Hot adoption mess in Georgia
With all else going on, let's not forget how the anti-gay industry tries to hinder us from starting families and protecting our families.
I ran across this situation in Georgia and if it is true, we need to raise some holy hell:
Georgia judge halts lesbian adoptionWilkinson County jurist orders child taken from home, put in foster care
Days away from her seventh birthday, a little girl named Emma Rose is currently trapped in Georgia’s foster care system, unable to reunite with the woman who has been her mother for almost a year — all because the mother is a lesbian.
The prospective adoptive mother, Elizabeth Hadaway, was also sentenced to 10 days in jail earlier this month by a Wilkinson County Superior Court judge who refused to grant the adoption in part because “the child will have a long-term exposure to the homosexual parent’s lifestyle.”
Check out this link for more on this article.
It's relatively easy for the anti-gay industry to make our lives a living hell if they are helped by those who are supposed to protect our interests.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Kudos and boy do I miss Robert Knight!!!
Nothing too much to report today.
That situation about my corrections has been taken care of. The check is in the mail and by the end of this week, I should have the new galleys to my book. Then I can decide what to send out as an excerpt.
But extreme kudos to Jim Burroway of Box Turtle Bulletin, my online buddy at Kevin's Space and others who wrote the Eastern Psychological Association for answers about Paul Cameron and his claim to have presented a paper at their convention. It was this alleged paper from which Cameron was sending out a new batch of lies on the lgbt community.
The following is what I think is the most important portion of the response:
The submission by Dr. Cameron indicated that there was a possibility that the prevalence of homosexuals in the population had been overestimated by previous techniques. Data were presented, reportedly using a broader defined sample than that used by government agencies, which indicated that the prevalence of homosexuality in the population was smaller than had been previously suggested. The submission by Dr. Cameron was for a poster presentation, and it was accepted as a poster, not as a paper or address. Whatever the Camerons ultimately presented, occurred in an hour-long “poster session” among approximately 70 posters.
There was nothing in the materials submitted by the author for review by EPA that indicated that the work could, or would, be informative with respect to the longevity of homosexuals.
To read the entire letter, go here.
On that note, I bet the Concerned Women for America misses its former guru of all things anti-gay, Robert Knight.
Apparently under the auspices of the new ring general of anti-gaydom, Matt Barber, the group seems to have made a faux pas.
In attempt to criticize hate crimes legislation, the group actually made the case for it. Go here to see what I am talking about.
Thanks Matt! Keep up the good work!
Nothing too much to report today.
That situation about my corrections has been taken care of. The check is in the mail and by the end of this week, I should have the new galleys to my book. Then I can decide what to send out as an excerpt.
But extreme kudos to Jim Burroway of Box Turtle Bulletin, my online buddy at Kevin's Space and others who wrote the Eastern Psychological Association for answers about Paul Cameron and his claim to have presented a paper at their convention. It was this alleged paper from which Cameron was sending out a new batch of lies on the lgbt community.
The following is what I think is the most important portion of the response:
The submission by Dr. Cameron indicated that there was a possibility that the prevalence of homosexuals in the population had been overestimated by previous techniques. Data were presented, reportedly using a broader defined sample than that used by government agencies, which indicated that the prevalence of homosexuality in the population was smaller than had been previously suggested. The submission by Dr. Cameron was for a poster presentation, and it was accepted as a poster, not as a paper or address. Whatever the Camerons ultimately presented, occurred in an hour-long “poster session” among approximately 70 posters.
There was nothing in the materials submitted by the author for review by EPA that indicated that the work could, or would, be informative with respect to the longevity of homosexuals.
To read the entire letter, go here.
On that note, I bet the Concerned Women for America misses its former guru of all things anti-gay, Robert Knight.
Apparently under the auspices of the new ring general of anti-gaydom, Matt Barber, the group seems to have made a faux pas.
In attempt to criticize hate crimes legislation, the group actually made the case for it. Go here to see what I am talking about.
Thanks Matt! Keep up the good work!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Let’s not forget about the imps
Paul Cameron has yet another study out. This time, he claims that there has been a conspiracy to suppress studies that puts the gay community in an bad light.
But let’s move past him for a second. We need to keep focus on just how dangerous Cameron’s lies actually are.
