Message to the Tea Party - What took you so long to get angry?

Not necessarily an lgbt issue per se, or is it? I didn't write this. The actual author is unknown but he/she speaks gospel. In anticipation of the election and most assured coronation of the astroturfed group as kingmakers, no matter the outcome:

You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.

You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate Energy policy and push us to invade Iraq .

You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.

You didn't get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.  

You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.   You didn't get mad when we spent over 800 billion (and counting) on said illegal war.  

You didn't get mad when Bush borrowed more money from foreign sources than the previous 42 Presidents combined.    

You didn't get mad when over 10 billion dollars in cash just disappeared in Iraq .    

You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.     

You didn't get mad when Bush embraced trade and outsourcing policies that shipped 6 million American jobs out of the country.

You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.     

You didn't get mad when we didn't catch Bin Laden.

You didn't get mad when Bush rang up 10 trillion dollars in combined budget and current account deficits.    

You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.  

You didn't get mad when we let a major US city, New Orleans drown.   

You didn't get mad when we gave people who had more money than they could spend, the filthy rich, over a trillion dollars in taxbreaks. You didn't get mad with the worst 8 years of job creations in several decades.   

You didn't get mad when over 200,000 US Citizens lost their lives because they had no health insurance.  

You didn't get mad when lack of oversight and regulations from the Bush Administration caused US Citizens to lose 12 trillion dollars in investments, retirement, and home values.   

No.....You finally got mad

When a black man was elected President and decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick.

Yes, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, job losses by the millions, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, and the worst economic disaster since 1929 are all okay with you, but helping fellow Americans who are sick...Oh, Hell No!!

Editor's note - as you may have noticed in the comments section, some tea party member tried to answer back this post. I answered the person back but a more complete version of what I said to him/her is at this link. It was enjoyable to refute the tea partier's lies but his/her callous comments were sad.

Will homosexuality bring America's downfall and other Thursday midday news briefs

NBC Affiliate: Will Gays Bring American Downfall? - Of course not. Cell phones have already done that.

Uganda’s “Hang Them” Tabloid To Resume Publication - This ain't good.

Gay U.S. House members: ‘Elections Matter’ - That right, dammit.

How Do We Really Make It Better for Gay Teens? - This is an excellent piece.

De Rossi: 'Being a lesbian caused anorexia' - I'm pushing this to show how a bad headline can ruin an excellent article. De Rossi said that her struggle with her lesbian identity caused her problems. It was an unfortunately bad headline.

Clint McCance demonstrates the best way for a gay child to commit suicide

I would love to see and hear how the religious right can defend this one:

The Arkansas Department of Education has condemned anti-gay comments made by a local school board member and posted on a social networking site.

Midland School District Vice President Clint McCance wrote on his personal Facebook page that he wanted gay people to commit suicide, according to The Advocate, a newspaper focusing on gay news. McCance used the terms "queer" and "fag" repeatedly, promised to disown his own children if they were gay, and stated that he enjoys "the fact that [gay people] often give each other AIDS and die."

A strongly worded statement signed by Dean Stanley, superintendent of the Midland School District, disavowed the remarks. "The district strives to foster an environment that discourages all forms of bullying," the statement read, "and an environment that encourages a safe and productive educational climate of all of our students. The district is very diligent in pursuing and addressing bullying of any variety on our campuses."

A separate statement sent to CNN by Julie Thompson, director of communications for the Arkansas Department of Education, said the department is "dismayed to see that a school board official would post something of this insensitive nature on a public forum like Facebook."

I hear he is running again for the school board unopposed. That's nice. Words cannot describe the absolute disgust I feel at this man. It is the height of irony that this awful story comes out in the midst of religious right so-called experts coming out with statements claiming that homophobia doesn't lead to suicide. Guess what dumbasses, it does. The following is a clip of Anderson Cooper interviewing the man who blew the whistle on McCance's actions:

Phony Christians shedding crocodile tears over the bullying of lgbt teens

Of all religious right responses to the recent suicides of gay teens and bullying against lgbt youth in general, the following has to take the proverbial cake:

Real Christians Say 'No' to Bullying and Homosexual Behavior

A coalition of pro-family leaders today urges Christian families to be faithful to biblical morality and discerning in the face of false and irresponsible accusations. Christianity and traditional values are not the cause of teen suicides, and attempts to link the two are deceptive and will ultimately harm children.

