What we should have known about D.G. Yuengling & Son all along - UPDATED

Jelisa Castrodale at Vice/Muchies is outraged that Dick Yuengling, president of Yuengling Brewery (founded in 1829) has endorsed Donald Trump. Yuengling's IT manager also chimed in with an endorsement. Castrodale's opprobrium is related to Trump's hostility to the LGBT community. That criticism is not misplaced.

However, has anyone looked at Yuengling's employment nondiscrimination policy?

D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc. (Yuengling) is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. The responsibility of every employee, supervisor, manager, and executive to promote equal employment opportunity is a vital part of the company’s culture.

Airbnb wreaks havoc for LifeSite News

Claire Chretien, an author at LifeSiteNews is apparently just horrified that Airbnb, the short-term accommodations rental network, expects its hosts and guests to abide by a nondiscrimination policy that includes sexual orientation and gender identity. God forbid that someone should have to rent out their apartment to a transgender person.

Claire Chretien

Chretien does little more than to point out the policy. That is sufficient for a site as transphobic and homophobic as LifeSiteNews. They disapprove of gay and trans people and devote considerable resources to expressing their disapproval of gay and trans people. It seems to be important to them that we know that they disapprove of us. How little they understand.

Misterbnb is a service similar to Airbnb that is designed specifically for the gay community. Its motto is “stay like a gay local.”

Manhattan Nondiscrimination Ordinance Goes Into Effect Tuesday

As of Tuesday, November 1, the City of Manhattan, KS will protect its LGBT citizens with a nondiscrimination ordinance that extends to housing, employment and public accommodations. The city, with a population of around 56,000 is one of only two Kansas subdivision to offer a comprehensive nondiscrimination law. The other being Roeland Park.

Confusion: According to Wikipedia, the cities of Lawrence, Topeka, and Roeland Park prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in employment. The county of Shawnee prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation only in public employment. I can find no such protections in the Topeka municipal code. The Lawrence ordinance is ambiguous and may not be actionable. In contrast Roeland Park's nondiscrimination protections extend to sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations. Online versions of municipal code are not necessarily current.

The Human Rights Campaign unendorses Mark Kirk

The Human Rights Campaign has rescinded its endorsement of Sen. Mark Kirk (IL). What on earth was Chad Griffin thinking in the first place? While Kirk is LGBT friendly he is still a Republican. We need Democratic control of the Senate if Hillary Clinton (I assume Clinton will go on to win) is going to shape the Supreme Court.

HRC's action came as a result of disparaging comments made by Kirk about the mixed racial heritage of his opponent, Rep. Tammy Duckworth. The Real Clear Politics average has Duckworth ahead by seven points.

A rather unimaginative prevarication from NOM

I received no fewer than three emails yesterday from Brian S. Brown, leader of National Organization for Marriage. They saved the best for last with “BREAKING NEWS … .” NOM pays an idiot to write idiotic money-grubs to be consumed by idiotic supporters who are willing to send money to an organization, headed by an idiot who has accomplished nothing over more than eight years. The deception I describe at the end of my castigation is, well … idiotic in its obviousness.

Robert George's theocratic wet dreams

On Wednesday the rabidly homophobic Robert P. George gave a speech at a Catholic Information Center event honoring the late Justice Antonin Scalia (♫Ding-Dong♫, etc). The Christian Post tells us that George warned that the belief that religion should be excluded from any role in the public square has become the “normal” and “accepted.” George went on to quote Abraham Lincoln:

It is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.

Could the Washington Times possibly be more offensive?

The Washington Times was founded by charlatan and cultist Sun Myung Moon. It is owned and managed by a group with close ties to the ultra-conservative Unification Church and the Moon family. Thursday evening's editorial headline: “Challenging transgender quackery.”

With the right Halloween costume, anyone can be a zombie, a Kardashian or an NFL linebacker, if only for a night. It’s all good fun. Modern medicine is giving those seriously dissatisfied with themselves a chance to become someone else — for keeps (more or less). Rule-makers in Washington, however, want to require doctors to perform “gender-reassignment” procedures even when their professional judgment says no. Political fashion shouldn’t trump sound medicine.

