Gage Skidmore/Flickr
First up from the God Machine this week is the latest development in the shooting at the Family Research Council's headquarters, where the religious right powerhouse seems eager to exploit public sympathy and give up the moral high ground.
To briefly recap, Floyd Corkins stands accused of shooting an unarmed guard at the FRC offices in Washington this week, motivated by his political opposition to the group's far-right, anti-gay message. Fortunately, the victim, Leo Johnson, will recover and no one else was hurt.
On Thursday, FRC president Tony Perkins said the Southern Poverty Law Center gave the gunman "license" by criticizing the Family Research Council's work -- an argument the right generally rejects. Yesterday, Perkins went even further.
After trying to blame the Southern Poverty Law Center for the deplorable shooting that occurred at the Family Research Council’s office this week, FRC president Tony Perkins today also implicated the Obama administration in the shooting. While speaking with Rick Santorum today on Washington Watch Weeklyabout the Obama administration’s “attack on religious freedom,” Perkins said that what “we witnessed this past week at the Family Research Council” is “clearly linked to that same atmosphere of hostility that’s created by the public policies of an administration that’s indifferent or hostile to religious freedom.”
This shameful attempt to connect the Obama administration to the shooting is just the latest sign of the FRC’s attempt to exploit the tragedy for political purposes.
This seems like an exceptionally bad idea. As Perkins sees it, the Obama administration, presumably because of its support for contraception access, has created an "atmosphere of hostility" that led to some nut shooting a security guard.
The Family Research Council received an outpouring of well wishes and sympathy this week, because decent people everywhere, whether they're offended by the FRC's work or not, reject this kind of violence. That said, there's just no reason for the far-right organization to squander that goodwill so quickly, recklessly trying to blame its perceived enemies for an incident they had nothing to do with.
Perkins is making a mistake with these tactics, and I can't help but wonder if he'll look back at this moment in the near future, wondering whether he should have chosen a classier path.
Also from the God Machine this week:
* A Roman Catholic group in Wisconsin got to work this week, praying for Republican Paul Ryan to change his policies as they relate to the poor. "This group, which includes Franciscan friars, joins in the growing protests from Catholic clergy concerned about the impact Ryan's deep cuts in social programs will have on vulnerable members of society."
* Republicans in Kentucky's state legislature successfully pushed to tie the state's testing program to national education standards, but are now regretting the decision -- the standards include modern biology and they believe "the biblical account of creationism ... should be taught in Kentucky classrooms" (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).
* Vatican City: "A Vatican judge on Monday ordered the pope's butler and a fellow lay employee to stand trial for the alleged pilfering of documents from Pope Benedict XVI's private apartment, in an embarrassing scandal that exposed power struggles and purported corruption at the Holy See's highest levels."
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The only way I would ever use "class" and "Tony Perkins" in the same sentence is if you were pointing out his utter lack of same.
This is as classy as he gets- as any of them get. They assume their own exclusive righteousness. Then, whenever anyone, like the President, treats them like any one of many belief systems that have rights, they say they're being persecuted. They view freedom from their religion as an attack on freedom of reigion.
Every day, people like Perkins and their defenders/apologists prove the exceedingly ugly nature of Theological Correctness/Ideological Soundness.
By the way, I'm surprised that IrishPud is the only one of the regular trolls spewing on this thread.
The other trolls haven't been "told" to come here yet!
"This shameful attempt to connect the Obama administration to the shooting is just the latest sign of the FRC’s attempt to exploit the tragedy for political purposes."
Over the short wave radio late last might, I heard, tapped out in Morse Code, "Help! Under attack! Send lawyers, guns, and Money. Fund raising letter to follow!"
Yeah Day,Those idiot's, what will they do next blame the Colorado shooting on the President because he went to the movies once.The radical right is insane,they are in the same vein as radical Islamist's,and want to destroy America just like they do only in a different way.
Tony Perkins completely exploited this shooting in an attempt to shed the Family Research Council of its "hate group" label. He has been doing nothing but blaming others for this shooting. Blaming Obama. Blaming gays. Blaming the Southern Poverty Law Center for labeling the Family Research Council as a HATE GROUP.
The fact is.... Tony Perkins and his Family Research Council IS a hate group. They do nothing but slander an entire class of people.
