April 2010

• Cliff Kincaid's America's Survival, Inc has released a "new blockbuster report argues that the admission of open and active homosexuals into the U.S. Armed Forces threatens the lives of our service personnel."
• The vice-president of the American Family Association of Kentucky, John Brewer, is among the candidates in the Republican primary for the 28th Kentucky House seat.
• Guess what?  The AFA's Bryan Fischer thinks Arizona's new immigration law is great.  Who ever would have imagined?
• Ken Cuccinelli "has demanded that the University of Virginia turn over documents related to a former UVa climatology professor at the center of the so-called 'climategate' scandal."
• Exciting: "Fox News personality and former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is in Nashville to record a music project with various country artists. A source close to the sessions, who declined to provide any other details, said it will probably be officially announced in June in conjunction with the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show in Nashville."
• Finally, the quote of the day from the Family Research Council's Tony Perkins, hailing Rep. Jack Kingston's call for a Congressional investigation into why Perkins and Franklin Graham saw their speaking invitations withdrawn: "I join Congressman Kingston in his call for a thorough Congressional investigation, which will hopefully put a stop to this Administration's efforts to compel the military to do its political bidding. DOD should stand for the Department of Defense - not the Department of Disinvitation of Bible-believing Christians." Ummm ... wouldn't that make it the DODOBBC? 

You know how just earier today I was saying that Peter LaBarbera was on an "are you now or have you ever been gay?" witch hunt against every public official? 

Well, that is exactly what he is doing, launching an effort via his Republicans for Family Values targeting specific individuals, demanding to know if Elena Kagan, Reps. David Dreier and Patrick McHenry, and Gov. Charlie Crist ar (or were ever) gay under the guise of eliminating potential blackmail efforts and conflicts of interest, saying "homosexuals' privacy interests simply do not outweigh the public's right to know":

Peter LaBarbera, founder of Republicans For Family Values (www.rffv.org), urged potential Supreme Court pick Elena Kagan , Republican Reps. David Dreier and Patrick McHenry, and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist -- each the subject of wide speculation that they practice(d) homosexuality -- to answer the question: "Are (or were) you a practicing homosexual?"

"In an era of ubiquitous pro-gay messages and pop culture celebration of homosexuality, it's ridiculous that constituents should be left guessing as to whether a judicial nominee or politician has a special, personal interest in homosexuality," LaBarbera said. "Speculation is rife over whether potential Supreme Court nominee and Solicitor General Elena Kagan is a practicing lesbian. Kagan has a radical pro-homosexual record, including fighting to keep military recruiters off the Harvard campus because the military bars homosexuals. So Americans certainly have a right to know if her activism is driven by deeply personal motivations that could undermine her fairness as a judge."

In a similar vein, Rep. Dreier (R-CA) was "outed" by alternative publications years ago. (In recent days, his staffers twice hung up on calls from RFFV inquiring about the Congressman's sexuality; in 2007, Dreier switched to support the pro-homosexual Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and was quickly congratulated by gay "outing" activist Mike Rogers.) Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) also has been targeted by Rogers and "gay" activists, as has Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who just left the GOP.

"Especially in the wake of the Eric Massa (D-NY) and Mark Foley (R-FL) scandals, these men need to honestly answer the question about whether they are or were practicing homosexuals," LaBarbera said. McHenry is getting married in June, but that does not settle the question, as there is a history of "closeted" homosexuals entering into sham marriages to cover up their illicit lifestyle, according to LaBarbera.

"Given the important homosexual-related issues coming before the Supreme Court , Kagan should say so if she has a personal interest in lesbianism. Similarly, any politician -- especially those representing conservative districts -- should come clean on the homosexuality question if it is an 'open secret' like Foley's homosexuality (years before the page scandal) or becomes the subject of wide speculation.

The Foley scandal demonstrates the political dangers for Republicans of covering up for covertly homosexual members. Duplicitous homosexual legislators can become extortion targets or be pressured to make pro-"gay" votes like Dreier on ENDA. But generally, constituents have a right to know if their representative secretly practices any immoral behavior -- including homosexuality, but also if he is a skirt-chaser, gambling addict, etc.

"We appeal to Kagan, McHenry, Dreier, Crist, and all potential 'hiding-in-the-closet' politicians or appointees to answer the question: 'Are (or were) you a practicing homosexual or do you consider yourself homosexual (gay)?' Homosexuals' privacy interests simply do not outweigh the public's right to know about potential conflicts-of-interest in the lives of their representatives and judges," LaBarbera said.

A few months ago we noticed that the Pat Robertson-founded American Center for Law and Justice had expanded into Africa, where they were poised to get involved in helping to draft constitutions in both Zimbabwe and Kenya.

This seems like an entirely predictable result of that effort: 

Church leaders in Kenya are vowing to scuttle a decades-long quest for a more democratic constitution over the issue of abortion, and American groups on both sides are weighing in on the debate.

Abortions are illegal in Kenya under current law, but hundreds of thousands of women still seek them each year. The existing law, however, does allow a doctor to perform an abortion if a woman's life is in danger.

That exception is also included in a proposed constitution due to be put to a referendum later this year. Church leaders fear the phrasing will open the door to legalizing abortion, saying that defining a threat to a woman's health could be interpreted broadly.

"It opens the door to abortion on demand, which is why Christian organizations who are pro-life are so opposed to that provision," said Jordan Sekulow, director for international operations at the anti-abortion American Center for Law and Justice, one of the U.S. groups now involved in Kenya's debate.

• Think Progress: Limbaugh suggests Obama is ‘touchy’ about Arizona law because he can’t produce his own ‘papers.’
• Alvin McEwen: Matt Barber switches from lying about LGBTs to just plain lying.
• Fort Worth Weekly: Phone Records Raise Questions About Tarleton Being Pressured to Cancel "Gay Jesus" Play.
• Alan Colmes: Duncan Hunter, Jr. Would Even Deport Some American Citizens.
• Raw Story: Arizona sheriff won’t enforce law that’s ’stupid and racist’.
• Steve Benen: Sue Lowden, Still Struggling.
• Huffington Post: Ken Blackwell, Author Of 'Blueprint,' Tries To Convince Jon Stewart That Obama Is A Tyrant, Fails.
• Justin Elliot: DeLay Money Laundering Case May Finally Be Headed To Trial.

Sen. Jeff Sessions has already made it abundantly clear that he intends to oppose pretty much anyone that President Obama nominates to replace Justice John Paul Stevens on the Supreme Court, and he keeps coming up with new reasons why, despite the fact that Obama has not even made the announcement yet. 

