What Biblically Illicit Sex Costs A Christofascist Minister: A Rent Boy, A Son...

And One Hugely Homophobic Career

Yes, I'm another one of those vile, liberal predators of any scandal-worthy "Man of God." I certainly had fun skewering Ted Haggard. So when the story of Rev. George Rekers and his "rent boy" came out, I couldn't get off my feedback fast enough. But now I've had enough time to reflect on the situation and I've come to some sobering questions: what will happen to his adopted son? Did he know what his dad was doing? Was he a hustler when he was adopted? Has he ever met "Lucien"/Geo?

Let's give Rekers Jr. the benefit of a doubt and assume that he is not as stupid as his father. He knows what his father has been doing, at least in payments to young men to be his "attendent." He was "found" on Facebook by Joe My God, but has not responded to any inquiries. His statement (when it does come out - and it will) will be revealing in what it will say ... or what it won't say. If he spouts Scripture too frequently, then Reker Sr. may be in for some furious accusations of religious brainwashing. If his son's statement seems too forced (or too short), then the public will assume that he's hiding something. In any case, there is way too much pressure on him.

Rekers' career as a professional ex-gay "professional expert" and NARTH leader may now be over. The Family Research Council has already erased any mention of his being a co-founder along with Christian Right icon James Dobson. It's a wonder that he wasn't exposed earlier, but titles and employments can shield a man from scrutiny: here is a man whose curriculum vitae looks as if it were stuffed too full with pristine qualifications for any anti-gay and homophobic group not to salivate over. He has a doctorate in neuro-psychiatry, a Doctor of Divinity degree, a kind of "Dr. Phil" for confused teens (just look at his website), and has many book titles and papers under his name. True, some of his associations deserve a second look, (American College of Pediatricians may be bogus) but most of his connections have been beyond reproach.

Until now.

Now Dr. Rekers has taken his 10+ image and turned it into one of a man who (according to rent boy Geo) surrounds himself with barely legal boys for motives other than sound Christian ministering. Is he so stupid that he thinks people will fall for his I'm-just-like-Jesus-surrounding-myself-with-sinners take on the affair? How many ministers does he know who PAY for the privilege of ministering to hustlers?

And what will Geo do? Will he be able to stand the noteriety? Will he know how to handle all the salacious media requests? Will he be able to pull off a kind of Levi Johnston?

Massage, good times, Travel, escort for days, nights and weekends, My name's Geo. 20 year old, 5'9'', 130 pounds, 28'' waist size,8x6" UNCUT, VERSATILE, NICE ASS. Puerto Rican, fair/light-Skin, blond hair, blue eyes and athletic/muscular built. I'm a college guy, masculine, educated, really of the easy-going, great to get along with, can hold a conversation and passionate You could just say I love to have a good time. Very clean, professional, HIV and Disease FREE. For a sensual meet or companionship. Will do anything you say as long as you ask ;D Repeat encounters are always more exciting for me and make it more casual and comfortable for you as well. Call or text anytime. 

Joe.My.God: 

Dr. Rekers, how much DOES it cost for ten days with a barely legal, blond, hung, uncut, bisexual Puerto Rican who is happy to spank you and shove it up your gelatinous vile bigoted ass?

Good question. What would a good "vacation" with a rentboy cost? Someone of Lucien/Geo's caliber could be $300 for an evening. Hmmm...

Cost of rentboy for 10 days: $5000

Airfare: $2500

Accomodations in London: $3000

Sightseeing and eating out: $2500

Going to bed with someone 42 years younger than you: priceless.

And it was not the only time Rekers had traveled with "Julien." An email read: "I'd like to propose another trip to Rome, Italy, for a week or more."

Was his first trip to Rome before or after his "surgery"? Too many questions unanswered. Too many motives to consider. 

About the only thing that is certain at this point: three lives have been ruined. 

Just a thought.

The Biggest FRC Scandal: "I Only Hired A Rent Boy To Carry My Luggage"

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Arizona: The Right's New War Zone - Because The Right Wants War - ANY War!

Civil War. Culture War. Immigration War. Race War. Genocide. Regicide. 

