Scott Lively's Crimes Against Humanity Trial to Begin on Monday

There are countless gay haters who wrap themselves in religion as they preach nothing short of open hatred towards LGBT individuals.  But few have taken their animus to the level of Scott Lively (pictured above), author of the totally debunked faux history saga entitled "The Pink Triangle" which claims gays were behind the Nazi regime in Germany.  Lively has played a huge roll in agitating for the "Kill the Gays Bill" in Uganda and has disseminated outrageous and, of course untrue,  claims against gays, including that we sodomize children.  For background, homosexuality is already illegal in Uganda, but bill supported by Lively proposes to impose the death sentence for anyone caught engaging in homosexual acts for a second time, as well as for gay sex where one partner is a minor or has HIV. It would also criminalize what it describes as "the public promotion of homosexuality"  -- including activities by LGBT rights groups -- with a sentence of up to seven years in prison for anyone convicted.  

Because of Lively's role in the active persecution of LGBT individuals in Uganda which has gone far beyond statements of religious belief, the group Sexual Minorities Uganda has filed suit in federal court in Massachusetts charging Lively with violating international law by inciting the persecution of gay men and lesbians in Uganda. The Washington Post has details.  Here are excerpts:

It’s easy to laugh at wingnuts, but they have millions of followers and their hate, in the name of some perverted concept of God, gives moral cover to the queer bashers and bullies everywhere.

Lively’s unique contribution to this anti-gay agenda is his persecution consulting in other countries, most notably Uganda, where he brags he is known as the “father” of the anti-gay movements. 

Many Americans have heard of the infamous “Kill the Gays” bill in Uganda, which has been introduced in several parliamentary sessions since it arose out of an anti-gay conference that Scott Lively headlined in 2009. But the day-to-day reality for LGBT Ugandans is already violence, death threats, severe discrimination and oppression. Meetings of LGBT activists are raided and shut down, and advocates have been arrested for exercising their rights to speech, assembly and association. LGBT Ugandans’ advocacy, indeed their existence, is already criminalized.

No one has done more to orchestrate this situation than Scott Lively. Since 2002, he has worked systematically to strip away human rights protections from LGBT people in Uganda and elsewhere around the world, to silence them and make it impossible for them to organize and defend their rights. While he peddles the usual, age-old lie that LGBT people are pedophiles in order to deliberately provoke the rage that feeds the growing repression and violence, he combines that myth with a new twist, that gays were also responsible for the Holocaust and that Hitler’s Germany is what can happen when a gay movement grows unchecked.

But this case isn’t simply about Lively’s “hate preach.” He long ago moved beyond “mere” hatemongering when he became a kind of persecution consultant, strategizing with influential leaders and cohorts in other countries about ways to further silence and remove LGBT people from basic protections of the law, in particular by criminalizing their advocacy. Persecution, defined as the “severe deprivation of fundamental rights” on the basis of identity, is a crime under international law; to be exact, it’s a “crime against humanity.” 

This deprivation of fundamental rights of LGBT communities is exactly what Lively aims to bring about. Under U.S. law, foreign citizens who are the victims of crimes against humanity can sue American perpetrators of such crimes. And so Sexual Minorities of Uganda (SMUG) is suing Scott Lively for persecuting them. Staff from SMUG and other LGBT advocates who have suffered persecution --arrests, raids, and other severe deprivations of basic rights --will be there on Monday, when the Center for Constitutional Rights will have the honor of representing them in court.

The theology of hate, which blames LGBT people for disasters, natural and man-made, for the destruction of the family and everything in between, has to stop. And it won’t stop if LGBT advocates continue to be denied their fundamental rights to express themselves, to associate and assemble, to defend and assert their basic human rights. It won’t stop if plans like Lively’s are allowed to proceed.

Religion has often been misused as a justification for maintaining inequality and denying the humanity and dignity of others. Persecution by political forces using the Christian religion is not a new tactic, from the Inquisition to the Salem Witch Trials, but in the 21st Century we have laws against it and it’s time to hold the perpetrators accountable. 

What needs to be understood is that while Lively is perhaps the most heinous of those American Christofascists who seek to strip LGBT citizens of or deny them basic civil rights, he has many allies who have supported the Uganda effort.  These include Tony Perkins at Family Research Council, the Wildmons at American Family Association and James Dobson's Focus on the Family.  While not as extreme, others who indirectly support such crimes against humanity include the Vatican and the National Organization for Marriage.  And in Virginia, these co-conspirators that welcome Lively's crimes against humanity include The Family Foundation - the puppet master of the Virginia GOP.  Should Lively be convicted, perhaps a suit against Victoria Cobb, head of The Family Foundation, should be considered since she most certainly actively advocates for the deprivation of basic civil rights for LGBT and spreads anti-gay lies and animus.

That these horrible people and organizations are allowed daily to be the public face of Christianity is an indictment of what I call the "good Christians" who act much as the "Good Germans" did during Hitler's rise to power.  They have complicity in these horrors by their inaction and silence.

Gingrich Holds Conference Call with Hate Group Leader and Iowa Pastors

Rick Santorum's recent surge in Iowa isn't the only indication of the foul influence of Christianists in the Iowa caucuses process. Newt Gingrich - who seems only too willing to stoop to any foul level to curry favor with religious extremists participated in a conference call with Don Wildmon head of the Southern Poverty Law Center registered hate group, American Family Foundation. As is the norm, AFA attacked judges and LGBT rights as threats to America. As noted many time on this blog, the real threat to America's future is groups like AFA that embrace ignorance and that want to take knowledge and rationality back to a Middle Ages level. Right Wing Watch took a look at Gingriches pandering to the forces of hate. Here are highlights and a sample AFA letter to the Kool-Aid drinking set:

Facing a barrage of negative ads and a severe drop in support among Iowa voters, Newt Gingrich today held a conference call with Iowa pastors to build up his support among the state’s social conservative voters. Religious Right leaders Don Wildmon and Jim Garlow, both of whom have endorsed Gingrich, were featured on the call, and David Brody of CBN News obtained Wildmon’s letter sent to Iowa pastors. In the letter, Wildmon stressed Gingrich’s “thrust to remove elitist judges,” including the Iowa justices who “voted in 2009 to impose homosexual marriage on all Iowans;” in fact, Gingrich helped bankroll a campaign led by Wildmon’s American Family Association to remove three justices from the Iowa Supreme Court. Wildmon says that Gingrich is “the one person who can lead us out of the awful environment created by the present occupant in the White House”:

Dear Iowa pastors and friends:

I am inviting you (and select Christian Iowa Leaders) to join me on a Conference Call with Former Speaker Newt Gingrich this Friday, December 30, 12 Noon (CST).

