March 2010

As we noted last week, Liberty University has recently begun playing hardball and throwing its political weight around in anticipation of the upcoming Lynchburg City Council election.

Last month, Liberty was miffed when the City Council refused to designate Liberty's campus as the local polling place, accusing the Council of trying to disenfranchise Liberty students. 

Shortly thereafter, Liberty rolled out a massive registration and get out the vote effort aimed at Liberty students and alumni, urging them to show up and vote in the City Council election in May in an effort to elect a Council more willing to do LU's bidding.

Then, last week, LU started pressuring the City Council to change its zoning status, arguing that the current regulations its faces are onerous, unfair, and stifiling its growth and upped the pressure by asking the Council to fast-track the request so that the change can be implemented before the May election, ostensibly to remove it as a possible election issue, though LU fully admits that it is more or less sending councilmembers a message that if they don't grant LU's request, they'll be voted out of office.

As LU is trying to publicly strong-arm the Lynchburg City Council, they are also secretly recording meetings between the University and city officials: 

A discussion about Liberty University’s zoning status heated up during a City Council meeting Tuesday when LU officials revealed they had secretly videotaped a recent meeting with the mayor and city manager.

“This is pretty shocking,“ Vice Mayor Bert Dodson said.

“I have a knot in my stomach that wasn’t there 10 minutes ago,“ Councilman Michael Gillette said, adding he was dismayed by the lack of trust this demonstrated.

Dodson and Gillette both criticized LU for recording Mayor Joan Foster and City Manager Kimball Payne without their knowledge. LU officials, in turn, said they made the recording in order to ensure there was an accurate transcript of the conversation and to guard against future misrepresentations.

LU Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. is the one who authorized the recording, saying he did so because city council candidates have been misrepresenting LU's demands.

A few weeks ago we noted that Jim Garlow had been tapped to head Newt Gingrich's organization, Renewing American Leadership, where he will focus on getting pastors involved in cultural and social issues:

Much of what Garlow will be focusing on includes re-educating pastors about their moral and ethical responsibility to speak out on cultural issues impacting their flocks and their families. He said too many pastors have strayed from the historical context of when the pulpit was the main communicating point for social issues.

“I think most people realize the Bible has a lot to say about coming to Christ and growing in Christ,” the Wesleyan pastor, who has authored 11 books, said. “And then, in a process of time many people realize it has a lot to say about marriage and family, and lots to say about relationships. Most people would say the Bible has a lot to say about the nature of the church and how it is supposed to function, but what seems to be lacking so much is an awareness that the Bible actually speaks to the issue of national formation and how a nation is to function.”

He said clergy and other Christian leaders have become intimidated by secularist threats and with the notion that speaking out from the pulpit may offend their flock.

“What is so frustrating is there was a time when the pulpits thundered with the truth of the issues of civil governance and we’ve been largely emasculated. We’ve lost any sense of boldness of voice,” Garlow said.

But rest assured, even though he has teamed up with the likes of Gingrich to run an organization "dedicated to educating, organizing, training and mobilizing people of faith to renew American self-government and America’s role in the world," this is going to be a strictly non-partisan effort: 

Garlow describes his political passion more as a hobby that is completely separate from role he will play for ReAl.

“It’s a very distinct thing,” he said. “It comes from quite a different angle. It comes from a biblical (perspective), and my historical and theology training.”

...

In his pursuit of Judeo-Christian values, Garlow stressed his campaign will not be partisan.

“I did not sign up to be part of a party, Republican or Democrat or independent or tea party,” he said. “I did not sign up to identify with any candidate, including even Newt Gingrich. Although personally I hope he runs.

“I signed up for one reason, and that is because it causes the pulpit to be used for what it is supposed to be, and that is the bully pulpit; not bullying and tearing people down; but bullying in terms of influence and range, to speak to certain issues in the culture.”

Whether it’s dealing with the culture, politics, religious freedoms or the inherent issues that stem from being a church pastor, Garlow said his vision is to direct everything to the cross.

“I don’t have an interest in being over identified with a party,” he said. “I have a great interest in being identified with biblical issues. That was something I weighed very extensively. I was real clear and up front with (Gingrich). I said, ‘You need to know, though, I’m a patriot, and I’m American, I’m a proud American, I have no interest in elevating the country at the price of or failure to be able to exalt Christ.”

Sure, just like his Prop. 8, Better Courts Now, and Wilderness Outcry activism is all non-partisan.

Earlier this week, a man named Norman Leboon was arrested for posting a video threatening to kill Rep. Eric Cantor and it was soon revealed that Leboon had made some 2,000 videos that contained pseudo-religious incantations with random warnings and threats, including videos that targeted President Obama, Vice President Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid as well as threats against judges, David Duke, and even against the movie "Babe."

So it seems pretty clear to everyone that Leboon's myriad of threats were most likely driven by some sort of mental illness ... everyone, that is, except the Family Research Council which claims that Leboon's threat against Cantor is part of a "clear pattern of intimidation that comes from many homosexual activists": 

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and his family were the targets of a death threat for which a Philadelphia man was arrested on Monday. While the media reported the threat against Rep. Cantor, they didn't point out that the suspect, Norman Leboon, claimed on his YouTube website that he is the "Messiah" of "gays and lesbians" and asks his homosexual "children" to leave the armed forces so that he might "smite" those remaining. This was not an insignificant omission. There is a clear pattern of intimidation that comes from many homosexual activists.

In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court will take up the issue next month in a case that springs from the Washington State ballot measure to protect marriage. As they have in Massachusetts, California and elsewhere, homosexual activists in Washington State resorted to civic terrorism to intimidate those who signed the ballot measure. The question in this case is whether or not those who sign can do so without their names being publicly released. The evidence is mounting that those who are trumpeting the call for tolerance, have little tolerance for those they disagree with.

• The person responsible for the $2000 RNC expense at a bondage-themed nightclub has been fired.
• And Concerned Women for America is still very upset about the whole thing.
• Janet Porter says that President Obama's views toward Israel are "racist."
• Rob Schenck of Faith and Action and Pat Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition will honor the fifth anniversary of Terri Schiavo's death by protesting the White House.
• The Media Research Center seems unable to understand the importance of context.
• Finally, the quote of the day from the FRC's Tom McClusky: "[I]f it was argued during his two terms in office that Bill Clinton was 'our first black President' because of his supposed liberal policies that would benefit African-Americans ... shouldn’t Barack Obama already be our 'first gay President' due to his liberal policies pushing the homosexual agenda?"

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott stopped by Nacogdoches last night to speak at Vision America's "Guardian of the Family" Gala and accept the organization's "Texas Guardian of the Family Award" ... and judging by the speech he delivered, it's easy to see why Vision America felt he deserved the honor:

Stoking patriotic sentiments among the crowd, made up of various Christian congregations and local elected officials, Abbott read off a list of politically pointed quips that parodied comedian Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a redneck" one-liners that were popular in the 1990s.

