Summary of Just How We Got Here

Tags

debt ceiling debate, George Bush, McConnell, Obama, politics

“On January 20, 2009, Bush 43 left Washington­, DC and left behind—in the wake of his disastrous job killing tax cuts—a broken economy teetering on the brink of total collapse. Just 8 years earlier, Bush had inherited from Clinton a healthy, robust, and debt-free economy boasting a surplus of $756 billion. As Obama was being sworn-in, the Republican created deficit—in­spired by a redux of Reagan’s failed “trickle-d­own” policies—t­opped $11.4 trillion. When Bush entered office, 8% of the population was living in poverty; by 2008, that number had swelled to 17%. Under Bush 43, the number of homeless Americans increased 23%, income growth for the middleclas­s was negative for the first time since tracking began in 1967, unemployme­nt grew from 4.1% to 8.6%, the debt ceiling was raised 7 times, foreclosur­es increased 67%, and 11 million Americans received pink-slips­, yet Republican­s continue to claim that tax cuts for the wealthy grew the economy and created jobs, which did not happen from 2000 to 2008. Even in the face of blatant Republican sabotage (remember, McConnell wants to “destroy Obama”), thus far, Obama has still managed to raise the GDP and either create or save 4.3 million jobs, which is more jobs than Bush created in 8 years. In an effort to save the economy and shorten the recession, Obama grew the deficit by $3.3 trillion, yet Republican­s like Orin Hatch continue to wrongly attribute the $11.4 trillion Bush deficit to Obama. From 1992 to 2000, Democrats erased the Reagan deficit (Under Reagan, Republican­s raised the debt ceiling 17 times) and balanced the federal budget, but upon gaining the presidency and taking control of both Houses in 2000, Republican­s quickly abandoned prudent “pay-as-yo­u-go” economic policies implemente­d by Democrats, squandered the Clinton surplus, generated record amounts of unfunded earmark spending, and borrowed money hand-over-­fist from China in order to give revenue depleting tax cuts to millionair­es, yet Republican­s continue to lie and distort the truth in an effort to “destroy” Obama and dump blame on the Democrats for the economic mess Republican­s orchestrat­ed under Bush 43.”

Advertisement

Spotlighting The American Family Association Of Tupelo Miss.

Tags

AFA, Allie Martin, American Renaissance Magazine, Anti-Muslim Activity, Antigay Activity, Bryan Fischer, Don Wildmon, FAIR, GOD, Hitler, homophobia, Idaho, Jared Taylor, KKK, Martha Swindle, May Chang, One News Now, Proposition 8, Racism, Religious Right, Sodomites, Southern Baptist Convention. Chad Groening, Southern Poverty Law Center, Tim Wildmon, Tupelo Mississippi, Tupelos Dark Side, White Nationalists

There is no question in my mind that Tupelo has a “Very Dark Side.”– Al Bratton

“Former Employees: Racism & Abuse In Religious Right Organization”

by Sarah Posner, Religion Dispatches, July 16, 2011

“Just before this year’s Values Voter Summit, the progressive advocacy group People For the American Way called on Republican elected officials and candidates to condemn virulently anti-gay and anti-Muslim statements made by the American Family Association’s director of public policy, Bryan Fischer.

[…]

The AFA, founded by [United Methodist Minister] Donald Wildmon in Tupelo, Mississippi back in 1977, was known as the National Federation for Decency until 1988. Today, along with Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council, it’s one of the powerhouses of the religious right. Contributions to the nonprofit exceeded $19 million last year, according to financial data made available by the Evangelical Council on Financial Accountability. In 2008, the organization donated $500,000 in support of Proposition 8 in California,…

[…]

Michael Keegan, president of People For the American Way. “The AFA has also played an active role in driving the national right-wing agenda—at the so called Values Voter Summit this year, GOP leaders echoed the AFA’s talking points on gays and lesbians, Islam, and the supposed persecution of American Christians.”