Dr. Jim Garlow will emcee the call, pastor Skyline Church San-Diego, founder of the California Pastors Rapid Response Team, a group of several thousand pastors who led the successful charge for Prop. 8 in 2008, a Constitutional Amendment to ban same-sex marriage in California.

These are important and critical days in which to live and serve the Lord. I'm praying that the Lord is doing something dramatic in our time, and Iowa is leading the way on January 3rd.

Newt is leading the thrust to remove elitist judges who ignore the American people, like the 3 Iowa Supreme Court Justices who voted in 2009 to impose homosexual marriage on all Iowans.

On the call we will hear directly from Newt about this historic undertaking and hopefully have a chance to ask him about his plans for his "21st Century Contract With America."

I have been impressed with Newt and have come to the conclusion that Newt is the one person who can lead us out of the awful environment created by the present occupant in the White House. As Newt has expressed it, "America’s exceptional nature is based on the self-evident truths contained in the Declaration of Independence. Our rights are endowed by our Creator and they are unalienable." This is the type of understanding and strong leadership America needs.

Our Nation requires courageous, principled conservative leadership now more than ever.....from someone who understands that our rights as Americans are a gift from God, not government.

Please join me on this conference call with Newt Gingrich. Your participation is important to our future.

Thank you for your active participation in these critically important times.

Don Wildmon

American Family Association

Frankly, I cannot think of many GOP presidential contenders less principled than Gingrich. But then, AFA doesn't exactly demonstrate much in the way of principles or adherence to the Commandment banning lying and bearing false witness.

Hate Group Founder, Don Wldmon Endorses Gingrich

As if there weren't already plenty of reasons to feel contempt towards Don Wildmon (pictured at left), the founder of registered hate group American Family Association, he has added further justification with his endorsement of serial adulterer Newt Gingrich for president and additional gratuitous derogatory anti-gay commentary. For those who haven't visited AFA's website, it contains all kinds of fraudulent anti-gay propaganda. In addition, AFA mouthpiece Bryan Fischer has an almost daily case of anti-gay verbal diarrhea. Right Wing Watch reports on Wildmon's endorsement of Gingrich. About the only thing Wildmon gets right is when he says "I’m not trying to say I got any kind of intellect." Wildmon has about as much intellect as a horse's ass (no insult intended to horses) and makes chimpanzees look like lofty intellectuals. His level of truth and veracity makes a pathological liar look like honest Abe. Here are highlights from Right Wing Watch:

[T]he founder of the far-right American Family Association Don Wildmon endorsed Newt Gingrich for president, citing Gingrich’s stringent attacks against the judiciary and the need to stop Mitt Romney from winning the Republican nomination as reasons for his endorsement. Wildmon told AFA spokesman Bryan Fischer, who has harshly criticized Gingrich, that he was originally “ecstatic” about Rick Perry but decided against supporting him due to his poor debate performances and said that only Gingrich can stop “the homosexuals and the liberals” from their plot to “destroy the family” and “the whole of Western Civilization.”

Wildmon: If we don’t have a strong leadership that knows and believes in maintaining our Judeo-Christian heritage, we’re going to lose it. And let me tell you, don’t load up any buses because there’s nowhere else in the world that what we have can be replicated. It’s gone and it is gone forever if Obama or Romney wins the presidency, it’s gone and it’s gone forever. That’s a strong statement, I’m not trying to scare anybody, I’m not trying to say I got any kind of intellect, but I just see it and it’s there and if we lose this country, it’s gone and it can never again be replicated.

Now and I say this with Newt sitting there, only Newt knows Newt’s heart other than God, I think that he has paid his dues, I think he has accepted his forgiveness, God has forgiven him, I forgive him, let’s go on to do what’s best for the country.

I am supporting Newt because I think he’s the best fellow for the job, as far as sin, we know what’s in Newt’s past, Paul was a murderer, Moses was a murderer, David was an adulterer and for all intents and purposes a murderer, the man has paid his dues, he’s been forgiven by God. Am I supporting him? Yes I am. Why? I’ll say it again; I think that everything considered he is the best candidate for the office.

Frankly, Wildmon and those like him in the Christianist/Tea Party base of the GOP are the true threat to America. They embrace ignorance and bigotry and the marginalization of others. Moreover, they are delusional if they think the rest of the world isn't going to leave the USA in the dust if the nation's so-called conservative leadership doesn't stop trying to move the country decades if not centuries backwards in time.

