This weekend, various religious right groups and conservatives are holding which is yet another one of those dreary "God hath designated us to save America" conferences designed to make everyone think that Jesus actually condensed the Sermon on The Mount to two words: Vote Republican.
This year's conference will be interesting thanks to the words of one of the guest speakers:
gay sex is a form of domestic terrorism.
. . .our public policy toward homosexual conduct should be the same as our public policy toward intravenous drug abuse.
A homosexual judge cannot help but give the home-field advantage to every legal team appearing before him who represents homosexual causes. It will be impossible for the visiting team, the team representing sexual normalcy and natural marriage, to get a fair shake in his courtroom.
Bryan Fischer is the American Family Association’s Director of Issue Analysis. He also has a radio program where he spouts nonsense like this as well as other more outrageous comments which can be heard if you click on the above video.
He will also be sharing the spotlight at the Values Voters Summit with GOP leaders such as Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Mike Pence, Bob McDonnell, Michele Bachmann, and newly crowned tea party star Christine O'Donnell.
And I am sure that these leaders will tell you how much they do not agree with Fischer's statements if asked. But so far they haven't been asked. And that's a problem.
Granted, some GOP leaders aren't exactly slouches themselves when it comes to things like homophobia.
When Huckabee isn't assuring folks like Anne Coulter, that he isn't "pro-sodomy," he insults same-sex households by comparing them to people raising puppies.
O'Donnell has a history of all sorts of ugly comments and stances from being involved in an "ex-gay" ministry, to claiming that AIDS prevention gets too much money.
And then there is that incident of Michele Bachmann watching a gay pride parade while hiding behind a bush during her days as a state legislator.
So Fischer can be considered as the over ripe cherry on the top of a rotten sundae.
But for those who really care about morality, this association with Fischer shouldn't be anything to be proud of. It's another item on the grocery list of right-wing hypocrisy stored at the "do as I say, not as I do" aisle.
Some on the right like to claim that the word "racist" has been overused too much as sort of a "mark of Cain" given to someone for "merely expressing a politically incorrect opinion."
I tend to think that the words "values" and "morality' have been equally overused. Or rather it seems that some groups have figuratively copyrighted the words with the ferocity of a record company trying to co-opt the plans of a departing singing group.
Just because you use the words "values" and "morality" in your talking points don't mean that you have them. Peppering these two words in your statements while you speak in clipped tones to the press doesn't necesssarily compare to Jesus healing the sick or raising the dead.
Personally I tend to think that "values" and "morals" entail more than a group of well-paid, well-heeled, high-moneyed individuals assembling themselves in luxurious conference rooms whining about how much they are being victimized simply because gays and lesbians are able to marry or provide a home for a child.
I also think that having "values" and "morality" don't involve turning a blind eye and sharing a stage with a man who seems to think that blatant homophobia is a Christian virtue.
Who knows. Maybe these folks have a different version of the Bible than most of us.
Hat tip to People for the American Way.