Pick one...or all.

You'd think that George Bush's taste for war would have slated any hawk's thirsty aggression, but it seems that our American species of hawk is never really satisfied. We gave them Iraq and Afghanistan to drink from, but besides an enormous bloodlust, hawkish Right-wingers have a kind of ADD that affects their leaders and journalists: "Wars? What Wars?" When's the last time you saw FOX News carry anything substantial about the Middle East NOT involving Israel or Iran?

Come to think of it, have you ever known a rabid Right-winger who was not a hawk?  Maybe it's in the genes: close-minded aggression seems to ooze from their pores. They were meant to bark orders as well as take them. Maybe it's in their traditions (check out the elite all male Hampden-Sydney College to get a taste of the mawkish-but-hawkish preppy life that has managed to survive).

Arizona Do Or Die

Today's most fertile ground for aggression is, obviously, the southwestern state of Arizona. And the war zone's headlines for today were truly chilling: it's new "papers or else" law is old news. Now it has gone as far as banning ethnic studies and firing teachers who have heavy accents. And the Southern Poverty Law Center has discovered that the lawyer who drafted Arizona's new racial profiling law is himself part of an anti-immigration hate group. The group is, ironically, called FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform), but has nothing to do with fairness: some of its employees are registered members of the Pioneer Fund and various other white supremicist groups. The lawyer, Dan Stein, went head-to-head with Rachel Maddow, so it wasn't really a "fair" battle, and he came out looking very angry and on the "you're just trying to smear us" defensive. Maddow's  determination to get to what FAIR was founded upon is truly is awesome. Watch it below.

Battlecry for Texas: "Nullification First!"

Say what you will about the Right's "war fever, " it's systemic in some states. One year ago, Governor Rick Perry said this:

We've got a great union. There's absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, who knows what may come of that? But Texas is a very unique place, and a pretty independent lot to boot.

But today's Texas-line-of-reasoning from the website, Texas Secede! is more cautious (but nonetheless sinister):

Right now, unlike any other time in US history, a nullification movement has taken hold — and is growing — in most of the US states, including Texas. This means there is a strong, public-centered, and legally-informed opposition to the bloated despotism reigning in Washington, and a growing intent to invoke the Consitution itself to tell both the White House and Congress that their "federal laws" are null and void wherever they cross the line drawn by the Tenth Amendment.

A Rasmussen Reports poll found that 48% of Republicans in Texas favored secession. Polls of the nullification movement should prove to be even more enlightening.

Righteous Assasination

Lately, the rhetorical weapon espoused by the new "social conservatives" is anything but conservative: Republicans are calling President Obama everything from "monster" to "Anti-Christ." Ministers have openly prayed for the death of Obama and Supreme Court Justices as well. Name-calling, however, is probably the most cowardly weapon of choice for today's Right: when violence actually does ensue, they conveniently (and ludicrously) look the other way. The fact remains, however: rhetoric can kill. Today's legal minds have a name for the results of purposely inflamatory speech: righteous assasination.

"I am dedicating my life to the death of Obama and every employee of the federal government," the posting said. It ended with a call to arms: "This is war. Join me. Or don't. I don't care. I'm not laying down anymore."

This message was posted on Craiglist under the heading "Obama Must Die" by one Brian Dean Miller of Dallas, Texas (what is it with Texas?) He later stated that it was "fiction" but the Secret Service has not treated it as such. His mother has stated that Brian suffers from depression.

And on Twitter, several weeks ago, self-styled conservative blogger Solly Forrell openly called for the assasination of Obama, but then backtracked immediately to correct the act. 

Both threats were supposedly based upon the authors' disapproval of Obama's efforts on healthcare reform. Neither of them had read anything about the reform bill except from posts by right-wing activists. 

If You Don't Like 'Em, Deport 'Em, Or ...

By now, everyone knows that the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer wants to see every Muslim in the U.S. deported (including ones who are U.S. citizens), but he has also come out with a statement that Arizona's new immigration law is ...Biblical. That's right. God has sanctified it:

Arizona's governor Jan Brewer explained to Greta Van Susteren this week that she signed this bill into law because, as governor, she has a responsibility to protect the safety and security of Arizonans. You can't get any more biblical than that.

