Hate rears its ugly head again in America's Wang™

I'm kind of surprised this didn't happen in Santa Rosa County ... but maybe it's just a matter of time.

Already during this first week of school in most Florida counties, Christianist students at several Gainesville-area schools have been sent home for wearing T-shirts saying "Islam Is Of The Devil" to class:

On their front, the T-shirts had a verse from the Gospel of John: "Jesus answered I am the way and the truth and the life; no one goes to the Father except through me," and this statement, "I stand in trust with Dove Outreach Center." The message "Islam is of the Devil" is on the back of the shirt.

On Monday, a 10-year-old fifth-grader at Talbot Elementary was sent home because of the shirt. On Tuesday, two Eastside High students and one Gainesville High student were sent home and a student at Westwood Middle had to change clothes because of the shirt, according to members of the Dove [World Outreach Center] congregation.

Dove Senior Pastor Terry Jones said no local company "had the guts" to print the shirts. Dove member Wayne Sapp said he then ordered the shirts over the Internet from a company that allows individuals to design their own shirts. His daughter, Faith Sapp, 10, was the Talbot Elementary student sent home Monday. She said she was allowed to wear the shirt to school on Tuesday - with the Gospel message on the front visible but the anti-Islam message on the back covered.

Wayne Sapp's daughter, Emily Sapp, 15, was the student sent home from Gainesville High on Tuesday. Both Faith and Emily Sapp said it was their decision, not that of their parents, to wear the shirts to school in order to promote their Christian beliefs. Emily Sapp said the "Islam is of the Devil" statement was aimed at the religion's beliefs, not its members.

"The people are fine," she said. "The people are people. They can be saved like anyone else."

Wayne Sapp said he believed the school district's dress code allowed too much room for subjectivity when principals and school administrators determine what is offensive or distracting clothing.

He added that his children decided it was time to "stand up for what they believe instead of saying the rules might not let me do it" and said that society has grown "so tolerant of being tolerant" that free speech is eroding.

Jones said that, to him, spreading the church's message was "even more important than education itself."

Wait -- I thought a dove was the symbol of peace?! Apparently not to these hateful, hypocritical fucks -- I mean the parents, not the kids -- who would send their children to school with this kind of filth displayed on their clothing. A ten-year-old? My own son turned 10 yesterday, and as smart and savvy as he is, he's nowhere near mature enough to wear something like that T-shirt, nor are his classmates mature enough to understand it or perceive it as the faux-religious political message that it is. If you want to indoctrinate your 15-year-old into that kind of hate, that's one thing, but leave the younger kids out of it, you sick lunatics.

And as for Pastor Jones' lament that no one "had the guts" to print that shit locally, I think he meant that no one had the sense to print it.

What is it about radical Christianists and their sudden obsession with freedom of speech? I sure didn't hear them defending free speech rights when students wore anti-Bush T-shirts to school (Pennsylvania, 2005; Michigan, 2003), but it's all okay now? These hypocrites love to wave around the Constitution when it suits them, wresting it away from the Bush crime syndicate now that they're done wiping their collective asses with it, but as soon as it goes against them, they'll toss it away again.

Moreover, the Christianists have a horribly distorted view of freedom of speech, both in Gainesville and in Pace (and elsewhere). As I've pointed out many times before, it's settled law in the United States that the vaunted freedom of speech is not unlimited and, indeed, as lawyers and legal scholars noted in the above-linked article from Gainesville, the school district in Alachua County is on solid legal ground by banning these offensive messages through the school dress code. Hate speech constitutionally can be restricted, and it should be.

Keep an eye on these whackjobs, because sure as they are making their presence felt in Gainesville, they'll be spreading their hate far and wide as soon as they can. They're just like cockroaches: if you can see one, you know there are many more hiding out of sight.

Blast Off! Radio RETURNS today at 4:00 pm EDT: The more things change ....

.... the more they stay the same. I know it's a cliché, but I think it's never been more true than it is right now.

Blast Off! Radio returns today after a summer hiatus of 2½ months, and not only are the right-wing crazies still around (and still getting an inordinate amount of mainstream corporate media coverage), they seem to be more rabid and violent than ever. I didn't even think that was possible ...

A lot has happened since I last inflicted my radical rantings on the webradio waves, and I'm not just talking about the Florida Bar exam. Why, this summer has seen the political seppuku of Sarah Palin, a precipitous and dangerous upswing in violence and hate from the Right (not the least of which is the ridiculous, disruptive displays at congressional health care forums nationwide), and more total disdain for American constitutional law from extremist Christians in northwest Florida. Indeed, it seems that as the temperature has risen, so too have the tempers of the fringe Right, most of whom just can't believe that a black man is president.

Well, I'm back to set things straight, and I hope you'll join me. Today on the show, we'll discuss the health care reform debacle and see if we can figure out why the president seems willing to back down on a public option. We'll also look at the prayer-in-school debate still raging in Santa Rosa County, Florida, as well as the gun nuts who think that a Scary Black Man™ will invade their homes and take away their guns (and, presumably, their masculinity as well ... and that's just the women gun nuts!). All that and more ... plus your calls, chats, and tweets.