Love & Fidelity Network & their message of intolerance

Click to enlarge

Love & Fidelity Network is a campus activist group. Tomorrow LFN begins its conference titled Sexuality, Integrity and the University 2016 at Princeton University. The event will be live streamed. While its outward appearance is secular, it is clearly rooted in orthodox Catholic ideology. Its advisory board (click to enlarge) should resolve any doubts. We have three of the original board members of National Organization for Marriage: Maggie Gallagher, Robert George and Luis Tellez who is an Opus Dei numerary. The remaining board member, Patrick Fagan, works for Family Research Council, a designated anti-LGBT hate group.

MassResistance: The Book

As a group, MassResistance is rather dimwitted. Anti-LGBT bigots are not the smartest people around. The leader of this hate group is Brian Camenker. I wonder how he feels in the frequent company of Evangelical Christian leaders who are convinced that Camenker is destined for Hell due to the fact that he is Jewish.

They have written a book

I would not know that they wrote a book were it not for its promotion by Peter LaBarbera and a tip from my contact at SPLC. MassResistance does seem to be expanding. Recently they have been active in California, Missouri, Texas and (supposedly) Mexico and Nigeria. Therefore, I will no longer ignore them entirely. Their only identifiable ideology is pathological LGBT hatred. Mr. Camenker is insane. He has a serious personality disorder. He presents little challenge to any critically thinking adult.

Did you know that Roy Moore is still chief justice of Alabama?

Thus sayeth Mat Staver to WBHM, Birmingham. Staver claims that Roy Moore is technically still Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, despite being suspended for the remainder of his term without pay.

She [the acting chief justice] is acting as though this case is over. She’s acting as though he’s been totally removed. This case is far from over and no one should be vacating any offices, and frankly none of the staff attorneys should have been fired either.

Tony Perkins is all in for anti-Catholic, anti-gay bigot

Yesterday morning hate group leader Tony Perkins started his advocacy for Eric Walsh. Last night I received two more emails — one with a link to an error-filled blog post in support of Walsh.

In the way of background, in 2014 Walsh was forced to resign from his position as health director of Pasadena, CA when copies of sermons surfaced showing that Walsh claimed that the pope was the Anti-Christ and that Catholicism was created by the devil. Walsh also condemned gay people and the theory of evolution. A whole lot of people are apparently agents of Satan in Walsh's view. The day prior to his resignation from Pasadena Walsh received an offer from Georgia to be a district health director. The offer was rescinded due to those same sermons. Walsh sued. Georgia's lawyers have subpoenaed copies of his sermons and his bible. Perkins feigns extreme outrage.

NOM conflates denying trans access with stopping convicted sex offenders

Just my opinion but this should about do it. Perhaps SPLC should finally classify National Organization for Marriage as an anti-LGBT hate group. It's probably academic as I expect NOM to ultimately merge with World Congress of Families which already has hate group status. The leader of both groups is Brian S. Brown.

Not that this diatribe makes much sense. Nor, for that matter, does it have anything to do with marriage.

Why is there always distance between FRC's statements and factual truth?

Hate group leader Tony Perkins has gone to bat for Eric Walsh (who had an offer of employment rescinded by the State of Georgia after his religious extremism became known). Perkins, head of Family Research Council, sent out an email titled: “Family Research Council Calls on Georgia Governor to Withdraw Demand for Pastor's Sermons and Docume <sic>.” Therein:

Family Research Council (FRC) today expressed outrage after the State of Georgia issued a legal demand that Dr. Eric Walsh, a lay pastor, hand over his sermons, sermon notes, and all pastoral documentation including his Bible. FRC launched a petition today at FRC.org/Walsh that calls on Governor Deal to “correct this egregious overreach of the state into church affairs.”

Breaking: Lawsuit of fired Lesbian dean may continue against Catholic school

The Archdiocese of Newark is reporting that a court has refused to dismiss the lawsuit of Kate Drumgoole who alleges wrongful termination and sexual orientation discrimination. Paramus Catholic High School allegedly terminated Drumgoole after the school learned that she was married to another woman. The archdiocese is claiming that the ministerial exemption applies. We will se.

Utah schools sued for promoting discrimination

Equality Utah and three families are challenging the state's Don't-Say-Gay rule in a suit filed Monday in federal court. The rule is part of a sex education measure that was passed in 2001. It prohibits instruction on “advocacy of homosexuality” (whatever that means) along with contraceptives and sex outside marriage.

