Apparently nothing is too stupid or too awful for the Federalist

Federalist contributor Nathaniel Blake

The latest pseudo-journalist to demonstrate his minimal wit at The Federalist is Missourian Nathaniel Blake. Mr. Blake is determined to air his religious opprobrium for gay people. It is hackneyed, recycled bombast to be eagerly consumed by the Federalist's constituency. His diatribe constitutes an owner's manual of sorts for Christian privilege and Christian supremacy.

Blake does not get off to a very good start. His essay is titled: “5 Big Fat Myths About LGBT Discrimination Laws.” He means nondiscrimination laws. Discrimination laws are things like North Carolina's HB2 or Alabama's legislative spew on behalf of Christianity.

Speaking of myths:

An adoption discrimination video that you must see

This video comes from the Movement Advancement Project. The bottom line is that when states make it harder for gays to adopt, kids suffer. Fox refuses to air this ad.

Witherspoon Institute reintroduces hate group CanaVox for about the fourth time

Giving marriage discrimination a religious voice

CanaVox is Witherspoon Institute's project to reinforce the notion that the only true marriages are between opposite-sex spouses and that gay people should be chaste. It exists to propagandize the teachings of the Catholic Church while attempting to depict a secular framework. The attempt is an abject failure. Thursday, Witherspoon is promoting the project on their blog.

It has been awhile so a brief backgrounder is in order. Witherspoon Institute is an extreme-orthodox Catholic organization founded by Robert P. George and Luis E. Tellez. Telles is an Opus Dei numerary (a secular celibate). George and Tellez were two of the original incorporaters of National Organization for Marriage and continue to serve on its board of directors.

SPLC's Heidi Beirich on the record

Heidi Beirich, the director of the Intelligence Project at Southern Poverty Law Center, was interviewed by The Outline. Beirich is one of the nation's leading experts on extremism. I am going to quote one paragraph and encourage you to read the piece in its entirety:

At times we're criticized for some of the groups we have on our anti-LGBT list, and my response to those criticisms is, when you look at hate crime statistics for the LGBT community, they're the most targeted and have been through all the years of hate crimes statistics for violent acts. And there's a price to be paid when you demonize a population, and that's what we're looking at.

The hate group's little helpers and enablers

(L-R) John Ramey Diggs, Michelle Cretella, Paul Church

Three physicians have endorsed a book written by MassResistance, an anti-LGBT hate group. The three doctors are John Diggs, Michelle Cretella and Paul Church. The book is titled The Health Hazards of Homosexuality. Hate group leader Brian Camenker calls the book “groundbreaking.” in spite of its obviously mediocre scholarship. The simple fact of the matter is that there is only one health hazard associated with sex — gay or straight. Unprotected sex can lead to the transmission of disease.

You would think that three doctors would realize that there are no inherent dangers to sex. There is no reasonably current peer-reviewed research published to a scholarly journal that asserts otherwise. These folks are not interested in science. In contrast, their endorsement of a scientifically unsound publication really endorses religious opprobrium of people they do not approve of. The trio are conservative Christians who believe that sex outside marriage is sinful and that marriage means one man wed to one woman.

Hate group leader claims that conversion therapy bans constitute child abuse

Hate group leader Anthony Verdugo of Christian Family Coalition is at it again. Tuesday's email, with the above graphic, reiterates his organization's talking points:

MIAMI- On Tuesday, October 3rd, Christian Family Coalition (CFC) Florida will rally to protect parental rights. Miami-Dade County has a proposed ordinance to ban parents, pastors and everyone else, from counseling minors who have been raped and/or sexually abused and have unwanted homosexual urges and sexual identity disorder.

Some ostensibly smart people do some very dumb things in defense of the faith

William Kilpatrick seems to be a very smart guy. He has a master's degree in education from Harvard and a doctorate in counseling psychology from Purdue. He was a professor in the education department of Boston College for some 30 years. Why then would he allow his religion to be the arbiter of science? I am reading an essay that he wrote on Monday. It is well written … rubbish titled “The Normalization of Delusional Thinking.”

Take the transgender issue. All of a sudden, a significant percentage of our social and intellectual elites have succumbed to the delusion that a girl can be a boy, and a boy can be a girl, or whatever he, she, ne, ze, zir currently desires to be. This is not merely a rebellion against social convention, it’s a rebellion against reality. It’s a rejection of basic biology.

