Selling Christian Values, plus a free DVD!

Christians, I'm talking directly to you. Does the image below sit right with you? 

This is Trump's latest grift, a newly updated version of his "God Bless the USA" Bible, complete with the "founding documents" of America, God's favorite country! You may note that Trump's name is at the top of the Bible, above everything else, including Holy Bible and God. (Bonus: It also comes in an Assassination Day version!)

We already know that you're willing to vote for a rapist, misogynistic, insurrectionist, racist, grifting con-man, but are you cool with this? Isn't there something in the Bible about idolatry? Isn't this co-opting your deeply held beliefs as a MAGA marketing tool? Also, are you bothered that this Bible is manufactured in China?

Those are all rhetorical questions. Of course you're okay with this! You've already sold out whatever Christian values you may once have held and joined the cult of the con-man. Congratulations! You can give a "billionaire" $70 of your hard-earned money for a cheap version of a book you already own and not feel guilty at all!

Update on the New College

A couple of months ago, I posted about Florida's New College, a progressive, almost experimental, liberal arts college beloved by its students, staff and alumni for its unique, humanistic approach. It's been making the news because Ron DeSantis and his Florida fascists decided to ruin it.

Here's an update as they enter the new school year.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ hostile takeover of New College of Florida is offering up a case study of what Republican governance looks like. After DeSantis installed six partisan trustees to remake the liberal arts college in his image, they replaced the college’s president with an interim president at double the salary. Faculty fled. Before the college could staff all the courses that needed to be taught, Christopher Rufo—perhaps the most notorious of DeSantis’ new trustees—started moving to abolish the gender studies program at the college. All of that is part of the DeSantis plan, and it’s terrible on its own, but it’s left New College in chaos, showing the degree to which Republicans don’t care about anything but pushing their ideological agenda.

...

Faculty continue to leave, leading to ongoing course cancellations. Some students say they haven’t been notified when classes they were enrolled in were canceled. In some cases, the cancellations make it difficult or impossible for students to find the classes they need to complete their majors.

...

The interim president’s goals include increasing attendance and building an athletics program, and he’s doing both at once by bringing in a large number of new athletes. New College admitted 100 student athletes for this fall despite having no real athletic facilities and not being a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Go read the rest. It's an appalling attack on a treasured institution because fascists can't grow anything beautiful on their own. They can only pervert and destroy.

Fight American fascism. Vote for Democrats.

Transgender Kids

The link below leads to a very powerful post, reacting to ignorant, hateful, conservative shitheels.

Let's Decipher What Matt Walsh And Michael Knowles Really Mean When They Say Vile Things About Trans People

Here we are again. Matt Walsh from the Daily Wire is saying grotesque, sick things about how it's a "fate worse than death" to have transgender kids. And Matt Walsh is a father of six, so we should keep in mind that he's not talking about some hypothetical unimaginable future tragedy where he was allowed to be a parent. This is after several weeks ago, when Walsh was being similarly disgusting and saying he would "rather be dead" than have a transgender child.

...

Conservative Christians have been lying to themselves since time immemorial about a lot of things. When the focus was primarily on gay, lesbian, and bisexual people, they lied and convinced themselves that sexuality was a choice. They brainwashed themselves into believing that if they raised their kids in a certain way, if they homeschooled them, if they didn't expose them to secular culture, and so on, their kids wouldn't grow up to be gay. They hid from reality with spooky campfire stories about how kids had to be "recruited" into homosexuality, or "exposed" to it, or worse, sexually abused. They soothed themselves with lies that if their kids did say they were gay, they were merely being tempted by Satan, they were "struggling" with their sexuality," and they could change if they just loved Jesus enough. They could pray it away.

And here's where their rhetorical tricks came in. Conservative Christians didn't want to eliminate gay people. They simply wanted to impose their beliefs on them and force them to pray it away, or at least pretend they have prayed it away, to keep the conservative Christian lies intact. Love the sinner, hate the sin, eliminate the homosexuality, not the homosexual.

...

There is nothing new under the sun, gentle readers. Just replace "gay" with "trans" in the preceding paragraphs.

If you don't know anything about Transgender issues, it's definitely worth a few minutes of your time.

This is also happening as Walsh's vile Daily Wire stable-mate Michael Knowles is insisting that when he says he wants to eradicate "transgenderism" he isn't issuing some kind of Hitler-esque call to eradicate transgender people. Knowles and the Daily Wire are having insane temper tantrums about this.

