You SOB hypocrite - you got a divorce???

I am so livid, I can barely type. That Son-of-a-B*tch, Karl Rove, is now a divorced Son-of-a-B*tch. Yes, that's right, the same Karl Rove who cynically used my gay son and so many other law-abiding, tax-paying American citizens as tools to whip up the vile homophobia he needed to get his loser presidential candidate re-elected for another 4 year nightmare term. And now this vermon is rubbing salt into the wounds of those same gay and lesbian Americans by divorcing his wife and trashing the very institution that was just too holy and sanctified to allow loving gay and lesbian couples to marry? What a disgusting, cynical little toad of a man:

Karl Rove is an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage, citing "5,000 years of understanding the institution of marriage" as his justification. He also famously engineered multiple referenda to incorporate a ban on same-sex marriage into various states' constitutions in 2004 in order to ensure that so-called ""Christian conservatives" and "value voters" who believe in "traditional marriage laws" would turn out and help re-elect George W. Bush. Yet, like so many of his like-minded pious comrades, Rove seems far better at preaching the virtues of "traditional marriage" to others and exploiting them for political gain than he does adhering to those principles in his own life.

Dear Representative Trent Franks(R-AZ)

I never, ever thought I'd be writing you, even though I am an Arizona resident and native of this state at that. But lo and behold, here I am, not only writing you, but searching for just the right words to thank you for condemning the anti-gay Uganda legislation that if passed would mandate a death sentences for active homosexuals living with HIV, impose life imprisonment for anyone convicted of a homosexual act, and imprison for 3 years or more anyone who does not turn in to authorities someone they know to be gay within 24 hours (and that would include family, friends, and clergy).

There are no words strong enough to convey the depth of my gratitude. It is so refreshing to finally see men of faith actually walk the walk, and you sir have done just that by writing this letter to to urge President Yoweri Museveni to stop this heinous bill from becoming law.

Thank you so very much for restoring this seething mom's faith that there are still people out there who will do the right thing regardless of the political ramifications you may face from your own party.

Sincerely,
Seething Mom

Mexico City lawmakers approve gay marriage

This should be making those who hate in the name of God squirm:



And as expected, this news clip ends by assuring us that the Catholic Church is not happy about this development. Big surprise there.

A picture is worth a thousand words...AZ Republic's Benson does it again

Ending my estrangement with one of my brothers and grappling with the next major conundrum

I have 4 brothers and my relationships with 3 out of those 4 brothers range from "pretty good" to "fantastic". Now at one time a few years ago I also had a fairly decent relationship with this 4th brother, but that came to an abrupt and very ugly halt when he became enraged with me and cut me completely out of his life (although I continued to maintain my relationships with his wife and 2 beautiful little girls).

As is usually the case with complex sibling relationships, the reasons for our years-long estrangement cannot be explained in a mere sentence or two and airing them on this venue would not be appropriate or something I would feel good about doing. And it would certainly end any progress my brother and I have just begun to make on our very fragile relationship should he ever read this blog (which is highly doubtful).

Just recently, under very sad circumstances -- the funeral of a mutual life-long friend -- my estranged brother and I were presented an opportunity to talk. And it was at this time that I decided to try and forge ahead with the beginnings of some kind of reconciliation, even though, for reasons I shall explain in a minute, I was not sure I really wanted to.

During the years that my brother and I did not see or speak to each other, a lot of things changed in both our lives. To say our journeys took different paths would be an understatement. My brother and his wife turned to their evangelical mega-church for answers to the problems they were having and became extremely religious, born-again Christians. And during those very same years, my husband and I found ourselves taking the exact opposite journey, putting as much distance as we could between ourselves and the Catholic Church -- for it was during those years that we found out one of our beloved sons was gay. And it was also during those years that we realized that the Church was not the answer to the most agonizing worries we had, but the cause. It was also at this point in time that we had to come to grips with the cold hard reality that so many organized religions, including the evangelical church to which my brother and his wife belong and the Catholic Church to which we used to belong, were directly responsible for the hatred, homophobia, and the increased dangers our son would face for the rest of his life simply for being gay. And realizing that it was there in the pews of these churches that those who look for cover to hate, dehumanize, and discriminate against gays get not only biblical cover to do so, but blessed by the bullies in the pulpit for doing so.

I knew my brother had become a hard-core, in-your-face evangelical, which made my journey in the opposite direction all the more pronounced and ironic. It also made any thoughts I may have had about reconciliation all the more unfathonable and undesirable. Many a night I'd lay awake playing different scenes out in my head and I could never quite imagine an outcome in which we would heal our wounds and I'd tell him that one of his nephews was gay and we would then go on to live a happily-ever-after ending -- which is why as more and more time passed I found estrangement from him a bigger and bigger relief. And it was also why I was in no hurry to bridge the ever growing gulf between us.