Palm Beach County Moves Forward With Conversion Therapy Ban for Minors

Anthony Verdugo, head of the hate group Christian Family Coalition is going to pitch a fit. At this afternoon's meeting, the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners directed the county attorney to draft an ordinance to prohibit conversion therapy on minors throughout the county.

The ban would apply to doctors, osteopaths, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, marriage or family therapists and licensed counselors. However, it would not apply to members of the clergy unless the are also state-licensed mental health professionals.

I cannot determine whether this hate group employee is dishonest or stupid

Michael F. Haverluck

Michael F. Haverluck writes for the “news” blog of American Family Association, an anti-LGBT hate group. Haverluck writes for the Christian Enquirer — otherwise known as WND. He also writes for another hate group, Illinois Family Institute. On Tuesday Haverluck has a big Christian hug for sociologist Mark Regnerus. Suffice it to say that Regnerus might be a gifted researcher were it not for his penchant to create an amalgam of faith and science. In the process, Regnerus has seriously damaged his reputation.

Getting back to Mr. Haverluck, in a piece titled “Prof. warns about same-sex dangers for kids:”

Apparently religious conservatives are REQUIRED to research Campus Pride for their college choices

At The Federalist Nicole Russell writes: “Why It’s Ironic That LGBT Groups Are Complaining About Religious Schools’ Use Of Title IX.” Well, it is not ironic. This is just a pretext for some anti-LGBT bigotry that Russell needed to vent. The Federalist informs us that Nicole Russell is a career journalist whose contributions include the New York Times. That's not a lie.

Five years ago, in a feature section called Motherlode, Russell penned “Why My Kindergartner Will Stay Home for School.” Therein she offers a rather verbose treatise on home schooling. Not once does she attempt to even question her ability to teach. She also said that she would design the curriculum herself. Ordinarily mommy is not a good substitute for a trained teacher and teaching a kindergartner might be more challenging than teaching graduate level advanced physics.

Hate groups and a Christian couple announce intent to discriminate against gays and somehow THEY are victims

Two hate groups, American Family Association and Alliance Defending Freedom, are lambasting a federal judge for upholding the law.

Hate group lawyer and bigotry enabler Jeremy Tedesco of
Alliance Defending Freedom

Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado will be decided by the Supreme Court this term. However, as things stand today, state and local nondiscrimination laws protecting LGBT people are in full force and effect. That is the law of the land supported by numerous precedents.¹

The Current case involves a small company, Telescope Media and its owners, Carl and Angel Larsen. ADF filed a pre-enforcement action on their behalf last December with the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. Minnesota’s Human Rights Act makes it illegal “to deny any person the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of a place of public accommodation because of race, color, creed, religion, disability, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, or sex.” [Minn. Stat. Ann. § 363A.11(1)].

The anti-gay marry-my-laptop guy is back - and prolific

Photo credit: Nashville PD

Mark Christopher Sevier has tried to eliminate marriage equality through meritless lawsuits in Texas (dismissed), Utah, Alabama, Kentucky, possibly other states and now Mississippi. Sevier has also attempted to intervene in at least ten federal matters including Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado.

In 2011 Sevier's license to practice law was suspended in Tennessee due to mental incapacity. It remains suspended. Since then he has been arrested for stalking country music singer John Rich, a teenage girl and for violating a court order. Sevier also filed a bizarre lawsuit against Apple. I cannot comprehend his dialect of Batcrap sufficiently to understand why he is suing Apple.

Matt Barber: Renaissance Man

J. Matt Barber's mail order degree from a fourth-rate law school (Liberty University) seems to have provided him with erudition beyond any reasonable expectations. The dim-witted Barber is now dispensing medical and psychiatric advice. I will get back to Mr. Barber shortly.

Last Saturday (September 16) Scout Schultz, an LGBT advocate at Georgia Tech, was shot and killed by police in what might have been an incident of suicide-by-cop¹. Whether or not Schultz posed a legitimate threat, armed only with a pocket knife, and whether or not police could have used non-lethal force are legitimate questions. The incident sparked a violent reaction on campus which is unacceptable (violence is usually the wrong reaction to violence). The death of a 21-year-old is tragic. More so under these circumstances.

