Time for the weekly wrap-up and then some music, so let’s go.
Ken Mehlman is gaygaygaygayGAYgaysuper-duper gay. Ann Coulter made fun of Joseph Farah and his WorldNetDaily on Fox News, without shame. Exodus International has no money, and still, no shame. NOM and Ed Whelan figured out why Ted Olson is so gay for marriage equality: his hippie liberal wife made him do it. Gary Bauer came up with a measuring system where each and every 9/11 victim is three feet long, which helps Muslims figure out how far away from “Hallowed Ground” they have to build their mosques. Memphis gay leaders pulled an inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance because the City Council wouldn’t give it a fair hearing, which led one Memphis resident (and a personal friend of mine) to stay until the bitter end to give the Council a bit of what-for. And of course, Peter LaBarbera, Molotov Mitchell and Ugandan MP David Bahati are still insane. Oh, and Wayne put up a music post of his own last night, so if you haven’t been there, go.
Instead of picking one song and hitting the iTunes shuffle from there, this week is going to be a little bit different. As a songwriter and composer, I’ve always paid particular attention to lyrical narratives, and the way that songs can work together to form an arc. The other night, my iTunes did something that I found magical when it played three random songs in order, which I then listened to in that order again, and again, and again, about eleventy times. The three songs are “Transatlanticism” by Death Cab for Cutie, “1000 Oceans” by Tori Amos, and “Run” by Snow Patrol. Aside from being three amazing, heartwrenching songs, when played together, they indeed form an arc. Sometimes there are deep oceans, but there are also lighthouses.
So those three songs, and then we’ll hit shuffle on the last one and see what happens. Ready, set, go. More videos after the jump.
“Transatlanticism”
“1000 Oceans”
“Run”
1. Dar Williams – “In Love But Not At Peace”
2. Janelle Monáe – “Faster”
3. The National – “Racing Like A Pro”
4. Imogen Heap – “Tidal”
5. Damien Rice – “Eskimo”
6. Neil Young – “Harvest”
7. Suzanne Vega – “Blood Sings”
8. Marissa Nadler – “True Love Will Find You In The End” [Daniel Johnston cover]
9. Van Halen – “Dreams”
10. U2 – “Dancing Barefoot” [Patti Smith cover]
No word on where that Van Halen came from, but I’m okay with it if you are.
Unfortunately, we’ve been consumed with Mehlman fever (antibiotics should do the trick) the past twenty four hours, so I missed this. Jeff Sharlet has a new book, and a new piece in Harper’s, which unfortunately isn’t available yet, but an NPR interview with Sharlet drops a bit of a bombshell about the private ambitions of the sick, twisted, maniacal Ugandan MP David Bahati, the sponsor of that nation’s infamous “kill the gays bill”:
“Bahati said: ‘If you come here, you’ll see homosexuals from Europe and America are luring our children into homosexuality by distributing cell phones and iPods and things like this,’ ” Sharlet recounts. “And he said, ‘And I can explain to you what I really want to do.’ ”
Sharlet accompanied Bahati to a restaurant and later to his home, where Bahati told Sharlet that he wanted “to kill every last gay person.”
“It was a very chilling moment, because I’m sitting there with this man who’s talking about his plans for genocide, and has demonstrated over the period of my relationship with him that he’s not some back bencher — he’s a real rising star in the movement,” Sharlet says. “This was something that I hadn’t understood before I went to Uganda, that this was a guy with real potential and real sway and increasingly a following in Uganda.”
And he has connections to American leaders. Sharlet explains that Bahati is one of the Uganda leaders of an American evangelical movement called the Fellowship, or the Family — the secretive fellowship of powerful Christian politicians who wield considerable political influence, both in Washington and abroad.
If that’s what Bahati says to an American journalist with a history of reporting facts, I’d hate to imagine what he says behind closed doors to American Religious Right wingnuts.