No matter how many times he has been debunked, Cameron has an audience willing to believe his lies and pass them along. And those in that camp are also willing to repeat Cameron’s lies in front of school boards and legislative bodies.
Some of these folks are absolutely deluded; convinced that the only reason why Cameron has been rebuked is because his data is correct and the so-called Gay Mafia will do anything to suppress it They believe this despite the fact that there has been and continues to be a mountain of evidence against Cameron.
And then there are others who are very aware of Cameron’s history and the lack of credibility his data contains.
But they use it anyway because of a Machiavellian mindset. They seem to think that in the long run, defaming homosexuality and lgbts by use of bad studies (i.e. lies) are not necessarily a bad thing because the lies are being done for a good or Christian purpose.
A part of me feels sorry for those with the former notion. Those who have the latter notion (and there are many) are the ones we should focus our efforts on.
Indeed Paul Cameron had a belief that homosexuality is sick in a physical and mental sense even before he began defaming the community. For this reason, he manipulated and distorted legitimate data and statistics to quantify this theory.
While those in the anti-gay industry present a danger when they cite his work, they present more of a danger when they have the mindsets that led Cameron to do what he did to our community.
This leads them to find other works to distort.
My book covers many of these examples, so let me give out a few. I have not linked these examples to a site because
A. I have to give you some degree of curiousity so that you will buy my book and
B. Many of these examples are things that I personally researched and discovered.
But trust me when I say that these examples and more are covered with detail and proof in my book:
Gay men have a short life span due to disease and reckless living - When not citing Cameron’s studies to quanitfy this lie, the anti-gay industry will distort the findings of a 1997 Oxford study. However, they always omit the fact that in 2001, the original authors of the study said that their work was being distorted. They said the original study was speaking of a purely hypothetical outcome that is no longer applicable.
Gay men molest children at a higher rate than heterosexuals - When not citing Cameron’s studies, the anti-gay industry will repeat his theory that if a man molests a young boy, then that man is gay. Legitimate studies have all said this is not the case.
Lesbians engage in reckless behavior like drug addiction and alcoholism - When not citing Cameron’s studies, the anti-gay industry will cite convenience sample studies, or studies not indicative of the entire community. One such study was by Dr. Joanne Hall. Despite the fact that Dr. Hall’s study looked at only 35 lesbians and that she had written letters complaining about the distortion of her work, the Family Research Council and other groups still use it.
Gay men are promiscuous - When not citing Cameron’s studies, the anti-gay industry will use out-of-date books that only looks a part of the gay population. One book they cite is Homosexualities by Alan Bell and Martin Weinberg. Homosexualities looked at the gay community in San Francisco in the early 1970s. The authors even say that their book cannot be thought of to represent the entire gay community. A point of fact about Homosexualities is that it was produced by the Kinsey Institute, the organization that many in the anti-gay industry claims uses bad methodology. Apparently the Kinsey Institute can’t be so bad to them if they use its work to defame lgbts.
As I said before, I go into more detail about these examples in my book.
But my main point is that while exposing Cameron for his bad research, let’s not forget that the anti-gay industry has copied his shoddy tactics. We need to call them out on that.
Cameron shouldn’t get all the blame.
Paul Cameron has yet another study out. This time, he claims that there has been a conspiracy to suppress studies that puts the gay community in an bad light.
But let’s move past him for a second. We need to keep focus on just how dangerous Cameron’s lies actually are.
No matter how many times he has been debunked, Cameron has an audience willing to believe his lies and pass them along. And those in that camp are also willing to repeat Cameron’s lies in front of school boards and legislative bodies.
Some of these folks are absolutely deluded; convinced that the only reason why Cameron has been rebuked is because his data is correct and the so-called Gay Mafia will do anything to suppress it They believe this despite the fact that there has been and continues to be a mountain of evidence against Cameron.
And then there are others who are very aware of Cameron’s history and the lack of credibility his data contains.
But they use it anyway because of a Machiavellian mindset. They seem to think that in the long run, defaming homosexuality and lgbts by use of bad studies (i.e. lies) are not necessarily a bad thing because the lies are being done for a good or Christian purpose.
A part of me feels sorry for those with the former notion. Those who have the latter notion (and there are many) are the ones we should focus our efforts on.
