David Pakman said this interview was a stunner, and he wasn’t kidding. Quick recap on disgraced liar and former Navy Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt: he is a wingnut martyr for the extremist Christian right who received a dishonorable discharge from the Navy for simple insubordination. He, however, lies and claims that he was forced out of the Navy because they wouldn’t allow him to “pray in Jesus’ name.” This has been debunked thoroughly and his allies know it, but fundamentalist mouths don’t mind lying when it serves their purposes. In short, Klingenschmitt fits right in.
David interviewed Klingenschmitt for this week’s David Pakman Show, and it was amazing. It starts with a normal human-to-wingnut discussion of DADT repeal, but then the wingnut goes off the rails, completely and thoroughly. Check it: he advocates EXORCISM as the one true way to “cure” homosexuality, and then goes off on a long tangent about how gay men are lying when we say we’re gay, and that saying we’re gay is the same thing as claiming we are women! This is yet another example of the close correlation between a hatred of gay people and a deep hatred of women, as this sort of statement, from a man who doesn’t strike me as the epitome of “manliness” in the first place, must be taken in the context of their belief that women are inherently inferior. But it’s truly amazing in the year 2011 to hear religious extremists refer to “diseases” being caused by “demons.” Is Klingenschmitt aware of scientific advancement in the past 500 years, or is his Dungeons and Dragons belief system just more important to him than reality?
Also, there is a point where he describes a creepy ceremony he held with a lesbian sailor, but I won’t spoil that fer ya.
The video is below, or if you want, you can download the podcast. I thoroughly enjoyed the first ten minutes of the show, and I think y’all will too.
I sure hope Klingenschmitt got to keep whatever helmets the military issued him, because he obviously needs them.
David said my “trickle-down” comparison on right-wing extremism was brilliant. Brilliant, I say!
Awwwww, thanks, David!
It’s funny how the Religious Right is wailing about the SPLC allegedly giving no explanations for their hate group listings, because it’s obvious to anyone with at least a couple brain cells to rub together that they’re explaining it, thoroughly and often.
I’ll let Alvin set this up for you:
Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association (one of the groups SPLC named as an anti-gay hate group) had a radio interview today on the David Pakman Show and in less than 30 minutes, he proceeded to totally wreck any claims by the FRC that religious right groups don’t peddle anti-gay hatred through junk science and propaganda, giving new meaning to idea of giving someone enough rope to hang themselves.
Indeed. There are parts of our jobs as activists and writers on the side of fairness, justice and equality that are difficult. But when it comes to exposing Religious Right bigots for what they are, we merely have to expose their actual words to a wider audience, outside of the ever-shrinking echo chambers where they are still viewed with respect.
The interview is fun, so enjoy:
Here, from David, are some of the funny things Bryan said:
“The southern poverty law center belongs on its own list [of hate groups]…for peddling falsehoods about homosexuality”
“We’re the ones telling the truth about the link between homosexuality and pedophilia.”
“Active participation in the homosexual lifestyle will deprive a male of anywhere between 8 and 20 years of his life expectancy”
“There is ‘no such thing as a monogamous homosexual relationship’”
“The rectal wall is one cell thick”
“We need to take our cue from gay porn actors”
“Those homosexual activists that are so intent on normalizing homosexual behavior…they must be harboring some deep seated longing to be straight”
“…homosexual activists must be latently heterosexual”
It’s too bad Bryan Fischer’s version of reality doesn’t resemble the actual, three dimensional one the rest of us live in, but that’s what fundamentalism does to the brain.
David Pakman, host of Midweek Politics, watched Clint McCance’s interview on Anderson Cooper 360 last night, and he didn’t think too much of McCance’s apology. Indeed, here’s David, responding to the apology point by point. He raises some important issues here, I think!
Gordon Klingenschmitt is crazy. Like, LaBarbera crazy. All you need to know is that he comes from that brand of Christianity which teaches that you should pray for your enemies to die, which is the adult spiritual equivalent of “And if I die before I wake, I pray for all my toys to break, so none of the other kids can play with them.” It’s one of the weakest stances imaginable, relying as it does on the idea of revenge meted out for perceived earthly grievances by an angry, angry God.
Also, he’s one of the Religious Right’s Super Martyrs, who claims that he was kicked out of the Navy for his religious beliefs, when it was simply because he was insubordinate. In case you’re not familiar with How The Military Works, insubordination is not a character trait they value very much. For fun, here’s what his former boss had to say about him:
“I was the dishonored ex-chaplain’s supervisor for the past 2 years,” Holcomb wrote in his message. “I found him to be totally untruthful, unethical and insubordinate. He was and is contemptuous of all authority. He was not court martialed for praying in Jesus’ name. I sent him out in uniform every week to pray at various ceremonies and functions. He always prayed in uniform and in Jesus’ name. He was never told that he could not pray in Jesus’ name. In fact, the issue of prayer had nothing at all to do with his dismissal from the Navy. He disobeyed the lawful order of a senior officer. I am sure that you understand that Navy Regulations forbid any of us, regardless of rank or position, to appear in uniform in support of any political or partisan event.”