Bahati is an aspiring genocidal maniac, and continuing American support from fundamentalist Christian leaders just proves what so many have always said: They are our American Taliban, and the only reason they haven’t started bombing things is because they live in a developed country where the Enlightenment and secularization have had a civilizing effect on the most grotesque applications of Deep Religious Faith. Bahati just has more “freedom” where he lives than our American mullahs do.
The post title is a direct correction of Peter LaBarbera’s Ministry of Love-style headline for the same video. We’ve written about Molotov Mitchell before, several times. He’s made videos since the beginning of the year defending the Ugandan “Kill the Gays” bill, which is all you really need to know. And again, Peter LaBarbera refers to his as a “biblical love,” which means that Peter is seriously DSM-IV, evil, or both.
In this creepy video, Molotov Mitchell talks about how he handles his “gay friends,” by telling them, with no supporting evidence whatsoever other than the fact that other people are brainwashed to believe the same things, that they are headed for a fiery hell.
Also, we find out that Mitchell is a garden variety bigot, who doesn’t feel the need to hold back from making fun of effeminate, “flaming homosexuals.”
SPOILER ALERT: At the end of the video, the “moral of the story” comes, because apparently the gay guy he’s talking about was particularly susceptible to becoming a victim for Mitchell, convinced to buy into self-loathing in service of a fundamentalist Christian worldview that has been summarily disproven, and moreover, is harmful to those who choose it as a lifestyle.
In February, a brave gay Ugandan living in exile, Kushaba Moses Mworeko, appeared at the National Press Club in Washington with a paper bag over his head to denounce Uganda’s deadly Anti-Homosexuality Bill. He wore a mask to conceal his identity because he feared for his life. At the DC press conference, he decried the interference in Ugandan affairs by intolerant American evangelicals, including the “ex-gay” organization Exodus International.
The catalyst for the infamous “Kill the Gays Bill” was a 2009 conference in Kampala featuring Scott Lively, who wrote The Pink Swastika, a book that blamed gay men for the rise of Nazism in Germany, and Don Schmierer, a board member for Exodus International.
Looking back, these were heady days for Exodus, with high-profile television appearances and globetrotting to exotic lands to evangelize the “ex-gay” myth. The good times were rolling with Exodus living by the economic rules of “God’s Economy”, where strong faith trumps smart finances.
The spiritual drunkenness of Exodus had led the organization to foolishly trade its leased offices in favor of a building with a million dollar mortgage. Now, deep into the recession, the organization is left begging the Lord for a loan and asking God’s helpers for a helping hand. On Monday, Exodus wrote on its blog, “Will you pray and ask if God would use YOU to extend His hand of generosity to our ministry during this challenging season?”
In this same Internet post, the organization announced layoffs. The downsizing mirrored severe cuts by Focus on the Family, which sold its financially strapped “ex-gay” road show, “Love Won Out”, to Exodus last year. Apparently, it was not such a wise investment for Exodus, judging by the group’s latest plea for help.
“Dear friends, please pray for us at Exodus,” wrote the organization’s President Alan Chambers. “We have experienced an unexpectedly low giving season this summer coupled with much higher expenses (insurance, utilities, etc). Sadly, we have had to let several staff go. Your prayers are appreciated. For those who are also having to endure this unfriendly economy, our prayers are with you!”
Those who do not follow the “ex-gay” industry must have been surprised by Exodus’ poverty plea. After all, on Aug. 10, the organization’s President Alan Chambers told CNN’s blog that, “Our calls are increasing. Our ministries say we’re busier than ever.”
Exodus’ Vice President, Randy Thomas, also appeared to be oblivious to the cliff ahead. On Aug. 7, he posted a flamboyant video where he gregariously sang, expressed horror that his deodorant smelled too gay, and ordered a designer Starbucks “iced venti, skinny vanilla latte”.
However, the shortfall wasn’t a shock to those of us who study these groups. In late January, I first warned that Exodus was in trouble, evidenced by its moribund website and tardy press releases – which suggested there had been staff cuts. At that time I wrote, “The group’s last press release posted on its sluggish website is dated November 16, 2009. Memo to Exodus, the New Year’s ball has dropped. You can come out of your slumber.”