How can you listen -- and participate? It's as easy as a click:

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It's good to be back, and I hope you'll plan to be a part of the show this afternoon. There's an awful lot of pent-up ranting in here ...

(cross-posted at FPC Blog)

UPDATE (4:12 pm 8/17/09): The show has been archived here for your listening pleasure. Hope you'll listen -- it was a rollicking good time (although we never got around to talking about much besides health care reform).

Typical wingnut hypocrisy

I actually saw this a few weeks ago in a parking lot here in Taintville™. Some joker makes all these Christianist bumper stickers that are very popular around here ... but I couldn't help but laugh at the juxtaposition of this one:


Posted at Fail Blog, because pasting that verse on a luxury car is a classic FAIL.

Practicing what they preach

Usually, I'm ranting about the hypocrisy of the Right, especially the crazy Christianist Right. Well, this time, I'm going to congratulate them for their ideological purity. Turns out a local wingnut right here in America's Taint™ is practicing what he preaches -- literally.

A federal judge has cleared the way for the government's seizure of a creationism theme park in Pensacola.

A ruling this week says the nine properties that make up Dinosaur Adventure Land, and two bank accounts associated with the park will be used to satisfy $430,400 in restitution owed to the federal government.

Kent Hovind, who founded the park and his ministry, Creation Science Evangelism, is serving 10 years in federal prison as a result of a tax-fraud conviction for failing to pay more than $470,000 in employee taxes in a long-running dispute with the Internal Revenue Service.

Kent Hovind was found guilty in November 2006 on 58 counts, including failure to pay employee taxes and making threats against investigators.

The East Peoria, Ill. native sparred with the IRS for 17 years before his conviction. He claimed no income or property since he was employed by God and said that his ministers were not subject to payroll taxes.

Hovind is incarcerated at the Edgefield Federal Correction Institution in South Carolina.

His wife, Jo, also was sentenced to a year in federal prison for her role in the tax fraud. She's currently jailed at the Federal Correctional Institution in Marianna.

U.S. District Judge Casey Rodgers' 16-page order released late Thursday gives the government the green light to divide up the nine properties in and around the 5800 block of North Palafox Street and begin to sell them until the $430,400 forfeiture amount is satisfied.

Now, I know I shouldn't be criticizing someone for not paying taxes, thanks to my own participation in the War Tax Boycott. But I highlight this not so much because of the Hovinds' failure to pay taxes, but because of their rationale: it's basically a perfect storm of wingnuttery. It's a veritable mind-meld of tea party lunacy and fundamentalist claptrap ... and you'll only find it right here in the Land That Time Forgot. (And, hey, we had our own creationist attraction -- who knew?)

Blast Off! Radio today at 4:00 pm EDT: A week of firsts

First same-sex marriage in Iowa. First protest arrests of members of Congress in years. And Yours Truly receives the very first Asshat of the Month award.

Yes, indeed, it's been a week of firsts. Today, Blast Off! Radio returns to its regular time slot to commemorate those firsts and more. We'll talk about the so-called "liberal media" and what an unbelievable misnomer that is, with further proof undoubtedly coming later this week with protests from the Left that promise to rival the Teabaggers' Balls, but with (I predict) virtually no MSM coverage. Plus, more discussion on the continued takeover of Florida by fundamentalist Christian whackjobs, an examination of the real motives of the Republican Party, and a wrap-up of the teabag madness with a look ahead to their next salvo: fisting?!

All that plus your phone calls, emails, and chatting ... and it couldn't be easier to listen and participate:

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It promises to be yet another wild ride on Blast Off! Radio. Hope you'll join me later this afternoon ...

(cross-posted at FPC Blog)

Enlightenment in Pensacola

I've lived in northwest Florida, affectionately known hereabouts as "America's Taint™," for almost two months now on this probably-temporary sojourn, and I've seen and read some pretty wacky right-wing garbage. So imagine my surprise to find a sane voice in the wilderness -- someone who actually "gets it," and who undoubtedly is raising the ire of the batshit crazy fundies and wingnuts in the area: Pensacola News Journal columnist Reggie Dogan.

Yesterday, Dogan dared to publish a column that was enlightened, well-reasoned, factual, and persuasive. This, naturally, means the fundies and wingnuts predictably won't be able to understand it, and what they don't understand, they attack vociferously (if vaguely and misguidedly). They'll hate it not so much because it's right, but because they think adopting its ideas might lead to the End of Life As We Know It ... yes, I'm talking about the legalization of drugs and prostitution. Take it away, Reggie*:

There is neither enough money nor manpower to track down, arrest and prosecute all drug dealers and prostitutes.

It is a waste of money and misuse of manpower, both of which could be better suited to chasing down and locking up violent offenders.