The choices are limited: Jerry Boykin is either a pathological liar or he believes his own BS

Retired Lt. General William G. “Jerry” Boykin has considerable problems with LGBT people and Muslims. In both cases it is a reflection of the fact that Boykin is a Christian supremacist.

“Bathroom agenda puts the privacy & safety of our children at risk!” screams Boykin on the subject line of his latest email missive. The email was sent on behalf of a hate group — Family Research Council — which employs Boykin as its executive vice president.

The ceaseless fear mongering associated with where trans people can pee is only exceeded in absurdity by the fact that people subscribe to the promoted fears with no substantiating evidence whatsoever. I have searched and searched for examples of transgender women endangering women and children. I might have found one incident, in Canada. But that doesn't stop General Jerry who writes:

ADF lawyer still frothing over Obergefell

“Shafer's entire bloated essay is premised on the notion that gay people are inferior as spouses, inferior as parents and inferior in all other respects.”

Jeffrey A. Shafer, ADF

Jeffrey A. Shafer is a lawyer at a hate group Alliance Defending Freedom. Thursday Shafer writes “Obergefell and the Right to Other People’s Children.” It is an angry and pretentiously pseudo-intellectual polemic bloated to 2,200 words. The bottom line is that Shafer doesn't approve of gay people, their marriages and their adoption of children.

A gem of a comment from Tony Perkins in support of Roy Moore

Roy Moore flanked by Mat Staver (left) and other lawyers from
Liberty Counsel as impeachment proceedings against Moore
commenced. The disgraced jurist was removed from the bench.

Hate group leader Tony Perkins (Family Research Council) had this to say for Breitbart on Tuesday:

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins says former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore will provide the kind of “bold leadership” America needs.

“Over the years Judge Moore has proven he is willing to stand up for our Constitution and fight for the rights of the people,” Perkins said in a statement released by Moore’s campaign. “From working with him and evaluating his record as a public servant, FRC Action PAC believes he will provide needed leadership on important issues in the U.S. Senate.”

No Tony Perkins. Charlotte's mayor did not lose her primary over LGBT issues UPDATED

Updated with an email from the primary winner. Hate group leader Tony Perkins of Family Research Council is determined to rewrite events to suit his anti-LGBT agenda. Late Monday afternoon, Perkins wrote: “Pastors Work toward Tar-Healing.” Later on it is obvious that Perkins is intent on creating a wedge between LGBT people and African-Americans.

Charlotte has been ground zero for bad policy, with the ripple effects of its SOGI ordinance felt across the state and arguably the nation. Of course, bad policy is the offspring of bad politicians and the city council is full of them. However, Watchmen Pastors met at the Billy Graham Library to pray and talk strategy to change all of that. Their theme verse was "Seek peace and well-being for the city where I have sent you...for in its well-being you will prosper." (Jer. 29:7).

Conspiracy theorists at org founded by Robert P. George - "Be Afraid"

At the orthodox Catholic Crisis Magazine Emmett J. McGroarty and Jane W. Robbins inform us of: “Transgenderism: A Leftist Weapon Against the Family.” Who knew? Both authors are lawyers (not social scientists) who are affiliated with Robert P. George's American Principles Project. You might recall that APP was intent on ousting Kevin Jennings from the Department of Education. At something that APP called the Innocence Project,” Robert George made a very odious video (which has been scrubbed from the Internet) claiming that Jennings presented a threat to children. Not much has changed.

Hate groups fail to modify school board policy

At the end of the school year in Rocklin, California, a very smart kindergarten teacher (Kaelin Swaney) at a highly regarded charter school did a very smart thing. One of her students was transitioning from male to female. The teacher explained, in age appropriate terms, what gender identity means. The child changed to female clothing in a restroom. The teacher explained that this is what their classmate would look like when they returned to school in the fall. The children participated in a healthy Q & A.

A couple of parents were upset that they weren't given advance notice or an opportunity to opt out. These are the same ignoramuses who pretend that gender dysphoria doesn't exist and who equate an explanation of gender transition to child molestation. They are determined to make their kids as ignorant as they are.

Hate group's PR flack tries to revive failed boycott

Hamilton Strategies (Michael and Deborah Hamilton) is American Family Association's public relations firm. The Hamiltons have a strong connection to Jesus but seem to be indifferent to financial realities. Today they write (as Hamilton Strategies): “Dear Target, You Can't Have It Both Ways.”

