Clark County GOP official resigns amid backlash - Columbian.com

Remember: Clark wasn’t kicked out of his seat. He resigned. From reports I have read, had he not done that, there’s no indication the county GOP were going to boot him. The GOP shouldn’t get credit for him stepping down.

A Clark County Republicans committee chair has resigned from the position following backlash within the party.

Dan Clark, also a precinct committee officer, confirmed Monday that he resigned on Saturday night as chair of the party’s Bylaws and Resolutions Committee. He declined to offer additional comment, including whether or not he intends to remain as a PCO.

Clark faced legal scrutiny in 2011 after repeatedly sneaking into a teenage girl’s bedroom, kissing her and giving her alcohol, according to Clark County Superior Court records. He was convicted of residential burglary, violation of a civil anti-harassment order and furnishing alcohol to minors and sentenced to roughly nine months in jail.

Clark County GOP official resigns amid backlash - Columbian.com

Lamar Smith: Harassment of scientists continues.

So there really is no easy way to introduce the brouhaha that is fomenting between science and the idiots that make up the GOTP.  But it is important to highlight the situation not just because of climate change but science in general.  

,,,what good is it to have a mechanism to uncover the truth, if the truth is twisted into a lie, and unabashedly used to damage the credibility, reputation, and careers of scientists that simply defend science and teach inconvenient facts?  When scientists are guilty until proven innocent, and written realities are manipulated to create false narratives from public records, how do we stand a chance?

Lamar Smith is not qualified to pick lint from my ass let alone assess a well documented scientific paper.

As Plait notes, the gist of the situation is this ."Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas—chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee—doesn’t think global warming is real. He thinks it’s a huge conspiracy by climate scientists who fudge the data to make it look like the planet is heating up, because Obama."

Over the course of four articles, Plait delves into the nitty gritty of just how stoopid the Reich is being.  Part four being the most recent issue that has hit the mainstream, that "a paper was published in Science showing that the global warming “pause” so lauded by climate change deniers didn’t, in fact, exist."  And, "[t]hat the NOAA Science paper in question was rushed into publication, and that Smith has “whistleblowers” who will attest to it."

What strikes me though, is the tactics that science denialists (organizations such as US Right to Know; individuals such as Mike Adams, Andrew Wakefield, and Stanislaw Burzynski) are now engaging in.  And I am not talking "denying the established scientific consensus despite overwhelming evidence."  I'm talking the fifth grade tactics present in Climategate, the attacks against Dr. Paul Offit, writers Jon Entine and Emily Willingham, Dr. Dorit Reiss, Senator Richard Pan (SB 277) and Kevin Folta.  The play by our rules or else.

This mentality is now infiltrating a place it doesn't belong.  Science has no political ideology:

I strongly urge you to read Johnson’s letter; it really shows that Smith’s actions are the results of political grandstanding. NOAA had been complying with his requests, as silly and wasteful as those requests were, but Smith ignored this and kept making more and more unreasonable demands. Finally, NOAA put its foot down; NOAA Administrator Sullivan has refused to comply any further.

I’ve been saying that Smith is harassing scientists, and he’s abusing his power of congressional subpoena. Now we have even more evidence: He’s been pressuring Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker over all this, trying to get her to in turn pressure NOAA to turn over the scientists’ emails.* If NOAA doesn’t comply, he’s threatened to subpoena the secretary herself.
,,,
Smith is out of control. I earlier likened him to Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who, in the 1950s, went on a huge and reckless witch hunt, looking for Communists in government, ruining people’s careers and lives in the process. That likeness grows ever clearer into focus.

I don’t see any reason to change my assessment of Smith now. He is a demagogue, using and abusing his power to stifle scientific research, to create a climate of fear and pressure for those scientists, and to obfuscate and further cast doubt in the public’s mind about the reality of climate change and its effects (an effort that has of course found purchase with the usual right-wing media suspects).

Lamar Smith: Harassment of scientists continues.

Indian Muslim accused of beef smuggling beaten to death | World news | The Guardian

I am going to admit that parsing news stories concerning religious based crimes, particularly those from India, is becoming difficult.  With that said, another example of debauchery inspired by religious belief.

Villagers in northern India beat a Muslim man to death and injured four others who were accused of smuggling cows to be slaughtered for beef, police have said.
 
The survivors were arrested for alleged animal cruelty.

