DADT Cannot End Soon Enough!

A tribute to Cpl. Andrew Wilfahrt, a gay servicemember:

So hard to watch. I cannot imagine the pain his parents are going through.

Matt Barber Says Gay Kids Kill Themselves Because They Know They Are Immoral

So Matt Barber of the Liberty Council thinks gay kids commit suicide because they know it's unnatural and immoral:

No Mr. Barber, what's unnatural is your very unhealthy and rather fetish-like obsession with all things gay. And what's immoral Mr. Barber is the fact that you have no problem using the power of your bully pulpit to push many of our emotionally at-risk gay and lesbian children to believe they have no choice but to commit suicide to escape the cruelty of creepy heathens like you. You are, Mr. Barber, nothing more than a bully and a homophobe who spews first-grade level bible gibberish that serves as the sustenance that feeds the hate of the feeble-minded who cannot think for themselves.

But as is almost always the case with people like you Mr. Barber, you are also a big fat coward. Yes Mr. Barber, a coward. Anyone that sits behind the safety of a microphone in a secure little bunker-style radio room and spews vile lies about innocent people they don't even know and will never have to face is a coward. And that so many of those people are young and vulnerable children trying to make sense of their God-given sexual orientation makes you evil and cruel as well.

I dare you Mr. Barber to leave the safety of that cozy little secured bully pulpit you sit your considerable arse in everyday and face this seething momma and a crowd of other mothers and fathers whose beloved children you demonize and push to the brink of destruction on a daily basis. I dare you Mr. Barber to trade that microphone that you use to spread your hate to the masses via public air waves from the safety of your little control room for a microphone in a public auditorium in front of thousands of parents like me who have gay children they love so much it hurts. I dare you Mr. Barber to tell us to our faces what you so courageously say when you don't have to look us, the people you are so deeply hurting, in the eyes. And I double-dare

you Mr. Barber to tell us to our faces that those of us who have lost children to suicide that our children killed themselves because they knew they were immoral and unnatural while conveniently leaving out the fact that they felt that way because vermon like you have dedicated their lives to making sure they believed that. Could you do that Mr. Barber? Could you actually tell us to our faces how evil our children are? Could you tell that mom or dad who just buried their child their kid knew he was immoral? You are all bravado and sanctimony behind the walls of your control room Mr. Barber, but do you have the balls to repeat those vile lies while looking us, the parents of those children, in the eyes?

Well I for one will not be holding my breath. Bullies target the vulnerable and the powerless. And for you Mr. Barber the target of your hate and destruction is our children. You may be an evil sanctimonious fraud and b*stard, but you aren't stupid and you aren't suicidal. We serve you no purpose. Why on earth would you ever consider facing the people whose children it is your life's mission to destroy?

Dan Savage talks to ABC's Nightline

I remember years ago, right around the time I found out one of my sons was gay, I also accidentally stumbled upon a man named Dan Savage and his sex advice column, Savage Love. I was smitten at first sight.

His column was like nothing I'd ever read before, completely devoid of sexual inhibitions and politically correct language, chock full of foul language and downright blunt common sense. And yet, there was something so refreshingly honest and real life about the advice he dished out to the lovelorn brave enough to write him that I joined the legions of fans that adoringly form his huge fan base.

So it is really nice to see that he is finally getting some national recognition:

"Good" Christians lie?

Hell yeah they lie:

Poor, poor pitiful little hypocrites. They are getting so very desperate. And with each poll that comes out indicating they may win a few more battles but are inevitably going to lose the war, the bigger and more laughable their lies get.

The Pope can stomp his bright red Prada loafers all he wants - American Catholics aren't listening to him

I have always maintained that most of the people who sit in the pews of the Catholic Church every Sunday don't buy into every single tidbit of Catholic doctrine that has been drilled into them their entire lives. Be it the Catholic Church's stance on birth control or divorce & re-marriage or women's health issues or a whole miriad of other issues, there has always been an attitude among most Catholics I know that while they love the church enough to remain a Catholic, they don't always agree with everything the Church teaches. And on those issues they don't agree with? They simply choose to ignore them and continue living their lives in the 21st century.

So it thrills me to no end to see that American Catholics are yet again parting ways with their leadership on the issue of gays and lesbians. Seems a big majority of the Catholic faithful filling the pews on Sunday (and the ones skipping Mass as well) are simply not swayed one bit by all the anti-gay hatred and homophobia that flows freely from the mouths of this Pope and the obedient hierarchy below him.

I wonder at what point this Pope is going to get it? Catholics are going to continue to take birth control, get divorced, get remarried, and ignore all of the other issues with which they disagree. So if the Church chooses to continue condemning our glbtq friends, neighbors, and loved ones as "intrinsically evil" and "objectively disordered" sinners, Catholics will simply add this issue to their list of things to be ignored -- if they don't walk away first.