"You might be a true American if it never occurred to you to be offended by the phrase 'one nation under God.' You might be a true American if you've never protested against a public display of the Ten Commandments," he said. "You might be a true American if at Christmas time you still say 'Merry Christmas' as opposed to 'Happy Winter Festival.'"

But on a more serious note, the state attorney general also addressed his appeal to a Texas judge's decision to grant two Dallas men who were married in Massachusetts a divorce this past October. Abbott claimed that because Texas already has a ban on same-sex marriages, allowing the divorce of the two men would retroactively recognize same-sex marriages.

"Marriage is not man-made law. It's man's decision to adopt God's law. Man cannot redefine God's law, and yet they still try," Abbott said. "This is the first time that any judge has ruled that traditional marriage laws violate the U.S. Constitution."

The ruling judge in that case argued that the courts do indeed have jurisdiction to dissolve legal marriages from other states, and just last month, another such same-sex divorce was approved by another judge in Austin. Abbott has also sought an appeal to that case involving two women, also married in Massachusetts ... Abbott then praised his own defense of a 2003 law that requires public school students to begin their school day by observing a mandatory one-minute of silence in order to pray, reflect or remain quiet. The courts upheld the constitutionality of the moment-of-silence law because it did not require that students use it exclusively for prayer.

Abbott had to duck out early because he was scheduled to make an appearance on Fox News' "The Sean Hannity Show."  But before leaving, he made sure to stress the need for Christians to mobilize politically:

"Think what the country would look like if 100 percent of the people who worship God voted their values in each election. Together they would ensure a country that is more reflective of a God that gave us our inalienable rights," he said.

This June, Lou Engle will be pairing with other prophetic intercessors such as Ron Luce, Jim Garlow,* and Dutch Sheets for 5 days of Call-like prayer and fasting on a ranch near Poplar Bluff, Missouri called "Wilderness Outcry":

In September of 2009 Lou Engle (founder and leader of TheCall) and I stood on this property praying about the possibility of using it for just such a purpose. It is very hard to describe the feeling that overtakes a person as he or she steps onto this beautiful land—God’s presence is truly there. As Lou and I prayed, dreaming of thousands of people gathering there before the Lord, Lou, knowing nothing about Jerry’s prayers, suddenly began to exclaim, "this is Isaiah 44:4!"

God is indeed coming to Poplar Bluff, Missouri this summer to fulfill Isaiah 44:3-5, “I will pour out water on the thirsty…I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring…they will spring up like poplars by streams…one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’…and another will write on his hand, ‘Belonging to the Lord’…” I truly believe this has the potential to help launch the Third Great Awakening in America. Be a part of God recapturing His dream for America. I assure you this is His idea—and He will come! It’s not a camp, it’s a consecration!

Organizer Dutch Sheets explains that the nation must come together in prayer and repentance to ask God to forgive us for having elected President Obama and the Democrats ... and even then, "our only hope [is] for a reduced sentence. Judgment cannot be fully averted but it can be lessened":

If God brought corrective but serious judgment to Israel, we are horribly deceived if we think it will not happen to us. If something doesn’t happen to lessen this judgment—and it can be lessened–we are headed for very difficult times. The economy is going to be devastated. The stock market will go well below where it went a few months back—a crash is coming, and soon. More terrorism and violence will occur in our land, perhaps even war. In my spirit I’ve seen buildings crumbling and cities burning. Devastating natural disasters will take place. In general, hard times will be prevalent. Why is this so? Because we have turned from God and His ways. Consider the true condition of America. This assessment is bleak but accurate.

1) Our government is in decay. The current leaders of Congress promote homosexuality, abortion and socialism, while arrogantly ignoring God and the wishes of the people. They are proud, power-hungry, self- serving, career politicians, not the statesmen/women we so desperately need. Our President fits the same description. Along with the above, while honoring—in the White House—the Muslim day of prayer, homosexual activists and a coalition of atheists, he refused to honor the time-honored traditions surrounding the National Day of Prayer. And along with Congress and the President, we have many Judges with no regard for God’s word, the Constitution or our true history. The predictable verdict is in: America is in a moral and spiritual crisis of such magnitude that it is almost unbelievable.

...

It is not too late for America. Together we can release the transforming effect of a Third Great Awakening. If Woodstock 40 years ago could change a nation, what could thousands of believers crying out to God for several days accomplish?!

* UPDATE: Jim Garlow has informed us that he was in no way involved with this event.  Our apologies for mistakenly asserting that he was.

You have got to admire Gary Cass and his Christian Anti-Defamation Commission for their dedication to highlighting attacks on Christians ... even if they have to completely make them up.

Take, for instance, his latest press release accusing the media of defaming Christians by referring to the militia in Michigan that was raided by the FBI over the weekend as "Christians":

"Many mainstream media outlets, like ABC and CNN, are irresponsibly reporting that those arrested in Michigan in the alleged plot to murder law enforcement officers are 'Christians,'" said Dr. Gary Cass of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission. "Even if they identify themselves as Christians, what they were allegedly planning is absolutely contrary to Christianity. They may have illicitly co-opted the Christian faith to justify their murderous intentions, but it is defamatory for the media to keep referring to them as Christians. They are simply terrorists."

According to ABC news website, "[a] family of four was behind an anti-government militia plot to kill law enforcement officers with improvised explosive devices and projectiles before being foiled by an FBI raid Sunday that netted nine members of a Christian extremist group, ... the fringe Christian militia group called the Hutaree [conspired] to kill a Michigan law enforcement officer and then ambush the officer's colleagues who would have gathered for the funeral...." CNN news website displayed the headline, "Christian Warrior" Militia Accused in Plot to Kill Police.

"I find it hypocritical that news organizations will not call someone who carries out Jihad in accordance to his faith what he really is, an Islamic terrorist, for fear of offending Muslims. But when some insane person claims to be a Christian and does something completely contrary to the Christian faith, the media keeps making the libelous association," said Cass. "It's time for the news media to stop this transparent double standard."

First of all, I don't know what world Cass is living in if he thinks that the media doesn't mention the religion of those who attempt to carry out terrorist attacks.

And secondly, maybe the media is referring to Hutaree as a "Christian militia" because Hutaree declares itself to be a Christian militia: 

HUTAREE; Christian Warrior

As christians we all are a part of the Souls of the Body of Christ, the one true church of Christ. Not any specific man made building or any man controlled organization. This is the belief of the Hutaree soldier, as should the belief of all followers in Christ be.

We believe that one day, as prophecy says, there will be an Anti-Christ. All christians must know this and prepare, just as Christ commanded. Luke 22:35-37, And He said to them, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?” So they said, “Nothing.” 36, Then he said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. 37, “For I say to you that this which is written must be accomplished in me: ‘And He was numbered with transgressors,’ For the things concerning Me have an end.” This clearly states the reason for the training and preparation of the Hutaree.

