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[Right Eat Their Own] Rice's 'Mother-in-Law' Comment Raises Conservative Hackles

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by No Worries, Oct 17, 2006.

  1. No Worries

    No Worries Member

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    Rice's 'Mother-in-Law' Comment Raises Conservative Hackles

    Remark Comes During Swearing In of Open Homosexual to Ambassador-Level Post

    By Fred Jackson and Jim Brown
    October 16, 2006

    (AgapePress) - A spokesman for a family-advocacy group in Washington, DC, is expressing disgust with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's swearing in of an openly homosexual man as global AIDS coordinator -- and in particular, with comments she made at the ceremony.

    Late last week, USA Today stated that the Republican Party is facing what it calls an "identity crisis" when it comes to efforts to try to please both homosexuals and conservative Christians. The report used a ceremony at the State Department to provide a very pointed example of how the GOP seems to want the support of "values voters," but are willing to appease the homosexual activist agenda.

    The ceremony involved Secretary of State Rice and the swearing in of Mark Dybul, an open homosexual, as the nation's new global AIDS coordinator -- a position that carries the rank of ambassador. An Associated Press photo of the ceremony also shows a smiling First Lady Laura Bush and Dybul's homosexual "partner," Jason Claire. During her comments, Rice referred to the presence of Claire's mother and called her Dybul's "mother-in-law," a term normally reserved for the heterosexuals who have been legally married.

    The Washington Blade, a pro-homosexual publication in the nation's capital, was accurate on Friday when it predicted Rice's remarks would "rais[e] the eyebrows of conservative Christian leaders." Peter Sprigg, vice president for policy at the Family Research Council, says the secretary's comments were "profoundly offensive" and fly in the face of the Bush administration's endorsement of a federal marriage protection amendment, though that backing be less than enthusiastic.

    "We have to face the fact that putting a homosexual in charge of AIDS policy is a bit like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse," says Sprigg. "But even beyond that, the deferential treatment that was given not only to him but his partner and his partner's family by the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is very distressing."


    Sprigg says in light of the Foley scandal, "it's inexplicable that a conservative administration would do such things." He also notes that Rice's comments defy an existing law on the books protecting traditional marriage. "So, for her to treat his partner like a spouse and treat the partner's mother as a mother-in-law, which implies a marriage between the two partners, is a violation of the spirit if not the letter of the Defense of Marriage Act," the FRC spokesman states.

    As the USA Today report notes, the Rice statement comes in the midst of news stories dealing with the Mark Foley scandal, many of which have talked about the number of homosexual staffers on the Republican payroll. Some pro-family people are starting to wonder if this homosexual influence within the GOP may account for the party's lack of action on social conservative issues. FRC's Tony Perkins says that among the questions that need to be asked are: "Has the social agenda of the GOP been stalled by homosexual members or staffers?"

    Indeed, the USA Today account of the swearing-in ceremony concedes that the Foley investigation may be exposing what it calls a "politically awkward" fact of life in the world of national politics. That is, some leaders in the Republican Party "practice a more tolerant brand of politics" in office hiring than others in the party have conveyed on the campaign trail.


    Dybul, who was confirmed by the Senate two months ago but was just sworn in due to scheduling conflicts with Secretary Rice and Mrs. Bush, is the nation's third openly homosexual ambassador. The other two no longer hold their positions. According to news reports, in all three cases the men's homosexual partners held the Bible on which the oath of office was sworn.
     
  2. Nolen

    Nolen Member

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    Huh? What the hell does that mean? I expect stupid, ignorant blather to come from him, but this doesn't even make sense. Can anyone explain?
     
  3. Nolen

    Nolen Member

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    I'm curious what will happen as more and more revelations come to light about Republicans using evangelicals to get their vote.

    Evangelicals aren't suddenly going to become offended and vote democratic. But would they stay home and not vote, for instance? Or perhaps be once-bitten twice shy when it comes to Republican promises?

    They'll never lose the Evangelical base for a long time, there are too many socially conservative issues they have in common. But maybe it won't be so easy to rile them up.

