Aug 31
2007
Kevin| Category: Uncategorized |
DL Foster, the mind of The Gay Christian Movement Watch, accused a person (Bishop “Dr.” Wyatt) of having a fraudulent academic background. I am not going to comment on what he said, since I’m not really interested in that. But it did make me wonder about Reverend Foster’s own credentials. In his Witness for the World website, he lists them:
After graduating from Marlin (TX) High School in 1980, he attended McClennan Community College…He also furthered his education at the University of Maryland and Liberty University. Pastor Foster is currently pursuing a B.Th. at Atlanta Bible College.
Unlike Foster, I would never call up a university to ask about who went there and who didn’t. Any school that gives out personal information like that should be sued because of privacy concerns. But I can look up various places, especially the Atlanta Bible College, where he is getting his Bachelors in Theology. The website for this Bible College lists that it is accredited:
Atlanta Bible College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission International (ACI), 505 North Apple Street, Beebe, AR 72012. ABC received full accreditation and membership in the Commission in 1998. The ACI is an international accrediting commission which holds as its primary objective the encouragement and maintenance of sound scholarship and the highest academic achievement in the areas of private Christian education. It is a non-governmental body.
The Accrediting Commission International has a very interesting history. In 1982 there was a similarly named group called the International Accrediting Commission (IAC). They gave accreditation to schools that could not get accredited. By 1989 they had given out more that 130 accreditation certificates to these schools. But, it was shut down when a sting operation found that the ACI gave accreditation to a fake school. The IAC came in to a fake office, looked around, took a check from this fake school and gave it its full accreditation seal of approval. The IAC was forced to shut down and soon after it was taken over my a man named Sheer. He moved it to Arkansas and renamed it the Accrediting Commission International (the same group that has accredited DL Foster’s program). It accepted all of the schools that were ‘accredited’ by the International Accrediting Commission. On its website it specifically states that it is not a governmental organization and that it works primarily with religious schools “that [do] not fit into the programs of other accrediting agencies.” Why wouldn’t a school that offers bachelor’s degrees not fit into a normal accreditation program? It sounds a bit fishy to me. They also give their seal of accreditation to overseas schools (which is something that Foster bitterly complains about with Wyatt’s grad degrees from St. Regis University):
We appeal to foreign schools who offer business programs, as long as they meet the laws in the country of residence and the guidlines of the Accrediting Commission International.
(more…)
Aug 30
2007
Punted| Category: Uncategorized |
Hi folks, welcome to another belated this and that. What a line-up we have for you!
Dominating the news and the Internets this week: Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID)
After being reported on back in October by BlogActive almost a year later he’s caught rosy palmed red handed. He’s such a “Naughty boy!”
Giving us the Freudian slip he declares his innocence that he’s clearly not gay.
When discussing the comparisons to the Clenis we learn that Dancing with the Stars loser, Tucker Carlson needs backup. Tucker, you got some ’splaining to do! Thanks D.P. 
!
Pam shows us what Craig should have said.
Double-Standards (R) Us: (R)epublicans demand resignation.
Should this be viewed as entrapment or as a sign of what happens to deeply closeted people?
And finally desperate pleading from a desperate man.
Aug 14
2007
Kevin| Category: Uncategorized |
For a while now Peter LaBarbera has tried to appear as a minister wanna-be and has tried to make his hatesite appear to be related to Christianity (www.americansfortruth.com). The other day Peter looked way back to a writing by a man named Albert Barnes. Mr. Barnes died in 1870 and in 1832 he wrote something called Notes on the Gospels. So Peter LaBarbera is relying on a Biblical commentary that was written over 170 years ago. LaBarbera writes of Mr. Barnes:
Below we look at the writings of Albert Barnes (1798-1870), a popular Presbyterian minister and Bible commentator who crusaded against slavery and lived to see it outlawed in the United States. Over a million volumes of Barnes’ commentaries on New Testament books were sold by 1870.
He took his information from Wikipedia. But what LaBarbera doesn’t tell you is that in the same Wikipedia article Barnes was tried but not convicted of heresy:
He held a prominent place in the New School branch of the Presbyterians, to which he adhered on the division of the denomination in 1837; he had been tried (but not convicted) for heresy in 1836, the charge being particularly against the views expressed by him in Notes on Romans (1835) of the imputation of the sin of Adam, original sin and the atonement; the bitterness stirred up by this trial contributed towards widening the breach between the conservative and the progressive elements in the church. He was an eloquent preacher, but his reputation rests chiefly on his expository works, which are said to have had a larger circulation both in Europe and America than any others of their class.
Being tried for heresy is a pretty serious charge and notice that LaBarbera left that fact out of his glowing description of Mr. Barnes. What he also left out from his description is this little tidbit (I have done the bolding and underlining):
Of the well-known Notes on the New Testament, it is said that more than a million volumes had been issued by 1870. The Notes on Job, the Psalms, Isaiah and Daniel found scarcely less acceptance. Displaying no original critical power, their chief merit lies in the fact that they bring in a popular (but not always accurate) form the results of the criticism of others within the reach of general readers.