But I have to say that his latest justification is rather remarkable, as he is now accusing Obama of seeking a nominee who has no respect for the Constitution and who sees it merely as an "inconvenience" to be sidetracked ... just as Obama does: 

Sen. Jeff Sessions says that a Supreme Court nominee who followed President Obama's legal philosophy of considering the impact of a decision rather than following the law would not be qualified for the high court.

“He said that he wanted a judge who would consider the impact the decision would have on ordinary Americans,” Sessions (R.-Ala.) said in an interview with HUMAN EVENTS. “That’s a call to something other than the law and the facts. That’s a call to something more akin to politics than law. And so again I think the President’s presenting a troubling philosophy, and you have to assume that’s the kind of judge he’s going to nominate.”

Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said that kind of standard shouldn’t be confirmed whether it’s espoused by a liberal or conservative.

“You can have a liberal or conservative judge who has such strong personal views that they can’t -- and won’t -- follow the law,” Sessions said. “Both of those are disqualified.”

He questioned whether Obama considers the Constitution when making decisions. “I think the American people are coming to recognize that the President sees the Constitution as an inconvenience…a handicap to achieving the agenda that he has,” he said.

I am beginning to suspect that the "news" aspect of LifeNews.com's name is far less important than the "life" part, considering that the website's mission is obviously to slant every article to fit its right-wing agenda.

Just last week we noted how LifeNews printed an article claiming that a "new study conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency shows a correlation between the use of cells from babies in abortions in vaccines to an increase in autism rates" when the study itself showed nothing of the sort, as the article was built entirely around the baseless speculations of an anti-choice blogger and presented them as if they were fact.

But that is nothing compared to this new article: 

Oklahoma Law to Allow Women Ultrasound Before Abortion Subject to Lawsuit

A pro-abortion legal group based in New York City wasted no time in filing a lawsuit against a new Oklahoma law that helps women by allow them a chance to see an ultrasound of their unborn child while considering an abortion. The lawsuit was filed hours after the Oklahoma state Senate override the governor's veto.

The state Senate voted 36-12 Tuesday to override Governor Brad Henry on two pro-life bills, including the ultrasound measure.

Apparently, LifeNews doesn't understand the difference between words like "help" or "allow" and "force": 

Oklahoma lawmakers overrode their governor's veto Tuesday to enact tough abortion laws that force women to undergo invasive ultrasounds and allow doctors to withhold test results showing fetal defects.

Even women who are victims of rape or incest will be required to listen to a detailed description of the fetus and view the ultrasound image prior to terminating a pregnancy.

They will also likely be required to undergo vaginal rather than abdominal ultrasounds as doctors are required to use the method that "would display the embryo or fetus more clearly."

The new Oklahoma law requires women to get a vaginal ultrasound with no exceptions  ... but to LifeNews, the law is reported as merely helping women by allowing them a chance to see an ultrasound.

• Last week, I joked that the fact that the Denver Broncos drafted Tim Tebow was good for Focus on the Family.  Turns out, it's not quite a joke.
• In related news, Jim Daly reasserts that the primary difference between himself and James Dobson is a matter of tone.
• In related news to that, the Illinois Family Institute goes after Focus for this very reason.
• And in final related news, James Dobson's new radio program is scheduled to start next week.
• Gary Bauer announces that he's launching a $2 million campaign targeting 22 House and Senate Democratic-held seats.
• In her new book, Laura Bush says she asked George not to make a gay marriage a significant issue in the 2004 election.
• AIM gives us the real story of the Oklahoma City bombing: it was really the work of Middle Eastern terrorists.
• Jill Stanek takes her "aborted babies = vaccine = autism" nonsense to the pages of WorldNetDaily.
• Finally, the quote of the day from Elijah Friedeman on the AFA blog: "I want to preface this blog by saying that I believe radical Islam is evil. Quite frankly I believe that any form of Islam is wrong. And I don't want to just pick on Islam. Believers of any other religion besides Christianity are living in sin; they are evil."

Pat Robertson recently sat down with The Virginian-Pilot to reflect back upon CBN's 50 years of operation and was asked if the criticism and mockery he receives whenever he makes an outrageous statement still bothers him. 

Robertson said that "of course it hurt" ... and then proceeded to stand by his recent assertion regarding Haiti:

Q. Speaking of working out, you caught flack from skeptics in 2008 for saying you did a leg press of 2,000 pounds. Through the years, you've been criticized for your remarks about God sparing Virginia Beach from hurricanes, Haiti inviting an earthquake by entering into a pact with the devil, and suggesting the assassination of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez would be cheaper than starting a war. Does such criticism hurt?

A. "Of course it hurts. I do have sensitivity. I'm not dead, you know. It's so easy to make jokes. I don't focus on the jokes or the things that the bloggers write when they go after me. I don't read that junk. As for Haiti, the truth is that the country has given itself over to voodoo. Regarding the leg press, some people tried to make it a big deal. But I did do it. One time."

Of course, nobody was disputing Haiti's ties to voodoo; they were mocking Robertson's assertion that God caused the earthquake because Haiti "swore a pact to the Devil."

Fortunately for us, Robertson says that even though he is 80 years old, he expects to be around for a long time ... after all, "Moses was just getting warmed up when he was 80."

Back in February, James Dobson announced his endorsement of Rep. Todd Tiahrt, who is running for the vacant US Senate in Kansas, claiming that while he normally didn't endorse candidates, 2010 was so important that he had to make an exception: 

As you know, I do not personally endorse many political candidates. However, with the stakes so high in the 2010 elections, I believe it is imperative that we elect Christian leaders who will fight for the principles that promote strong family values. That is why I am enthusiastically endorsing Todd Tiahrt in his race for the United States Senate.

If the idea that Dobson was reluctant to endorse candidates seemed odd to you, you were not alone, considering that he endorsed Mike Huckabee back in 2008 and then all but endorsed John McCain after explicitly and repeatedly declaring that he would not vote for McCain under any circumstances.

Since then, Dobson has gone on to endorse several other candidates heading into the 2010 elections: 

Rick Perry

Gov. Rick Perry today received the endorsement of Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, for re-election in 2010.

“Over the years, Gov. Perry has established a record that is consistently pro-life, pro-marriage and pro-religious liberty,” said Dr. Dobson. “He has demonstrated his deep regard for the sanctity of life by signing more pro-life bills into law than any other governor in Texas history. He demonstrated his support for the God-given institution of marriage by strongly supporting the Texas Marriage Amendment. And he has helped lead the effort to establish the strongest protections for religious liberty in the state of Texas. No other candidate in this race measures up to the high standards established by Gov. Perry on these critical issues of our day.”

