The Christian Civic League of Maine's Mike Hein calls Pam's House Blend: "a leading source of radical homosexual propaganda, anti-Christian bigotry, and radical transgender advocacy."
He is "praying that Pam Spaulding will "turn away from her wicked and sinful promotion of homosexual behavior."
(CCLM's web site, 10/15/07)
Ex-gay "Christian" activist James Hartline on Pam:
"I have been mocked over and over again by ungodly and unprincipled anti-christian lesbians."
(from "Six Years In Sodom: From The Journal Of James Hartline," 9/4/2006, written from the "homosexual stronghold" of Hillcrest in San Diego).
"Pam is a 'twisted lesbian sister' and an 'embittered lesbian' of the 'self-imposed gutteral experiences of the gay ghetto.'" -- 9/5/2008
Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth Against Homosexuality heartily endorses the Blend, calling Pam:
A "vicious anti-Christian lesbian activist." (Concerned Women for America's radio show [9:15], 1/25/07)
"A nutty lesbian blogger." (MassResistance radio show [16:25], 2/3/07)
Pam's House Blend always seems to find these sick f*cks. The area of the country she is in? The home state of her wife? I know, they are everywhere. Pam just does such a great job of bringing them out into the light.
--Impeach Bush
who monitors yours Bevis ?? Just thought I would drop you a line,so the rest of your life is not wasted.
(UPDATE: I've received a couple of emails noting the story is from 2007. I picked it up from a FB link to the original source, and in my bleary early AM composing, didn't notice the date. Apologies (can't be two places at the same time). As far as I know there hasn't been any improvement regarding Jamaica's well-known homophobia, well-documented in Amnesty International's 2009 records.)
No LGBT person should spend a tourism dime in this country. The signal has been for some time now that LGBTs are unwelcome, but in East Kingston's McGregor Gully community that homos are not only unwelcome as tourists, they have no right to exist. How else can you explain imposing a 'Gay Eradication Day'? (Jamaica Star):
Residents say that they will be taking action as a two-week notice given to all gays and lesbians to flee the community has now expired.
THE STAR learnt that about two weeks ago angry residents who declared that they were fed up with seeing the activities of several gay persons in their community, ordered that they leave by today or suffer the consequences.
Some residents who admitted to THE STAR that they are a part of the "gay clearing out" scheme said that it is being done to protect their families and the community on a whole.
Usually these homophobes are most concerned about gay men, but in this article, special attention goes to lesbians -- that are apparently multiplying like rabbits.
When THE STAR visited the area, a small group of residents pointed out an old community centre which is said to be the main 'hang out' spot for the lesbians. According to the residents the lesbians gather there almost nightly and can be seen hugging, kissing and even "touching".
The residents say they are mostly worried about the lesbian group as they are most prevalent and influential. The number of persons in this group is said to be steadily increasing.
...The residents say they will not stop until their community is "gay free" and are not afraid of resorting to extreme measures.
I assume the men are more prevalent, but are tightly shut in their closets as being out of the closet can mean a death sentence.
Every time I think of this kind of outlandish hate, I wonder why doesn't the State Department issue a warning to LGBT travelers or make some bold issue out if the naked, violent homophobia of an island nation that prominently advertises itself as a welcoming tourist environment. Noting in those "Come to Jamaica" commercials says "except the homos." At the lease it's false advertising, at the most, it's negligent in calling out a country for its inhumanity by calling for an "Eradication Day." Why are they not focused on the misery of the poverty affecting the average Jamaican rather that a group of people that have no impact on their day-to-day lives?
The Right Hook: From The Ring To The Culture War is a selection of Matt Barber’s greatest hits: incisive and deeply thoughtful culture war commentaries he’s penned over the past few years (www.righthookbook.com). And, as an added bonus, the book also recounts the fascinating series of events that launched Matt as one of America’s rising conservative stars after he got dismissed from a fortune 100 company for simply writing a letter to the editor for a conservative publication.
Barber, a former undefeated professional boxer and current Liberty Counsel attorney, pulls no punches. His thought provoking and hysterically funny writing style tends to delight those who agree and infuriate those who do not. In fact, liberal activists are so determined to keep Barber’s no-holds-barred message from getting out that they’ve launched an orchestrated campaign to dissuade people from reading “The Right Hook.”
"It’s not surprising," commented Matt Barber. “This is the left’s strategy du jour. When they can’t win on the merits they resort to underhanded tactics and name calling. And now we’re seeing the Obama administration employ the same strategy in its attempts to marginalize Fox News. As usual, it’s blowing-up in their face. My book tells it like it is and the left hates me for it. That’s good. It’s proof positive that I’m exactly on track.”
