Oregon

Lively Laments Failure Of 1992 Effort To Require Teaching That Gays Are "Abnormal, Wrong, Unnatural, And Perverse"

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on November 4, 2011 - 2:32pm

In the same interview with Peter LaBarbera of Americans For Truth About Homosexuality in which Scott Lively revealed that he is contemplating filing defamation lawsuits because he says that false statements about anti-gay activism are posing a threat to his life, he also lamented the failure of a 1992 effort to pass a constitutional amendment in Oregon that would have declared homosexuality to be "abnormal, wrong, unnatural, and perverse."

At the time, Lively was serving as Director of Communications for the Oregon Citizens Alliance, the organization responsible for a ballot initiative known as Measure 9 that would have required public schools to teach that "homosexuality, pedophilia, sadism and masochism [are] abnormal, wrong, unnatural, and perverse and that these behaviors are to be discouraged and avoided."

The measure failed, much to Lively's dismay, because had it passed the "[gay] agenda would have been stopped cold":

Lively: I was the Communications Director for the Oregon Citizens Alliance and we had filed a ballot measure for the 1992 election. We filed it in 1991 and it set off a firestorm that really is the most intense political battle on the homosexual issue that has ever taken place in America. It was really like the gates of Hell kicked open and all the demons came out. Unbelievable level of hostility and manipulation and dirty tricks.

LaBarbera: What you Measure 9 have done?

Lively: Well, it would have amended the state Constitution to define homosexuality as unnatural and perverse - abnormal, unnatural, and perverse; we used the three words unnatural, abnormal, and perverse.

And by doing that, it would have stopped all of the government promotion of the homosexual agenda. This measure would have stopped all of that. It would have, frankly, triggered a landslide of similar measures across the country and we wouldn't be having these conversations today because the agenda would have been stopped cold.

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ACLJ Demands Anti-Islam Activist Be Allowed To Teach Class On Islam

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on December 10, 2010 - 12:23pm

Barry Sommer was supposed to teach a non-credited class at Lane Community College in Oregon entitled "What is Islam?"

But that was before the Council on American-Islamic Relations alerted them to the fact that Sommer was the president of an Oregon chapter of the anti-Islam group "ACT! for America," started by Brigitte Gabriel to save Western Civilization from the "authoritarian values of radical Islam, such as the celebration of death, terror and tyranny" and that he had a history of making anti-Islam statements.

So Lane College dropped the class, for which not even one student had signed up, and Sommer was out the $160 he would have been paid for teaching it ... and so, of course, Pat Robertson's American Center for Law and Justice has taken up the case is the threatening to sue Lane College if it doesn't let Sommer teach this course:

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) said today it is demanding that an Oregon community college rehire a teacher fired after the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) complained about a class he was scheduled to teach about the religion of Islam. The ACLJ, which represents the instructor, contends that Lane Community College (LCC) in Eugene, Oregon violated the contractual and constitutional rights of the teacher by firing him and canceling the class because of pressure from CAIR.

"This is a textbook case of a public college improperly firing an instructor in response to public pressure," said CeCe Heil, ACLJ Senior Counsel, who is handling the case. "The school had approved the course and our client's request to teach it. Only after CAIR got involved did the school react - caving to political pressure and intimidation - firing our client and canceling the course. The school clearly violated the First Amendment free speech rights of our client. It's disappointing that a community college that should uphold an environment of academic freedom along with diversity and acceptance has failed to do so in this case. We're demanding that the school rehire our client and reinstate the class he had been scheduled to teach. If corrective action is not taken, we're prepared to take legal action to protect the rights of our client."

...

The ACLJ has given the school until next Wednesday, December 15th, to respond and take corrective action or face possible legal action in federal court.

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Pat on Northwest Floods: I Warned You

Submitted by Anonymous on December 12, 2007 - 9:23am

On Monday’s “700 Club,” the show looked at the devastating storms that have wracked the Pacific Northwest, and recalled Pat Robertson’s warnings on the show from 2006. After a private retreat, Robertson announced (on the January 5, 2006 “700 Club”) what he said God had told him about the coming year. Perhaps inspired by Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami that hit Indonesia, Robertson listed off all kinds of natural disasters: “earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, the coasts will be lashed by storms and disasters …” Robertson called it “the birth pangs of a more glorious order.”

Of course, it’s 2007 now, not 2006, but nobody’s perfect. Watch:

What else did Robertson predict for 2006? A “successful conclusion” to the Iraq war, “inconclusive” midterm elections, the confirmation of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court and the retirement of a “liberal” justice, and a strengthening of Bush’s and the Republican Party’s power in Washington. Well, Alito was confirmed, anyway.

