Yes, apparently hate was one of the values in great demand at the summit held in Washington, DC last weekend. The "Values Voter Summit," led by James Dobson, Tony Perkins, and the other religious right "standard" bearers, featured some tough talk directed to the LGBT community (that might be you) and its allies (people like me). Here are some of the lowlights:
Bishop Wellington Boone, founder of the Wellington Boone Ministries: "But I want to tell you something is, they (GLBT people) don’t know, we’re driven by God to deal with this stuff, and I want to say to you that, in this regard, I’m not playing with you. That when it comes to the matter of this gay stuff, I know that a family is not a man and a man or a woman and a woman. It’s a man and a woman. That’s the creative order, and I’m not backing down."
Rev. Dwight McKissic of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Texas: As reported by People For The American Way. "he said, the gay rights movement was inspired “from the pit of hell itself,” and has a “satanic anointment.” The gay rights movement was birthed and inspired by the anti-Christ. He suggested that the anti-Christ is himself gay, citing a verse from the book of Daniel saying the anti-Christ will have no desire for a woman."
I would not suggest you blow these off as just intolerant rantings. This conference attracted several potential Republican presidential candidates and the current U. S. Attorney General. These statements and other intolerant, hateful remarks were not made as some little backwards church gathering in the heat of the moment on a Sunday morning. This was a serious national convention attended by some of the leading policy makers in the United States!
I'm posting these remarks and writing about the "Values Voter Summit" to make you angry (not at me please, I'm only the messenger). Hopefully any thoughts you have about sitting out the 2006 elections are overcome by reading trash like this. None of those presidential candidates sniffing around trying to gain favor with the mighty religious right came out and said anything publicly opposing this hatred.
It's up to the GLBT community and its allies to come out and publicly oppose the right wing's policies of discrimination and condemnation, especially when it comes time to cast you ballots on November 7.
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You know, when I read things like this, I'm reminded of a really great book called "What's the Matter with Kansas?" by Thomas Frank. If you haven't read it, go out and buy it now, it's that good.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, Frank says, and I agree, that these religious right fanatics foam at the mouth over such issues as gay rights and gay marriage and turn out in droves to vote for the Republican Party which promptly goes and cuts taxes on the rich, guts envioronmental laws, attempts to destroy social security, all things that go against these people's real self-interest, all the while paying only minimal lip service to the fundies who put them in power.
I suspect that aside from a few true believers like Frist and Santorum, most Republicans in power could care less if gays get married. I read once that Bush himself doesn't have any real objection to gays getting married but he knows it plays well with his base. Remember how we didn't hear a thing from him about gay marriage until right before the election in 2004 and then, bam he brought it up and we haven't heard him say a peep about it since.
Yeah, what these people say is disgusting and as a transsexual I'm certainly reminded of how hateful these people can be, but the fact of the matter is, all these nutcases who go to these events are just being used by the Republican Party and they're too stupid to even realize it.
Frank goes on to say that the business elite and corporate interests have an uneasy alliance with these nutcases. They loathe what they stand for and cringe when they hear such rhetoric, but they also know they can't win without their support and so they keep their mouths shut, hope that those in the middle don't hear what these fools are saying and once in power do everything in their power to ignore them until the next election comes along .
So the question I ask is, who is worse, the nutcase calling us "Faggots" or the corporate citizen who supports gay rights but keeps his mouth shut because of his economic self-interest?
The religious right has hijacked my faith. They do not stand for me or for the message of Christ. The only concern is power. In fact, I would see them as the anti-christ. (your sheep will be lead away)
ReplyDeleteWell said post, and it is these "summits" and the fanatics and those who do NOT follow the directions of Christ to Love One Another as his greatest commandment, that are hurting and demoralizing our country, not the liberal gays. I believe in the saying 'stand for something or you will fall for anything', but take a stand based on love, not intolerance and bigotry.
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