Dan Coats

Dr. James Dobson, the influential evangelical and founder of Focus on the Family, is endorsing Republican Dan Coats in the race for Senate in Indiana, the Coats campaign said Monday.

“I have long respected former Senator Dan Coats for his integrity and his legislative influence in the Congress,” Dobson said in a statement. “I also admire his personal commitment to his Christian faith in public life. Dan has been a consistent leader of pro-family causes and a stalwart defender of unborn children. If my wife Shirley and I were Hoosiers, we would definitely vote for Dan Coats in the May 4th primary.”

In addition to the endorsement, Dobson cut a radio ad on Coats’ behalf that is set to run starting on Tuesday.

Trey Grayson

Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, announced today that he is endorsing Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

“Trey Grayson is the only candidate with the conviction to lead on the issues that matter to Kentucky families. His unwavering commitment to the sanctity of human life and the family resonates with me. I know that he will be a leader on these issues, not just another Senator who checks the box. As a matter of conscience, I encourage Kentuckians to support Trey Grayson on May 18th,” said Dobson.

You know, for someone who claims not to "personally endorse many political candidates," James Dobson sure does seem to be personally endorsing a lot of political candidates.

Last month we noted that Lou Engle, Dutch Sheets, Ron Luce, Jim Garlow* and various others associated with the prophetic intercessors movement were planning a 5-day prayer-fueled Woodstock in Missouri that was going to launch the Third Great Awakening, lift America from its "moral and spiritual crisis," and reverse God's judgments against our nation for having elected President Obama and the Democrats to office.

Sadly, this event has now been canceled, presumably dooming America to suffer the wrath of God:

We are very sorry to announce that due to a lack of funds, the large 5-day gathering called Wilderness Outcry will no longer take place this upcoming summer. We believe this vision is of the Lord, and certainly no one can deny the desperate need of our nation for prayer, but the reality is that provision for the high cost of doing an event like this - most of which must be paid in advance - has simply not materialized.

This was never intended to be a money-making event. Without charging a registration fee for attending, we knew our costs would be several hundred thousand dollars. We were confident we could raise this money. We were wrong. The line between true faith and presumption can be very fine sometimes, and our ability to truly discern God's will can be difficult. Obviously, we fell short in both areas.

We are saddened and grieved with this development and repent for any presumption on our part. We sincerely ask your forgiveness for any inconvenience this has caused you.

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

Back in 2007, students at Pat Robertson's Regent University were outraged when Mitt Romney, a Mormon, was invited to deliver the commencement address.

I wonder if we will see similar protests from students at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University now that it has been announced that Glenn Beck, also a Mormon, will be speaking at their graduation ceremony next month:

Well-known radio host Glenn Beck will address Liberty University’s Class of 2010 at Commencement on Saturday, May 15, Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. announced today at Convocation. Joining Beck as a speaker will be Dr. Paige Patterson, the current president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Patterson will also be the keynote speaker at Baccalaureate Service on May 14.

“Liberty University is blessed to have two national conservative leaders speak at our 2010 Commencement ceremony,” Falwell said. “Dr. Patterson is one of the patriarchs of Christian higher education, and Beck is one of the few courageous voices in the national media standing up for the principles upon which this nation was founded. Both speakers continue Liberty’s long tradition of Commencement speakers who are making a positive impact on society in all walks of life.”

I'm going to be off until next Wednesday, starting this afternoon, so here is an early wrap-up of today's right-wing miscellany:

• Jesse Lee Peterson declares Michael Steele to be a RINO for saying that Blacks do not have a reason to vote for the GOP.
• Now Tom Tancredo going after the SPLC.
• As is the Traditional Values Coalition's Andrea Lafferty, who also claims that PFAW is a "leftist hate group".
• The Institute on Religion and Democracy is calling on churches to "confront Islamic law" here in America.
• Finally, Tim Tebow was drafted by the Denver Broncos, which will make his future collaborations with Focus on the Family that much easier.

Last week, Rush Limbaugh said the eruption of the volcano in Iceland was "God speaking" in response to the passage of health care reform.

But John Hagee has a different explanation, saying it was God's response to the decision by Britain's Advertising Standards Authority that the Western Wall could not appear in tourism ads:

Television and radio evangelist Pastor John Hagee believes the recent eruption of the volcano in Iceland stems from Britain breaking God's covenant.

The day after Britain's Advertising Standards Authority said the Western Wall in Jerusalem could not be used in Israeli tourism ads in Britain because it is considered occupied territory, Hagee said, the volcano erupted, shutting down Britain's economy in one day.

"That's coincidence, like the flood was a coincidence. That's coincidence, like the Red Sea was coincidence. That's coincidence, like the earthquake and the Resurrection was coincidence," Hagee told about 3,200 people at Lancaster County Convention Center on Thursday night as part of John Hagee Ministries' Rally and Prophecy Seminar.

Hagee went on to warn President Obama for his treatment of Israel, saying "any country who tries to change [God's covenant with Abraham] will get the judgment of God. It's like sticking your finger in the eye of God."

• Janet Porter's May Day prayer rally will air live on GOD TV.
• Rep. Michele Bachmann has confirmed her appearance at the next FRC Values Voter Summit.
• Things continue to go downhill for Michael Steele.
• Various right-wing groups are planning to spend millions targeting anti-choice Democrats who supported health care reform.
• The Department of Justice is going to appeal the National Day of Prayer ruling.
• Speaking of which, Franklin Graham has been disinvited from the Pentagon's National Day of Prayer event.  Commence right-wing freakout in 3, 2, 1, ...

It is no secret that Religious Right groups do not particularly like the Southern Poverty Law Center, especially ever since it started keeping a list of "Active Anti-Gay Groups" that includes groups like the Family Research Institute, Watchmen on the Walls, and Traditional Values Coalition. 

MassResistance is also featured on the list, and is now fighting back, claiming that the SPLC secretly wrote the Department of Homeland Security report on right-wing extremism that was released last year: 

So now we find out that the Southern Poverty Law Center, the leftist front group that has called so many good Americans "haters", authored the infamous Dept. of Homeland Security report last year (“Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment”).