I am one of the ones who could not continue ignoring. I had to walk away. It had become impossible to walk through the doors of a Church whose leader tells me that my precious son is evil simply because of who he loves. But it is oh so gratifying to see that American Catholics who have chosen to remain in the church don't check their brains at the door each time they go to Mass. This Pope is going to need more than bright red Prada loafers to convince Catholics that he has the moral authority to condemn anyone simply because of whom they choose to love.

Victoria Jackson worries that Glee makes a mockery of Christians

So Victoria Jackson of Saturday Night Live fame thinks the t.v. show Glee makes a mockery of Christians. I would argue that Victoria does such a good job of it herself that Glee needn't even go there. Just put this screechy hateful woman on and let her blab to her heart's content and the mockery just writes itself.

Are you SBNN?

Josh Hutcherson is ...

Update: She was a troll

Well I guess I should have used a little more restraint in posting this YouTube clip. As it turns out, this "little girl" is a fake Christianist and the joke is on anyone who took her seriously:

The woman, with the username TamTamPamela, uploaded a video in the days after last week's massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami, claiming the disaster was "God literally waking people up and saying "You are going to hell" However, she was met with such a hostile response - including threats of death and rape (and even had her phone number and address published in some forums) - that she has gone into hiding. Other, less hard-line, wits decided to wage a war of food on her - getting non-stop pizzas delivered to her home. And well-known atheist Richard Dawkins even posted the original video on his website, but did so without providing a comment. A follow-up video in which tamtampamela admits she is a maker of troll videos did nothing to stem the flow of invective directed at her - one blogger encouraged people to "send her a turd" in the mail.

Here is her confession:

Now I must make a confession myself, I fell for this hook, line, and sinker. Why? Not because I am hopelessly gullible (although I can be) but because I actually have a family member I can easily imagine going off on this very same kind of crazy, hateful Christianist tirade. I have seen him do it on a number of occasions and I was just as offended and horrified then as I was yesterday when I watched this young lady's "God is so good" for causing Japan's earthquake and tsunami rant on YouTube.

The fact that so many people were so easily duped into believing this young lady's original YouTube video was real should be a frightening wake-up call to real Christians everywhere. As JMG points out, this is a classic example of Poe's Law:

Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is impossible to create a parody of Fundamentalism that SOMEONE won't mistake for the real thing.

100% Gobsmacked and Speechless

It is a rare occasion when this Seething Mom is shocked anymore, but watching the video below has me feeling like I've been hit by a Mack Truck. This young girl embodies everything that has made Christianity so detestable to so many. Please watch it to the very end. This little girl could not be more giddy about the human tragedy unfolding in Japan - her prayers have been answered.

Family Values and Sanctity of Marriage for thee but not for me

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Not even Six Degrees of Separation from the Westboro Baptist Church

So big marriage defender, Maggie Gallagher of NOM (National Organization for Marriage), is very, very peeved by the Supreme Court"s ruling in favor of the extremely anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church and its right to picket funerals of dead soldiers with repulsive, hateful and usually anti-gay signs:

"The fringe cult calling itself Westboro Baptist (a small congregation consisting of close, and possibly incestuous, relatives of Fred Phelps, who calls himself a pastor) first became famous by protesting gay rights events with revolting signs suggesting that God hates gay people. (They used another offensive terms as well). These ugly signs proved irresistible to reporters from the New York Times etc., who like to pretend this sentiment captures religious conservatives' views generally..."

Why does it feel like Miss Maggie is getting a bit too sensitive and protesteth-ing a bit too much? She knows damn well that she and the rest of her anti-gay ilk who masquerade as society's moral gatekeepers and grand protectors of marriage do not even have six degrees of separation from the repulsive Westboro Baptist Church. Is it because deep down inside she knows the only thing that really separates her and her fellow sanctimonious frauds who bleat their protect marriage bullsh*t from the freaks at the Westboro Baptist Church is the fact that the Westboro Baptist Church doesn't make any effort to hide their hate in fancy-schmancy, bible-ly language and pretend concern for marriage and children like Maggie and her anti-gay brethren do? Could it be that Miss Maggie Morals is getting a bit nervous that those of us who have brains don't really see much difference between her and the Westboro Baptist Church? Or does Miss Maggie need the Westboro Baptist Church to be muzzled so that no one can make the connection that both she and the WBC really have more in common than not? I mean, think about it, both have dedicated their lives and funneled all of their energy and passions into making sure that a whole segment of our society is stripped of all rights, dignity, and respect simply because they love someone Miss Maggie and the Reverend Fred Phelps don't approve of.

So forget it Maggie, this seething momma and every other person who has a gay someone in their life they care deeply about is not one bit fooled by your pretend outrage at the Supreme Court ruling or your faux revulsion for the Westboro Baptist Church. It pains me greatly to say this, but I want those nasty people from the Westboro Baptist Church out there in the open in all their hateful glory for everyone to see (and compare to you).

