I have taglined my blog 3.0 as “Chicken Soup for the Gay Soul.” As we know, chicken soup is a mix of vegetables, dill, noodles and, of course, chicken. As we see in our day-to-day fight for LGBT rights, the world is a mix of crazy, hate, extreme and, of course, progress. Chicken soup, in a way. But, without the restorative effects of a bowl of soup when one is sick.
This past weekend, the superset of GOP presidential candidates gathered in Iowa and with the Koch brothers. Louisiana Bobby Jindal also led 'The Response' – an all-day prayer gathering in Louisiana to help him pull in religious right extremists as he prepares to launch a presidential campaign.
So, here's today's mix of crazy, extreme, hate, and progress stew for this 26th day of January, 2015.
CRAZY IN IOWA
The New Civil Rights Movement: “Ben Carson: Same-sex Couples 'Not That Smart' – Bakers 'Might Put Poison' in Wedding Cakes”
“What I have a problem with is when people try to force people to act against their beliefs because they say, 'they're discriminating against me,'” Carson told reporters. “So they can go right down the street and buy a cake, but no, let's bring a suit against this person because I want them to make my cake even though they don't believe in it. Which is really not all that smart because they might put poison in that cake,” he added.
Unbelievable.
Raw Story: “Conservatives lament decline of Sarah Palin following 'rambling, painful' weekend speech”
This is called 'wearing out your welcome':
Sam Clovis, a conservative Iowa college professor and radio commentator who recently lost a primary campaign to Palin-endorsed, now-Senator Joni Ernst, claimed it is now hard to take Palin seriously.
“I know she is popular, but it is hard to take her seriously given that performance,” Clovis said. “Palin was a sad story Saturday. With every speech she gives, she gets worse and worse. If one were playing a political cliche drinking game, no one would have been sober after the first 15 minutes of an interminable ramble. It was really painful.”
Another attendee, described by York as “a well-connected Iowa Republican” was less impressed, saying Palin has reached the end of “shelf-life.”
Looks like Sexy Sarah might be seeing her swan song. Watch…
EXTREME THEOCRACY
Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: “Bobby Jindal wants to change the Constitution to suit his religion”
Meanwhile, while Carson, Palin, Donald Trump, Mike Huckabee and the other clowns were slamming Obama, repeating conspiracy theories about Benghazi, and otherwise recycling tired Republican talking points, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal was hosting a gigantic prayer rally in Baton Rouge, where he pushed every nugget of evangelical propaganda in his initial bid for the 2016 election:
Fresh from his all-day “prayer rally,” Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal made another move to woo evangelicals to his side just in case he decides to run for president.
And it involved another slap in the face to the lgbt community. In an interview on the ABC Sunday news program This Week, Jindal told host George Stephanopoulos that he would support a constitutional amendment outlawing marriage equality if the court rules for it later this year.
I don't know what disappoints me more – that Jindal would actually support enshrining discrimination in the Constitution or his reasons why he would:
I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. My faith teaches me that, my Christian faith teaches me that,” Jindal responded. “If the Supreme Court were to throw out our law, our constitutional amendment — I hope they wouldn't do that — if they were to do that, I certainly will support Ted Cruz and others that are talking about making an amendment in the congress and D.C., a constitutional amendment to allow states to continue to define marriage.”
What in the world should Jindal's faith have anything to do with it? It should be downright embarrassing for him to say in public that he wants to make lgbt Americans second class citizens just so, at least in his mind, that God would give him a “gold star.”
In reality, Jindal has been meandering pitifully ever since the news of his prayer rally. When challenged about the anti-gay, anti-Islamic nature of the American Family Association, the group who paid for the rally, Jindal played the “religious liberty” card. Now when asked about marriage equality and why should discrimination be enshrined in our Constitution, Jindal is playing the same card.
If you ask me, Jindal's shtick is getting old, not to mention annoyingly transparent.
HATING THEIR CONSTITUENTS
Raw Story: “Presidential hopefuls Marco Rubio, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz suck up to billionare Kochs at secretive event”:
And for Republicans who weren't toeing the party line in Iowa or making themselves a vessel of God in Louisiana, the remaining clowns hung out with the Koch brothers in California – who plan to spend upwards of $900 million buying a president in 2016:
Three potential Republican presidential candidates appeared before a gathering of wealthy donors organized by the conservative billionaire Koch brothers in California on Sunday night.
The summit, held at a luxury resort near Palm Springs sealed off to outsiders, drew Republican Senators Marco Rubio from Florida, Rand Paul from Kentucky and Ted Cruz from Texas.
It was organized by brothers Charles and David Koch, successful industrialists who bankroll conservative causes across America. Access to their network of money and influence is alluring to some potential Republican presidential hopefuls.
The Kochs have a private network that spent hundreds of millions of dollars in recent elections and a donor list that is wealthy, diverse and hungry for a Republican candidate that can win the White House in 2016.
The Koch event capped a busy two days where the long road to the Republican nomination appeared to have begun in earnest.
Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney were nowhere to be seen, but were indeed thrown under the bus in Iowa numerous times.
Maybe they are the smart ones.
The next two years are gearing up to be incredibly surreal.
Posted with Blogsy
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