Utah, you see, is a theocracy within the United States. The state makes unconstitutional laws in direct recognition of the theology of the Mormon church.

ADF tries to frame bigotry as merely a difference of opinion

ADF client Barronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene's Flowers and Gifts

James Gottry a lawyer at Alliance Defending Freedom wrote: “Civil Discourse, and Why My Friend Sent Me a 'Dear John'.” I will get to Ms. Stutzman. At first, however, this piece is about being unfriended on Facebook (oh, the horror).

I’m not angry at John, but I’m disappointed that our culture has embraced a mantra for interpersonal relationships that “you’re either with me, or you’re against me.” And I’m frustrated that my friend believes my organization is part of the problem, when Alliance Defending Freedom exists to protect freedom of conscience and belief, freedom that benefits all Americans.

ADF exists to advance Christian privilege. “Freedom” to ADF always seems to mean the freedom of Christians to discriminate against LGBT people regardless of local law. Gottry had a similar colloquy with me on Twitter referring to his gay friends. He may be a perfectly nice guy and he might really have gay friends but his association with Alliance Defending Freedom makes him complicit in anti-LGBT bigotry.

Mat Staver solicits criminal conduct

Monday, in a piece written by Liberty Counsel in Canada Free Press (think WND North), Mat Staver is once again instructing people to break the law. The article is titled “Pastors and Churches Should Ignore Threats to Be Silent.” Staver acknowledges that federal law prohibits churches and other 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations from engaging in politics. Staver claims that pastors should break the law because no pastor has ever been successfully prosecuted for electioneering.

Encouraging people to break the law is attorney misconduct for which Staver could lose his license to practice law. In fact it is a crime to encourage people to commit a crime.

Note: Liberty Counsel is designated an anti-LGBT hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

North Carolina Commerce Sec: "No negative impact from HB2"

Commerce Secretary John Skvarla is North Carolina's top business official. On Monday Skvarla told the Charlotte Observer that the passage of the state's controversial House Bill 2 has had no significant business impact in North Carolina.

The measure, known as the nullified and preempts all municipal nondiscrimination protections for gay citizens while prohibiting transgender accommodations throughout the state.

Log Cabin's incoherent message on Trump

The Log Cabin Republicans has decided not to endorse Donald Trump. Frankly, the Log Cabin folks are not terribly proficient — in deed and thought. They are not the brightest bulbs in the LGBT chandelier. Thus far they have endorsed about a score of Congressional candidates. Most of these people are relatively inoffensive, However, I cannot help but think that every one of these people is opposed by a Democrat who would be more responsive to our needs. 

You are not "struggling" with your sexuality - Your religion is struggling with you

Elliott Gladwin (left) and Tom Zuniga (right)
Christian men “struggling” with their sexual orientation

Saturday, a headline at Christianity Today says it all: “Christian Men Struggling With Same-Sex Attraction Launch Storytelling Project to Give Each Other Encouragement.” The piece continues with:

Christian men struggling with homosexuality often feel alone in their plight, but the storytelling project "Your Other Brothers" hopes to connect these individuals and comfort them in the fact that they are not the only ones struggling with unwanted sexual desires.

Comments are being affected as well

Comments are off and on. Apparently Disqus is being affected by the DDOS (distributed denial of service) attack on Dyn DNS services.

I am GUESSING that Twitter's DNS is under attack

I see that some of Twitter's servers do not resolve. I cannot connect to Tweetdeck. tweetdeck.twitter.com is an alias for td.twitter.com. It is possible that the DNS has been poisoned (the cache corrupted). If I am correct it begs the question of who and why.

Oh the poor gay couple supporting Trump

Photo credit: Wall Street Journal

Gays supporting Trump: Dewey Lainhart (left) and his fiance Cody Moore (right)

Due opprobrium: A gay couple is upset over ridicule of their support for Trump.

Dewey Lainhart, 31 years old, and his fiance Cody Moore, 22 years old, were interviewed by the Wall Street Journal at a Trump rally in Ohio. In the interview Lainhart says he works in the steel industry and supports Trump because we need a new approach to multinational trade deals. He says, “It’s time for a change, and Trump’s the man for it.” According to the Journal, the pair have a Facebook page titled “LGBT for Trump.”

No Mr. Trump: You can't, you won't and there isn't

Above is the graphic that I accidentally clicked into earlier today from Breitbart. Let's take this one item at a time.

