Freep.com: The Politics of Fearfulness

Here, then, is the smoking gun, concrete validation for those of us who contend that since Sept. 11, 2001, fear has been the GOP’s leading export, that under George W. Bush’s political guru Karl Rove, the party’s message boiled down to a single command: Be very afraid.

And some of us have eagerly complied, fearing Muslim terrorists, Muslim-Americans, Latino immigrants, gay people, black people, even “salespeople,” if they say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” Some of us see socialists around every street corner.

More by Leonard Pitts Jr. at: Detroit Free Press

Hate is a product of fear.  Fear is from the unknown.  The unknown is a product of ignorance.  Ignorance is bliss.

Donnelly Warns Military of Homosexual Agenda

Elaine Donnelly who was appointed by George W. Bush to head up the Center for Military Readiness is warning authorities about the dangers of the homosexual agenda when it comes to repealing the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy.

According to CMR’s website:

During a news conference in Washington, D.C. on February 18, the Center for Military Readiness changed the terms of the debate on the issue of gays in the military, focusing attention on the future consequences of repealing the current law stating that homosexuals are not eligible for military service. (Section 654, Title 10, U.S.C.).

A backdrop of large charts illustrated the complexities of the proposed new LGBT) Law, which would mandate acceptance of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered agenda for the military. As Elaine Donnelly explained in her statement, if Congress passes proposed legislation (HR 1283) to repeal current law, a wide array of inherently complicated social issues would impose heavy burdens on uniformed men and women, with serious negative impact on recruiting, retention, unit cohesion, and readiness.

Donnelly criticized the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, for trying to solicit comments from two dozen active-duty troops during a visit to Amman, Jordan, putting them on the spot in the presence of the media. She also noted that Defense Secretary William Gates’ February 2 pledge to follow President Obama’s orders to repeal current law predicted only problems for the troops with no benefits in return.

I find it amazingly interesting that Ms. Donnelly is criticizing decorated officers, discounting military leaders in other nations that have ended their ban on gays serving in the military and warning of a “homosexual agenda”
when in fact Ms. Donnelly has never served on single day in the military. Sounds as though we need to be more weary of Donnelly’s Biblical agenda.

Not in Front of the Children

Ed Brayton has a post over at Scienceblogs.com which points out the blatant stupidity of many religious righters…especially those in George W.’s home state:

Just how utterly clueless are the religious right intelli-phobes on the Texas State Board of Education? They banned a children’s book author with a very common name because one of the dolts on the board did an Amazon search and found a different author with the same name had written a book about Marxism.

What do the authors of the children’s book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and a 2008 book called Ethical Marxism: The Categorical Imperative of Liberation have in common?

Both are named Bill Martin and, for now, neither is being added to Texas schoolbooks.

In its haste to sort out the state’s social studies curriculum standards this month, the State Board of Education tossed children’s author Martin, who died in 2004, from a proposal for the third-grade section. Board member Pat Hardy, R-Weatherford, who made the motion, cited books he had written for adults that contain “very strong critiques of capitalism and the American system.”

Trouble is, the Bill Martin Jr. who wrote the Brown Bear series never wrote anything political, unless you count a book that taught kids how to say the Pledge of Allegiance, his friends said. The book on Marxism was written by Bill Martin, a philosophy professor at DePaul University in Chicago.

Now I have a question. What does banning books have to do with education? I thought perhaps education meant you taught about things in the world, not sheltered children from them. Perhaps I’m wrong.

Either way, I like the way Brayton sums it up. He concludes by stating:

“These people would be hilarious if they weren’t so dangerous.”

The Failing of the Religious Right in Houston

This is really GREAT news, as the religious right has been largely successful in highjacking Christianity, promoting anti-gay sentiment in states trying to end marriage discrimination, reversing legislation by popular vote through referendums and doing it with tax exempt monies.

The religious right had 8 years of free reign over the American political landscape during the Bush regime, and as a child who has had candy taken away from them, has been screaming, doing nothing less than throwing a temper tantrum, since the election of Barack Obama.

Hopefully, this is a sign the times are changing.  Hopefully this is an indication that the general public is no longer buying into to the hateful, anti-gay rhetoric that has made hundred of millions, perhaps billions of tax-exempt dollars for the leaders of the religious right…and this, in George W’s own conservative back yard.

According to a post on TFN:

Don’t Give Salvation Army Bell-Ringers a Dime

“Then there was the time the Salvation Army caved to the religious right and rescinded domestic partner benefits for its gay employees. These are not nice people.”

Editors’ note: Each year, gay journalists remind readers of the Salvation Army’s anti-gay policies that may dissuade donations to holiday drives. This column rounds up some of the reasons why.

The Salvation Army is a nasty anti-gay evangelical church.

Find out more at: Project Q Atlanta!

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