• The RNC spent nearly $2,000 at a bondage-themed nightclub, the RNC says Chairman Michael Steele had nothing to do with it, and Concerned Women for America is outraged over the whole thing.
• When the Minutemen urged activists to come to the border "locked, loaded, and ready," they apparently were alarmed when activists took that literally.
• Americans United is distinctly unimpressed with Liberty Counsel's "Adopt a Liberal" cards.
• Could you stand seven hours of Glenn Beck? Me either, but Will Bunch sat through Beck's recent rally.
• CREW has filed a complaint with the FTC and IRS against Sean Hannity, his Freedom Concerts, the Freedom Alliance and Lt. Col. Oliver North for engaging in illegal and deceptive marketing practices.
• Finally, if you ever needed proof that the GOP now works for Fox News, you need look no further.

Last week, Debra Lehrmann faced off in a debate against Rick Green the Chuck-Norris-approved-Alan-Keyes-supported-WallBuilders'-employed-pseudo-historian-TEA-Party-Religious-Right-activist, heading into the run-off election for a spot on the Texas Supreme Court next month, during which he compared himself to Sarah Palin, saying that the myriad of complaints about his suspect ethics while in office were little more than liberal persecution because, after all, "they only tackle the guy with the ball."

He also posted a new campaign video in which dismissed his complete lack of judicial experience by saying that Texas voters won't "be fooled by this pretentious argument" that such experience is necessary. In fact, Green says, his lack of judicial experience will bring variety to the court, which is especially important during these "serious, serious times":

Our nation is in a debate right now about whether we're going to march down the road to socialism with this President and Congress or whether we'll rediscover and return to those made America the most successful nation in history.  The only way to renew those principles and protect them for future generations is if we elect leaders at every branch of government - that's the legislative, the executive, and the judiciary - and at every level of government - local, state, and federal.  We must elect leaders that understand and value those principles and will defend those principles from the branch within which serve ... If you want to send a message to Austin, to Washington, DC, and indeed straight to the White House that Texans are not going to let the Constitution of the United States of America be trampled upon, then vote for Rick Green for the Texas Supreme Court.

While Green claims to respect the idea that the judicial branch is completely different from the legislative branch and therefore requires a completely different mindset, you'd never know if from the nakedly political campaign he's been running. 

A few weeks ago, Alan Colmes had Janet Porter on his radio program to discuss her prayer that God would take control of the media away from the unreighteous and give it to people like her and during the course of the interview Colmes asked her about some of the guests that she had hosted on her radio program, such as Jane Burgermeister who Porter brought on to discuss her claims that the swine vaccine was part of a plot by the Obama White House, along with the FBI, WHO, UN, Federal Reserve, and NATO, to commit mass genocide against the US population via bioterrorism.

Porter's responded that just because she had someone on her radio program, that didn't mean that she agreed with their views. But that was, as we pointed out, complete nonsense because Porter never brings people on to her show in order to debate their views; she brings people on to her program for the sole purpose of sharing their views with her audience.

Case in point: her guest from last Friday's program was Dr. Katherine Albrecht, who Porter brought on to discuss her campaign against the use of RFID chips, which she believes are the Mark of the Beast spoken of in the Book of Revelation.

Back in 2007, Porter was already a supporter of this view, saying that she could not support then GOP presidential candidate Tommy Thompson because of his ties to a company that manufactured such RFID chips:

If this chip is truly a pre-curser to the Mark of the Beast, it may happen soon anyway, but the way I see it, it doesn't have to happen "on our watch." And we don't have to play a role in expediting it. Just another reason why Tommy Thompson's not getting my vote.

On Friday, Albrecht and Porter spent the entire hour of her program discussing how RFID chips and any sort of national ID were, in reality, the Mark of the Beast which will doom anyone who accepts one to an eternity in Hell:

Last week, the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer reacted to the passage of health care reform legislation with utter fury, declaring that it signaled the death of America and warning that unless the individual state's asserted their rights under 10th Amendment and stopped its implementation, it would lead to bloodshed.

In case there by any doubt that Fisher is entirely serious about the prospect of violent armed revolution in response to this legislation, rest assured that he is:

The American people are overwhelmingly opposed to the implementation of MussoliniCare. It is heavy-handed and repressive and is a worse form of oppression than any the Crown imposed on the Colonies in the 1770s.

It is a shocking thing almost beyond comprehension that our president intends to lock up his own citizens for refusing to cooperate with a wholly unconstitutional mandate which forces us at gunpoint to purchase a product as a condition of maintaining what remains of our liberty.

The Intolerable Acts were passed by the British Parliament on virtually the same day in 1774 the Democrats passed MussoliniCare in 2010. The passage of the Intolerable Acts in 1774 led directly to the convening of the Continental Congress which produced the Declaration of Independence and prompted Americans to defend their newly declared liberty with the force of arms.

The question immediately arises as to what remedies the states and the people within them possess to resist the tyranny imposed on us by the Intolerable Act of 2010.

Fischer goes on to quote James Madison at length, highlighting Madison's calls for armed revolution, saying that while he hopes it never comes to that, if it fails he hopes that people will rise up and use all "morally and constitutionally justified means" to resist the "tyranny of a repressive central government":

Let us fervently hope and pray that things do not come to this pass, and that our state officials will exercise their constitutional authority to protect their own citizens by flatly refusing to meekly submit to this gross abuse of power.

But let us also hope that the Father of the Constitution was right, that no free people will in the end submit to the tyranny of a repressive central government, and that they will, as a last resort, use all the morally and constitutionally justified means at their disposal to defend their inalienable rights to life, liberty and property. Otherwise, we are serfs and not citizens.

Allow me to point out, again, that just two weeks ago Fischer was featured on the Family Research Council's anti-health care reform webcast along with Rep. Tom Price, (R-GA), Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN).

• TPM's Justin Elliot: Charges Reduced Against O'Keefe In Landrieu Case.
• Joe.My.God: Rachel Maddow Takes Out Full-Page Ad Against Sen. Scott Brown.
• Minnesota Independent's Andy Birkey: Bachmann’s campaign finance errors a “serious problem.”
• Alan Colmes: Group Wants “Confederate Southern American” As Census Category.
• Crooks and Liars: Tea Party organizer sued over Sarah Palin's speaking fees.
• Media Matters: No "racial slurs"? Wash. Times tea partier apparently can't read his own sign.
• Finally, this is indeed classic.

Yesterday, Jim Wallis and Sojourners announced the release of something called "A Covenant For Civility: Come Let Us Reason Together,” which seeks to create a more civil discourse on controversial issues of the day and consisted of seven specific vows:

1) We commit that our dialogue with each other will reflect the spirit of the Scriptures, where our posture toward each other is to be “quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19).

