Dog Whistle Call To Violence By Anti-Gay Activist

Just as they employ dog whistle calls to stir racial violence and discrimination, the professional Christian class and hate group leaders of organizations falsely describing themselves as supporting  "family values" now seem to be using similar dog whistle calls against gays.  Be it false claims of "Christian persecution" to rants about the loss of "religious freedom," the hate merchants are ratching up the rhetoric to dangerous levels.  The irony, of course is that if any one engages in the persecution of others, it is the Christofascists.  A piece in The New Civil Rights Movement looks at this dangerous (and dishonest) phenomenon.  Here are highlights:

Matt Barber's recent column, taken in context of his Barbwire website, feels like a dog whistle call to anti-LGBT anti-progressive violence, in my opinion. At least, that's how it feels to me.

Barber, a former boxer who portrays himself as a devout Christian, is now an Associate Dean at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University and the Vice President of Liberty Counsel Action. He is also is the publisher of the newly-created BarbWire.com, an increasingly hate-filled website that attacks gays, liberals, progressives, secular Americans, and reinforces the religious right's anti-women, anti-immigrant, anti-minority beliefs.

But Barber's column, published this weekend at BarbWire ("fueled by the Word of Life"), has already been republished at The Blaze and World Net Daily (WND).

While others may laugh, some might fear it to be, as do I, a figurative incitement to violence.

Here's how it begins:

From behind a smoking sniper rifle high atop his ivory tower peers the secular “progressive.” He surveys his many victims, strewn across the American landscape below and mockingly sneers, “War on Christianity? What war on Christianity?”

He then resumes shooting, all the while insisting that those uncooperative Christians who scatter for cover behind the word of God and the U.S. Constitution somehow suffer from a “persecution complex” (the baker, the photographer, the florist, the innkeeper, the Christian school administrator, etc.).

To fully advance the causes of radical feminism, abortion-on-demand, unfettered sexual license, “gay marriage” and the like, the pagan left must do away with religious free exercise altogether. Under the guise of “anti-discrimination,” Christians today face discrimination at unprecedented levels.

Let’s see if we can make this abundantly clear. Christians, true Christians – regenerate, Bible-believing Christians who strive their level best to maintain fidelity to the word of God and honor His commands – will not, indeed cannot, participate in, approve of, facilitate or encourage certain behaviors deemed by the Holy Scriptures to be immoral or sinful.

Portraying the collective of secular progressives as (ironically, since many or most are anti-gun) a sniper shooting a rifle at "uncooperative Christians who scatter for cover behind the word of God and the U.S. Constitution," is Barber calling his supporters to fight back and attack LGBT people and progressives?

Barber continues:

For every law, regulation, activist court ruling or presidential edict that demands Christians violate their sincerely held religious beliefs and adopt a postmodern, moral relativist way of life, there increases, in exact proportion, the likelihood of widespread civil disobedience – disobedience of the sort we haven’t seen since the civil rights struggles of the 1950s and ’60s.

The piece also shows a number of Barber's tweets that certainly suggest gays need to be met with violence.   Here is one I find particularly disturbing:

I Got Him in a Bloody Puddle for You’: Father Beats #Gay Teen Molesting Son #lgbt #lgbtq #tcot #tlot #pjnet #lnyhbt http://po.st/hQrHap

McAuliffe Eviscerates Cuccinelli on Child Support, Violence Against Women Act

As noted in a post yesterday, Ken Cuccinelli has expanded the GOP's war on women from efforts to ban all abortions even in instances of rape and incest to now seeking to limit their ability to leave failed marriages and to reduce child support payments thus sending more women with children into poverty.  Cuccinelli's upside down priorities toward women are, of course, only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his extremist agenda.  Not surprisingly, Democrat gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe has jumped all over Cuccinelli's sick agenda.  Here are statements McAuliffe made on the issue via Blue Virginia:

...Virginia has to be a Commonwealth that is open to businesses and welcoming to all. I talk to business leaders from both parties every single day. I constantly hear that politicians focusing on a social, ideological agenda is not helpful for business. We cannot keep putting walls up around Virginia by attacking women's rights, scientists, or gay Virginians. This is a fundamental difference in this race. I know we need to focus on the economy...Ken Cuccinelli has shown that he will spend his time in office on a social, divisive, ideological battles...that have defined his career.