Before I get into their polemic, let's take a look at Target Corp. (NYSE:TGT). 34 days have elapsed since Target reported favorable second quarter earnings and guidance. The company reported better than expected earnings and revised guidance upwards. Same-store sales increased 1.3%, nearly double the expectations of analysts. Company executives attributed the good results to the success of the company's private label brands. Online sales increased by 30%. Since then the stock has increased about 7%. The reality is that AFA's silly boycott died 34 days ago. This morning I caught up on some of the analyst views. I cannot find one that even mentions the boycott. It is irrelevant.

In the works: Brown goes unhinged over transgender political candidate

Brian S. Brown has gone unglued over a transgender candidate for a Virginia House of Delegates seat. I thought they were the National Organization for Marriage. They should rename the thing to the Auxiliary of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

More, later.

Honestly, there is no damned transgender agenda

Monica Cole - Noxious head of One Million Moms

Religious conservatives continue to re-purpose idiotic anti-gay rhetoric to now attack transgender people. Not only is there no such thing as a “transgender agenda” but — at least as of the last time I checked — gender dysphoria was not considered to be contagious. Try to convince the morons at hate group American Family Association of those simple facts. Go ahead. Just have some Xanax at hand. Better yet try to convince Monica Cole of AFA's One Million Moms. Pfizer does not manufacture enough of the stuff to thwart that imbecile who sees sinister LGBT conspiracies everywhere.

At AFA's “news” blog: “Moms' group rips ABC on 'Roseanne' reboot.” As if AFA, the blog—One News Now and One Million Moms are not all the same single hate group.

The tantrum:

I thought that Sharon Kass found a new hobby

Sharon Kass is a rather infamous ignoramus and spammer of hate mail to LGBT activists. She has been at this for a long time (at least six years) and has accomplished nothing. Her emails over the years have been pretty much the same although recently she added gender identity to the rhetoric.

My next missive is to Juno.com.

Here is the latest spew I received this morning. I left the annoying formatting as is but eliminated the links and the other recipients' email addresses:

Apparently the world will end this Saturday

Doomsday arrives on Saturday, September 23. According to the thoroughly entertaining Fox News:

A Christian numerologist claims that the world will end next Saturday when a planet will, supposedly, collide with Earth.

According to Christian numerologist David Meade, verses in Luke 21:25 to 26 are the sign that recent events, such as the recent solar eclipse and Hurricane Harvey, are signs of the apocalypse.

Tennessee town trying to define drag shows as adult entertainment so as not to "propagate homosexuality"

Kenneth Wilber

Portland Tennessee Mayor Kenneth Wilber thinks that female impersonators are adult entertainment. Would the person who is forcing Wilber to attend drag shows please let me know? Seriously. I would like to know who is so successful at coercing a conservative Christian and how they are doing it. The methodology would seemingly have enormous potential.

According to the highly informed folks at LifeSiteNews:

Federalist crackpot claims that trans kids are just like child soldiers

At The Federalist Denise Shick writes: “The Trans Brigade Is Heartlessly Weaponizing Children And Ignoring The Consequences.”

Innocent, impressionable children are malleable. They can be molded into persons of deep character, guided by transcendent principles. Or they can be turned into weapons, as Kony and many other evil men have done.

Apart from movies, we’re unlikely to find anyone in America turning young boys into bullet-firing, lethal fighters. But we don’t have to look too far to find adults using children as pawns—as weapons—in the culture war.

Hate group leader claims to be "Fighting for Marriage"

An ugly logo for socially ugly people

Fighting for Marriage is the latest missive from Brian S. Brown who leads the hate group International Organization for the Family. When religious zealots claim to be fighting for marriage that means that they are fighting against marriage equality. Brown conforms:

The protection and preservation of marriage as the union of one man and one woman is a cornerstone of our work at the International Organization for the Family (IOF). The pressure is relentless from western elites and sexual radicals such as George Soros to redefine marriage across the globe. Despite this pressure, only a small number of countries in the world (25 – almost all of them in the west) have succumbed to the cultural and elite pressure and abandoned the truth of marriage. This represents less than 13% of countries worldwide. Over 87% of nations in the world have maintained their commitment to marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

The stunningly stupid comparison of being LGBT and being a communist

Stella Morabito on one of her best days

Stella Morabito emerges as an expert on LGBT folks and communism for LifeSiteNews. What could possibly go wrong?