Hardline Hindus have been calling for a national ban on cow slaughter, triggering mob violence. A Muslim man was lynched in Uttar Pradesh state last month over false rumours that his family had eaten beef for dinner.

Hindus worship cows as a sacred animal and some states have a ban on their slaughter. The country of 1.3 billion is about 81% Hindu and 13% Muslim.

Officer Somya Sambhasivam said police were searching for villagers who fled after the attack on Wednesday in Sarahan, a village in Himachal Pradesh state. The area is about 160 miles (260km) north of Delhi.

Indian Muslim accused of beef smuggling beaten to death | World news | The Guardian

UPDATED::41 writers return Indian award, cite climate of intolerance

 UPDATE::  A bit more context from Beenish Ahmed writing for ThinkProgress:

“People are being murdered for their beliefs and opinions,” read a letter signed by a dozen filmmakers who returned one of India’s top awards on Wednesday. “There seems to be no attempt to unravel the larger picture and bring to book extremist groups that believe in ruthless violence to eliminate those who hold a counter view from theirs. There has been no official condemnation of these groups and we question this silence.”

The group also expressed solidarity with students at India’s top film school who have protested political appointments to their school’s administration. The students ended a four-month long strike but vowed to continue protesting the appointments from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right wing, Hindu nationalist party in other ways.

The movement first gained momentum when a group of more than 40 writers gave back award’s from a government-supported literary association earlier this month.

The protest is not just limited to those engaged in the arts, however.

On Thursday, prominent Indian scientists returned awards, including the country’s third most prestigious recognition for science.

The move was meant to condemn what one of the scientists called “the government’s attack on rationalism, reasoning, and science.”

Now I feel no sentimental attachment to [the award] when the government tries to institutionalize religion and curtail freedom and scientific spirit. 

_____

Many in India's literary community are disgusted. Dozens of writers say every day brings more evidence of intolerance and bigotry going mainstream — a man lynched allegedly for eating beef, an atheist critic of Hindu idol worship gunned down — all met by a deafening silence from the government.

As of Wednesday, 41 novelists, essayists, playwrights and poets had returned the awards they received from India's prestigious literary academy to protest what they call a growing climate of intolerance under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

The writers are also angry that India's Sahitya Akademi, or National Academy of Letters, has said little about the murder of the well-known rationalist Malleshappa Kalburgi, an award-winning Kannada-language writer, gunned down in August for his writings against superstition and false beliefs.

The government has dismissed the writers' protests, questioning their motives and accusing them of being politically motivated.

"If they say they are unable to write, let them stop writing," culture minister Mahesh Sharma told reporters.

41 writers return Indian award, cite climate of intolerance

The Eternal Regret of Ananta

I do not how else to preface the following other than to sa just read it.  Thank you to Matthew Facciani for sharing.

This is a piece written by Farid Ahmed, a friend of murdered secular blogger Ananta Bijoy Das. Ahmed is the current moderator of Avijit Roy’s Mukto-Mona website. The following is a harrowing account of how dangerous it is to simply write about secular issues in Bangladesh. More people need to learn what life can be like for these brave writers. We need to put pressure on the Bangladeshi government to protect all of their people and end these horrific events. So please consider sharing Ahmed’s article here and especially sharing the petition below to protect Bangladeshi bloggers. This article was translated from Bangla to English by Riasat Ahsan.
_____

Just a month and a half ago, when the founder of the Mukto-Mona blog, popular science author, and rationalist Avijit Roy was savagely hacked to death with machetes on his way back from a book fair, Ananta Bijoy Das felt grief accompanied by a chill of fear running down his spine. It wasn’t just him; all the Bangladeshi rationalist writers felt uneasiness. Then, just one month later when Washiqur Rahman Babu was also attacked in the middle of the day, in front of scores of people and murdered in the same brutal manner, the fear turned into intense panic. The panic caused many to stop writing or hide behind pseudonyms, and some to lose enthusiasm and only make irregular appearances in the world of writing.

Ananta was no exception. He was also gripped by panic following the murders of Avijit Roy and Washiqur Rahman. He knew that he was unsafe during this turbulent time of hostilities. He maintained a low profile and covered his tracks as best as he could and started living a kind of “life on the run.”  Such a life, however, is not for a normal human being. One cannot remain healthy with the constant anxiety and fear of malicious attacks and an untimely death. Therefore, like many others, Ananta was attempting to go abroad as soon as possible. Doing so would mean leaving behind his beloved country, his dearest parents, and his brothers and sisters. Even so, at least he would be able to heave a sigh of relief, and live his life in freedom.  This was the motivation behind his resolve to leave the country. He wrote to many places and asked several people to write recommendation letters for him to aid his departure. I was one of them.