I am not surprised that someone like LaBarbera would ignore the fact that there was no ‘original critical’ thinking in the writings of Albert Barnes, nor the fact that Barnes was not always accurate. It was written for Sunday school teachers–not those who study the bible (not that there is anything wrong with Sunday school teachers–my argument here is that this is not an academic book written by a biblical scholar to be used by biblical scholars). Hmm. I guess Peter LaBarbera isn’t interested in telling the whole truth (I, for one, am not surprised).
Peter LaBarbera also asks:
Ask yourself: what is the justification for discarding the historic Christian view laid out by Barnes against what the King James Bible calls the “vile affection” of sodomy?
Well, if he had bothered to think about the rest of the Wikipedia article he had quoted, he could have answered this himself. What Barnes wrote in 1832 was simplistic and in some cases, wrong. Who would want to put their trust in something like that?
I’m not going to waste time time more on dealing with what Barnes had to write. No serious student of the Bible would want to use a commentary that was written over 170 years ago.
Aug 10
2007
Punted| Category: 2008 Elections, Barack Obama, DADT, Debate, Don't Ask, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Don't Tell, ENDA, HRC, Hate Crime Laws, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Pam's House Blend |
The Forum last night wasn’t exactly a huge success. While it was the first of its kind addressing solely the issues that affect the LGBT community the candidates were mostly able to wriggle out of answering a lot of questions that pertained to our equality.
The candidates went in the order that they responded to the invite which shows Hillary responded last while Obama responded first. it looked a lot like the set of Oprah the way seats were laid out and the audience, clearly hand-picked for their notability/recognizability in the queer community looked decidedly uncomfortable.
The order in which I write about the candidates is basically the order at whcih I pull them out of memory.
Edwards did not move positions. Once he realized that it sounded like his position had changed he backtracked immediately with the comment “My positions haven’t changed.” Edwards seems to be as he stated “evolving” but purposely saying, “Oh yeah, I wanna support you, but can’t ‘cuz I won’t get the votes. But my wife supports you, can’t you just take that?”
Kucinich and Gravel, we knew would be in our court. Gravel sounded less crazy than Kucinich, and at the same time actually discussed a lot more than the front runners.
Hillary, even when pressed by the question of “state’s rights” (my submitted question I might add) couldn’t bring herself to answer the question directly. Of the candidates so far I’m still for Kucinich and Gravel for their unaplogetic stances on anything, but that’s a different story. She even at one point said and I’m paraphrasing ‘Even if I went through the things that you all went through for the last 15 years my positions would not be any different.’ If that’s not a kick in the teeth I don’t know what is. When pressed about why she hasn’t introduced legislation in the Senate as a companion bill to the House’s Military Readiness Enchancement Act (MREA), she merely went on about
Bill Richardson lost A LOT of points when he melted down on Melissa’s and Joe’s questions. When asked whether or not he thought homosexuality was a choice his first response was “Yes, it’s a choice.” After three attempts at giving him the chance to answer the question in a different manner he maintained. He only changed his response to that after the forum when pressed about it by blogger Pam Spaulding. The question he was posed by Joe Solmonese which remains unanswered was “If presented with a bill for equal marriage, would you sign it?” His response: “I’ve done everything I can to push for ‘Domestic Partnerships.’” Three times he was asked this as well, twice in the forum and again, by Pam. Simply, he wants us to go on his record. My response to that is that while one’s record is clearly important what you say and what you do know is very important to the survival of your comapaign.
Obama did fairly well however still when pressed about the hard issues couldn’t break from his personal stance. At one point he even, and unfortunatley not many caught it, prioritized us and homophobia as last among all other things that need to be addressed in the black community.
None (other than Edwards briefly) actually seemed to be able to identify with our community and our struggles. Most candidates touched on AIDS and Healthcare and what they’ve done. But clear to me was the bottom line, we’re just not important enough for any of the top tier candidates.
We have a right and a responsibility to demand what’s right form our candidates. We still have a long road ahead of us to get to the 2008 elections and we need to keep pressing these issues to get the answers that we deserve. Human equality is not something that should be “left to the states.” Human dignity is not a votable issue. No more 85% citizenship simply because of who we love or who we’re attracted to. No more getting fired from jobs because our boss just happens to be bigoted against gay people. Whether or not your Creator is God, Jehova, Allah, Zeus, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or none of the above, we all are guaranteed equal legal status by our constitution and our government and it’s time that we stand up and unite to demand it.
Aug 09
2007
Punted| Category: Uncategorized |
Hi folks. After a very long hiatus from blog writing, (finding and starting a new job, renovations, and trying to get some other things in order) I have returned to the blogosphere. With that I’m going to start a Thursday This and That Open thread.