Term limits: Trump cannot create term limits for Congress. Only Congress can impose those limits on itself and that is probably not going to happen.

John Stemberger warns that Christians will be driven underground by a Clinton presidency

Why is a grownup dressed like that?

John Stemberger, leader of Florida Family Policy Council, is so homophobic that he started an alternative to the Boy Scouts. God forbid his kids should be in the presence of openly gay boys. Stemberger is also a Christian crackpot. In an email to supporters today, Stemberger writes:

If this election goes the wrong way, we may all have to return to being “Ichthus” Christians where we are sneaking around just to speak of our faith in secret because we are unable to publicly.

In case you need a reminder of Breitbart's anti-LGBT bigotry

Thursday, Breitbart is running with “LGBT Group Threatens Johns Hopkins Over Study on Homosexuality, Transgender.” The piece is authored by “Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D.” Apparently that is, or was, Father Thomas D. Williams and his doctorate is probably in theology. None of that is disclosed at Breitbart and to have a priest writing for the nation's principle organizer of white nationalism is unseemly. Williams goes on to state:

In a remarkable case of agenda politics eclipsing science, America’s largest LGBT group has threatened harm to Johns Hopkins University if it doesn’t censor the scientific findings of leading scholars on the origins of homosexuality and transgenderism.

Roy Moore is deranged - Mat Staver is deranged - They deserve each other

Mat Staver (left) looks like he is posing for a hostage photo
Roy Moore (center) is not a very happy bigot

I have an hypothesis. Here's the latest email from Mat Staver, leader of hate group Liberty Counsel:

The Alabama Political Reporter, LLC, just filed a Motion to Intervene and Unseal with the Alabama Supreme Court in Case No. 1150818, Ex parte Roy S. Moore (petition for relief case) seeking to have the entire record unsealed for public scrutiny.

This motion was in response to Chief Justice Moore's statement, "I call upon the press to demand that the Alabama Supreme Court unseal Case No. 1150818 and, if necessary, to intervene in that case. The public has a right to know why I have requested that the justices, who participated in that case, be disqualified from playing any role in my appeal. The Court has refused my requests to unseal Case No. 1150818. I ask the Supreme Court and the media to act," said Moore.

Taxpayer funded discrimination

Americans United for Separation of Church and State describes this quite well so I am just going to quote from them.

Right now, lawmakers are in the final stages of negotiations on the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act, a bill that sets defense policy.  One of the final sticking points is a provision called the Russell Amendment, which authorizes taxpayer-funded discrimination.  The provision would require that all federal agencies allow religiously affiliated contractors and grantees to discriminate in employment on the basis of religion when using taxpayer money.  This sweeping amendment extends well beyond the Defense Department and defense-related contracts and grants.

Mat Staver becomes more insane by the day

Apparently Mat Staver believes that his constant stream of press releases is going to have some effect on the appeal pending before the Alabama Supreme Court regarding his client, Roy Moore. Judges do not like to be publicly criticized and lawyers have been sanctioned for doing so. It should be a matter of common sense not to piss off the refs.

Mat Staver, leader of the hate group Liberty Counsel, has never had a close association with common sense. In today's missive he writes:

Chief Justice Roy Moore was given an unprecedented judicial suspension when the Court of the Judiciary (COJ) unlawfully suspended him on September 30 for the remainder of his term, which runs through January 2019. In 2001-2002, COJ Rule 16 was amended to require a unanimous 9-0 vote to remove a judge from office.

NOM demonstrates its own irrelevance in the latest money-grub

National Organization for Marriage has announced yet another “matching grant” which may — or may not — really exist. It takes balls to ask for more money given that NOM has spent tens of millions of donors' dollars with absolutely nothing to show for their efforts. Their leader, Brian S. Brown is shameless. Nevertheless, in an email titled “Big News That Will Boost NOM” they list the things that NOM is going to do with the money:

We're working in Washington, DC to push the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA). There will be opportunities this fall where FADA could be advanced through various legislative avenues, and we are preparing for those opportunities.

Donald Trump is oblivious to how things work

According to Donald Trump:

If I am elected president, I will push for a Constitutional Amendment to impose term limits on all members of Congress. Decades of failure in Washington, and decades of special interest dealing, must come to an end. We have to break the cycle of corruption, and we have to give new voices a chance to go into government service. The time for Congressional term limits has arrived.