Now, use of the Bible as a weapon in warfare is almost as old as the Bible itself, but like incendiary rhetoric, it's very cowardly. Simply put, it's a don't-blame-me-blame-God defense against critics of aggression. The problem that humanity now faces: the Right's religious battalion has been exporting its aggression to Africa. The "kill-the-gays" bill of Uganda has emboldened Pat Robertson's American Center for Law and Justice to assist Zimbabwe and Kenya in re-drafting their constitutions. In the matter of abortions. As in no legal abortions even if the mother's life is in danger. 

And The Greatest Weapon of All: FEAR

As early as next week, the House Education and Labor Committee will start debating a bill that could do permanent damage to American liberty as we know it. Under this bill, the government will order businesses, including religious ones, to stuff their personal beliefs and hire gays and lesbians--even if the organization considers the lifestyle immoral. .... At the very least, it will force people out of business. At its worst, it will bully into silence every American who disagrees with homosexual behavior.

                                 - from "The War To ENDA All Wars" by Tony Perkins, President,                                            Family Research Council

Tony Perkins may have made his mark upon English literature with such awful-pun-headlining, but he is still considered by the Christian Right to be its knight in shining armor. In fact, his image will probably be immortalized on the side of a mountain (does it matter which one?) depicted as the valiant St. George slaying the dragon (Barack Obama). His daily missives have been full of sturm und drang about everything liberal, everything Obama, everything homosexual. And he knows that abject fear is the best source of donations. His acolytes, however, are even more virulent (and ultimately more violent?): Bill Donohue, Bryan Fischer,  Peter LaBarbera,  Janet Porter, and the ever-hoarse Lou Engle. 

What happens when unabashed Reconstructionists and Right wingnuts who are waging war with the rest of the world get together? They usually stand in front of government buildings and scream at them and the people who are in them (in this case , the backdrop was the Lincoln Memorial - go figure). They then ask God to rain down fire, brimstone, frogs, locusts, pestilence and anything else vial enough to make the American public go ape-sh*t with awe. They look like idiots, but we must always remember that they are very dangerous idiots who love war, need war. 

The clip below is very revealing: they might be "repenting" of sins like electing a Muslim to Congress, but it's clear that they won't repent of the abject hatred for anyone who disagrees with them. BTW - two things marred the event: poor attendance and poor MSM coverage. We'll see who inflates the numbers first.

And so it is: the Right is at war. Their enemies: all liberals, all immigrants, all homosexuals, all Muslims. Their current battle sites: Arizona, Texas, Washington, the entire Middle East, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda. Their rhetoric, their fervor, their money will create more wars.

Sad.

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To The New Puritans: Religious Freedom's Tough, Isn't It?

At Least, for the "Christian Only" Crowd! 

Did the landing of the Mayflower signal the first country to have true religious freedom? Were the Pilgrims establishing a society based on the freedom to worship (or not to worship) as one sees fit?

Of course not. Puritans were simply fleeing Anglican rule. If there would have been a Puritan-tolerant country that was more civilized while offering free land, you can bet your last dollar that they would have settled in it instead of North America. The Puritan arrival was simply the result of intolerance fleeing intolerance. How long did they put up with Native American religions? Long enough to survive through the first winters on the benevolence of the Indians. It's a wonder the Indians were compassionate at all - the smell of hypocrisy can be quite a strong deterrent, even to people as empathetic as the Massachusett tribe). But eventually, the Puritan Ethic reared its head and the heathens were sorry that the Mayflower ever made it across the pond:

The first Native American translation [of the Bible], completed in 1663, was made into the language of the Massachusett tribe, which the Puritan colonists then promptly wiped out.

                                                          - Ken Davis, Don't Know Much About The Bible.

Back across the Atlantic, after Puritans gained prominence the most prominent Puritan, Oliver Cromwell, had this motto emblazoned on his heraldry:

Pax Quaeritur Bello
Peace is sought by War

Anyway, let's fast forward and concentrate on today's New Puritans.