    On the other hand, maybe evangelical political power will really grow. I personally think that if abortion became outlawed nationwide, it would be the greatest blow to social conservatives in many decades, maybe a century. The backlash would be huge.
     
  4. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    I love how the article has to explain how the term "mother-in-law" is normally used.


    Oh no she didn't say "mother-in-law"


    this is soooooooo stupid.

    "The Washington Blade"


    hilarious
     
  5. Rockets2K

    Rockets2K Clutch Crew

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    considering the warped sense of exactly what or who homosexuals are in the eyes of people like the Family Research Center...I doubt any reasonable person would have a clue to what they mean by that.

    except maybe giddy.

    Im sure he'll be along to claim that this is a non-issue artifically inflated by the Dems to cover for Clinton.


    oh..and in case I need to say it (and I shouldn't have to) I do not belong to any political party...I think they are all a bunch of corrupt hacks that just say what they think we want to hear.

    So save me the remarks about how Im just a angry lefty...you couldnt be more wrong.
     
  6. No Worries

    No Worries Member

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    AIDS is a gay man problem, which they have chosen not to fix. To solve the AIDS problem, we need the leadership of and clear thinking from Rich White Christian Men.

    I thought it was pretty obvious.
     
  7. Rocket River

    Rocket River Member

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    I'll take a shot at it . .. in their minds. . . . Homosexuals are responsible for
    the creation and proliferation of AIDS

    Yea. . .I think they *actually* beleive that

    Rocket River
    . .. *I* on the other hand . .. do not
     
  8. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    I interpeted as he just thinks a gay person will throw money at the problem as opposed to addressing what he feels is the real issue, gay sex is the problem.
     
  9. Deckard

    Deckard Blade Runner
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    I've always liked Mrs. Bush. The sort of "liking" you might have for an older lady living on your block who's always polite and nice to you, when your paths cross. My significant other met her while Bush Jr. was Governor, and found her quite warm and genuine in person. The stories I've heard about Mrs. Bush and George, especially before he became a 12 stepper, and quit the booze and drugs, tell me that she is very tough, in a quiet way, and was determined to keep the marriage together, despite whatever abuse she may have received. (many stories floated around Austin political circles during Bush's time as Governor, regarding his behavior towards Laura, prior to "drying out," and from what I understand, the abuse wasn't entirely mental) As Andrew Card pointed out to Woodward, she attempted to get Rumsfeld removed from his office through Card, because she thought he was harming her husband. Another indication of where she's coming from, on the plus side. It's a pity that she fell in love with the goofus sitting in the Oval Office. Laura deserved better. She's a classy lady.

    Rice? She must have had a lapse, and strayed off message. Ms. Rice might consider turning the closet light off, and stepping out into the sunshine. That, and returning to academia. A university campus suits her far better than the job she has, where she is clearly, in my opinion, way over her head.

    You know, I've said several times here, over the years, that George W. Bush is the living embodiment of the Peter Principal. Ms. Rice is his ardent understudy.



    Keep D&D Civil.
     
  10. No Worries

    No Worries Member

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    Ya know that one should never mess around with The Wrath of God. He will sick AIDS on your *ss.
     
  11. thegary

    thegary Member

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    that's exactly what was meant. i thought it was pretty clear
     
  12. No Worries

    No Worries Member

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    And if God gets really pissed, he take out an entire city, like he took out New Orleans. Now may not be the right time to live in Las Vegas.
     
  13. losttexan

    losttexan Member

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    I think I've got it.

    It would have been acceptable, (sort of) to have this gay man be the AIDS Coordinator" but to have Rice and Laura acknowledge his partner and what’s more be NICE to him and his family was too much. He should be the closet, and not subject the world to having acknowledged that gay people exist.


    Why can't we live in the idealized 50's (that didn't even exsist then), when life was simpler and gay people stayed in the closet where they belonged.
     