The Eternal Regret of Ananta

ADDENDUM::Indian trucker was killed over rumor that he was carrying beef - LA Times

Some 2,000 people took to the streets Monday in an Indian-controlled area of Kashmir to protest the killing of a teenage Muslim truck driver who was burned to death in the cab of his truck, apparently because he was wrongly suspected of transporting beef.

It was the third instance in recent weeks in which a Muslim man has been killed over beef. Cows are considered sacred by Hindus.

Zahid Rasool Bhat, 18, the truck driver who died Sunday of burns, was buried Monday in his village, Botengo, in South Kashmir. Hindu militants are suspected of carrying out the attack, in which gasoline bombs were reportedly thrown into his vehicle on Oct. 9. The incident was caught on security cameras.

Bhat was reportedly carrying coal in his truck, not beef.
,,,
Five people were arrested for murder, rioting, conspiracy and explosives charges, according to Waheed-ur-Rahman, spokesman of the state government. He said one had fled and was the target of a manhunt. He said the case would be held in a “fast-track” court designed to speed up India’s typically slow judicial process.

Indian trucker was killed over rumor that he was carrying beef - LA Times

Mob Attack, Fueled by Rumors of Cow Slaughter, Has Political Overtones in India - The New York Times

There is also a powerful political motivation behind their activism.

Many leaders of Save the Cow here are also prominent local organizers in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, or B.J.P., which is vying to oust the socialist party that leads Uttar Pradesh, a vast northern state with more than 200 million residents, including the 20,000 in this village. Mr. Tomar, 24, for example, is the general secretary of the local B.J.P. youth wing. Mr. Nagar, 33, is the state secretary of the B.J.P. youth wing.

By week’s end, they and many other B.J.P. leaders were blaming the governing party in Uttar Pradesh for the attack in Bisada. The state’s B.J.P. president, Lakshmikant Bajpayee, said in a telephone interview that while he “most definitely” disagreed with mob violence, “the blame for this incident lies squarely with the state’s administration and the law and order machinery, its police.” The failure by the police to respond quickly and forcefully to rumors of a cow’s slaughter understandably enraged Bisada’s Hindu residents, he said.

“This is a fight between the cow caretaker and the cow murderer in the state,” he said. “Had the administration done their job at protecting our cows well, these men would not have been forced to take the law in their hands.”

Save the Cow and B.J.P. leaders here have also roundly condemned the decision by the police to bring murder charges. In their view, the death of Mr. Ikhlaq was at most the unintended byproduct of a chaotic, highly charged situation of his own making. “He slipped and his head hit the road and he died,” Mr. Tomar said, adding: “These things happen. It’s a mob.”

,,,

Days after the killing, the Ikhlaq family was still too shocked and overwhelmed to even begin picking up the broken furniture or repairing the shattered doors. Scores of police officers protected their home on all sides, and a steady parade of journalists made their way down the alley to ask the same basic question: Why were the Ikhlaqs singled out?

“We have been living in this village for decades and never picked as much as a fight with anyone,” Mrs. Ikhlaq said quietly. Her daughter, Shaista, 18, was reeling from having recognized several neighbors in the mob that attacked them so relentlessly.

“If they suspected we had slaughtered a cow, why did they not file a police complaint against us?” Shaista Ikhlaq asked.

“Who gave them the right to kill my father?”

Mob Attack, Fueled by Rumors of Cow Slaughter, Has Political Overtones in India - The New York Times

See also:

• Inside the Indian village where a mob killed a man for eating beef
• Brother of Indian man murdered for eating beef calls for calm

Wiley Drake, Buena Park pastor, is running for U.S. president - The Orange County Register

Another theocratic clown to add to the ever crowded passenger list, although running as an Independent candidate.  As noted, this is the same cretin who claimed his imprecatory prayers were answered in the deaths of George Tiller and Congressman John Murtha.  How quaint!

Wiley Drake – the often outspoken, sometimes controversial Buena Park pastor, who once filed a lawsuit challenging the veracity of President Obama’s birth certificate – is running for president.

Drake, 71, said he entered the race because of the ineffectiveness of both major parties on Capitol Hill. He is running as an independent.

“The parties have ruined this country,” Drake said in an interview. “The Republicans are as bad as the Democrats. All they do is play games with our money.”

The nation needs to return to the Judeo-Christian principles on which it was founded, said Drake, who serves as pastor for the First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park.

“We need to get a pastor back in charge,” he said. “Politicians used to be right men. Now they are wrong men.”

One of his goals would be to do away with the U.S. welfare system and instead institute “Church-fare” – churches, not the taxpayers, should be helping the less fortunate.

Wiley Drake, Buena Park pastor, is running for U.S. president - The Orange County Register

Holmes pushes anti-gay message

Not that this man has a chance of winning,

In 2011, Holmes said he was ordered to receive 60-days of psychiatric treatment at Broughton Hospital, a state operated health care facility,,,.  Holmes says that during his stay at the Morganton hospital doctors diagnosed him as suffering from “religious hallucinations.”

Holmes concedes that he is not an expert on politics or governance,,,.Nevertheless, he remains decidedly unimpressed with the very office he seeks to hold.

But the fact that this asshole wants to eradicate gay people to begin with should be cause for great concern.

What motivates Holmes to be in the public eye – if not public office – is his vocal and unbending rejection of the so-called homosexual lifestyle.

“In my administration I would do just like Mrs. Davis did in Kentucky,” said Holmes, referring to Kim Davis, the Rowan County, Ky., clerk of court who gained national media attention earlier this month by defying a federal court order in not issuing same-sex marriage licenses following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that effectively legalized gay marriage. (The City of Kings Mountain does not issue marriage licenses.)

Holmes’ views about homosexuality would likely be described as more extreme than those of Davis, who was held in contempt of court and jailed for five days for her actions.

“If you elect me, I’ll uphold the law of the state of North Carolina,” said Holmes, a 77-year-old Korean War veteran who makes a living by selling various wares at area flea markets. I would get the D.A. to swear out a warrant on any man who says he’s gay. Sodomy is a crime, a felony in the state of North Carolina.”

“What’s wrong with eradicating homosexuals? We should jail them, throw them all in jail!” said Holmes, who plans to participate in a Meet the Candidates forum at the Kings Mountain Woman’s Club this Saturday.

Holmes, who said he is a lifelong member of the Church of God, said he also would like to see alcohol, divorce and all immigration into the United States be made illegal.

Holmes pushes anti-gay message

Conservative MO lawmaker says child abuse made him gay — for 5 years

I am struggling mightily with this story.  I abhor the trauma he suffered as a child and applaud his candor but his "ex-gay" claims,,,. You are either gay or your not, to equate sexual dysfunction stemming from abuse, to homosexuality is plain wrong.  As he readily admits, he was "confused".  But the suggestion that gay people are suffering from confusion from childhood molestation is not only a myth, but highly offensive to the LGBT community, a majority of whom have never been molested.

In the end this is one story that exemplifies why politics can be a dirty game and I loathe any opponent he may face that attempts to throw this life experience in his face.  But then again, is Dixon working the system for the "cry-me-a-river" vote?

Regretfully it appears that both he and his mother - her son’s homosexuality caused her great distress and,,, - are regurgitating one of the many myths of the religious right, that one can "pray away the gay".  Sexual orientation is not set by childhood abuse and to seek solace in the arms of abusive, repressive doctrine is sad.

The campaign for governor hopeful Sen. Bob Dixon issued a statement regarding “teenage confusion” that Dixon’s mother says led him to live as a homosexual for five years.

Dixon, who stressed his conservative values in announcing his candidacy for governor last week, said he was the victim of abuse as a child, and this abuse led to the confusion he felt about his sexuality as a teenager, according to a press release from his campaign.

“I have put the childhood abuse, and the teenage confusion behind me,” said Dixon, R-Springfield, who has a wife and three children. “What others intended for harm has resulted in untold good. I have overcome, and will not allow evil to win.”

Conservative MO lawmaker says child abuse made him gay — for 5 years

Updated to add:

Who wouldn't convert with a mother such as this:

Dixon said her son attempted suicide prior to his gay conversion, while admitting that — for her — it was difficult to accept his homosexual lifestyle.

“It had been a heartache I had to deal with, and it was a tough one,” Jean Dixon explained.