[The Washington Post report this morning] was shocking. It detailed his ties to a radical group that fought against adequate child support because they think it is quote punitive unquote to men...and contend that men are frequently victimized by false allegations of domestic abuse unquote. According to the Washington Post, my opponent even took the unusual step of handling the private case for a leader in these groups while he was sitting Attorney General. Ken Cuccinelli has worked to implement their agenda on trying to restrict women's health care rights...Quote Cuccinelli was also the long Senate vote against legislation to increase child support payments by tying them more closely to inflation unquote. Opposing adequate child support is inexplicable and it's just plain wrong...

...Why would you introduce legislation that would punish people who want to get out of a bad marriage?...Cuccinelli was one of three [Attorneys General] who did not sign [a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act]. My opponent still won't explain what he dislikes so much about the Violence Against Women Act, but that group he is tied to believes that many women make up claims of domestic abuse.

During this campaign, there are many issues where Ken Cuccinelli and I have disagreed, and on some of them, I can at least understand his position, even if I don't agree with it. But the positions laid out today in the Washington Post on child support, the Violence Against Women Act and on family law is just beyond my comprehension, and I believe beyond the comprehension of most Virginians...

...Ken Cuccinelli's social agenda is more than just extreme, it is bad for business. The Republican Lt. Governor said just this week, quote, he is a rigid ideologue who thrives on conflict and confrontation...Virginia simply can not afford to have their leaders pursuing their own rigid ideological agenda...

With more and more states adopting progressive policies to attract progressive businesses and entrepreneurs,  it is insane to try to drag Virginia back into the 19th century.  Yet that is precisely what Cuccinelli and his backers at The Family Foundation are trying to do.

Ken Cuccinelli’s "Fathers' Rights" Ties Alienate Women Voters

Having been through a very nasty divorce myself after coming out, I know first hand that father's sometimes get the short end of the stick, especially if they are gay and have a homophobic divorce court judge.  That said, however, I cannot understand the mindset of men who want to walk away from support obligations for their children.  It's an issue that should have nothing to do with how much one may despise the soon to be ex-wife.  Yet there are "fathers' rights" organizations around the country that critics say want to reduce child support responsibilities, distort facts about domestic violence and seek to undermine the rights of women in divorce situations.  Not surprisingly GOP gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli has ties to these groups and won their endorsement.  Democrat, Terry McAuliffe - who already enjoys a significant lead over the woman vote - rightly has jumped on Cuccinelli's alliance which undermines his claim to be concerned about women and children.  The Washington Post looks at the unfolding story.  Here are article highlights:

Grignol is also the former leader of Fathers for Virginia, which seeks to “empower divorced fathers as equal partners in parenting,” and of a second group that contends that men are frequently victimized by false allegations of domestic abuse. Grignol did not respond to requests for comment about the groups, which some women’s rights organizations have accused of distorting the facts about domestic violence.

Fathers’ rights groups have urged states to revise their laws to grant men more time with their children in joint custody proceedings. They have been criticized by some women’s groups for seeking to reduce child support payments.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton (D) and Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) have both vetoed “equal parenting” bills this year that would, among other things, increase the minimum amount of time fathers get with their children in joint custody agreements. Critics of such measures say they remove too much discretion from family court judges.

McCormick said his group hopes to pass similar legislation across the country and “were Ken Cuccinelli to become the governor of Virginia, we believe he might well be receptive to signing it.”

As a state senator in 2005, Cuccinelli offered a bill that would have made it so parents initiating a no-fault divorce could have that action counted against them “when deciding custody and visitation.” The measure never came to a vote, but Cuccinelli won praise from Stephen Baskerville, then-president of the American Coalition for Fathers and Children, for fighting against the no-fault divorce “epidemic.”

Cuccinelli also was the lone Senate vote against legislation to increase child support payments by tying them more closely to inflation.

A National Organization for Women advisory committee on family law wrote last year that fathers’ rights groups’ “true objectives are to discriminate against, control and punish women by gaining custody of children and to denigrate the personal and economic sacrifices made by mothers for their children.”

Nationally, fathers’ rights groups also have opposed the federal Violence Against Women Act 
This year, 47 state attorneys general sent a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. Cuccinelli was one of three who did not sign it.

Cuccinelli may claim that he's pro-family, but in reality he is only pro one kind of families: those headed by heterosexual males (or deeply closeted and self-loathing gays like himself).   The man is a menace to Virginia's future. 

