the party base seems to no few limits.  But even among these self-prostitution individuals, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal seems to take self-prostitution to new levels.  Hence his agreement to headline a rally organized by The American Family Association, one of the vilest of the Southern Poverty Law Center certified hate groups.  What makes Jindal's pandering all the more disgusting is the fact that he's not some uneducated rube.  He's Ivy League educated but is only too happy to embrace ignorance in the quest for political power.  A piece in Media Matters looks at Jindal's shameless embrace of hate and ignorance.  Here are excerpts:

Louisiana Governor and GOP presidential hopeful Bobby Jindal is the keynote speaker for a rally funded and organized by an anti-LGBT group that has blamed gay people for causing the Holocaust and advocated imprisoning homosexuals.  So why isn't his appearance garnering national media attention?

On January 24, Jindal will keynote a six-hour prayer event at Louisiana State University called "The Response: A Call To Prayer For a Nation In Crisis." The event is sponsored and funded by the American Family Association (AFA), one of the most extreme anti-gay hate groups in the country. It's also being staffed by a number of notorious anti-LGBT activists.

The event has drawn protests from members of the LSU community. On January 22, the Faculty Senate passed a resolution expressing displeasure with the event, and a university spokesperson has clarified that the rental of an LSU facility "does not imply any endorsement."

Jindal has thus far dismissed criticism of the event, according to The Clarion-Ledger:

Asked if he agreed with the American Family Association's agenda, Jindal sidestepped that question and said, "The left likes to try to divide and attack Christians."

Jindal said the protesters themselves should consider joining the prayer rally. He said they "might benefit from prayer."

AFA's status as a hate group is largely thanks to the work of its spokesman, Bryan Fischer, whose anti-LGBT remarks go well beyond mainstream social conservatism. Fischer's inflammatory comments about gay people include:

• Repeatedly calling for the criminalization of homosexuality
• Blaming gay people for the Holocaust
• Linking homosexuality to pedophilia
• Arguing gay people are disqualified from holding public office

[A]side from a few outlets noting AFA's "controversial" stances, national coverage of Jindal's association with the hate group has similarly been glossed over by the media. It's a stark contrast to the tremendous media attention surrounding GOP House Majority Whip Steve Scalise's infamous 2002 speech to a white nationalist group. When it comes to GOP politics, media outlets have a hard time seeing what's newsworthy about a hate group like AFA being used to cement the campaign of a potential presidential candidate.  

Far Right: Obama Used Islamic Subliminal Messages In The State Of The Union

I continue to ponder at times how the far right in the GOP and the Christofascist element in particular can be so mentally unbalanced.   They see a conspiracy under every bush and the lunacy that they dream up suggest they belong in a mental ward, not lose in public.  A case in point?  Sandy Rios of the American Family Association - a certified hate group - took the usual insanity to new levels by claiming Barack Obama used Islamic subliminal messages during his State Of The Union address on Tuesday night.  Right Wing Watch summarizes the batshitery:

The American Family Association’s Sandy Rios enjoys promoting bizarre conspiracy theories to imply that President Obama is a secret Muslim, and today she even managed to find proof of Obama’s hidden faith in his State of the Union address.

On Rios’ radio program this morning, a listener called in to complain that Obama said he met the country’s “newest officers at West Point, Annapolis, Colorado Springs, and New London,” which the listener claimed was a lie because “Fort Collins is the Air Force Academy, not Colorado Springs.”

Actually, the caller is incorrect, as the Air Force Academy is indeed located just outside of Colorado Springs.

Rios didn’t pick up on the caller’s mistake, but she did use the opportunity to claim that Obama was spreading Muslim messages in his speech when he used the word “pillar” to describe the foundations of American leadership in the world: “The other thing he said that I caught, he has done this before, you know there are five pillars of Islam, and he used the term ‘pillars’ again in his speech last night.”

“It is just really interesting, language can actually give us some insight, choices of words,” she said.

There are also "pillars" in cathedrals across the globe, on the White House portico, and buildings across Washington, D.C. - obvious facts beyond the grasp of the utterly insane Rios. Why does anyone listen to these lunatics and why do GOP politicians continue to prostitute themselves to them?  They need to become social and political outcasts.