“Our country is at a crossroads. Now, more than ever, we need strong voices to stem the tide of liberalism that is washing away America’s Judeo-Christian heritage. Matt Barber is one of those voices…” – Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee
“Matt Barber is fighting back. The Right Hook is a must read for anyone who seeks to preserve America’s Godly heritage.” – Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich
“Matt Barber needs to be heard by every American … the kind of leader people should follow.” – Congressman Tom Delay
“We are thankful that God picked Matt Barber out of the boxing ring and placed him in the national ring to go head to head with the adversaries of our country.” – Tim and Beverly LaHaye
Book foreword written by David Limbaugh.
Liberals beware: you may just be the next conservative convert after reading “The Right Hook.”
Folks, Reidsville is no hotbed of LGBT equality, but this small town ( less than 15K) had heard enough of Matt Boswell and the Hillbilly Blues Band, who were hired to entertain people at the town's fall festival. The Hillbillies were sorely mistaken about level of Reidsville's homophobic camaraderie during a rendition of Merle Haggard's "Are the Good Times Really Over for Good?" (QNotes):
Boswell sang, "Well you'll never take my guns, and I'll pray anywhere that I please./My daddy always told me, if you were able, and didn't work then you don't eat./All you Wall Street bankers, as far as I'm concerned, you can all go to Hell./And you can't get married, you stupid gays and queers, so why don't you go somewhere else?"
A viewer later emailed the station asking that anti-gay lyrics be stripped from future broadcasts. Reidsville City Manager Kelly Almond told Q-Notes the language used by Boswell was "tasteless."
"It was absolutely unacceptable and certainly unacceptable at a city-owned venue and city-sponsored event," he said.
Almond also said the employees in charge of booking public events have been "instructed not to book [Boswell] again," with similar thoughts echoed in an email to WGSR 47: "I can assure everyone involved that, if this language was used, this person, or anyone representing him, will not play another city event. Market Square, and indeed all city venues, are places meant to bring people together, not divide them. We certainly support tasteful, patriotic acts. We also have to respect everyone's Free Speech rights. However, we don't have to pay for it or include it in a city sponsored event, and we will not."
You see, Boswell, just because Reidsville hasn't progressed enough to include sexual orientation or gender-identity in its non-discrimination policy for city employees yet doesn't mean you have a venue to foment hate. You're now banned from performing in that small NC town.
You think we have equality battles ahead of us? Nothing we're dealing with compares to this:
Aggravated homosexuality will be punished by death, according to a new bill tabled in Parliament yesterday. ...A person commits aggravated homosexuality when the victim is a person with disability or below the age of 18, or when the offender is HIV-positive. The bill thus equates aggravated homosexuality to aggravated defilement among people of different sexes, which also carries the death sentence.
The Bill, entitled the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009, also states that anyone who commits the offence of homosexuality will be liable to life imprisonment. This was already the case under the current Penal Code Act. However, it gives a broader definition of the offence of homosexuality. A person charged with the offence will have to undergo a mandatory medical examination to ascertain his or her HIV status. The bill further states that anybody who "attempts to commit the offence" is liable to imprisonment for seven years. The same applies to anybody who "aids, abets, counsels or procures another to engage in acts of homosexuality" or anybody who keeps a house or room for the purpose of homosexuality.
Jim Burroway says over at Box Turtle Bulletin, there's also an unbelievable free speech clause that punishes any Ugandan who has a same-sex relationship or "promotes homosexuality" while overseas. The bill faces little opposition among lawmakers, and as you might imagine, if any did oppose it, there's no political incentive to do so publicly since that alone will put you under scrutiny under this law. And how about this nugget about the bill --
This drafting of this bill appears to have coincided with intense lobbying efforts by anti-gay activists following a conference held in Kampala which featured American Holocaust revisionist Scott Lively and Exodus International board member Don Schmierer. Exodus International released a statement "applauding" Don Schierer's participation in the conference which ended with calls to strengthen Uganda's homosexuality laws. Exodus International president Alan Chambers denies that Exodus supports criminalizing homosexuality. Scott Lively, however, defended criminal laws against gay people.
The naked racist and homophobic rant of Geneva (IL) High School's consumer education teacher David Burk is breathtaking. During a class on taxes funding the National Endowment for the Arts he said to students:
"How would you feel about your tax dollars going to pay some black fag in New York to take pictures of other black fags?" Burk allegedly asked, according to student Jordan Hunter.
Needless to say, some students were taken aback by this bold level of bigotry, and have called for him to be fired, including Hunter, who is gay.