Perkins thinks nothing of labeling gays as "pedophiles" yet cries victim when the FRC gets labeled a hate group. How many LGBT people are beaten, bullied, killed all because of the stigma that grows out of the vile, hateful, lies that Perkins and his kind espouse every time they get themselves on TV?
Well... you know what... If it walks like a duck. And it quacks like a duck. Then it's a duck. If the duck gets shot, it's still a duck.
Republicans in Kentucky
I am speechless
This country is inching toward Idiocracy.
There seems to be no middle ground . You are either an 18th century Luddite.
or not
Ironically this comes the same day as the most recent 'sovereign citizen' outrage -- also involving guns and, this time, fatalities. (Sadly, as with most similar sovcit incidents, two of the dead were law enforcement officials -- sheriff's deputies in this case.)
I wonder whose rhetoric the elegant Mr. Perkins will see as the cause of this 'isolated incident.'
Just out of curiosity what did "Mr. Perkins" have to say (if anything) about the Sikh Temple shooting?
Based on this despicable human beings reasoning he and his zealot friends would be responsible for the Sikh Temple shooting, because of the intolerance, hate and bigotry these self proclaimed Paragons of Virtue preach they incite hatred and violence.
There should be more discussion about public figures like Michele Bachman, Glenn Beck, Tony Perkins and others who induce radicals into action by their extreme speech.
I guess I'm just venting, hoping the main stream media would educate the ignorant masses. It's probably a lost cause.
Are you trying to imply there is logic and/or reason at work in the FRC organization?
Seriously?
Remember we are dealing with people who operate from a foundation Faith not Reason. Even if the top operatives are simply con men, remember that anyone who is continually surrounded by a continuous barrage of anti-reasoning propaganda will be infected by it. If you doubt that, look to the current GOP for an perfect example of becoming overwhelmed by your own propaganda.
The biggest mistake that reasonable people make is assuming that others are also operating from a basis of reason.
"...praying for Republican Paul Ryan to change his policies as they relate to the poor."
i'm sure that will have a lot of effect.
Yes, if the good friars could come up with $10 million in campaign contributions, maybe they'd get a seat at the table...
More like thirty pieces of silver.
Ryan is in a tough spot in regards to the RC church. On the one hand, he is more or less in line with their official stance of social issues (contraception, abortion, LGBT rights, etc) but is wildly out of step on social justice issues. I'm not sure yet whether the church hierarchy will overall be happier with the prospect of Ryan becoming VP because of his 'culture war' stances, or unhappier because of his policy proposals related to social justice. Which will the clergy find more important to them? Possibly social justice, although the only reason I have for thinking that is social justice is so deeply rooted in Christianity, while social issues such as contraception are a more recent vintage.
Depends on whom. The RC church's disapproval of Ryan's positions on social justice matters won't shift Ryan any, I'm sure; but that disapproval may impact the laity's perception of Ryan's acceptability. The RC's teachings on social justice are something that both Catholic conservatives and progressives agree on.
Democrats completely bypassed middle ground by drafting in the Republican slipstream to the extreme right to be merely closer to the political center than Reps but still far away. In effect, the Dems have been following the Republican lead for 40 years and only fight now because their backs are against the wall, the only thing that stiffens any spine they might have. Unless Dems get replaced with honest Progressives in the primaries, we're stuck with the same gang.
I don't like the anger, hate and fear that revolves around this election cycle. Seems that all this emotional rhetoric flying in every direction seems to be triggering psychos left and right. Guys (so far) that ordinarily might be able to 'keep it together' are going over the edge due to their own fantasies being fed until they snap and go 'shooting'.
Maybe both sides need to walk-back the hate and anger... if it's not already too late..
Just an observation...
When I catch my republican friend lying to me, his response is to say "both sides lie". Which is a not so convoluted way of calling me a liar... So now Bologmney has put out a commercial calling Obama shameful and dishonest... The Repukes are picking the issues with these commercials.
