Meme Dump

Tuesday Thought #1

My Two Cents: Fear Is The Weapon Of Choice For "Christians" And Conservatives

I’ve been paying attention again, which isn’t always a good thing because, man oh man, does it get me riled up.

I’ve been paying attention to all those so-called Christians and Rightwingnut Conservatives who keep saying that the End Times are a’comin’ because The Gays want “special rights” like marriage equality and cakes. I’ve been listening to people say The Gays are like Nazis and slave-owners and, well, anything and everything hateful, and how, by the simple act of asking to be treated equally — and then left alone — under the law, we are somehow responsible for every single bad thing that happens.

Those so-called Christians and conservatives say that about us, and then they say these things too:

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, compares dealing with The Gays to negotiating with Iran and Satan. He then went on to say Jesus didn’t negotiate with the Devil, and that negotiating with 'cultural totalitarians' AKA The Gays should be dealt with in the same way:

"Did Jesus negotiate with the Devil? No, he said, 'Away with you Satan.' He goes on later in the scripture to talk about 'What fellowship has light with darkness.' The same can be said of the cultural totalitarians who want to force everyone to embrace and even celebrate their view of morality. You cannot compromise, you cannot appease. Just ask Governor (Mike) Pence and others who have compromised their values in an effort to appease these folks. It only increases their aggressiveness and their demands."

I am waging a war on religion by asking for equality, and yet these religious folks call me Satan … and Iran … and a terrorist.

Then we have Fox News Contributor and First Baptist Church Dallas Pastor Robert Jeffress who said that if the Supreme Court rules in favor of same-sex marriage then The Gays will see to it that Christians are punished for their opposition:

“I believe that if the Supreme Court, as expected, enshrines gay marriage as a constitutional right, I believe it's truly going to be, to use your phrase, open season on Christians and those who believe in traditional marriage. Because once you make gay marriage a civil right, then anyone who opposes it is guilty of a civil rights violation and I think you're going to see government coming after churches like mine.”

See, because The Gays can get married, churches will be shut down by the government, and Christians who oppose it will be arrested and jailed for having an opinion.

And let’s hear from certifiable loon Pat Robertson, who, in the name of God — and I can’t imagine She’s pleased that he thinks he speaks for Her — says that LGBT rights advocates are out to destroy freedom, and also suggested that those gay activists are in league with Hillary Clinton to destroy liberty and “do away with the First Amendment, or at least part of it.”

Let me get this queer: I want equality so that will destroy freedom? My freedom ends freedom for everyone else? Who knew I had that much power? I mean, I surely didn’t because, well, had I known, I would have been working harder at attaining freedom, and I would have started earlier, and then, by now, The Gays would rule the world-orld-orld-orld.

And Bill Donohue, spokestool for the Catholic League, doesn’t want to be left out of the crazy, so he wants y’all to know that those Religious Freedom Restoration Acts [RFRA] are what everyone wants and anyone who doesn’t is, well, a demon. He has come out — not like that silly — strong against IBM, because that company has asked Louisiana governor, Bobby Jindal, a moron of the nth degree, to refuse to sign a proposed RFRA in the state:

"No one knew how anti-Christian IBM had become until it unleashed its fury against a religious-liberty bill in Louisiana. Its governor, Bobby Jindal, is a practicing Catholic, and he plans to sign a law that protects religious liberty from its enemies. Those enemies now include IBM.  If IBM wants to relocate from Louisiana, it should consider Cuba. But it needs to move fast: Cuba is showing signs of renewed respect for religious liberty, and if conditions improve, the capitalist elites may find themselves sitting to the left of the communists."

Equality, at least for The Gays, is an anti-Christian proposition, y’all; The Gays are threatening liberty and freedom and religion.

Of course, where would the crazy talk be without future failed presidential candidate, Senator Ted Cruz, who claims marriage equality advocates are waging a "jihad" against religious freedom. Funny though, because I’ve yet to hear one marriage equality supporter, demand … demand … that any church anywhere perform a marriage ceremony for a same-sex couple, but that doesn’t stop people like this lunatic from saying it’s true.

And Cruz may want to look up the origin of the Arabic word "jihad" — which actually refers to an effort to practice religion in the face of oppression and persecution — because his use of the word as a synonym for "holy war" is as wrong and stupid as nearly everything he says and does.

If there's anyone waging a holy war, it's Cruz himself, who has called a Supreme Court ruling in favor of marriage equality "fundamentally illegitimate," and vowed to respond by trying to strip justices of their jurisdiction over the issue if he becomes president. Luckily, he won’t, because more and more people are believing that marriage equality is a done deal, and they are fine with that; only the right-wing, and the GOP Clown Car are still waging their own war on equality.