An Unholy Alliance Against Stopping Violence Against Women: The Vatican, Iran and Russia

As the conclave to elect the next Pope begins today in Rome it is likely than yet another anti-woman misogynist will be selected.  But it is not just within the Church itself that the Catholic hierarchy is spreading its poison.  And it has some pretty scary allies in its quest to hold back women's rights and to block laws and treaties that would bar violence against women.  One Vatican ally in particular speaks volumes about the sickness in Rome: Iran.  Iran, a repressive nation that by reports uses the death penalty against dissidents and others with regularity.  An editorial in the New York Times looks at the unholy alliance against women.  Here are excerpts:

Some horrific events over the past few months, including the shooting of a Pakistani schoolgirl and the rape and murder of a young Indian physiotherapy student, should have been an alert for the world to unite in preventing violence against women. 

But if a conference now under way at the United Nations is any guide, that message has not resounded with the necessary urgency. Halfway into their two-week annual meeting, delegates to the Commission on the Status of Women fear they will not be able to agree on a final communiqué, just like last year. 

Who is to blame? Delegates and activists are pointing fingers at the Vatican, Iran and Russia for trying to eliminate language in a draft communiqué asserting that the familiar excuses — religion, custom, tradition — cannot be used by governments to duck their obligation to eliminate violence. 

Conservative hard-liners seem determined to fight it out again. They have also objected to references to abortion rights, as well as language suggesting that rape also includes forcible behavior by a woman’s husband or partner. Poland, Egypt, other Muslim states and conservative American Christian groups have criticized one or more parts of the draft. The efforts by the Vatican and Iran to control women are well known. It is not clear what motivates Russia, although there is a strong antifeminist strain in President Vladimir V. Putin’s government. He may also be trying to curry favor with Islamic states. 

In any case, the suggestion that traditional values justify the violation of basic human rights is spurious.

Gender-based violence is an epidemic. A World Bank report estimated that more women between the ages of 15 and 44 were at risk from rape and domestic violence than from cancer, car accidents, war and malaria combined. According to the United Nations and other sources, more than 600 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not considered a crime and more than 3 million girls are facing female genital mutilation. Women in all social, economic, ethnic and religious groups are affected. The conference will be a failure if it cannot produce ambitious global standards that will deliver concrete results to protect women and girls. 

And as so often seems to be the case, behind the horrors against women one finds religion - especially fundamentalist religion, a toxic and evil force in the world.  The image above is but an example of what male dominated religions permit, if not encourage.  It's ugly and evil.  The world would likely be a far better place if these religions ceased to exist.

Reflections on Marco Rubio's Disingenuous and Dishonest GOP Response

Marco Rubio is in the process of giving his GOP response to Barack Obama's State of the Union Address.  Besides being an out right liar, Rubio seems to suffer from either an extreme case of amnesia or some form of severe head trauma.  If Rubio is the supposed "savior" of the GOP, the party is in serious trouble.  The man makes Mitt Romney look authentic, concerned and compassionate in comparison.

He began by whining about the economic collapse first triggered by the housing market.  A collapse that he blames on failed government regulation of the mortgage market forgetting, of course, that it was the REPUBLICAN deregulated mortgage market and Wall Street.   

He also makes the false GOP claim that Obama has incurred more debt in 4 years that his predecessor - the clueless Chimperator George W. Bush - did in 8 years.  Apparently, Rubio is a product of the reality denying Christofascist private education that he believes should be supported by a  voucher system that would harm public education.   He can't read charts, do math or accept objective reality.

He also depicts government policy and regulation as the main obstacle to people rising through hard work to improve themselves and the finances of their families.  One can only assume that the rapacious and polluting Koch brothers drafted Rubio's talking points.  Per Rubio, the best fix for America is a return to the status of the Gilded Age.

And on gun control, don't even get me started other than  to say that Wayne LaPierre of the NRA must have loved it.

Think Progress was also sickened by the dishonesty of Rubio's respnse.  Here are some highlights:

Rubio argues stronger gun laws are 'unconstitutional' - Rubio argued that although “we must effectively deal with the rise of violence in our country,” he dismissed possible new gun laws as “unconstitutionally undermining the 2nd Amendment.”

Rubio omits path to citizenship' - When Rubio addressed immigration reform, he called for a “ responsible, permanent solution to the problem of those who are here illegally.” Some conservatives’ answer to immigration reform omits citizenship, which would create “a permanent underclass of workers.” Citizinship is essential to the economy, and would raise the nation’s gross domestic product by $1.5 trillion in the next decade, raise wages for everyone, and lead to between $4.5 and $5.4 billion in increased tax revenue. Meanwhile, his calls for more border security fall flat, since illegal crossings are down.

Rubio doesn't mention his 'no' vote on Violence Against Women Act today - Rubio was one of just 22 senators—all men and all Republicans—who voted against the Violence Against Women Act today.