MassResistance links to this article by Tom DeWeese, president of the American Policy Center, who asserts that this is the case: 

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) hates us. Who? According to several reports they have released over the past year, “us” is the following: One concerned over the economy; loss of jobs; foreclosures; antagonism toward the Obama Administration (that it’s racist); criticism of free trade programs like NAFTA and the Security and Prosperity Partnership; anti-abortion; oppose same-sex marriage; believe in the “end times;” stock pile food, ammunition and weapons; oppose illegal immigration; opposition to the new world order; opposition to the United Nations; opposition to global governance; fear of Communist regimes; opposition to loss of US manufacturing to overseas nations; opposition to loss of US prestige; use of the Internet (or alternative media) to express these ideas. Did this list miss anyone reading it? You are all haters and potential terrorists.

The above list was published in a report issued last year by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) entitled, “Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment.” The report, while issued by the DHS, was in fact, written by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which labels itself as a civil rights organization which “tracks the hate movement.” Ironically, SPLC is becoming one of the biggest purveyors of hate and discord in the nation. Worse, SPLC’s reports are often so inaccurate and misleading that they would be simply laughable if they didn’t have the support of the Federal government.

DeWeese provides no evidence or documentation for the allegation that the SPLC drafted the DHS report ... but that doesn't matter, as the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission is already accepting it as truth and is therefore demanding that Congress must "defund the Southern Poverty Law Center":

The Southern Poverty Law Center is an extremely liberal group that compiles a list of hate groups in America. But according to their latest list, if you advocate for traditional biblical values, you are lumped together with violent neo-Nazis and skinheads.

The Law Center just named forty leaders of the conservative movements as extremists including pastors and elected members of Congress. This is slanderous and outrageous, yet many people take this unscientific, biased list seriously.

Even the Federal Government, that gives the Law Center millions of your tax dollars, uses the biased information to shape national policy. Last year’s discredited report from the Department of Homeland Security on Right-Wing Extremism was actually written by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

We must stop the biased practices and the hateful campaign against Christians and urge Congress to defund the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Where the CADC got the idea that the Federal Government "gives the [SPLC] millions of your tax dollars" is anybody's guess, since they cite absolutely nothing to support the claim.

Conservative groups are making all sorts of scientific breakthroughs today; breakthroughs that nobody else seems to appreciate or take seriously ... like the one about how women who take birth control pills are at greater risk of getting AIDS:

According to Joan Robinson, a researcher at the Population Research Institute ... more than 50 medical studies to date have investigated a link between hormonal contraceptive use and HIV/AIDS infection. "The science is settled," Robinson says. "Hormonal contraceptives -- the oral pill and Depo-Provera -- increase almost all known risk factors for HIV, from upping a woman's risk of infection, to increasing the replication of the HIV virus, to speeding the debilitating and deadly progression of the disease."

This scientific consensus has received almost no publicity to date, Robinson continues, because of strong economic and ideological forces that push the pill.

"The 'family planning' types dismiss out of hand the impressive body of scientific research demonstrating a Pill/HIV link," she says, "preferring to rely on a handful of their own highly questionable trials which claim to find 'no increase in HIV risk among users of oral contraceptives and Depo-Provera.' This is like relying on a tobacco company to monitor a study on the link between cigarettes and cancer."

But that is nothing compared to this groundbreaking discovery from LifeNews.com reporting that cells from aborted babies are causing autism:

A new study conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency shows a correlation between the use of cells from babies in abortions in vaccines to an increase in autism rates. The study provides another problem from pro-life advocates who are already concerned about the abortion-vaccine tie.

The study, published in February in the publication Environmental Science & Technology, confirms 1988 as a “change point” in the rise of Autism Disorder rate.

"Although the debate about the nature of increasing autism continues, the potential for this increase to be real and involve exogenous environmental stressors exists," the study says.

The 1988 date is significant because, as pro-life blogger Jill Stanek notes, the Sound Choice Pharmaceutical Institute indicates that's when the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices added a second dose of the MMR vaccine, containing fetal cells from aborted babies, to its recommendations.

The study found two other change point dates: 1981, two years after MMRII was approved in the United States with fetal cells, and 1995, when SCPI says the chickenpox vaccine using aborted cells was approved.

Of course, if you bother to read the study itself [PDF], you quickly realize it says nothing of the sort and that the entire LifeNews article is based on nothing more than Jill Stanek's meaningless speculation about how there is a conspiracy to cover it all up: 

The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if the same sort of ideological culprits we see covering up the abortion-breast cancer link are also involved here. This would be a huge, huge blow to embryonic stem cell experimentation, for instance. That, and/or big pharma sees huge class action lawsuits on the horizon if this is proven.

So even though Stanek basically made up this supposed link, LifeNews decided to report it as an EPA study discovered it .. and I can guarantee you that the now "establish" link between abortion, vaccines, and autism will soon become right-wing conventional wisdom.

After finally leaving Focus on the Family in February, James Dobson kind of dropped off that radar as he went out setting up his next venture with this son, Ryan.  Now it looks like that venture, called "Family Talk" is set to officially kick off next month:

It is with excitement that I tell you that the ministry of Family Talk is coming together rapidly and that our first broadcast is scheduled to be heard beginning May 3rd. The best estimate at this time is that approximately 200 radio stations will carry the program at least once daily throughout the United States. The format will feature my two associates, Ryan Dobson and LuAnne Crane, and me in a 30-minute discussion about family-related topics, cultural issues, and matters relevant to our Christian faith.

And as Dobson, Ryan, and LuAnne Crane prepare to launch their radio program, he wants it knows that anyone expected a "softer, gentler" James Dobson is going to be disappointed: 

Another reason we have started this new ministry is to continue our defense of righteousness within the culture. That commitment to moral and spiritual truths has not changed and will not be compromised one iota. Please don’t expect me to take a “softer, gentler” approach to the issues that burn within my soul. I have never spoken or written without passion for values in which I believe, and I don’t intend to start now. Babies are dying, the very definition of marriage is under attack, the financial underpinnings of families are being destroyed by confiscatory taxation, and children of all ages are being taught wickedness and every form of godlessness. This is no time to grow timid!

...

Let me assure you again that we have NOT, and will not, abandon our commitment to morality, liberty, the sanctity of human life, marriage and parenthood, and the essentials of our Christian faith! Those eternal verities will never change.

• Yesterday, Regent University insisted it wasn't having financial problems.  Today, "Regent University is trying to save money by asking faculty who have 12-month contracts to take summers off." This amounts to an 18% pay cut.
• The American Family Association is organizing "Meet At City Hall" prayer rallies on the National Day of Prayer.
• Rep. Steve King has sent an unsolicited letter of support to the right-wingers in Michigan challenging the hate crimes law.
• Did you know that national IDs are a Mark of the Beast?
• This has got to be the most pathetic endeavor I have seen in a long time.
• Finally, the quote of the day from Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) during a press conference blasting the National Day of Prayer ruling: "It shows the importance of having someone in the White House who appoints good judges. This judge was appointed by Jimmy Carter. Need I say anything more? We have to make sure that President Obama does not send someone to the Supreme Court someone’s name this summer who is of the same liberal bent as this judge is.”