Continue reading here…

A Warning From The American Christian-Right

Tags

American Christian Right, idols in NY harbor

One self-described ‘Apostle’ who has signed on as an official endorser to Gov. Rick Perry’s The Response prayer rally is John Benefiel of the Heartland Apostolic Prayer Network, a group affiliated with the New Apostolic Reformation. …

Libertas is also called the Freedom Goddess, Lady Freedom, the Goddess of Liberty. You know there’s a statue in New York harbor called the Statue of Liberty. You know where we got it from? French Free Masons. Listen folks that is an idol, a demonic idol, right there in New York harbor. People say, ‘well no it’s patriotic.’ What makes it patriotic? Why is it? It’s a statue of a false goddess, the Queen of Heaven. We don’t get liberty from a false goddess folks, we get our liberty from Jesus Christ and that Statue of Liberty in no way glorifies Jesus Christ. There is no connection whatsoever. So I’m just telling you we practice idolatry in America in ways that we don’t even recognize.

“A warning from the American Christian-Right.”
Take cover!!

Once Again Spotlighting The Dark Side Of Tupelo Miss.

Tags

AFA Tax-exempt Status, American Family Association, ant-gay propaganda, Christian-right, Fundamentalist, GLBT Americans, homosexuality, Houston Texas GLBT Political Caucus, Nazis, Southern Poverty Law Center, Texas Governor Rick Perry, Texas Independent, The Dark Side of Tupelo Mississippi

7-09-11, Once Again, Spotlighting The Dark Side Of Tupelo Mississippi: The American Family Assoc., A Pseudo-Christian, Tax Exempt, Hate Organization.

July 09-2011

The AFA’s tax exempt status is being questioned in this politically inspired event involving Texas Governor Rick Perry and others from the Fundamentalist Religious Right. I question just how far the AFA can go before being charged with violating their tax-exempt status and, not only in this particular planned event but many, many others like it as well?

“According to the Texas Independent: “The Response,” a call to prayer for a National Crisis, is being denounced by The Houston GLBT Political Caucus for the governor’s partnership with co-host, the American Family Association, a conservative Christian organization classified as a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center for promoting false, anti-gay propaganda, such as linking homosexuality with the cause of the Holocaust. Houston Press reports:

“AFA is a recognized hate group. Its primary existence is to demonize GLBT Americans and oppose equality.” said Caucus president Noel Freeman. “It is abhorrent that Governor Perry would choose to kickoff his presidential ambitions in partnership with a hate group that refers to us as Nazis, claims the Holocaust was caused by the GLBT community, and supports the eradication of people living with HIV.”

Read more from the Texas Independent

Spotlighting The Dark Side Of Tupelo Mississippi

Tags

American Family Association, Dark Side Tupelo Mississippi, female anal sex, male anal sex

 AFA Blasts Anal Sex Among Gays But Silent About Anal Sex Among Straights

Re-posted by AlBratt from PFAW’s “AFA: Gays Are Abusing The Nature Of The Design Of The Human Body” July 7, 2011

The following are quotes from AFA’s Vitalieno and Wiggins:

“Vitagliano: Our perspective here at AFA has been not only a biblical one, we’ve made this point numerous times, but it is also a physiological, a biological, a natural law perspective. And that perceptive is humankind is divided into male and female and the male and female have different – you know, I don’t want to make this a biology lesson – but different organs that are designed for, well, intercourse. And so the fact of the matter is homosexuals can only imitate that and this is the primary reason why the sexually transmitted disease rates and infection rates are so high in, especially, the gay male community. They are abusing their body and they are abusing the nature of the design of the human body.

And so you don’t even have to be a Christian or an orthodox Jew or a Muslim to argue against the unnaturalness of homosexual activity. We’re not saying that people should be beaten up because they’re gay or persecuted because they’re homosexual, we’re just simply saying that our society should not develop as a world view that this is a natural and normal and healthy activity, because it’s not.[At least it’s not to these two homophobic weirdos despite the fact some of their fellow- heterosexual friends are totally involved in it.]

Wiggins: When you look at the standards for the paste or the crayons that go into a classroom, how stringent the government is on the materials that a child can use because of health and safety regulations, but they want to teach a child that it’s okay to be gay even though you can catch something that will kill you in a most horrific way that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

[…]And also, when you use something – just to piggyback off of Ed – when you use something that it’s not designed for, bad things happen.[And so it goes with mixing the Christmas cake batter with a commode plunger in the presence of your out-of-town family members!] Why do you think they tell you don’t use your screwdriver to open up paint can lids? It wasn’t designed for that. It could break. And that’s what we’re seeing. You go against the unnatural [sic] state of things and things break down.”