2) We believe that each of us, and our fellow human beings, are created in the image of God. The respect we owe to God should be reflected in the honor and respect we show to each other in our common humanity, particularly in how we speak to each other. “With the tongue we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God …. this ought not to be so” (James 3:9, 10).

3) We pledge that when we disagree, we will do so respectfully, without impugning the other’s motives, attacking the other’s character, or questioning the other’s faith, and recognizing in humility that in our limited, human opinions, “we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror” (1 Corinthians 13:12). We will therefore “be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2).

4) We will ever be mindful of the language we use in expressing our disagreements, being neither arrogant nor boastful in our beliefs: “Before destruction one’s heart is haughty, but humility goes before honor” (Proverbs 18:12).

5) We recognize that we cannot function together as citizens of the same community, whether local or national, unless we are mindful of how we treat each other in pursuit of the common good in the common life we share together. Each of us must therefore “put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body” (Ephesians 4:25).

6) We commit to pray for our political leaders—those with whom we may agree, as well as those with whom we may disagree. “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made … for kings and all who are in high positions” (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

7) We believe that it is more difficult to hate others, even our adversaries and our enemies, when we are praying for them. We commit to pray for each other, those with whom we agree and those with whom we may disagree, so that together we may strive to be faithful witnesses to our Lord, who prayed “ that they may be one” (John 17:22).

More than 100 leaders signed on, but only a handful were recognizable Religious Right leader:  Harry Jackson, Samuel Rodriguez, Robert George, and Chuck Colson.

Let's see, Rodriguez recently particiapted in the right-wing anti-health care reform "prayercast" where he declared "the same spirit of Herod who 2000 years ago attempted to exterminate the life of the Messiah today lives even America. The legislation that incorporates death and infanticide all under the capopy of reform."

Jackson has been militantly crusading against marriage equality in Washington DC , declaring that it is an effort by gays to oppress blacks and warning of "bloodletting" if the issue is not put to a vote.

And Colson, who believes that gay marriage causes terrorism, recently teamed up with George to produce The Manhattan Declaration, which they sold as Christians' last hope for preventing America from sliding into totalitarianism and Nazi-like dictatorship.

So you'll have to forgive me if I'm a little skeptical of their pledge to "be mindful of the language" they use and to stop "impugning the other’s motives, attacking the other’s character, or questioning the other’s faith."

WSFA 12 News in Alabama reports that local doctor Randy Brinson is concerend about what health care reform will do to his practice:

Montgomery Doctor 'Troubled' By New Health Care Law

Brinson says he literally read every page, every word of the monster bill over 3 days.

"That is totally different with the way medical care is delivered today," said Dr. Brinson.

A conclusion critics and supporters of the new law agree on. It's the middle part of the 2,700 page bill that troubles Dr. Brinson ...Troubling because Dr. Brinson says medical professionals in the state have a far better idea how to serve the underserved than someone sitting in Washington.

Of course, Brinson is a bit more than just a concerened Montgomery doctor:

Dr. Brinson is the head of the Christian Coalition of Alabama. He's a Republican but insists his concerns over the health care law have nothing to do with party politics.

Now why would anyone think that Brinson's opposition to health care reform legislation might have anything to do with partisan politics?

This weekend's health care showdown in Congress will test the political clout of evangelical Protestant activists, including former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who are rushing to muster mass opposition to the Democratic bill endorsed by President Obama.

Dr. Randy Brinson, founder of Redeem the Vote, said evangelical leaders will target first-time voters, including Catholics, particularly in the Midwest, and voters not normally involved in religious or social activism, with an appeal highlighted by an e-mail from Mr. Huckabee.

Over the next few days, Mr. Huckabee's name, picture and words will appear on what organizers say will be "millions of electronic messages" urging voters to tell lawmakers to stand firm against the health care bill, set for a climactic vote Sunday in the House.

Mr. Huckabee, who ran for the 2008 Republican presidential nod, has teamed up with the Rev. Rick Scarborough of Vision America and Dr. Brinson, a Montgomery, Ala., founder of Optimum Impact LLC, which he describes as the "largest purveyor of e-mail data regarding political messaging."

"President Obama, [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi and [Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid are doing everything in their power to push through a health care bill that would mandate federally funded abortions, along with a host of other issues that the American people have clearly said they don't want," Mr. Huckabee claims in his e-mail pitch ... The Huckabee e-mails will go to constituents of eight pro-life House Democrats who are considered on the fence or were heavily lobbied by Mr. Obama and Democratic leaders.

We've already written several posts about Rick Green, the Chuck-Norris-approved-Alan-Keyes-supported-WallBuilders'-employed-pseudo-historian-TEA-Party-Religious-Right-activist who has made it into a run-off election for a seat on the Texas Supreme Court despite the fact that he has exactly zero judicial experience. 

And we've noted already that he's been endorsed by a who's who of local and national right-wingers, including David Barton, Mat Staver, Kelly Shackelford, and even Steve Hotze:

Now Hotze may not be a household name, but even by the standards of your average Texas right-winger, he is something special. 

He was behind the anti-gay mailings targeting Houston mayoral candidate Annise Parker last year and he has a long history of weilding his influence in right-wing Texas politics: 

Thin and long-faced, 46-year-old Steven Forrest Hotze has carved out a niche in local politics over the past decade as an unyielding and occasionally strident opponent of abortion and public acceptance of homosexuality. He may not be a household name outside Republican circles, but within the party he is admired by a devout coterie of followers, catered to by secular conservatives and feared by moderates, who find themselves in a position of needing his approval to win nominations in GOP primaries. Those summoned to kiss his ring encounter a tough, uncompromising zealot who is used to getting his own way.

...

It's a considerable amount of clout for someone whose stated beliefs place him to the right of the religious right. "If we are to survive as a free nation, and if justice and liberty are to be restored in our land, then biblical Christianity, with its absolutes, must once again be embraced by our citizens," he wrote several years back in a Chronicle op-ed piece. "Only then can we expect to see Christianity's influence once again to be reflected in the laws of our civil government."

As the Houston Press reported a few years back, Hotze's medical credentials and views are also rather suspect:

Hotze was able to better articulate his views in 1986, when he was one of dozens of ministers, professionals and laypersons who signed the Coalition on Revival's Manifesto for the Christian Church. The coalition claims on its Web site to be a national network of religious leaders aligned in a mission "to help the Church rebuild civilization on the principles of the Bible so God's will may be done on earth as it is in heaven." They want all aspects of life -- government, science and education -- to adhere to fundamental biblical beliefs. These beliefs include the following:

• A wife may work outside the home only with her husband's consent

• "Biblical spanking" that results in "temporary or superficial bruises or welts" should not be considered a crime

• No doctor shall provide medical service on the Sabbath

• All disease and disability is caused by the sin of Adam and Eve

• Medical problems are frequently caused by personal sin

• "Increased longevity generally results from obedience to specific Biblical commands"

• Treatment of the "physical body" is not a doctor's highest priority

• Doctors have a priestly calling

• People receiving medical treatment are not immune from divine intervention or demonic forces

• Physicians should preach to their patients because salvation is the key to their health

• "Christians need better health to have more energy, tolerate more stress, get depressed less often, and be more creative than our non-Christian counterparts for the advancement of God's Kingdom."