"Gay" activists nationwide are fueling an effort to indict traditional moral values as "guilty until proven innocent" in some bullying incidents involving teens. Their proposed solutions end up sexualizing teens at young ages into known high-risk behaviors and silencing concerned parents.

Now, the U.S. Department of Education seems to be joining the effort, setting the stage for implicating traditional morality as the cause of some cases of bullying, and using the force of federal government to force pro-homosexual, pro-"transgender" indoctrination programs onto local schools.

"Just say no" to these outrageous and unsubstantiated claims, said Buddy Smith, Executive Vice President, American Family Association (www.afa.net). "Bullying can be prevented without endorsing homosexual behavior. Activist adults essentially are saying that American parents who want their kids to avoid high risk homosexual sex acts and remain abstinent until traditional marriage, are harming kids. This is preposterous, and local parents and communities need to resist enforced political correctness."

Authentic Christians will remember several key concepts from Scripture:

1. Homosexual behavior is always a sin, God's plan for sexuality is male/female marriage, and God has not changed His mind about this (Genesis 19; Leviticus 18:22; Matthew 19:4-6; Romans 1:24-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

2. Jesus described marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and that humans were created male and female "from the beginning." Gender change is a defiant and ungrateful sin against God's direction and design (Matthew 19:4-6)

3. Violence against children is wrong. Jesus was very clear in his protection of children and also had harsh words for those who would forbid children from knowing His truth and love ( Luke 17:2; Luke 18: 15-16). "Gay" activists want to keep children from knowing, loving and following the real Jesus Christ. At the very least, schools must not interfere in the desires of parents to raise their own children to follow Christ and live out biblical morality.

4. School boards aid child corruption and insult faithful families when they allow "gay-straight alliances," homosexual indoctrination programs, permission for use of opposite sex restrooms, and any of the other ridiculous demands of the "gay" lobby.

So in other words, in spite  a CNN poll which says churches contribute to the problem of gay teen suicide, these folks who call themselves "real Christians" continue to play the "it's the rabid homosexual activists" card.

Personally, I'm astounded by the audacity of these folks because you see, I don't necessarily blame the church for this problem. And of course I don't blame the lgbt community.

The problem is staring us all in the face. It's these "real Christians" that are to blame. For years, they have bent over backwards to demonize the lgbt community, making us look like the other, and basically calling us evil. Their actions and comments create an atmosphere that make it difficult for not only lgbt teens but lgbts in general.

And now they have the temerity to push a statement blaming other for their actions.

You think I am wrong? Well let's look at some of these folks on this list:

1. Linda Harvey, president of Mission America - The former ad executive who "found Christ" and also publicly said gays and people who support us shouldn't be around children because, amongst other things, we will cause them to be sexually abused:

When people have views supporting homosexuality, they should not be involved with youth in any way, period. Here’s why:
• They will provide inaccurate, misleading information to kids;
• They may limit a student’s opportunity to hear warnings about the behavior;
• They may advocate or model inappropriate behavior;
• They may be directly involved in the molestation of kids themselves; or
• They may be in a position to allow others to do so. - Fairy Tales Don't Come True: Impressionable Kids and Homosexuality

 
2. Micah Clark, American Family Association of Indiana - who in 2002 bragged that during a hearing on domestic partnerships in Indianapolis, he not only cited the distorted data of Paul (gay men stuff gerbils of their rectums) Cameron, but sidestepped a councilmember who called him out for it:

“The author of the (domestic partner benefit) bill . . . tried to come at me for using a Paul Cameron study. I diverted that one pretty well by pointing out that I have spoken with Dr. Paul Cameron and her information was wrong. In any event, I said it was published in a well respected peer review journal and the research has not been disproved. I have been waiting for that one for years.” (Indianapolis Rejects Domestic Partner Benefits, Concerned Women for America, August 8, 2002)

3. Gary Glenn, President, American Family Association of Michigan - who this year said that we should "criminalize homosexual behavior."