I can't see how Twitt won't find a way to back out of the debates, if for no more of a reason than "he will be attacked",, in a "shameful and dishonest" way... Certainly, now the 700+ billion Obama "stole" from medicare will be a debate item,,, and even with a one minute reponse time, Obama will shred Twitt for all the moderates, independents, and even the media will see... Unfortunately the polls are showing that almost half the country are bigots.
ugly stuff:
a 12 year old sex abuse victim spotted running down the street in his underwear near midnight results in a parish priest being arrested in woodburn oregon
http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2012/08/police_woodburn_priest_chased.html
related to steve's second item
paul ryan's former parish priest doesn't believe his austerity budget mirrors catholic teaching
http://www.prwatch.org/node/11707
No problem! Ryan will just "lecture" the Catholic Church again and tell them that he knows more than they do about Catholic "social doctrine":
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/26/paul-ryan-defends-budgets_n_1456382.html
Based on this part of his statement, he should leave the personhood bill at home and accept Roe v Wade and contraception because Catholics such as Ryan do not have a monoply on the social teaching of the church and that there can be differences among faithful Catholics on this.
'class' has about as much to do with perkins and his ilk as revealed religion. other than a means to an end, it affects them like the weather in timbuctu. the hell he claims to believe in will freeze over before he considers integrity a factor.
When there is a mass shooting by some right-wing loony, Perkins and his conservative buddies are the first ones to tell everyone to "go slow" about drawing the obvious line between inflamed far right rhetoric and mass murder.
They want us to wait about a decade before connecting those obvious dots. And, heaven forbid, we're not to even bridge the subject of gun control. Oh, no no no, Perkins and his comrades say, wagging their moralistic fingers at us.
Again, we have one set of rules for those on the right, another set for those on the left.
thank you. I was wondering if anyone would remark on this. When a right wing nimrod shoots up a movie theatre it is the act of a 'lone gunman'. When a left wing moron shoots up Tony Perkin's cult it is a concentrated act of the entire LEFT, especially the OBAMA ADMINISTRATION. Tony Perkins is NOT a man of god. He is nothing better than Ralph Reed and the other evangelical con men that play the religious.
This is my best response to gun rights v. gun control: You can have all the single shot flintlocks you want. That was the original intent of the Founding Fathers. That was the weaponry of the day. So you have the right to keep and bear all of those types of weapons you want. Everything else, we need to regulate!
I explain to folks that I don't mind if they own a firearm; just as long as they're willing to spend a month every summer and a weekend out of every month in volunteering for training and service to establish themselves as a member in good standing of a well-ordered militia.
I seriously doubt that anyone not on the religious far right gave their "condolences" as a matter of anything but pro forma. Had it been Mr. Perkins himself being wheeled out to the coronoer's wagon in a body bag, I doubt one could have found a bottle of champagne in Washington that night, as everyone celebrated Tony's discovery that god doesn't like haters, but satan does.
Little Tony the neo-Nazi who bought David Duke's mailing list "for my christmas cards" is the perfect example of what Oscar Wilde meant when he said "some people spread joy wherever they go, some whenever they go."
As for me, I'm not interested in wallowing in hypocrisy. My only complaint is the guy shot the wrong one.
This guy is a horse's uncle to the extreme. This has nothing to do with God and has nothing to do with the Obama Administration. They should be ashamed of themselves. Mainstream Christianity has lost their mind.
I have heard one progressive organization after another condemn this senseless violence, as we should. I have yet to hear any right wing leader or organization condemn the right wing nuts, who are the usual perps. Their message is usually along the lines of, this is just a crazy person; it has nothing to do with our hateful vitriol; and guns need to stay legal.
You might not have to be crazy to be a zealot but the two do seem joined at the hip.
Why, Tony wouldn't even hurt a fly.
Only if Tony gets to define what a "fly" is.
He is a real psycho.
"Mother! Oh God, mother! Blood! Blood!"
That would explain a lot...
;-)
just a quick note...today is the final day of ramadan
tomorrow is the first day of eid al-fitr, the muslim holiday that marks the end of the month of fasting
Now if Companies are people, and Romney's Bain Capital kills a company, then doesn't that make Bain Capital a murderer?
We have the best Oligarchy the Koch brothers can buy.
This is the part of that ridiculous notion that intrigues me. Those on the right are so quick to endow corporations with the entire range of human rights, such as free speech (as if the people actually working there don't have it) and the ability to make campaign donations. Well, especially the latter.
I'll believe that corporations are really "people" when we throw one in prison or execute one. After all, those are things folks on the right love to do to real people.