Last week, Rick Green made a campaign stop at Hotze's Wellness Center:

Wonderful visit with Dr. Steve Hotze at his Wellness Center on Friday. What a Blessing he is to SOOO many people!!!

• Matt Barber continues to attack the SPLC for labeling Peter LaBarbera's Americans for Truth a hate website while LaBarbera takes pride in the designation.
• Rep. Michele Bachmann spoke at a Susan B. Anthony List fund-raiser last night where she declared that she was among the first to highlight President Obama's "anti-American views ... and now I look like Nostradamus.”
• Speaking of the Susan B. Anthony List, Sarah Palin will be headlining their "Celebration of Life Breakfast" in May.
• Operation Rescue says that it has been inundated with hateful messages and death threats for its opposition to health care reform.
• Not surprisingly, the Family Research Council does not like the new Don't Ask, Don't Tell guidelines.
• Concerned Women for America claims that "thousands of women we represent cannot and do not feel safe with AG [Eric] Holder directing the Department of Justice."
• Finally, behold Pat Robertson's birthday cake:

Last month, VA Gov. Bob McDonnell made news when he rolled back anti-discrimination protections for gay state workers, doing so on the grounds that such protections for "sexual orientation" had never been passed by the state legislature.

Now McDonnell is saying that he probably wouldn't even sign such a bill if one were passed by the state legislature because he doesn't think it is needed: 

Based on numbers he’s seen, Gov. Bob McDonnell said today he’s not sure the state needs a law protecting people against bias based on sexual orientation.

Asked on his monthly radio appearance on WRVA if he would sign such a bill, the governor said, “I don’t know that we need it based on the numbers that I’ve seen.“

“There really isn’t any rampant discrimination on any basis in Virginia,“ he said. “If you’re going to have a law, it needs to actually address a real problem.“

Of course, the very point is that "the numbers" could now potentially skyrocket, thanks specifically to McDonnell, who has made it easier to engage in "rampant discrimination" against gays in Virginia.

And so even if the state legislature then passes a bill to remedy it, McDonnell says he probably won't sign it because he doesn't think it is necessary.

Today's Roanoke Times contains this rather stunning reaction from the NRCC to the serious threats made against Virginia Congressman Tom Perriello:

While his organization doesn't condone such behavior, National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Andy Sere said Perriello is not the victim.

"Central and Southside Virginians are the ones who are going to have the bear the burden of increased taxes," he said. "What you're seeing is a frustration among his constituents who believe he's not listening to them."

But we're not talking about folks letting off steam, we're talking about life and death:

The FBI and Albemarle County officials are investigating a severed gas line from a propane tank to a gas grill on the porch of the Ivy home of Bo Perriello, a day after Lynchburg Tea Party member Mike Troxel listed the address he believed was the congressman's on his personal blog, encouraging people to protest. According to The Associated Press, a threatening note also was sent to the house.

The article also contained these rather reasonable quotes from a familiar figure:

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who has a following in the Tea Party movement, called the posting of Perriello's brother's address "appalling."

"I think that is way over the line," he said. "I don't think it's close. It's an appalling approach. It's not civil discourse. It's an invitation to intimidation."

When the NRCC makes Cuccinelli look like a voice of reason, you know the GOP has gone off the deep end.

I don't know what the Right's obsession is with protecting the sanctity of our public bathrooms, but they have recently been making it a centerpiece of their local efforts to fight proposed anti-discrimination ordinances. 

They did it Colorado and now they are doing it in Montana to justify their bigotry:

An organization called NotMyBathroom.com announced this week its opposition to a city ordinance that would protect people from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity ...So far, the only other group willing to identify itself as affiliated with NotMyBathroom.com is Concerned Women For America, said [Dallas] Erickson. CWA representatives already have come out against the proposed ordinance.

... 

The group fears the law would create "a government assigned sex," cost businesses money "to provide toilet facilities," and possibly "force ministers to perform homosexual marriages."

But NotMyBathroom.com chairman Tei Nash said the chief concern is the safety of women and children in public restrooms. He said the ordinance would give a man who "is female affirmed" the freedom to use women's restrooms.

"When he walks into the bathroom, you can't stop them," Nash said. "Is that going to surprise you and the kids? It probably is. Most women will be frightened to no end. Kids, too. They won't understand."

The argument seems to rest in part on the notion some predatory men are waiting for such an ordinance so they can attack women in bathrooms. Nash, though, said culprits will use the law as a cover and business owners won't be able to stop them.

"I don't mind saying this. It's not so much trans people. It's sexual offenders," Nash said. "This has already happened in Portland, and it's happened in Florida."

Laws protect people against sexual crimes, but Erickson also said he fears for people in the Bitterroot who come to Missoula and have to use bathrooms. Society should maintain the standard that people are born a man or a woman, he said.

"If you've got a peeping Tom that likes to see how the other side lives, all they have to do is say they're a woman today," Erickson said.

If there was ever a moment when the anti-gay Right jumped the shark, I'd have to say that NotMyBathroom.com just might be it.

• Sen. Scott Brown tries to raise money by claiming that Rachel Maddow is going to run against him.
• Maine's Catholic Diocese has de-funded a local anti-poverty group for opposing efforts to overturn the state's marriage equality law.
• Of course Orly Taitz has filed suit against health care reform.
• You know, if you are going to express "deep regret" for your actions, it usually means more if you don't then turn around and try to raise money off of it.
• Also, if you are going to accuse someone of more or less accepting a bribe, get your facts straight first.
• Finally, Rep. Bart Stupak feels the love.

Remember a few weeks ago when the Oklahoma Senate passed an amendment declaring that the state would not cooperate with any federal hate crimes investigation and even mandating that files of potential hate crimes be withheld or destroyed so that they cannot be used to assist in any such investigation? 

The purpose of the amendment was to ensure that the state did not have to abide by the expansion of the federal hate crimes laws to cover things like sexual orientation ... only it turns out that there was a problem with the text of the amendment in that it actually stripped protections for race and religion:

A bill intended to remove hate crime protections from gays and lesbians actually takes away rights from everyone else because of a “legislative error,” according to one lawmaker.

Oklahoma State Senate Minority Leader Andrew Rice, D-Oklahoma City, said when the Senate passed Senate Bill 1965 on March 10, it eliminated hate crime protections for race and religion.