Bishop E.W. Jackson is, even by right-wing standards, something of a fringe figure. He seems to have some ties to Rick Scarborough and appeared on Janet Porter's radio program not too long ago.

He is also Founder of Exodus Faith Ministries and last year founded something called Staying True to America's National Destiny [S.T.A.N.D] and was among the participants at the right-wing anti-hate crimes rally last year, where he railed against the legislation as the result of a "virulent strain of anti-Christian bigotry and hatred."

But today, Jackson announced his most grandiose plan yet with the formation of the STAND AMERICA PAC though which he is "declaring political war on the Democrat Party and the liberal Congressional Black Caucus" as part of an effort to end the deception that is causing the black community to support the "Coalition of the godless": 

Bishop E.W. Jackson Sr., retired attorney and Harvard Law graduate, is declaring political war on the Democrat Party and the liberal Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). Bishop Jackson, having fought for pro-life and pro-family causes for 25 years, has entered fully into the political arena by forming a political action committee. The top priority of STAND AMERICA PAC, formed on April 1, 2010, is to recruit and support conservative black candidates to run against liberals in Congressional Black Caucus districts.

Says Bishop Jackson, "The black community has been deceived into voting for liberal black leadership which does not reflect their values." Jackson's strategy is to have black voters register as independents and vote their Christian values. He argues that the black voter is a conservative church going person. "This was shown by the large black vote for Proposition 8 to ban homosexual marriage in California. The black legislative leaders supported it, but the black voters did not. What does that tell us? These leaders are out of touch with the people. It is time to vote them out."

According to Bishop Jackson, CBC members insult the black community by "conflating the black struggle for civil rights with the demands of radical homosexuals for marriage and other special rights." He calls it "one of the most preposterous frauds ever perpetrated on a people." In a recent speech before a black Christian men's group in Williamsburg, Virginia, Bishop Jackson said, "Homosexuals have no history of slavery, Jim Crow, lynching or being legally defined as 2/3 of a person. I have known people who have been delivered from homosexuality. I have never known anyone to be delivered from being black. The Democrat Party's commitment to abortion, homosexuality and moral relativism is an affront to the values of the black Christian community. It is a 'Coalition of the godless.' Black Christians do not belong in a 'coalition of the godless,' and should not vote for those who are."

Bishop Jackson says the time has ended when getting elected to Congress in the black community requires no more than being a Democrat and play the race card. He says, "We must demand that representatives of the black community start respecting the values of the people who elect them. STAND AMERICA PAC has been formed to make sure that happens."

Sen. Jim DeMint tells CBN's David Brody that, contrary to convention wisdom, the Tea Party movement is really a spiritual movement that signals that the nation is heading into a massive revival and a turning back to God:

David Brody: “Are you concerned at all that some of the social conservative issues, abortion and same sex marriage, some of these other issues because they are taking somewhat of a back seat right now at least to the fiscal issues that there are some inherent problems for social conservatives in something like that?”

Senator Jim DeMint: “No actually just the opposite because I really think a lot of the motivation behind these Tea Party crowds is a spiritual component. I think it’s very akin to the Great Awakening before the American Revolution. A lot of our founders believed the American Revolution was won before we ever got into a fight with the British. It was a spiritual renewal.”

...

I think people are seeing this massive government growing and they’re realizing that it’s the government that’s hurting us and I think they’re turning back to God in effect is our salvation and government is not our salvation and in fact more and more people see government as the problem and so I think some have been drawn in over the years to a dependency relationship with government and as the Bible says you can’t have two masters and I think as people pull back from that they look more to God. It’s no coincidence that socialist Europe is post-Christian because the bigger the government gets the smaller God gets and vice-versa. The bigger God gets the smaller people want their government because they’re yearning for freedom."

Just the other day we noted that Dr. George O. Wood, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God, asked that his name be removed from Sojourners' "Covenant for Civility" which was created in order to try and establish a more civil discourse on controversial issues of the day among "Christian pastors and leaders with diverse theological and political beliefs."

It seems that Wood, under pressure from freelance writer and conservative Christian blogger John Lanagan, had his name removed rather than pledge to be civil with perceived heretics who don't share his views on issues like abortion and gay marriage.

And now it looks like Lanagan has gotten Bishop Harry Jackson to withdraw his name from the Covenant as well:

In the second prominent defection from the Jim Wallis engineered Covenant for Civility, Bishop Harry Jackson has asked for his name to be stricken from the document.

Jackson now joins Assemblies of God General Superintendent George O. Wood in taking this stand. “I don’t want to be in covenant with those who support homosexual marriage,” said Jackson.

Like AOG General Superintendent George O. Wood, Jackson was introduced to the document by the National Association of Evangelicals, and never told about the pro-abortion, pro-homosexual signers.

The document, while presented as a call to civility, actually presents those who sign as members of the Body of Christ.

Jackson said that he would be calling Dr. Wood to let the Assemblies of God leader know that he, too, was pulling out.

The entire point of the covenant is not that those who sign agree on contentious issues, but rather that they merely pledge to be civil and respectful when disagreeing on those issues.

But apparently Jackson is simply unwilling to even try to be civil with those who support marriage equality.

Good to know.

• Behold: "The Definitive Paper Showing Homosexuality at Root of the Sex Abuse Crisis."
• James Dobson has endorsed Dan Coats.
• The Family Research Council "announced plans to raise and spend $500,000 to target the districts of 20 Democratic incumbents who voted for President Obama's abortion-funding health care bill."
• Michelle Duggar will receive the "Mother of the Year Award" at Vision Forum Ministries' "Baby Conference: A Historic Family Summit on the Triumph of Life Over the Culture of Death."
• Regent University is apparently going to be featured in Forbes Magazine piece about schools facing financial pressures and is pre-emptively disputing its inclusion.

I have to admit that if it wasn't for Christian Newswire and the random things that show up there, I'd have a much more diffcult time finding things to blog about.

After all, where else I am going to find press releases like this one from Dr. Gregory Thompson warning that public schools are satanic and that if you allow your children to attend such a school, they will be raped, murdered, and end up in Hell: 

The government schools are anti-Christian, atheistic and pagan, and they are against God, family, and country. Do not call yourself "Christian" saying you love the children, yet have children in a government school, k-12 through college. Christian priests, pastors, and bishops hate their congregations if they do not warn their people to get out of the government schools ... If you do not tell your neighbors to get their children out of the government schools, you hate them instead of love them.