By the way, who are today's New Puritans? Well, they're the ones who scream "Anti-Christian!" the loudest while softly whispering "Christian Only." The New Puritans are the ones who want tolerance for themselves, but insist on intolerance for other religions. The New Puritans are seeking their fortunes in the New World of Africa while being kept busy keeping their fortunes (and what dignity they have left) intact in America. And throughout all of their attempts at defense and expansion, a transcendent theme is becoming more evident: Christian Supremacy. Rick Warren slyly presented snippets of Christian Supremacy to Muslim-Americans last July 4th. Men like Rod Parsley and Pat Robertson have openly declared the preeminence of Christianity over every other religion, declaring them to be evil. And with his warped sense of history, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council shows just how much of a Supremacist he really is:

"While it is true that the United States of America was founded on the sacred principle of religious freedom for all, that liberty was never intended to exalt other religions to the level that Christianity holds in our country's heritage. Our Founders expected that Christianity--and no other religion--would receive support from the government as long as that support did not violate peoples' consciences and their right to worship. They would have found utterly incredible the idea that all religions, including paganism, be treated with equal deference."

Yeah. And some animals are more equal than others.

Christian Supremacy has been simmering for many years under the guise of "freedom of religion," simply because there were no formidable religions other than Christianity. Protestants could be content with bashing Catholicism, Catholics could revel in labeling Mormonism a cult and the most adverse enemy of all, Judaism, was never really a threat. What Christian Supremacists didn't expect was that the notion of religious freedom would somehow work against their notion that eventually everyone would become Christian. Blinded by the arrogance involved with the "One True Religion," they've been broadsided by America's determination not to show deference to any one religion. 

 

In other words, the New Puritans have at last noticed the Indians: True Religious Freedom.

 

The Tale of Clay and Harold: The Type Of (Ill) Treatment The AFA Can Believe In!

A Story So Righteously Vicious Only Bryan Fischer 

And His Followers Could Love It!

The story of Clay and Harold of Sonoma Co, CA has made the rounds on the web, so you might have already experienced the shock of the story. The 78-page suit (complaint) against the County of Sonoma makes for even more shocking reading. In a nutshell: Clay Greene, 78, was separated from his long time partner, Harold Skull, 88, after Harold was hospitalized. BOTH men were placed in nursing homes, all of their property sold off (even the cats were taken away!), Clay was prevented from seeing Harold and purposely kept unaware of his partner's condition. 

Even when Harold died. 

The County of Sonoma is now alleging that it was acting on behalf of Harold because there was domestic violence involved. Yeah, right. Look at the Bilerico Project response to the case. The county also described Harold and Clay as "roommates." Are disturbances between roommates considered "domestic" violence? How stupid is the County of Sonoma in saying that this was NOT a case involving gay partners? Do mere roommates have co-joining powers of attorney? Do mere roommates leave all of their property in each other's will? July 16th will be a date for everyone to mark: the case SHOULD receive a great deal of attention. The MSM, however, has failed to report on it at all. Hopefully, the power of the blogosphere will help to produce enough attention.

And the ties to the American Family Association?

The roots of the AFA's rabid homophobia go back as far as 1998, with conservative columnist Don Feder's rant in AFA's magazine, AFA Journal:

This is still (barely) a democracy. How many times do we have to say "no" - to domestic-partners ordinances, gay marriage, efforts to coerce the Boy Scouts and public school indoctrination - before the elite takes this resounding negative as an answer?

Enter Bryan Fischer:

It might be worth noting that what I actually suggested is that we impose the same sanctions on those who engage in homosexual behavior as we do on those who engage in intravenous drug abuse, since both pose the same kind of risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. I'd be curious to know what you think should be done with IV drug abusers, because whatever it is, I think the same response should be made to those who engage in homosexual behavior.

Remember, this is the same man who advocates deportation of ALL Muslims, American-born citizens or not. This is the same man who thinks that being a "Christian Nation" means being ONLY a "Christian Nation." Intolerance for other religions is considered righteous.