"If he wants to talk about a poor place to put our tax dollars, I think his salary is a poor place to put our tax dollars"...Hunter said several other students have contacted him, saying Burk repeated the same phrase in all his classes. "He's free to feel any way he wants, but [with him] being in a position of influence like that over children, I don't think he should be using that position to make statements like that," said Hunter, 17, of Geneva.
In what has become standard operating procedure for racists and homophobes alike, Burk, who did a two-in-one bigot eruption, through his attorney, said that, well he's sorry if anyone might have been offended...
"Mr. Burk is cooperating fully with both the principal, the dean of students and the school board," [attorney, D.J.] Tegeler said. "Mr. Burk's biggest problem is he does not want to intentionally offend anybody and if he did, he apologizes."
We had a busy thread yesterday about this story that expanded into an interesting discussion about the general sentiment behind Morehouse College administrative assistant Sandra Bradley's email -- the frustration, even desperation of some black women to find a marriageable black man. Some saw the homophobia in the email, some didn't:
"I can't believe this wedding. It's 2 men. They don't smile in a lot of pictures and they look like a few brothers I've seen in the streets looking STRAGHT. Black women can't get a break, either our men want another man, a white woman (or other nationality that's light with straight hair), they are locked up in jail or have a "use to be" fatal disease. I'm beginning to believe Eve was a black woman and we Black women are paying for all the world's sins through her actions (eating the apple)."
IMHO it's there -- along with stabs at white women, the bias in the criminal justice system, and men on the DL about their HIV status. Nevertheless, with that laundry list plus the level of bitterness quite apparent, the discussion among Blenders in the thread was interesting.
The news that someone at Morehouse got a pink slip (it's not specified that it is Bradley) for the bias in the email (and for using work email to spread it) is not terribly surprising given the uproar the email generated. The release from Morehouse:
The views expressed in the e-mail entitled, 'The WTD of the Week,' (September 28, 2009) were the personal views of one individual and do not reflect the values or policies of Morehouse College. Morehouse College has a no-tolerance position on discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and the College has taken great strides toward building a diverse and tolerant community. After investigating the matter, the College has disciplined the persons involved in the incident, and one of the implicated employees is no longer with the College. In addition, the College has reminded its staff that the Morehouse e-mail system is College property, should be safeguarded as any other College property, and that e-mails that are discriminatory, inflammatory, or derogatory to any group are prohibited at the College."
And this comment from one person who received the email.
Vanessa Crites, who does not work at Morehouse, received the email from her partner, who works for Fulton County, and said she was shocked by the comments.
"I almost started to cry. I almost could not believe what I was looking at, and I thought that Dr. Franklin needed to know," Crites said. "I think she covered all biases, she's discriminating against gay black men, she's discriminating against white women, she's discriminating against people with HIV."
While this email focuses on the male couple whose photos were downloaded from Facebook and distributed with this email, it's clear from the missive that overall bitterness about the state of the dating pool of black men is much more prominent, and little discussed in the coverage of the story in the LGBT blogosphere, which is odd because the content in this email does connect to the issue of homophobia in the black community at its base level.
As someone who works in IT, it blows my mind that people still send dumb*ss offensive emails that surely will get them into trouble. And double down bonus dunce points for Morehouse College administrative assistant Sandra Bradley for thinking the email would remain within her circle of homophobic girlfriends. (Southern Voice):
Morehouse College President Robert Franklin is promising to take "prompt and appropriate action" after two members of his staff forwarded an email of a stylish gay wedding ceremony and one made anti-gay comments.
The email, sent to Southern Voice after making the rounds through Fulton County government, included the following lines from Sandra Bradley, an administrative assistant who works in Franklin's office. The email includes more than a dozen pictures that show a lavish wedding ceremony between two unidentified black gay men earlier this month.
"I can't believe this wedding. It's 2 men. They don't smile in a lot of pictures and they look like a few brothers I've seen in the streets looking STRAGHT. Black women can't get a break, either our men want another man, a white woman (or other nationality that's light with straight hair), they are locked up in jail or have a "use to be" fatal disease. I'm beginning to believe Eve was a black woman and we Black women are paying for all the world's sins through her actions (eating the apple)," Bradley wrote.
Bradley appears to have received the email from a coworker at Morehouse, both of whom used their work email addresses.
The two men in the photos, Michael Cole Smith and Jamil Smith Cole, posted the pictures on Facebook and the images were downloaded and added to the chain mail.
***
While this is obviously a story about homophobia, it's also an illustration of the level of desperation out there of a slice of black women who are weary of the lack of available "marriage-worthy" black men. It doesn't mitigate the above incident, but it does give an opening for discussion of the latter issue, which was covered by NPR earlier this week -- "Black Women: Successful And Still Unmarried." It notes that if you are a black woman with an advanced degree, statistically the odds are that you've never married.
