In 2005 Reverend Rick Warren gave a speech to a stadium full of his followers where he describes his vision for the future:

“What is the the vision for the next 25 years? I’ll tell you what it is. It is the global expansion of the kingdom of God. It is the total mobilization of the church. And the third part is the dream of a radical devotion of every believer.”

Warren later goes on to compare this “radical devotion” to the that of the Hitler youth, and the followers of Lenin and Mao, and what they were almost able to accomplish. Warren then urges his followers to adopt a “what ever it takes” approach because only radicals “change the world.”

Listen to the clip below…

How does he want change the world? Create a global theocracy? Sounds suspiciously like Muslim fundamentalism (surprise). Scary stuff.

Some conservative/religious critics have expressed concern that the inauguration is turning “gay”, thanks to a gay marching band, a gay bishop, and all the immoral and decadent social functions that will be happening in and around Washington D.C. as Obama is sworn in as President.

As reported on the ever venerable Fox News (tongue planted firmly in cheek):

Jennifer Giroux, founder and president of Women Influencing the Nation, a group that focuses on restoring traditional family values, said, “I think (the) inauguration should be kept away from that. Christians may love the individual, but they are offended by the gay lifestyle. It’s unhealthy — spiritually, emotionally and physically.

“It’s not a day where a group that feels like it has some payback coming should be putting its decadent lifestyle on display.”

and

Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans For Truth About Homosexuality, an organization that describes itself as “devoted exclusively to exposing and countering the homosexual activist agenda,” is worried less about what happens in public and more about what may go on behind closed doors.

“I think most Americans would be put off if they knew what went on at these parties,” LaBarbera said. “Every special interest group has a ball of some sort, but this is not just any special interest group. More than half the country considers their behavior immoral.”

and finally

“For all their cries of inclusion and openness, there are few groups out there more intolerant and hateful than the gay community.”

James T. Harris, a Christian conservative radio host who famously told John McCain to “go after” Barack Obama at a rally in Wisconsin, said he thinks the inauguration will provide a chance for conservatives to showcase their tolerance.

“The gayer inauguration, the better,” Harris said. “I hope that all of San Francisco turns out, and turns the inauguration into a gay pride festival. Then liberals can see how open and tolerant conservatives are.

“Let America see liberalism in all of its self-absorbed lunacy. Then maybe America will only have to tolerate four years of the madness.”

Not a surprise really. These folks will never be happy and will never accept us under any circumstances. Any “to know us is to love us” effort will be lost on them and frankly isn’t worth the time. I so look forward to the day when they and their ilk are marginalized, and their cries of victimhood fall on deaf ears. They will finally have a taste of what’s been like for the gay community for so many years.

View original Fox News article

The fine folks behind Proposition 8 have filed a brief today asking the California Supreme Court to nullify the estimated 18,000 same-sex marriages that took place before the ban went into affect on November 5.

“Proposition 8’s brevity is matched by its clarity. There are no conditional clauses, exceptions, exemptions or exclusions,” reads the brief co-written by Pepperdine University law school dean Kenneth Starr, the former independent counsel who investigated President Bill Clinton.

Proposition 8’s supporters assert that the Supreme Court lacks the authority or historical precedent to throw out the amendment.

“For this court to rule otherwise would be to tear asunder a lavish body of jurisprudence,” the court papers state. “That body of decisional law commands judges — as servants of the people — to bow to the will of those whom they serve — even if the substantive result of what people have wrought in constitution-amending is deemed unenlightened.”

Attorney General Jerry Brown, will also submit a counter brief maintaining the gay marriage ban cannot be applied retroactively.

Complete story here…

First Rick Warren and now this. What a merry fucking Christmas this is.

While I’ve never been a huge fan of the Human Rights Campaign, they’ve laid all their cards out on the table for this op-ed by its president Joe Solomnese, and I applaud them for it. Excerpts below:

It is difficult to comprehend how our president-elect, who has been so spot on in nearly every political move and gesture, could fail to grasp the symbolism of inviting an anti-gay theologian to deliver his inaugural invocation. And the Obama campaign’s response to the anger about this decision? Hey, we’re also bringing a gay marching band. You know how the gays love a parade.

…inviting Warren to set the tone at the dawn of this new presidency sends a chilling message to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. It makes us uncertain about this exciting, young president-elect who has said repeatedly that we are part of his America, too.

We understand that the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, a civil rights icon and a dear friend of LGBT Americans, will close the inauguration ceremony. But would any inaugural committee say to Jewish Americans, “We’re opening with an anti-Semite but closing the program with a rabbi, so don’t worry”?

…What the Obama team needs to understand is that for many LGBT Americans, this November was bittersweet. We were thrilled with Obama’s victory and, in fact, many of us worked the phones, pounded the pavement and wrote checks to make that happen. But the next day, we learned that Proposition 8 passed in California, and our hearts sank. It was the biggest loss our community has faced in decades.

One of the biggest reasons for that hurtful outcome was the Rev. Rick Warren, who publicly endorsed Proposition 8 in late October. He told his parishioners and reporters alike that “any pastor could be considered doing hate speech if he shared his views that he didn’t think homosexuality was the most natural way for relationships.” But civil marriage rights for same-sex couples had nothing whatsoever to do with religion.

More recently, he even compared same-sex marriage to incest, pedophilia and polygamy. He may cloak himself in media-friendly happy talk that plays well on television, but he stands steadfastly against any measure of equality for LGBT Americans.

…So, are we angry about Rick Warren? You bet we are. And including a gay marching band in the inaugural festivities doesn’t heal this wound. It only serves to make us question the promises that Barack Obama made in his historic quest to be president. We pray we weren’t misled.

The piece runs tomorrow in the Washington Post and is available in online here.