Todd Starnes's distortions defending anti-gay bakery sinks Christianity to new low

Fox News personality Todd Starnes

There are times, when I want to point out the basic dishonest of the anti-gay religious right in America, I don't have to go on a long expository. I just merely point out the actions of one of their spokespeople. Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, "Crazy" Jane Folger, or the American Family Association are always good for it.

And today, it's Fox News personality Todd Starnes.

Seriously, someone needs to ask serious questions about how Starnes continues to have a job, even with Fox News, when he has a reputation of distortions and outright lying to further the "anti-Christian persecution" angle which is extremely popular amongst conservatives. (Editor's note - actually, The Atlantic  has asked those questions.)

Today, he put his poison pen on the case of the Oregon anti-gay bakery, Melissa's Sweet Cakes.

First, a little background via an Oregon publication:

The owners of a Portland-area bakery that denied service to a same-sex couple has paid more than $135,000 to cover a legally-binding order from the Bureau of Labor and Industries. Charlie Burr, the communications director for BOLI, told KOIN 6 News the agency received a payment of $136,927.07 from Aaron Klein on Monday. That payment followed a collection effort earlier this month that netted about $7000 earlier in December, Burr said. Klein and his wife, Melissa, own Sweet Cakes by Melissa. They refused to bake a wedding cake for Laurel and Rachel Bowman-Cryer, which BOLI ruled was  unlawful discrimination. In July, BOLI said a state exemption for religious organizations and schools does not allow private business owners to deny service to potential customers because of sexual orientation.

It's pretty standard, although with some details omitted. However, check out how Starnes, via  the American Family Assocation's One News Now, and probably other places where his column ran, spins the story:
 

Melissa Klein was checking her bank accounts just a few weeks before Christmas when her face turned ashen. The money was gone – every single penny.

Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries had confiscated all the cash in Mrs. Klein’s checking account and savings account as well as a special account set aside for their church tithe.

Yes, friends – the state of Oregon stole money meant for our Lord.

Mrs. Klein and her husband, Aaron, are devout evangelical Christians who own a mom-and-pop bakery – Sweet Cakes By Melissa.

In July, they were ordered to pay more than $135,000 in damages to a lesbian couple after they refused to bake their wedding cake. The Kleins objected because of their religious beliefs.

The judgment was awarded to the lesbians for “emotional suffering.”

Just a few weeks before Christmas, Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian wiped out the Klein family’s bank accounts – taking nearly $7,000.

Starnes' sad sack goes on like this throughout the entire article. However, there are two things he glossed over:

'Ted Cruz building coalition between anti-gay religious right, tea party' & other Tue. midday news briefs

Trump may have the press attention, but Cruz is building the power base.

Cruz Taps Evangelicals, Tea Partiers To Fuel 2016 Campaign - Laugh at the coalition all you want. You shouldn't, especially when you read the part about the voting apparatus: 

The Cruz campaign combines a traditional get-out-the-vote operation — making phone calls and knocking on doors — with modern data analytics to identify and mobilize supporters, beginning with Iowa on Feb. 1. He's pairing that with state-by-state teams filled with grassroots tea party leaders, local elected officials and state lawmakers who hail from the most conservative corners of the GOP. 

We Read Rafael Cruz's Book So You Don't Have To - If the potential power of Cruz's voting apparatus doesn't cause alarm, then perhaps this will. Imagine THIS NUT anywhere NEAR the White House. It ain't pretty.

 Outspoken Josh Duggar Defender Mike Huckabee: 'I Never Defended Josh' - Mike Huckabee is playing serious damage control. He recently claimed that he NEVER defended the now infamous Josh Duggar. Huckabee says he was merely defending Duggar's family. What I am about to say is going to probably offend many of my readers, so I profusely apologize, but BITCH, PLEASE!!!!! 

 How Anti-Gay Talking Points Are Being Recycled For The Transgender Community - Not at all surprising in the least. Media Matters confirms what us monitors of anti-lgbt propaganda have known and have been shouting about for the longest time. Anti-transgender talking points are nothing more than general anti-gay talking points which have been scrubbed up, altered, and recycled. I hear so many folks whining about "how do we combat this" or "how do we fight this. we need a plan." @!% ! The plan has been there all of the time, only some folks have been too timid to take initiative. You DO NOT wait until the next referendum battle or the next public vote or the next public controversy. The fact that anti-lgbt groups use these lies as talking points should be THE argument. Until the lgbt community harnesses all of our resources (television, magazine, blogs, online news services, etc) to initiate the battles instead of waiting for them to be initiated on us, we are going to continue to look like and be treated like walking victims.  

5 Times 2016 Presidential Candidates Were Anti-LGBTQ - Just five?

Another reason the lgbt community should pay Ted Cruz as much attention as Trump

Ted Cruz supporters sound exactly like Trump supporters. These people can all have each other. pic.twitter.com/a35vHQcnGh

— Andrew Kirell (@AndrewKirell) December 28, 2015

As the above tweet shows, presidential candidate and Texas Senator Ted Cruz should be garnering more attention in terms of being the candidate we should be weary of. Not only has he gained the support of the religious right, but his followers aren't exactly "all there." Eat your heart your out, Donald Trump.

Read the entire article at Raw Story.