New research from Yale University suggests that highly educated black women are twice as likely to have never been married by the age of 45 as white women with similar education.
Hannah Bruckner, who leads the Center for Research on Inequalities and the Life Course at Yale University, says the disparity can be partly explained by a difference in dating preferences between some black men and women.
"Black men are more likely to marry outside of their race, and black women are more likely to marry outside of their education," she says.
Bruckner says that is compounded by tough competition for a smaller pool of highly educated black men.
So many of these women, if they do marry, may marry a blue collar man, but for others, like Sandra Bradley, they hold onto their anger with a level of toxicity that is directed at all of the real and perceived obstacles for black women re:obtaining a wedding ring.
One may wonder why these successful women just don't expand her conceptual dating pool? There are reasons for that as well, according to the article.
Niambi Carter, 31, has a Ph.D. and is an assistant professor of political science at Purdue University, admits that she has been hard-pressed to find a black mate with a similar level of education.
But she says it may be just as hard to find an interested man who is not black.
"Black women are not seen as marriageable by those outside of their race," she says. "We are not seen as adding status."
Ah, there's the rub. Even with an advanced degree and polish, many black women do believe the deck is even stacked against them if the expand their color horizons.
The women interviewed also mention something that rings true for me as a woman of color -- that for many of us (regardless of sexual orientation), we have been raised with a sense of obligation to pursue excellence to overcome the racial and economic barriers faced by our predecessors. That all-consuming pursuit for some comes at the expense of cultivating relationships -- particularly if one has to work through school rather enjoy the freedom of undergraduate college life for those who have more time (and fewer personal obligations) to do so.
It's a quandry to say you can be happy single when all the social and media signals are blasting heterosexual images of marriage. It's probably as irritating as being gay and having to endure the endless imagery as well. But you see how this despondency turns pathological and hateful.
Ms. Bradley needs to take a look in the mirror and re-evaluate the negative, ignorant and hateful energy she typed into that email because it reflects such poor self-esteem; does she really think black women would be better off marrying some closeted SGL man who won't tell her about his same-sex encounters but will treat her with a nice big rock on her finger?
Back in 2007, failed Dancing With the Stars hoofer and talking head Tucker Carlson boasted of his handling of a misdirected pickup:
"Having sex in a public men's room is outrageous. It's also really common. I've been bothered in men's rooms." Carlson continued, "I've been bothered in Georgetown Park," in Washington, D.C., "when I was in high school." When Abrams asked how Carlson responded to being "bothered," Carlson asserted, "I went back with someone I knew and grabbed the guy by the -- you know, and grabbed him, and ... hit him against the stall with his head, actually."
So he would be the perfect guest to bring on to discuss harassment and violence based on sexual orientation (as in a effort in Alameda, CA to pass an anti-bullying law). He turned up on Fox News' Fox & Friends today (Media Matters):
Tucker is concerned that being taught tolerance is "controversial" and an effort to "force' tolerance curriculum on children -- and it's expensive, too, he notes.
Blender Herb sent one in that I couldn't overlook -- it shows you how pathetic Concerned Women for America is. During Bob Knight's reign, there was reliably entertaining batsh*ttery up there, but it's currently a bore-fest.
However, I didn't realize it had fallen so far down on the anti-gay job that it is pulling out the hoary stereotype of sports turning your daughter into a lesbian. This a laugh-out-loud cry of a movement in a death spiral.
God's Girls in Sports
With the advent of Title Nine, girls have more opportunities than ever to participate in sports. While the social, physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits of sports are frequently discussed, Coach and mom Holly Page says there are also pitfalls that are too often overlooked. In her book God's Girls in Sports, Holly discusses hard issues like demanding training schedules that compete with family and church time, male-oriented coaching styles that force more masculine behaviors on girls without meeting girls' needs for relationships, the quest for scholarships, and lesbianism in college-level sports. She also talks about when it may be time to quit. Holly discusses these issues with CWA Policy Analyst Martha Kleder, as well as other ways parents can help their daughters maintain a life balance and get the most out of sports, without sports getting the best of them.
I've been trying to take the advice of the many around me to slow the hell down and get better, so I was completely offline yesterday, save the failed attempt to go into work at 6AM and function for a few hours. FAIL. The fibromyalgia said "F that." Anyway, the "mistake" of staying offline is that my two main blog-related email accounts filled with 250-300 messages each in that short time offline. Argh. Apologies if I don't answer pronto.