Christianist Hate Group Seeks to Insert Itself In 2012 Election

Among the more thoroughly dishonest of the self-styled "family values" organizations is the American Family Association ("AFA") - which was aptly designated as an anti-gay hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center ("SPLC"). With Bryan Fischer as one of its loudest spokesmen, AFA continues to reach new lows and it's clear that its message of hate and dissemination of lies and falsehoods increasingly encompasses anyone out side of white conservative Christian circles. Calling AFA and its followers modern day Pharisees is an insult to the Pharisees of the Gospels. Things have truly gotten that foul and nasty. Yet AFA with the help of Texas Governor Rick Perry is endeavoring to showcase itself as a player/kingmaker in the 2012 election cycle beginning with a rally this coming weekend in Houston that pretty much tells everyone who does not drink the toxic Christianist Kool-Aid that they are unwelcome. Not surprisingly, even though Perry invited all U.S. governors to the event, only one has accepted the invite and rumor is that he will cancel. One can only hope that the event makes it very clear to even the dullest and least engaged of the voting populace that AFA and its affiliates and allies now represent the most repugnant and hate-filled aspects of U.S. society and that anyone embracing AFA (or embraced by AFA) ought to be resounding rejected by the electorate as a dangerous extremist. The New York Times looks at AFA and its effort at self-aggrandizement. Here are highlights:

To its admirers on the religious right, the American Family Association is a stalwart leader in a last-ditch fight to save America’s Christian culture and the values of traditional families. To its liberal critics, it is a shrill, even hateful voice of intolerance, out to censor the arts, declare Muslims unfit for public office and deny equality to gay men and lesbians because they engage in sinful “aberrant sexual behavior.”

[T]he American Family Association’s pronouncements have flowed forth daily from its sleek offices here in the Deep South. But now it is doing more than preaching to the choir. This summer, the association has thrust itself into presidential politics by paying for and organizing a day of prayer to save “a nation in crisis” that Gov. Rick Perry of Texas is convening this Saturday.

The rally, at a stadium in Houston, is expected to draw dozens of the country’s most conservative evangelical groups and leaders, and could burnish Mr. Perry’s national profile and his appeal to religious conservatives as he considers entering the 2012 presidential race. Mr. Perry invited his fellow governors but only one, Sam Brownback of Kansas, also a Republican, accepted the invitation to the explicitly Christian rally, and in recent days even his attendance appeared uncertain

[T]he association has sharpened its edge over the years . . . . opposing what it calls an anti-Christian “homosexual agenda” — not only same-sex marriage and the acceptance of gay troops in the military, but any suggestion that homosexual “behavior is normal.” The association also campaigns against antibullying programs that teach tolerance and corporations (like Home Depot, a current target) that support gay pride parades. Mr. Wildmon warns that if current social trends go unchecked, “homosexuals will become part of an elite class” and “Christians will be second-class citizens at best.”

[T]he group’s reputation for inflammatory statements rose after the hiring two years ago of Bryan Fischer, a former pastor from Idaho, as the director of “issues analysis” and the host of a daily two-hour afternoon show. . . . Mr. Fischer trumpets the disputed theory that Adolph Hitler was a homosexual and that the Nazi Party was largely created by “homosexual thugs” — evidence, he says, of the inherent pathologies of homosexuality. Mr. Fischer has also said that no more Muslims should be granted citizenship because their religion says to kill Americans, and that welfare recipients “rut like rabbits” because of what he calls welfare’s perverse incentives.

[I]t has had a direct if unheralded hand in recent political battles, sending $500,000 to support the down-to-the-wire campaign for Proposition 8, California’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, for example, and sending a crack political organizer to Iowa last fall for the successful drive to unseat judges who had supported same-sex marriage. The group also sponsors “pastor policy briefings” around the country that seek to mobilize evangelical voters.

Though liberal critics call it a hate group, the association and Mr. Wildmon are widely revered in conservative circles. Working in the relative isolation of Tupelo and lacking a magnetic television personality, Mr. Wildmon is not as widely known as other titans of the religious right, like Pat Robertson or James C. Dobson. But last fall Mr. Wildmon was described as “one of the most effective Christian leaders of our time” as he received a lifetime achievement award at the Values Voter Summit, an annual gathering of top religious conservatives.

Personally, assuming that there is a God, I suspect Wildmon has assured himself a special place in Hell for all the hate and misery he promotes.

Chicago Blackhawks to March in Chicago Pride Parade

OMG! The folks at the American Family Association will be having conniption fits and no doubt the spittle will be flying everywhere. Get ready for a boycott! Why? Because the Chicago Blackhawks, winners of the Stanley Cup - Chicago defenseman Brent Sopel(notes) and his wife and four children - will be marching in the Chicago Gay Pride parade this weekend. Causing even more angst and hysteria among the homophobes is the fact that not to be out done, the Chicago Cubs are apparently planning to have a float in the Pride parade. Don Wildmon and Tony Perkins must be wetting themselves over this. Perhaps helping to motivate the decision of the Blackhawks is story of Brendan Burke, the gay son of Toronto Maple Leafs general manager, Brian Burke who died tragically in an auto accident causing Burke Sr. to pledge to be a gay rights activist. Personally, I love the development and believe that these types of actions will help hasten the demise of the Christianist anti-gay hate machine. Here are highlights from Yahoo News:
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The Chicago Blackhawks are bringing the Stanley Cup to Chicago's gay Pride Parade this Sunday for all the right reasons. When we first reported on the Chicago Gay Hockey Association's request to have the Blackhawks represented in this year's parade, we noted that their timing was perfect.
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But above all, it's been a progressive year for hockey and tolerance. The late Brendan Burke, the son of Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke who died tragically in an auto accident earlier this year, shared his story of coming out in the hockey world and received an outpouring of support.
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Burke's legacy is one of the reasons why Chicago defenseman Brent Sopel(notes) and his wife and four children will appear with the Cup at the Pride Parade, according to the Sun-Times: "When Brendan came out, Brian stood by him, and his whole family stood by him, like every family should," said Sopel. "We teach our kids about accepting everybody. Tolerate everybody, to understand where everyone is coming from."
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In that spirit of tolerance, there could be some calculated image rehab for the Blackhawks here as well.
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The Sun-Times, which broke the parade story Tuesday morning, reports that Chicago Blackhawks president John McDonough made a special arrangement for the Cup to be flown back from Los Angeles, site of the NHL draft, 15 hours earlier than anticipated so it can appear in the Pride Parade. "It's important for the city and important for the franchise," he told the paper. . . . McDonough's former employer, the Chicago Cubs, will also break a barrier by having a float in the parade for the first time.
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The gashing of teeth among the Christianist sports jokes must be deafening!