  14. thegary

    thegary Member

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  15. underoverup

    underoverup Member

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    i thought condi was a lesbian. :confused:
     
  16. rhadamanthus

    rhadamanthus Member

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    Sure. Peter Sprigg is a self righteous and ignorant bigot. He parades around his so-called "christian" values to make himself feel better compared to others, mask his fear of the outside world, and compensate for his flaccid and diminuitively sized penis. He probably sends sexual messages to underaged male interns too.
     
  17. Jugdish

    Jugdish Member

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    Their instinct is to ravenously consume AIDS.
     
  18. No Worries

    No Worries Member

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    Since we are talking about rightwung nut jobs ...


    'Gay Curer' Psychologist Claims Africans 'Better Off' As Slaves
    By Brentin Mock, Intelligence Report. Posted October 14, 2006.

    In the latest episode of the so-called "ex-gay" movement's straying toward racial bigotry, the movement's leaders and its Christian right allies have failed to condemn an essay arguing Civil Rights Movement was "irrational."

    A prominent member of the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) is under fire for publishing an essay in which he argues that Africans were fortunate to have been sold into slavery, and the civil rights movement was "irrational."

    "There is another way, or other ways, to look at the race issue in America," writes Gerald Schoenewolf, a member of NARTH's Science Advisory Committee. "Africa at the time of slavery was still primarily a jungle… Life there was savage … and those brought to America, and other countries, were in many ways better off."

    NARTH is a coalition of psychologists who believe it's possible to "cure" homosexuality, a position rejected by the American Psychological Association and the American Medical Association. The controversy over Schoenewolf's apology for slavery has battered the so-called "ex-gay" movement with accusations of racial bigotry for the first time. The movement's leaders and their close allies at Christian Right powerhouses like Focus on the Family have failed to condemn Schoenwolf's inflammatory arguments.


    Titled "Gay Rights and Political Correctness: A Brief History," Schoenewolf's angry polemic was published on NARTH's website. In addition to his outrageous historical claims about the conditions of life in Africa, he writes that human rights proponents are intellectually stunted. (Schoenewolf draws upon Swiss child psychologist Jean Piaget, who theorized four stages of intellectual development, with the most advanced stage consisting of abstract and complex thinking. "[F]ollowers in the Human Rights Movement," have not reached this stage, according to Schoenewolf.)

    Schoenewolf, a psychotherapist who lives in New York City, is director of The Living Center, an online therapy center for people in the arts. He has authored 14 books, among them The Art of Hating, in which he writes, "Many people talk about hate, but few know how to hate well."

    When interviewed last week for this article, Schoenewolf stood by his comments on the intellectual inferiority of civil rights movement supporters. "The civil rights movement has from the beginning and today seen itself as good and others are evil, like slaveowners are evil," he said.

    During the interview, Schoenewolf lambasted civil rights, women's rights, and gay rights. "All such movements are destructive," he said. He also claimed the American Psychological Association, of which he is a member, "has been taken over by extremist gays."


    Schoenewolf's essay first appeared on NARTH's website in the fall of 2005, but apparently went unnoticed by critics until mid-September, around the time the executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, a black gay and lesbian advocacy organization, delivered to NARTH a formal letter of protest. "In the name of propriety, respect, common decency and professional integrity, the National Black Justice Coalition strongly urges NARTH to issue a public apology on the front page of its website for publishing such an outrageous and offensive article," wrote H. Alexander Robinson. "We also hope that you reevaluate your relationship with Dr. Schoenewolf, whose peculiar views have no place in civilized discourse."

    Then, in late September, the gay rights group Truth Wins Out called on Focus on the Family to cancel a speaking appearance by NARTH executive director Joseph Nicolosi scheduled for a Focus on the Family conference held September 23 in Palm Springs, Calif.

    Nicolosi appeared as planned. But the Schoenewolf essay was erased from NARTH's website the same day as the Focus on the Family conference. Then, on October 6, NARTH posted this statement to its website: "NARTH regrets the comments made by Dr. Schoenwolf about slavery which have been misconstrued by some of our readers. It should go without saying that we do not wish to minimize the suffering of those who have been mistreated because of race, sex, religious beliefs or sexual orientation." The statement makes no mention of the civil rights movement.