**********

One report I Binged from the WWW gives an update on the status of anal sex as currently practiced by heterosexual American men and women that I consider relevant to this debate:

“Every couple of years, another once-scandalous sex taboo starts making its way toward the commonplace. A decade ago, bjs were what people whispered about; then three-ways became the naughty bedroom act. Now, it’s anal sex—but ,…according to some researchers, … it’s rapidly becoming a regular feature of hetero couples’ horizontal activities. The survey, released last year, showed that 38.2 percent of men between 20 and 39 and 32.6 percent of women ages 18 to 44 engage in heterosexual anal sex. Compare that with the … 1992 National Health survey, which found that only 25.6 percent of men 18 to 59 and 20.4 percent of women 18 to 59 indulged in it.

Anecdotal research also demonstrates curiosity is on the rise. … “More and more, people are devoting themselves to learning about axxl pleasure,” …. “Male-to-female axxl sex has been happening since the dawn of time,” …. “What’s different now is that women are actively learning how to enjoy it and have fun with it.” Whoa, Nellie!, Whoa!

“I first did it with my husband,” says , a recently divorced thirtysomething…. “It was a regular part of our married sex life, and I enjoyed it….”

“Whoa,” Nellie, and I mean “Whoa”this time!

Nellie, old girl, you are standing right at the front door of the entrance to the American Family Association, also known all across America as “The Dark Side of Tupelo, Mississippi”— lets go someplace in Tupelo where the light shines through and the air is not so stale. Giddyup, Nellie!

Abortion Is Slowly Becoming Legal In Name Only

Tags

America, Christian-right, Conservative Politicians, religion and God, Sally Steenland, state laws, womens reproductive rights

Beware, women, your reproductive rights are being trampled in the mud by Republican Conservative Politicians and their Goon Squads within the Christian-Right. Become active and work to cancel their initiatives before it is too late! 

When does a legal right become theoretical instead of real? If you want to know the answer, take a look at what’s happening to reproductive rights. States across the country are denying women what they need to protect their health and plan their families. And they’re often doing so in the name of religion and God. The laws, which we review below, should concern any American who cares about women’s reproductive health.

Read more from Sally Steenland here…

Spotlighting The Dark Side Of Tupelo Mississippi

Tags

AFA, American Muslims, biblical law, bigotry, Bryan Fischer, Christians, Constitution, Dark Side Tupelo Mississippi, gays, GOD, human rights, lesbians, Native Americans, Progressives, Religious Right, Republican Party

Part One: “The GOP’s Favorite Hate-Monger: How The Republican Party Came To Embrace [AFA’s] Bryan Fischer”

Excerpt re-posted by Al Bratton from PFAW , July 1, 2011

Introduction:

Responsible politicians wouldn’t fawn over an unhinged activist who opposes civil rights and religious freedom for minorities, wants to make being gay a crime and decries his personal rivals as enemies of God, right? But that is exactly what is taking place today in the Republican Party, as likely and declared GOP presidential candidates line up to win the approval of Bryan Fischer, a radio talk show host and spokesman for the American Family Association.

Fischer’s unabashed bigotry is on full display throughout his writings and on-air rants. His entire career is based on leveling venomous attacks against gays and lesbians, American Muslims, Native Americans, progressives and other individuals and groups he detests. He wants to redefine the Constitution to protect only Christians, persecute and deport all American Muslims, prohibit gays and non-Christians from holding public office and impose a system of biblical law.

While Fischer’s views are undeniably shocking, what is most disturbing is his growing influence within not only the Religious Right but also the Republican Party.

(Read Part Two from PFAW next tme)

Back To Where We Started

Re-posted by Al Bratton from Mike Lux “Back To Where We Started” originally posted on HP, July 1, 2011.

Two hundred thirty-five years ago, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia voted to declare independence from Britain. From our very earliest days, this country has been involved in a heated debate about our collective soul, a foundational debate about what we stand for and what kind of people we want to be. Our founding fathers had a dream, but there were people who were afraid to change and wanted to rely on the traditions and rulers that were in place. Then as now, the debate raged over equality and democracy and the nature of tyranny, over whether we were indeed one people with equal opportunities and rights or whether the elites should be able to do whatever they want.

Read the complete article here…