...

Facts:

· Government Education helps promote a culture of immorality and death.

· We could not give your child an aspirin without calling you, yet your grandchildren could be murdered without you knowing it.

· your children will receive a much poorer education than is possible

· your children will be more likely to engage in sex and perversions.

· your children will be more likely to be indoctrinated in Sodomy/homosexuality and encouraged to experience it in Government schools

· your children will be more likely to be raped & molested

· your children will be more likely to be bullied

· your children will be more likely to be taught lies

· your children will be more likely to get an STD

· your daughters will be more likely to become pregnant.

· your children will be more likely to become selfish

· your children will be more likely to become rebellious

· your children will be more likely to kill their pre-born child, your grandchild.

· Because of some of these things your children will be more likely to commit suicide

· Worst of all, your children will be more likely to go to HELL!

Interestingly, Thompson does not appear to be a completely isolated crackpot, as he seems to have actually co-written a book with "Coach" Dave Daubenmire, whom we've written about a few times before.

You have to marvel at the noticeable difference in content and tone that Andrea Lafferty of the Traditional Values Coalition adopts depending upon her audience.

Take, for instance, this op-ed she has in Roll Call opposing ENDA: 

Among other things, ENDA will make “gender identity” a protected minority, and states, local governments and businesses with more than 15 employees will be forced to recognize it as such.

Most importantly, every public school in America will not be able to discriminate in hiring transgender teachers, and it will be illegal to reassign them from the classroom.

Written by Chai Feldblum, an Obama recess appointee to the body that will enforce ENDA, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the law will allow for all kinds of unwanted, though perhaps not unintended, consequences. Under ENDA, state and local governments will be forced to recognize gender identity as a protected minority status. Section 3 of the bill defines the status as “the gender-related identity, appearance, or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics or an individual, with or without regard to the individual’s designated sex at birth.” Cross-dressers and those who have had surgical operations to alter their gender would then share the same protections as minorities. Expanding the scope of traditionally protected minorities to these groups will engender all sorts of problems.

By TVC's standards, this language is downright reasonable - I mean, there is not even one mention of "she-males" or even any sort of attack on transgendered women as a "surgically mutilated man who is pretending to be a woman and pushing a political agenda."

Now, compare that to this letter [PDF] TVC sent opposing Marisa Demeo's nomination to the DC Superior Court:

Marisa Demeo is far out of the mainstream in her beliefs, statements and activism. Her role as an activist with the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund is troublesome to say the least.

...

As an open, radical lesbian, Demeo has openly condemned the effort to amend our Constitution to protect marriage as a one-man, one-woman union. Demeo supports gay marriage, claiming it is a constitutional right. She also claims that LGBT individuals are equal to racial minorities and can claim protection as minorities under our civil rights laws ... Demeo's views are out of step with the beliefs of most Americans on the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman.

As a DC Superior Court Judge, Demeo would be in a key position to undermine our national
security and destroy traditional marriage through her edicts ... Demeo's radical lesbianism, anti-marriage, anti-national security views are dangerous to our nation.

In this case, the letter was sent to Senators so Lafferty didn't have to worry too much about appearing to be offensively hostile to gays to a general audience, so the tone was more in line with what one would expect from her regarding fearmongering about how Demeo's "radical lesbianism" is a threat to our national security.

Finally, compare all of that to what Lafferty is like when she's speaking to a right-wing audience and doesn't have to worry about presenting herself as reasonable:

What are those "isms" and "philias"? You can be aroused by stumps of amputees. And we brought that up during the hate crimes thing because what if you have an employee working at the VA and someone has just come back from Iraq and they have this orientation. You can't fire them. What about the family that's upset that they've been aroused by their family member? It's disgusting. And it's tragic for the victim.

Um, men that want to rub their bodies up and down women. That's on the list, that might become a protected class.

Fecal matter. Their involvement with fecal matter. Or urine. Transvestism. The list goes on, I'm not naming all of them. Children. Animals. And so we really need to draw a line in the sand.

This is the real Lafferty and the root of her real opposition to ENDA ... and for some reason, Roll Call thought it made sense to give her op-ed space to try and present it in a more reasonable-sounding manner.

It was not too long ago when Arizona state Senator Russell Pearce was considered an embarrassing crank by the state's Republican establishment, and with good reason:

Russell Pearce, had long been considered a politically incorrect embarrassment by more moderate members of his party — often to the delight of his supporters. There was the time in 2007 when he appeared in a widely circulated photograph with a man who was a featured speaker at a neo-Nazi conference. (Mr. Pearce said later he did not know of the man’s affiliation with the group.)

In 2006, he came under fire for speaking admirably of a 1950s federal deportation program called Operation Wetback, and for sending an e-mail message to supporters that included an attachment — inadvertently, he said — from a white supremacist group.

Not surprisingly, Pearce holds ultra-militant anti-immigration views and has used his position as chair of the Senate’s Appropriation Committee to turn them into law: 

Passage of the law, which would, among other things, allow the authorities to demand proof of legal entry into the United States from anyone suspected of being in the country illegally, testified to the relative lack of political power of Arizona Latinos, and to the hardened views toward illegal immigration among Republican politicians both here and nationally.

...

The bill makes it a state crime for immigrants not to carry authorization papers, requires the police “when practicable” to check the immigration status of people they reasonably suspect are in the country illegally and allows people to sue cities and counties if the law is not being enforced.

Just as we predicted in our recent Right Wing Watch In Focus, "(P)reviewing the Right-Wing Playbook on Immigration Reform," supporters of this draconian legislation engaged in a variety of standard right-wing strategies for justifying the need for the bill, from portraying immigrants as terrorists to accusing them of "invading" America:  

But supporters of the bill pointed out the problems caused by illegal immigration. Republican Senator John Huppenthal, a sponsor of the bill, says he’s seen evidence of neighborhoods that have been “nuclear-bombed by the effects of illegal immigration.” Republican Senator Al Melvin pointed to the murder of an Arizona rancher last month, possibly at the hands of an illegal immigrant, and the federal government’s failure to act on illegal immigration as the reasons for his vote; and another senator cited 40 murders committed by illegal immigrants. Illegal immigration was called an “invasion” several times on the Senate floor.

