Virginia

At Ralph Reed Confab, Obama Portrayed as Enemy of Faith and Freedom

Submitted by Peter Montgomery on Monday, 6/6/2011 8:59 pm

Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition gathering in Washington, D.C. this past weekend was essentially a relentless repetition of the GOP’s 2012 attack themes on the Obama administration, mixed with Religious Right leaders’ demands that the Tea Party not abandon social conservatives’ priorities and conservative politicos’ appeals for unity behind whichever candidate emerges from the presidential crowd.  Just about everyone running, or thinking about running, for the presidency on the Republican side was in attendance with the exception of Newt Gingrich.

One of the easiest, and most frequently used, ways to get applause at F&F was to pledge that Obama will be a one-term president.  Among the other major themes:
 
American Exceptionalism
 
Former Senator Rick Santorum, who officially announced his presidential bid this morning, said his campaign theme will be American exceptionalism.  Unfortunately, for Santorum, it seems that every Republican candidate is talking about American exceptionalism – and the claim that President Obama, Democrats, and “liberal elites” don’t believe that the U.S. is the God-ordained greatest nation in the history of the world – so it’s going to be hard to break away from the pack on that score.  Gary Bauer claimed that American elites don’t believe the words of the Declaration of Independence. 
 
‘Obamacare’ = Socialism = The End of Freedom
 
Many speakers cited health care reform as the ultimate example of the Democrats’ commitment to freedom-destroying socialism.  Carrie Severino of the Judicial Crisis Network said it was one example of progressives’ tendency to say “to hell with the Constitution” when it got in the way of their policy goals.  Rep. Allen West even attacked the notion of “shared sacrifice,” which he said was code for “redistribution of wealth,” which is how the right-wing looks at progressive taxation.  Rep. Tom Price, who clearly needs to spend some time studying American history, called the health care reform bill “the furthest reach of oppression that this society has ever seen.”  Others similarly insisted that the implementation of the law would mean the end of liberty in America.  Michele Bachman shouted, “I will not rest until we repeal Obamacare. America will not rest until we repeal Obamacare.”  Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli said the fight against Obamacare is just one sign that federalism is reemerging.  He argued that Americans need to understand that there is a “liberty pie” that does not grow – and it has only two slices, government power and individual liberty – and one necessarily grows at the expense of the other. 
 
America Needs More Religion (as long as it’s not Islam)
 
The FFC was long on Religious Right rhetoric on religion and politics.  The pastor who gave the opening prayer for the conference gave thanks for “a nation founded for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.”  The Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins exulted that it was good to be among folks who are “not ashamed to defend the Christian principles on which this nation was founded.”  The Republican National Committee’s Reince Priebus said America’s greatness is “rooted in our faith” and that “faith in our God, and faith in our savior” is “not a convenience, it is the foundation of a good life.” But Islam was clearly deemed a threat, with one participant telling a contentiouspanel on Sharia law that in Minnesota “we practically have a Muslim state.”  
 
Reproductive Rights and Gay Rights = Big Government
 
In the “Social Issues: Why They Still Matter” panel, John Fund of the Wall Street Journal discussed “the psychology of those who are trying to undermine the moral fiber of this country,” arguing that liberals are compelled by a lust for power and therefore need to “control people” and “lower standards of society as a whole.” Fund explained that “if you can lower standards” by permitting legal abortion and gay equality, then liberals can gain control over society, and insisted that “we have to bring back shaming” of women who had abortions because “we need to be judgmental about this issue, we need to call out people for the choices that they made, ‘shaming’ is not a bad word in this society.” On a separate panel, National Organization for Marriage founder Maggie Gallagher said, “When you redefine marriage, you also redefine the relationship between Genesis and the American tradition,” which would jeopardize freedom because “in some cases, the power of government is already being used to marginalize and stigmatize people who disagree with the foundational ideas of same-sex marriage.”
 
Obama as Enemy of Israel
 
Michele Bachman was one of several speakers who misportrayed recent Obama administration comments about Israel, calling them a “shocking display of betraying our greatest friend and ally.” One participant commented that “life, liberty, and Israel” were the elements that make up “the pursuit of happiness.” Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice said Obama may soon be referring to Israel as “the Zionist regime” and Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission implied that Obama may bringing upon the country the curse of God for his policy towards Israel. Peter Roff of U.S. News and World Report lamented that “the American Jewish community is for some reason enamored of Democratic politicians in general and Barack Obama specifically.”
 