The bill states local law enforcement agencies should not enforce any sections of federal law under hate crimes statutes listed under Title 18 U.S. Code Section 245 unless they are in correlation with Oklahoma’s hate crimes laws.

But the protections for sexual orientation and gender identity in the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes, which passed Congress last year, are not listed under Section 245, but Section 249

“The bill in its current form doesn’t take away rights from gays and lesbians,” Rice said. “It takes away rights for religion and race.”

Last night Alan Colmes had Wiley Drake on his program to discuss his latest call to imprecatory prayer against all 219 members of the House that voted for health care reform.

While it started out with Drake camping it up by playing songs and recalling his days in the rodeo, it quickly took a turn toward the morbidly absurd as Drake admitted that he does, in fact, want every member of Congress who voted for this legislation to die and then even promised Colmes that his name would be added to Drake's imprecatory prayer death list for his support of the legislation and the Representatives who passed it.

Colmes logically asked if that meant that Drake was therefore praying that everyone who supports this bill or these legislators should also die, to which Drake stated that since he didn't know all the names of those millions of people he couldn't offer such a prayer, but asserted that if he did know their names, he most certainly would pray for them to die as well.

Drake's position is that he is not personally causing anyone to die, as that is God's decision; he is merely fulfilling his obligation to engage in imprecatory prayer in order to "pray vengeance upon the enemies of God" and America: 

Nobody really pays much attention to the Christian Coalition any more because, frankly, they don't seem to do very much ... which is too bad because it would be really great for my blogging if they'd send out more absurdly over-the-top statements like this one:

In addition to the three previous days of infamy in American history, Sunday, March 21, 2010 will go down in history as a very infamous day full of betrayal and deceit. Japan conducted a sneak attack on America at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The United States Supreme Court in its Roe v. Wade decision on January 22, 1973 legalized abortion resulting in the brutal deaths of 50 million unborn children up to the present time. Islamic terrorists attacked America in September 11, 2001 resulting in the deaths of over 3,000 innocent souls.

This past Sunday, a day which will live in infamy -- the Lord's Day of all days -- the Democrat Party attacked the foundations of the United States of America and established the beginning of European-style socialism (and worse) in America by its vote in the United States House of Representatives ... The only good thing about Sunday's day of infamy is that unlike the attacks on America on December 7, 1941 and September 11, 2001, what the Democrat Party did to attack America -- by defying the will of the great majority of the American people and imposing ObamaCare upon them -- can be, and will be, undone by the American people. They will begin to do so on Election Day, November 2nd.

You know, it really is amazing that comparing Democrats to terrorists and traitors and Nazis has become so common among the Right that nobody even bats an eye any more. 

Earlier this week it was reported that Peter LaBarbera's Americans for Truth About Homosexuality was included on the Southern Poverty Law Center's list of anti-gay web sites.

So far, LaBarbera hasn't had anything to say about it, but now Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber has come rushing to AFT's defense, accusing the SPLC of picking on poor little Peter:

Matt Barber of Liberty Counsel tells OneNewsNow the SPLC had done a fair job during the civil rights thrust in America in identifying and labeling neo-Nazi hate groups, ones that truly fall within the definition of hate.

"They have instead turned into what amounts to a leftist, extremist, partisan, Democrat organization, and they use the credibility that they've built up over the years as a weapon against people who have an opposing worldview, particularly to oppose biblical Christianity," Barber explains.

One question is why SPLC would pick on a small ministry like AFTAH.

"They started with them and have not yet gone after groups like Focus on the Family for instance, or the Family Research Council, the American Family Association, Liberty Counsel -- other groups that adhere to biblical Christianity in terms of sexual morality," the attorney notes. "They haven't started targeting them yet because that's what bullies do. They pick on people that they perceive as smaller and weaker."

Of course, while its entirely understandable that Barber would come to LaBarbera's defense given their close ties, it's a little ironic considering that Barber's own rabidly anti-gay views will probably get his Liberty Counsel eventually added to the SPLC's list as well. 

UPDATE: It turns out that this OneNewsNow article was based on a press release issued by Barber:

• Several state Attorneys General have already filed suit against the health care reform legislation that President Obama just signed into law today.
• In related "news," the Religious Right doesn't like the health care bill and is ready to fight.
• Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott will receive the "Vision America Guardian of the Family Award" at the organization's dinner and gala on Monday, March 29.
• A tea party organizer who urged activists “to drop by” Rep. Thomas Perriello’s house to voice their displeasure with his health care vote, but mistakenly gave out the address of Perriello’s brother stands by his research skills.
• Erick Erickson is urging people to send Rep. Bart Stupak (aka "Judas") 100 pieces of silver.
• I genuinely have no idea what the point of this Catholic League press release is supposed to be.
• Finally, the quote of the day from Dennis Prager: "I write the words 'civil war' with an ache in my heart. But we are in one. Thank God this civil war is non-violent. But the fact is that the left and the rest of the country share almost no values. The American value system and the leftist value system are irreconcilable. If the left wins, America's values lose."

It appears as if legislators in Missouri have hit upon a novel way to try and draft the state's budget by asking Christian leaders to engage in 40 days of prayer to help them come up with a way to make cuts and balance the budget:

A prayer meeting to show support for lawmakers is scheduled for noon March 29 in the Capitol Rotunda.

Several Christian leaders met last week with key leaders from both chambers of the Missouri Legislature. These elected officials requested prayer to help with the pending budget cuts and to be responsible in balancing the budget and avoiding unnecessary debt.

These leaders asked Bob Loggins, prayer specialist of the Missouri Baptist Convention, and Sue Stoltz, Midwest national area leader for National Day of Prayer, for a meeting. They requested a mobilization of prayer throughout Missouri, which will include 40 days of prayer beginning March 29 and culminating May 7, the day the budget is due.

Via Alan Colmes we learn that Wiley Drake has advanced from minor leagues of praying for the death of individuals like President Obama to the big leagues of praying for the wholesale death of all 219 members of the House of Representatives who voted for health care reform:

Orange Country Pastor Wiley Drake fired off an email to his supporters this morning, telling them that all 219 Democrats have been placed on the “imprecatory prayer list.” “We’ll remember in November and pray Psalms 109 while waiting,” he urged, before listing each offending congressman by name in “Satan’s domain in Washington D.C.”

...

In recent weeks, Drake has stepped up his calls to stop the health-care bill through the death prayer, offered as part of a morning “Telephonic Imprecatory Prayer Team" conference call. After Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s wife and daughter were seriously injured in a car crash this month, Drake wrote “Since God almost let family members die, maybe Mr. Reid sees Imprecatory Prayer in a different light, ya think??”

In this newest email, Drake wrote “It is time for the saints to step up and get back in the war, between good and evil. See what God says the saints are to do in this battle.” He then quotes from Psalm 149:7 “To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people.”