Morabito claims to have a master's degree in Russian and Soviet history. If that is true, I think that she missed some coursework. Morabito also claims to have worked as an intelligence analyst for some organization. I won't go there. It is just too easy. I concede, however, that I am suitably amused. But I digress.

The ever erudite Claire Chretien has written about a supposed police investigation in Brunswick, Maine over the distribution of flyers equating being LGBT and communism. Abject stupidity being legal, I am not sure what the potential crime is. Littering? Ms. Chretien's crime is intellectual laziness:

Trump continues to run for re-election at our expense

A couple of anti-LGBT judicial nominations in Texas that unfortunate citizens might have to live with for decades.

Donald Trump is as pious as an over-ripe avocado. Yet he owes his election victory to evangelical Christians who pulled levers for the tacky bankruptcy cheat and thrice-married philanderer. Trump is a man who doesn't pay anyone. It is a standard practice at his company not to pay bills in order to negotiate with desperate suppliers to reduce the amount owed. The same is probably true with political debts. In his narcissistic mind he is paying them forward.

Newt is as hypocritical and obnoxious as ever

"Get off my lawn!"

Americans have short memories. Some guy named Billy Holloway writes: “Former House Speaker Issues Warning for People of Faith: ‘The Forces of Intolerance’ Are Willing to Use ‘Government to Punish You.’” That title should start with Disgraced former House Speaker as Newt Gingrich was forced to resign due to ethics violations. The vote in favor of his reprimand was 395 to 28. Gingrich has the dubious distinction of being the first Speaker charged with ethics violations.

I will forego the treatise on adults named Billy and, to be fair, most of the content is from Gingrich. It is the usual hackneyed nonsense about the intolerance of LGBT people who, in reality, are intolerant of the intolerance from jerks like Gingrich. The thrice married-twice divorced Gingrich has consistently lied about his first divorce claiming that it was at the request of his wife when, in fact, Newt sprang it on his wife while she was in the hospital recovering from cancer surgery. Mr. holier-than-thou is a sleazebag, a hypocrite and an adulterer (he cheated on both former wives). Now Gingrich is full of bluster and sanctimonious bullshit.

LGBTQ2SIAP+ - Huh?

How many of you know what LGBTQ2SIAP+ stands for? Fortunately, the Alberta, Canada Gay-Straight Alliance Network has the key to that puzzle:

The LGBTQ2SIAP+ Acronym: This acronym encompasses the terms: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual/Biromantic, Trans, Queer, Two-Spirit, Intersex, Asexual/Ace/Aromantic, Pansexual/Polysexual, and the “+” acknowledges that there are many other identities no accounted for by the previous letters.

Who knew? Two-Spirit?

Hate group propagandist claims that anti-LGBT discrimination doesn't exist

“The baker is not evidence of the harm of nondiscrimination laws. He is evidence of the discrimination that those laws are intended to prevent.”

Alliance Defending Freedom, the Christian legal organization, is fervently dedicated to preventing the passage of nondiscrimination laws protecting LGBT people. Their definition of religious freedom includes the right to refuse service to people they disapprove of. They like to call such measures “SOGI laws” (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity).

Last September James Gottry, a lawyer employed by ADF, wrote that such measures represent “A Subversive Response to a Nonexistent Problem.” Gottry has re-tooled the polemic for consumption at The Federalist with the title: “Why ‘Fairness For All’ Legislation Actually Produces More Discrimination.”

IRS Programming Developments

Over the weekend, while I still had power (and then a charged battery) I was able to incorporate the IRS extract into my local database. The DB already included the Business Master File and revocations due to non-filing. The potential for meaningful research is enormous.

The extract includes 249 line items from every organization's 990 filing. It is updated annually so right now I have the data from every organization that filed a 990 in 2016. I will incorporate the 2015 file as well. However it is currently the object of a broken link and there is no easy way of notifying the IRS of website issues.

The nerdy potential is staggering. The next step  is to add a hate group field which involves finding which SPLC listed groups are incorporated as nonprofits and file a 990 (in contrast to a postcard return). SPLC has its criteria and I have mine. I will need to add in the groups that SPLC does not include such as National Organization for Marriage .