Tonight is the HRC/Logo Presidential Forum where the Candidates (Democratic) will be asked, hopefully, the tough questions about their support for LGBT issues. Pam will be live blogging the event from LA.
Scientists in Europe have confused male moths into breeding with other male moths to control the moth population. Sound like the “Gay Bomb?”
Arlington County, VA (my backyard) schools have reached a settlement with national “ex-gay” group PFOX to distribute literature countering the student-created GSA orgs. The literature promotes the controversial idea that “change is possible.”
Our internal minorities are being left out. Show them some support!
A soldier is being discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” because of perceived orientation fueled by General Pace’s reprehensible comments.
This week’s “LaBarbera Award Winner:” Alan Stang with a foreword by Paul Cameron:(check out the graphic by me)
Not Holier is not a squeamish dance around the issue. It exposes the homosexual ring in the Reagan and both Bush White Houses. It names names and tells who is in bed with whom: “If Clinton is our first ‘black’ President, Ronald Reagan is our first ‘homosexual’ President. . . . For the record, Bush strategist Karl Rove’s late father, Louis Rove, was a homosexual, which could be the reason Karl’s mother committed suicide.” [Ellipses in the original.
“The Daily Show” has some other explanations for Rep. Bob Allen’s (R-Hypocrite) recent indescretions.
Young Republicans add to the growing list of Republican perverted sex scandals.
Aug 07
2007
Kevin| Category: Uncategorized |
I read something today in 365gay.com that just made me sick, and furious. Two men had been together for 25 years and live in Indiana. One of them had a stroke while in Atlanta. When the other partner arrived at the hospital, the sick man’s parents had told the hospital to bar him. The parents ended up stealing this 47 year old son, who had lived with his partner longer than he had ever lived with the people who are referred to as his parents. He is now at their house and these ’parents’ have blocked all contact with his partner. The reason is clear–the mother thinks that homosexuality is a sin and apparently she has decided to become Jesus and save her son. A court has said that he could visit, but that his care must remain in the hands of the people who stole him. Indiana passed a law that does not allow any legal rights for gays and lesbians.
I have to say that if this ever happened to me (and it never would knowing our two families) I would resort to violence. There is no way I would allow anyone, ever, to take Doug from me if he were incapacitated. I could care less what a law that was passed by a bunch of religious bigots had to say. This is religious persecution at some of its worst. The law allows someone’s religious preferences (which is exactly what this is) to come in to a 25 year relationship and take control of this family. Religion has done this and it is time to start saying that this is religious persecution.
This is a good reason for every single gay and lesbian to go out and get a will, a power of attorney and everything else legally possible until we get equal rights. Don’t wait until it is too late. Think about what you can lose if you don’t do this. No one can tell me that those horrible parents are doing what is best for their son. I would bet that their son knows what is going on and he absolutely hates them for it. I couldn’t imagine being separated from Doug like that. I would rather die. Court or parents, nothing could keep me away from him. Absolutely nothing.
Aug 03
2007
Kevin| Category: Uncategorized |
So many anti-gay activists have jumped on the bandwagon stating that their free speech will be stifled if the Hate Crime legislation goes through. This is a giant lie and anyone who believes it should really take a good look at themselves. At the very least, they should read the legislation. I still don’t see KKK members being rounded up and put in jail because of their racist speech, even though race has been on the hate crime legislation for decades. That is why no Christian will be rounded up and put in jail because of their anti-gay religious speech. It just won’t happen.
Singapore shows us the dangers of letting these anti-gay people take control of the issues and take control of governmental policy. 365gay.com reports on this today. The government has refused to allow a book reading of an author AND stopped a LGBT human rights forum to happen. The forum is called “”Sexual Orientation in International Law: The Case of Asia.” It was deemed ‘contrary to public interest.” (It is really contrary to the government policy of persecuting gays and lesbians)
The police also closed down a photo exhibit because it showed gay men and women kissing. The people kissing were fully clothed. The article ends with this note:
“Last year Singapore announced plans to decriminalize oral and anal sex for adult heterosexuals but sex between homosexuals would remain banned.”
Why is it banned? This is religious persecution, plain and simple. When these anti-gay activists who are working so hard here in the U.S. to prevent gays and lesbians from getting married, remember what is happening in Singapore. Or who are working so hard to prevent gays and lesbians from adopting. Or who are making sure that gays and lesbians can be fired from their jobs, or tossed out of cafes, or tossed out of hotels and apartments just for being gay, think of what is happening in Singapore and here in the U.S. as well. We cannot allow our society to be taken over by a bunch of religious fundamentalists who would take their religious beliefs and make them the law of the land. That is religious persecution. This has already begun, but we must try and stop it. People can have their religious beliefs, but when they are forced down the throat of every single American by law, then that is where we must put our foot down.