Eradicating "transgenderism" is a call to eradicate transgender people. "Transgenderism" is not an ideology, it's not a fad or a style. Transgender refers to a people. Calling to eradicate a distinct group of people is a call to genocide.

Trans Rights are Human Rights.

Race to the Bottom

Look, we all know that Texas and Florida, led by the Trumpist, right-wing, bigots that comprise their legislatures and governors, are fighting hard to be the new Mississippi and Alabama, passing legislation to proactively harm people of color, LGBTQ persons, women, and other people they hate - stripping them of rights and removing the protection of the law. No big surprise, they're also targeting vulnerable children.

Attorney General Ken Paxton has issued a new interpretation of state law that says medical care for transgender children is abuse, a dramatic change contrary to medical standards that could make Texas one of the most aggressive states in targeting trans youth access to health care.

On Monday, Paxton issued an opinion stating his office believes gender-affirming health care for transgender youth – including common treatments like hormone therapy and puberty blockers – is a form of child abuse. The move comes despite opposition from the top medical and child welfare groups, who for months have urged Paxton not to take this step. Link

This is just vile, targeting children to score political points with the MAGA base, against all medical and psychiatric advice on how transgender youth should (and by rights out to be) treated. There is no honorable, reasoned justification for this, it's just hate.

Florida has its own ideas.

Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which is scheduled for a floor vote in the Florida House today, would create a hostile environment for LGBTQ students. The bill prohibits any discussion of “sexual orientation or gender identity” through the third grade and any discussion “that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students” in other grades. This would prohibit younger students with same-sex parents from discussing their families in class and make it difficult for any student to learn about the Stonewall Riots or Supreme Court cases like Obergefell v. Hodges.

The bill, as it is currently drafted, also requires schools to out LGBTQ students to their parents in most cases. The bill would require schools to “adopt procedures for notifying a student’s parent if there is a change in the student’s services or monitoring related to the student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being and the school’s ability to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for the student.” This would include information school officials learn, through counseling or other programs, about sexual orientation or gender identity.  Link

Not only would this bill prohibit children of same-sex families from discussing their family in class, creating the perception of "normal, approved" families that could be discussed and thus isolating children with non-traditional families, but it requires outing at-risk children, even if they live in a household that would abuse or neglect them or throw them into the street. It's despicable and  completely unnecessary except to rile their hate-filled base.

Have no doubt. Both of these bills will cost lives and increase misery among children who look to adults to protect them. 

This is what you get when you elect Republicans.

Indiana - The Crossroads of Bigotry

I grew up in Indiana and most of my family still lives there. As you might imagine, I'm pretty appalled at my home state this week (more than usual).

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is set to sign into law a measure that allows businesses to turn away gay and lesbian customers in the name of "religious freedom."  Link

This is, of course, the trendy "let's allow people to discriminate against gays because they're icky" law being pushed across the country by conservative legislatures. Conservatives know they can't stop the tide of same sex marriage, which came to Indiana last year, so they want to make sure Teh Gays can't sit at the same lunch counter as them. And they justify it by claiming their religion requires the discrimination. In other words, Who Would Jesus Hate?

Of course the Christian religion also required discrimination against blacks after the Civil War, all the way through the civil rights era, and in some circles to today. Isn't it funny how religious decrees just happen to agree with these people's own prejudices?

So, my home state of Indiana, you have earned this. 

Awesomely, some caring people (openforservice.org) have stepped up and created stickers that businesses can put in their windows to show that they aren't assholes.

Eventually Indiana will get out of the dark ages. I look forward to it.

The Company You Keep

Here's all I have to say about the racist, homophobic asshat from Duck Dynasty, Phil Robertson, and the ensuing crapstorm he unleashed.

If the people defending you are conservative Republicans, who will defend any expression of hatred, while simultaneously showing no understanding of the First Amendment, you've already lost. Sarah Palin was an immediate and passionate defender of the guy, and a week later she admitted she hadn't even heard or read what he had said.

That tells you all you need to know.

Noah's Ark

When you think of this charming children's story from the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths . . .

Remember that in the story, two of every species of animal is spared from a horrible death. 

But not the millions and millions of human beings, including babies and children, who drowned without any idea why.

Noah's Ark:  The nicest story about genocide ever!