Wednesday, September 09, 2015

Family Research Council's Tony Perkins doesn't seem to care that lying is also a sin

If you ask me, this Kim Davis situation seems to be making a 180 degree turn. The anti-gay right wanted to use her for a symbol of how lgbt equality would supposedly cause the suppression of Christianity. Not only did this prove to be false, but as it turns out, the more they exploit her, the more America sees the duplicitous face of the so-called traditional values movement.

A perfect example would be a recent interview that Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly conducted with the Family Research Council head Tony Perkins seen below courtesy of Right Wing Watch .

To put it nicely, the portion below went bad for Perkins and ended with him telling a HUGE lie about Kim Davis (which I took the liberty of highlighting):



Transcript: 

Kelly: You know the argument on the other side though. What if somebody goes in there and says, my sincerely held religious beliefs and now we're back in 1952 say, blacks and whites shouldn't get married. And therefore, I don't care that the Supreme Court said it's legal, I object and therefore, no.

Perkins: Well, it's much different. You have a long standing orthodox view about marriage in the Bible. The issue of interracial marriage is very difficult to point to in scripture. Are there some that hold that view? Yes. But it is --

 Kelly: What about Muslims? What about Muslims who say, a Muslim man may not marry a Christian woman and therefore you applying to me on the Muslim clerck? I'm not giving you that marriage license.

Perkins: If -- are you saying if there is a Muslim and clerk that --

Kelly: The Muslim clerk says, I want a religious accommodation -- how many accommodations can we grant?

Perkins: Right. In this particular case. What you have are the voters of this district, of this region of the country that elected her as the clerk. If they don't like what she is doing they can kick her out. It is not up to some unelected judge to impose his views on her and hold her in contempt of basically whatever he wants.

Kelly: And she may yet be if somehow she interferes with future licenses to be issued by the deputies although it doesn't sound like she is going to do that if they changed the issue.

Perkins: Well, here is all she wants. All she wants is to have her name off the license. She is not saying nobody in my office can issue this. She's saying, I just don't want my name -- -

That is a huge lie. Perkins conveniently omitted that Davis DID say that other clerks in her office could not issue marriage licenses. Right Wing Watch supplied a link to a New York Times article which validated this:

Ms. Davis’s appearance before Judge Bunning, and her subsequent detention, was a signal development in a case that surfaced soon after the Supreme Court’s ruling in June. Faced with the ruling, Ms. Davis, an Apostolic Christian, directed her office to stop providing marriage licenses to any applicants.

Furthermore, now that Davis has been released, she has not indicated that she won't give the same order she did as before. However if she does, one clerk said he would not follow her order.

So the bottom line is perhaps Perkins should stop obsessing over the so-called sin of homosexuality and focus on his own deliberate sins.

'Mike Huckabee upstaged Kim Davis, Cruz at yesterday's event' & other Wed midday news briefs

Ted Cruz's ego - a victim of Mike Huckabee

One thing is clear about yesterday's monstrosity of an event "celebrating" Kim Davis - Mike Huckabee's reputation seems to be taking a serious beating in the press. He wasn't that popular to begin with in general but the way he bent over backwards to upstage Ted Cruz - and even Kim Davis herself - has been duly noted.

Huckabee Hijacks Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis’s 15 Minutes - An overview of Huckabeee's behavior yesterday. 

 Huckabee Aide Physically Blocked Cruz From Getting Into Kim Davis Money Shot - Then there is THIS. The single event which epitomized not only yesterday but the hypocrisy of the anti-gay right. Just my opinion by the way, but if you THINK that aide took this action without prior instructions from you-know-who, you are naive.

 Mike Huckabee: God Took The Form Of Kim Davis, Holy Miracle Freed Her From Jail - Isn't that wonderful. While Huckabee's aide was acting like an overpaid bodyguard offstage, Huckabee was "spreadin' love" onstage. I think I'm getting nauseous. 

Watch Mike Huckabee’s ‘Biblical’ Support For Kim Davis Get Dismantled On Live Television - Ah yes. When the glitter fades . . . 

 Deputy Clerk Says He Would Defy Kim Davis And Issue Marriage Licenses - Meanwhile, if our favorite bigoted Kentucky clerk tries to act the fool, she may have a mutiny on her hands.

Fayetteville adopts civil rights ordinance 53-47 - Meanwhile, look what WE won. But it's far from over. 

photo of Ted Cruz courtesy of Chris Geidner

Tuesday, September 08, 2015

Fox News journalist Shepard Smith cries foul on Kim Davis, supporters

So Kim Davis has been released from jail with some provisos and though she and her supporters may act as if they won, and people like Mike Huckabee and Brian Brown may act like something great has happened, it's still a loss for them.

Marriage equality is still legal and if Ms. Davis interferes with other clerks granting marriage licenses, then back to jail she goes. In other words, I doubt this is over because of the obstinate nature of anti-gay activists, something which I spent quite a number of years studying.

But today, I really despise Kim Davis. Granted, her crusade was bad enough, but now she has personally offended me. Twice today, I've had to compliment someone from Fox News for telling the truth about her controversy.  This morning was a panel calling out Davis and her Liberty Counsel attorney.

And now is Fox News journalist Shepard Smith with a few words which practically nails what this madness is all about:


'Kim Davis, coming out stories, the Electric Company' & other Tues midday news briefs

Editor's note - I'm tired of Kim Davis. I KNOW you are tired of Kim Davis, but it is very important that we keep our guard up and assert our legal right to marriage equality regardless of anything.  The narrative belongs to us, not people like Kim Davis or Mike Huckabee, That's why I am bringing this news to you. Please don't feel that I am overwhelming you, but the truth is we cannot ignore this situation:

DENIED: Kim Davis Asks Kentucky Gov. to Free Her; Beshear Says Nope - So much for "as long as it takes." 