Indeed Paul Cameron had a belief that homosexuality is sick in a physical and mental sense even before he began defaming the community. For this reason, he manipulated and distorted legitimate data and statistics to quantify this theory.
While those in the anti-gay industry present a danger when they cite his work, they present more of a danger when they have the mindsets that led Cameron to do what he did to our community.
This leads them to find other works to distort.
My book covers many of these examples, so let me give out a few. I have not linked these examples to a site because
A. I have to give you some degree of curiousity so that you will buy my book and
B. Many of these examples are things that I personally researched and discovered.
But trust me when I say that these examples and more are covered with detail and proof in my book:
Gay men have a short life span due to disease and reckless living - When not citing Cameron’s studies to quanitfy this lie, the anti-gay industry will distort the findings of a 1997 Oxford study. However, they always omit the fact that in 2001, the original authors of the study said that their work was being distorted. They said the original study was speaking of a purely hypothetical outcome that is no longer applicable.
Gay men molest children at a higher rate than heterosexuals - When not citing Cameron’s studies, the anti-gay industry will repeat his theory that if a man molests a young boy, then that man is gay. Legitimate studies have all said this is not the case.
Lesbians engage in reckless behavior like drug addiction and alcoholism - When not citing Cameron’s studies, the anti-gay industry will cite convenience sample studies, or studies not indicative of the entire community. One such study was by Dr. Joanne Hall. Despite the fact that Dr. Hall’s study looked at only 35 lesbians and that she had written letters complaining about the distortion of her work, the Family Research Council and other groups still use it.
Gay men are promiscuous - When not citing Cameron’s studies, the anti-gay industry will use out-of-date books that only looks a part of the gay population. One book they cite is Homosexualities by Alan Bell and Martin Weinberg. Homosexualities looked at the gay community in San Francisco in the early 1970s. The authors even say that their book cannot be thought of to represent the entire gay community. A point of fact about Homosexualities is that it was produced by the Kinsey Institute, the organization that many in the anti-gay industry claims uses bad methodology. Apparently the Kinsey Institute can’t be so bad to them if they use its work to defame lgbts.
As I said before, I go into more detail about these examples in my book.
But my main point is that while exposing Cameron for his bad research, let’s not forget that the anti-gay industry has copied his shoddy tactics. We need to call them out on that.
Cameron shouldn’t get all the blame.
Monday, April 09, 2007
One step forward, one step back - My book slowly progresses
It’s been a crazy weekend.
For starters, my computer went to Jesus yet again. It wouldn’t have been so bad had I been able to save the information for my book ad, new press release, and questionnaire form to disk before it happened.
So to combat any further problems, I looked into getting a laptop. Unfortunately the cost of it destroyed the budget I set aside for the corrections of my book, so that left me in a serious funk.
However, with a little prayer and elbow grease, I have come to a solution to my problem. If all works out as it should, I will still be able to afford the edits to my book This process is what I get for being independent.
One good thing is that my press release has been running at several places, leading to nice articles and requests for interviews, not to mention requests to be placed on my mailing list.
While I sweated the problems this weekend, I compounded the error by watching a VH-1 marathon of some weird reality show called Flavor of Love.
The silliness of the show just underscores the sad state of hypocrisy of my African-American community when it comes to lgbt issue.
Donnie McClurkin, D.L. Foster, T.D. Jakes, and the rest of them don’t say anything about a show that portrays black men as bufoons and black women as loud, uneducated, slutty, hair-pulling, bizarre named (i.e Krazy, Bootz, Buckeey, Nibblz, Deelishis) hoochies but these same charlatans will pull open that Bible to criticize us.
And the same so-and-sos who enjoy ignorant shows like this will be the same ones who claim that "their faith" teaches that homosexuality is a sin.
Meanwhile, historically black colleges will do their best to keep us underground or invisible.
I guess Jesus had an exemption for bed-hopping, horse hair, yukk-mouth gold teeth brothers and sisters who can butt-clap and bitch slap.
Pass the Courvoisier!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously though, as many of you know, the National Day of Silence will take place next week. Our friends in the anti-gay industry will do their best to disrupt and lie about the purpose of this day. I’m guessing that our friend Peter at Americans for Truth (in name only), Linda Harvey (Mission America), and the rest have something interesting in the works.