Prostitution and mind-altering drugs have been around for centuries. You can't stop it; you can only try to contain it.

One only has to look at history to see the folly of arresting people for consensual crimes, like drug abuse and prostitution. The sale and manufacture of alcohol was made a consensual crime during Prohibition. America still drank plenty of booze.

When alcohol was legalized again, the United States made plenty of money by taxing the sale of it.

It could do the same with drugs and prostitution.

If consensual crimes were legal, it would not only save America money, it would help it earn more. The Office of National Drug Control Policy estimates that Americans spend about $66 billion a year on drugs alone. This money does not usually enter the regular economy, but stays in the black market of drugs.

Not only could America tax consensual crimes if they were legal, it could also regulate them. The government would have to impose health standards, thus making the drugs and prostitution safer than they would be on the streets.

The laws seem to be in place to promote some sort of national morality. Well, there is no national morality.

It is time that our government stop treating its citizens like they are irresponsible children.

The people should be the ones to decide if they want to use drugs or buy sex, not the government and the church or antiquated laws and outdated mores.

Hoo boy, I can't wait for the fundies to get a hold of that, especially the last sentence. I can hear them now as they sit down at their computers to dash off a scathing letter to the editor: "Hey, Ellie Mae, how do ya turn this dang thing on?"

Seriously, though, while Dogan's ideas are hardly new, they'll do nothing in this community but stir up the pot (no pun intended) and get the righties ranting on the moral degradation of society, yadda, yadda. The intelligence and sensibility of legalization of these victimless crimes is directly proportional to the foaming-at-the-mouth fervor with which the Bible-thumping imbeciles here in the hinterlands will oppose it with all their might.

Sure, we all want to Save the World and come up with the solutions to our economic and cultural woes. The only difference is, the wingnuts won't tolerate anything but their world -- a world of ignorance, intolerance, Christian fanaticism, and hypocrisy. And so, around here at least, reasonable people like Reggie Dogan must feel like they're shouting at a brick wall.

---

* By way of explanation for readers, Brownsville, mentioned in the column, is a Pensacola neighborhood plagued by crime.

Blast Off! Radio today at 4:00 pm EDT: When wingnuts attack

It's been a ranty week at Blast Off!, and today's Blast Off! Radio is likely to be no exception. Whether it's the rank stupidity of Glenn Beck, the oft-frightening silliness of fundie whackjobs, or the idiocy of certain Republicans in Congress, we've been confronted with more than our fair share of wild-eyed wingnuttery over the past seven days.

The best way to deal with these morons is to face them head-on (apply directly to the forehead) and dismantle them point by point ... and that's exactly what we'll do on today's show. If you're tired of wingnuts, if you're wondering why they receive the attention they do (why, for example, was Dana Perino on my teevee over the weekend?), if you're just ready to go all Howard Beale on the crazy people who want to go Galt, well, spend an hour this afternoon with me and I promise you'll feel better ... because you're not alone!

You know, listening to Blast Off! Radio is as easy as looking at Internet porn (and a lot less expensive ... or so I'm told):

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Help me battle the scourge of wingnuttery or, in other words -- let's surround them! Catch you this afternoon ...

Toto, I've a feeling we're not in south Florida anymore: Evolution is so silly

Welcome back to Blast Off!'s "Toto series," wherein I chronicle my adjustment to residing in America's Taint™ ...

Took a little road trip the other day, and found this sign in St. Elmo, Ala., about halfway between Mobile, Ala. and Pascagoula, Miss. Naturally, I had to stop for a photo ...

Yeah, I get the disdain for Darwin; fundies always have been allergic to science. But it's the spelling that gets to me. I mean, I've seen "your" used where "you're" ought to be -- and it drives me insane -- but "you'r?" Come on -- pick one or the other!

(And lest you think that the "E" just fell off ... the spelling was exactly the same on the other side of the sign!)

By the way, I also don't appreciate the insinuation that my nieces are monkeys.

The fundamentalist threat, writ large

Contrary to what you readers (both of you) might think of me, I honestly don't have a problem with religion per sé. However, I strongly feel that the fundamentalist Christian movement, both as it pertains to politics and otherwise, is a threat to American ideals and values, by perverting the positive aspects of Christianity and demonizing everything that doesn't fit within its incredibly narrow worldview.

If you need proof of this, you need go no further than Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement, by Kathryn Joyce. Even in this brief excerpt, which I will distill even more below, you can see some really disturbing facts about the Quiverfull movement, which seeks to produce large families of painfully obedient -- even subservient -- children steeped in fundamentalist doctrine. Actually, "disturbing" might be too weak a word -- maybe "creepy" is more appropriate.

[C]hildren of the movement should have “little to no association with peers outside of family and relatives” as insulation from a corrupting society. Daughters shouldn’t forgo education but should consider to what ends their education is intended and should place their efforts in “advanced homemaking” skills.

