African American Ministers In Action

Right Wing Round-Up

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Friday, 8/5/2011 5:37 pm

Right Wing Round-Up

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Friday, 1/15/2010 6:30 pm
  • PFAW Statement: Guess Who's Coming to the McDonnell Inauguration.

  • Rev. Byron Williams, a member of PFAW Foundation’s African American Ministers in Action program, weighs in on the Pat Robertson saga.

  • As always, the Family Research Council has something useful and insightful to say when it comes to Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

  • Media Matters tracks the Interpol conspiracy theory through right-wing media.

  • If Michael Steele wasn't chairman of the RNC last summer, who was?

  • Finally, Rep. Steve King puts every other absurd response to the crisis in Haiti to shame with this statement: "Illegal immigrants from Haiti have no reason to fear deportation but if they are deported, Haiti is in great need of relief workers and many of them could be a big help to their fellow Haitians.”

The Facts, Well They're Sort of Irrelevant Here

Submitted by Anonymous on Tuesday, 4/28/2009 6:53 pm

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.

Distorting civil rights history, again

Submitted by Anonymous on Monday, 10/2/2006 9:06 am
The National Black Republican Association made headlines a little over a week ago when it began airing radio ads in Maryland and Ohio claiming Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Republican. The ads included gross distortions of civil rights history intended to make the Republican Party sound palatable to African Americans, who usually vote overwhelmingly for Democrats. Now the NBRA’s at it again. Apparently not content to insult listeners with merely 30 seconds of distortions, the NBRA has released a new 60-second version of its ad (audio here). The new ad contains plenty of additional warped history, and also attempts to stir up anti-gay sentiment. Here’s the transcript:
Voice 1: Dr. King was a real man. You know he was a Republican.
Voice 2: Dr. King? A Republican?
Voice 1: Democrats passed those black codes and Jim Crow laws. Democrats started the Ku Klux Klan.
Voice 2: White hoods and sheets?
Voice 1: Democrats fought all civil rights legislation form the 1860s til the 1960s. Democrats released those vicious dogs and fire hoses on blacks.
Voice 2: Seriously?
Voice 1: And the Dixiecrats? Remained Democrats and vowed to vote for a yellow dog before a Republican. Republicans freed us from slavery and put our right to vote in the Constitution.
Voice 2: What?
Voice 1: Republicans started the NAACP, affirmative action, and the HBCUs.
Voice 2: Sounds like Democrats have bamboozled blacks.
Voice 1: Democrats blocked the minimum wage passed by Republicans, and over $200 billion have been spent on education health care and job training since President Bush took office.
Voice 2: So Democrats want to keep us poor while voting only Democrat.
Voice 1: Democrats want us to accept same-sex marriages, teen abortions without a parent’s consent, and suing the boy scouts for saying God in their pledge.
Voice 2: See, we need to think and vote on our own values.
Voice 1: Exactly. Democrats have talked the talk but the Republicans have walked the walk.
Voice 2: It’s time for us to do the walk.
Voice 1: You know it girl.
This misrepresentation of history is shameful, but it’s not isolated. Radical right faux “historian” David Barton has been peddling similar propaganda through a new DVD, and the NBRA has cited Barton's work as a basis for its communications. Thankfully, Barton, the NBRA, and their allies are not going unchallenged. Respected African American Democrats and Republicans, as well as nonpartisan leaders such as Rev. Timothy McDonald, the national chair of African American Ministers in Action, are standing up against these distortions and for the truth.
Syndicate content

African American Ministers In Action Posts Archive

Right Wing Round-Up
SUBMITTED BY: Kyle Mantyla, Friday 08/05/2011, 5:37pm
AAMIA: African American Ministers in Action Urge Gov. Perry to Denounce Divisive Rhetoric of ‘The Response’ Sponsors. John K. Wilson @ Daily Kos: Limbaugh's Racism: "Obama the Burglar." Jason Cherkis @ Huffington Post: Rick Perry's College Transcript: A Lot Of Cs And Ds. Marcos Restrepo @ Florida Independent: Christian Family Coalition: ‘Anti-American extremists and racists’ forced cancellation of West event. Frances Martel @ Mediaite: Huckabee: Bashing 9/11 Cartoon Profits Is Like Attacking Spielberg For Schindler’s List... MORE >
Right Wing Round-Up
SUBMITTED BY: Kyle Mantyla, Friday 01/15/2010, 6:30pm
PFAW Statement: Guess Who's Coming to the McDonnell Inauguration. Rev. Byron Williams, a member of PFAW Foundation’s African American Ministers in Action program, weighs in on the Pat Robertson saga. As always, the Family Research Council has something useful and insightful to say when it comes to Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Media Matters tracks the Interpol conspiracy theory through right-wing media. If Michael Steele wasn't chairman of the RNC last summer, who was? Finally, Rep. Steve King puts every other absurd response to the crisis in Haiti to... MORE >
The Facts, Well They're Sort of Irrelevant Here
, Tuesday 04/28/2009, 6:53pm
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... MORE >
Distorting civil rights history, again
, Monday 10/02/2006, 9:06am
The National Black Republican Association made headlines a little over a week ago when it began airing radio ads in Maryland and Ohio claiming Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Republican. The ads included gross distortions of civil rights history intended to make the Republican Party sound palatable to African Americans, who usually vote overwhelmingly for Democrats. Now the NBRA’s at it again. Apparently not content to insult listeners with merely 30 seconds of distortions, the NBRA has released a new 60-second version of its ad (audio here). The new ad contains plenty of additional... MORE >