4. J. Matt Barber, Director of Cultural Affairs, Liberty Counsel - who not only defends countries which persecute lgbts, describes gay relationships as "one man violently cramming his penis into another man’s lower intestine and calling it ‘love", but also makes it a point to encourage people to focus more on the "ick factor" of gay sex.

5. Mathew D. Staver, Founder and Chairman, Liberty Counsel - who recently implied that children raised in gay households have a danger of catching HIV/AIDS.

6. Peter LaBarbera, President, Americans for Truth - who really needs no introduction.  When it comes to demonizing lgbts, LaBarbera has not only written the book but also the movie. These are just a few of his acts:

1. Smearing gays via a CDC report on an increase on HIV while intentionally downplaying the part of the report which clearly places the blame on this increase on homophobia (while at the same time implying that the report "dispels the homophobia causes AIDS propaganda")

2.   Defending a bill which would lead to the imprisonment and possible genocide of Ugandans simply for being gay or lesbian.

  3. Going to subcultural leather events and using the "racy" behavior of gays attending to stigmatize the entire lgbt community while ignoring the behavior of heterosexuals at the same events.

4 . Making ugly comments about a "transgender quota" in the Obama Administration simply because the president appoints a (very, very qualified) transgendered woman to an office in his administration.

5. Instigating a  highly inappropriate comment about gays, lesbians, and sexual intercourse; a comment so ugly that it led to a feud between three religious right groups.

6. Continuously citing the work of the discredited researcher Paul Cameron, even when made aware of his dubious history of getting kicked out of medical groups, censures and rebukes.

7. Aiding and abetting Conservapedia spread lies about gay health using the fictional term "gay bowel syndrome."

8. Freely admitting to errors when it comes to claims against the gay and lesbian community but not taking responsibility for them.

9. Falsely accusing the Democratic National Convention and the Gay and Lesbian Task Force of putting on a sadomasochistic event.

10. Attempting to imply that a staph infection was the new HIV and then lying about his implications when caught.

When these people come out with this statement about bullying and everyone focuses on the church, we all miss the point. The church is not the problem, it is these folks who exploit the beliefs of the church who are the problem. And they need to be exposed.

Because quite frankly, their statements on the bullying of lgbt teens is the equivalent of a pyromaniac issuing a statement about fire prevention.

Arkansas school board member wishes more gay teens would commit suicide or catch AIDS and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Arkansas School board member: gay students should 'get AIDS and die' - And that's not all he said. I didn't report on this personally because frankly I didn't want his words to soil my blog. This $@! needs to be dismissed and quickly. Forget any nonsense about political correctness. There is simply no excuse for this.

Video: These three people want to unseat learned legal scholars for following the constitution - Ignorance is contagious this year.

Go Rachel: MSNBC Host Tracks Down AK Tea Bagger Candidate Joe Miller And Asks About Marriage Equality - And his answers are confusing. Par for the course. See what happens when a black man is elected president. All the nuts fall from the trees.

"Real Christians" Say Bullying Is Bad, But Being Gay Is Even Worse - So according to these people - and you are going to love who is on this list - bullying is bad but giving lgbt students the tools they need to survive the bullying is worse. OKAY.

New Ralph Reed Ad Campaign Literally Declares "It's Us Vs Them" - Guess who is the "us" and who is the "them." And here I thought Reed had gotten into trouble for corruption. You can't keep a good lying hypocrite down.

Mississippi school to pay gay teen's legal bills - All together now . . . ha ha ha!

Right-wing group wants to reinstate Florida's gay adoption ban to 'save' children from catching AIDS

Florida's ban on adoption by gays is dead due to Attorney General Bill McCollum's decision not to appeal court rulings calling it illegal.

But the ban could be brought back if the right-wing Liberty Counsel has anything to do with it. Liberty Counsel head Mat Staver said:

"The fact of the matter is [McCollum has] listened to wrong advice by people who are trying to count heads at the Florida Supreme Court, wondering whether they have enough votes," Staver suggests. "But the fact of the matter is if they don't have enough votes then, they certainly have already abdicated the fight now by not appealing this."