Concretely, Geoffrey Botkin explains, this means evaluating all materials and media that daughters receive from childhood on as it pertains to their future role. The Botkin sisters received no Barbie dolls — idols that inspire girls to lead selfish lives — but rather a “doll estate” that could help them learn to manage a household of assets, furniture, and servants in the aristocratic vision of Quiverfull life which Botkin paints for the families around the room. The toys the girls played with were “tools for dominion,” such as kitchen utensils and other “tools for their laboratory”: the kitchen.

Isolation from the outside world ... a woman's place is in the kitchen ... toys as idolatry. Sounds like a recipe for psychological disaster to me. (Servants? Really? Does this mean "Slave Auction Barbie" is a bad idea?)

But you ain't seen nothin' yet. Later on, it's a veritable Freudian field day:

The extent to which Botkin views his daughters as his ambassadors, or extensions of himself, is perplexingly hinted at when both he and Doug Phillips slip during the conference and refer to So Much More as Geoffrey Botkin’s book. This could seem either an indication of his daughters’ total identification with their father, or else, perhaps, indication of the heavy paternal hand guiding the virtuous daughters’ movement—as present in the writing of the book as it feels in every frame of the film and every still photograph taken of the two sisters.

Such lessons are repeated wide-scale at the father-daughter retreats, where daughters are given object lessons alongside the sermons through a series of ideological games, including a blindfolded obstacle course, where chains of blinded daughters were guided solely by relying on their fathers’ verbal commands; contests for fathers “wooing and winning the hearts of their daughters”; and intimacy-building “unity games” that teach daughters to serve their fathers by shaving their faces, grooming their hair, and knotting their shoes and ties. As three of Phillips’s young daughters, Jubilee, Liberty, and Faith, explained on a video posted on Vision Forum’s Web site, “Each of the games was designed to teach us a principle about our relationship with our fathers.”

Or as Doug Phillips explained to the fathers in attendance, he who “tells the story controls the culture,” and storytelling—setting up the basic architecture of your children’s worldview—is “one of the most significant patriarchal duties that God gives us.” So, he tells fathers, it’s imperative to start teaching your daughter now all “the stories she needs to know” because—in an alarming revelation about the young marriages patriarchs support—the nine-year-old before you now may, in six years’ time, be not just older, but married as well.

It’s a short window of opportunity for a father to guide his daughter where he wants her to go, and a short time for him to experience what Phillips calls “the greatest privilege of the ages: to have someone look at you and say, ‘Father, I love you. Father, shepherd me.’ Father, father. The very words we call our God and savior. God has given you fathers the opportunity to look at these girls and say, ‘You are mine. You are mine.’”

Before I go any further, I must point out that I went to college with Doug Phillips, and that he was just as batshit crazy back then ... except more in the political realm than religious. (I mean, "Jubilee," "Liberty," and "Faith?" Jesus H. Christ in a horse-drawn carriage, that's bizarre.) His father, Howard Phillips, is (or was) a leading anti-taxation and Ayn Rand type (don't get me started ...), and as I recall, Doug was quite active in my college's Federalist Society. Obviously, somewhere along the way he found Jesus ... only it was the vengeful, weird, batshit crazy Jesus who wants His followers to have a thousand great-grandchildren, not the compassionate, loving, DFH Jesus that, you know, is described in the Bible. But I digress ...

How fucked up is it that these daughters are shaving and grooming their fathers? You don't suppose there are other things going on behind closed doors, do you? It would be irresponsible not to speculate ... I mean, purity balls are bad enough, but this is fucking insane. Scary, even. How long before one of those daughters goes all Sweeney Todd on dear old Dad, anyway?

Look, worship however your little batshit crazy heart desires. But, for God's sake (literally), don't screw up your children for life by dragging them through this bullshit.

Science finally wins: Obama to repeal stem cell ban

Now this is why we elected President Obama.

President Obama is planning to sign an executive order on Monday rolling back restrictions on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research, according to sources close to the issue.

Although the exact wording of the order has not been revealed, the White House plans an 11 a.m. ceremony to sign the order repealing one of the most controversial steps taken by his predecessor, fulfilling one of Obama's eagerly anticipated campaign promises.

The move, long sought by scientists and patient advocates and opposed by religious groups, would enable the National Institutes of Health to consider requests from scientists to study hundreds of lines of cells that have been developed since the limitations were put in place -- lines that scientists and patient advocate say hold great hope for leading to cures for a host of major ailments.

[...]

President Bush imposed the restriction on Aug. 9, 2001, limiting federal funding to studies of what turned out to be 21 cell lines that were already in existence as of that date to prevent tax dollars from encouraging the destruction of more embryos.

The limitation, welcomed by those who believe that destroying human embryos is immoral, has been denounced by many scientists for severely hindering research one of the most promising fields of biomedical research.