    Nicolosi has yet to publicly address the future of Schoenewolf's relationship with NARTH. He also did not respond to multiple voice mail messages and E-mails seeking comment for this article. Michael Haley, manager of Focus on the Family's homosexuality and gender department, likewise did not respond. Calls and E-mails to Focus on the Family press managers went unanswered.

    For now, Schoenewolf remains a member of NARTH's Science Advisory Committee. This committee has "the authority of opinion and the authority of their recommendations," over what is published by NARTH, according to former committee member David Blakeslee, who resigned in protest over the Schoenewolf essay Sept. 29.

    "Whenever a scientific organization speaks inaccurately about science and conflates it with politics, the general public can be significantly misled and harmed," he wrote in his letter of resigation.

    In an interview for this report, Blakeslee said: "Schoenewolf's article was so over the line that it justifiably outraged a number of people."

    Even so, other NARTH members have leapt to Schoenewolf's defense on the organization's official blog, whose administrator, "Sojourneer," summed up the outcry over the essay as "lies and distortion, in an attempt to discredit Narth [sic] and Dr. Shoenewolf [sic]."

    "Just because Schoenewolf said some good can come out of a bad situation [slavery] does not make him a racist," the NARTH administrator wrote. "It was just his opinion and does not reflect Narth's [sic] position on the topic."

    So what exactly is NARTH's position on equal rights for non-whites? On the NARTH website, the section marked "NARTH and Civil Rights" states: "It is NARTH's position that science, not activism, should inform legal decisions and public policies," a position that could easily be read to support Schoenewolf's hostility towards the civil rights movement. NARTH's position statement is particularly ironic in light of the organization's close relationship with Focus on the Family, which clearly engages in political activism.

    Blakeslee isn't the only NARTH supporter to sever ties with the organization over its failure to denounce Schoenewolf.

    "This was a slam dunk. They should have said, 'These are not our views.' People have asked them to clarify what they meant by this and [instead] they've in fact defended it," says Warren Throckmorton, a professor of psychology at Grove City College and a former member of NARTH.

    Before the Schoenewolf controversy, Throckmorton was slated to present at NARTH's annual conference in November in Orlando, Fla. Now, he's pulled out, and wants nothing to do with the group.

    "This stuff about political correctness and slavery is very far outfield," he said. "I'm appalled by it, and a lot of people within NARTH are as well, but they don't have the authority to speak out on it. And those who do have the authority aren't."
     
  19. No Worries

    No Worries Member

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    mas wingnut stupidity ...


    Some Seek 'Pink Purge' in the GOP
    By Johanna Neuman, Times Staff Writer
    October 18, 2006

    WASHINGTON — In recent years, the Republican Party aimed to broaden its appeal with a "big-tent" strategy of reaching out to voters who might typically lean Democratic. But now a debate is growing within the GOP about whether the tent has become too big — by including gays whose political views may conflict with the goals of the party's powerful evangelical conservatives.

    Some Christians, who are pivotal to the GOP's get-out-the-vote effort, are charging that gay Republican staffers in Congress may have thwarted their legislative agenda. There even are calls for what some have dubbed a "pink purge" of high-ranking gay Republicans on Capitol Hill and in the administration.

    The long-simmering tension in the GOP between gays and the religious right has erupted into open conflict at a sensitive time, just weeks before a midterm election that may cost Republicans control of Congress.

    "The big-tent strategy could ultimately spell doom for the Republican Party," said Tom McClusky, chief lobbyist for the Family Research Council, a Christian advocacy group. "All a big-tent strategy seems to be doing is attracting a bunch of clowns."

    Now the GOP is facing a hard choice — risk losing the social conservatives who are legendary for turning out the vote, or risk alienating the moderate voters who are crucial to this election's outcome.

    "There's a huge schism on the right," said Mike Rogers, a gay-rights activist who runs a blog to combat what he calls hypocrisy among conservative gay politicians. "The fiscal conservatives are furious at the religious conservatives, because they need the moderates for economic policy. But they need the social conservatives to turn out the vote."