Breaking: In Historic Ruling, EEOC Finds Sexual Orientation Discrimination Is Already Illegal - The New Civil Rights Movement

For the basics:

After decades of fighting for protections against discrimination in the workplace, gay, lesbian, and bisexual employees are actually covered under federal law already, the EEOC has ruled this afternoon. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission finds GLB workers are protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The EEOC finds today that "allegations of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation necessarily state a claim of discrimination on the basis of sex," as Buzzfeed's Chris Geidner first reported.

Today's ruling is historic, and sets an important precedent that no doubt will lead to a Supreme Court case in the future. 

Technically, the ruling covers federal workers directly, but, as Geidner notes, "it also applies to the entire EEOC, which includes its offices across the nation that take and investigate claims of discrimination in private employment. And, while only the Supreme Court could issue a definitive ruling on the interpretation, EEOC decisions are given significant deference by federal courts."

In short, the commission today has ruled that discrimination based on sexual orientation is discrimination based on sex, and thus covered under federal law.

From Ari Ezra Waldman over at TowlerRoad, who expands a bit more,

This is a groundbreaking development because federal judges listen closely to EEOC decisions. The EEOC is the agency in charge of interpreting and implementing Title VII; the Commission is the expert in the law of employment discrimination. And basic principles of administrative law state that the judiciary should give significant deference to agency conclusions because, unlike generalist judges, EEOC commissioners are the experts in this field of law. So, although we would feel better if this ruling were handed down by a federal court, the EEOC has taken an enormous jump in that direction.

The EEOC case involved a federal employee, so the Commission’s decision gives federal employees an avenue for justice. But for those who work for most private companies, things are not so certain. True, the decision does not directly apply to them and their employers. However, the basis for private companies’ decisions to discriminate against gays is that Title VII allows it. It will be hard to make that argument now: at least according to the EEOC, Title VII does not permit anti-gay discrimination.

Still, more work needs to be done. We need to take this decision to the Supreme Court to ensure it applies to all workers. We also need a comprehensive anti-gay discrimination law passed at the federal level because this decision (and Title VII) only applies to employment discrimination. Gays are discriminated against in the provision of housing, education, and a host of other social services. But remember this EEOC decision. It will pop up again, and again, as we march further toward full equality.

Why is this important,

When one looks at the decision rendered by SCOTUS [in regards to Hobby Lobby ruling] it has to be through the lens of the Reich's overall agenda -  starting with a "reformed" interpretation of the Free Exercise Clause or an outright repeal of the First Amendment,  continuing with the abolition of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ending with the implementation of dominionist ideology in order to govern by theocratic control.  With the ruling in Hobby Lobby, the Reich will "now" be able to exempt themselves from any laws that they don’t like; that they find “religiously objectionable.” 

It just may throw a kink into their plan as exemplified by Newland v. Sebilius.

Breaking: In Historic Ruling, EEOC Finds Sexual Orientation Discrimination Is Already Illegal - The New Civil Rights Movement

American Taxpayers Fund the Largest Christian College In America and the World

Rmuse is quite scathing in his write-up concerning Liberty University.  Some of the numbers presented are astounding,,,

"Liberty University is like every church in America and is exempt from paying taxes, but it is not exempt from collecting other Americans’ tax dollars."

As a recent report reveals, and it is a very disturbing revelation, one of the Republicans’ most coveted welfare recipients, Liberty University, the fundamentalist “institution” founded by Baptist scam artist Jerry Falwell has become the largest “private, Christian, tax exempt” conservative candidate mill  in the United States of America. The slap in the face to American taxpayers, and an affront to the Constitution’s Separation Clause, is that taxpayers are furnishing a majority of the funding, and huge profits, to the Christian madrassa in two distinct ways. First, Liberty University, and calling it a legitimate university is an abomination, brings in the majority of its revenue from taxpayer-funded federal aid, and because it is a so-called “charitable religious organization,” the bible school and its substantial staff of clergy are exempt from paying taxes.

As one religion writer noted, “evangelical students find Liberty attractive because they can take courses online and have taxpayer-funded welfare cover their living expenses. Federal aid to Liberty’s students has grown so high that it now exceeds all other revenue collected by the university.” To be clear, federal financial aid, like grants, does not go directly to the ‘university,’ but it does go directly to Christian students to pay for enrollment and tuition at the Baptist bible school. In fact, education experts say one of the reason evangelical conservatives love attending the bible college is that taxpayer money pays for all their school expenses as well as their living expenses while they “profit” from an evangelical educational experience. In return, taxpayers are now suffering from Republicans who were educated in how to legislate “the Christian worldview” as the law of the land.