AFA Founder Hospitalized With Meningitis

A number of news outlets and blogs are reporting that Don Wildmon, founder of the gay-hating and pathologically lying American Family Association has been hospitalized with meningitis and is reportedly in critical condition. None of the stories, however, indicate whether Wildmon has viral as opposed to bacterial meningitis. While neither form is anything to be taken lightly, the viral form is generally far less lethal when compared to the bacterial form that can kill within a few hours. My oldest daughter had bacterial meningitis in 1999 - and had a truly miracle recovery and was written up as such by a local hospital - so I know well of what I speak. Regardless of the form of meningitis Wildmon has been stricken with, I hope that he recovers and perhaps learns something from the experience that will open his mind to loving others rather than denigrating them. His family is in my thoughts as well since I have some idea of what they are going through. Here are highlights via The Advocate:

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Don Wildmon, founder of the American Family Association -- a right-wing Christian group that promotes homophobia -- is in critical condition after being diagnosed with meningitis in a Mississippi hospital, according to the Associated Press. His son Tim, president of the organization, told the news agency that the older Wildmon was taken to the hospital this past weekend. Meningitis is a life-threatening disease that inflames the protective membrane covering the brain and spinal cord. It is caused by viral and bacterial infections.

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Wildmon rose to prominence in 1977 after creating the AFA, one of the country’s largest organizations dedicated to promoting antigay, "traditional" definitions of family and marriage.

"Christian" Hate Merchants Coming to Norfolk

Of all the cities in Southeastern Virginia, Norfolk is among the most progressive and has the most evolved LGBT community. Thus, you can imaging my shock and disappointment to receive via a forward from a friend an e-mail from The Family Foundation, Daddy Dobson's Virginia hate group, which is partnering with American Family Association and announcing that The Family Foundation and other Christianists will be bringing their foul stench to Norfolk. The event captioned as "Pastor's Policy Briefing" will usher into town some of the nastiest and most gay-hating, anti-liberty individuals in the nation. It is no surprise that the event is being promoted by The Family Foundation (which refers to me as "homosexual activist blogger Michael-In-Norfolk" and whines about me telling the truth about them - BTW, the folks at TFF still haven't told me if they asked Bob McDonnell about why he covered up for Ed Schrock and his gay trysts for nearly 8 months).

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I suspect the timing is no accident since the event is the weekend preceding the June 9, 2009, Democrat primary and the plan might well be to recruit wingnuts to vote in the primary so as to nominate the candidate least able to defeat Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell for Governor. The other obvious purpose is to begin rallying the wingnuts to work for the election of Bob McDonnell which would be a disaster for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Here's the information from the e-mail and TFF's website:

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The Virginia Renewal Project has invited pastors throughout the state to attend its upcoming Pastors' Policy Briefing, meant to encourage pastors and their congregations to take a stand for morality in their daily lives. The hotel and all meals are complimentary to pastors.

*

Please make sure that your pastor is not left out of this important event by printing the following invitation and giving it to your pastor:

*
Virginia Renewal Project

Cordially invites you to participate in its

*

Pastors' Policy Briefing

Rediscovering God in America

*

With Special Guests

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich

Rediscovering God in America

and

Historian David Barton

WallBuilders

and

Former Governor Mike Huckabee

and

The Honorable Bob McEwen

and

Lt. Col. Oliver North

*

Who will be accompanied by

*

Lou Engle

Dr. Jerry Falwell, Jr.

Dr. Mat Staver

Dr. Laurence White

and other guest speakers

*
T o be held at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside

777 Waterside Drive , Norfolk, VA 23510

on Thursday, June 4th and Friday, June 5th.

*

Meals and lodging are complimentary and will be provided by the Virginia Renewal Project.

To reserve your space, please RSVP No later than May 21, 2009

by calling (800) 992-5596 or https://the.maxcelreg.net/VAbriefing.

*

Hotel information will be distributed the week of May 25 2009.

RESERVATIONS are limited and will be accepted on a first call basis.
Today, more than ever, we need men and women that are willing to take a stand for the biblical principles handed down to us by our forefathers. Please don't let this opportunity pass your pastor by. Be sure your pastor be sure your pastor gets this invitation!

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The irony is that this cluster f*ck of hate and intolerance will be at the Sheraton Waterside which has been a huge supporter of HRBOR and other LGBT organizations. I wonder if the folks at Virginia Renewal Project know this. I also wonder if any of the anti-gay wingnuts will be staying in the Presidential Suite where HRBOR recently held a wonderful wine tasting event. I hate the though of the Sheraton filled with Christian fascists (who will I assume leave their jackboots at home).

Anti-Gay Robocalls Made by AFA

The ever whining American Family Association is miffed that it is having difficulty getting television stations to air its propaganda piece, "Speechless: Silencing the Christians", even as paid programing. Now, AFA is now using robocalls to publicize the program which all too typically depicts Christians as victims of us "radical homosexuals" and the big bad "gay agenda." Interestingly, a fellow Blogger Summit attendee received one such call and captured the audio which can be found here. For those without speakers on their computers, here's the text of the message is set out below. The Wildmon family and AFA have turned gay bashing into a lucrative family business and it should be noted that AFA is having to buy time to broadcast the show as a a paid program since stations are not willing to air it otherwise (if even then):

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Hello, this is Tim Wildmon on behalf of your American Family Association, calling to sincerely thank you for your faithful support. With the help of friends like you, we've produced a new, one-hour documentary called "Speechless: Silencing the Christians". It details how the radical homosexual lobby has silenced Christians while labeling us a bigots in order to push their agenda across America. It will air on cable as well as network affiliates nationwide, so be watching for it. Your support makes this television program possible, so on behalf of your AFA, thank you again, and God bless.