The 21 cell lines that scientists have been permitted to study under the Bush policy have a variety of shortcomings, critics say. Many, for example, may have defects that could make them dangerous to transplant into people. But perhaps more important, hundreds of newer lines have been developed that offer a host of opportunities. Many lines, for example, carry defects for specific diseases.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mr. President! For far too long, thanks to Drunky McStagger's 2001 executive order, the fundamentalist whackjobs have controlled Washington and prevented even the exploration of scientific advances that would help people, not just here in America but all over the world.

No one is going to be "harvesting" embryos for research, folks, so all you religious crazies can just get over it. I don't care if you oppose abortion -- just know that you can't impose your extremist views on the U.S. government any longer.

Toto, I've a feeling we're not in south Florida anymore: Sign, sign, everywhere a sign

For those of you enjoying the "Toto series" for the first time, this is an irregular compendium of one DFH's experiences in moving from America's Glans™ (south Florida) to America's Taint™ (northwest Florida), a/k/a "The Land That Time Forgot." Thus far the series mostly has covered the bizarre fauna native to the area, Wingnuttius maximus and Fundius christiensis, but today we'll combine the two for some really outrageous fun! And we'll do it with ... a herring! I mean, signs!

First, while most people rely on elaborate electronic surveillance and security systems to protect their homes, one Pensacola resident has a different idea altogether:

Pensacola, Fla., February 19, 2009

I really hope they have another sign that reads, "BEWARE OF GOD." 'Cause that would be funny as shit.

But the Lord's security system pales in comparison to the rich irony seen here:

Cordova Mall, Pensacola, Fla., February 20, 2009

Not to nitpick here, Mr. or Ms. Bible Quoter, but do you think the sentiment might come across just a tad more sincerely if you weren't driving a fucking Lexus?!

Truly, irony is lost on the fundies ...

When fundies attack: Christian weirdness in Ohio

I'll just let this report speak for itself:

A Toledo man accused of kidnapping, handcuffing and holding captive in an adult diaper a 22-year-old woman he picked up off the streets in Detroit may have been trying to save her, authorities say.

Troy Brisport, 34, also read the Bible to Shykea Boykin, the Detroit woman who told investigators Brisport handcuffed her by the wrists and ankles in his West Toledo apartment. He also took off her clothes and dressed her in an adult diaper, and gave her little to eat and drink, she told investigators.

Three days later, Boykin sneaked out of the apartment, still handcuffed by the wrists, in a diaper and a T-shirt, banging on neighboring apartment doors and finally on doors outside, police said.

Police said they’re somewhat baffled.

"Somewhat baffled?" That's like saying I'm "somewhat baffled" that Drunky McStagger managed to serve as president for eight years. No, I'd say this actually is fucked right the hell up. (Then again, so is Drunky as president, but I digress ...)

Wonder what Scripture Brisport selected? Maybe Isaiah 14:3? On the day the LORD gives you relief from suffering and turmoil and cruel bondage, (Well, I couldn't find a verse that mentioned handcuffs or adult diapers ...)

Las Vegas + snow = apocalypse

This really has little to do with politics, and nothing whatsoever to do with Florida, but it just made me laugh.

Apparently it's been snowing today in Las Vegas, Nev. (left). Unusual, sure, but normally that wouldn't be cause to, you know, predict the end of the fucking world.

Unless you're the batshit crazy commenter on this video of the wintry scene, who observed:

It may be beautiful but it's just another sign that these are the End Times. Don't be fooled; look around. Read and learn.

Wow. I had no idea. Guess I'd better check the fireproofing on my soul ...

Halloween brings out the wingnuts

Four years ago, I told you about an old friend of mine from college, who, somewhere between 1987, when I last was acquainted with her, and 2004 went completely off the deep end. I mean, big time fundamentalist batshit crazy, especially with Y2K.

Now a columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, my classmate Shaunti Feldhahn, right (far right), continues to write some really unbelievable stuff, as my blogfather Wes at Walk In Brain reveals. This time, Shaunti takes on Halloween -- you know, that horrible Satanic/Pagan/Wiccan holiday:

One of the biggest misconceptions about Halloween is that it is “nothing but innocent fun.” Now, children getting excited about trick-or-treating is innocent and fun, and a blast - which is why my husband and I allow our children to participate. But we are also very aware of a dark side to the holiday that is anything but innocent, and are very careful about steering clear of it. For us that includes no scary costumes and no haunted houses. But many parents prefer to avoid Halloween altogether.

[...]

[Many have] continued to celebrate Halloween for dark purposes. Today, that has translated directly into very real, very evil Oct. 31 witchcraft and Satanic ceremonies, which I have heard something about from two friends who were raised by Satanist parents. As Steve Russo, author of “Halloween: What’s a Christian to Do?,” described in an interview: “There is a danger to being desensitized to evil. And Halloween is one of the eight high holy days for Satan worshippers and those that practice Wicca. So that means that there are all kind of things that go on unbeknownst to the average person. I am not anti-Halloween or pro-Halloween, but I do want to provide answers for parents.”