Keep one eye open because you know they going to act like fools. Already they are claiming a huge increase in the participants of their anti-gay event, Day of Truth. My guess is that they have the "we are winning" press release already written.
Wayne Besen at www.truthwinsout.org is already on their case.
Lastly, a HUGE shoutout to an online buddy, Jim Burroway of Box Turtle Bulletin, for an excellent analysis on Paul Cameron and his latest set of lies.
I try to do my bit when it comes to exposing Cameron’s lies but Burroway goes the extra mile, giving sufficient detail as to how Cameron deceives and exploits people of faith. His latest piece, Paul Cameron’s Footprint" is yet another triumph.
Just one thing, Jim. Save some for the rest of us.
And speaking of Paul Cameron, I would like to point out something very positive about us as a blogging community. Since he came out with the new batch of nonsense about the supposed gay life span, Cameron’s lack of credibility has been spotlighted not just by bloggers on their own sites but on the sites where his lies are usually repeated and believed as truth.
Bloggers posted responses on so-called pro-family and "Christian" web pages detailing the paper trail behind Cameron’s nonsense. We were adroit, to the point, and not begging for "tolerance." We all said "Cameron is lying about us and here is the proof. Deal with it."
We should do that more often.
It’s been a crazy weekend.
For starters, my computer went to Jesus yet again. It wouldn’t have been so bad had I been able to save the information for my book ad, new press release, and questionnaire form to disk before it happened.
So to combat any further problems, I looked into getting a laptop. Unfortunately the cost of it destroyed the budget I set aside for the corrections of my book, so that left me in a serious funk.
However, with a little prayer and elbow grease, I have come to a solution to my problem. If all works out as it should, I will still be able to afford the edits to my book This process is what I get for being independent.
One good thing is that my press release has been running at several places, leading to nice articles and requests for interviews, not to mention requests to be placed on my mailing list.
While I sweated the problems this weekend, I compounded the error by watching a VH-1 marathon of some weird reality show called Flavor of Love.
The silliness of the show just underscores the sad state of hypocrisy of my African-American community when it comes to lgbt issue.
Donnie McClurkin, D.L. Foster, T.D. Jakes, and the rest of them don’t say anything about a show that portrays black men as bufoons and black women as loud, uneducated, slutty, hair-pulling, bizarre named (i.e Krazy, Bootz, Buckeey, Nibblz, Deelishis) hoochies but these same charlatans will pull open that Bible to criticize us.
And the same so-and-sos who enjoy ignorant shows like this will be the same ones who claim that "their faith" teaches that homosexuality is a sin.
Meanwhile, historically black colleges will do their best to keep us underground or invisible.
I guess Jesus had an exemption for bed-hopping, horse hair, yukk-mouth gold teeth brothers and sisters who can butt-clap and bitch slap.
Pass the Courvoisier!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously though, as many of you know, the National Day of Silence will take place next week. Our friends in the anti-gay industry will do their best to disrupt and lie about the purpose of this day. I’m guessing that our friend Peter at Americans for Truth (in name only), Linda Harvey (Mission America), and the rest have something interesting in the works.
Keep one eye open because you know they going to act like fools. Already they are claiming a huge increase in the participants of their anti-gay event, Day of Truth. My guess is that they have the "we are winning" press release already written.
Wayne Besen at www.truthwinsout.org is already on their case.
Lastly, a HUGE shoutout to an online buddy, Jim Burroway of Box Turtle Bulletin, for an excellent analysis on Paul Cameron and his latest set of lies.
I try to do my bit when it comes to exposing Cameron’s lies but Burroway goes the extra mile, giving sufficient detail as to how Cameron deceives and exploits people of faith. His latest piece, Paul Cameron’s Footprint" is yet another triumph.
Just one thing, Jim. Save some for the rest of us.
And speaking of Paul Cameron, I would like to point out something very positive about us as a blogging community. Since he came out with the new batch of nonsense about the supposed gay life span, Cameron’s lack of credibility has been spotlighted not just by bloggers on their own sites but on the sites where his lies are usually repeated and believed as truth.
Bloggers posted responses on so-called pro-family and "Christian" web pages detailing the paper trail behind Cameron’s nonsense. We were adroit, to the point, and not begging for "tolerance." We all said "Cameron is lying about us and here is the proof. Deal with it."