Aside from the fact that this approach probably makes the problems worse, does Mr. Trump have the first clue how a Constitutional amendment is enacted? Which career politicians, in both houses of Congress, are going to provide the necessary two-thirds majorities for the amendment to go to the states?

Texas Republicans pretend that Obergefell v. Hodges doesn't do what it does

Some lawmakers don't seem to understand much about the law.

In Texas, 50 Republican legislators have signed a court brief arguing that the same-sex spouses of government employees shouldn’t be entitled to health insurance and other benefits. Just how disconnected from reality are these folks?

The brief argues that there is nothing in Obergefell that requires the taxpayers of Texas to pay for same-sex spousal benefits. The argument is absurd because Obergefell makes gay couples “similarly situated” making disparate treatment unconstitutional. The fact that this is ultimately based on religious belief insults the First Amendment as well. It is scary that many of these people are legislators making law.

James Dobson calls for civil disobedience

Jimmy D. is exercising his notion of Christian privilege again:

Christians across America must express their outrage at the Ninth Circuit Court's ruling to uphold California's so called 'Reproductive FACT Act.' This decision will require 150 pro-life crisis pregnancy clinics across the state to promote abortion services to the women they serve.

Since Roe v. Wade, privately funded crisis pregnancy centers across America have provided a refuge and an alternative to women who might have otherwise chosen abortion. They are vitally important in the fight to promote a culture of life, adoption and health. This ruling now forces these clinics to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs, and it is an affront to our constitutionally mandated rights to life and to religious freedom.

Biblical Bob is once again hopelessly confused

Tuesday Bob Eschliman offers, at Charisma News, “Iowa Church Wins Religious Freedom Victory.” The conservative-Christian-confluence (a repeatable chemical reaction) is often remarkable to behold. Consider that Biblical Bob Eschliman has the critical thinking skills of a miniature Schnauzer coupled with the fact that conservative Christians love nothing more than to feel persecuted all of which is spectacularly bolstered by the questionable skill of selective observation. Eschliman explains:

An Iowa Church represented by Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys secured a religious liberty victory last week.

Federalist writer explains why people should be rude

Daniel Moody, who claims to be an independent philosopher in England (in contrast to one who is dependent), has written two polemics for The Federalist: “Transgenderism Is A Fake Legal Construct” and, today, “Why You Shouldn’t Use Transgender Pronouns.” Perhaps Mr. Moody is dependent after all and I will deal with today's offering. Moody is irrelevant but the meme is one that we see with increasing frequency.

We begin with this bit of willful ignorance:

Firstly, our concern lies not with an illness (transsexualism) but with an ideology (gender identity, leading to transgenderism).

Hate Group executive claims that this election jeopardizes free speech

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Jerry Newcombe is an on-air host and senior producer for D. James Kennedy Ministries. D. James Kennedy Ministries is classified as a “Hate Group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center. On Monday Newcombe writes: “Freedom to Disagree at Risk in This Election.” Newcombe has commented that North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory is trailing in the polls. With some degree of disjointedness he follows this with:

Recently, I interviewed Tami Fitzgerald, president and founder of the North Carolina Values Coalition, for my radio show and asked her: "Why should somebody in Three Forks, Idaho, care about what's going on in North Carolina?"

On Nov. 8 Donald Trump must be trounced - destroyed - humiliated

No matter what the polls look like, we all must be part of a powerful message about American values. We reject what Donald Trump is and what Donald Trump stands for.

Donald Trump entered politics as a bigot — a racist trying to delegitimize our first Black president. Donald Trump has never apologized for that. Donald Trump's bigotry continued to be on full display as he called for us to bar entry to this country of individuals based upon their religion. He has called Mexicans rapists and drug dealers. Trump wants to roll back marriage equality and supports North Carolina's HB2.

If anyone wasn't quite certain that Donald Trump is a bigot, he subsequently hired on, as the general manager of his campaign, Stephen K. Bannon who is the de facto leader of white nationalism in this country. Did Trump think that no one would notice or, more likely, did he expect that some people would notice?

Futility in Paris as thousands march in protest of marriage equality

Image credit: Reuters

On Sunday roughly 24,000 Parisians had nothing better to do than to protest marriage equality which has been the law in France for over three years. The objective of their endeavors is to pressure right wing presidential challengers to promise to repeal the law if elected. Presidential primaries in France will be held in November.

