Thursday, February 11, 2010

World Net Daily using Kevin Jennings to attack student anti-discrimination bill

We haven't heard anything from the right about Obama appointee Kevin Jennings since their pathetic attempts to get him removed last year.

But according to Media Matters, World Net Daily is making up for that silence:

A homosexual congressman from Colorado has proposed a law critics say would give controversial federal school safety czar Kevin Jennings - a longtime homosexual-rights advocate - almost unlimited authority to mandate indoctrination in public schools at taxpayer expense.

"It doesn't get much more fascist than this! It's a sexual revolutionary's dream," wrote Linda Harvey of Mission America.

Under the legislation by Democrat Rep. Jared Polis, Jennings "can create pro-homosexual programs and policies to their hearts' delight," Harvey wrote.

Jennings founded the "Gay, Lesbian Straight Education Network" and now heads the office of "Safe and Drug Free Schools" at the Department of Education.

Polis' proposal would provide special protections for students who claim they are discriminated against because of their "perceived sexual orientation." The bill would call down the wrath of the federal government on offenders by classifying "actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity" alongside race, color, sex, disability or national origin as factors on which protections are based.

The irony of Harvey's statement accusing Jennings of having a hand in this bill is that she later contradicts herself in the same article:

"While I have no hard evidence, it's got Kevin Jennings' fingerprints all over it," Harvey said. "His safe and drug free schools plan can take full advantage by creating new rules schools would have to follow."

America is such a great country in our freedoms but Harvey being quoted about this bill is proof of the fact that freedom of speech must come with a little discernment. Not everyone who voices an opinion about an issue has the facts.

Or in this case, will let the facts stand in the way of a good lie.

Remember, Harvey has no expertise in anything but rumor mongering. She is a former ad executive who "found the Lord."  She also believes that anyone who supports lgbt rights in any form shouldn't be around children because they will cause those children to be molested. In other words, Harvey is clueless. She doesn't what the hell she is talking about.

Media Matters gives accurate clarifications about the bill:

Jennings not referenced in bill. The bill at issue, the Student Nondiscrimination Act of 2010, does not specifically reference Jennings, his position, Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools, or his office, the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools.

Bill does not "mandate indoctrination." The bill does not "mandate indoctrination" in public schools, but rather bans discrimination based on "actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity" in public schools, and defines "harassment" on those bases as discrimination

Bill does not grant anyone "almost unlimited authority." The bill directs federal departments that provide funding to public schools to promulgate rules allowing for the termination of that funding if that school fails to take action to prevent discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Those rules are subject to approval by the president.


Bill is has a Republican co-sponsor. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) is listed as an original co-sponsor of the bill.

However, we know how the oppositions works - pour on innuendo and outrage and while omitting the facts. I'm pretty sure we will hear more lies about this bill.

My guess is that we can expect another series of phony exposes from Big Government and more ugly attacks on Jennings and Polis from right-wing sites and blogs.

And who could potentially suffer from this? Lgbt students. Again they will done the most harm by those (i.e. Linda Harvey, World Net Daily) who claim to have their best interest at heart.

Editor's note - the Media Matters piece has more information on Harvey's anti-gay history. Read it with a strong stomach.



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Religious right distortion explosion!

There seems to be an explosion of religious right inaccuracies taking place today. You think they are geting desperate?

No, the SF study did NOT illustrate that half of gay marriages are “open” - A classic example of how the religious right distorts a news article to make the case against the lgbt community.

The far right's mono-game: Deny gays of monogamy, enshrine them as a monolith - Another view of how the religious right distorted the news article on lgbt monogamy.

Religious groups want gay judge removed from Prop-8 trial - They know they are probably going to lose this case so they jump on what seems to be a weakness. However they don't offer any proof of wrongdoing by the judge. They simply say that because he is gay, he can't be impartial. However, the judge's past rulings prove them wrong.

'Sleight of hand' measure favors homosexuals - It's a One News Now article but we all need a little fiber in our diets. Plus many commentators are skewering Matt Barber. Barber being called out on his lies is ALWAYS a nice thing to watch.

Does Matt Barber Speak For Liberty Counsel? - And speaking of Barber, is there some friction between him and the Liberty Counsel over statements he makes?

S.F. school board OKs new gay support program - how about a bit of good news to counter all of the nonsense.





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Masturbation, Gary Glenn, and other Thursday musings

For those interested, Gary Glenn's silly war on this blog continues.

You will remember that earlier this week, Glenn (of the American Family Association of Michigan) voiced the opinion that "homosexual behavior" should be criminalized. When I wrote a post criticizing this opinion, he wrote back spouting nonsense and studies taken out of context, which I refuted.

Now one would think that it's over but think again because Glenn keeps coming back spouting the SAME distortions (you read that right) on the comments page of that post. Apparently instead of winning the argument on the basis of facts, he is trying to tire me out.

It's highly entertaining. But for those who want something more entertaining, enjoy this very short clip from Michelle Turner, a woman who started Citizens for Responsible Curriculum. CRC was a group which started a huge controversy in Montgomery County in Maryland in 2004 when it objected to sex education classes.

From the webpage of the group Teachthefacts.org (which was founded to combat this group):

The most intense criticisms were about the sexual orientation part, with the arguments consisting mainly of a laundry-list of complaints about the stereotype of the gay man. One court document argued that if the schools taught about various orientations students will become gay, catch AIDS, and come back to sue the school district. Costing the taxpayers millions, see? That's why we shouldn't teach the facts. The two groups that filed lawsuits, over and over again, were the Citizens for a Responsible Whatever and PFOX. PFOX is not a friend of the school district, and PFOX is not a friend of any gay person. PFOX's premise is that being gay is bad, and their recommendation is that gay people should just quit it and turn straight.

It was a hard fight, and in the end our side won a decent curriculum but the other side intimidated the school district and kept important information out under the threat of more lawsuits. Some school board members made firm statements about the new curriculum, and in the end all of them except one predictable member voted in favor of it.

But Turner and CRC from time to time still persists, like this clip from the Daily Show demonstrates.
Turner doesn't particularly care for letting folks know that masturbation is pleasurable:


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