[,,,]
One wonders why Americans are not outraged that they are funding a private “bible school” with $800 million of their hard-earned tax dollars; particularly since it teaches “university-level” creationism, evangelical fundamentalism, Republican politics, support for Koch-style capitalism and free enterprise, and theocratic conservatism. In fact, the entire curriculum is centered around indoctrinating into student’s psyche a religious commitment to promote the “Christian worldview;” the same worldview that Republicans in Congress and state legislatures are busy legislating into law.

American Taxpayers Fund the Largest Christian College In America and the World

Christian Evangelical: I'm Deeply Ashamed of the Right-Wing Demagogues Who Call Themselves Christians | Alternet

I am an evangelical Christian, which means that I openly share the “good news” of the saving grace of Jesus Christ, and I have personally accepted that saving grace for my sins.

As a trained Southern Baptist minister and a political scientist, I am bothered by many politicians and preachers who proclaim what God intends for me, or us, to do. Our world is populated by countless religions, denominations and self-proclaimed religious leaders that are always telling us what to do, and they make their pronouncements in the name of God.

There are many conflicting messages I hear from the mouths of some demagogues in the United States at the present time. In 1967, I wrote my Master’s thesis at the University of Texas in EI Paso. It was a 272-page study titled, “Slavery As A Political Instrument In The Name Of Christian Principle: The Growth Of A Political Theory Through Congressional Debate, 1789-1861.” My research and writing involved a detailed study of how the Bible was used during congressional debates by U.S. legislators from the American South.

Most of those were known as evangelicals, and most of them owned and used black slaves as their labor source. At the height of American slavery, another element was obvious in the United States, and many evangelicals subscribed to it. The element became known as Manifest Destiny.

[,,,]
Years have passed, but I remain very skeptical of religious demagogues in our time who use a mixture of religious and political rhetoric to justify their claims for financial or political advancement. When a politician or a preacher shouts that America is an “exceptional land blessed by God,” or shouts that we are a “light on a hill” or, “we are the greatest nation ever created under the hand of God,” I listen with a degree of skepticism.

Christian Evangelical: I'm Deeply Ashamed of the Right-Wing Demagogues Who Call Themselves Christians | Alternet

Ted Cruz says there is no biblical opposition to interracial marriage so you can’t compare it to same-sex marriage

It is mind-blowing that these politicians cannot see the similarities of this debate and still see race as something you are born with and sexual orientation as a choice.

Does Cruz think we need to fight a bloody war to finally realize that same-sex marriage is a right, just as he thinks we needed to do in order to understand slavery is wrong?

Ted Cruz says there is no biblical opposition to interracial marriage so you can’t compare it to same-sex marriage

ADDENDUM::Houston man trolls airwaves with anti-gay ads — Project Q Houston

Houston anti-gay crank Steven Hotze won't give up his quest to have Texas defy a U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage, now taking his fight to the airwaves and asking for your cash to help.

Hotze and his Conservative Republicans of Texas unleashed a TV and radio advertising campaign on Tuesday to pressure Gov. Greg Abbott into calling lawmakers back to Austin for a special session to fight gay marriage. Hotze wants legislators to pass a measure from state Rep. Cecil Bell that would defy an expected Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage in the 13 states, like Texas, that don't yet have marriage equality.

Bell's proposal flopped and in its wake, Abbott refused to call a special session to consider it again.

Hotze is incredulous that Texas lawmakers won't stand with him to oppose a "lawless Supreme Court ruling on marriage."

"Gov. Abbott and the Republican leadership caved to the homosexual political movement and its cheerleader, the Texas Association of Business, and failed to pass legislation to preserve state sovereignty and the marriage amendment," Hotze's 60-second radio spot says.

He keeps up the pressure on Abbott in a 30-second television ad.

Houston man trolls airwaves with anti-gay ads — Project Q Houston

Texas plans to defy Supreme Court if they rule in favor of same-sex marriage

Now, while the country waits for the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage believed to be ruled on in June, Texas is gearing up to pass its own law that will restrict the rights of homosexuals regardless of the court’s ruling, or so they believe.

“We as Texans have a sovereign right to define and regulate marriage,” Republican state Rep. Cecil Bell, the author of the bill, told Talking Points Memo on Tuesday. “I don’t believe that this bill puts anyone in a lesser position than what they were in before. What this does is codify Texas law.”