Unified Conservative Movement
 
FRC’s Perkins was among many Religious Right speakers who argued for keeping social conservatives’ priorities at the forefront of the movement in the name of conservative movement unity.  Perkins used a strange mixed metaphor, saying it is the “bottom of the ninth for our beloved country” and no time to lapse into an undisciplined orchestra, calling for a “rousing symphony” – drums of national defense, the horns of economic abundance, and the strings that bind a strong family.  Among others who sounded the same theme were Indiana gubernatorial candidate Mike Pence, who said, “we have to recognize that our present crisis is not just economic or political but moral in nature” and touted the importance of the sanctity of life, “traditional marriage,” and the importance of organized religion in our daily life.
 
Haley Barbour, one of the potential presidential candidates who decided not to run, devoted his remarks to lecturing attendees about the need to rally behind whichever candidate was nominated even though the nominee won’t be perfect.  “In politics,” he said, “purity is the enemy of victory.” Tony Blankley warned that the media and Democrats would love to “divide and conquer” the movement.
 
Advocating for social issues at the FFC was clearly preaching to the choir.  But some Tea Party activists were clearly annoyed by the “you’re nothing without us” attitude of Religious Right activists Jordan Sekulow and Matt Barber at a panel on the “Teavangelicals” that was moderated by the Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody.

Right Wing Round-Up

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Thursday, 6/2/2011 5:52 pm

Right Wing Leftovers

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Friday, 5/27/2011 5:09 pm
  • Apparently E.W. Jackson is running for the open US Senate seat in Virginia.

  • Peter LaBarbera launches a new group.

  • Matt Barber explains that conservatives are cool.

  • From FRC's latest prayer update: "Pray that efforts to stop the homosexualization of the U.S. military will prevail and that this ugly social experiment at the expense of our national security will be reversed."

  • Free Republic founder Jim Robinson has a message for his posters: "FR DOES NOT AND WILL NOT SUPPORT ABORTIONIST, GAY RIGHTS PUSHING BIG GOVERNMENT STATISTS FOR PRESIDENT!!"

  • Finally, the quote of the day from Gordon Klingenschmitt: "Homosexuals are pedophiles who abuse and rape children; which they must do to maintain their available pool of future sex partners."

AFA Blog Post Calls Out Religious Right Leaders For Associating With False Prophets

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Wednesday, 5/18/2011 2:03 pm

We have been writing about the growing overlap between the traditional Religious Right and the new brand of self-proclaimed prophets and apostles like Cindy Jacobs, Rick Joyner, Chuck Pierce, and Lou Engle, who have emerged out of the New Apostolic Reformation movement.

In recent years, old-school Religious Right leaders like Tony Perkins and Janet Porter have eagerly embraced leaders like Joyner, Engle and Jacobs and welcomed them into movement, often placing them front and center in their events. 

So imagine our surprise when we took at look at the American Family Association's blog today and saw a post by Marsha West laying out her concerns about the movement and calling out various Religious Right leaders by name for aligning with false prophets like Jacobs:

Last year self-professed NAR prophet Cindy Jacobs’ and General’s International held the May Day 2010: A Cry To God For A Nation In Distress at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial where “local representatives shared about their state’s Christian heritage and lifted up prayers for their state and the United States. National leaders offered up prayers of repentance for seven main issues: family, the church, education, arts and entertainment, business, government and the media.” Janet Porter of Faith2Action had an active role in organizing the gathering. In attendance were such notables as James Dobson, Tony Perkins, Wendy Wright, Jerry Newcombe, Peter LaBarbera, David Barton, Mathew Staver, Robert Knight, Alan Keyes, to name a few. Also in attendance were several NAR leaders including C. Peter Wagner, Chuck Pierce, Dutch Sheets, Lance Wallnau and Rick Joyner.

In April 2010 conservative Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA hosted The Awakening 2010 conference sponsored by the Freedom Federation. They define themselves as “a group of the nation's largest multiracial, multiethnic and multigenerational faith-based and policy organizations representing more than 30 million Americans united by core values. The group’s mission is to bring together community leaders committed to mobilizing the Judeo-Christian worldview to preserve freedom and promote justice.”

One of the speakers at the event was Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. Other influential leaders include Newt Gingrich, Gary Bauer, Tony Perkins, Wendy Wright, Richard Land, Andrea Lafferty, Kelly Shackelford, Ken Blackwell, Mat Staver, Rick Scarborough, and NAR Apostles Cindy Jacobs, Lou Engle, Harry Jackson and Samuel Rodriguez.

What is wrong with this picture? People from the NAR who are in the grip of evil were invited to participate in both of these events. One example is Cindy Jacobs. Jacobs is the NAR’s “lead U.S. National Apostle.” Cindy is supposedly a modern day prophet. But I beg to differ. This woman has uttered more false prophecies than Walgreen’s has pills, proving beyond a reasonable doubt that she is no more a prophet of God than Lady Gaga! The truth is, Cindy Jacobs is a false prophet.