And here's a news flash Maggie, I actually agree with the Supreme Court ruling to protect WBC's freedom of speech and religion (though it pains me deeply to see these very sick, twisted people protesting at the funerals of our fallen soldiers). I want those WBC hate mongers out there with their despicable signs and raging hate for everyone to see. And I want people to see them and realize that they really aren't much different than you - except maybe a little rougher around the edges and a little less careful to hide their profound hatred of gay people. And I want people to know that their goals are exactly the same as yours even though you will deny it to the day you take your last breath. But probably the biggest reason I agree with the Supreme Court decision is this: the next time you tell the big fat lie that the legalization of gay marriage will deny "religious" people like you and the Reverend Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church your freedom of speech and the right to practice your religion, I will call you out for the big fat liar you are.

Another point I suppose I should make after thinking about things is this: I took a snippet of Miss Maggie Morals' quote and left out what really has her in a tither. So I would like to include another snippet which makes clear why she is really angry with the Supreme Court's decision (well 8 out of the 9 - Alito voted the way she think they all should have):

"Only Justice Sam Alito had the common sense to recognize that somewhere in our great Constitution, there has to be a way to let people bury their dead, without becoming the objects of other people's monomaniacal desire to disrupt their grieving for publicity purposes."

So to be clear, Miss Maggie is all for free speech and freedom of religion when it comes to going after the lgbtq community. But she definitely does have problems when homophobes like the WBC clan picket funerals of our fallen soldiers (but don't we all?). I guess someone needs to let little Miss Maggie in on the bad news. Our constitution guarantees free speech and freedom to practice any kind of religion we please and that includes the Reverend Fred Phelps and his nasty little clan of bigots. The constitution doesn't do caveats. And if Maggie had half a brain she'd realize that is a good thing. She will always be guaranteed the right to be a hateful homophobe who tells ugly, vicious lies in order to justify her intense desire to strip every last gay American of the same rights she and her children enjoy. And thanks to the Supreme Court ruling so will her brother-in-arms, the reverend Fred Phelps. In the Supreme Courts eyes, there is no difference between Miss Maggie and old Freddie boy.

Quote for the day

Saw this quote from the late Reverend Peter J. Gomes, a Baptist minister, over at Andrew's place and it was way too relevant (and true) not to repost here:

"Religious fundamentalism is dangerous because it cannot accept ambiguity and diversity and is therefore inherently intolerant. Such intolerance, in the name of virtue, is ruthless and uses political power to destroy what it cannot convert. It is dangerous, especially in America, because it is anti-democratic and is suspicious of 'the other,' in whatever form that 'other' might appear. To maintain itself, fundamentalism must always define 'the other' as deviant,"

Living Without Religion - A Campaign by the Center for Inquiry

When someone mentions the Catholic Church, the Mormon Church, the Southern Baptist Church, or any other church for that matter, I think of the leadership within most of these mega-institutions and the only associations I can come up with are hate, judgement, exclusion, lies, gluttony (Rick Warren, Mike Huckabee before gastric bypass), hypocrisy, bigotry, homophobia, twisted sexual hang-ups, and ... well... you get the idea. It is not a pretty picture. So this neat little clip sounds quite nice to me:

Another thug posing as a good Christian

Some days I just want to go back to bed and cry. This morning is one of those days. I made the mistake of going over to JMG's place and reading about another creep who uses some perverse form of Christianity to bully and hate in God's name. And who would have thunk it? He is also a member of the GOP, the official sponsor of all things God, Guns, Gays, and Abortion.

So what specifically has me trembling with so much seething rage that I can barely type? This SOB has stalled a bill in the Kentucky state legislature that would ban bullying of gay students in Kentucky schools. And how did this putrid piece of sanctimonious garbage accomplish it? By attaching a poison pill amendment:

Harmon has filed an amendment that would allow students to condemn other students' sexual preferences as long as that expression of a religious belief does not include physical harm or damaging property. "If someone, just in conversation, said, 'You know, I think homosexuality is a sin,' well we don't want that child to be bullied because they have a certain moral or religious belief," said Harmon, "And we don't want them, certainly don't want them to be labeled a bully just because they have that particular belief."

Because as we all know, you haven't been bullied unless you have been beaten to a bloody pulp. Never mind all those children who have been verbally harassed at school until they reach a point in which they feel they have no way out but to kill themselves.

Watch the video and weep:

Distraught does not even begin to describe how I am feeling today. I'm going back to bed...

It Gets Better - Vancouver Men's Chorus

I wish this It Gets Better project had been around when my own son was struggling, alone and scared to death, with a secret he considered so big and dangerous that it literally dictated that his entire childhood be all about keeping it from being discovered. It shouldn't have to so frightening to come out and be who you are, but sadly, for many children it still is. Let's hope Dan Savage's hopeful message that it does get better is reaching these children.

Here is another beautiful clip: