Thursday, September 12, 2013

New information sheds light on FRC shooter's 'mental capacity'

While I am not one for usually citing the Washington Times, here is something regarding the shooting last year at the Family Research Council headquarters which I doubt FRC will let folks know. It would appear - and it should have really been obvious - that the perpetrator, Floyd Corkins, had mental issues:

A Virginia man who planned to kill employees at the D.C. headquarters of a conservative Christian organization last summer received mental health treatment for hallucinations months before he tried to storm the building and then shot a security guard.

The attorney for 29-year-old Floyd Lee Corkins II noted in court documents that his client had been doing well on prescribed antipsychotic medication but missed a doctor’s appointment for an additional dose the day before the Aug. 15, 2012, shooting at the Family Research Council.

Federal public defender David Bos noted Corkins‘ mental illness as a factor when asking for an 11½-year prison sentence for his client. Prosecutors previously recommended a 45-year prison sentence for Corkins, who is the first person to be found guilty of terrorism under the District’s 2002 Anti-Terrorism Act
.
In court documents filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the District, Mr. Bos wrote that if Corkins “were unrepentant and unremorseful for his conduct, and not suffering from a mental illness at the time he committed the offenses, a severe sentence might indeed be warranted in this case.” Corkins is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court on Sept. 19.

I think it was obvious that Corkins wasn't "wrapped too tight" when one discovers what he planned to do after the shooting had he been successful:

In addition to the pistol, Corkins also had with him two fully loaded magazine clips with 15 rounds each, a box of 50 rounds of 9 mm bullets, and 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches. The sandwiches were bought the day before the shooting, Corkins told investigators, with the purpose of smearing them in the faces of his victims.

In short, Corkins was extremely disturbed.  So I am going to say this right now. It's unfair for anyone to blame the Southern Poverty Law Center (which FRC has attempted to do) or FRC (which I am guilty of) for what Corkins attempted.

He was a young man with mental issues who interjected himself into a controversy the wrong way.




'Porno' Peter LaBarbera exploits lgbt youth to fuel obsession about gay sex

LaBarbera
Our favorite irrational homophobe, 'Porno' Peter LaBabarbera of Americans for Truth is unwittingly teaching a lesson today on how members of the religious right cherry-pick legitimate science to demonize the lgbt community.

On his webpage, LaBarbera posted a muddled mess of a report regarding HIV cases amongst young gays. I can't even begin to make coherence of this mess. He cites the Centers for Disease Control studies to make his case. Then he tries to claim that when the CDC supports the work of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and the Gay-Straight Alliance Network (GSAN), they are actually exacerbating the problem. He says:

With HIV rates growing among YMSM (young men who have sex with men), the CDC’s focus on building self-esteem among LGBT youth and creating a “positive school climate” for homosexuals — includes forming “gay”-affirming clubs in schools — seems disconnected from reality.

 The gist of what LaBarbera is trying to say is this:

The chasm between the obvious and extreme health risks associated with “gay” male sex and the CDC’s politically correct, pro-homosexuality mindset reflects public policy malpractice on an Orwellian scale. “Gay” activist ideology and assumptions — including intrinsic (many would claim innate) “gay”/bi/transgender identities — go unquestioned at the CDC. Ironically, the most direct answer to the HIV-youth crisis — teaching young people NOT to practice unhealthy homosexual sex — is the one thing that is essentially forbidden.

All across America, “gay” activists and their straight liberal allies are advocating “gay”-positive lesson plans and strategies in response to anti-homosexual bullying. However, while everyone can agree that all bullying is wrong, many “anti-bullying” programs double as pro-LGBT affirmation programs. This is troubling because:1) bullying can be discouraged with neutral messaging that does not promote “out and proud” homosexuality and transgenderism; and 2) in the name of “safety,” educators and cultural elites are advocating a sexual lifestyle that has continually been shown to be dangerous, particularly for males.

Is LaBarbera's assumptions about the CDC wrong? Yes.

 Is LaBarbera clueless? Always.

Had LaBarbera not been so obsessed with demonizing "gay sex "(yet again), he would have known that the CDC had conducted a study that looked at risk behavior among youth and an excellent part of that study was a paper which looked at the health problems regarding lgbt youth.

The CDC has also said:

LGBT youth are also at increased risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors, suicide attempts, and suicide. A nationally representative study of adolescents in grades 7–12 found that lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth were more than twice as likely to have attempted suicide as their heterosexual peers More studies are needed to better understand the risks for suicide among transgender youth.
Another survey of more than 7,000 seventh- and eighth-grade students from a large Midwestern county examined the effects of school climate and homophobic bullying on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ) youth and found that
  • LGBQ youth were more likely than heterosexual youth to report high levels of bullying and substance use; 
  • Students who were questioning their sexual orientation reported more bullying, homophobic victimization, unexcused absences from school, drug use, feelings of depression, and suicidal behaviors than either heterosexual or LGB students;
  • LGB students who did not experience homophobic teasing reported the lowest levels of depression and suicidal feelings of all student groups (heterosexual, LGB, and questioning students)

The CDC has also linked negative sexual behaviors to these problems amongst lgbt youth. In addition, the CDC has also listed ways to combat lgbt youth health problems:

For youth to thrive in their schools and communities, they need to feel socially, emotionally, and physically safe and supported. A positive school climate has been associated with decreased depression, suicidal feelings, substance use, and unexcused school absences among LBGT students. School personnel, leaders of community organizations, parents, and youth have a role to play in building positive, supportive, and healthy environments for youth. Such environments promote acceptance and respect and help youth feel valued . Schools can assist by implementing clear policies, procedures, and activities designed to prevent violence. For example, a study, found that, in schools with LGB support groups (such as gay-straight alliances), LGB students were less likely to experience threats of violence, miss school because they felt unsafe, or attempt suicide than those students in schools without LGB support groups.

In other words, by doing all of the things that LaBarbera seems to have a problem with, the CDC is in fact not contributing to the problem but attempting to combat it.

Let's be honest here. LaBarbera could care less about aiding lgbt youth. They are just pawns in his continued obsession about gay sex.