Considering that Perkins regularly co-hosts a radio broadcast with AFA head Tim Wildmon and Dobson, Barton, Staver and the like are key ideological allies of the organization, I wonder how they feel about being called out for associating with people "who are in the grip of evil."

Religious Right Activist Warns That Gay Rights Will Lead To The End Times

Submitted by Brian Tashman on Friday, 5/13/2011 3:21 pm

Michael Bresciani of American Prophet claims that the move towards gay equality signals the End Days. Writing for Renew America on the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A)’s decision to permit the ordination of gay and lesbian ministers, Bresciani contends “that the rise in gay activism is not only a new low for the nation but it is part and parcel to last day’s prophecy” which “must precede the rise of the antichrist and the final judgments of God against a rebellious and totally reprobate generation.”

He also mistakenly believes that Virginia has legalized marriage for same-sex couples, which is not true as voters there banned same-sex marriage and civil unions in 2006, Bresciani concludes that gay-rights opponents are become a persecuted minority, but should be relieved once judgment day comes:

Gay activist seem to be wearing out the general public as in Virginia where same sex marriages were recently brought in by a narrow margin but nevertheless people in the Old Dominion amended their state constitution to OK same sex marriages. In California the gays were not satisfied to allow the vote of the general population to stand, but dragged the matter to the federal courts for a look see. Does all of this social wrangling indicate that we are approaching new heights of social advancement and freedom or is it the indicator that we are sinking to new depths of reprobation?

If we use the Bible alone to answer the question it will show that the rise in gay activism is not only a new low for the nation but it is part and parcel to last day's prophecy. It is only a small part of a pervasive deepening of immorality that the Bible says must precede the rise of the antichrist and the final judgments of God against a rebellious and totally reprobate generation.

…

There is an ample supply of heated rhetoric, anger and abusive language leveled at anyone who takes a stand against the pervasive acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle but the screaming voices of the condemned on the judgment day, wailing at believers for not warning them, would be a lot more difficult to endure

Phillips: Hearings On Oil Company Subsidies Just Like Soviet Show Trials

Submitted by Brian Tashman on Friday, 5/13/2011 11:40 am

The Tea Party movement is frequently criticized for hyperventilating about the threat of encroaching Communism while advocating for Corporate America. Then people like Tea Party Nation president Judson Phillips come around and confirm those exact charges.

In a letter to his fellow Tea Partyers, Phillips accuses Senate Democrats of admiring Joseph Stalin and leading a “Democratic Senate show trial” straight “from the Stalin handbook.”

Who are the victims of this outrage? Oil companies like Exxon Mobil, BP, Chevron and ConocoPhillips, who were asked to testify about the massive subsidies they receive from the federal government. Apparently while Phillips has a problem with government involvement in the economy, he has no beef with corporate welfare.

Responding to Democratic plans to reign in subsidies for the oil giants, Phillips slams Democrats as “Marixsts and the brain dead” and calls Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) a “Joseph Stalin fan boy and dim bulb”:

Soviet dictator and mass murderer Joseph Stalin has always been an inspiration to liberal democrats. Once again, they have taken a play from the Stalin handbook.

One of the hallmarks of Stalin was his famous show trials and Democrats in the United States Senate, eager to show they had learned from him, staged a show trial.

Five executives from big Oil were summoned. Make no mistake; it was a summons, complete with subpoena, served by a United States Marshall.

…

Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia won the booby prize for the really dumbest comment of the day, when he said the executives of Big Oil were “out of touch” with the American people.

Joseph Stalin fan boy and dim bulb Bob Menendez, who gave Rockefeller strong competition for the dumbest comment of the day, whined that the oil companies were making profits. He wants $2 billion from the oil companies so he can squander that money. He claims the Oil Companies will make $125 billion in profits this year and they can give up a couple of billion.

This is what happens when you put Marxists and the brain dead in charge of the country. Menendez is clearly a lost ball in high weeds. He has no clue where profits go.

…

Of course, the CEO’s have it lucky. They only had to deal with verbal abuse at the Democratic Senate show trial.

Stalin shot the stars of his show trials.

Ken Cuccinelli Hosting Concerned Women For America Fundraiser

Submitted by Brian Tashman on Friday, 5/13/2011 11:15 am

The Religious Right’s favorite Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is the “honorary host” of a Virginia fundraiser for Concerned Women for America. Cuccinelli won plaudits from right-wing activists for using his Virginia post to challenge anti-discrimination protections based on sexual orientation, attack scientists who believe in climate change, undercut health care reform, and censor the official state seal over nudity.