Texas officials however do not think there is anything discriminatory about the bill because it doesn’t remove rights from same-sex couples, yet.

This is the 20th anti-gay bill state lawmakers have put forth this term. Only two have made it out of committee though; this one and another that is meant to protect clergy from being forced to participate in same-sex marriages, a rather useless bill since the federal law already handles that.

[,,,]
The bill is nothing but Texas being a bully again, and trying to show the federal government they will not listen to their laws and throw around the word “sovereign” as though it means they are above the law. Texas lawmakers seem bent on becoming the most hateful groups of lawmakers in the country.

Texas plans to defy Supreme Court if they rule in favor of same-sex marriage

Christian group ‘investigating’ family and staff of 2016 candidates to expose gay sympathizers

Think about what is being implied here,

Lane pointed out that evangelicals had been disappointed when Ken Mehlman revealed he was gay after stepping down as the chairman of the Republican National Committee. And he suggested that George W. Bush would have been disqualified if Christian voters had known that his wife, Laura Bush, would hint at support for same-sex marriage and abortion rights after the president left office.

“A former White House political director, who also served as a Presidential campaign manager and Republican Party Chairman, announced (after he left Washington) that he is a homosexual and an advocate for homosexual marriage. Why didn’t he say that when he depicted himself as a ‘family values’ conservative to win an election?” Lane wanted to know.

Not only are they "following" the alleged teachings of a Bronze age book.  But they do not want individuals to think for themselves.  You are to believe as we do.  You are to think as we do.  You are to act as we do.  Individuality and growth of intellect will not be accepted.

This line from the Washington Examiner, sums up exactly what the Reich Lane is all about, "Evangelical pastors aren't as much interested in budget issues as they are social issues."  

It is theocracy at its best!!

Christian group ‘investigating’ family and staff of 2016 candidates to expose gay sympathizers

Two Presidential candidates who have no qualms about pandering to anti-gay bigots

First up in Mike Huckabee promoting his new book God, Guns, Grits and Gravy on American Family Association's "Today's Issues" radio program.

In the first part of the call, Huckabee explains the premise of his book, normal middle-American people should not be ashamed of what they value in everyday life.  What he calls Bubbleville (the three cultural bubbles of NY-DC-Hollywood) vs Bubbaville (hence the title of his book).

That is well and good although his line (3:40 mark) concerning the book being a "Sunday school teacher's or Pastor's delight because you're going to get a lot of illustrative material out of it" is very troubling considering some of his past statements: conservatives should not accept the rulings which strike down gay marriage bans, there should be a "massive outcry" against the decisions; wanting chapel services in schools and his idea of foreign policy, "if we don't fear God, nobody will fear us."

But, what I find ironic, maybe even a bit comical, is Huckabees's response to Tim Wildmon's question (4:06 mark) as to why he left FOX, "there was a thresh-hold I couldn't cross and that is as long as I was still on television, I couldn't really have that honest conversation and say will you support me; will you help me.  Because that would be inappropriate and I knew where that thresh-hold was."

Let's think a bout that for a minute,,,

I'm beginning to think that Joseph Williams in his piece What Does Mike Huckabee Really Believe? wasn't to far off the mark.  Williams cites Dean Obeidallah who "compares Huckabee’s record as Arkansas governor with his more, shall we say, extreme persona on Fox News and his so-far underestimated political strength" calling it a Jekyll-and-Hyde premise.

While Huckabee is thinking about his run for president, I thought it was time to think about Huckabee. And I’m talking both of them.  What do I mean? Well, there’s “Governor Huckabee,” a genial, compassionate person.  And then there’s “Mr. Huckabee,” his callous, rightwing alter ego.

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Bottom line: Huckabee is for real.  At least from an electoral point of view. But who is the real Huckabee is another question.

There’s the kindly Governor Huckabee who championed an increase in the minimum wage, hired more state employees and even expanded government services with programs such as “ARKids First” that provided health coverage for thousands of Arkansas’ children.

As Williams points out,"Obeidallah goes on to compare Governor Huckabee’s Arkansas record and his populist cred with Mr. Huckabee’s tack to the right, presumably in service of pursuing high ratings and/or a Republican presidential nomination."

So back to the "honest conversation" bit.  Which is Huck, are you standing with and pandering to your bigot supporters?  Or are you just trying to sell a book,

"The claim that same-sex marriage is destroying society is actually greatly overstated," Huckabee writes. "Christians who themselves abandoned the primacy of lifelong marriage to follow the divorce and remarriage customs of a secular society have as much to answer for as those who militantly push to redefine marriage."