Rubio doesn’t even believe climate change is real -In his rebuttal, Rubio attacked Obama for his push for clean energy. Rubio is out of touch on this; despite the horrible effects of extreme weather in his home state of Florida, he claims there’s “reasonable debate” over whether climate change is real.

Rubio did vote to undermine Medicare - Rubio claims that he never would have voted for a bill that undermined his mother’s Medicare coverage. But in supporting Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) budget, he did increase costs for current seniors in the program and significantly raised premiums for future retirees.

No, government didn't cause the Great Recession - Rubio repeats a long-debunked myth

Why Marco Rubio Is Not "The Republican Savior"’

In its desperation to change its "messaging" rather than its increasingly unpopular theocratic/Tea policies, the Republican Party is grasping for anyone who could be the modern day Moses and lead the GOP out of the wilderness as demographic changes make the party's long term survival more questionable.   One such perceived savior is Florida Senator Marco Rubio who in the racist minds of the GOP mavens can make voters forget failed policies by simply putting a Hispanic face on the party in a form of putting lipstick on a pig.   Time Magazine bought into the GOP insanity and did the cover shown above.  Sadly, for the country, Rubio isn't the savior the irrational GOP perceives him to be.  A piece in Think Progress lays out exactly why Rubio is not going to succeed in transforming the GOP.  Here are excepts:

Since Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) abandoned his opposition to providing undocumented immigrants with a pathway to citizenship and embraced a bipartisan framework for comprehensive immigration, political pundits and Republican leaders have anointed the Florida Congressman the future of the GOP.

Consequently, the likely 2016 presidential candidate has become a media darling, appearing on conservative talk shows and mainstream outlets to tout his reform principles and convince skeptics of the wisdom of reforming the nation’s broken immigration system. The media idolization reached its zenith on the cover of this week’s issue of TIME magazine.

But dig beyond Rubio’s newfound embrace of immigration reform, and you’ll find that the GOP’s future appears stuck in the past, as the great hope of the party still espouses many of the extreme policies voters rejected in November:

1. Refused to raise the debt ceiling. Rubio voted against the GOP’s compromise measure to temporarily suspend the debt limit through May 19 in order avoid defaulting on the national debt. In a statement posted on his website, Rubio insisted that he would hold the debt ceiling increase hostage “unless it is tied with measures to actually solve our debt problem through spending reforms.”

2. Co-sponsored and voted for a Balanced Budget Amendment. “Now more than ever, we need a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution,” Rubio proclaimed in 2011. A Balanced Budget Amendment would force the government to slash spending during an economic downturn, driving up unemployment and making the downturn worse, in a vicious cycle. If the amendment were in place during the last financial crisis, unemployment would have doubled.

3. Signed the Norquist pledge. Rubio pledged to never raise taxes under any circumstances and even voted against the last-minute deal to avert the fiscal cliff, since the deal included $600 billion in revenue. “Thousands of small businesses, not just the wealthy, will now be forced to decide how they’ll pay this new tax,” Rubio noted in a statement.

4. Backed Florida’s voter purge. Rubio defended Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s (R) attempted purge Democratic voters from the rolls, brushing off its disproportionate targeting of Latino voters. He also defended Florida’s decision to shorten its early voting period from two weeks to eight days by pointing to “the cost-benefit analysis.” After Election Day, several prominent Florida Republicans admitted that the election law changes were geared toward suppressing minority and Democratic votes and researchers found that long voting lines drove away at least 201,000 Florida voters.

5. Doesn’t believe in climate change. During a recent BuzzFeed interview, Rubio claimed has “seen reasonable debate” over whether humans are causing climate change. Scientists have long agreed that the debate is now over.

6. Opposed federal action to help prevent violence against women. Rubio voted against the motion to proceed to debate the Violence Against Women Act, noting that he disagrees with portions of the bill. Rubio claims he supports a scaled-back version of the legislation.

7. Believes employers should be able to deny birth control to their employees. Rubio co-sponsored a bill — along with Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) — that sought to nullify Obamacare’s requirement that employers provide contraception to their employees without additional co-pays by permitting businesses to voluntarily opt out of offering birth control.

8. Recorded robo calls for anti-gay hate group. Rubio has previously boasted the endorsement of anti-gay hate groups like the Family Research Council and during the election recorded robocalls for the National Organization of Marriage urging Americans to deny equal rights to gays and lesbians. He recently wouldn’t take a position on legislation that would prohibit employers from firing employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identify and wouldn’t say “whether same-sex couples should receive protections under immigration law.”

 Rubio is nothing more than a new shade of lipstick on the same old GOP pig.