Truth Wins Out - AFA Propaganda Piece Rejected

On Monday I published a post that outlined a new effort by the American Family Association to disseminate grossly untrue anti-gay propaganda via a one hour television program called " "Speechless: Silencing Christians." The airtime premier of this fraudulent hate piece piece was to air on WOOD-TV 8 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Except, the station has rescinded its prior agreement to air the paid broadcast. No doubt Don Wildmon at AFA is convulsing and the spittle is flying. I suspect that once the station realized precisely what poison it was being paid to air, it quickly wanted to distance itself from the hate speech. From my years tracking of "family values" organizations, AFA is among the most dishonest in the lies it disseminates about LGBT citizens. Here are highlights from the station's website:

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - WOOD TV8 has rescinded the offer to air a controversial paid program originally set to air Monday. "Speechless: Silencing Christians" was scheduled to air Monday at 7 p.m ., in the slot immediately before President Barack Obama's prime time press conference. The program was pulled from that slot. The producers were contacted and offered another time slot.

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In a statement Wednesday, WOOD/WOTV/WXSP General Manager Diane Kniowski said the offer is now off the table. "We made a gesture of the 2-3 p.m. Saturday time period. It's been 24 hours and we had no response," Kniowski said. "Our station is being bombarded with calls and messages, and we find ourselves in the middle of someone else's fight. Ours was a fair offer and we are removing ourselves from this matter."

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HRC had the following things to say about the AFA program as it called upon concerned citizens to contact WOOD-TV8 and voice their concern over the airing of a fraudulent and hate based program:
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Make no mistake: this is the opening salvo in a coming battle over pro-equality legislation. Just as we are on the cusp of historic change – a federal hate crimes law, protections for LGBT workers against job discrimination – extremist groups like the AFA are launching a well-funded national campaign of hatred and fear to halt our progress.

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This program recycles familiar lies: that hate crime laws will “do away with our freedom of speech,” or that pastors will be “criminalized for sharing the love of Jesus Christ.” (In fact, the proposed federal hate crimes law explicitly states that it only applies to physical violence – not speech.). The “anchor” of this faux-news program, which may have already aired in smaller markets, is controversial talk show host Janet Parshall, who in 2006 suggested Matthew Shepard’s lifestyle was responsible for his murder and called gay adoption “state-sanctioned child abuse.”

*

The AFA has worked for years to silence LGBT people and their loved ones. Now it claims to be a victim of censorship. But this isn’t civil and this isn’t a debate. This is lies and anti-gay propaganda launched to defeat an inclusive Hate Crimes bill.

Anti-Gay Christianist Propaganda

I received yet another personal attack today by someone who apparently doesn't like the light of day being directed at the harm done to LGBT Americans by far right Christianists and their Mormon and Catholic allies who block legislation that would make LGBT Americans equal citizens. Coincidentally, the American Family Association has launched a new anti-gay jihad that illustrates my point about the bigotry and hateful actions of these false "Christians."

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All too typically, AFA asks for money contributions to defeat the "gay agenda" as well. As Live Journal notes, the premise of AFA's campaign is that Christians are under assault by homosexualists, enabled by state and local governments and schools, to force them to accept LGBTs as -- gasp -- human beings deserving of civil rights! They are careful to mention "former homosexuals" and those struggling with "unwanted same-sex attraction" in order to soothe and absolve the target audience of "Christians" that their motivations are rooted in compassion, not bigotry. Here's the text of the ever delusional Don Wildmon promoting this latest anti-gay propaganda via Pam's House Blend:

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Dear XXX,

*
Local network television stations will soon begin airing a new television special produced by the American Family Association. Most Americas get their information about the homosexual movement from the secular news media and Hollywood, which not only support but promote the gay agenda. What people know is tainted by pro-homosexual propaganda. AFA now presents this one-hour special to reveal the truth about the radical homosexual agenda and its impact on the family, the nation, and religious freedom. "Speechless" - the title of the television special - will air in the Grand Rapids area Monday, February 9. You can watch it locally at 7 p.m. on WOOD, channel 8.
*

The TV Special will reveal the truth about:

* The claim that homosexuals are born that way and cannot change.

* The negative impact on children resulting from schools promoting the gay lifestyle,

* Protected minority status for homosexuals.

* Same-sex marriage, and

* Legislative initiatives like Hate Crime and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

*

And, it will:

* Attack the major lies of militant gay activists head-on.

* Alert viewers about what's at stake for the family if they get what they want.

* Present helpful information to stop the radical homosexual political agenda.

*

Visit our website to learn more about the entire series of "Speechless: Silencing the Christians." Thank you for caring enough to get involved. If you feel our efforts are worthy of support, would you consider making a small tax-deductible contribution to help us continue?

*
Sincerely,

Tim Wildmon, President

American Family Association

Wingnut Frenzy Over Campbell Soup Ads

What with the economy in the worse shape since perhaps the 1930's, millions of American families facing foreclosure and the loss of their homes, people unable to pay utility bills in the midst of winter, there are any number of things Christian organizations could do to assist their fellow man. But not the American Family Association. Oh no, the lunatics at AFA are instead in a frenzy over the fact that Campbell Soup has placed ads in - oh the horror - gay publications. Forget the poor, the homeless, and the hungry. The "gay agenda" and its supporters trump all else. At least in the minds of the mentally imbalanced and those looking for more donations from the sheep like followers. Never mind that the LGBT community has consumer purchasing power in the neighborhood of $800 billion and any company in the business of making money would be foolish to ignore such a niche market. Here are some highlights from AFA's "news" website, OneNewsNow:

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The American Family Association (AFA) says Christian consumers need to know that the Campbell Soup Company embraces the homosexual agenda. Campbell Soup bought two 2-page ads in the December and January issues of The Advocate, the nation's largest homosexual magazine. The ads promote their Swanson line of broth, and one of the ads highlights the lives of two lesbians, who are portrayed as being married, along with "their" son. Other ads feature chefs from New York City.
*

Randy Sharp, AFA's director of special projects, says concerned consumers should contact company officials and ask them to stop endorsing homosexuality. "When you specifically target a homosexual magazine, then your company is basically endorsing these activities; you're endorsing the lifestyle," claims Sharp. "And in one ad, which...clearly shows two lesbians who say they are married, who say they have a son together, ...the Campbell Soup Company is saying 'we approve of homosexual marriage.' There is no question whatsoever of what the intentions of the company are."

