Peter LaBarbera, in the middle of a wordy whine about the Illinois civil unions law:
These sad developments in the Land of Lincoln constitute further proof that homosexuality-based “rights” and religious freedom cannot co-exist. “Gay” activism – empowered by Illinois’ “sexual orientation” law and the new Civil Unions law — will drive out the free expression of religion and morality, which must include the right to oppose sexual behavior historically regarded as disordered and sinful.
They also define the word “oppose” incorrectly. You see, Peter is free to oppose gay people all he wants. If he opposes marriage equality, he is free to live by the confines of his religion and stay with his wife, refraining from marrying a leather daddy at one of the fetish conventions he photographs. He simply doesn’t have to do it! Nobody will make him. Just like I “oppose” religious fundamentalist nutjobbery. I’ll speak out and show people how in-your-face stupid religious fundamentalism is, how a perfunctory glance at reality is its simplest negation, etc. But I won’t try to take away their rights to be idiots.
But.
To the religious fundamentalist, their “religious freedom” trumps everybody else’s constitutional rights, because they [hilariously] think they are superior [even though they contribute little to nothing to society]. So when Porno Pete uses the word “oppose,” he means that he should be able to act to take away other peoples’ freedoms and rights, that he should be able to use his pretend moral authority, derived only from his 4th grade interpretation of an old book, to hurt other people.
Not gonna fly in America, Peter. Convert to Islam and move to Iran if that’s what you want. The only difference between your religion and the fundamentalist Islam practiced in that country is that your side occasionally drops an obligatory reference to Jesus and y’all aren’t allowed to hang people in this country [anymore].
Because, see, we on the side of reason don’t want to take anything away from people like Porno Pete. Oh sure, we know it hurts their fee fees any time they confront any piece of reality that, by its very existence, laughs at their beliefs. Fossils, for instance. They’re not protected against being made to look stupid, or like social pariahs, in the Constitution. But we don’t want to take away their fundamental rights. They do want to take ours away.
So we are at an impasse. We will continue to fight for our rights to be treated as equal citizens, in an American way that seeks to deny our opponents nothing, and they will continue to fight to hurt us in an extremely un-American way, deceived as they are into believing that this is “their” country and theirs only.
Oh, and they will continue losing, and we’ll just keep on winning.
Newsflash: Laurie Higgins of the hate group known as the Illinois Family Institute and Peter LaBarbera of the hate group known as Americans for Truth About Homosexuality are whining about the supposed victimization of some fundamentalist couple who owns a bed and breakfast, but yet wants an exception to allow them to discriminate against gay people, due to their deeply cherished bigotry. Civil Unions are now legal in the state of Illinois, and as the B & B is a public accomodation, they’re really not supposed to be discriminating against classes of people.
I could go to the trouble of excerpting and criticizing, but I’m not in the mood to critique a fundamentalist Mad Lib right now.
Today, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn will sign into law the “Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act.” The signing ceremony is planned for 4 p.m. central time today. Couples may begin obtaining civil unions and enjoying the state-level rights and responsibilities of married couples on June 1, 2011.
“Today marks a tremendous step towards equality for all families in Illinois,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “HRC commends Governor Quinn for his commitment to ensuring civil unions became law. Congratulations to Rep. Greg Harris, lead sponsor of the bill, who fought for years to ensure civil unions would become a reality, and thank you to Equality Illinois and the ACLU of Illinois for their tireless efforts on behalf of the LGBT community.”
The new law will permit both same-sex and opposite-sex couples to enter into civil unions and receive the same benefits, protections, and responsibilities under Illinois law that are granted to spouses. Couples who enter into a civil union will not receive any rights or benefits under federal law. Illinois still does not permit same-sex couples to marry. The law explicitly allows religious entities to choose not to solemnize or officiate civil unions.
The Illinois House passed civil unions yesterday, and now the Senate has followed suit. Now on to the governor, Patrick Quinn, who has stated that he will sign it.