First of all, equating Satanism with Wicca is the height of irresponsibility and ignorance. I have Wiccan friends whose religion is, to be perfectly honest, pretty alien to me -- nevertheless, even a neophyte like me knows that it has nothing to do with Satan.

Besides, as a commenter on that AJC column pointed out:

you know, there are some people who use dinner parties to practice partner swapping, so does that taint all dinner parties?

there are some people who use New Year’s Eve to practice debauchery and drinking (NO! say it isn’t so!!), so does that taint all NYE celebrations?

criminey, not letting children participate in what is a fun rite of childhood just because of what a small number of people do - and which doesn’t involve the children in question - is not just silly, it’s downright asinine.

Fundamentalists have this annoying tendency to extrapolate to the point of absurdity, and clearly my old friend is no exception. One of the great joys of the imminent Obama presidency for me will be not having fundies in and around the White House anymore, at least not in a decisionmaking capacity.

Meanwhile, enjoy your Halloween, everyone. And don't let the fundies spook you ...

Soulforce visits PBAU and, predictably, arrests ensue

The Christian gay rights advocacy/ministry group Soulforce visited Palm Beach Atlantic University yesterday and, as I discussed last week, there were confrontations and arrests. And, once more, I can't figure out what PBAU is so scared of ...

On Monday morning, Soulforce members gathered on a public sidewalk along Okeechobee Boulevard next to PBAU's campus and the DeSantis Family Chapel.

As the chapel bell rang at 11 a.m., signaling the beginning of services, a handful of Soulforce members approached the entrance.

"We're giving you the opportunity to go back to the sidewalk," a police officer said. "If you choose to remain here, you will be arrested."

Soulforce members had previously decided who would go to jail, if it came to that.

[...]

Becky Goodlet, a 21-year-old PBAU student, said she was glad Soulforce visited campus.

"There are a lot of people who have been sheltered their whole life, and this is good for them to see," she said. "I don't know a whole lot about it either, and that's why I want to speak with them."

Six Soulforce members (two of whom are shown above, in police custody) were arrested -- for what reason? It's a shame students like Goodlet weren't permitted to interact with Soulforce so that they could learn -- you know, the reason universities like PBAU purportedly exist?

Well, I know, it's simple, really -- for fundies, for wingnuts, for the Bush crime syndicate, it boils down to message control. And that's even more reason to keep pushing for a more open-minded, Democratic majority and presidency beginning next January.

When fundies attack: PBAU denies access to gay Christian group

As a private institution, Palm Beach Atlantic University pretty much can do whatever they want. I realize this. But we ought to be aware that this institution openly discriminates against the GLBT community.

A national Christian gay rights group called Soulforce has been planning visits to a number of religious and evangelical universities, including the notorious Liberty University, Jerry Falwell's creation. Like Liberty, PBAU says no way.

PBAU officials last week rejected a request from the 10-year-old group to visit their campus, saying that after careful consideration the visit would not "meaningfully further the mission of either organization."

Soulforce, which supports gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality, is coming anyway.

The group delivers its message through "relentless nonviolent resistance," and its members have been arrested for trespassing during visits to schools in other states after treading on private campuses without permission.

Although it's unclear whether Soulforce will try to get onto PBAU's campus or meet with students at another location, its request to talk about religion and homosexuality already has spurred discussion at the school, where same-sex relationships are considered immoral and contradictory to biblical standards.

Jarrett Lucas, co-director of Soulforce's college "equality ride," said several PBAU students have contacted him saying they are willing to talk.

"It's always heartbreaking to hear the student body express the desire to speak with us and then have the administration say they can't," Lucas said.

Comments on a PBAU student blog vary, but several fear their school will be perceived as intolerant or radically religious by refusing to offer Soulforce a forum.

"How we 'should' respond won't affect anything, really. Some people will be nice to them, some will ignore them. Hopefully, no one will be hateful toward them, but you never know," wrote one student.

PBAU senior Hannah Mitchell said school administrators were open with students about Soulforce's request. She believes they made the right decision.

"I appreciate that the university looked into this matter, thoroughly researched it and then presented both the student body and the Soulforce team with an answer," Mitchell said. "I am not against the homosexual lifestyle; I have many friends that are engaged in that activity and the Bible says that no sin is better or worse in the eyes of God. However, although I would never condemn that behavior, you also have to be careful that you do not condone it."

PBAU spokeswoman Becky Peeling said a committee of faculty and staff made the recommendation against allowing the group on campus.

Besides PBAU's differing beliefs about homosexuality, other campus events already were scheduled for the days Soulforce plans to visit - Oct. 13-14.

"We agree people should not be harassed at all, but we differ with them when we get into the acceptance of homosexual behavior," Peeling said. "Frankly, part of our issue has also been timing."

It's mighty convenient to rest on "timing" when banning groups from campus, isn't it?

