Thursday, January 5, 2012

What's the difference between 2 presidential candidates and Fred Phelps?

We all agree the Westboro Baptist Church is despicable. Right? We all agree that their protests at funerals, especially military funerals, are shameful. That their signs expressing sentiments like "Thank god for IEDs," "God hates fags," "God hates America," and "God blew up the space shuttle" (always my personal favorite) are outrageous. Their vitriol is universally dismissed. Right?

So please explain to me what on earth makes Rick Perry and Rick Santorum any different from the Westboro Baptist Church. Rick Perry thinks gays are asking for "special rights" when they ask  not to be tortured, imprisoned, or executed simply for being gay. Rick Santorum thinks the US is pushing some silly "agenda" when the State Department announces its intention to side with LGBT organizations that fight back against oppression of gays in foreign nations. Rick Perry equates giving money to these organizations with making "war on traditional American values."

So, really, how are these men any different from the Phelps clan? They may not use the word "fag," but the hate and disgust is pretty much the same.

Perry, the governor of Texas, responded by saying, “Just when you thought Barack Obama couldn’t get any more out of touch with America’s values, AP reports his administration wants to make foreign aid decisions based on gay rights.” He said the Obama administration is making “war on traditional American values” and on “people of faith” by “promoting a lifestyle” they find “deeply objectionable.”
You know what, Rick Perry? I find your statement deeply objectionable. There is nothing moral or right or justified about refusing to stand up against the persecution, prosecution, or execution of LGBT people. Saying we're going to assist organizations that fight back against gay bashing isn't a challenge to anyone's faith.

The bottom line is that men like Rick Perry and Rick Santorum truly believe that gay bashing, that ranting against the scourge of the "homosexual lifestyle," that outlawing homosexual acts are traditional, core American values, values that need to be defended. I'm not stretching Perry's words to come to that conclusion. It's all right there in his statement. And Santorum has made it clear that he believes states should be free to criminalize same-sex sex acts.

The Rick Perrys and Rick Santorums of the world oppose a UN resolution declaring that persecution of gays is a human rights violation and oppose US foreign aid policy sharing this view for one simple reason. They want to be free to continue with their own gay bashing. They don't see persecuting or prosecuting gays to be a human rights violation because it's something they do every damn day of the week. And they won't stand for anyone telling them what they do and say is wrong.

7 comments:

BellsforStacy said...

They're both idiots cowtowing to a base. It's like all the anti abortion crap. Wedge issues. Doesn't do anything except give them something to complain about in an ad.

Neither one of those clowns - and Perry's a closet democrat - are going to win. If they do I'll eat my hat.

A Voice of Sanity said...

Reagan used the same reactionary 'evangelical' idiots and then did nothing for them. Bwahaha!

10 Things Conservatives Don’t Want You To Know About Reagan

A Voice of Sanity said...

Here's the link (I hope) - some weird coding on this 'Preaching' page:

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/02/05/142288/reagan-centennial

S said...

Thanks for the link! (The coding is weird because it's a blogger page, but with an external design.)

Analyst said...

Obviously none of these gay bashing morons ever read the bible, except in English translations which aren't correct. Search for (centurion pais) to see what Jesus said about gays.

Mr. Osterman said...

At the risk of being contrary, there are a lot of positions that tend to get muddled.

1) Gay marraige - Like it or not this ~is~ seen as a special right request by many people. ~I~ don't think it is, but I also have some understanding (if not agreement) with the sentiment "All people are free to marry member of the opposite sex." That's different than...

2) Protection from abuse for being gay - Which I don't believe that anyone of them truly believe is appropriate. Maybe they do. I just find it hard to believe that Perry would smile as someone is beat to a pulp to have the "gay beat out of him". I think that at home most would agree that basic laws regarding Assualt and Battery protect everyone regardless of sexual preference. Now overseas...

3) International politicking - Is dicier because we have to chose our battles carefully. We have lots of positions to take that will piss off some nations and endear us to others and many will not care about. If we can push Iran to the brink of war but not push them over by focusing on their nuke program, do we want to have gay rights in that nation be what pushes them past the breaking point?

I'm sympathetic but I think on point 3 I feel the least prepared to be highly critical because in the grand scheme of things, I'm honestly more worried about Iran having "the bomb" and using it to blow up my kid than I am about gay rights there. I know that sounds horribly provincial and selfish of me, but it's honest.

At the end of the day I would love a world where everyone is accepted for who and what they are, and for who and what they love. But that's not going to happen immediatley so I'm willing to accept that some things will come with time. I also hope, honestly, that the true homo-phobes can't get elected or if they do, it's only on the basis that they're using the idiots to get votes; that they never intend to actually do half of what they promise.

And I"m reminded why I would prefer a minister of public policy and a minister of the economy and a minister of State over this All In One we have now.

Hate the Demo's economics, hate the Repub's social policies.

Analyst said...

"Hate the Demo's economics, hate the Repub's social policies."

If you look at a chart of the economy, a chart of unemployment and a chart of debt and deficits, the nation does better almost always on all of them when a Democrat is the president. The Republicans spend like drunks - they just lie about it more.

Reagan raised taxes 11 times as president and tripled the national debt.

 
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