The National Organization for Marriage, the nation’s leading anti-gay group whose stated mission is to stop same-sex marriage, is actively working to defeat the passage of the Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act (SB 1716) in Illinois.
This bill would allow same-sex couples to enter into a legal civil union in the state; it does not provide for same-sex marriages. A vote on the bill is expected soon in the Illinois legislature.
“NOM’s opposition to civil unions for gay and lesbian couples shows how far out of the mainstream it truly is,” HRC President Joe Solmonese said. “This new battleground plainly reveals NOM’s deep-seated enmity toward the LGBT community, with no regard to public support.”
Two-thirds of Illinois voters, according to an October 2010 poll by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, support either civil unions or marriage equality. A Chicago Tribune poll registered 57 percent of Illinoisans approve of civil unions, compared to 32 percent who disapprove.
Like…they’ve completely lost this battle in Illinois, and yet they’re going to waste their donors’ money trying to keep gay couples from having legal recognition of any kind in that state.
They must assume their supporters are functionally retarded* as well, considering the fact that they fought against the marriage law in Maine specifically because Maine already had civil unions, which NOM claimed were just fine! We have always been at war with Eastasia, etc.
Hypocrites.
*All wingnut organizations believe this about their donors. By the way. From the teabaggers to the social conservatives, and everywhere in between. Just do a little research on how easily and casually groups like NOM lie to their followers, secure in the knowledge that said followers are too brainwashed to do simple Google searches on their own.
The prospects of a civil unions bill becoming law in Illinois are brighter Thursday with the reelection of Governor Pat Quinn.
The Associated Press gave the race to Quinn on Thursday afternoon, but Republican rival Senator Bill Brady has yet to concede. Brady believes he can still overcome Quinn’s 19,500 lead from remaining absentee ballots. But an analysis by the AP shows the feat does not appear to be statistically possible.
Quinn’s win is meaningful for Illinois’ gay and lesbian community, which is counting on the governor to support a civil unions bill.
In a response to a Daily Herald editorial endorsement interview, Quinn said he was looking forward to signing the bill before Christmas.
“The votes are there, I believe. In the Senate for sure, and definitely I think we can do it in the House.”
“I think we can pass it this year,” he added. “I would like to see it voted on earlier.”
The march of equality will move on. It’s going to continue to be in fits and starts in some places, but it’s good to see that in Illinois at least, it’s still moving.
My name is Peter LaBarbera. I am a 47-year-old, happily married father of five living in Naperville, and I am asking for your vote to serve as Republican State Central Committeeman for the 13 Congressional District of Illinois.
I entered this race as a strong fiscal and social conservative in the model of Illinois’ own Ronald Reagan. I believe that the IL-GOP is badly in need of reform and that we can be better served than by our current leaders — including my opponent, Roger Claar ‚Äî who have put power over principle and lost sight of the greatness that a conservative Republican Party can achieve.
As a Reagan Republican, my dream for the Illinois Republican Party is that it would return to the standards of conservatism, decency, integrity and high principle of the man who grew up here, in Dixon, and who as President restored American greatness and accomplished what many said was impossible: to force the demise of Soviet Communism, an “Evil Empire” (as Reagan called it) and the most murderous political system ever created.
He tacks through his “beliefs” or whatever, and somehow doesn’t see fit to share all the amazing work he’s done over the years going to leathersex festivals and taking hundreds of pictures for his personal collection! And honestly, I think that’s important! The constituents of the Illinois 13th should know about Peter’s mad skillz as a nude male photographer! Also, he is an expert on military themed gay porn! Who knows, maybe the denizens of Illinois 13 have been having trouble finding military themed gay porn! Well, here you go! Peter knows where it is! And if you have a friend or family member who’s gay and getting married, Peter will write them an insane personal letter condemning their love. How many people in America would do that to for a person they’ve never met? Peter will. That’s the kind of guy he is.