Since stepping out of the closet ourselves, my husband and I have enjoyed years of openess and honesty with most of our friends and family. We kissed goodbye the worry of "someone finding out" long ago and have no intentions of ever entertaining such silly worries again. Our attitude today is if someone has a problem with our son being gay, it is their problem, not ours -- no relationship has the power to trump our love for our son. And up until now, we have experienced nothing but complete acceptance and love from the family and friends we have told about our son. Our lives are no longer burdened with secrets and guarded conversations. Talk of our son and his boyfriend is every bit as normal as talk about our other son and his girlfriend. Our life is not burdened with religious guilt, fear, or sadness. We are completely at peace with who our son is and we absolutely believe that to deny or try and change his God-given sexual orientation is to accuse God of giving us a broken gift. And now more than ever we bask in the joy of three absolutely fantastic kids and their amazing accomplishments. Going backwards to appease the religious bigotry of anyone or any institution is simply not an option. It has been a long and hard-fought journey to get to where we are today.

So why do I agonize over the conundrum this reconciliation has created? My kids all believe this brother will have no problems with the fact that our son is gay. They love their uncle very much and would like to see this rift repaired. They believe his love will be stronger than his religious certainties. I am not so sure. My mother has out and out asked me not to say anything. She is not so sure either. I have seen his transformation up close and personal. The estrangement didn't allow me the luxury of watching it happen gradually. And getting back together and talking with him just recently has been a shocking experience. He is not the person I knew years ago. All humility is gone. He does not exude God's love, in fact just the opposite. I now see a judgmental arrogant man so filled with absolute certainty about his beliefs that his world is a stark contrast of black and white. Can he accept our gay son without judgment or condemnation? I truly do not know. I'd love to believe he can, but telling him and finding out my worst fears were correct would mean walking away and never looking back. But I cannot go back to guarded conversations and worries about exposing secrets either.

Last evening my husband, my daughter, and I had dinner with my mother, my used-to-be estranged brother, his wife, and their two beautiful daughters. When we sat down to dinner my brother immediately announced that we would hold hands and say prayers, then scolded us (but he was looking at me) for not having said prayers before the Thanksgiving meal a few weeks earlier when we had an even huger group of family members and friends gathered and a whole lot more chaos. Then he led the prayer. Later that evening my daughter asked me if I had caught the little zinger he slipped into the prayer that evening asking God to help certain members of the family (again looking at me) to find God the way he and his family had. I told my daughter I had indeed caught that, but I refrained from telling her how close I came to telling him that I didn't need to find God, I already knew where he was. And holding hands and making a very public show of saying prayers around the dinner table isn't necessary to get in touch with him. All I need to do when I want to confirm God's presence is look into the
eyes and hearts of my three amazing children and I can see God's grace and beauty just fine.

Update: I finally told my brother. It did not go well. He loves the sinner, but hates the sin.

Meet Houston's first openly gay mayor

Rachel Maddow-Rick Warren forced out of silence on Uganda

Again I must say, I am happy that Rick Warren has come out and strongly denounced the Kill the Gays legislation being proposed in Uganda. But, I still believe that Mr. Warren's very belated decision to come out and finally speak up against this heinous bill had more to do with political calculations than doing the right thing. After all, pushing homophobia and hatred has always been quite profitable for these Evangelical mega-pastors. And regardless of this better-late-than-never denouncement of this law, I will always believe these sanctimonious frauds who call themselves Christians, and that includes Rick Warren, have blood on their hands when it comes to our gay and lesbian children. Let us not forget who is always at the forefront of the battle to keep our gay and lesbian elementary school children from being included in school anti-bullying programs.

Rick Warren finally speaks out against proposed Ugandan Kill-the-Gays law

I am so very conflicted here. Yes(!!), I am very pleased that Rick Warren has finally stepped forward and in no uncertain terms and with very strong language spoken out against this heinous proposed law in Uganda. But(!!!!), I feel I must stop short of praising him for what he should have done when he first got wind of this horrific legislation. It certainly took a lot of fire under his feet before he did the right thing. And I certainly have to ask myself, once again, if this had been straight Christian Ugandans who were being targeted with execution if he'd have taken so long to speak out. And, not to look a gift horse in the mouth or anything, but shouldn't we be asking ourselves whether this whole mess would have occurred if American Christian Evangelicals and American Conservative politicians had not gone over to Uganda and stirred up all this anti-gay hate in the first place?



And one more thing...
I still can't shake the horrible feeling that so many of these American Evangelicals and conservative politicians who have made careers of whipping up hate against the lgbt community for political gain will be deeply disappointed in this latest turn of events in Uganda. And this is what haunts me most.