    A recent incident that upset social conservatives involved remarks by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last week. With First Lady Laura Bush looking on, Rice swore in Mark R. Dybul as U.S. global AIDS coordinator while his partner, Jason Claire, held the Bible. Claire's mother was in the audience, and Rice referred to her as Dybul's "mother-in-law."

    "The Republican Party is taking pro-family conservatives for granted," said Mike Mears, executive director of the political action committee of Concerned Women for America, which promotes biblical values. "What Secretary Rice did just the other day is going to anger quite a few people."

    It's not just anger at Rice that worries Republicans; it's the possible effect on evangelical voters next month.

    The Dybul incident "was totally a damper to the base that we need to turn out," said the Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition, a California lobbying group that focuses on religious and social issues.

    Adding to the conservative Christians' disaffection has been a new book asserting that the White House used President Bush's faith-based initiative for political purposes while mocking evangelicals behind their backs.

    The tension between Republican gays and evangelicals has been highlighted in recent weeks by the scandal involving Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), who resigned over explicit messages he sent to underage male House pages.

    Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said in a television interview last week that there should be an investigation into whether gay congressional staffers were responsible for covering up for Foley.

    Perkins also has questioned whether gay Republican staffers on Capitol Hill have torpedoed evangelicals' priorities, such as a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. "Has the social agenda of the GOP been stalled by homosexual members and/or staffers?" he asked in an e-mail to supporters.


    Some social conservatives deny they are interested in removing gay staffers from the party.

    "We're not calling for what I've heard referred to as a pink purge," McClusky said. "We're asking that members [of Congress] might want to reflect on who's serving them: Are they representing their boss' interest?"

    Mears of Concerned Women for America said purging gays from the GOP would not necessarily help the evangelical cause. "If you get rid of all the homosexuals in Congress and on the staff, you'd still have Republicans like Chris Shays [the Connecticut congressman] and Susan Collins [the Maine senator] pushing the gay agenda."

    This week, a list that is said to name gay Republican staffers has been circulated to several Christian and family values groups — presumably to encourage an outing and purge. McClusky acknowledged seeing the list but said his group did not produce it and had no intention of using it.

    Still, gay Republican staffers on Capitol Hill say it feels as if the noose is tightening. Fearful of having their names on such a list and losing their jobs after the election, they are trying to keep a low profile.

    None of the gay Republican staffers contacted for this article would speak for the record.

    But Eric Johnson, a former GOP staffer who left the party over its policies on gays and who now works for a Democrat on the Hill, said many of his old friends were worried.

    "There's a real concern, a legitimate concern, about a lower glass ceiling — preventing them from attaining higher positions in the party," Johnson said. "Most Republicans do lip service to the conservative side of gay issues. But on hiring practices, most of them have been pretty reasonable."

    Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), a staunch opponent of same-sex marriage, has a campaign manager who is gay. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), who linked gay sex to bestiality, has a press secretary who is gay. Both senators are in perilous races for reelection, and neither staffer would comment.

    The GOP has at times seemed a bit disjointed in its approach to gay issues. Political advisor Karl Rove ran Bush's reelection campaign in 2004 by mobilizing opposition to same-sex marriage, even as Vice President Dick Cheney said consenting adults of any orientation should be free to marry. Cheney's daughter Mary is a lesbian, and her partner was welcomed at presidential events.

    The president recently reappointed Israel Hernandez, a gay man who had been a personal aide to Bush when he was Texas governor, to be assistant secretary of Commerce and head of an international trade office.

    The Republican National Party says its tent is open to anyone who shares its political views.

    "The Republican Party welcomes individuals from all walks of life," said Republican National Committee Press Secretary Tracey Schmitt.

    Regarding the threat of losing support from social conservatives, she added: "Our core supporters understand that a Congress led by Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi [the Senate and House minority leaders] would be devoid of a values agenda. They are mobilized and committed to electing Republicans on Nov. 7."
     
  20. mc mark

    mc mark Member

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    These idiots can't get anything right! Everyone knows the gay color is purple! Not pink!

    geeez...
     

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