It makes sense that Cuccinelli is hosting a fundraiser for a group which believes that health care reform violates the Ten Commandments, gays are discriminatory bullies who hate democracy, climate change science is a duplicitous effort to wreak havoc on the poor, and that President Obama wants communists to control America’s children.

Maybe when Cuccinelli is with the CWA leadership he can fulfill his law enforcement duties by asking them if they know kidnapper Lisa Miller’s whereabouts, seeing as the group was one of Miller’s most ardent advocates and offered clues that they know where she is.

But somehow I doubt it.

Flashback: Lou Engle Prays Over Newt Gingrich

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Wednesday, 5/11/2011 10:17 am

In honor of his impending presidential announcement, yesterday we put up a post featuring links to our "top ten" posts about Newt Gingrich that included a link to a post we wrote in 2009 featuring a video of Lou Engle prayer and laying hands on Gingrich at a "Rediscovering God in America" event in Virginia that featured Gingrich and Engle along with Mike Huckabee, David Barton, Oliver North, Mat Staver, and others.

Unfortunately, we lost the video when our first YouTube account got shut down ... but thanks to Bruce Wilson we have obtained another copy of it and decided to repost it because it seems especially relevant now to document Gingrich's ties to a man like Lou Engle:  

Geller: Obama Is An Illegitimate Child And Therefore An Illegitimate President

Submitted by Brian Tashman on Thursday, 5/5/2011 10:54 am

Pamela Geller’s rabid anti-Muslim activism helped her win friends in the conservative movement and the Republican Party, and she even had her own panel at CPAC earlier this year. But Geller has now been focusing her efforts on a different issue: Birtherism. Geller accused President Obama of doctoring his birth certificate and took to the Birther website WorldNetDaily to claim that Obama is ineligible to be president because his parents had a sham marriage. Virginia School of Law professor G. Edward White plainly points out that the term “natural born citizen” is “understood to mean a person born in the United States or born abroad to parents who are both American citizen” (emphasis mine) and had nothing to do with the children of purported “sham marriages.” But for Geller, who now professes to be an expert on Obama’s parents’ romantic life, even if Obama was born in the United States he can’t be considered a “natural born citizen” because the Founders wouldn’t have wanted “an illegitimate child of a foreign bigamist” to be President:

The release of Barack Hussein Obama I's immigration file is stunning in what it reveals and the questions it poses. BHO I's visa expired Aug. 8, 1961 (Barack Junior was born Aug. 4, 1961) – is that why he married Obama's mother? Stanley Ann Dunham was a white girl in a family way with a mixed-race child, desperate for legitimacy in a culture that condemned such behavior as abject immorality, and Barack Obama Sr. was a con man from Kenya desperate to stay in the USA. Was the marriage merely a business arrangement (she was 17 when she got pregnant)? Is that why it was so important to place the ads in the Hawaiian papers announcing the birth of the future president – because his father was about to be deported?

Stanley Ann Dunham could not have been so savvy as to know that BHO I was a Muslim polygamist. Yet clearly, Barack Hussein Obama Sr., was never divorced from his first wife in Kenya. The Immigration and Naturalization Service suspected that the elder Obama's marriage to Dunham was a sham, arranged strictly to secure immigration status for him. Despite the fact that BHO I had married Dunham, the government wasn't buying it: An INS official wrote in 1961 that the agency should "make sure an investigation is conducted as to the bona-fide of the marriage."

…

It is interesting to note that BHO I claims in the documents to have divorced first wife, Kezia, "verbally." According to the Shariah, a man can divorce his wife by repeating it three times. Further, when BHO I returned to Kenya, he apparently lived with his first Kenyan wife and his American third wife, suggesting that the "divorce" he ostensibly secured to marry Dunham was a transitory ruse.

That would make the president illegitimate. In 1787, illegitimate children had different rights. There is no way the founders of this great nation intended for an illegitimate child of a foreign bigamist to attain the highest, most powerful position in the new land.

Similarly, WND editor Joseph Farah maintains that if Obama is eligible to serve as president, then so are “anchor babies,” or the US-born children of illegal immigrants. Unfortunately for Farah, so-called “anchor babies” are in fact American citizens:

We have a pretender to the throne sitting in the highest office of the land – the most powerful elected position in the world.

America has, without a vote, without a constitutional amendment, without even a court decision, dumbed down the eligibility requirement for the presidency. And that is unacceptable. …

Americans do not want illegal aliens to serve as presidents. That's not what the founders envisioned at all. But conceding to Obama's eligibility will open the door to American presidents who were "anchor babies" – children born of illegal aliens born on U.S. soil.

That's not what the Constitution means. That's not what the founders intended. And it's not what Americans want today.

Barber Claims Isabella Miller Will Become A "Trophy Child" For "The Gay Agenda"

Submitted by Brian Tashman on Friday, 4/22/2011 3:56 pm

As Kyle just posted, new developments in the kidnapping of Isabella Miller point to the possible complicity of Mat Staver’s Liberty Counsel, whose lawyer Rena Lindevaldsen is representing Lisa Miller. According to the FBI affidavit, Miller is living in a house owned by the father of Staver’s administrative assistant. Matt Barber, Liberty Counsel’s Director of Cultural Affairs, has consistently attacked Miller’s former partner Janet Jenkins and the courts. Staver, Lindevaldesn and Barber are all also professors at Liberty University School of Law.

Earlier this week, Barber said that a recent ruling in Louisiana that upheld the state’s refusal to issue a birth certificate including both of the names of the two men who were adopting a child born in the state would bolster Miller’s case. Referring to Jenkins, who was awarded custody of Isabella, Barber said that Liberty Counsel is attempting to protect Lisa and Isabella Miller “from this homosexual activist woman who wants this trophy child to hold up as an advancement of the gay agenda.”

Watch: 

So this is great in the court, in ruling on this, said ‘the full faith and credit clause does not oblige Louisiana to confer particular benefits on unmarried parents contrary to its law.’ My hope is that the Virginia Supreme Court, as we continue on with our case with Lisa Miller, that eventually they will look to this federal ruling. I think this gives cover to other federal judges as we continue fighting on behalf of Lisa and Isabella Miller, to protect them from this homosexual activist woman who wants this trophy child to hold up as an advancement of the gay agenda.

Right Wing Round-Up

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Thursday, 4/21/2011 5:41 pm
  • Justin Elliott @ Salon: The Muslim-baiting tracker.

  • Joe.My.God: GOP Contract Bars King & Spalding Staffers From Supporting Same-Sex Marriage.

  • Towleroad: Virginia Social Services Panel Votes 7-2 to Reject Changes That Would Allow Adoptions by Gay Couples.

  • Alan Colmes: The Koch Brothers Tell Their Employees How To Vote.

  • Rachel Tabachnick @ Talk 2 Action: Voucher Advocate Betsy DeVos, Right-Wing Think Tanks Behind Koch-Style Attack on PA Public Schools.

  • Zack Ford @ Wonk Room: Tennessee ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Advances, Sponsor Says Teachers Need Time for ‘Arithmetic.’

Right Wing Round-Up

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Thursday, 4/14/2011 5:29 pm

Public Advocate: Congress Using Schools "To Force The Homosexual Agenda" On Children

Submitted by Brian Tashman on Wednesday, 4/13/2011 3:09 pm

As seen in the new Right Wing Watch: In Focus “Big Bullies: How the Religious Right is Trying to Make Schools Safe for Bullies and Dangerous for Gay Kids,” Religious Right groups are consistently trying to tarnish anti-bullying initiatives as “homosexual indoctrination” and “special rights,” among other absurd claims. A Religious Right group led by Virginia politician Eugene Delgaudio, the Public Advocate, now launched the “Protect Our Children’s Innocence” petition to protest the Student Nondiscrimination Act, which it labels the “Homosexual Classrooms Act”:

Whereas: Schools should be institutions of learning, dedicated to the unbiased and unpoliticized pursuit of knowledge equally for all students; and

Whereas: The mis-named "Student Non-Discrimination Act" actually DOES discriminate by creating special protected classes of students; and

Whereas: More accurately-named the "Homosexual Classrooms Act," the "Student Non-Discrimination Act" targets children with homosexual propaganda far over their heads in an attempt to sexually confuse and corrupt; and

Whereas: Government should have NO AUTHORITY to force the Homosexual Agenda on the American people, much less their children;

Therefore: As your constituent and a concerned pro-family voter, I strongly insist you oppose the so-called "Student Non-Discrimination Act," and make every attempt to see it defeated.

Only "The Supernatural Hand Of God" Can Save America

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Tuesday, 4/12/2011 11:22 am

Apparently, April 6 was Virginia Call to Prayer Day ... but we totally missed it.

But fortunately the Virginia Christian Alliance put together a three minute video featuring various members of Congress promoting the event and posted it on YouTube, allowing us to post this edited version here:

You can watch the original here, featuring Michele Bachmann, Randy Forbes, Mike Pence, Trent Franks and many others:

Bishop EW Jackson To Run For US Senate

Submitted by Brian Tashman on Thursday, 4/7/2011 11:57 am

Bishop E.W. Jackson, the head of STAND for America (Staying True to America’s National Destiny), is filing paperwork to run for Virginia’s open seat in the US Senate and will face former Senator George Allen and numerous tea party activists in the contested Republican primary. Jackson has likened Democrats to slaveholders and called them the “coalition of the godless,” and has said his mission in politics is to convince African Americans to leave the Democratic Party and join the tea party. As an ally of far-right activists like Rick Scarborough and Janet Porter, it is no wonder that Jackson is also militantly anti-gay, arguing that the “repeal of the ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ law is a disaster of historic proportions and it must be reinstated.”

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports:

Bishop Earl W. Jackson Sr. of Chesapeake has announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination, taking on former governor George Allen and tea party candidate Jamie Radtke.

"He is running for the United States Senate to restore fiscal sanity, constitutionally limited government, and to fight for a sound energy policy that will allow Virginia to mine its coal and drill for its offshore oil," said a release from Jackson's campaign.

…

Jackson, founder of Exodus Faith Ministries International, was among the keynote speakers last October at the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Convention at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

Jackson brought the crowd to its feet with a rousing address that criticized congressional Republicans for being "complacent" and Democrats for being "arrogant."

Jackson, who is African-American, said the tea party is not racist, nor hateful, but welcomes anyone who values the Constitution.

Right Wing Leftovers

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Wednesday, 4/6/2011 5:27 pm
  • I honestly cannot believe that NOM is actually quoting Virginia State Delegate Bob Marshall.

  • Speaker John Boehner and the GOP will probably cave on defunding Planned Parenthood ... but apparently he is still an anti-choice hero.

  • Newt Gingrich's Renewing American Leadership is starting its own prayer alert network.

  • FRC thinks its work was so vital to one anti-health care reform lawsuit that it is getting involved in another.

  • Finally, Bryan Fischer says there are too many questions about repealing DADT that are being left unanswered: "And what about families who rely on on DoD schools for their children’s education? If LGBT personnel teach and pro-gay indoctrination is allowed in military-run classrooms, does the DoD have any way of determining how many families will choose not to re-enlist because of this? If pro-marriage service-members want educational alternatives because of LGBT curricula in DoD classrooms, will alternatives be provided, or will they be forced to suffer the brainwashing of their children as long as they serve?"

Setting Barton Straight On Obama's Use of "Endowed By Their Creator"

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Tuesday, 3/29/2011 3:28 pm

David Barton continues to demonstrate that he is an absolute joke:

A leading Christian historian told WND he believes President Obama is engaged in a pattern of "willfully, deliberately" repudiating America's Christian heritage.

As WND reported, Obama has been caught numerous times – seven, by WND columnist Chuck Norris' count – omitting the phrase "endowed by their Creator" when quoting the Declaration of Independence and misquoting the national motto "In God We Trust" in official White House communication.

Potential presidential candidate and WND columnist Herman Cain said he believes the omissions are "intentional," and historian David Barton told WND at the Iowa Renewal Project's Pastor's Policy Briefing that he agrees:

"The first time or two I thought, 'Well, he's flustered, he wasn't thinking.' But seven times? There's no way. Especially when he was called on it," Barton said. "Congressmen sent him a letter challenging him on it. There's no way it's matter of ignorance or slip or excuse at that point. I believe it's by design and by intent.

"I gave him the benefit of the doubt a few times, I waited," Barton continued, "but there's no way in a court of law that would not be seen as willful, deliberate intent."

Barton, head of Wallbuilders, an organization dedicated to presenting America's moral, religious and constitutional foundations, said unlike previous presidents – notably Founders like Washington and Adams – who publicly proclaimed God's hand in America, Obama has been going out of his way to not acknowledge the Almighty.

"You remember when he spoke at Georgetown, he had them cover the Christian symbols [behind him on the stage]?" Barton asked. "There's a pattern. When he misstates the national motto, it's not just the Declaration omission of 'their Creator.' When he became president, one of the first things that happened on the White House website was they took off the faith-based office. That kind of reaction is circumstantial, but in a court of law it would convict him."

Let's take a look at Barton's "circumstantial evidence," shall we?

First of all, Barton cites Chuck Norris' earlier WND column in which he asserts that Obama has dropped "endowed by their Creator" seven times ... but if you actually look at Norris' list, you see that several of the instances he cites were times when Obama was simply paraphrasing to make a point:

 

  • On Sept. 11, 2010, at the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Va.:

"For our cause is just. Our spirit is strong. Our resolve is unwavering. Like generations before us, let us come together today and all days to affirm certain inalienable rights, to affirm life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

  • On Sept. 10, 2010, at the president's press conference at the White House:

"With respect to the mosque in New York, I think I've been pretty clear on my position here, and that is, is that this country stands for the proposition that all men and women are created equal; that they have certain inalienable rights – one of those inalienable rights is to practice their religion freely."