Now let’s head to Texas, where it’s really crazy …

As in Dr. Steven Hotze,  head of Conservative Republicans of Texas, who says he hopes that Texas will subvert the Supreme Court — should they approve same-sex marriage — the same way Texas  undermines the right to legal abortions:

“There are ways around the law. We have legalization — the Supreme Court, even though I believe it was completely wrong, said it is constitutional to kill a baby in the womb. I think it’s a horrible injustice and it’s unconstitutional. But, let me just say this, in Texas we said ‘We don’t believe that’s right. So we’re going to do everything we can to protect the unborn that we possibly can,’ and we’ve done that. And that’s the same thing. If they were to come out ruling that marriage between two individuals is legal, I would say let’s do everything to stop it just like we stopped abortion. Cut off funding for it, that’s all I’m saying.”

Cut off funding for same-sex marriage? Is there funding for it because, if so, someone owes me a check! Hotze then claimed that sexual preferences is a choice homosexuals make, just as murderers and rapists choose to commit “immoral acts.” Yes, he played the Being Gay Is Like being A Murderer card, and yet The Gays are the ones set upon destroying and demonizing people.

Also in Texas, the King of the Crazies — seriously, he’s crazy because he, too, thinks he’s presidential material — Louie Gohmert says that those who oppose same-sex marriage are the "only group in America that it is politically correct to abuse and misuse":

"You know some people say 'I believe the Bible and you're wrong about marriage being a man and a woman.' Well you can't really point to — you can believe what you want to — but if you read scripture Old and New Testament it's pretty clear. And Romans chapter 1 seems pretty clear to me...look where we are today, it is really Christians are the only group in America that it is politically correct to abuse and misuse."

Someone needs to toss that word salad, though I’m thinking he’s saying that The Gays are out to abuse The Christians for not wanting us to get married, so I am gonna take a minute and find an article … anywhere … that talks about Christians being fired, legally fired, for being Christian; or being denied housing for being Christian; or having a florists refuse to do business with them because they’re Christian; or, being murdered for being Christian.

Nope, it’s only The Gays who suffer those fates.

And then we stumble upon former Texas GOP Chair Cathie Adams who says if Texas doesn't do something to stop same-sex marriage before the high court hears marriage equality arguments it could be "the end of America."

Yes, people, allowing The Gays the right to get married would end this country.

Now, all of these arguments from Christians and Conservatives and Republicans and Wingnuts are just the height of stupidity, but, just when you think the loons couldn’t blame The Gays for anything else — besides terrorism, the end times, Christian abuse — we have an amicus brief filed with the Supreme Court from over 100 ALLEGED scholars in which they argue that the legalization of same-sex marriage will lead to an increase in the abortion rate:

“A reduction in the opposite-sex marriage rate means an increase in the percentage of women who are unmarried and who, according to all available data, have much higher abortion rates than married women. And based on past experience, institutionalizing same-sex marriage poses an enormous risk of reduced opposite-sex marriage rates.”

Wait, so because Carlos and I got married, Bill and Betty didn’t, and now Betty’s pregnant and unmarried and will no doubt have an abortion? Who thought that just by saying ‘I do,’ Carlos and I could do all that?

And we’ll throw in religious historian and crackpot David Barton, who appeared on Glenn beck’s radio show and acted such the fool that Beck came off as the rational one.

Barton weighed in on the supposed “rights” of Christians to discriminate against The Gays saying the government is overstepping its jurisdiction by requiring Christians to violate their god-given rights; he made his case by saying that having a baker bake a cake for a same-sex wedding is just like someone repainting some else's car because they didn't like the original color.

Look, I said he was a crackpot. But, when Beck commented that "the government can't say 'you can't be a homosexual' because ... that's how you practice your life,” Barton went on to suggest that homosexuality could be banned because the government has a moral duty to protect its citizens:

"The government's always gotten involved. You can't marry your brother and sister, you can't marry your first cousin. So there's always been things that protect the moral climate of the society ... You've always had standards on behavior.”

And there we have The Incest Card because two men or two women, in love, and wanting to get married, means that Billy Bob can marry his sister.

So why all this? Why bring up all these nuts and loons and crackpots and so-called Christians and Republicans? Well, they all seem to be saying the same thing: allowing The Gays equality, either via marriage equality, or the rights to commerce without discrimination, that America is on the decline; they say that The Gays are destroying religious freedom even though we have not once asked to force a minister or chaplain or rabbi or pastor, who didn’t already want to do so, to perform a same-sex marriage.