He later adds, "Marriage as an institution is not so much threatened by same-sex couples as it is by heterosexuals' increasing indifference to it."

Maybe Glenn Beck is correct, "He is a liar to your face. He is a very disingenuous man."

Up next is Rick Santorum who according to Liberty Counsel, will be speaking at The Awaking 2015:

,,,a unique and inspirational God and Country event bringing people together around our shared values. The theme this year is “Rebuilding The Wall.”

,,,an in-depth Prayer and Patriotism event where people are united by love for our country’s freedom and our faith in Christ. We hope to educate, motivate, and activate you to make a difference in your community in 2015. As our nation’s honor is deteriorating, now is the time to take a stand and restore our country’s strength and dignity!

Huckabee is slated to speak as well, 'magine that.

Can Rep. Klingenschmitt also be 'Dr. Chaps?'

Any time I ponder the idea that Klingenschmitt is a state representative, this Mason Cooley quote always comes to mind "Self-deception is nature; hypocrisy is art."

Klingenschmitt states, "What I say on my Sunday TV show, what I say in my capacity as a preacher, is not related to my job here Monday through Friday as an elected official." By the same logic as one comment points out, "Polis can say the same in your eyes then, right? He's not going to be a homosexual who introduced a bill, he's just going to be a legislator who introduced a bill. What he does in his own personal time won't be any more relevant than what you do in yours, right?"

He says he wears two hats. His critics say new state Rep. Gordon Klingenschmitt (R-Colorado Springs) has an alter ego.

Either way, Klingenshmitt's other job as a fiery television preacher where he embodies the persona of "Doctor Chaps" continues to raise eyebrows, making him an unusually well-known freshman in the Colorado state legislature.

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"I'm one person, but I might wear two hats," Klingenschmitt said. "And my weekend job, what I preach on Sundays, is not necessarily related to my day job, which I do Monday through Friday here in the state Legislature."
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Klingenschmitt says some of his opposition comes from people who think, "if you're a Christian preacher you're not allowed to be an elected official."

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The overarching theme Klingenschmitt wanted to communicate in our interview is that he can do both: be a fiery preacher on Sundays making his point however he needs, and remaining open to all when in the state house Monday through Friday.

Polis balked at this notion, likening it to trying to pretend that an elected official shouldn't be held liable for other events outside of the job, like being arrested for drunk driving.

"When Rep. Klingenschmitt says weird zany stuff in his weekend job, he still does so as Rep Klingenschmitt even if he goes by Dr. Chaps," Polis told 9NEWS "If Dr. Jekyll was running for office, the extracurricular activities of Mr. Hyde would be fair game and reflect poorly on the otherwise thoughtful Dr. Jekyll."

Although stated in less colorful language, Waller agreed that at some point soon the freshman legislator is going to have to choose to be Dr. Chaps or be Rep. Klingenschmitt, but he can't be both.

Can Rep. Klingenschmitt also be 'Dr. Chaps?'

Jeb Bush: Gay couples’ rights should depend on where they live - Salon.com

Notice Bush's reference to "mob rule." As I have stated before, the rights of a minority cannot be impinged upon by the rights of a majority. Just because the "community" believes its views are correct and proper, does not make it the "law of the land."
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Listen to the Beltway chattering class, and you could be forgiven for forming the impression that Jeb Bush will be the courageous centrist in the Republican Party’s 2016 presidential field. He’s the guy who will absolutely refuse to pander to the party’s rabid right-wing base, rising or falling without backing down from his heretical positions on issues like education and immigration reform. Of course, the meme of Bush the Moderate conveniently glides over his thoroughly conservative views on issues like abortion, taxes, climate change, and government regulation; that he is considered a centrist says far more about the ever-rightward march of the Obama-era GOP than it does about Bush’s worldview.

On Sunday, Bush offered further evidence that he’s hardly a moderate, criticizing a recent federal court decision to allow marriage equality in Florida, where Bush was governor from 1999 to 2007. Echoing previous comments, Bush essentially argued that same-sex couples’ rights should be contingent on where they live.

“It ought be a local decision. I mean, a state decision,” Bush said in an interview with the Miami Herald. “The state decided. The people of the state decided. But it’s been overturned by the courts, I guess.”

Jeb Bush: Gay couples’ rights should depend on where they live - Salon.com