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In an Action Alert to its supporters, AFA accuses Campbell of normalizing same-sex families. . . . Anthony Sanzio, a Campbell Soup Company spokesperson, tells OneNewsNow that the company reaches out to all segments of society. "We support all types of families, regardless of how they're defined, [and have done so] for more than 100 years," Sanzio offers. "We advertise in a variety of different media outlets that appeal to a broad spectrum of society. That's what we're doing here, and that's what we'll continue to do."

AFA Continues to Disseminate Anti-Gay Hate

The Christianists continue to disseminate their anti-gay agenda and cultivate fear among the ignorant even though they claim they only want to "protect marriage" and that they do not hold hate and ill will towards LGBT Americans. As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words and the American Family Association's actions reveal that it is one of the most dishonest "Christian" organizations around. AFA is actively marketing a new DVD entitled "They're Coming to Your Town" to instill anti-gay fear among the sheeple. This is in addition to marketing a book entitled "It's Not Gay" that features ex-gay fraud Michael Johnston who slept around the greater Norfolk area under a false name exposing men to HIV. Here's a sample of the poison that is being disseminated:

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Residents of the small Arkansas town of Eureka Springs noticed the homosexual community was growing. But they felt no threat. They went about their business as usual. Then, one day, they woke up to discover that their beloved Eureka Springs, a community which was known far and wide as a center for Christian entertainment--had changed. The City Council had been taken over by a small group of homosexual activists.

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The Eureka Springs they knew is gone. It is now a national hub for homosexuals. Eureka Springs is becoming the San Francisco of Arkansas. The story of how this happened is told in the new AFA DVD “They’re Coming To Your Town.”

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One of the first actions of the homosexual controlled City Council was to offer a “registry” where homosexuals could register their unofficial “marriage.” City Council member Joyce Zeller said the city will now be promoted, not as a Christian resort, but a city “selling peace, relaxation, history and sex.”

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AFA’s “They’re Coming ToYour Town” documents the story of how and why this happened. And how homosexual activists plan to do the same in other towns.

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How many gays will suffer discrimination, hate and viloence as a result of this sickening message? These people are truly horrible.

Hallmark to Sell Gay Marriage Cards

No doubt the virulently anti-gay American Family Association will be announcing a boycott against Hallmark as soon as Don Wildmon ceases his convulsions on the floor over the news being reported by Yahoo News that Hallmark will be releasing gay marriage cards among its offerings. As I have noted many times before, the true agenda of the Christianists is to try to force gays to disappear from sight and slink back into the closet. Meanwhile, big business recognizes that the clock is not going to be turned back to the 1950's and companies are taking steps to secure a slice of the huge LGBT consumer market. Here are some story highlights:

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PORTLAND, Ore. – Most states don't recognize gay marriage — but now Hallmark does. The nation's largest greeting card company is rolling out same-sex wedding cards — featuring two tuxedos, overlapping hearts or intertwined flowers, with best wishes inside. "Two hearts. One promise," one says.

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Hallmark added the cards after California joined Massachusetts as the only U.S. states with legal gay marriage. A handful of other states have recognized same-sex civil unions. The language inside the cards is neutral, with no mention of wedding or marriage, making them also suitable for a commitment ceremony. Hallmark says the move is a response to consumer demand, not any political pressure.

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Hallmark's largest competitor, American Greetings Corp., has no plans to enter the market, saying its current offerings are general enough to speak to a lot of different relationships.

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Hallmark started offering "coming out" cards last year, and the four designs of same-sex marriage cards are being gradually released this summer and will be widely available by next year. No sales figures were available yet.

Why California Matters So Much

Kate Kendall has a thoughtful column at Billerico Project that does a good job analyzing of why it is so important that Proposition 8 which would amend the California Constitution be defeated on November 4, 2008. At a minimum, numreous legal gay marriages would be put in legal limbo. More importantly, should the Christianists behind Proposition 8 prevail, they will be emboldened to seek to pass further initiatives that will slowly reverse gains in LGBT rights that have been secured over the years. The bottom line is that these folks don't just dislike LGBT individuals, they hate gays and the most extreme among them would happily see us exterminated. Naturally, they would claim otherwise, but one does disseminate known lies on literally a daily basis and do all possible to dehumanize gays in a manner akin to what the Nazis did to the Jews unless the motivation is hate. It goes way beyond opportunism or religious belief. Here are some column highlights:

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If we lose California, if they defeat the marriage amendment, I'm afraid that the culture war is over and Christians have lost. I've never said that publicly until now--but that's just the reality of the fact. Donald Wildmon, President, American Family Association

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Clearly Donald Wildmon gets how high the stakes are when it comes to defeating Prop 8. But of course Wildmon is not entirely accurate--defeating Prop 8 in November does not mean "Christians have lost." It will mean, however, that successfully using religion to scapegoat, shame, and marginalize LGBT people is over.

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What Wildmon--one of the most vitriolic anti-LGBT crusaders in the country--understands is that he and those like him will never again be able to terrorize LGBT folks in the name of family, religion, or Christianity. What Wildmon gets is that the future of our movement and our entire struggle for justice, dignity, and equality hangs in the balance in November.

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While the landmark ruling from the California Supreme Court is most notable for ending the exclusion of same-sex couples from the right to marry, the most groundbreaking part of the opinion was the Court's holding that virtually any law that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation will be invalidated. For the first time ever, a high court extended to sexual orientation the same legal protection given to gender, religion, race, and national origin.