Edie Windsor would not take yes for an answer

Edith Windsor has died at the age of 88. Edie was tiny in stature but massive in impact. She is not just an LGBT hero. Edie is an American hero. I am posting from a device (Google is having a very bad day) so I will be brief. Obergefell v. Hodges would not exist in the absence of United States v. Windsor (the DOMA case).

The case was about a spousal exemption to estate taxes. The amount of  the tax at issue was $363,053 What some people do not know is that early on the IRS said "no mas" - you win. You do not owe us close to $400 thousand. Most people would have left it at that. Not Edie. Ms. Windsor, a lifelong activist, knew that this was an issue of principle. Her tenacity and courage prevailed.

Edith Windsor deserves a permanent monument. Perhaps it will inspire the next champion of minority rights. We need a way to replace our sadness with a celebration of Edie's life.

Irma and I

The usually busy Lincoln Road Mall on Sunday at 6:00 PM

I was organized to flee Hurricane Irma. I was less organized to stay. By Saturday morning I had packed two bags, one with clothes and another with my computer, devices and important papers. I moved my media center into a hallway and arranged things so that if my terrace door broke I would not suffer terrible water damage.

I was about to take the living room TV off the wall (actually off of a pole) on Saturday morning (as I had done in the bedroom) and then flee. The news advised that the path of Irma would be up the west coast of Florida. I made a snap decision to stay.

Yet another helping of SPLC victimization and some Robby George worship

Minneapolis attorney Scott W. Johnson writes:

I have been calling the ludicrously misnamed Southern Poverty Law Center a wealthy left-wing hate cult. The organization now serves as a handmaiden to forces of the left as they seek to stigmatize honorable conservatives and confine our public discourse to approved channels.

Mr. Johnson is entitled to call SPLC anything that he likes. I do not know how he measures wealth but SPLC attorneys earn less than comparably experienced lawyers on a partnership track at a larger firm would earn. Moreover, they earn less than attorneys at the right-wing Alliance Defending Freedom and SPLC's president earns less than ADF's president. Does SPLC have a large endowment? Yes. Does that enrich or provide wealth to any individuals? Absolutely not.

Christian Privilege expressed as support for Masterpiece Cakeshop

Josh M. Shepherd writes: “They Serve Gay Clients All The Time. So Why Won’t They Cater A Same-Sex Wedding?”

A florist and baker at the heart of major legal cases explained why they won't use their creative talents and services to affirm same-sex marriage.

The Federalist informs us that “Shepherd has served on staff at The Heritage Foundation, Focus on the Family, Bound4LIFE International, and two congressional offices.” He doesn't seem to be able to stay anywhere for very long. But I digress.

The United States' brief in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado

We should all be outraged that Trump took sides in an important civil rights controversy. Earlier in the term he left in place an executive order requiring government contractors not to discriminate. Since then, however, it has been all downhill.

In its amicus brief the government has focused primarily on the concept of compelled speech. They embellish this with the concept that Phillips artistic expression is comparable to that of a poet. They actually write something to the effect that the government cannot force a poet to write a poem. Know any poets who are public accommodations?

But where I think the government really fails is here:

DEVELOPING: Trump administration files brief in support of Colorado baker

I have not yet obtained a copy of the United States amicus brief in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. It is outrageous that the acting solicitor general, presumably on order (or at least acquiescence) of Donald Trump, has filed a brief on our tax dollars in support of discrimination.

Boykin: SPLC is mean - give us some money

The subject line of the email from retired general Jerry Boykin reads: “Radical extremist group targets us.” The core of this tirade consists of blaming Southern Poverty Law Center for a shooting that occurred at Family Research Council's building five years ago, injuring one person — and they have been raising money off of it ever since. According to the manufacturer, SPLC is responsible for that shooting which injured one person. SPLC supposedly bears responsibility because they designate FRC as a hate group. According to Boykin, donating money to FRC will help the hate group fend off SPLC's “attack.”