We should do that more often.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
One more Paul Cameron bit
I apologize to anyone who has read my postings this week. I wrote an usually large amount about Paul Cameron and his so-called research.
And here is one more:
Contact: Dr. Paul Cameron, Family Research Institute, 303-681-3113, 303-886-1947 cell
PHILADELPHIA, Apr. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Marriage between a man and woman seems to result in longer life for both. Does it work that way for gay marriage?
"No," says Dr. Paul Cameron of the Family Research Institute, a Colorado-based think tank.
Researchers Paul and Kirk Cameron reported at the Eastern Psychological Association convention that married gays and lesbians lived about 24 fewer years than their married heterosexual counterparts.
In Denmark, the country with the longest history of gay marriage, for 1990-2002, married heterosexual men died at a median age of 74, while the 561 partnered gays died at an average age of 51.
In Norway, married heterosexual men died at an average age of 77 yr., the 31 gays at 52. The lifespan of same-sex married lesbians was 20+ years shorter than the lifespan of married heterosexual women. In Denmark, married heterosexual women died at an average age of 78 yr. as compared to 56 yr. for the 91 same-sex married lesbians; in Norway, married heterosexual women died at an average age of 81 v. 56 for the 6 same-sex married lesbians.
You have to admire Camerons' gumption, if nothing else. From one alleged study he presented research that claimed:
Gay men have short life spans
Homosexuality is more dangerous than cigarette smoking,
and now, this idea about married gays dying younger.
However, one can arrange trash on a heap in different configurations, but it is still trash and it still stinks.
Someone should tell that to our friend Peter LaBarbera at Americans for Truth (in name only). Apparently he has taken a break from denouncing the annual Day of Silence in order to announce Cameron's latest lie:
Homosexual activists reject out-of-hand any research that shows homosexual behavior, generally speaking, is unhealthy compared to normal sexuality. At some point, however, pro-”gay” advocates need to explain why so many homosexuals are dying so young. (And you can’t blame it on “homophobia” — you know, those anti-gay bastions of Norway and Denmark…) When they do, we’ll relay their explanations to you.
If you are interested in relaying something Peter, then tell us why do you continue to rely on Cameron's data.
And while you are at it, ask One News Now (formerly Agape Press) why they relied on Cameron as a source for an article without commenting on his history.
Of course doing this sort of thing is old hat from them, as my upcoming book will point out.
One good thing out of Cameron's latest burst is how quickly he has been slapped down. The bloggers and online publications have been doing their job in order to refute Cameron and reveal his record of lies.
Not that it matters to those who are under the belief that since homosexuality is a sin, anything putting the lgbt community in a negative light is a good thing.
What I would like to see now is a press release from a major gay rights organization (hello HRC or GLAAD) denouncing Cameron.
I apologize to anyone who has read my postings this week. I wrote an usually large amount about Paul Cameron and his so-called research.
And here is one more:
Married Gays Die 24 Years Younger
Contact: Dr. Paul Cameron, Family Research Institute, 303-681-3113, 303-886-1947 cell
PHILADELPHIA, Apr. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Marriage between a man and woman seems to result in longer life for both. Does it work that way for gay marriage?
"No," says Dr. Paul Cameron of the Family Research Institute, a Colorado-based think tank.
Researchers Paul and Kirk Cameron reported at the Eastern Psychological Association convention that married gays and lesbians lived about 24 fewer years than their married heterosexual counterparts.
In Denmark, the country with the longest history of gay marriage, for 1990-2002, married heterosexual men died at a median age of 74, while the 561 partnered gays died at an average age of 51.
In Norway, married heterosexual men died at an average age of 77 yr., the 31 gays at 52. The lifespan of same-sex married lesbians was 20+ years shorter than the lifespan of married heterosexual women. In Denmark, married heterosexual women died at an average age of 78 yr. as compared to 56 yr. for the 91 same-sex married lesbians; in Norway, married heterosexual women died at an average age of 81 v. 56 for the 6 same-sex married lesbians.
You have to admire Camerons' gumption, if nothing else. From one alleged study he presented research that claimed:
Gay men have short life spans
Homosexuality is more dangerous than cigarette smoking,
and now, this idea about married gays dying younger.
However, one can arrange trash on a heap in different configurations, but it is still trash and it still stinks.
Someone should tell that to our friend Peter LaBarbera at Americans for Truth (in name only). Apparently he has taken a break from denouncing the annual Day of Silence in order to announce Cameron's latest lie:
Homosexual activists reject out-of-hand any research that shows homosexual behavior, generally speaking, is unhealthy compared to normal sexuality. At some point, however, pro-”gay” advocates need to explain why so many homosexuals are dying so young. (And you can’t blame it on “homophobia” — you know, those anti-gay bastions of Norway and Denmark…) When they do, we’ll relay their explanations to you.
If you are interested in relaying something Peter, then tell us why do you continue to rely on Cameron's data.
And while you are at it, ask One News Now (formerly Agape Press) why they relied on Cameron as a source for an article without commenting on his history.
Of course doing this sort of thing is old hat from them, as my upcoming book will point out.
One good thing out of Cameron's latest burst is how quickly he has been slapped down. The bloggers and online publications have been doing their job in order to refute Cameron and reveal his record of lies.
Not that it matters to those who are under the belief that since homosexuality is a sin, anything putting the lgbt community in a negative light is a good thing.
What I would like to see now is a press release from a major gay rights organization (hello HRC or GLAAD) denouncing Cameron.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Christians not afraid to lose integrity in defending Paul Cameron
Paul Cameron's latest lie is starting to get a little traction, but not without a high degree of criticism.
And this is good.
In the past, he has been able to slip his lies through without courtesy of correction. But this time, he is getting lambasted, as he should, by people who are aware of his history.
What concerns me are those who, while knowing Cameron's history, are willing to excuse his lies. I took the liberty of posting a litany of his offenses to several so-called Christian sites which published his latest press release.
In one area, I am in the middle of a small war. No matter how many times other folks and myself point out his bad history and lies, there are some people willing to give his lies the benefit of the doubt.
They have this image of themselves as besieged by the enemy in a culture war. Apparently the American Psychological Association, the American Sociological Association, and anyone who dares question the distortion of their own research by Cameron are working for "the enemy."
Go here and here to see what I am talking about.
I makes me sad. Not because of their beliefs that homosexuality is a sin, but because how these people are willing to sacrifice the integrity of their faith.
Their mindsets seem to be "homosexuality is a sin, so anything that portrays gays and lesbians in a negative light is, in the long run, correct."
A very Machiavellian way of thinking, but the last time I read the Bible, Jesus never talked about Machiavellian tactics.
These people underscore just how religion has been highjacked in this country by slicksters who have replaced the image of Christ with their own ideas of superiority and conquest.
But like I said before, all is not bad. This piece (click the link) is probably the best smackdown of Cameron I have ever read.
I almost can't wait for him to come out with a new lie.
Almost, but not quite.
Paul Cameron's latest lie is starting to get a little traction, but not without a high degree of criticism.
And this is good.
In the past, he has been able to slip his lies through without courtesy of correction. But this time, he is getting lambasted, as he should, by people who are aware of his history.
What concerns me are those who, while knowing Cameron's history, are willing to excuse his lies. I took the liberty of posting a litany of his offenses to several so-called Christian sites which published his latest press release.
In one area, I am in the middle of a small war. No matter how many times other folks and myself point out his bad history and lies, there are some people willing to give his lies the benefit of the doubt.
They have this image of themselves as besieged by the enemy in a culture war. Apparently the American Psychological Association, the American Sociological Association, and anyone who dares question the distortion of their own research by Cameron are working for "the enemy."
Go here and here to see what I am talking about.
I makes me sad. Not because of their beliefs that homosexuality is a sin, but because how these people are willing to sacrifice the integrity of their faith.
Their mindsets seem to be "homosexuality is a sin, so anything that portrays gays and lesbians in a negative light is, in the long run, correct."
A very Machiavellian way of thinking, but the last time I read the Bible, Jesus never talked about Machiavellian tactics.
These people underscore just how religion has been highjacked in this country by slicksters who have replaced the image of Christ with their own ideas of superiority and conquest.
But like I said before, all is not bad. This piece (click the link) is probably the best smackdown of Cameron I have ever read.
I almost can't wait for him to come out with a new lie.
Almost, but not quite.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Handle your business, HRC!!!