The AFA's campaign against gays goes beyond  the confines of gay marriage,  but suffice it to say that the case of Clay and Harold   would go far in eliciting feelings of elation and righteousness. After all, the case may be against the County of Sonoma, but it could just as well be against religious-based organizations like the AFA.  For example, if the hospital that notified the County about Harold were a faith-based hospital, what are the chances that  Harold and Clay would have been considered  "roommates" and not partners? 

Think about it. 

                                                                                                                               

UPDATE: Fischer's mudslinging ties gays, Muslims and the U.S. Armed Forces together into one evil cabal:

Bottom line: you want to know who's now running the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy and the Marines and calling the shots where it counts? Fundamentalist Muslims and homosexual activists.

In fact, I'll predict that there will be a day of prayer at the Pentagon on May 6, and it will feature a Muslim imam, a homosexual clergyman, and no conservative Christians of any kind.

This is not your father's military. It's not even your father's country anymore.

The man and the organization are trying every rhetorical trick in the book to make sure that people like Clay Greene and Harold Skull never get justice.

Off to Obama Territory

The Right sneers at Obama's stint as a community organizer, but I can tell you that the South Side of Chicago is rough enough to challenge seasoned mayors of small towns in Alaska, even if they were popular enough to become the governor and served only half of the term. Come to think of it: has Palin ever SEEN an inner city? Has she ever campaigned in the ghetto? Anchorage isn't big enough to compare with the likes of Chicago, New York, L.A. Just among those three alone, there are probably 4 million potential voters. In this aspect of her "political career" she's more like George Bush: when she gets off a plane, she has no idea of where the hell she is. And doesn't really care.

Any ladle that dishes out some gravy, honey. Besides, she's probably spent the $100,000 fee before she's landed.

I'm leaving for Chicago on Thursday, and won't be back until Tuesday. There's family to visit (after 20 years!!) the Art Institute and The Museum of Science and Industry to see, and then there's Rush Limbaugh - The Musical and Billy Elliot.

The AFA and The Muslim Question: Deportation, Reservations, Concentration Camps or Gas Ovens?

Or Should We Have A Combination Of All Four?

When will the Southern Poverty Law Center list the American Family Association as a hate group? With the latest news, that sobriquet might not be long in coming.

Read this and weep ... for the  demise of America's compassion:

Right Wing Watch

[T]he most compassionate thing we can do for Americans is to bring a halt to the immigration of Muslims into the U.S. This will protect our national security and preserve our national identity, culture, ideals and values. Muslims, by custom and religion, are simply unwilling to integrate into cultures with Western values and it is folly to pretend otherwise. In fact, they remain dedicated to subjecting all of America to sharia law and are working ceaselessly until that day of Islamic imposition comes.

The most compassionate thing we can do for Muslims who have already immigrated here is to help repatriate them back to Muslim countries, where they can live in a culture which shares their values, a place where they can once again be at home, surrounded by people who cherish their deeply held ideals. Why force them to chafe against the freedom, liberty and civil rights we cherish in the West?

In other words, simple Judeo-Christian compassion dictates a restriction and repatriation policy with regard to Muslim immigration into the U.S.

The reasoning is warped, but neither criticism nor censure can stop Brian Fischer from realizing his dream of a strictly "Christian-only" America. Look at the quote again: it contains "national identity," "Islamic imposition" "a culture which shares their values," and "chafe against freedom." 


My writing has been criticised for using the (legitimate) word, "Christofascism." But I can't describe Fischer's idea in any other way. Reading between the lines , it's too obvious and makes  "The Jewish Question" look positively benign. This "modest proposal" is clear: "Hate Muslims. Muslims won't convert. All Muslims want to kill you. Muslims want to take over the world. Let them stick to their own kind or die." Fischer bases his entire stance on the research of Danish psychologist, Nicolai Sennels. Sennels chronicled the attitudes of Muslim criminals in Copenhagen. It basically matches up to profiling African-Americans in prison in this country.