Some simple facts:

Focus on the Family, Billy Graham et al hedge in Masterpiece Cakeshop brief

The amicus briefs are beginning to flow to the Supreme Court regarding Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. One of the latest was submitted by Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Christian Care Ministry, Eco: A Covenant Order of Presbyterians, Focus on the Family, Kanakuk Ministries, Pine Cove, Samaritan’s Purse, The Christian & Missionary Alliance, The Navigators, The Orchard Foundation, Tyndale House Publishers, Association of Christian Schools International, and Association of Gospel Rescue Missions.

Like the merits brief, they too ignore Reynolds v. U.S. 1879 (the state may not regulate belief but can regulate conduct) while claiming that Employment Division v. Smith provides precedence. They attempt to construct the argument that, unlike Smith, Colorado's law is not neutral. I have commented on this in more detail at the link above.

Christian Family Coalition make less sense by the hour

Want some mayo on that mic?

Anthony Verdugo, head of Florida's Christian Family Coalition, is like a tormented dog hopelessly chasing its tail. Unfortunately a fair number of state politicians are in his grasp. I continue to fail to out Verdugo's enablers. I will be sure to do so going forward.

A Miami-Dade Count ordinance prohibiting reorientation therapy on children is under consideration. Within the county there are already municipalities with a comparable ordinance on the books. Among those is my city, Miami Beach. Mayor Phillip Levine has consistently done the right thing and I hoped that he would run for governor. Apparently, he is not.

AFA lays ruin to any meaningful dialog on trans girls in sports

Transgender teens do not pose a threat to anyone.

Spots invaded the field of vision in my right eye. Something must be in my eye, I thought, but eyewash did nothing. Soon thereafter I was seeing lightning bolts every time I turned my head. That marks when I became unglued. I saw one of the city's top ophthalmologists in a very high-rent office on Park Avenue. I was impressed with her thoroughness, professionalism and obvious intellect although she was a bit abrupt. That physician was Renée Richards.

Dr. Richards is an esteemed professional who surgically transitioned more than 40 years ago. American Family Association, a hate group, would insist on referring to her with male pronouns to demonstrate their disapproval. I still do not really understand what they disapprove of. Thursday they interview hate group leader Linda Harvey who chimes in with her intentional disrespect (along with a fair measure of ignorance and stupidity).

Doug Mainwaring's latest defense of discrimination

This is the photo which appears atop Mainwaring's latest post.
Clearly it shows the existence of a poster that the genius claims doesn't exist.
He claims that it was Photoshopped.

Five years ago Doug Mainwaring was National Organization for Marriage's chew toy. He was “the gay man who opposed gay marriage.” Brian S. Brown schlepped Mainwaring around the nation to testify in opposition to same-sex marriage. Apparently Mainwaring had married his ex-lesbian wife in a sham marriage, left the union for about ten years and then decided that he was lonely so he returned to the marriage. They have a couple of kids who are probably neurotic due to the inconsistency. Mainwaring, by the way, is a professional conservative Catholic.

Hate groups and their allies dishonestly petition the media

L. Brent Bozell III — proud irrational theocrat that he is — has composed a rambling eight page “Dear Members of the Media” letter attacking Southern Poverty Law Center. It is signed by the usual coterie of hate group leaders and their allies. In my estimation it will get spiked after one sentence into the second paragraph:

We are writing to you as individuals or as representatives of organizations who are deeply troubled by several recent examples of the media’s use of data from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The SPLC is a discredited, left-wing, political activist organization that seeks to silence its political opponents with a “hate group” label of its own invention and application that is not only false and defamatory, but that also endangers the lives of those targeted with it.

The fifth anniversary has just passed of the terrorist event for which the SPLC’s hate map and website were used to target its victims for political assassination. The …

Finally today - Re: Amy Sterling Casil

Amy Sterling Casil

Amy Sterling Casil is one of those self-promoting poseurs that drive me nuts. She is much better at getting ink than I am having been quoted in several media outlets regarding SPLC's offshore investments:

“I’ve never known a U.S.-based nonprofit dealing in human rights or social services to have any foreign bank accounts,” said Amy Sterling Casil, CEO of Pacific Human Capital, a California based nonprofit consulting firm.

Butts, Stanton and Barber are about as sex savvy as my vibrator

Does this douche-bag look like a constitutional lawyer to you?

Charlie Butts at American Family Association's “news” blog has the earthshaking headline: “Biological argument for homosexuality examined.” The subheading reads:

More information has surfaced that demonstrates the false argument that homosexuals are biologically born into this world in that condition.

