Yearly Archives: 2004

Reportedly, such leaders as the Rev. Jerry Falwell and Republican Rep. John Hostettler of Indiana, flush with what they see as a successful right-wing revolution, believe they can make the federal courts virtually powerless.
Rep. Hostettler, addressing a special legislative briefing of the Christian Coalition last month in Washington, reportedly talked at length about a bill he plans to introduce. It would deny federal courts the right to hear cases challenging the Defense of Marriage Act, which bans same-sex marriage.
“Congress controls the federal judiciary,” Rep. Hostettler was quoted as saying. “If Congress wants to, it can refer all cases to the state courts. Congress can say the federal courts have limited power to enforce their decision.”
Apparently, the Hoosier congressman has not heard of the balance of power among the three arms of our government. He was quoted as telling the Christian Coalition members:
“When the courts make unconstitutional decisions, we should not enforce them. Federal courts have no army or navy… The court can opine, decide, talk about, sing, whatever it wants to do. We’re not saying they can’t do that. At the end of the day, we’re saying the court can’t enforce its opinions.”

The Washington Post last week published with its newspaper a magazine ad supplement, bought by religious right groups, that is full of blatant anti-gay junk science, most of it put together by discredited quack “scientist” Paul Cameron, a man who has been thrown out of the American Psychological Association, the Nebraska Psychological Association, and the American Sociological Association, and who has been condemned by the court for providing false information in court: In his written opinion in Baker v. Wade (1985), Judge Buchmeyer of the U.S. District Court of Dallas referred to “Cameron’s sworn statement that ‘homosexuals abuse children at a proportionately greater incident than do heterosexuals,'” and concluded that “Dr. Paul Cameron…has himself made misrepresentations to this Court” and that “There has been no fraud or misrepresentations except by Dr. Cameron.”
Among the junk science claims the magazine is promoting:
– sexual orientation isn’t genetic
– gays die at the age of 41
– gay people are unfit parents
The magazine was targeted at African Americans, and included a number of debunked “quotes” from Martin Luther King, who’s wife, Coretta Scott King, an active supporter of gay and lesbian civil rights, has repeated discredited.
You can read some of the mind-bending anti-gay hatred here: Download a zip file of pictures of the magazine pages.
Contact the Post’s ombudsman, Mike Getler:
– ombudsman@washpost.com
– (202) 334-7582

And on it, he tells the whole story of what he saw, without spin or hype from the government.

Yep, check it out… while military families are selling yellow ribbon magnets to get money to buy their soldiers body armor, Bush just set aside some of your tax money to buy himself a presidential yacht.

The Senate voted 65-30 for the legislation late on Saturday that sets aside funds for a range of priorities including a presidential yacht, foreign aid and energy.
…
Democrats fumed that Republican leaders had cut crucial funding for education, health and the environment.

Just when you thought the religious right had truly gone off the deep end, they pull out another one. This time, the American “Family” Association is reading homosexuality into the Shark Tale movie.
See, the movie is about this shark kid who’s a vegetarian, and his shark father is embarrassed about it, and wonders why his kid has to be “different” than all the other sharks. The American Family (NutJob) Association thinks this is “code” for homosexuality. And at one point in the movie, the shark kid hides by dressing up as a dolphin. The AF(N)A thinks this is “code” for cross-dressing.
Seriously. Although nothing like that is really intended in the movie, the movie’s messages of tolerance for the differences of others, and the importance of being who you really are, are being interpreted as a political message.
Whatever you do, don’t let them watch Rudolph this Xmas season. Because who knows what they would see Rudolph’s nose as code for… and the happy ending where Rudolph gets to guide the sleigh because of his “special difference”…. blasphemy!!

My response to Kip Tew’s polite e-mail to me. Although he was nice in not chastizing me about the harshness of my remarks, I do still disagree with his position on this issue.