Apparently, there has been somewhat of an online war going on today between the progressive site Think Progress and the supporters of Kim Davis.
Last weekend, Mat Staver head of the organization defending Davis for her illegal act of denying couples their marriage license, made the claim that over 100,000 Christians in Peru held a prayer rally for her. He posted the following image:
.However, Zack Ford, head of ThinkProgress LGBT (and a good friend of mine) contended that Staver's claim was a lie. Based upon his investigation, Ford said the picture came from a prayer rally known as “Jesús Te Ama Y Te Cambia” (“Jesus Loves You And Changes You), which did take place in Peru — over five days in May, 2014.
Since that time, Ford, Staver, and the Liberty Counsel have been going back and forth all day. As the Liberty Counsel posted explanations, Ford knocked them down as distortions. Matt Barber, a former employee of the Liberty Counsel and his vile publication, Barbwire, even weighed in, attacking Think Progress and Zack on a personal level. And they all continued to claim that the photo came from a prayer rally in Kim Davis' honor. It was Barber who initially posted the photo. He also claimed that Peruvian Congressman Julio Rosas organized this event.
I wonder what they are going to say now that Zack just posted the following update:
I believe the appropriate word here is BUSTED!!!
Now that they have been caught lying, Staver and company will either ignore the entire thing or deflect (no doubt with the help of some of their allies, i.e. Todd Starnes).
But this lie more than underlines what the lgbt community have had to deal with all of these years, i.e. the groups who are always talking about faith and values while either deliberately lying their asses off or passing along junk science and anti-gay propaganda as truth.
Folks need to read the entire story here and COMMEND Zack for his wonderful work.
Update - This in from Barbwire:
Last weekend, Mat Staver head of the organization defending Davis for her illegal act of denying couples their marriage license, made the claim that over 100,000 Christians in Peru held a prayer rally for her. He posted the following image:
.However, Zack Ford, head of ThinkProgress LGBT (and a good friend of mine) contended that Staver's claim was a lie. Based upon his investigation, Ford said the picture came from a prayer rally known as “Jesús Te Ama Y Te Cambia” (“Jesus Loves You And Changes You), which did take place in Peru — over five days in May, 2014.
Since that time, Ford, Staver, and the Liberty Counsel have been going back and forth all day. As the Liberty Counsel posted explanations, Ford knocked them down as distortions. Matt Barber, a former employee of the Liberty Counsel and his vile publication, Barbwire, even weighed in, attacking Think Progress and Zack on a personal level. And they all continued to claim that the photo came from a prayer rally in Kim Davis' honor. It was Barber who initially posted the photo. He also claimed that Peruvian Congressman Julio Rosas organized this event.
I wonder what they are going to say now that Zack just posted the following update:
Unsatisfied with the mystery origins of the photo shared by Liberty Counsel, Twitter user @DCHomos continued digging. He found it. It was posted on Facebook on May 25, 2014. As all of the other evidence indicates, it was from the prayer rally that happened well over a year before Kim Davis was on the radar. In fact, the image was posted on the Facebook account for the very organization that organized that event. Congressman Julio Rosas may have confirmed it was a rally for Davis, but it wasn't, and so the Liberty Counsel and Matt Barber were wrong every time they defended its legitimacy.
I believe the appropriate word here is BUSTED!!!
Now that they have been caught lying, Staver and company will either ignore the entire thing or deflect (no doubt with the help of some of their allies, i.e. Todd Starnes).
But this lie more than underlines what the lgbt community have had to deal with all of these years, i.e. the groups who are always talking about faith and values while either deliberately lying their asses off or passing along junk science and anti-gay propaganda as truth.
Folks need to read the entire story here and COMMEND Zack for his wonderful work.
Update - This in from Barbwire:
(Editors note: Think Progress has updated its blog and linked to a Facebook post date stamped May 25, 2014, which, at the very least, calls into question the origin of the photograph given to Liberty Counsel by Congressman Rosas. BarbWire will continue to seek answers as to where this photograph first originated and why, apparently, someone within Congressman Rosas’ office (or elsewhere) represented to the congressman that it was a photograph of a prayer rally held in Peru for Kim Davis when, as it now seems, such was not the case. To the extent that we at BarbWire appear to have received inaccurate information, and, further, to the extent that Zack Ford and Think Progress appear to have been correct about the questionable nature of this photograph, it seems that they were right and we were wrong. We will update our readers as we receive further explanation.” ~ Matt Barber)
3 comments:
Why is anyone surprised that these people will lie, cheat, and steal to make themselves relevant?
Great investigative reporting by Zack Ford (not sure how to send feedback on his article) and you.
As I wrote on my blog in reference to the Kim Davis story (http://reluctantrebel.blogspot.com/2015/09/pertaining-to-matter-of-certain-clerk.html)
quoting from the Afterword of my memoir:
Because “they” are still trying to define “us,” tell us who they think we are, tell us
that we are objectively disordered or immoral or sinful or worse.
Who are “they” and who do they think they are?
Unfortunately “they” are not only the ignorant and bigoted, but often otherwise
intelligent and sometimes even well-meaning individuals. Why do “they” think they
know more about our sexuality, or us, than we do?
More to the point, why do they care?
Certainly “they” outnumber “us” and we’ve always been an easy target. Does
their inability to save our souls or change us, or to limit our freedom somehow make
them inadequate or fearful?
What is in it for “them” that they so persist?
It amazes and frustrates me that our stories—the actual lived experience of gay,
lesbian, bisexual, or transgender individuals—are so summarily ignored, discounted,
and dismissed.
It baffles me that many vocal and influential individuals persist in holding to and
disseminating absurd, erroneous, and irrelevant opinions about us.
This is unacceptable and can no longer be tolerated.
“They” can only make their own positions tenable by repeating questionable scriptures,
fabricated “studies,” pseudo-science, and outright lies—and repeating them over and over as
they wholly disregard us and our voices.
I can only pose a few questions for others to try to answer: What is it about
homosexuality and sexual and gender non-conformity that makes it such a lightning
rod?
What is so unique about it that religious factions condemn it, regressive governments
ban it, entire cultures punish it, and ordinary people are moved to hatred and violence by it?
Why are millions of dollars spent to fight us and to deny us equal protections under the law? These questions underlie the need to tell my story.
All this begs the question: Why would people in Peru give a flying you-know-what about Kim Davis? Is there no rationality at all in these people?
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