While the website of the AFA has a kind of disclaimer ("(It should be noted that the American Family Association has not taken a position on this issue."), it hasn't come out against Fischer's blatantly Christofascist ideas either. And among his supporters (if she isn't, she will be) Michelle Malkin will become his media guru, helping to pave a smooth road to Fox News.

Fischer ended his article on deportation with an old maxim:  

It's often been observed that those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it. We are watching a dismal historical experiment in uncontrolled Islamic immigration unfold before our very eyes in Europe, and watching European culture disintegrate before our very eyes. Let's learn - and apply - the lessons from Europe. If we do not, it may soon be too late to save what is left of American culture.

But Fischer has yet to learn from history.

Setting aside the obvious parallels to Fascism, the Holocaust, and (Michelle Malkin's favorite spa/resort) Manzanar, let's look at America's most famous and first foray into mass deportation, also known as The Trail of Tears.

The Indian Removal Act
(wikipedia)

The Indian Removal Act, part of a United States government policy known as Indian removal, was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson on May 26, 1830

The Removal Act was strongly supported in the South, where states were eager to gain access to lands inhabited by the "Five Civilized Tribes". In particular, Georgia, the largest state at that time, was involved in a contentious jurisdictional dispute with the Cherokee nation. President Jackson hoped removal would resolve the Georgia crisis. The Indian Removal Act was also very controversial. While Native American removal was, in theory, supposed to be voluntary, in practice great pressure was put on Native American leaders to sign removal treaties. Most observers, whether they were in favor of the Indian removal policy or not, realized that the passage of the act meant the inevitable removal of most Indians from the states.

But did the Trail of Tears have "simple Judeo-Christian compassion"? Or Brian Fischer or Michelle Malkin to publicize its "compassion"? Fischer's irrational statements leave something to be desired. Humanity, possibly? Or has uprooting families from their homes and forcing them to abandon friends, families, careers, worldy belongings, education, all those things that attracted them to immigrate to this country suddenly have God's compassionate permission? 

And how do Muslim-Americans feel about people like Fischer?

James Zogby, American Muslim:

But the danger remains and the possibility of violence is real. And those in respected leadership roles need to recognize that, in the current environment, playing with matches can start fires. We’ve seen the ugly racist placards, heard the chants and shouted epithets, and witnessed the raw anger at rallies. Can violence be far behind?

Suddenly Fischer's "benign" proposal asks more questions that it answers:

1. Just WHO will be deported? Since being Muslim is advocating a religion and not a nationality, we have many, many people who are citizens of the United States. Do we deport only Iraqi-Americans? Turkish-Americans? Saudi-Americans? Lebanese-Americans? Pakistani-Americans? Egyptian-Americans?Algerian-Americans? Albanian-Americans? Indonesian-Americans? Libyan-Americans? The list could go on. It would be convenient to lump them all into  "would-be terrorists,"  but Americans would start seeing law-abiding, legal citizens hauled off for no apparent reason. AFA answer: who cares?

2. How would Muslim properties be sold, distributed and used? In the early days of Christianity, pagan temples were turned into churches or brothels. Will mosques be turned into unusual-looking WalMarts? (The most practical solution, I suppose). AFA answer: the compassionate thing to do would be to turn them into churches, but brothels would be more profitable.

3. Will Muslims who convert to Christianity still be forced out? If not, will there be a tribunal of sorts to ferret out "fake" Christians? Many Jews pretended to be converted in "Good Queen" Isabella's Spain - they were called "muranos." And if "fake" Christians are deported, won't they be killed as apostates? AFA Answer: Again, who cares?

4. Will Muslims, like the Japanese during WWII, be forced to sell their properties in a scant three days? Will there be a regulation stating that only true "Christians" (Like Pat Robertson) may purchase the land (at bargain basement rates). AFA Answer: Of course! This is a Christian Nation!!

5. Will the number of Muslims to be deported (estimated to be in the neighborhood of 4 million Americans) be too taxing for the economy to handle their deportation without considering alternatives? In other words, will outright extermination be cheaper? AFA Answer: we're thinking about it. Creativity is the key word here, so don't rush us.

Now comes the question: which religious group will be next? AFA Answer: whichever group we  hate.