This week, SCOTUS will be hearing arguments regarding 50-state marriage equality. Folks are predicting that we are going to win one, however I have always been one for never "counting your chickens before they hatch."
But as the moment draws closer, national supporters and opponents of marriage equality appeared on Sunday news programs to debate the issue. On CBS's Face the Nation, Family Research Council head Tony Perkins debated Freedom To Marrys' Evan Wolfson.
It was a good debate, but I want to point to something before it gets drowned out. When Face the Nation's Bob Schieffer asked Perkins did he call for the impeachment of Supreme Court justices if they rule for marriage equality, Perkins was quick to say no, he did not.
But as the moment draws closer, national supporters and opponents of marriage equality appeared on Sunday news programs to debate the issue. On CBS's Face the Nation, Family Research Council head Tony Perkins debated Freedom To Marrys' Evan Wolfson.
It was a good debate, but I want to point to something before it gets drowned out. When Face the Nation's Bob Schieffer asked Perkins did he call for the impeachment of Supreme Court justices if they rule for marriage equality, Perkins was quick to say no, he did not.
Transcript (start at 3:32)
Bob Schieffer: Did you really say that justices who come down on the side of gays in this issue should be impeached?
Tony Perkins: No I didn't say that.
Bob Schieffer: Because there are reports to that effect.
Tony Perkins: No I didn't say that.
Bob Schieffer: What did you say?
Tony Perkins: Well I said . . . I didn't say anything about impeachment of the judges. What I said is that they are not the final say on this issue . ..
Perkins is not being truthful. He in fact did say something about impeaching the judges. According to Right Wing Watch, on Thursday of last week, he was interviewed by the Iowa based radio host Jan Mickelson:
. . . Perkins predicted will end with the court striking down bans on same-sex marriage across the country. Once this occurs, Perkins warned, “it will be open season on people of faith.” He predicted that the court will issue a ruling similar to Roe v. Wade, further dividing Americans and contradicting “natural law.” Mickelson suggested that if this happens, members of Congress should try to “remove” the Supreme Court’s “jurisdiction” over the marriage issue and “nullify” its decision, sending the message to the justices that “if you try it again we will impeach your sorry keisters.” Perkins heartily agreed: “I think you’re absolutely right.”
So why is this important? Because since people like Perkins are anticipating a loss at SCOTUS, they are attempting to shift the argument and make it seem like they are the victims who are being unfairly shunned because of their anti-marriage equality beliefs.
That's the constant mantra implied by spokespeople on that spectrum of the issue from Perkins to Maggie Gallagher to Ryan T. Anderson.
And Perkins implying that a SCOTUS judge should be impeached for merely ruling against his side on an issue doesn't exactly jibe with the image of "shunned Christians," does it?
Perkins's falsehood is definitely something I wish some folks on our side would keep in mind when they begin "concern-trolling" about this issue.
Certainly no one should be shunned simply because of their opinion, but when we are so quick to believe folks like Perkins even after all of the distortions they have spun in the past, we are merely walking into their latest con game.
The full transcript to the show can be found here for anyone who wants to further parse Perkins’ words (like me). The segment begins almost exactly half way down the page.
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they are attempting to shift the argument and make it seem like they are the victims who are being unfairly shunned because of their anti-marriage equality beliefs.
It’s their belief in Supremacy that’s being challenged, if they want to call that persecution, so be it, they deserve it. As long as we’re paying taxes that go toward helping them be in business, public accommodations laws apply. Without good reason, those “We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone” are little more than giant coasters.
As far as victimhood goes, we’ve also got to be pointing out that their end game is to have us imprisoned and put to death. Their complaints over Lawrence v Texas being struck down attest to the prison part. And their twisted use of Leviticus 20:13 mandating the death of gay men as an “argument” against homosexuality shows that genocide is part of their religious belief. In the over ten years that I’ve been hearing them use that verse, I can count on one hand the number of times it’s been used with the qualifier “but we don’t do that anymore.”
Then you’ve got the FRC’s suggestion that gay people be killed rather than be parents right there, bare on their website. Go over to skipping to the piccolo, there’s two more even less subtle examples like that.
On top of all that, they’re in bed with Alliance Defending Freedom who are actively and successfully influencing lawmakers abroad to implement laws that would imprison and execute homosexuals.
These religious freedom laws are being written by anti-gay activists and we are drowning in evidence of their ultimate agenda -- to steal our tax dollars, put us imprison and put us to death.
Personally, I was impressed that Bob Schieffer began his introduction to Tony Perkins with an acknowledgement that Family Research Council was declared a "hate group" several years ago by Southern Poverty Law Center, which marks a huge change (for the record, aside from Fox News, Tony Perkins generally does not get invited to speak on mainstream media outlets anymore for that very reason). Tony failed to even acknowledge the point about him leading a hate group, as if that was never said. I am therefore not surprised that he lied on national television. Those of us who know his tactics know he's lying; he and his group have been lying for years but only recently has it started to come up in the mainstream media at all.
ReplyDeleteIn the future, I wonder if CBS will even invite him back?