Robertson also made his retreat at the beginning of this year, and while 2007 is almost over, there are still a couple weeks left for what Robertson said God had in store for us:

I don’t know if it’ll be in the fall or September or later on, but it’ll be the second half somehow of 2007. There will be some very serious terrorist attacks. The evil people will come after this country and there’s a possibility – not a possibility, a definite certainty - that chaos is going to rule. And the Lord said the politicians will not have any solutions for it. There’s just going to be chaos. … It’s going to happen. I’m not saying necessarily nuclear, the Lord didn't say nuclear, but I do believe it'll be something like that, that'll be a mass killing - possibly millions of people, major cities injured. I hope I’m wrong and I hope people will pray and that won’t happen, but nevertheless that seems to be what’s coming up. And then the Lord said he will restrain the evil people, but he will not restrain them necessarily initially. And, you know, He doesn’t have to restrain people.

More specifically, Robertson warned that “their targets are New York, Washington, Miami, Houston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles.”

UPDATE: On Wednesday’s show, the weather-obsessed Robertson responded to recent ice storms by suggesting it might be God’s punishment for hosting talks between Israelis and Palestinians:

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Anti-Gay Activists Work to Overturn Partnerships, Anti-Discrimination Laws in Oregon

Submitted by Anonymous on September 4, 2007 - 5:13pm

Oregon-based religious-right groups are gathering signatures for a petition to rescind two laws passed by the legislature and signed by the governor: one that creates domestic partnerships for gay couples, and a second that bars discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in employment, housing, and public accommodations. Led by David Crowe of Restore America, anti-gay activists are targeting pastors to reach the required signature count by the 25th of this month. “Look, you're offending God if you're not willing to take a stand for his fundamental creation institution, which is marriage,” pled Crowe.

When we last checked in, Crowe was calling the anti-discrimination bill “the most sweeping and culturally devastating law in Oregon history, establishing pagan morality under the guise of a 'civil right,' and imposing it upon all Oregonians under the cover of 'law.’” His ally at the state Constitution Party called the two bills “a recipe for civil war,” adding, “This legislation will lock religious people inside their church buildings and let perversion occupy the rest of the landscape!”

But with time running out to put anti-gay measures on the 2008 ballot, Crowe is trying to outdo himself. His latest e-mail claims that sexual predators “trolling for a good time” in women’s restrooms would somehow be protected under the anti-discrimination law:

Your daughter may pull her panties up to discover a man in the Women's Restroom!

Men's and Women's Restrooms, a thing of the past?

After January 1, 2008 anyone will have access to Men's and Women's Restrooms, no questions asked. Your daughter may pull her panties up to discover a man in the Women's Restroom. He can claim that he felt like a woman that day and be protected by a law passed by the Oregon legislature and signed by the Governor. He may not be homosexual, just out trolling for a good time. It's true! And after January 1, unless you sign the petition to stop this bill, the predator will be protected by Oregon law! …

On January 1, 2008 - unless we ACT - Benson, and others will be free to do the same thing in any public or business restroom or locker room in the State of Oregon! He can claim that he felt like a woman that day and according to Senate Bill 2 he will be protected should you protest!

Thanks to our enlightened legislature, if you protest, he can sue YOU and claim the protections of his behavior under SB 2. He may not be homosexual, just out trolling for a good time! And you and your daughter or son, or your wife, will no longer be protected by current law.

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Anti-Evolution Billboards in Oregon, Georgia Demonstrate Man, Monkey Look Different

Submitted by Anonymous on May 17, 2007 - 10:59pm

Group promotes teaching creationism in public school.

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Right: Anti-Discrimination Bill in Oregon to Lead to 'Civil War,' 'Pagan Morality'

Submitted by Anonymous on April 19, 2007 - 4:03pm

As Oregon legislators consider two bills regarding the rights of gays and lesbians, local right-wing leaders are in a frenzy. WorldNetDaily.com quotes the state Constitution Party, which warned that the legislation is “a recipe for civil war”:

"Everyone should read this legislation. It clearly gives those who choose non-traditional sexual behavior preference over those with traditional moral values," said state [Constitution Party] Chairman Jack Brown. "This legislation will lock religious people inside their church buildings and let perversion occupy the rest of the landscape!"

The bills? One would establish domestic partnerships; the other would follow 17 other states in barring discrimination based in sexual orientation in housing, public accommodations, public education, and employment.

