Stacey's blog

Randall Terry: Abortion, an "evil…far worse than slavery"

Submitted by Stacey on June 11, 2009 - 4:56pm

Today, Right Wing Watch went to the National Press Club for a second helping of Randall Terry’s Chicken Wings and Guinness – and of course to hear Terry discuss how Tiller’s death and office closing can be beneficial to the pro-life movement, derail Sotomayor’s confirmation, and eventually, overturn Roe. Terry compared the “plight” of anti-abortionists in the country to that of abolitionists like Nat Turner, whose rebellion according to Terry “holds the key to pro-life success” and “overturning Roe v. Wade.”

Terry, who believes that abortion is far worse than slavery according to this document [pdf] handed out at today’s press conference, called anti-abortionists the “ethical heirs of the abolitionists” and pro-choicers the “ethical heirs of the slave owners”:

PFAW

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The Facts, Well They're Sort of Irrelevant Here

Submitted by Stacey on April 28, 2009 - 5:53pm

The news from today’s right-wing press conference on the Hate Crimes legislation: no news at all, in case you were expecting any. GOP Representatives Louie Gohmert of Texas and Trent Franks of Arizona joined by Bishop Harry Jackson and spokespeople from other groups including the Traditional Values Coalition and Concerned Women for America for another opportunity to spread lies about the intent of hate crimes legislation. Even with explicit First Amendment protections for clergy and religious communities written into the Hate Crimes legislation, the right wing’s dishonest talking points remain the same: The Hate Crimes bill will threaten religious teachings on morality and First Amendment rights as pastor’s sermons could be considered “hate speech.” And, of course, pastors could be prosecuted for “conspiracy to commit a hate crime.”

We got a copy of the talking points handed out by Rep. Louie Gohmert’s people:

“The Hate Crimes bill creates a new Federal “Thought Crime.” The Hate Crimes bill will require criminal investigations of a suspect’s philosophical beliefs, politics, biases, religion, membership in organizations, activities of those organizations, and any past statements.”

And perhaps one of the most ridiculous talking points comes from the Traditional Values Coalition, who says “the ‘moral’ of this law, if it has one, is that child molesters and those who only ‘date’ dead people need to be protected but is open season on pastors and churchgoers:”

“Ensures that crimes against a transgender, drag queen or a gay man are treated more harshly than a sexual assault on a child. It will make pedophiles a protected class who can claim federal protection if they are injured by a parent as a result of molesting a child.” Read more

Who needs facts when you can just make stuff up (and when you’re getting paid to do it). For the real facts on hate crimes, People For the American Way and the African American Ministers in Action put together a helpful 2-pager on the legislation.

PFAW

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Reality Check for Gary Bauer

Submitted by Stacey on November 10, 2008 - 5:20pm

Days after President-elect Barack Obama’s rousing defeat over Sen. John McCain, American Values president and long-time McCain supporter Gary Bauer declared an end to racial tension in America.

Barack Obama’s election should also signal something to all those who have made race baiting their raison de ‘etre: dust off your résumés -- it’s time to find new work.

That includes Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, whose race baiting has done a disservice to the black community by turning every grievance into yet more evidence of America’s endemic racism.

Nevermind that on the same day that more than 65 million Americans cast their vote for America’s first Black president, Baylor University students reported seeing a rope resembling a noose on a campus tree. Also on Election Day, three students hurled racial epithets at a University of Mississippi sophomore who was celebrating Obama’s victory.

Less than 24 hours later in Maine, two black figures resembling gingerbread men were found hanging by nooses from trees. And in North Carolina, where Obama was officially declared the winner of the state’s 15 electoral votes on Thursday, the Secret Service was called in to assist in the investigation of four North Carolina State University students who spray painted racist graffiti including “Shoot Obama” and “Kill that n----.”

In a report entitled “The State of Minorities: How are Minorities Faring in the Economy?,” the Center for American Progress found that African Americans are still lagging behind whites in income, unemployment, and poverty, among other categories. African Americans median income in 2006 was $32,132, compared to whites’ median income of $52,423 in 2006. In 2007, the unemployment rate of African Americans was at 8.3 percent compared to 4.7 percent of whites. And poverty? In 2006, 24.2 percent of African Americans were living in poverty compared to 8.2 percent of whites.

Home ownership. Education. Health care. I could go on.

Reality check for Gary Bauer: While Obama's victory clearly signals progress in the long arc of the American story, only willful ignorance could allow one to think it has ended racial tension.