Five Bizarre Arguments Kim Davis' Supporters Have Used To Defend Her Lawbreaking - In this case, knowledge is our best weapon.

 5 Myths About Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis You Shouldn’t Fall For - Because there are a lot of lies out there. 

 A Tragic Love Story In 30 Pictures - A reminder of what so many lgbt couples face around the world and symbolically what we here have faced. Warning - it's brutal.

Transgender Student Will Appeal Judge’s Order Against Him In Restroom Case - Good for him!  

LGBT People Reveal The ONE Thing They Wish They'd Known Before Coming Out - This is wonderful. I love this!  As for me, I can't think of anything I wish I had known. At least for now.

If you are still reading, thank you. Enjoy the clip below from a wonderful show of my childhood, The Electric Company. To answer your question, yes that is Morgan Freeman and Rita Moreno:

Fox News panel blasts Kim Davis & her Liberty Counsel attorney

Unfortunately, the Kim Davis saga continues with no sign of abating. The good news is no matter how they try, those supporting the jailed Kentucky clerk can't use any talking points to get past the fact that she is breaking the law. The bad news is that their failure doesn't mean they are going to stop trying. Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee will be having a rally this afternoon in support of Davis.

Watch how quickly this rally, with its bussed-in participants, will be less about Davis and so-called "religious liberty" and more about bashing SCOTUS and whining about marriage equality.

So in advance, let me say sorry folks. There is no such thing as a "do-over" with Supreme Court decisions. Gays went through the proper channels and won the right to marry fair and square.

And we aims to keep it.

Meanwhile, check out how this recent Fox News panel just tears apart Davis's lawyer, Mat Staver at the Liberty Counsel, for the awful advice he has been giving his client:

Friday, September 04, 2015

'Gay couples marry, Davis jailed, Huckabee milks' & other Fri midday news briefs

Gay couples can finally get their licenses in Rowan County, KY

First gay couples obtain marriage licenses in Rowan County - Now that "she who not shall be named" is out of the way, gay couples of Rowan County in Kentucky can take advantage of their right to marry. 

Second Same-Sex Couple Gets License In Rowan County As Religious Activists Call Them 'Perverts' - Those who can't stop progress usually stand in a corner pouting in rage while it happens.

 Kentucky Clerk's Husband Says His Wife Is 'Not Gonna Bow' - One word. Two syllables. OKAY. There is nothing left to be said, but don't think it's over. Reports are that Mike Huckabee wants to hold a rally for her. He is milking this situation for all it's worth. Fine. Let him. The lgbt community will not yield what we earned fair and square for anyone. We will draw no quarter and will hold what we have. We will be treated equally and won't back down an inch from this demand. 

 Kim Davis' Lawyer Invokes Nazi Gas Chambers, Warns Of Massive Persecution - With counsel like this, no wonder she is in jail. 

photo taken from Joe.My.God.

Thursday, September 03, 2015

Kim Davis got what she deserved, has no one to blame but herself


Kim Davis

It's been over for a couple of hours now.

Anti-gay Kentucky clerk Kim Davis was found guilty of the contempt of court charge and will now spend her days in a cozy jail cell until she comes around and issues marriage licenses to gay couples.

I really didn't WANT it to come to this. I cringed at the thought of anti-gay groups and personalities attempting to falsely make Davis into the poster child for their phony religious liberty argument.

But now that the ruling has come down, allow me to tell you what I DO NOT intend to do:

I will not show this woman any sympathy and I refuse to concern troll the judge's ruling. I DO intend to back the ruling with every fiber of my being. And it's a simple question of why?

Why?

Why in the hell do the lgbt community have to be put in a negative position here? We didn't do anything wrong. In spite of right-wing screeches of a "Gaystapo" or a "Gay Mafia," our community has acted perfectly correct in this situation. We legally challenged the constitutionality  of  the anti-marriage equality laws, took the creators of these laws to court, presented our case, and WON fair and square.

Isn't that how it's done in this country?

Davis is an elected official. It is her duty to follow the law. She refused and paid the penalty; a deservedly harsh one.

So what is the problem here?  What else is there to talk about?

This situation was not about the lgbt community, but the American judicial system. As much as I hate to admit it, if Davis had not been severely punished, it would have trivialized our courts, our judges and the Constitution itself,  What would be the point of seeking remedies or rights via the court if one person can circumvent its decision by figuratively holding her breath until she gets her way?  And then get a little slap on the wrist for her trouble?

Kim Davis is not, nor has she ever been, a martyr for Christianity. She is a self-righteous dictatorial demagogue who dragged her staff into an illegal fight that many of them didn't want to have in the first place.

That makes her selfish.

And apparently she knew that same-sex marriage would be legalized but decided she wouldn't resign because if she did, she would, according to a recent Fox News interview,  "have no voice for God's word."

But in a statement two days before, she said  she “never imagined” that a day would come when she would be forced by the law to recognize marriages that she deems unholy and illegitimate in the eyes of God.

That also makes her a liar.

So on one hand, we have the lgbt community who attained marriage the right way. We felt we were being discriminated against and successfully sought legal remedy.

On the other hand, we have a woman who thinks that her religious beliefs should be above our legal system so much so that she is willing to lie about it and was, through the power of her elected office, dragging her subordinates into her illegal crusade.

Why is this even a hard choice in terms of who to support?