Reuters reports that the protesters marched through prosperous western sections of Paris, waving French flags and the “Demo for All” [La Manif pour tous] movement's blue and pink colors. Some held signs declaring “All together for the family” and “In 2017, I'll vote for the family.”

The Saga: Moore defiant - claims he will not be clearing out his office

This just keeps on getting better. Suspended Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore told local station WKRG on Friday: “I understand what the order was of the COJ but that had nothing to do with clearing out my office.” He went on to say:

I still should have a staff and the staff should remain and not be fired. I have one of my staff attorneys with six children and they just cut him off from his pay, and his health insurance, it’s not a good situation.

New Boo-Hoo: Roy Moore's staff got canned too

According to Liberty Counsel:

Adding insult to injury, Acting Justice Lyn Stuart and Justice Michael Bolin summoned Chief Justice Roy Moore's head law clerk and two other law clerks and terminated them. A marshal and one of Stuart's staff members were sent to order the law clerks to pack their belongings and turn in their keys.

Those clerks are probably lawyers who participated in Moore's malfeasance. 

Science Prostitute Mark Regnerus Reappears at Witherspoon

Friday, Mark Regenerus shows up at the blog of orthodox Catholic Witherspoon Institute to claim that he has been right all along. According to Friday's piece titled “Hijacking Science: How the ‘No Differences’ Consensus about Same-Sex Households and Children Works:”

The claim that there are no differences in outcomes for children living in same-sex households arises from how scholars collect, analyze, and present data to support a politically expedient conclusion, not from what the data tend to reveal at face value.

Oh the indignity - Pack up your shit Mr. Moore and out you go

The latest from Liberty Counsel:

Despite the fact that the appeal of Chief Justice [Roy] Moore is pending and that certain justices have been asked to recuse, Acting Chief Justice Lyn Stuart is demanding that Chief Justice Roy Moore remove all his personal items from his office by October 18, 2016. Adding further insult, Stuart states that Chief Justice Moore must be accompanied by a marshal. Stuart stated this demand in a letter sent to the Chief Justice dated October 11, 2016. In another letter with the same date, Stuart informed the Chief Justice that her staff will now open any "official looking" mail. Stuart also modified the official Alabama Supreme Court letterhead and removed Chief Justice Moore's name.

I guess that the Alabama justice system doesn't give Moore much of a chance to prevail on appeal. Oh how the mighty have fallen. I might mellow with time but right now I would not urinate on Roy Moore were he on fire. Mat Staver is free to volunteer.

Mat Staver and Roy Moore are in an endless opera

A scene from Wagner's Götterdämmerung — Twilight of the Gods

Another day, another email from Liberty Counsel about the outrageous treatment meted out to their client, Roy Moore. Hate group leader Mat Staver is more unhinged by the day. Imagine his reaction were he to ever miraculously win a case.

Today's missive is titled: “Unlawful Punishment Leaves Chief Justice Moore Without Means to Survive.”

James Dobson is a confused rube

According to James Dobson on Thursday, Donald Trump's comments about women were awful but Bill Clinton did much worse. I must be misinformed because it is my understanding that Bill Clinton is not on the ballot and that Hillary Clinton is the ultimate victim of Bill's infidelities.

Michael Haverluck at American Family Association's “news” blog writes:

“I do not condone nor defend Donald Trump’s terrible comments made 11 years ago,” the founder of Family Talk declared, according to WND. “They are indefensible and awful. I’m sure there are other misdeeds in his past, although as Jesus said, ‘Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.’”

Eric Metaxas' exercise in false equivalency and dishonesty

Somehow Eric Metaxas manages to have his mind-numbingly moronic content offered by the Wall Street Journal. Wednesday Metaxas asks: “Should Christians Vote for Trump?”

… we have a very knotty and larger problem. What if the other candidate also has deal breakers? Even a whole deplorable basketful? Suddenly things become horribly awkward. Would God want me simply not to vote? Is that a serious option?