That means homosexual adoption is now legal in Florida, but the Liberty Counsel founder notes that the ruling is not the last word as he plans to ask the 2011 legislature to pass a similar law and protect Florida's children.

Staver claims that his reason for doing so is simple. But it's not simple. In fact, it's rather proposterous:

"Children should not be placed in a homosexual household," he contends. "Recent studies have indicated that children raised in a homosexual environment are more likely to engage in homosexual activity at an exponentially increased rate, and the Centers for Disease Control recently came out with a study that said one in five homosexual men are HIV positive."

Interestingly enough, Staver doesn't even cite these so-called "recent studies."  One wonders if they even exist.

In a sly way, Staver is implying that children raised in same-sex households have a danger of catching HIV/AIDS. But are no studies which say this is the case.

On the contrary, studies show that children raised in same-sex households thrive very well.

Staver claims that his group's efforts is to protect children but if the Liberty Counsel really wanted to do this, they best leave well enough alone.

Religious right leader distorts truth, twists logic to duck blame for gay teen suicides

According to People for the American Way, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council told NPR that gay teens are suicidal because they "know that they are abnormal:

"There's no correlation between inacceptance of homosexuality and depression and suicide," he says.

Rather, Perkins says, there is another factor that leads kids to kill themselves.

"These young people who identify as gay or lesbian, we know from the social science that they have a higher propensity to depression or suicide because of that internal conflict."

Homosexuality is "abnormal," he says, and kids know it, which leads them to despair. That's why he wants to confront gay activism in public schools. For example, his group supports the Day of Truth, when Christian high schoolers make their case that homosexuality is a sin.

But Perkins is wrong and the strangest thing is that his own words prove him to be a liar.

 Remember that piece he wrote which was published in the Washington Post on National Coming Out Day? A portion of it said the following:

There is an abundance of evidence that homosexuals experience higher rates of mental health problems in general, including depression.

Media Matters said the following:

Perkins links to a February 2002 American Psychologist article, which reported on the "results of several breakthrough studies are offering new insights on gay men, lesbians and bisexuals." While Perkins is right, "Several studies suggest that gay men, lesbians and bisexuals appear to have higher rates of some mental disorders compared with heterosexuals," he's totally wrong that these rates have nothing to do with discrimination. In fact, the article immediately goes on to report that "[d]iscrimination may help fuel these higher rates." The article reported: "In a study that examines possible root causes of mental disorders in LGB people, [Susan] Cochran [PhD] and psychologist Vickie M. Mays, PhD, of the University of California, Los Angeles, explored whether ongoing discrimination fuels anxiety, depression and other stress-related mental health problems among LGB people. The authors found strong evidence of a relationship between the two." Several other studies back up this finding. 

So while Perkins claims that there is no correlation between unacceptance of homosexuality and depression, he has no problem with distorting research that says just the opposite.

And it's not the first time he has done this.

According to Gay and Lesbian Medical Association's Ten Things Gay Men Should discuss with Their Healthcare Provider:

Depression and anxiety appear to affect gay men at a higher rate than in the general population. The likelihood of depression or anxiety may be greater, and the problem may be more severe for those men who remain in the closet or who do not have adequate social supports. Adolescents and young adults may be at particularly high risk of suicide because of these concerns. Culturally sensitive mental health services targeted specifically at gay men may be more effective in the prevention, early detection, and treatment of these conditions.

Me citing this piece is important because Perkins actually used it in 2009 as a part of his testimony in front of Congress in opposition to ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act). Endnote five of the printed testimony clearly says:

Evidence for the negative health consequences of homosexual conduct is available even from pro-homosexual sources such as the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. See their "Top Ten Issues to Discuss with Your Healthcare Provider" online at: http://www.glma.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=586&parentID=533&nodeID=1

He used the GLMA piece to talk about the so-called negative behaviors associated with homosexuality, omitting of course how homophobia plays a part in these negative behaviors, particularly depression - which was something the piece made abundantly clear.

Tony, allow to paraphrase something for you:


It's better to be thought of as a lying homophobic bigot than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.