It is absurd to claim that Obama was directly quoting the Declaration in these instances, so the assertion that he intentionally dropped "endowed by their Creator" is ridiculous. 

Secondly, what about all of the times Obama has, in fact, cited that passage?

Remarks by the President at United States Military Academy at West Point Commencement -
May 22, 2010

But this nation was founded upon a different notion. We believe, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” (Applause.) And that truth has bound us together, a nation populated by people from around the globe, enduring hardship and achieving greatness as one people. And that belief is as true today as it was 200 years ago. It is a belief that has been claimed by people of every race and religion in every region of the world. Can anybody doubt that this belief will be any less true -- any less powerful -- two years, two decades, or even two centuries from now?

Remarks by the President at Independence Day Celebration - July 4, 2010

Two hundred and thirty-four years later, the words are just as bold, just as revolutionary, as they were when they were first pronounced: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Remarks by the President at Las Vegas "Moving America Forward" Rally - October 22, 2010

Look, change has always been hard in this country. This country was founded when 13 colonies came together in a revolution that nobody believed could happen, except they believed. They founded this country on ideas that hadn’t been tried before: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal -- (applause) -- that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Remarks by the President at DCCC General Reception - October 25, 2010

So don't let people tell you you’re not making a difference. Yes, it’s hard. But it’s always been hard. The history of America has been hard, starting with a revolution to found this country. The idea of America is hard, based on a document and ideas that had never been tried before: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Remarks by the President at a rally for Congressman Perriello - October 29, 2010

So don't let them tell you -- don't let them tell you change isn’t possible. Here’s what I know. This country was founded on what seemed impossible. We had 13 colonies come together and have to battle the greatest empire on Earth. And then they drafted this document nobody had ever tried before, proclaiming, “We hold these truths to be self-evident.” A son of Virginia wrote those words. (Applause.) “That all men are created equal.” (Applause.) “And they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Remarks by the President at DNC "Moving America Forward" Rally in Chicago, Illinois - October 31, 2010

You know, this country started -- 13 colonies -- who folks said didn't have a chance against the British Empire. And then they drafted this document with ideas that had never been tried before: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

You know, the first few times I saw David Barton misrepresent facts in order to further his right-wing agenda, I gave him the benefit of the dobut, thinking perhaps he just misspoke. 

But when you see him do it time and time again, it becomes impossible to see it as anything other than a willful, deliberate intent to deceive.

Cuccinelli: God Made Me Attorney General To Save Constitution From Obama

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Tuesday, 3/15/2011 10:04 am

Ken Cuccinelli was profiled on "The 700 Club" today where he suggested that God made him Attorney General of Virginia so that he could protect the Constitution from President Obama:

Cuccinelli said he has a passionate interest in protecting the Constitution and that it's no coincidence he's serving as attorney general right now.

"I do think there is a plan unfolding and I'm part of it. I'm happy to be part of it," he told CBN News. "One of my goals for myself is to try to be part of it. And not to deny His will as best I can discern it."

His Catholic faith helps form his thinking. He said he has yet to come to a conclusion about public policy that isn't fortified by his faith.

Right Wing Round-Up

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on Wednesday, 3/2/2011 6:31 pm

Tancredo And Goode Forewarn That Immigration Will Destroy America

Submitted by Brian Tashman on Monday, 2/28/2011 5:26 pm

Earlier this month Right Wing Watch reported on the CPAC panel hosted by the far-right student group Youth for Western Civilization, and now YWC has released video of the panel where former Republican congressmen Tom Tancredo and Virgil Goode railed against immigrants, multiculturalism, and looming socialism. Tancredo and Goode were joined by Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA), who is a hero to many anti-immigrant activists, Bay Buchanan of Team America PAC, and Kevin DeAnna of YWC, and both panelists and attendees shared a sense of hysteria over the role of immigrants in the U.S.