Damn! I need to incorporate myself as a "business"!
All my medical bills - needed to maintain the "business" therefore a business expense.
All the food I eat and the clothes I wear - needed to maintain the "business" therefore a business expense.
My car - needed for the "business"; therefore its a "company" car and a business expense.
My house - "business headquarters" therefore a "business" expense!
I'm betting I could pay as little in taxes as GE!!!
When Tony Perkins says anything, I think it's ok if MSNBC commentators, pundits, hosts show his picture, repeat his full quote, and report anything he says or does that is either positively or negatively newsworthy. But, MSNBC should not ever have this man live on any of their programs. He does not need to be given another forum where he can spew his brand of hate for any of God's children.
I guess it's a symptom of our polarized day, but I can no longer find a way to contact writers directly (never mind a bio!). I'm an American politics professor who wanted to help Mr. Beren out on a couple of postings he made recently. Coincidentally, I've worked with the SPLC before as well ... now, back to the shouting.
try his twitter feed, mr "capra" @stevebenen
ps
brief bio here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Benen
It may not be a direct route to any specific writer, but under the heading "Contact Us" on the web page:
Could be worth a try...
;-)
The Daily Kos caught the shift in Ann Romney's claim about donations
On July 19, 2012 (ABC Robin Roberts) she claimed 10% to the "church", no specifics about which church.
On August 17 (NBC Rock Center) she claimed 10% to charity.
I think this, apparently rehearsed, shift needs to be explored. Lots of questions to ask about it. See the comments at http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/17/1121107/-What-Charity-Would-That-Be-Mrs-Romney
I am TOTALLY confused. Whenever the Romney's are asked about their taxes, they always bring up their charitable donations. WHAT IN THE HELL does "charitable contributions", no matter where or to whom they are given, have anything to do with paying taxes?
I've been doing my taxes all my life and as far as I can see, claiming a charitable contribution is voluntary and only lessens your tax burden, it isn't the same as PAYING taxes. WHY haven't any of the many reporters who have "interviewed" the Romneys ever made that point???
It seems to me that every time they do this, it gets the reporters off the tax issue. I am really wondering if this isn't some sort of code to the reporters that if they keep going down the "tax" path after being warned by the "charity" term that maybe they will be "punished"?
I can't believe that reporters today are really that stupid that they would be so easily distracted by something so lame as "I also give 10% to charity" and therefore you shouldn't ask any more tax questions!
I think it may have to do with the LDS using the tithe to support their community pantries and loans their church makes to congregation members. From what little coherency I can gather from a friend's convoluted explanation; their (she's LDS) way is much better than taxes paying for food stamps and welfare. She also keeps telling me that it'll all be clear after mittens is elected President.
(yeah..she's an idiot)
Do you recall how whenever rich guys like Warren Buffett say that they should be paying a higher rate than they are, that wingers sneeringly 'suggest' that they make a donation to the federal government instead? Maybe they believe (as a matter of politecal convenience) that charity and taxation are moral equivalents.
p>The Daily Kos caught the shift in Ann Romney's claim about donations</p>
<p>On July 19, 2012 (ABC Robin Roberts) she claimed 10% to the "church", no specifics about which church.<br />On August 17 (NBC Rock Center) she claimed 10% to charity. <br />I think this, apparently rehearsed, shift needs to be explored. Lots of questions to ask about it. See the comments at http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/17/1121107/-What-Charity-Would-That-Be-Mrs-Romney</p>
1. Here is the working link - the "</p>" hypertext messed it up.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/17/1121107/-What-Charity-Would-That-Be-Mrs-Romney
2. Romney's actually have their own "charity" -Tyler Charitable Foundation
http://www.forbes.com/sites/edwindurgy/2012/05/17/an-inside-look-at-the-millions-mitt-romney-has-given-away/
Just a thought - I doubt if Romney has broken any laws - he has the best lawyers and accountants - there could however be others - perhaps past investors - who are not fully aware of how much money he has actually made in some of his business dealings. Some of them might not be nice people.
Not to be taken too seriously since I also have this theory about the Kennedy assassinations, Marilyn Monroe's death and Aristotle Onassis ...
Those "guys" just hate it when their methods are adopted and used by others.
They are the original "haters" and spewers of "restrictions" on freedoms.