I have my doubts about his god having any opinion on the matter. He continues:

Whatever you say Mr. Moore

Hate group leader Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel sent out a new missive today in further defense of the indefensible Roy Moore. According to Liberty Counsel:

Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore issued a statement today urging the unsealing of the case that underlies his motion, which he filed last Monday, for recusal of certain current and former Supreme Court justices. Because that case is sealed, Chief Justice Moore had to put the facts that substantiate his motion into a sealed affidavit viewable only by his fellow justices. The case is No. 1150818, Ex parte Roy S. Moore (In re: Roy S. Moore v. Judicial Inquiry Commission of the State of Alabama).

Looks like Chris Plante found a new gig

Christopher Plante, circa 2013

Christopher Plante used to be with National Organization for Marriage, originally in Rhode Island and then, possibly, D.C. or Pennsylvania. Plante is a bit of a dim bulb who never exactly set the world on fire.

Today I received an email from Chris Plante at Family Policy Institute of Washington. Odd because the email is actually from, and signed by, FPIW's head bigot, Joseph Backholm. Furthermore, the mail-merge was done incorrectly. My message starts: “Dear %%FIRST%%,”

Apparently reverse-Midas is contagious after all.

Log Cabin's tacit endorsement of Trump

Last week Log Cabin Republicans released their first endorsements for the 2016 elections with a list of nine candidates for Congress. They remain silent with regard to the presidential election. It is astonishing really. Their silence is tantamount to an endorsement of Trump.

Donald Trump's self-aggrandized outreach to LGBT citizens has consisted of claiming that he will be a friend to one minority (us) by discriminating against another minority (Muslims). If the campaign even has any LGBT staffers I am unaware of them. Meanwhile Trump has announced support for HB2, has claimed that he is opposed to marriage equality and has pledged to nominate justices to the Supreme Court who will overturn Obergefell v. Hodges.

“He is one of the best, if not the best, pro-gay Republican candidates to ever run for the presidency.”

—Gregory T. Angelo

President, Log Cabin Republicans

Seemingly desperate, Mark Creech continues his anti-LGBT campaign of lies

Mark Creech is a dedicated anti-LGBT bigot and Christian theocrat. He is also an accomplished liar. Pat McCrory is trailing Democrat Roy Cooper by about five points in his quest for another term as North Carolina's governor. After some selective Vietnam history that is not worthy of commentary Creech gets to his point:

Only a few days ago, I was captivated by a CBN interview of North Carolina Governor, Pat McCrory, conducted at the Governor's mansion. Reporter Jenna Browder stated the Governor was facing a number of contentious issues, one of which was HB 2, the "Bathroom Bill." Browder said despite the incredible pressures McCrory was under to call for HB 2's repeal, he remained resolute in supporting it.

Johns Hopkins to Resume Gender-Affirming Surgery Program

Dear Johns Hopkins University Community:

We are writing to share with the broader community the statement below from Johns Hopkins Medicine and Health System supported by our Bloomberg School of Public Health and School of Nursing. On behalf of the entire university, we echo this statement. We declare our university's unequivocal and profound commitment to the LGBTQ community, those who are part of our academic family and those we seek to serve. We also reiterate our commitment to the principles of academic freedom as fundamental to our mission.

NC Governor McCrory is now appealing to the "Silent Majority"

Unsurprisingly, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory has become Nixonian with an appeal to the “Silent Majority” for support of his anti-LGBT ideology. The phrase was used by Richard Nixon to describe support for the war in Vietnam. Nixon claimed that the protesters represented a noisy minority in contrast to supporters of the war constituting a “silent majority.” Those were the “good people.”

McCrory regarding HB2:

They talk too softly about their support and they need to speak out now because what’s happening in America and what’s happening in North Carolina – the only people you hear from is the media – and the only people you hear from protesting in the street or on our universities are people on the very far left who disagree with people of faith on many issues – but we’re not hearing from the silent majority.

In case you did not know - the Benham Brothers disapprove of gay people

Jason and David Benham ask: “What Would Apostle Paul Say to the Man Who Left His Wife and Kids for a Same-Sex Relationship?”

Early Christians wouldn't recognize today's version of love, one that is devoid of moral standards, righteousness and truth. Can you imagine what Jesus or the apostle Paul would've said to a man in the church who left his wife and two small children for another man and demanded they fully embrace it?

Within that text is a cite to their own June, 2016 piece at WND; “Our personal prayer for Christian rocker Trey Pearson.” Did Mr. Pearson ask the Benhams, or anyone else for that matter, to pray for him?