Exodus financial downturn seems to be echoed by Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality (JONAH), which recently begged supporters to send old clothes, so the group could resell them, presumably at second-hand stores or flea markets.
The reason for the relative decline of these groups is that they are selling a fraudulent product. If they had really “cured” self-loathing homosexuals, these groups would be swimming in money, donated by satisfied clients and ecstatic relatives. All they offer, however, is an infomercial for false hope and their seedy scheme is beginning to catch up to them.
Unfortunately, failed American “ex-gay” outfits can still do enormous damage overseas. For example, Hong Kong’s Society for Truth and Light just published a 52-page booklet citing the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) This is the organization best known for George Rekers, its anti-gay board member who had to step down this year after vacationing with a prostitute he had met on Rent Boy.com.
This week, Kushaba Moses Mworeko released a new video, courageously taking off his mask to call attention to the plight of LGBT people in most African countries. He implored Anglican bishops attending the All African Bishops conference in Entebbe, Uganda, to denounce the “Kill the Gays Bill.”
While it may take Exodus a while to fix its financial mess, the global wreckage it has left behind will not be so easy to clean up.
In February, a brave gay Ugandan man living in exile appeared at the National Press Club in Washington with a paper bag over his head to denounce Uganda’s draconian Anti-Homosexuality Bill. He wore the mask to conceal his identity because he feared for his life.
Today, Kushaba Moses Mworeko took off his mask to urge the African Anglican Bishops at the All African Bishops Conference in Entebbe to speak out against Uganda’s “Kill the Gays Bill” and other forms of anti-gay discrimination on the continent.
“It is time for Christian leaders in Africa to start promoting peace and stop persecuting LGBT people,” said Kushaba Moses Mworeko, who recently escaped to the United States. “I call on the Anglican Church to speak out forcefully against the Anti-Homosexuality Bill and to support decriminalizing gay relationships across the continent. As the church grows in Africa it must choose to be a force for good and not intolerance.”
Speakers claimed that the continent would have 673 million Christians by 2025 and lead Christendom in the 21st century. Egyptian Bishop Mouneer Anis spoke of the significance of this meeting when he told bishops from more than 400 dioceses, “There is no doubt that history is going to record what happens at this conference for future generations. This is no ordinary conference because it’s happening in an extraordinary context.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, (pictured) spoke at the event, but has yet to effectively use his bully pulpit to shape a more accepting environment towards LGBT people in Africa.
“The All African Bishops Conference offers Rowan Williams a unique opportunity to show leadership and moral clarity by denouncing Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill,” said Mworeko. “I urge the Archbishop of Canterbury to display a backbone and set a positive tone for the Anglican Church in Africa. His silence will be seen as a green light for the witch hunts against the LGBT community to continue.”
In a new Youtube video, Mworeko sent a message of perseverance and hope to his LGBT brothers and sisters still living in Uganda.
“We shall continue fighting for our rights and the time to fight is now,” said Mworeko. “This is about liberty, this is about equality, this is about justice. We are here to reclaim our freedom.”
“If Moses has the courage to put his life at risk by speaking out against intolerance and injustice, the least Rowan Williams can do is acknowledge the inhumanity of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill while he is at this conference,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. “His noticeable indifference to the suffering of LGBT people in Africa and worldwide is a great stain on his shrinking legacy. Only by finding his voice on LGBT issues can Williams reverse the damage that has occurred on his watch.”
Truth Wins Out is a non-profit organization that fights anti-gay religious extremism. TWO’s goal is to create a world where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people can live openly, honestly and true to themselves.
I love how evil always dresses itself up with high-minded, euphemistic names. For example, the repressive government of Myanmar is known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council(SLORC). In Zimbabwe, the brutal and corrupt Robert Mugabe’s political party is known as the Patriotic Front. And, of course, during the Joseph McCarthy era, we had the infamous House Un-American Activities Committee. There are countless other examples of reprobates disguised as responsible leaders or political parties.