Holcomb goes on to say, “He appeared in direct support of a political event, demonstrating contempt for the order of his Commanding Officer and Naval Regulations that we all swear that we will abide by…. The ex-chaplain is a man without honor and you have accepted his story and in doing so you have had ‘the wool pulled over your eyes.’
Anyway, so he did the Wingnut Crybaby Dance, and now the Religious Right treats him as a hero. [cf. career of Matt Barber]
So now you’re caught up, in case Klingenschmitt’s name was new to you. So he went on David Pakman’s Midweek Politics show this week, and they had a lot of fun! He is so upset about the abortions and the gaynesses!
Seriously, it’s entertaining. He starts out asking if he can bless everybody in Jesus’s name, to which David replied, “Sure, whatever,” sort of like the Navy did.
Cutting out a bit early today, so here’s your Weekly Round-up and your Late Friday Random Ten.
Let us remember the week that was, together: First off, Wayne was on Rachel Maddow last Friday night! It went great. On a smaller scale, I was randomly on David Pakman’s Midweek Politics with David Pakman, and it also went great. I sounded gay.
Speaking of gays [imagine that], gays can kiss longer than straight people, so nyah. Good thing, because two polls now show that marriage equality has majority support, so there’s a lot of kissyface in our future. The Religious Right are victims now, in Canada and Indianapolis, where they were asked to make gay cupcakes. I discussed the need for minorities to stand up for each other, specifically as regards moderate and liberal Muslims vis a vis the gay community. Oh, and I went off on Chris Barron of GOProud, which led to a Twitter Fight, which led to a nice discussion about BBQ. He’s a fun sparring partner, I’ll give him that.
Bishop Eddie Long: gay sex scandal. John Boehner: maybe straight sex scandal. Who knows? It would be nice if he or the alleged mistress would answer “yes” or “no.”
DADTFail 2010: Lady Gaga tried to help, Peter Sprigg grunted and moaned about it a lot, then Thers and I laughed at him. Bryan Fischer also grunted and moaned. Laughed at him, too. Susan Collins sucked, as did almost everybody else in the Senate, and in the end it was a big serving of fail all around. After the vote, John McCain lost his marbles, thanks to a good serving of the old “Eleveld,” which is the new word for “journalist.” Wayne recapped it here, and we looked at Leonard Matlovich’s tombstone, poignant as it is.
Then a crazy guy in Saxby Chambliss’s office decided to leave threatening anti-gay comments on JoeMyGod, so that was embarrassing for big old homophobe Saxby. Speaking of homophobes, HomoCon is tomorrow! YAY! Okay, that’s all.
Music this week is from that old gay classic musical RENT. I happened to be listening to the Original Cast recording last night, and I really don’t have to set it up for you, because you’re all gay and stuff, so you can probably sing the entire show all the way through in your sleep, and some of you probably know the blocking. Anyway, one of my very favorite moments in all of musical theater is after the first “La Vie Boheme“, when Mimi and Roger sing “I Should Tell You” to each other. [Insert flutter, sigh and single tear here.] So we’ll start with that, hit shuffle on the old iTunes machine and, oh look, it’s like, my favorite Tori Amos song ever, and also some other stuff. More videos after le jump.
1. Jay Brannan – “Bowlegged and Starving”
2. Tokyo Police Club – “Tessellate” [Remix by Tom Campesinos!]
3. Banjo or Freakout – “Joy to the World”
4. 10,000 Maniacs – “Gold Rush Brides”
5. Tori Amos – “Lust”
6. Fever Ray – “If I Had A Heart”
7. Lightning Dust – “Never Seen”
8. U2 – “Numb”
9. David Mead – “Girl on the Roof”
10. Port O’Brien – “In the Meantime”
I called in to David Pakman’s Midweek Politics radio show this afternoon and we had a nice little chit-chat about how crazy Christine O’Donnell is starting to morph into crazy Sarah Palin, and about how, according to social conservative definitions, I may be an “ex-straight.” I’m not buying it, though. Rilly, I do sound super-gay.
Anyway, if you have time, listen to David’s whole show, because he’s really great at what he does. If you’ll remember, he’s done great interviews with Peter LaBarbera and Shirley Phelps-Roper, and many other Religious Right luminaries. He’s very good at helping them make themselves look stupid.
If you just want to hear what my sexy voice sounds like, skip to 41:00 or so.
Click the clicky to listen. Right-click the clicky to download: Midweek Politics 9-22-10
David Pakman interviewed Shirley Phelps-Roper for Midweek Politics about the whole Terry Jones thing, and she is very upset that Westboro is completely being upstaged by this crazy man in Florida!
Dangit, Westboro are the real crazies, and don’t you forget it!
Also, Shirley thinks that David Pakman should burn some Korans, due to the fact that he is Jewish, or something. Oh, and David’s going to hell.
Enjoy your Fridays with Shirley!
By the way, David, we like your sexy new studio.