Again, I acknowledge that PBAU, Liberty, and their ilk have control over who can visit their campuses and what messages are delivered there. Naturally, though, I reject the contention that the GLBT lifestyle is "immoral," and I'm offended by these universities' decisions to ostracize members of their own communities by treating them like lepers.

PBAU had a chance to open lines of communication and allow both their own students and Soulforce to educate each other about different perspectives. But, of course, opening up to different viewpoints is the exact opposite of what the evangelical community tries to do. Indeed, they work hard to suppress individuality and encourage repression of natural beliefs and feelings, lest their indoctrination methods be compromised. Good for Soulforce to come to the area anyway -- I hope they are able to get their message out to as many PBAU students and constituents as possible through their method of "relentless nonviolent resistance."

Yes, PBAU has the right to bar Soulforce from campus. But that doesn't make it right.

UPDATE (9:17 pm 10/8/08): PBAU has relented in part, but Soulforce says the conditions are still too restrictive.

(cross-posted at Pax Americana)

You gotta have faith ... or not

Tonight, the two major party presidential candidates are going to appear together for the first time during the '08 campaign (yes, only for a handshake). And, as you undoubtedly know, the appearance will take place at a southern California mega-church, as part of a "Civil Forum" on faith led by prominent evangelical pastor Rick Warren.

It's a political reality today that, despite the constitutional strictures against the establishment of religion, faith remains a key component of any presidential race. But what puzzles me is how Huggy Bear continues to garner some 60% of the support of evangelicals.

Here, let me explain. Let's say you're an evangelical Christian, and you see two candidates.

One, "Candidate A," has been a loyal member of his church for over 20 years. He has what for all intents and purposes appears to be a solid marriage, with two young daughters and a close-knit extended family -- he even took time out from his campaign to visit his elderly grandmother. He doesn't wear his faith on his sleeve, but it's clearly an important part of his life -- important enough that he's talked regularly about some adaptations of Drunky McStagger's "faith-based initiatives." He's respectful of all people and especially of his wife and family, whose privacy he guards quite scrupulously. Candidate A concedes some drug use in his younger years, but today his only vice seems to be a stubborn, albeit not excessive, smoking habit.

"Candidate B," on the other hand, is an admitted adulterer who carried on an affair with another woman while still married to -- and cohabitating with -- his first wife, who waited patiently for him while he was a prisoner of war in Vietnam only to be dumped soon after her husband's return. As for his second wife, an obscenely wealthy heiress, Candidate B has called her a "cunt" and even offered her as a contestant in an often-nude "beauty contest" for motorcycle enthusiasts. He's publicly told "jokes" about rape and about the physical appearance of a teenage girl whose father was president of the United States. And he was mixed up in the "Keating Five" savings-and-loan scandal to an extent that to this day hasn't really been determined. He claims to be a churchgoer, but he rarely if ever discusses his faith, in marked contrast to the man whom he hopes to succeed as president.

Remember now, you're an evangelical Christian. Which candidate do you prefer -- A or B?

I wish Christian faith weren't a prerequisite for the presidency these days. But recognizing at least that it's still extraordinarily important, isn't it odd that the fundies like Candidate B better?

Why Harry Potter will never teach in Florida

Hoo boy. Just when you thought it was safe to come out of your insanity-resistant cave comes news from Pasco County, north of Tampa, that explains rather clearly why Florida's legislature is crawling with batshit insane fundies. In short, it must be the batshit insane fundies who vote for them ...

Well, another Pasco County substitute teacher's job is on the line, but this time it's because of a magic trick.

The charge from the school district — Wizardry!

Substitute teacher Jim Piculas does a 30-second magic trick where a toothpick disappears then reappears.

But after performing it in front of a classroom at Rushe Middle School in Land 'O Lakes, Piculas said his job did a disappearing act of its own.

"I get a call the middle of the day from head of supervisor of substitute teachers. He says, 'Jim, we have a huge issue, you can't take any more assignments you need to come in right away,'" he said.

When Piculas went in, he learned his little magic trick cast a spell and went much farther than he'd hoped.

"I said, 'Well Pat, can you explain this to me?' 'You've been accused of wizardry,' [he said]. Wizardry?" he asked.

Tampa Bay's 10 talked to the assistant superintendent with the Pasco County School District who said it wasn't just the wizardry and that Picular had other performance issues, including "not following lesson plans" and allowing students to play on unapproved computers."

Piculas said he knew nothing about the accusations.

"That... I think was embellished after the fact to try to cover what initially what they were saying to me," he said.

Wizardry. Wizardry! Jesus H. Christ in a chicken basket. What's next? The comeback of phrenology? Warnings about sailing off the edge of the earth? Leeches?

I'm not going to reopen the Batshit Crazy Bowl here, but I just don't know how anyone credibly can claim that there's a crazier, nuttier state in America than Teh Wang™. And even if you can, we'll have something to top it soon, I'm sure.

(hat tip to Eschaton commenter cahuenga)

It's official: two down, one to go

Yesterday I told you how three fundie-led efforts in the Florida legislature were, thank the FSM, in trouble. Today two of them officially were put to rest.

The ridiculous forced-ultrasound bill was killed in the Senate, although the margin was the thinnest possible: a 20-20 vote.

State law already requires an ultrasound before a woman can have an abortion in the second or third trimester. The bill would have extended that to the first trimester. It also would have added the requirement that the doctor give the woman the opportunity to look at the sonogram, although she could have declined.

Well, that ought to shut those fucking fundies up for a while, at least. And if that doesn't, maybe this will:

A license plate that would have become the first in the nation to prominently feature a religious symbol is unlikely to be on the road any time soon after state lawmakers did not include it in a bill Tuesday.

The plate, which included an image of a Christian cross, stained-glass window and the words "I Believe," is not in legislation passed late Tuesday that's now headed to the governor.

[...]

It could still be amended onto another bill, but the prospects of that were increasingly unlikely with few bills available on the Legislature's calendar to which it could be added.

The South Carolina legislature is also considering the same license plate, however, and it won key approval in the state Senate there Tuesday.

Well, let South Carolina bear the ignominy of the Christianist license plate. We already knew their legislature was pretty much backwards, anyway, when they tried for the forced ultrasound bill last year.

Odd that Florida seems to be facing a fundie assault a year after South Carolina did the same thing, don't you think? I mean, no offense to sensible South Carolinians, but do we really want to be taking our lead from South Carolina? Just wonderin' ...

What's a fundamentalist whackjob to do?

It must be tough to be a batshit crazy fundie in Florida as the state legislature session limps to a close this week. Three fundie-supported bills are either dead or dying. Couldn't happen to a better bunch of lunatics, if you ask me.

First, the vomitous abortion restriction bill, which would require women seeking to terminate their pregnancy either to view an ultrasound image of the fetus or to affirmatively decline the viewing, is stalled and might not even come to a vote in the Senate, despite the assurances of Senate majority leader Daniel Webster (R-Orlando).

Several Senate leaders said they would prefer not to take up such a divisive issue in the last week of session, and in an election year.

About a half-dozen moderate Republicans and most Democrats oppose the bill; a few conservative Democrats and most Republicans support it. Two key players have been Sen. Mandy Dawson, D-Fort Lauderdale, who is frequently absent, and incoming Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-Palm Beach Gardens, who faces a tough re-election this fall from a former Democratic senator.

Opponents thought late Monday they had the majority, but the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Dan Webster, R-Orlando -- who describes himself as pro-life -- brought the matter up for initial questions and debate Tuesday morning. A vote could come as soon as Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the equally vomitous evolution education bill, the pet bill of Sen. Ronda Storms (R-Valrico), the Most Insane State Legislator of All Time (MISLAT), passed the House but is going to run out of time in the Senate. Even Gov. Crist seems to be taking special note of this one:

With the bill on life support, Republican Gov. Charlie Crist appeared unlikely to bridge the divide between the chambers. Crist surprised reporters during a two-hour debate Monday with a rare visit to the House press gallery. He was asked if he believed in evolution.

"I believe in a lot of things," Crist said. "We should have the freedom to have a good exchange of ideas."

But is legislation needed to guarantee that exchange? "I'm not so sure," Crist said.

Say what you will about Charlie, but you just know that this bullshit bill would be a slam dunk if Jeb! were in charge ...

Oh, and remember Ronda's looney counterpart in the House, Rep. Alan Hays (R-Umatilla)? Get a load of this crap:

House Republicans, however, agreed with Rep. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, who insisted the theory of evolution "has holes in it."

"No one has any record - no fossils have been found, no eyewitnesses have seen any species in transition from one to another," said Hays, the House sponsor.

Wow. That's some powerful stupid right there. Florida's not going to be second to any other state for deniers of scientific fact, that's for damn sure.

Finally, the "I BELIEVE" license plate deservedly crashed and burned yesterday, despite Sen. Storms' unbelievably moronic objection to its omission from the new plate legislation.

Opponents of the plate said approval - whose proposed design included a Christian cross, a stained-glass window and the words "I Believe" - would have almost certainly faced a court challenge.

The bill's Senate sponsor said Monday, however, that the chamber's rejection of the plate could also generate a lawsuit. Florida already has over 100 different license plates and by allowing the designs the state has created a "public forum," said Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico.

Public forum? Oh, give me a fucking break.

Sen. Storms, a 1995 graduate of Stetson University College of Law (where I worked long ago), obviously didn't learn much about constitutional law there. While courts still are debating the issue, the idea that Florida has opened license plates up to be a public forum, limited or otherwise, is just ludicrous. There's no viewpoint discrimination going on here, Ronda. Please take your Bible and your insanity and let the grown-ups make the decisions, okay?

And while you're at it, take Hays and the rest of the batshit crazy fundies with you. It might get there kicking and screaming the whole way, but there's finally a scintilla of hope that Florida might be dragged into the 21st Century eventually after all.