This post is going around on various blogs, so you may have already seen it.
However, I think that it is important for the word to get out:
When Homophobes Bear False Witness
Family Research Council lies to members about hate crimes amendment, fails to disclose conflict of interest
WASHINGTON— The Family Research Council bore false witness against its neighbors at least twice this Holy Week when communicating with its members about the need for hate crimes legislation, said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.
In an attempt to scare its members into believing that federal hate crimes laws will punish simple thoughts, the FRC asks in a new Web video (www.stopthoughtcrimes.com), "What will it mean in America if thought crimes laws are passed?"
The assertion that America doesn't already have a federal hate crimes law is a flat out lie. The federal hate crimes law (18 U.S.C. section 245), covering race, religion, color and national origin, has been on the books since 1969.
“It's easy to understand why the Family Research Council would feel the need to lie about the hate crimes law's existence. The existing federal hate crimes law already covers the employees of the FRC under its "religion" provision,” said Solmonese. “That means the FRC is either against granting others the same protections it has already enjoyed for almost forty years under current federal law or it wants to repeal the existing hate crime law. Talk about special rights.”
Just as embarrassing, no critic of the FRC – or anyone else – has ever been thrown in jail for any supposed "thought crime" under the existing federal hate crimes law. The truth is that neither the current hate crimes law nor the expanded measure criminalize thoughts or speech; they onlycover crimes involving bodily injury or attempted bodily injury.
The hate crimes statute is only invoked to allow a federal investigation and the prosecution of bias-motivated violence if – and only if – it is necessary to achieve an effective, just result. That only happens after a violent crime is committed, which debunks the "thought crimes" talking point.
As Congress once again attempts to add women, people with disabilities and members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community to the existing federal hate crimes law, the FRC has demonstrated that it is willing to go to any length to stop this needed legislation – including lying. Similar legislation has already passed in recent years in both the Republican-led House and Senate. This year, the House bill, H.R. 1592, and its soon-to-be introduced Senate companion bill, will add gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability to the protected classes under 18 U.S.C, chapter 13, ensuring that the already-existing federal hate crimes law covers everyone.
The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against GLBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.
This post is going around on various blogs, so you may have already seen it.
However, I think that it is important for the word to get out:
When Homophobes Bear False Witness
Family Research Council lies to members about hate crimes amendment, fails to disclose conflict of interest
WASHINGTON— The Family Research Council bore false witness against its neighbors at least twice this Holy Week when communicating with its members about the need for hate crimes legislation, said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.
In an attempt to scare its members into believing that federal hate crimes laws will punish simple thoughts, the FRC asks in a new Web video (www.stopthoughtcrimes.com), "What will it mean in America if thought crimes laws are passed?"
The assertion that America doesn't already have a federal hate crimes law is a flat out lie. The federal hate crimes law (18 U.S.C. section 245), covering race, religion, color and national origin, has been on the books since 1969.
“It's easy to understand why the Family Research Council would feel the need to lie about the hate crimes law's existence. The existing federal hate crimes law already covers the employees of the FRC under its "religion" provision,” said Solmonese. “That means the FRC is either against granting others the same protections it has already enjoyed for almost forty years under current federal law or it wants to repeal the existing hate crime law. Talk about special rights.”
Just as embarrassing, no critic of the FRC – or anyone else – has ever been thrown in jail for any supposed "thought crime" under the existing federal hate crimes law. The truth is that neither the current hate crimes law nor the expanded measure criminalize thoughts or speech; they onlycover crimes involving bodily injury or attempted bodily injury.
The hate crimes statute is only invoked to allow a federal investigation and the prosecution of bias-motivated violence if – and only if – it is necessary to achieve an effective, just result. That only happens after a violent crime is committed, which debunks the "thought crimes" talking point.
As Congress once again attempts to add women, people with disabilities and members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community to the existing federal hate crimes law, the FRC has demonstrated that it is willing to go to any length to stop this needed legislation – including lying. Similar legislation has already passed in recent years in both the Republican-led House and Senate. This year, the House bill, H.R. 1592, and its soon-to-be introduced Senate companion bill, will add gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability to the protected classes under 18 U.S.C, chapter 13, ensuring that the already-existing federal hate crimes law covers everyone.
The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against GLBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.
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