We can now add the The Society for Truth and Light to this repugnant list of phonies who hide their sinister behavior, sinful lies and outrageous cynicism behind a facade of “good”. The Society is an anti-gay “Christian” outfit based in Hong Kong that has published an irresponsible report hawking unscientific “ex-gay” snake oil cures.
Although the 52-page booklet is raw hatred of gay people, it is deceptively named, “Acceptance–Caring for Homosexuality”.
How much does this group care?
They are using materials from the discredited anti-gay organization, The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH). This is an organization that:
1) Had to kick George Rekers off its board this year after the “esteemed” doctor was caught taking a prostitute on a European vacation that he had met on Rent Boy.com
2) Had to kick off another board member this year, Arthur Abba Goldberg, who had been exposed by South Florida Gay News and Truth Wins Out as a convicted felon. Goldberg refers clients to a “life coach” who asks clients to strip naked and fondle themselves.
3) Had for years regularly published essays by Holocaust revisionist Scott Lively, who also is a catalyst behind Uganda’s infamous “Kill the Gays” bill. Lively is recognized by the Southern Poverty Law Center for running a certified hate group.
4) Has virtually no peer review studies on homosexuality, yet mysteriously claims expertise on the topic. NARTH’s information runs counter to every respected medical and mental health organization in the nation — including the American Psychiatric Association, American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
5) Had a board member, Gerald Schoenwolf, who wrote a noxious essay on NARTH’s website that seemed to justify slavery
6) Had used widely condemned and discredited “life coach” Richard Cohen as a therapy trainer. Cohen was permanently expelled from the American Counseling Association for misdeeds.
Given NARTH’s sordid history, why is this Hong Kong organization — that claims to stand for morality — peddling its lies?
Clearly, this organization is obscuring truth and shedding little light on the topic of LGBT people.
Hong Kong residents should beware of this ministry.
It is selling outdated and bankrupt ideas hatched in America that no one here takes seriously.
Please, do your research. Do not be misled by ideologues and money-hungry charlatans who are out to commit consumer fraud.
Ugandan First Lady Janet Museveni — longtime ally of The Family and genocidal pastor Martin Ssempa — cautioned 8,000 youths at a convention last week against promoting tolerance of homosexuality.
“In God’s word, homosexuality attracts a curse, but now people are engaging in it and saying they are created that way. It is for money The devil is stoking fires to destroy our nation and those taking advantage are doing so because our people are poor,” she said. Mrs. Museveni advised the youth not only to listen to messages on how they can make money but also focus on spiritual growth. “You know that you will lose everything else when you lose your soul.”
Uganda’s tribal and sexual hatreds, the corruption of its despotic leadership, and its suppression of creativity and individuality lead many graduates to flee the country at the earliest opportunity.
Instead of correcting these social ills for which she and her husband are responsible, the First Lady accused expatriates of selfishness.
[Museveni] also decried what she called selfishness of especially the educated who leave the country as soon as they are educated by the same nation. “They bite the hand that fed them and they appease their consciences by blaming whichever government is there. These are a few of the ills that have beset our nation. We need to consciously make our minds to succeed,” she said.
This is bizarre, but we know the old adage about buzzards of a feather. Brian Camenker, leader of the notorious anti-gay hate group MassResistance, is urging his follower(s) to write in Scott Lively for governor of Massachusetts:
This week we are urging people to write in Scott Lively for Governor, against Charlie Baker.
Scott Lively lives in Springfield and is known as a major pro-family figure not only in the U.S. but internationally. He is an attorney, pastor (with a PhD in theology), pro-family activist, and author of several books. He also spent time as an international consultant on family issues with more than twenty years of ministry opposing the “gay” political agenda around the world.
Dr. Lively is founder of Abiding Truth Ministries, the Pro-Family Law Center, DefendTheFamily.com, and most recently the Redemption Gate Ministry Society in Springfield, Mass.. Over the past 20 years he has also lectured and consulted on pro-family strategies in more than 30 countries.
Like Glenn Beck, Rep. Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul, the Tea Party Movement, MassResistance, and many more, Scott Lively has been demonized by the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as a “hate group” – a disgusting tactic meant to marginalize effective conservatives. For his beliefs and activism he has withstood pressure that would overcome most people.