David Crowe of Restore America warned of a “moral freefall”:

"The people of Oregon deserve people in office who respect their wishes, not those of a small minority who wish to impose their morality upon others while forcing acquiescence by using the authority of human law, in disregard of God's Law," he said. "Our next step in opposing these bills is a Referral to the people of Oregon. They have the right to approve or disapprove the actions of the legislature."

According to Crowe, the latter bill is “the most sweeping and culturally devastating law in Oregon history, establishing pagan morality under the guise of a 'civil right,' and imposing it upon all Oregonians under the cover of 'law.’” Despite an explicit exemption in the bill for churches and religious organizations, Crowe warned that churches will be “forced to hire homosexuals.” “They're seeking really to gain a foothold for homosexuals into the Christian church with the court's approval,” claimed Crowe.

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After Right-Wing Conference in Oregon, Darwin-Hitler Link Enters Public School

Submitted by Anonymous on March 21, 2007 - 5:07pm

When Florida televangelist D. James Kennedy asked his viewers to donate towards the production of a TV special on the “harmful effects” of evolution – “everything from the Nazi death camps and attempts to create a super-race to the modern push in many nations for euthanasia” – he warned that “The other side has the entire public school system of America as its platform,” whereas he came armed with only “the national network of television outlets that God has given to us.” While it’s true that most high school science classes stick to scientific curricula on evolution and stay clear of attempts to equate Charles Darwin with Adolph Hitler, the Religious Right’s campaign against the teaching of evolution has its share of recruits across the nation.

After less than two weeks on the job, part-time biology teacher Kris Helphinstine was fired by the Sisters, Oregon school board for drawing his course materials from a far-right creationist website. Echoing Kennedy, Helphinstine’s attempt to “get kids thinking” involved a PowerPoint presentation linking evolutionary science to Planned Parenthood and Nazi Germany. From The Oregonian:

Helphinstine said in retrospect slides of Nazi death camps weren't appropriate for his freshman and sophomore students.

And given a second chance, he said he wouldn't introduce arguments from Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis, a group building a Creation Museum in Cincinnati dedicated to teaching a Bible-centric view of natural history.

Answers in Genesis is a straightforward advocate of young-earth creationism; the group is building a Creation Museum in northern Kentucky apparently set to open this summer. The group provides quite a few classroom resources for teaching creationism.

This material was apparently the focus of the teacher’s entire tenure at the school:

One parent, John Rahm, said his daughter reported that only "one day of 10" was devoted to the study of evolution, with the rest devoted to devoted to "Intelligent Design" materials.

"The test as well was 90-plus percent ID material," Rahm said.

It could be a coincidence, but Helphinstine, 27, began his new job only a couple weeks after a right-wing conference convened near Portland, around two hours away. Among the presentations at the 2nd Annual Restore America Conference was “Session for teachers, parents and students” on “Upholding a Christian Worldview in Education.” The speaker was Stephen Williams of Prepare the Way Ministries, based in nearby Bend, which is dedicated to “empower[ing] Christians … to uphold a biblical worldview in our schools and society.” Williams is known for suing the school where he taught fifth grade over his use of “supplemental materials” meant to emphasize the idea of America as a Christian nation.

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Conference in Oregon to Enlist Pastors into Religious-Right Political Movement

Submitted by Anonymous on February 14, 2007 - 11:59pm

Featuring Rick Scarborough, Liberty Counsel’s Staver, Janet Folger, and more speaking against judges, “secular, anti-Christian humanism.”

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Connerly Announces Anti-Affirmative Action Campaigns in as Many as Nine States

Submitted by Anonymous on December 13, 2006 - 5:07pm

Ward Connerly – who ten years ago spearheaded California’s successful ballot initiative to end affirmative action in education, two years later worked to end it in Washington state, and this year joined the effort in Michigan, where a ban on affirmative action also passed – announced today that he is exploring nine more states: Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah. “Three down and 20 to go,” he said in a conference call this morning, referring to the number of states that have ballot initiative procedures.

Connerly was joined by Jennifer Gratz, a white student who sued the University of Michigan after being rejected for admission and who later led the ballot initiative to ban affirmative action outright. Gratz will join Connerly’s American Civil Rights Institute to work on the expansion of these bans. “We've always felt that if we could win in Michigan, we could win anywhere,” she said.

Despite the name of Connerly’s group, efforts like the Michigan ban have been opposed by major civil rights organizations. Connerly did pick up support from one major group: “If the Ku Klux Klan thinks equality is right, God bless them,” he said.