Dear Pastor Rick Warren,

I am writing you today because I desperately need some answers about your role (directly or indirectly) in the proposed anti-gay legislation likely to pass
in Uganda. I know that some of the Ugandan politicians and religious people most involved in writing and trying to pass this horrific piece of legislation are very involved with the American Evangelical movement and extremely close to you and your wife.

I'd also like to know WHY when asked about this kill the gays legislation by Newsweek reporter Lisa Miller, you chose to give a pretty evasive answer that ended up being nothing more than a milquetoast version of I don't want to get involved in another country's political affairs. Where the hell is your moral outrage? Couldn't you have at least faked it with a little fiery, spittle-inducing indignation? Isn't that what mega-men-of-God are supposed to do? And when have you ever refrained from sticking your self-righteous nose in affairs that are none of your business? I'm sorry but I find it pretty hard to believe that a man like you, who seldom, if ever, straddles a fence on any issue, could be so neutral on an issue that will cost people their lives merely because they are gay. Aren't Ugandan gays God's children too? I would think that a man of your stature would never, ever want to be linked in any way to such a heinous law like this one being considered in Uganda. Or is it me? Am I missing something here? Could it be you do not see this situation as one that warrants your outrage? Could it be you don't believe the people whose lives are threatened with death by hanging are worthy of anything but extermination and you don't care that there will be many (including me) who will blame you when this law is passed? But I guess the bigger question is this: Would you be taking such a cowardly and neutral stance if those being threatened with execution in Uganda were straight Christians? We certainly know from past experience that there is
never any lack of righteous outrage and moral grandstanding when Christians are even perceived to be the victims. So tell me Pastor, is your pitiful and spineless answer to Newsweek an affirmation of what many of us already suspect, that you are actually ok with this law, but you cannot come right out and say it?

You must be wondering Pastor why I am so invested in this horrific legislation and the extent of your involvement in it. After all, it isn't going to directly affect me or anyone I know personally. Well the answer sir is that I've been following this horrific legislation because I am a mom. And my husband and I have 3 wonderful children whom we love more than words can convey. And one of those 3 children, our middle son, is gay. And all I can think about when I think of this horrible piece of hateful anti-gay legislation are the Ugandan moms, dads, sisters, and brothers who will be faced with lengthy prison terms if they do not turn in their gay loved ones within 24 hours. And I am consumed with the same terror they must be feeling as they realize that they may be turning them in only to see them hung until every breath of life is choked out of them. And I'm finding it agonizing to even try to imagine what it must be like to be born gay and face a grisly execution for the crime of simply being who you are. But even more painful and frightening to me than all of that is the profound shame, anger, and hate I have for the sanctimonious, hateful frauds here in America who will have blood on their hands when this law is passed. And that includes you Mr. Warren. Your cowardly behavior and refusal to take a stand on behalf of those poor people in Uganda tells me all I need to know about you. You are a coward and a hateful bigot. But then, silly me, I'm a fool to think you'd actually care what I think about you or your actions.

I know that I am quite naive to think that you would answer any of my questions. Hell, you couldn't even muster the courage to give a real answer to the Newsweek reporter. I suppose that a busy man like you, living life as a mega-pastor and mega-author, preaching some twisted version of the Word of God and enjoying the fruits of mega-prosperity, power, and fame leaves very little time for puny little mothers like me. And I suspect that those fruits of mega-prosperity, power, and fame would definitely shrivel up and blow away if a mega-pastor like you were to actually stand up and take a stand on something like this hateful law about to be enacted in Uganda. Because, as you have already proven with your own mega-fame and wealth, hate and homophobia can be a mighty lucrative business - huh Pastor Rick? Gay marriage, anti-bullying rules in schools, non-descrimination housing and employment laws that include gays, extending hate-crime laws to include protecting gays, ending DOMA, ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell? -- all opportunities to line your pockets - huh Pastor Rick? And taking a stand on this heinous law to kill gays in Uganda? Why -- you can't do that! That would kill the goose that has been laying your golden eggs all these years - huh Pastor Rick?

I guess in America, evangelicals hate the sin, but not the sinner simply because American laws stand in the way of doing anything more to the sinner, but in Uganda, they hate the sin, and American Evangelicals like Rick Warren are making damn sure they don't stand in the way of any laws making it ok to kill the sinner there.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Evangelist causes a stir:

Jesse Morrell — a 25-year-old evangelist preacher from Cheshire, Conn., who said he did three stints at the juvenile detention center on Whalley Avenue for selling drugs — says he knows where most Yale students are headed: hell.
(click picture to embiggen - you won't be sorry)

Good grief, someone needs to tell the Catholic Church to windex their own glass house

Hard to see anything but supreme ignorance and irony in this quote. I am stupefied at the cajones these sanctimonious frauds have. I can hardly believe they think they can tell us what qualifies as an action "against nature and the dignity of the human body" or what would qualify as "an insult to God".