School will soon start again, and countless LGBT youth will return to classrooms all over the country. Some will return to schools where they find support and protection from harassment - where administrators and teachers work together to ensure a safe learning environment to all students.
Sports teams usually cater to the fan base. In the WNBA, if you are in the front office of the Washington Mystics, the rule is you make sure your base doesn't exist in the stands. (OutSports):
“We got a lot of kids here,” Sheila Johnson, the Mystics’ managing partner, said when asked last week at a game. “We just don’t find it appropriate.”
The article goes at length to show what they don’t find appropriate is people of the same-sex kissing, talking to fans, management and players. One of the Mystics’ players predictably compares being gay to abortion:
“We wouldn’t broadcast on our Jumbotron about abortion issues because of the religious and political conflicts it would cause,” said Lindsey Harding, the team’s point guard. “It’s a similar, sensitive subject. We don’t want to put anything out there to turn down certain fans.”
This is outrageous. Unfortunately, what's also disappointing (but not surprising) is that this thinking is governed by the bottom line on a couple of fronts. From the WaPo piece.
This is a seminal, scary time for women's professional sports. Ten years after Brandi Chastain's ab-crunching moment in the women's World Cup ushered in a new era of empowerment, less than half of the LPGA Tour's 29 events have secured sponsorship for next year. Though attendance numbers are up in Washington, the league can barely pull in an average of 8,000 people per game and many of its arenas hold 20,000.
It's understandable that a financially shaky league is outright terrified it could alienate a chunk of its fan base if two same-sex people shared a chaste kiss on a video scoreboard.
Apparently the lesbian fan base is irrelevant and kept in the closet, based on the fear of the unknown and need for cash; the league counts on sponsorship from anti-gay Exxon/Mobil. But sadly, the league is not the only entity looking the other way.
As Cathy Nelson, the Human Rights Campaign's vice president, said in a phone interview, "Sheila and the Mystics have been nothing but supportive in our mind, showing up at all our dinners, events, even bringing the whole team once."
Why is it acceptable to HRC that Mystics fans are purposely closeted by the organization? It's not supportive, that's for sure.
The dilemma here is do you ask a league to risk its survival on a guessing game about public tolerance over innocent same-sex bussing at a game? What if they are wrong -- when will they know it's acceptable to a sufficient number fans to turn the camera onto a lesbian couple during a game? It's safe to say that the league is always going to be under the financial gun and fighting to stay afloat, so what is the magic metric that needs to be reached? I'm not convinced that this policy is driven solely by financial concerns, but it's not fair to portray the policy of hiding a strong fan base of women because of their sexual orientation or gender presentation (which you know is in an issue in the mix).
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC5) is a stain on the reputation of my state. She continues to belch out the most ignorant garbage on the floor of the House.
Yesterday she decided to weigh in on the health care reform debate with this doozy. Keyboard protection on.
Rep. Foxx: The Republican plan would "make sure we bring down the cost of health care for all Americans and that ensures affordable access for all Americans and is pro-life because it will not put seniors in a position of being put to death by their government."
WTF is she talking about?! Media Matters has to straighten out the mental confusion of Rep. Foxx (since I doubt she's able to navigate the complexities of the subject at hand to actually do anything except regurgitate winger talking points):
The Democratic Legislation Actually Provides Professional Guidance For Seniors' Difficult Decisions - NOT To Encourage Euthanasia Like other Republicans before her, Rep. Foxx is basing her statement on a clause in the House bill guaranteeing seniors free counseling to help them with complex decisions.
"Advance Care Planning Consultation" Would Provide Seniors With Professional Advice On Will Preparation, Power Of Attorney, And Other Complicated Issues. PolitiFact.com reported: "Indeed, Sec. 1233 of the bill, labeled 'Advance Care Planning Consultation' details how the bill would, for the first time, require Medicare to cover the cost of end-of-life counseling sessions. According to the bill, 'such consultation shall include the following: An explanation by the practitioner of advance care planning, including key questions and considerations, important steps, and suggested people to talk to; an explanation by the practitioner of advance directives, including living wills and durable powers of attorney, and their uses; an explanation by the practitioner of the role and responsibilities of a health care proxy.'" [PolitiFact.com, 7/16/09]
Medicare Will Pay For Increased Counseling If The Senior Citizen Becomes Ill And Would Like Additional Information. According to PolitiFact.com: "Medicare will cover one session every five years, the legislation states. If a patient becomes very ill in the interim, Medicare will cover additional sessions." [PolitiFact.com, 7/16/09]
Counseling Is NOT Mandatory. In regards to the "mandatory" assertion, PolitiFact.com reported: "For his part, Keyserling said he and outside counsel read the language carefully to make sure that was not the case. 'Neither of us can come to the conclusion that it's mandatory.' he said. 'This new consultation is just like all in Medicare: it's voluntary.' 'The only thing mandatory is that Medicare will have to pay for the counseling,' said Dau." [PolitiFact.com, 7/16/09]
***
You might recall that last year Foxx managed to make KO's worst person in the world for calling the hate crime of Matthew Shepard's murder a hoax:
Rep. Foxx: "The bill was named after a very unfortunate incident that happened, where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of robbery. It wasn't because he was gay. The bill was named for him, the hate crimes bill was named for him, but it's, it's really a hoax, that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills."[House Floor Speech, 4/29/09]
Foxx had to go into serious damage control mode. She issued a standard non-apology after the uproar, saying it was "a poor choice of words," and sent a note to Judy Shepard that said "if I said anything that offended her, I certainly apologize for it and know that she's hurting, and I would never do anything to add to that."