• Texas Republican Rep. Randy Neugebauer admits he's the one who yelled "baby killer" at Rep. Bart Stupak.
• Andrew Schlafly has been named the new lead counsel for the committee seeking to recall Senator Robert Menendez.
• Several former Texas Supreme Court Justices, including Alberto Gonzales, have endorsed Rick Green's opponent.
• Jim Garlow last week was named chairman of Renewing American Leadership, a group Newt Gingrich formed to champion the country's Judeo-Christian heritage.
• Finally, Randall Terry is demanding that Nancy Pelosi be excommunicated and the removal of Washington DC Archbishop Donald Wuerl for not refusing her Communion.

I guess today's postings are going to consist mostly of just highlighting the absurdly over-the-top right-wing reactions to the House's passage of health care reform yesterday ... like this one from Operation Rescue's Troy Newman:

Even though I was only three years old I'll never forget watching TV with my mother as Neil Armstrong put the first footprints on the moon. It was a day to remember, a day that proudly changed our nation.

There are moments in history when you just know that the events of the day have permanently changed life as we knew it, sometimes for the better, and sometimes for the worst.

I will never forget watching the East Germans stream through the gaps of the falling Berlin Wall. The world was a different, freer, safer place after that day.

I'll never forget watching the 1989 World Series at Candlestick Park as the earth shook San Francisco to pieces.

I'll never forget sitting in Simi Valley on a Sunday afternoon with my new in-laws watching televised confirmation hearings as Clarence Thomas was being grilled like T-bone steak.

I will never forget watching the liberation of Kuwait on CNN in the middle of the night.

Of course, none of us will ever forget the morning of September 11, 2001. I watched in horror as the second plane hit the twin towers.

In the same way, I will never forget Sunday, March 21, 2010, as Rep. Bart Stupak looked me in the eye via CSPAN, and told me he would change his health care reform vote from no to yes. Mr. Stupak said he reached a deal with President Obama to protect unborn human life. But we all knew he had caved to the political pressure and was trying in vain to salvage his party standing, his political career, and whatever normalcy he could restore to his life.

...

I will never forget this day! It is a day that will go down in infamy as did the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Less than 20 years after the cold war ended against, a communist-styled president sits in Ronald Regan's office and rules with a tyrannical iron fist with the help of his Congressional counterparts. Our once-free nation has slid down the path of totalitarianism faster than if we could have been conquered by the Soviets in 1980.

March 21 did indeed change life as we knew it ... I won't forget the events of this day and while they heralded a change for the worst, I vow to be part of the revolution to unravel this mess.

The American Family Association's Bryan Fischer had not yet weighed in on the House's passage of health care reform legislation when I put together my round-up of right-wing reactions earlier this morning.

And that turned out to be a good thing, because his response deserves its own post, as he declares  4:07 p.m. on March 7, 2010 to be the exact moment that the United States died:

Rep. Bart Stupak will go down in history as a man who will live in infamy. And March 7, 2010 will go down in history likewise as a day that will live in infamy.

It is a rare thing when a nation can point to one specific moment in time in which its tragic destiny was sealed. That moment came today at 4:07 Eastern time.

For at 4:07 p.m. on March 10, 2010, Bart Stupak announced that his pro-life convictions had collapsed like a cheap tent in a slight breeze. As a result, the America we knew and loved is gone, gone, gone.

Fischer followed that post up a short time later with a new post calling on the states to resist Congress and "stand up against the tyranny of the central government" while comparing the government to trespassers and squatters who should be shot and warning that only the 10th Amendment can save this nation from bloodshed: 

Thus what Congress did yesterday in passing the monstrous MussoliniCare bill, will not only bankrupt America, it is flatly and unequivocally unconstitutional and is hated by a majority of the American people. Something is being crammed down our throats that makes us gag and vomit.

The last remedy left - other than bloodshed - is the 10th Amendment, which reserves to the states any power not delegated to the federal government. The central government is exercising a power that it does not have, and can only exercise by usurping that power from the states.

State governments can legitimately and constitutionally decide not to cooperate with the central government on the legal ground that Congress has transgressed the boundaries marked out in our founding document. The central government is trespassing on the sovereign territory of the states, and the states have every right to throw them off their property.

Trespassers can be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Squatters can be evicted. If they won't leave, they can be tossed. And in the worst case scenario, if they won't surrender peacefully, they can be shot.

Do I need to point out that just last week, Fischer was featured on the Family Research Council's anti-health care reform webcast along with Rep. Tom Price, (R-GA), Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)?

Last night, the House of Representatives voted to pass the Senate's version of health care reform legislation, making it the latest step in what has been a long and bitter process to overhaul the nation's health care system. 

And given how vehemently opposed the Right has been to this effort, it doesn't come as much of a surprise to see that their response to this development has been nothing short of apoplectic, starting with the Susan B. Anthony List which had been planning on giving Rep. Bart Stupak its "Defender of Life" Award but has now publicly rescinded the offer: 

In response to Rep. Bart Stupak's announcement that he and other self-labeled "pro-life" Democrats will vote in favor of Healthcare reform legislation with the addition of an Executive Order from the White House to address concerns about abortion funding, Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund President Marjorie Dannenfelser offered the following statement:

"This Wednesday night is our third annual Campaign for Life Gala, where we were planning to honor Congressman Stupak for his efforts to keep abortion-funding out of health care reform-we will no longer be doing so. By accepting this deal from the most pro-abortion President in American history, Stupak has not only failed to stand strong for unborn children, but also for his constituents and pro-life voters across the country.

"Let me be clear: any representative, including Rep. Stupak, who votes for this healthcare bill can no longer call themselves 'pro-life.' The Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund will not endorse, or support in any capacity, any Member of Congress who votes for this bill in any future election. Now through Election Day 2010, these representatives will learn that votes have consequences. The SBA List Candidate Fund will work tirelessly to help defeat Members who support this legislation and make sure their constituents know exactly how they voted. We will actively seek out true pro-life candidates to oppose Members who vote 'yes' on this bill, whether it be in general or primary elections. For these Members, it will be a quick downhill slide to defeat in November.

That sort of over-the-top response was, frankly, the typical response from the Right, with the American Center for Law and Justice promising to file suit and everyone else vowing to vote the Democrats out of office in November:

Family Research Council:

"Passage of this partisan government takeover of health care with all of its Medicare cuts, tax increases, a continued marriage penalty, individual mandates, and abortion funding shows the extreme leftist orientation of this Congress.

"The American people, regardless of their view of its legality, should not be forced to pay for someone's abortion. Those who voted for this legislation cannot legitimately claim to be even neutral on the issue of abortion. This legislation accomplishes this abortion mandate in spades.

...

"The President's disregard for the unborn is no surprise. It is the betrayal from those who have fought for life within his party that is the biggest shock. Especially Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) who had fought so valiantly in this debate, but folded when it really mattered.