And what exactly is it that contradicts the overwhelming consensus of science? According to AFA, an anti-LGBT hate group:

Statistics gathered from high school students by Teenwise Minessota, a pro homosexual group, show that lesbians become impregnated by heterosexual boys, and homosexuals impregnate heterosexual girls at a rate that is seven times more than straight students.

Australia rinsing and recycling the losing arguments on marriage equality

About five years ago, Brian S. Brown was schlepping Doug Mainwaring from venue to venue to testify against marriage equality. Mainwaring was billed as the “gay man who opposes gay marriage.” Today the ne're-do-well Mainwaring is an anti-LGBT polemicist for an ultra conservative Catholic outlet and more rabidly homophobic than Tony Perkins. He actually believes that he is “objectively disordered” in accordance with Church teachings.

The Catholic Church has now found two miserable self-loathing Australian faggots; “The gay couple who oppose same-sex marriage.” Ben Rogers and Mark Poidevin have been together for 15 years. According to local media:

Another financial wizard weighs in on SPLC's foreign investments

Financial literacy eludes Morgan Mayhew, who is presumably a religious conservative writing for an outlet called Liberty News Now. Mayhew writes: “Corrupt Liberal Hate Group Caught Moving Millions To Secret Offshore Bank Accounts.” Uh, … no.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has been caught pushes <sic> millions offshores <sic> as they continue to pander to the Alt-Left by labeling Christian ministries, and any <sic> other conservative organizations as “hate groups.”

Suggesting that Southern Poverty Law Center is corrupt because one does not approve of their policies is preposterous. More importantly, as an issue of fact, this has nothing to do with offshore bank accounts (secret or otherwise). Nor, for that matter, was SPLC “caught” doing anything as their financial records are thoroughly transparent as a 501(c)3 nonprofit entity.

Mat Staver is vewy upset with Right Wing Watch

Hate group leader Mat Staver is displeased with Right Wing Watch (AKA Wingnut Depot). Last Tuesday, RWW's Miranda Blue wrote: “Mat Staver: Anti-Gay Groups Being Treated Like Jews In Nazi Germany.” Therein, she quoted Mat Staver's very words making Third Reich comparisons. That did not sit well with the people at Liberty Counsel. Not only do they want to correct the record but they found it necessary to express just how utterly awful the folks at Right Wing Watch are (because argument ad hominem is so compelling):

I received the following email late Friday afternoon:

ADF files its brief for Masterpiece Cakeshop - Is "Smith" the fatal flaw?

The counter at Masterpiece Cakeshop includes
a tip cup and a competing donation can for ADF

The case of Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission has begun with the filing of Masterpiece's opening brief before the Supreme Court. Prepared by Alliance Defending Freedom (an anti-LGBT hate group), the brief asserts that proprietor Jack Phillips is a “cake artist” and that his constitutionally protected religious liberty has been compromised by Colorado's nondiscrimination law.

In a separate press release, ADF makes four arguments:

1. Jack should have the freedom to say “no” to some custom artistic projects while saying “yes” to all people.
2. Designing custom cakes is artistic expression protected by the First Amendment.
3. The government should not have the authority to compel or to suppress art.
4. The government cannot declare that certain beliefs are unacceptable and push them out of the public square.

In defiance of medical science Mat Staver is increasingly irrational when it comes to SPLC

Hate group leader Mat Staver loaths Southern Poverty Law Center. The latest missive from Mr. Staver bears the subject line: “SPLC Sends Millions of Cash to Tax Haven Accounts.” In short, uh uh. SPLC has a large endowment and the assets are professionally managed. Some of the assets are invested in equity partnerships. Some of those are based in the Cayman Islands.

Southern Poverty Law Center designates Mat Staver's Liberty Counsel a hate group. The ability to process the designation eludes Mr. Staver. Staver's indignation and frustrations are further inflamed by the civil RICO suit Jenkins v. Miller (the parental kidnapping case). This case was initiated by SPLC on behalf of the plaintiff, Janet Jenkins. Staver is a defendant in the case individually and as agent of Liberty Counsel and Liberty University. He finds himself fighting not only to keep all of his assets but possibly to retain his law license. He has had to hire outside Vermont counsel who, based on the docket, is racking up significant billable hours. Staver is in a full-froth rage.