• Texas Freedom Network: David Barton’s Contempt for Teachers.
• Think Progress: Limbaugh: Volcanic eruption in Iceland is God’s reaction to health care’s passage.
• David Weigel: Tancredo: Send Obama 'back' to Kenya.
• Towleroad: President of Duke College Republicans Forced Out After Fellow Students Discover He's Gay.
• Steve Benen: Leave The 19th Amendment Alone.
• Greg Sargent: Palin: Founding Fathers Wouldn’t Agree With Separation Of Church And State.
• Box Turtlle Bulletin: National Institutes of Health Director condemns anti-gay pediatrician group.
• Finally, Good As You: Focus on the Family's ME outpost: Gay tolerance will destroy America, just like it did the World Trade Center.

Whenever the issue of achieving full equality for gays and lesbians in America comes up, especially as it relates to marriage equality, someone from the Right inevitably plays the "Homosexual marriage is not a civil rights issue" card:

Defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman would not deny homosexuals the basic civil rights accorded other citizens. Nowhere in the Bill of Rights or in any legislation proceeding from it are homosexuals excluded from the rights enjoyed by all citizens--including the right to marry. However, no citizen has the unrestricted right to marry whomever they want. A person cannot marry a child, a close blood relative, two or more spouses, or the husband or wife of another person. Such restrictions are based upon the accumulated wisdom not only of Western civilization but also of societies and cultures around the world for millennia.

But you know what is apparently so much like the civil rights movement that is warrants it own reenactment?  Abortion:

The pro-life movement is all about freedom. That’s why Priests for Life, with the leadership of our Pastoral Associate Dr. Alveda King, is launching “Freedom Rides” for the unborn to galvanize pro-life activity across the country.

During the Civil Rights movement, the “Freedom Rides” constituted a distinctive moment of resolve and unity. The Supreme Court, in its 1960 decision Boynton vs. Virginia, had outlawed segregation in bus terminals and restaurants serving interstate travelers. So the following spring, thirteen people – seven African-Americans and six whites – decided to travel by bus from Washington DC to New Orleans to test the enforcement of that Supreme Court decision.

Along the way, particularly in Alabama, they encountered opposition and violence from those who did not want desegregation. But having been brutally attacked, and some lying with wounds in hospital beds, the “Freedom Riders” vowed that the journey would continue. That’s when others joined in, and the initial Freedom Ride became 60 rides across Southern states in the summer of 1961, with some 450 riders participating. And by the fall of that same year, the government issued orders for the enforcement of desegregation at the bus terminals.

The Civil Rights movement and the Pro-Life movement have the same heart and soul: a longing for equal justice for everyone, based on the inherent dignity of every human life. That’s why, when Dr. Alveda King first walked with me at the annual March for Life and I asked her, “Does this remind you of the marches in the civil rights movement?” she declared, “Fr. Frank, this is the civil rights movement!” Both movements are movements of freedom.

It is therefore time for Freedom Rides for the unborn. The pro-life movement is more ready than ever to proclaim freedom…

Freedom from the lies and the deceit that allow abortion to continue…
Freedom from the fear of speaking up and taking action for the unborn…
Freedom from the shame and guilt of past involvement in abortion, so that those called to speak up and share their testimonies may do so as people who are “Silent No More”…
Freedom from the political oppression that tramples on human rights and denies equality before the law…
Freedom from violence and death itself.

People will be invited to participate in the Freedom Rides themselves. The bus rides are a symbol of the journey we are on, of the fellowship we share with each other, and of the fact that we are a movement. Major events in cities along the bus routes will be held, in which all the different facets of the pro-life movement will be invited to participate.

Among the scheduled participants are Alveda King, Frank Pavone, Clennard Childress, and Day Gardner.

Last week, Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber wrote that President Obama was, in essence, a traitor who was out to destroy America; perhaps not entirely, but at least destroy the nation "both as we know her and as our Founding Fathers intended her."

On Friday, Alan Colmes brought Barber onto his radio program to discuss this accusation and, to his credit, Barber more or less stood by it, despite the fact that Colmes repeatedly pointed out that Barber's claims that Obama is a Marxist/Communist is fundamentally absurd and that Barber is engaging in nothing short of McCarthyism. 

Barber insisted, repeatedly, that Obama's agenda is designed to fundamentally weaken America so that the government can eventually take complete control and that this is all part of a long-held philosophy that Obama learned from his Marxist mentors and professors ... and his Marxist mother.

When Colmes accused Barber of engaging in the sorts of baseless, ad hominem attacks that Barber typically decries, his response was that it is not slander to accuse the President of being a Marxist who is out to destroy America because the truth is that Obama is a Marxist who is out to destroy America:

Back in the summer of 2008, we produced a series of posts about an effort called "Stop the War on the Poor" that was led by Harry Jackson and Niger Innis, claiming to be a campaign to claim that "extreme environmentalists" who oppose increased domestic oil drilling are enemies of the poor.

In essence, the group's message was that high energy prices disproportionately impact the poor and that domestic oil drilling was solution to keeping energy prices low. Not surprisingly, the effort was heavily supported by pro-drilling and other energy business interests. 

Now Jackson and Innis are back with a similar message, but with a new group called the Affordable Power Alliance:

The mission of the Alliance is heart a humanitarian one. Thousands of Americans become sick and die each year because high energy costs that prevent them from adequately heating or cooling their homes; buying the medicines they need; and practicing better health prevention measures. Millions more lose opportunities to better themselves and their families because rising energy costs eat away at a large portion of their disposable income.

That is why we consider public policies that raise energy costs to be dangerous and immoral -– especially given that higher energy prices hit middle-income families the working poor the hardest.

Last week, Jackson and Innis took their pro-drilling energy front-group message to a Tea Party in Colorado:

Last Wednesday on “tax day,” I had the privilege of attending my first Tea Party event. Standing on the steps of the Colorado State Capitol building in Denver, I addressed several thousand people concerning the impact of wrong-headed energy policies on all Americans – especially the minority community ... Scores of people thanked Mr. Innis and I for both the information we shared and our presence at the rally.

They recognized that the findings of a new report on the economic and employment impact of current CO2 restrictions endorsed by the EPA will be detrimental to all Americans. The study I am referencing estimates that the US GDP will be reduced by at least $500 billion over the next two decades by this one factor alone. This translates into the loss millions of jobs over the next 10 years. Third, there will also be a significant reduction in the average household income but it will regressively affect poor and lower middle class families the most.

Jackson's "findings" come out of this study prepared for his Affordable Energy Alliance by an organization called Management Information Services, Inc. (MISI) which "provides economic, financial, energy, and environmental research services and litigation support to clients in private industry."