"FRC Action will seek to defeat many of the Members from majority pro-life districts who voted wrong today, and they will have plenty of free time to realize the grave mistake they have committed on the unborn today with their vote."

Eagle Forum:

"Any formerly pro-life Democrat who voted ‘Yes' on the Senate health care bill tonight will be forever remembered as being among the deciding votes which facilitated the largest expansion of abortion services since Roe v. Wade."

"Mr. Stupak and his Democrat followers have now clarified that you cannot be pro-life and be a Democrat. If abortion was truly their biggest issue, they wouldn't willfully align themselves with the Party of Death."

"This vote has exposed the myth of the ‘pro-life Democrat.' With this single vote, the Democratic Party has divided our nation into the Democrat Party of Death and the Republican Party of Life, and future elections will never be the same."

Americans United for Life Action:

"This deal to pass the largest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade is a tragedy for America. We believe that Mr. Stupak's choice to succumb to the intense pressure of the last week has resulted in his endorsement of a charade that does not even begin to address the anti-life provisions in this legislation. The American people do not support taxpayer funding of abortion and Speaker Pelosi and the President have undermined representative democracy by working to pass this legislation with this unprecedented contortion of the legislative process."

Operation Rescue:

"Operation Rescue supports efforts to oppose this ill-conceived abortion-funding scheme in the streets through peaceful protest, in the courts, and at the ballot box," said Newman. "We are taking notes, and will let it be known that a vote for this health care bill is a vote for abortion. It is certain that in spite of the outcome of today's political shenanigans, this is not over yet."

Christian Defense Coalition:

"We are confident this will have a powerful impact on Catholic and Evangelical voters this November.

"After the defeat of the Alamo, a powerful cry was heard across the nation which has inspired Americans for generations. That cry was, 'Remember the Alamo!'

"From the ashes of this defeat, another powerful cry will be heard. 'Remember March 21!' We believe as Americans understand what happened today they will work with unprecedented passion to ensure this bill is reversed and human rights and social justice are once again embraced in this country."

Catholic Advocate:

"Today's vote will go down in history as one of the greatest expansions of abortion since Roe v. Wade," said Catholic Advocate President Deal Hudson. "On November 2, American Catholics need to hold members of the House accountable for this betrayal."

"History has shown no executive order can trump the law of the land passed by Congress. Do the un-born have a champion in the Senate willing to fix the bill and truly stop federal funding for abortion?" asked Catholic Advocate Vice President Matt Smith. "Senator Ben Nelson and others who claim to carry the pro-life mantle now have an opportunity to return their pieces of silver from December."

Concerned Women for America:

"We are not fooled," said Concerned Women for America (CWA) CEO Penny Nance. "This is the biggest expansion of abortion funding since Roe v. Wade. And a flimsy promise of an executive order from the President may make it more comfortable for "pro-life" Democrats like Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Michigan) to vote for the bill, but in the end, such an illusory promise is not even worth the paper on which it's written. Backroom deals and compromises will not soften the blow of this attack on life and liberty as we know and enjoy it. Americans will not forget those Members of Congress who refused to listen to them. They will make their voices heard in November."

Mike Huckabee:

With this vote, Congress decided what kind of health care you have access to and how much it will cost.

They also decided not to respect us and take us for fools.

I am frustrated and I know you are as well. Ten days ago I launched a website called CallCongressNow.com and asked voters to call their representatives and Senators and tell them to vote no. Over 151,000 people visited the website and spent almost 4,000 hours on making calls pleading with their leaders in Washington to vote no. This time Congress listened more to party bosses than to you.

Now there is something else you can and must do: Get personally involved to dump them. Let’s replace this Congress with Republicans that will listen to the people.

• Peter LaBarbera declares victory, citing MassResistance's fundamentally misleading claims.
• "Looking Forward on the 5th Anniversary of Terri's [Schiavo's] Death"? That's a really bad title for a FRC event.
• Her group just launched, but Virginia Thomas' Liberty Central is already breaking the law.
• Phyllis Schlafly will be a featured speaker at Tax Day Tea Party rally in Michigan.
• Glenn Beck calls Jim Wallis "Jeremiah Wright on sedatives."  I call Glenn Beck "Joseph McCarthy without the acute hepatitis."
• Speaking of Glenn Beck, it just so happens that I've been reading a biography of Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, called "Rough Stone Rolling" and I came across a section that seemed rather interesting, given Beck's Mormon faith and obsession with Socialism

The revelation put forward the arresting doctrine that the economies of earth and heaven must correspond: "If ye are not equal in earthly things, ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things." The leveling of property introduced the Saints to the heavenly order. "For if you will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you."

One cannot tell if Joseph Smith understood how much he was asking of his followers in requiring the consecration of property. Questions about self-interest and obstinacy were not ones he entertained. The revelation said everyone was entitled to draw on the storehouse of common property, that "every man may improve upon his talent, that every man may gain other talents, yea, even an hundred fold." Afterwards, whatever surplus was acquired was to "be cast into the Lord's storehouse, to become the common property of the whole church." The Saints were to work hard for each other. That asked a lot of individualistic farmers and artisans in the expanding market economy of nineteenth-century America. Nothing was more sacrosanct in American ideology than the individual's right to the fruits of his labor. Equalizing wealth required each person to be "seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God." Could they? The little band of Saints had no prior experience with equality of property. Equality had always meant equality of rank in political society and equality before the law. Not even the most radical voices in the Revolution had called for the leveling of wealth. Only a few utopians like the Shakers had experimented with the redistribution of property. Joseph expected people to sacrifice personal advantage for the good of the whole in a society long devoted to private gain.

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli sat down for an interview with CBS 6 reporter Mark Holmberg where he discussed everything from his threat to sue the federal government if health care reform passes to his letter to state universities informing them not to grant anti-discrimination protections to gay employees to his statement that questions about President Obama's place of birth are not "beyond the realm of possibility."

Cuccinelli dismissed the Birther question as a far-fetched wild goose chase, but when the question turned to whether or not he believes "the practice of homosexuality is a detriment to our culture," he was far less dismissive, saying "the acts are" because it is best when everyone is "integrated into society":

Yesterday when we posted the link to our new Right Wing Watch In Focus on the Right's playbook for stopping immigration reform, one of the strategies we highlighted was the effort to "Portray Immigrants and Their Supporters as Invaders, Conquerors, Enemies of the U.S."

Today, NPR ran a story about the immigration reform rally taking place in Washington, DC this weekend which featured exactly that sort of attack

Republican state Sen. Russell Pearce defends Arizona's reputation as one of the most unwelcoming spots for undocumented workers in the U.S. He says those headed to the nation's capital are promoting anarchy.

"These folks who march with no respect for the law, have no regard for the victims of crime and the damage and cost to America," Pearce said. "Shame on them. Shame on them! They're as treasonous and as un-American as anyone I know."