Monday, June 13, 2016

Family Research Council wants to ignore culpability in Orlando tragedy

The phrase which best describes the Family Research Council's comments on that awful attack in Orlando is "nauseating chutzpah."

In today's Washington Update, FRC makes sure to blame "radical Islam" for the attack:

It's happened again: American blood spilled on American soil by a radical Islamic gunman in what is the deadliest terrorist attack since 9/11.
The victims, shot down at an Orlando nightclub, were apparently targeted because of their sexual identity. Regardless of our country's profound differences on policies, lifestyles, religious beliefs, or anything else, we must make clear that no American -- not one -- should fear being attacked by a terrorist for any reason. Unfortunately, the attacks on U.S. soil have only grown in this administration's refusal to call them what they are -- Islamic terrorism. The gunman, a homegrown extremist who reportedly pledged his allegiance to ISIS before his bloody rampage, left little doubt about his motivation -- a motivation the president still refuses to confront. Almost eight years into his now fatal agenda of political correctness, President Obama couldn't even bring himself to say the words "radical Islam" in the speech following the attack. It was a stunning omission, one that left viewers' mouths ajar. Donald Trump, who is both revered and reviled for his tough talk on Muslims, argued the president should resign in disgrace. "People cannot... believe that President Obama is acting the way he acts and can't even mention the words 'radical Islamic terrorism.' There's something going on. It's inconceivable. There's something going on."

According to President Obama, there is no evidence that this awful man (whose name I refuse to address) was directed by a larger terrorist network. If anything, it looks like he was a "lone wolf" who was influenced by material over the internet.

But that's not the point of this post. The point is that days before the tragedy, FRC's Washington Update was  attacking Target for its trans-inclusive policy:

Target's slogan is "Expect more." And when it comes to safety, customers do. That's why Americans are so upset with the company's outrageous April policy that threw open the changing room and bathroom doors to anyone of either sex. Almost immediately, angry calls started streaming in to stores, eventually ballooning into a nationwide protest of more than 1.3 million people. If other CEOs were considering similar changes, they saw the heat Target was taking and backed off. Now, almost two months into their transgender free-for-all, the outcry shows no signs of dying down. At yesterday's Target shareholders meeting in Costa Mesa, protestors filled the streets outside with signs to boycott the store. "We're not afraid of transgender people," one of the demonstrators explained. "I've got nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, and I'm worried that perverts will pretend to be women so they can get into women's restrooms." 

Of course there has been no proof that Target's trans-inclusive policy has opened the door to men attacking little girls in the ladies room, but FRC won't talk about that. Nor will it mention the simple fact that the bathroom predator talking point is an ugly myth designed to denigrate the transgender community, no matter the explanation folks try to trot out while pushing it.

Last but not least, another one of FRC's Washington Update was attacking the Pentagon for celebrating gay pride month with distortions and anecdotal horror stories:

It probably feels like every day is "gay pride day" in the Obama military, but yesterday, it came with cake. In the big courtyard inside the Pentagon's five rings, the Obama administration continued the five-year rainbow parade it started with the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." As part of June's LGBT month, Secretary Ray Mabus tried to persuade people what the research doesn't: that sexualizing the military is the greatest thing to happen to America's force. In direct defiance to the quantifiable data on suicide, retention, recruitment, morale, job dissatisfaction, and sexual assault, Mabus argued that anyone who opposed open homosexuality in the ranks (which most military leaders did) is "exactly the same flawed logic as those who had earlier opposed racial integration or gender integration, claiming that policies of inclusion would erode the war fighting capabilities of the United States. That's a suggestion that is not only an insult to the professionalism of our armed forces, but it undermines our core values as service men and women and as Americans."

 . . . The administration likes to say, as Mabus implied Wednesday, that "discriminate" has no place in America's armed forces. Tell that to Christians, who are being shown the door the Pentagon opened to LGBT activists. Marginalizing faith has serious long-term consequences, as we learned 50 years ago in the public schools. Now the same thing is happening in the military, and what's the result? We're celebrating gay pride at the expense of American pride

The sad point of this entire post is there is no proof that that man who perpetrated the tragedy in Orlando was a part of any Islamic terrorist group. However, we do know that he targeted the lgbt community.  He went to a gay nightclub and cut down lots of innocent people. To say that homophobia had nothing to do with his attack is just plain ignorant.

I fail to see how FRC can preach about people not living in fear while simultaneously peddling lies and rhetoric which causes folks to live in fear. Transgender men and women are targeted because of the "bathroom predator" lie FRC is pushing. Gays and lesbians who serve in the military have to deal with prejudices and hate sparked by lies that they are "sexualizing" the military and forcing people of faith out the door.

The fact that FRC denounced  the hatred this awful killer showed for the lgbt community but will ignore the fact that itself peddles that same type of hatred, albeit in a more agreeable but still nasty form, is astounding.

And not in a good way.

When FRC points the finger at "radical Islam" as the cause of the Orlando tragedy, it should pay attention to the three other fingers point back at it.


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