When that went over like a lead balloon, the Congresswoman for the 5th district attempted to play the victim -- she said that she was receiving death threats at her office. However, that tactic didn't exactly work out since the Capitol Police reported that no one in Foxx's office had alerted them about any threats and that there was “no ongoing investigation” of the matter.
Please -- the good people of the 5th, I beg you -- bounce her out in 2010.
I don't know what kind of radical right magnet is located in Charlotte, NC, but some of the worst homobigots (see the completely, pathologically obsessed with homosexuality and sex acts county commissioner Bill James) and religious extremists embed themselves there. Matt Comer at InterstateQ, has an epic special report on a major player in the area -- Dr. Michael L. Brown of the group Coalition of Conscience and his association with Lou Engle is of the International House of Prayer movement and head of TheCall, a national prayer movement noted by the Southern Poverty Law Center that its followers see themselves as "God’s avenging army."
He's also connected to the outlandish Flip Benham of Operation Save America, who usually attends NCPride with his band of bible-beating, horn blowing crazies. Regarding Brown:
According to the organization’s website, the Coalition is a “network of church and ministry leaders, business and education leaders, and Christians from every walk of life, based in the greater Charlotte area, working together for moral and cultural change through the gospel.”
Among the largest of the Coalition’s church partners is First Baptist Church in Uptown Charlotte. The church’s pastor, Mark Harris, has attended several Coalition events and spoken with Brown at Coalition press conferences. Harris’ church, sitting in a corner of Uptown Charlotte’s Marshall Park across from the city/county government center, will serve as the meeting and starting point for the God Has a Better Way rally and march.
While his friend and colleague Benham screams condemnation through loudspeakers and waves signs, Brown works through his Coalition, with the help of well-liked area pastors, to sneak his dangerous rhetoric into the active subconscious of the greater Charlotte area’s Christian community. But, just like Benham — who works to “push the radical homosexual agenda all the way into the grave and leave no marker for it” — the result of Brown’s verbal, spiritual and theological violence will be to silence and strip all LGBT people of their legal, civil and social equality, freedom and liberty, effectively creating a theocracy governed by the principles they believe are set forward in both Old Testament and New Testament law.
Brown will put his brand of anti-gay activism on display in Charlotte on July 25:
Brown plans to amass a group of 1,000 or more “worshipers, intercessors, musicians, soul-winners, walkers, talkers, and believers of every age, color, and size” who will “stand together as a prophetic witness to our society” in a worship and prayer rally and march he is calling “God Has a Better Way.” He has enlisted the help and welcomed the “inspiration” of radical preacher and spiritual leader Lou Engle, of TheCall.
In a video invitation to the event, Brown tells listeners the “hour is urgent,” that Christians must stand together to “turn back the tide of homosexual activism” and that rally participants will “surround” the Pride festival with worship, prayer and intercession.
“Nothing like this has ever been done in conjunction with a gay pride event in any city before, and those who join together on this day will be part of history in the making,” the event’s website says.
...Although the group doesn’t plan on any “public preaching,” they will have outreach and intercession teams. If past Coalition events, such as the “outreach” at the 2005 Charlotte Pride festival, are to be of any indication of events to come, it won’t be a surprise to see rally participants attempt to speak with, harass or intimidate Pride Charlotte festival-goers.
You have to read the whole report. These are the groups that we have to watch out for; they see places like North Carolina, which is turning less Red with each election cycle, as one of those "last stand" battlefields.
Damn you, GM: the fags aren't allowed to drive a "real man" machine like the Chevy Camaro.
That's the response to the news that the General Motors launched a video campaign (now taken down) to cultivate a new market for the Camaro.