What drivel:

"Transsexuals and homosexuals will never enter the kingdom of heaven and it is not me who says this, but Saint Paul. People are not born homosexual, they become homosexual, for different reasons: education issues or because they did not develop their own identity during adolescence. It may not be their fault, but acting against nature and the dignity of the human body is an insult to God. Homosexuality is therefore a sin, but this does not justify any form of discrimination. God alone has the right to judge. We on earth cannot condemn, and as human beings we all have the same rights."

- Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, in comments quoted by an Italian news agency. Lozano is one of the top Vatican officials.

Hat tip: JMG

Really in a bad mood tonight

So I will let Dan tell you what my problem is:

The silence is deafening but oh so telling

I have not written about the horrific "Execute the Gays" law being proposed in Uganda. I am still numb with disbelief. Not so much that this could be happening in a place like Uganda, which has never been a haven for gays and lesbians, but because one can literally hear a pin drop in the American Evangelical world and for that matter, in the Catholic Church world as well. The silence from these religious homophobes is deafening. And now I am finding out exactly why these sanctimonious blowhard frauds are choosing to be so quiet on this issue when so many others have risen up in horror and revulsion and publicly opposed this heinous law. The American Religous Right (including the Catholic Church) not only approve of what is going on in Uganda, some of them played a role in getting this law written:

The man pushing a law in Uganda—which is likely to pass—that would result in the execution of Ugandan gays and lesbians is deeply involved with the American evangelical movement, American social conservatives, and just so happens to be one of Saddleback pastor Rick Warren's BFFs.

And for those who may not yet be familiar with this proposed law, here is a snippet that explains it better than I can:

The Ugandan penal code already criminalizes sexual relations "against the order of nature," a characterization that is frequently used to prosecute gays. Under the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009, homosexual relations are specifically targeted. Anyone in a position of authority who is aware of a gay or lesbian individual has 24 hours to inform police or face jail time. Individuals found to engage in efforts to sexually stimulate another for the purpose of homosexual relations, or found touching another for that purpose, will face life in prison. Those who engage in "aggravated homosexuality" -- defined as repeated homosexual relations or sexual contact with others who are HIV/AIDS infected -- will face the death penalty.

For this mother of a gay son, this is beyond my comprehension. I am filled with so much fear and loathing, I am ready to burst. The deafening silence of so many of these so-called men of God has told me all I need to know. Dehumanizing, demonizing, and legislating our gay and lesbian children into a permanent state of second-class citizenship is simply not enough for these putrid people. Their deafening silence tells me that what will soon be happening to gays and lesbians in Uganda should this law pass is exactly what they'd like to see happen to gay and lesbians everywhere. Why else would they not be joining the loud protestations from around the world?

And if one needs any more proof that the American religious right is happy about this law, one need look no farther than Rick Warren ---- yes, that Rick Warren ---- the one invited to give the invocation at President Obama's inauguration. He was recently asked about the proposed Ugandan antihomosexual laws and surprisingly he couldn't really muster much of anything but a watered down mishmash response claiming to be neutral on the subject. Now that's a real feat for an opinionated, sanctimonious blowhard like him:

Warren won't go so far as to condemn the legislation itself. A request for a broader reaction to the proposed Ugandan anti-homosexual laws generated this response: "The fundamental dignity of every person, our right to be free, and the freedom to make moral choices are gifts endowed by God, our creator. However, it is not my personal calling as a pastor in America to comment or interfere in the political process of other nations." On Meet the Press this morning, he reiterated this neutral stance in a different context: "As a pastor, my job is to encourage, to support. I never take sides."

Andrew Sullivan weighs in with a post titled "Rick Warren, Silent Enabler Of Hatred":

Just as he publicly inveighed in favor of stripping gay couples of civil equality in California, and then pretended he didn't, now he distances himself from Ssempe (ed note: the man pushing the law in Uganda), while refusing to condemn this law reminiscent of early attempts to wipe out minorities in Serbia, Nazi Germany, and Rwanda. This is classic avoidance in an atmosphere of extreme danger. It is the same as the Catholic church's disgraceful neutrality in Rwanda and Nazi Germany, as they saw a chance to enable others to wipe out a minority they wished could be wiped off the face of the earth.

[...]

He lies. He has taken sides, whenever possible, to stigmatize, demonize and now physically threaten the lives of gay people in his own country and abroad. And his silence on this issue means the deaths of others. Warren needs to come out and condemn this law as evil, which it is. And to stop hiding his own enmeshment with the most virulent forms of fundamentalist hatred under the veil of media-savvy benevolence.