Tancredo, a past Colorado congressman and unsuccessful presidential and gubernatorial candidate, claims that the President should be impeached over the issue of immigration for treason, and that multiculturalism is the “dagger pointed at the heart of Western Civilization”:

Former Virginia Congressman Virgil Goode warns that immigration will lead to socialism, and believes that immigration “will not only kill the GOP, it’s going to kill the United States of America”:

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Right Wing Round-Up
SUBMITTED BY: Kyle Mantyla, Wednesday 09/21/2011, 5:54pm
PFAW: Romney Still Thinks Corporations are People. They Still Aren’t. Kate Sheppard @ Mother Jones: Inside Virginia's Abortion Crackdown. James Crugnale @ Mediaite: Rick Santorum Contacted Google Over His Search Engine ‘Problem.’ Jillian Rayfield @ TPM: Ted Haggard Appearing On Celebrity Wife Swap With Gary Busey. Andy Kopsa: Ultrasounds on Capitol Hill: latest in anti-choice tactics. Chris Rodda: I Want David Barton To Sue ME! MORE
Barton Suggests Thomas Jefferson's Affair With Sally Hemings Was A Liberal Conspiracy
SUBMITTED BY: Brian Tashman, Wednesday 09/14/2011, 5:06pm
On September 9th David Barton addressed Liberty University where he delivered a speech on “deconstructionism.” Barton blames deconstructionism for most of the ills in society today, arguing that deconstructionism deliberately distorts history in order to promote a secular, left-wing agenda. Barton said that historians have smeared the Founding Fathers, particularly Thomas Jefferson. According to Barton, the claim that Jefferson had an affair with his slave Sally Hemings and fathered her children was part of a liberal conspiracy to protect then-President Bill Clinton during the... MORE
Barton Threatens Defamation Lawsuits Over Allegations He Spoke To Anti-Semitic Groups
SUBMITTED BY: Kyle Mantyla, Tuesday 09/13/2011, 2:21pm
One thing that has dogged David Barton for years are allegations from the Anti-Defamation League that he had spoken at events hosted by racist and anti-Semitic groups: On at least two occasions, Barton has delivered his revisionist presentation in the meeting halls of the racist and anti-Semitic extreme right. In July 1991, Barton addressed the Colorado summer retreat of Scriptures for America, the Identity Church group headed by firebrand Pete Peters. He was advertised as "a new and special speaker" who would "bring the following messages: America's Godly Heritage -- Was it... MORE
Perry to Address Family Research Council's Values Voter Summit
SUBMITTED BY: Brian Tashman, Friday 09/09/2011, 12:18pm
Family Research Council Action, the political arm of the Family Research Council, just announced that Texas Gov. Rick Perry will address the upcoming Values Voter Summit in Washington. As Religious Right leaders continue to coalesce behind Perry — FRC president Tony Perkins was among those attending a pro-Perry gathering of conservative leaders at James Leninger’s ranch earlier this month — addressing the Values Voter Summit should only help his standing among social conservatives. Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum are the only other presidential candidates who... MORE
Bachmann Gushes, Says Schlafly "Most Important Woman In The United States In The Last 100 Years"
SUBMITTED BY: Kyle Mantyla, Tuesday 09/06/2011, 2:24pm
A few weeks we wrote a post noting that, at her core, Michele Bachmann was just a Religious Right activist who got elected to Congress and now hopes to become president.   In that post, we compared Bachmann to fringe right-wing activist Janet Porter but it would probably have been more accurate to compare her to Phyllis Schlafly, as that is what Bachmann herself did on a recent "Tea Party Cyber-Town Hall and Webcast" where she lauded Schlafly as her heroine, mentor and everything that Bachmann hopes to be while also calling her the most important woman in the US in the... MORE
The Secrets Of Jay Sekulow - The Sequel
SUBMITTED BY: Kyle Mantyla, Tuesday 09/06/2011, 12:04pm
Several years ago, Tony Mauro wrote an article for The Legal Times entitled "The Secrets of Jay Sekulow" which examined how "through the ACLJ and a string of interconnected nonprofit and for-profit entities, [Sekulow] has built a financial empire that generates millions of dollars a year and supports a lavish lifestyle -- complete with multiple homes, chauffeur-driven cars, and a private jet that he once used to ferry Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia." The article went on to note how "Sekulow's wife, brother, sister-in-law, and two sons have been on the boards or... MORE
Right Wing Round-Up
SUBMITTED BY: Kyle Mantyla, Wednesday 08/31/2011, 5:56pm
Peter Montgomery @ Religion Dispatches: Historic Pro-Gay Equality Shift Led by Millennials—Evangelicals Included. Chip Berlet @ Talk To Action: How We Coined the term "Dominionism." Nick @ Bold Faith Type: Catholic Right Leader Robert George Funds Anti-Islam Extremists. Towleroad: Equality California Rips Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council and its Ties to the KKK. Amanda Peterson Beadle @ Think Progress: Virginia Anti-Abortion Lobbyist Married To Top State Health Official Who Helped Draft Clinic Regulations. Equality Florida:... MORE