The models lean seductively over the hood of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, wearing only tiny yellow underwear emblazoned with the car's logo. Grasping a wash cloth, they rub down the car until it sparkles as an unseen cameraman asks about the car.
The videos, broadcast on YouTube, use sex appeal to sell Camaros to guys. Only the models aren't women, they're men.
The racy commercials are part of a new advertising campaign targeting gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.
So what was the reaction in the comments? Lisa at La Figa pulled some choice ones and I found a few more.
Gaymaro
I'm not buying a Camaro! Bruno wouldn't even buy one! Maybe Obama will and he can rename it a traditional African name like OJ!
not to mention....any and every camaro out there will be targeted to be vandalized! What a bunch of idiots! Head the warning camaro owners....if you already bought one and you don't fit in with this "profile" of buyers....I'd be afraid! I would be absolutely over the edge "mad" if I purchased this and my new car was vandalized! I came extremely close to purchasing one of these, and changed my mind last minute ...and bought the new Nissan Maxima. After hearing this.....I'm so glad I did!!! I wonder who thought of this marketing campaign???? Way to go OBAMA!!
Oh come on lolly, you know you secretly dream of a nice, plush "bucket seat"! Try on one of those tight yellow bikini bottoms or, even better, some new leather, then kick up your heels boys and let a real man's man take the wheel.
What is wrong with GM?They must have a death wish to try to associate a potentially winner of a car with gays. Granted, there is a market but you will not lure enough of them away from their mini coopers."Camaro fastest wheels on the hershey highway"
So much for ever buying a GM product EVER AGAIN!
the person that sold this idea has got to be the greatest salesperson of all time . who in their right mind would use this marketing campaign . no wonder gm is under bankruptcy . only oboma motors .
This is simply insane. Shows how government functionaries run a car company. Now do you want the same sort of people running your health care??
Maybe if you are homosexual, bi, trans, or otherwise confused.........
I wonder if this new Camaro will be fueled by Buttroleum?
Yep, that settles the issue for me. As if being owned by the Democrats and Union (oh wait, they're the same entity) wasn't enough to convince me to NEVER buy a GM or Chrysler vehicle, go ahead and openly pursue queers via advertising. Good luck with increased sales.
It's so tiring to read ignorance like this, but this is why the church faces a schism. The bottom line is that one has to pray away the gay to be in good standing with the Big Guy UpstairsTM.
The Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, has defended traditional biblical teachings on homosexuality and said the Church should not be "rolled over by culture".
Dr Nazir-Ali spoke as tens of thousands of people, including Sarah Brown, the Prime Minister's wife, joined the annual Pride London march to celebrate homosexual culture. A war of words broke out between Labour and the Conservatives over the issue of homosexuality last week after a minister accused the Tories of having a "deep strain of homophobia" running through the party.
..."The Bible's teaching shows that marriage is between a man and a woman. That is the way to express our sexual nature. "We welcome homosexuals, we don't want to exclude people, but we want them to repent and be changed."
...The Rev Dr Giles Fraser, the president of the Inclusive Church, a liberal grouping in the Church of England, said: "Homosexuality is not a sin. It is the way many people love each other and is a gift from God. Ordinary people in the pews know this. And they are a lot more theologically aware than the handful of narrow- minded bishops who want to play politics with the Anglican Communion."
My state is getting over its fringe-conservative hangover, having turned Blue in the last election, but we've still got a General Assembly full of lawmakers willing to honor a bigot and homophobe like the late Jesse Helms. But not all of them. (QNotes):
Sen. Julia Boseman (D-New Hanover), North Carolina's only openly gay or lesbian state legislator, voted against a resolution honoring the life of the late Jesse Helms on Wednesday, June 10. She was the only legislator to register a vote against the honorary resolution. Twenty-six other legislators, meanwhile, sat out of the vote.
The resolution, which passed the Senate 41-1 and the House 98-0, states, "The General Assembly of North Carolina expresses its appreciation for the life and public service of Jesse Alexander Helms, Jr., and honors his memory."
..."I could have never voted in favor of a resolution honoring Sen. Helms because of his divisive history and his anti-civil-rights principles," said Sen. Floyd McKissick (D-Durham), according to an Associated Press report.
Mark Binker of the Greensboro News & Record saw members of the legislative black caucus just walked off of the floor rather than vote.
"This is just the best place for me to be right now," said Rep. Alma Adams, a Greensboro Democrat and chairman of the caucus.
Rep. Earl Jones, a Greensboro Democrat, was more evasive: "I'm just taking a break," he said.