Lively is everything that Charlie Baker is not. He is principled, pro-family, pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-2nd-amendment, pro-religion, pro-parents’ rights, and utterly fearless.
There’s nothing quite like voting for someone you actually support, rather than the lesser of two (or three) evils.
And by thousands (we hope!) of people voting for Scott Lively as a write-in candidate in the September 14 Republican Primary, a very strong statement will be made to the RINO Republican establishment, especially since relatively few people vote in most primaries. Don’t assume you own us. What you’re selling, we’re not buying. The people running the Massachusetts Republican Party love to use social conservatives to do the grunt work on campaigns, but they arrogantly see themselves as above “dirtying” themselves with the principled issues that conservatives care about.
Whatever. It’s cute that an Iranian-style wingnut like Brian Camenker actually thinks that the other Republicans in the state of Massachusetts are like him. Does he really not know that he’s a pariah? Kyle at Right Wing Watch points out that this comes directly on the heels of the state’s Tea Party leaders showing and telling Camenker in no uncertain terms that he’s not welcome in their movement. When will social conservatives grasp the fact that they’ve rarely been more than useful idiots for the Republican party?
The Uganda Observer published an innocuous glossary of terms on July 22 to inform readers what words like “gay” and “lesbian” mean. The stated purpose was to enable readers to make their own decisions about homosexuality on the basis of facts rather than fear.
Pastor Martin Ssempa — U.S. aid recipient, former ally of megapreacher Rick Warren, leader of Uganda’s political campaign to execute all homosexuals, and de facto leader of Uganda’s ex-gay movement — was outraged by the publication of such facts.
As Warren Throckmorton notes, Ssempa responded with a letter to the editor in which he asserted that the mere publication of a glossary causes children to become homosexual. He implies that such reporting is, or should be, illegal.
Ugandan politics took a sad walk onto the world stage at the end of 2009, when David Bahati, a member of Parliament, introduced a bill to gruesomely enhance his country’s existing laws against gay people – making it a crime not to report gays, and going so far as to call for the execution of gays in some circumstances. The death penalty provisions have not become law, but Uganda remains hostile territory.
Kushaba Moses Mworeko, a brave 31-year-old Ugandan and my personal hero, decided to speak out in February against the bill at the American Prayer Hour. This event countered the National Prayer Breakfast run by the notorious and powerful aanti-gay organization, The Family.
At the National Press Club, Moses joined Truth Wins Out, The Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, Americans United, and several other organizations to speak out against The Family’s role in Uganda and the horrible “kill the gays” bill.
For his safety, Moses wore a paper bag over his head.
Today, he reveals himself to the world in an effort to stop the persecution of LGBT people in Uganda. The message of Moses: “Let my People Go.
What an incredibly brave and inspiring person! The publication MW has an excellent interview, discussing Moses’ activism, life journey and efforts to stay in the United States to avoid persecution, imprisonment or worse.
It is imperative that Moses stays in the United States. It would be unconscionable if he were sent back to suffer at the hands of would-be murderers.
Mike A: John Smid, former leader of Exodus' Love In Action boot camp, taught that masturbation can cause homosexuality.
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2008/02/19/1457...
Speakers claimed
I love how evil always dresses itself up with high-minded, euphemistic names. For example, the repressive government of Myanmar is known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council(SLORC). In Zimbabwe, the brutal and corrupt Robert Mugabe’s political party is known as the Patriotic Front. And, of course, during the Joseph McCarthy era, we had the infamous House Un-American Activities Committee. There are countless other examples of reprobates disguised as responsible leaders or political parties.
Ugandan politics took a sad walk onto the world stage at the end of 2009, when David Bahati, a member of Parliament, introduced a bill to gruesomely enhance his country’s existing laws against gay people – making it a crime not to report gays, and going so far as to call for the execution of gays in some circumstances. The death penalty provisions have not become law, but Uganda remains hostile territory.
For his safety, Moses wore a paper bag over his head.