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While the words of Prop 8 are limited to marriage ("Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California"), if this initiative were to pass it would be the first step in undermining the broad protections given to all LGBT Californians. Make no mistake: schools and LGBT youth would be next, as would a broad range of employment, housing protections, and family issues. And if we lose California, when so much hangs in the balance, every anti-LGBT organization will be emboldened, every homophobic politician will be bolstered, every anti-LGBT effort will be strengthened.

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Donald Wildmon understands what is at stake--he knows his organization will not survive if we prevail. He knows it will be new day. What kind of world do you want to wake up to on November 5?

Conservative/Christianist Hate Speech Has Deadly Consequences

The talking heads of the Far Right, Fox News a/k/a Faux News, and Christianist organizations put out a constant stream of hate -filled propaganda that slowly and subtly poisons the minds of those with bigoted inclinations and over time can create a justification for violence against those depicted as the enemy. Two of the favorite targets are gays and those alleged to be illegal immigrants. In the case of the latter group, here's what the American Family Association had to say about recent immigration bill proposals:

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[T]his bill offers a provisional Z visa which instantly conveys legal status on approximately 12,000,000 illegal immigrants. It grants illegal immigrants massive benefits (subsidized college tuition rates, free legal counsel for agricultural workers, etc.) in return for a token fee - $3,000 for an individual, $5,000 for a family of five. And that is only the beginning! This bill will cost U.S. taxpayers trillions of dollars. Those who broke the law and entered illegally are rewarded. Those who are working within the immigration laws aren’t given the preference granted to illegals.

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With respect to gays, it's even worse. Here's an example of AFA fear mongering towards gays and the alleged gay agenda:

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Transvestite teachers. Boys kissing boys in restrooms. Teens taught about anal sex. "Gay" fairy tales for children. Could these things actually become a reality in our public schools? The speed of change in our society thus far, driven by resolute homosexual activists, indicates that the answer is most assuredly yes.

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Recent events have demonstrated how this hate speech DOES translate into violence against those targeted. The first is the sad events at the Unitarian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee where individuals were murdered by a main bent on attacking liberals and those who are supportive of gays. Wayne Besen has a good column that looks at this phenomenon. Here are some highlights:

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In Knoxville, Tennessee, a homophobic loser burst into a Unitarian Church where a children’s play was being performed and unleashed a fusillade of gunfire, killing two people and injuring six. According to police, Jim D. Adkisson, “had targeted the church because of its liberal leanings and his belief that all liberals should be killed because they were ruining the country.”

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The far right’s dirty little secret is that they depend on the threat of violence to retard the advancement of the GLBT movement. Without the fear of physical attack, the number of people who are out of the closet would quickly multiply. Gay couples would hold hands in every city in the nation. On each block, from San Francisco to San Antonio, gay and lesbian people would be visibly present. Each day, all but the bravest GLBT people make subtle or even significant adjustments to remain safe.

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What the right wing realizes, however, is it only takes a small number of twisted fanatics to keep GLBT people in check. We rarely know who these lunatics are, as they often keep their hate closeted. But, each gay person knows these hidden ticking time bombs exist and could go off at any moment — shattering our lives.

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When Focus on the Family’s James Dobson says that giving gay people the freedom to marry will “destroy the earth” he is encouraging hate crimes. When Oklahoma state legislator Sally Kern says that homosexuality is the “death knell of this country,” she is promoting gay bashing. When Elaine Donnelly told a congressional committee that lifting Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell would let lesbians take pictures of people in the shower she was setting the stage for violence. . . . . We live in a society filled with violently homophobic messages and images, yet the perpetrators — both religious and secular — feign innocence and say they can’t imagine how anti-gay hate crimes occur.

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With respect to the constant anti-immigrant mantra that the far right is putting out, a recent beating death suggests that the teens that killed a young Hispanic illegal immigrant had absorbed this message of hate all too fully. What is so truly sickening is that so many of these hater go to church and pride themselves on being "good Christians." Somehow, I suspect Christ would feel revulsion at having his name cited by such people. Here are some highlights from CNN:

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SHENANDOAH, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- By the time help arrived, Luis Ramirez lay convulsing in the middle of the street, foam running from his mouth. Blows had struck the 25-year-old illegal Mexican immigrant with such force that they left a clotted, bruised impression of Jesus Christ on the skin of his chest from the religious medal he wore.

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His attackers were white teenagers, including star students and football players, witnesses told police. After a night of drinking, the teens taunted the undocumented worker with racial epithets, pummeled him to the ground and then kicked him in the head, court documents charge. He died in a hospital two days later.

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By this time, Eileen Burke, a retired Philadelphia police officer, had stepped out of her home after hearing Arielle Garcia's pleas to stop the beating. Burke recalled hearing one final, ominous threat as the teens ran. "They yelled, 'You effin bitch, tell your effin Mexican friends get the eff out of Shenandoah or you're gonna be laying effin next to him,' " she said. Ramirez was taken off life support two days after the fight. His body was flown back to his mother in Guanajuato, Mexico, with donations from parishioners from Annunciation Church in Shenandoah.

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On Main Street, where people gather on benches in front of the remaining storefronts, some members of the Anglo community are also outraged. "The young guys around here are racist because they think they're so much better than everyone else," said Jessica Lane, 18, as her 2-year-old son, Damien, squirmed in her lap. Shenandoah officials now acknowledge a racial element of Ramirez's death.

AFA Makes Cash Infusion for 'Protect Marriage' Group

CNSNews - a Christianist news site - is reporting that the disingenuous wingnut, gay-haters at the American Family Association have announced that the organization has donated $500,000 to the forces of intolerance in California who are seeking to take away the marriage rights of same-sex couples. Obviously the fact that AFA has that kind of money lying around shows that blowhard-in-chief, Don Wildmon has best extremely successful in shaking money lose from widows and the elderly by disseminating a message of hate towards gays, Muslims, Hispanic immigrants and others. Here are highlights from CNSNews' slanted coverage:

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A conservative advocacy group is giving half-a-million dollars to the organization that is leading the fight to protect marriage in California. The American Family Association said the $500,000 donation comes from "years of savings."