Why did all those legislators vote for the resolution honoring the late racist and gay-hater? Well, as a U.S. Senator, he brought home the bacon, was very responsive to constituents, and well, the genteel folks in the General Assembly don't like to disrespect the dead.
Quite frankly all of the people who died of AIDS during Helms's tenure in the Senate, where he disapproved of funding to fight the spread of the epidemic were disrespected -- and he slept like a baby at night.
He said gay men were "weak, morally sick wretches" who contracted the disease through their own "deliberate, disgusting, revolting conduct."
In 1988, Helms said, "There is not one single case of AIDS in this country that cannot be traced in origin to sodomy."
At today's memorial for John Hope Franklin at Duke University, playwright Emily Mann -- daughter of historian Arthur Mann, a close friend of Franklin's -- related one of many illuminating personal stories about the pioneering historian and scholar. In a conversation about the North Carolina political landscape, someone asked Franklin "Where did Jesse Helms come from?" Franklin quickly replied, "From hell" -- "not missing a beat," Mann said.
It was a sentiment shared by many African-Americans, civil rights allies and others in North Carolina. Helms rose to prominence in the 1960s for his vitriolic rants against integration on WRAL TV. His Old South views never really changed: Into the 1990s, he was still giggling at the word "nigger" ...
One wonders what John Hope Franklin would have thought about the North Carolina General Assembly's decision this week to pass a resolution honoring Helms by overwhelming margins.
The text of the resolution -- which passed 41-1 in the Senate and 98-0 in the House -- skips past Helms' media bromides for segregation, describing his TV career as one "devoted ... to the highest standards of journalism."
Helms is also praised in the bill for his "unyielding commitment to integrity and the principles of faith, freedom, and the power of free enterprise" and called "a leading historical figure of our times."
Breaking news of non-earth-shaking proportions. Praise Jeebus, or some such nonsense. Village Voice:
Trump has cleared Prejean's firing by K2 Productions, which handles the Miss California USA franchise. "I told Carrie she needed to get back to work and honor her contract with the Miss California Organization and I gave her the opportunity to do so," Fox News quotes Trump. "Unfortunately it just doesn't look like it is going to happen and I offered Keith [Lewis, K2 executive producer] my full support in making this decision."
"It has become abundantly clear that Carrie has no desire to fulfill her obligations under our contract and work together," says Lewis.
Insert your joke in the comments. I guess she can go out and help Maggie raise Buxx for NOM.
A Blender named Beth did this video, "Gay Civil Rights Movement is Our Civil Rights Movement," and wanted me to share it with you. The provocative piece is worth your time.
Making this video has left me drained, speechless and sad. I am triracial: African American, Native American and various flavors of European American. Although we're triracial, my family and I primarily identify as African American. Mormonanswerman (a YouTube user) has claimed that African Americans do not like to have comparisons drawn between the GLBTQ civil rights movement and the African-American civil rights movement. Speaking as an African American, the comparison holds true. The history of discrimination may be be different, but the effects of hatred, bigotry and bias are the same.
It didn't take long for Dick Cheney's carefully parsed statement about marriage equality to send Liberty Counsel's Matt "Come Hither" Barber over the edge...
A conservative Christian political activist accuses former Vice President Dick Cheney of advocating "sexual anarchy."
...Matt Barber, director of cultural affairs with Liberty Counsel, says Cheney's love for his lesbian daughter has "clouded his judgment."
"If freedom to marry means, as he said, that people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish, well then, he's virtually endorsing polyamory and polygamy, and incestuous marriage, and bestiality," Barber claims. "[There are] no holds barred here."
This bit of laughable promotion about Bam Bam's 
Boswell sang, "Well you'll never take my guns, and I'll pray anywhere that I please./My daddy always told me, if you were able, and didn't work then you don't eat./All you Wall Street bankers, as far as I'm concerned, you can all go to Hell./And you can't get married, you stupid gays and queers, so why don't you go somewhere else?"
"I can't believe this wedding. It's 2 men. They don't smile in a lot of pictures and they look like a few brothers I've seen in the streets looking STRAGHT. Black women can't get a break, either our men want another man, a white woman (or other nationality that's light with straight hair), they are locked up in jail or have a "use to be" fatal disease. I'm beginning to believe Eve was a black woman and we Black women are paying for all the world's sins through her actions (eating the apple)."
Sports teams usually cater to the fan base. In the WNBA, if you are in the front office of the 
Rep. 
You might recall that last year Foxx managed to make 
It's so tiring to read 
My state is getting over its fringe-conservative hangover, having turned Blue in the last election, but we've still got a General Assembly full of lawmakers willing to honor a bigot and homophobe like the late Jesse Helms. But not all of them. (
It 
