Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Trump supporting evangelicals prioritize Supreme Court vacancy over Americans harmed by coronavirus pandemic

 

Trump supporting evangelical pastor Robert Jeffress thinks the coronavirus pandemic is 'background noise' when compared to the new SCOTUS vacancy. The pandemic had claimed almost 200,000 lives at the time of his tweet. It has now claimed over 200,000 lives


On the same day Americans coronavirus deaths reached over 200,000, Franklin Graham put out this tweet. He did not ask that anyone pray for the families of those who died.  


If there is one positive consequence coming from a Trump Administration, it's that he took only four years to reveal something which I have been trying to do for 14 - the fact that the religious right/anti-LGBTQ industry is comprised of lying soul-sucking charlatans. And he did that by simply giving them what they wanted in terms of power.

On Tuesday, an ugly milestone was reached during the coronavirus pandemic. Over 200,000 Americans have died from the virus. And almost seven million have been infected. However, this wasn't important to the group of Trump loving evangelicals  Their minds were elsewhere, i.e .the fight over Ruth Bader Ginsburg's replacement on the Supreme Court.

According to Christian author John Fea:


For many American evangelicals, Christian witness in the political sphere comes down to overturning Roe v. Wade. This is why the court evangelicals are so gleeful about Trump getting another Supreme Court nomination. This is also why they say virtually nothing about the president’s mishandling of COVID-19 (nearly 200,000 dead), his separation of families at the Mexican border, his environmental policies that will one day make the planet incapable of sustaining life, and his racism. Look for yourself. The silence is deafening. 

Start your research with these names: Franklin Graham, James Robison, James Dobson, Jenetzen Franklin, Jack Graham, Paula White, Greg Laurie, John Hagee, Tony Perkins, Gary Bauer, Johnnie Moore, Ralph Reed, Robert Jeffress, Eric Metaxas, Jim Garlow, Jack Hibbs, Harry Jackson Jr., Luke Barnett, Richard Land, Jim Bakker, David Barton, Steve Strang, Samuel Rodriguez, Charlie Kirk, Lance Wallnau, and Jenna Ellis.

 I imagine (again, I only imagine) that some of these people were on a conference call the moment Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. They no doubt started the session with prayer for the Ginsburg’s family and perhaps even threw-out a prayer or two for those suffering through COVID-19. And then, when the pleasantries were done, they got down to strategizing about how to best support the president’s forthcoming Supreme Court nomination and the most effective ways of spinning their 2016 claims that President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee–Merrick Garland–did not deserve a hearing in the Senate because it was an election year.

Fea also points out that there was one Trump evangelical who did in fact say something about the coronavirus pandemic before the 200,000 milestone was reached:

Robert Jeffress said that COVID-19 is mere “background noise” now that Ruth Bader Ginsburg is dead and Trump can appoint another conservative justice. Background noise? Tell that to the families who lost lives from COVID. What kind of world do we live in where a Christian pastor can say that the loss of 200,000 lives is unimportant and get virtually no push-back from his followers, all men and women who name the name of Jesus Christ?

Fea's post is worth a read, if you can stomach reading instance after instance of supposed Christian leaders practically drooling over themselves as they ruminate over a SCOTUS seat while Americans suffer from a pandemic in the backdrop.

'Trump's likely SCOTUS choices may be bad news for LGBTQ Americans' & other Wed midday news briefs

Amy Coney Barrett


Trump’s likely choices for the Supreme Court are all very, very bad for LGBTQ people - Perhaps. But then let's not forget how Gorsuch turned out. At least thus far

Transgender scare tactics are back on the Republican agenda. Here's why they won't work. - Batten down the hatches. The war is here. 

 LGBTQ baseball fans on Facebook share their love of the game, from homers to hotties - Oh yeah, we love us some baseball. I used to play baseball . . . not that well.

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Trump blows off questions about America reaching 200,000 coronavirus deaths

I have so many reasons why I hope Trump loses in November, but this exchange which just happened reaches number one:


Right now, I know that so many of us are angry and galvanized about the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the eagerness of Trump and Republicans to put a hardline conservative on SCOTUS in her place. And of course we should be. But we cannot be distracted from his past and continued undermining of the fight against the COVID 19 pandemic. 

On Monday night during one of his "rallies," Trump said the coronavirus affects "virtually nobody."  I thought that was the worse thing he could have said about the pandemic, but the exchange today with the media tops it.  It proves that Trump didn't botch the response to the COVID 19 pandemic via incompetence alone. He simply didn't care. And he continues not to care.

The nearly seven million Americans who are infected and the over 200,000 Americans who have died  aren't nobodies. They were somebody's children, parents, grandparents, friends, neighbors, husbands, wives, etc.  Most of all, they were people who Trump swore to defend and protect when he took the oath of office. And he failed them. 

Deliberately. 

There should be no lie which any Trump supporter (including those in the media) can spin about the economy, Joe Biden's supposed dementia, conservative judges, political correctness, or anything else which should alter or mitigate in the least any contempt we should feel towards him for this pandemic disaster. Trump has blood on his hands. And if he's reelected, America is saying that we are okay with it.

'Group's leaked texts call for hanging gays 'in a loving way'' & other Tue midday news briefs

 


Christian group’s leaked texts call for hanging gays “in a loving way” - I'm not going to ask how to hang people "in a lovingly way." 


Exclusive: New $1.5 million HRC ad buy blames Trump for empty queer bars - Whatever it takes. And it is an accurate ad.