And who might some of those private industry clients be, you ask:

American Electric Power Company
Bruce Power, LP
Chesapeake Energy
Commonwealth Edison
Energy Corporation of America
Energy Resources International, Inc.
ExxonMobil
Ontario Power Generation, Inc.
Peabody Energy
The Southern Company
Washington Gas Company
World Oil Magazine

So MISI produced a report on behalf of the Affordable Energy Alliance finding that carbon dioxide restrictions and other environmental regulations would be detrimental to the nation's poor. 

Presumably, the fact that MISI also just so happens to provide research and litigation services to several energy companies is purely coincidental.

Last Friday, a judge struck down Arkansas' law banning adoption by unmarried couples but, interestingly, the decision has not yielded an outpouring of outrage from the Religious Right - at least, not yet.

And the reason for that seems to be due to the fact that they are still too busy being outraged about the other ruling from last week finding the National Day of Prayer to be unconstitutional.

Dave Welch of the US Pastor Council says the ruling "is grounded in a fundamental hostility against public expression of the Christian faith" and the result of the fact that the nation continues to "reject the existence and/or sovereignty of God," while Focus on the Family's Stuart Shepard made the issue the focus on his latest "Stoplight" video (note Mike Huckabee's appearance in the very beginning):

And while Fox News' Megyn Kelly can't seem to understand how a day designed to "acknowledge the role that God has played in the formation of this country and its laws" could ever be seen as promoting religion, The Christian Defense Coalition's Rev. Patrick Mahoney and Faith 2 Action's Rev. Rob Schenck are planning a press conference to demand that the Obama administration appeal the ruling:

President Obama has a unique chance to build a bridge to the faith community by acting quickly on this matter and reaffirming his commitment to public expressions of faith and the National Day of Prayer. It is not enough for Mr. Obama to make wonderful speeches about protecting religious freedom around the world.

"Now is the time to act on protecting religious freedom in America.

"Sadly, the President's record concerning the Christian community and religious liberty is not a good one.

Meanwhile, Rep. Randy Forbes is telling Focus on the Family that the decision should be a "wake-up call" to all Americans about the importance of keeping "activist judges" off the bench:

The federal judge’s decision to call the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional represents a movement we are seeing across the country of a small minority who want to exclude faith, religion and morality from the marketplace of ideas. In so doing, they may be depriving us of the very principles we need to secure our freedom.

...

While we cannot speculate how the Supreme Court would rule on this case, one thing this particular decision should make clear is how dangerous it is to appoint activist judges. This federal judge has essentially said that the Declaration of Independence – a document that very clearly states that our rights were given by a Creator – is unconstitutional. Is there any question this judge would have declared the Declaration of Independence unconstitutional if it were written today, since it proclaims all our rights come from the Creator? It is regrettable that we would have a federal judge essentially rule against the very premise of the nation's foundational document of freedom. The decision should be a wake-up call to Americans across the country.

But not to be outone is the Family Research Council, which is demanding the impeachment of the judge and that the nation fall on its knees to pray for our nation during these "darkest days":

Make no mistake. This judicial mutiny lies directly at the feet of the Left, including President Obama, who has created an atmosphere in which the Constitution is silly putty in the hands of liberal activists. Slowly but surely, he is making American soil more fertile for the radical redefinition of society. This cannot be tolerated. We must ensure that the President's bench nominees have a reverence for the Constitution that this judge lacks. In the meantime, we call on Congress to start the impeachment proceedings for Barbara Crabb, as she violated of her sacred oath of "administering justice... under the Constitution and laws of the United States." What she has done to repress, we will use to revive. What she meant to undermine prayer, we will use as the reason why it's necessary. When the great men and women of our past bent their knees to God on behalf of the "sacred fire of liberty," it was often during the nation's darkest days. My friends, it is time we join them.

• An Arkansas judge has struck down Act 1, which was passed in 2008 in order ban against unmarried couples [i.e., gays] from adopting or foster-parenting children.
• The Department of Justice has asked a federal judge to dismiss the right-wing lawsuit against the Hate Crimes Act, saying "the Act does not proscribe speech. It prohibits only violent conduct and includes specific provisions ensuring that it may not be applied to infringe any rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.”
• Larry Klayman is now a columnist for WorldNetDaily where he'll fit right in.
• Did you know that David Barton's son, Tim, is carrying on the family tradition of spreading pseudo-history throughout the land?  Well, he is.
• Tim Goeglein always wanted to be a journalist ... until he got caught plagerizing.  So then he had to go work for President Bush and Focus on the Family.
• Behold the latest White House scandal:  President Obama isn't a real baseball fan!
• Finally, the quote of the day from the Illinois Family Institute's Laurie Higgins opposing efforts to end bullying: "But the part they leave out is it's trying to end bullying by normalizing homosexuality."

Yesterday, a federal judge in Wisconsin ruled that the National Day of Prayer was unconstitutional and, not surprisingly, the Right has been outraged.

But I was especially impressed with Bryan Fischer's response explaining that any idiot can see that this ruling is wrong: 

A federal judge ruled Thursday that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional because it violates the Constitution's prohibition against the government establishment of religion.

It is so easy to refute this judge on constitutional grounds that a caveman could do it.

Shoot, you don't even need the caveman. The Geico lizard probably knows more about the Constitution than this benighted, misguided, robe-wearing tyrant.

"Establishment" had a quite technical definition at the time of the founding. It meant to grant one specific Christian denomination preference in law, make it the official church of a nation or state, and compel people to support it through their taxes.

The Founders had observed what happened in England with an established church, the Church of England. Many of them experienced the religious oppression that accompanied an official national denomination, fled to America for freedom, and determined that the fledgling nation would not repeat the mistakes of the mother country.

Now, I am not sure just who Fischer has in mind when he says "Founders," but I  tend to think of it as referring to the men involved who signed the Declaration of Independence or drafted the Constitution.

As such, I have no idea where he gets the idea that they "fled to America for freedom" after experiencing the religious oppression of the Church of England, considering that the vast majority of them were all born in America. For instance:

Ben Franklin was born in Massachusetts.

John Adams was born in Massachusetts.

John Hancock was born in Massachusetts.

George Washington was born in Virginia.

Thomas Jefferson was born in Virginia.

James Madison was born in Virginia.

In fact, of the 39 men who signed the US Constitution, only five (James McHenry, Pierce Butler, William Paterson, Robert Morris, Thomas Fitzsimons) were not born on American soil.

But according to Fischer, our Founding Fathers so chaffed under the Church of England's religious oppression that they "fled to America for freedom" ... where they were born. 

And failure to understand that makes this federal judge an idiot.