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In a message to supporters, AFA acknowledged its "obligation to be good stewards of the gifts given to this ministry. We don’t buy anything on credit. We have no debt. We are careful to make sure your gifts are used wisely. We are very frugal with your gifts." AFA said it has put aside money over the years so it would have the funds to meet whatever need might arise. The $500,000 for ProtectMarriage.com came from those savings, it said.

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"The battle for marriage in California is very important," the American Family Association said in its email message. "If California defeats Proposition 8, it will open the floodgates for same-sex marriage in all the other states. The battle in California isn’t simply about California. It will affect every state, yours included. The homosexual groups have already raised millions, and are expected to spend nearly $20 million to destroy marriage as it has existed for thousands of years." . . . . The email also included a fund-raising pitch.

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My question is, when doesn't AFA and similar groups ask for money to further their intolerant agenda and afford their leaders a nice, comfortable lifestyle without working a legitimate job?

Killer Targeted Unitarian Church for Liberal Views

UPDATE: Apparently Fox New's talking heads likewise have some indirect responsibility for Adkisson'ss actions. According to the Knowville News Sentinel, here's what was found in his home: Still seized three books from Adkisson's home, including "The O'Reilly Factor," by television commentator Bill O'Reilly; "Liberalism is a Mental Disorder," by radio personality Michael Savage; and "Let Freedom Ring," by political pundit Sean Hannity.

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I did not get a chance to do a post about this sad situation that occurred at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church yesterday, but in my mind, it illustrates the fruits of the constant message of hate and intolerance disseminated daily by false Christians like James Dobson, Tony Perkins, and Don Wildmon, et al. Other than themselves, is there anyone they don't hate? Yes, gays and immigrants [think Hispanics] are especially despised, but when examined closely, these demagogues truly hate everyone who isn't a straight, white, evangelical. They make the Biblical Pharisees look rather loving at times. And eventually, the steady stream of intolerance convinces some that murder and violence against those who are different is acceptable, if not required. It is most telling that the shooter said "he hated the liberal movement" and was upset with "liberals in general as well as gays." Here are some highlights from MSNBC:

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - An out-of-work truck driver accused of opening fire at a Unitarian church, killing two people, left behind a note suggesting that he targeted the congregation out of hatred for its liberal policies, including its acceptance of gays, authorities said Monday.
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A four-page letter found in Jim D. Adkisson's small SUV indicated he intentionally targeted the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church because, the police chief said, "he hated the liberal movement" and was upset with "liberals in general as well as gays."

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Adkisson was a loner who hates "blacks, gays and anyone different from him," longtime acquaintance Carol Smallwood of Alice, Texas, told the Knoxville News Sentinel. Authorities said Adkisson's criminal record consisted of two drunken driving citations. But court records reviewed by The Associated Press show that his former wife obtained an order of protection in March 2000 while the two were still married and living in the Knoxville suburb of Powell.

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Adkisson "stated that he had targeted the church because of its liberal teachings and his belief that all liberals should be killed because they were ruining the country, and that he felt that the Democrats had tied his country's hands in the war on terror and they had ruined every institution in America with the aid of the major media outlets," investigator Steve Still wrote.

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These last anti-liberal statements, unfortunately, sound like they could be lifted directly from materials from Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, the American Family Association or Concerned Women for America. Hate speech DOES have consequences and the activities of these organizations are not for the greater good of the country.

Christianists View California Marriage Vote as Armageddon in Culture War

While much of the hysteria on the part of the Christianists over the November vote on the California gay marriage ban is likely motivated by their desire to wring every possible dollar out of the pockets of their sheep like followers, there is some truth to the claim that if they lose in California, it will constitute a huge blow to their cause. Plus, it will potentially deprive them of one of their leading ploys to get money out of the weak minded and uninformed. They have beaten abortion to death and anti-gay jihads have done much to refill their money coffers. The bleating of the ever dishonest and disingenuous Don Wildmon of the American Family [Fanatics] Association is symptomatic of their worries that the anti-gay cash cow might die or be mortally wounded after November 4th if California voters reject the Christianist bid to amend the California constitution. Needless to say, few things would make me happier than to see them defeated and wailing and gnashing their teeth. Don Wildmon who is quoted in the article has made a lucrative career for himself sucking from the teet of the anti-gay industry. Here are some highlights from a story from a Christianist news site bemoaning their possible defeat in November:

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The Arlington Group, a coalition of about 60 pro-family groups and ministries, will stress the importance of the November 4 vote in California on Proposition 8, a proposed constitutional amendment that would protect traditional marriage. To do that, pastors will be encouraged to use one Sunday in September to focus on the sanctity of marriage. Churches also will be encouraged to take up a special offering which will go toward the fight for marriage in California.

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Dr. Donald Wildmon is founder of the American Family Association and an organizer of the Arlington Group. He says passage of the California marriage amendment is critical. "If we lose California, if they defeat the marriage amendment, I'm afraid that the culture war is over and Christians have lost," says Wildmon, a 30-year veteran of the culture war. "I've never said that publicly until now -- but that's just the reality of the fact. "If the homosexuals are able to defeat the marriage amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman, then the culture war is over and we've lost -- and gradually, secularism will replace Christianity as the foundation of our society," he adds.
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The vote in California, Wildmon explains, will affect the entire nation. "California is a big dam, holding back the flood -- and if you take down the dam in California, it's going to flood 49 other states," he illustrates. "It will destroy marriage as it has been known for thousands of years, and with that the cultural decline that normally would follow."

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As a side note, some of the comments to the article show that these folks are (1) clueless as to the true history of the country versus the bogus version sold to them by "men of God" and (2) in many cases down right deranged mentally.