Let me make this perfectly queer: we are staying out of your religion—no matter how twisted you behave — so why don’t you stay out of our fight for equality? And please, for the love of God — because, seriously, I think you’re pissing Her off—stop using fear as a weapon; if you don’t have a legitimate argument or a concise thought, then sit down, we don’t need to hear from you.

For One Memphis Parent, The Devil's In The Tail Lights

Out there in Memphis, Tennessee, at least one parent — and maybe more — have too much time on her hands.

See, one day this woman — who will not give her name — was in traffic, behind a school bus, and she saw something on the back of the bus that made her skin crawl, and made her call the district, the media, and anyone who would listen to her rants.

On the back of that bus, in the taillights, she saw an upside down, five-pointed star outlined in the brake lights; a pentagram, you know, which, according to a quick Google search, is often used as a religious or magic symbol. But for this women, a Christian, dontcha know, it was too much:

"Anyone who fears a God, if not God and Jesus Christ, should be outraged."

She says Christians should be outraged that a symbol that looks like a pentagram would be allowed in the design of a vehicle used to transport children to public schools. And she took her crazy to social media, because that’s what people with too much time on their hands, like to so, and a debate was sparked; some say the brake lights are a subliminal pagan message, while others say it's just an unintentional design, but this one woman will not let it go.

"If you can't put a cross on there, you cannot put a pentagram on it."

Still, while most seem to think it’s just a design and not a symbol that the snit-Christ is behind the wheel of Memphis school buses, even those who are not completely sold on the brake light being a sign from the devil have questions.

"Why'd they put it up there? Why'd they put it upside down?"—Marsha Hudson; kudos to Marsha for at least giving her name

Um, maybe it’s just the way the lights lined up?

But that one parent  — and again, she doesn't want anyone to know her name  — says the lights send the wrong signal, and she wants them replaced with solid red brake lights. 

Or better yet, lights that look like crosses?

Neither Durham School Services nor the school district would answer any questions about the bus' brake lights because, well, it’s dumb and this crazy woman has way too much time on her hands.

via WMC Action News

If Christians Can Pass Out Bibles, Satanists Can Pass Out Coloring Books

Okay, so … religion. It’s fine for those that want it, and it’s fine for those that don’t. But the problem lies within certain religious groups because some folks believe their faith is the only faith and all others are meaningless. But, sometimes, well, a lot of times, they’re proven wrong and then a little kerfuffle ensues.

Case in point:

Down in Florida, or as I have often called it, having lived there, Flori-duh, the Orange County Schools have allowed a group called World Changers of Florida to distribute Bibles in public schools.

Twice!

Naturally, this does not sit well with those of us who believe in a Separation of Church and State, but it also doesn’t sit well with The Freedom From Religion Foundation — an atheist group — who wanted equal time in the schools and threatened a lawsuit.

So, to settle that suit, and because they know they’re wrong wrong wrong, Orange County Schools agreed to allow The Freedom From Religion Foundation to pass out their atheist materials in school as well.

And that’s where the Satanists come in.

The Satanic Temple wants equal access to the schools as well, to distribute its Satanic Children's Big Book of Activities, a coloring book. Lucien Greaves, spokesman for The Satanic Temple explained the group's motive, saying the Satanic Temple:

“would never seek to establish a precedent of disseminating our religious materials in public schools because we believe our constitutional values are better served by respecting a strong separation of Church and State, but if a public school board is going to allow religious pamphlets and full Bibles to be distributed to students—as is the case in Orange County, Florida—we think the responsible thing to do is to ensure that these students are given access to a variety of differing religious opinions, as opposed to standing idly by while one religious voice dominates the discourse and delivers propaganda to youth.”

And while I am not now, nor have I ever been a Satanist, I say, Go for it. If a public school system in this country is going to allow one religious group to come into a public school and pass out their literature, then they must allow each and every other religious group to do the same.

Failing that, maybe those parents who want their kids to have Bible passed out at school should send their children to a church-affiliated school and leave the public schools alone. Not everyone worships Satan, not everyone worships God, hell, oops, not everyone worships at all, so let's keep all of these faiths, these belief systems out of public schools and stick to reading, writing and arithmetic.

Otherwise your children will spend all their time collecting literature from Christians and Catholics and Jews and Muslims and Buddhists and Satanists and Pagans and Wiccans and Atheists and Agnostics and never really get any education at all.

via NCRM