As D.C.’s gay marriage law passes through the City Council, Bishop Harry Jackson is here to explain how it all went wrong. And how he’s sooo not over this.
Jackson is going to work harder, faster, and stronger next time, because men of Jesus have unlimited stamina!
We’re going to have to start earlier and take straw polls earlier. Our opposition had been working with these [council members] for five years. They’d invested time and money, and, to their credit, my opposition applied extreme political pressure on 30 or 40 people in the city, in the mayor’s office and the city council.
But they have not changed ordinary people’s opinions. It’s a faux change. For instance, they created a gay organization of clergy. Our side has done the opposite, mobilizing a grass-roots effort with 1,200 churches in D.C.
When “next time” is, we’re not sure, since D.C.’s lawmakers already cast their vote, and this thing is all but a sure thing when the bill gets a second up-or-down the week after next. But if none of that works, Jackson is going to use all his might, climb Mt. Sinai, and railroad the politicos who voted for equality.
In future races, religious people are going to start going after people’s political careers. In D.C., some very vulnerable black councilmen went along with the city council, and some of these guys will not be sitting in those chairs in 2010 elections. Many in our coalition are wising up, looking for candidates. Political action committees are going to be formed. You’re going to see a bloodletting that is going to mark a new style of engagement for people who are against same-sex marriage.
This is amusing, because gay rights supporters are promising the same thing to politicos who vote against their positions.
How about we take this to the next level?
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terrwill
Hey Harr, you ever hear of a little
nugget the founding fathers of this country put into the
document defining this country called separation of church and
state? One of the benefits churches receive for following
this is tax exempt status on all church owned land, and all
goods and services they procure for said church. When they
begin to activly cross the line and enter the political arena
they have violated the agreement which entitles them to
said tax exempt status. It is high time to when persons representing churches which enjoy the exempt status enter
the political arena to begin revoking the exempt status.
You can not have it both ways and for far too long politicians
have looked the other way when laws are clearly being broken
by these religious lunatics.
And when can the Gay community have some sort of investigative
unit to look into what kinds of skeletons hate filled scumbags
such as he have in their closets? Who knows what kind of
action Jackson has been having……………..
Cam
This guy still thinks that DC is the same city it was in the 80’s. Good luck with that douchebag, first try getting more than 50 people to show up to any of your rallies before you start acting like you have any clout in this city.
terrwill
Maybe he can ask Marion (crack pipe) Barry for help in
getting people together…………
Chitown Kev
@Terrwill
Oh, Marion Barry can get some people together, allright. Granted there will be a mushroom cloud of crack smoke around the meeting place but…whatever it takes, I suppose.
Alfonzo
On the arguement about banning divorce, it’s in the Bible. I wonder why they’re not arguing for that.
The following passage comes from the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 19
. 3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” 4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’ ? 6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” 7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” 8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.” 10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
Interesting that he said some are “eunuchs” because they were born that way.
mojojojo
Just another example of the rampant homophobia of the black community.
Steve
This is all about money. Preachers of all denominations raise money by ranting about something. If a preacher can get his followers riled up about something, then the followers will give money to the preacher.
They started doing this roughly 1000 years ago, when the Catholic church started finding all sorts of reasons to condemn people. That condemnation served two purposes: First getting most of the followers riled up so they would give more money; Second, selling dispensations to the people who would be condemned. Notice how the preacher ends up with the money, in both cases.
Jackson needs something to rant about He needs to keep his followers riled up about something. It doesn’t much matter what it is, as long as most of the followers are riled up enough to give money. If Jackson stops ranting about marriage, then he will have to find something else to rant about, or he will have to manage a big drop in contributions. It is easier to continue ranting about one thing until the contributions start drying up for that rant, before doing the hard work of finding something else to rant about.
He could easily read the book of Mathew, and find a few dozen other things to rant about. Social justice comes to mind.
DragonScorpion
I would like to know why the I.R.S. is not investigating the obvious violation of 501(c)(3) prohibitions among these churches and religious organizations.
As I’ve explained on forums and my own blog, clearly the time has come to really hold these groups to the fire and to do everything in our power to support the election of those who represent our interests and to undermine those who oppose it, all other issues being secondary.
We also need to get a lot smarter about picking our battles and what methods we use. This popular sovereignty that conservative groups and theocons are engaging in now is a dangerous precedent. We need to press upon this point that the civil rights of citizens should never be put to popular vote.
We have been warned against tyranny of the majority throughout the nation’s history, for good reason, and yet we are seeing it effectively employed in ways that we hadn’t really seen before. This is a grave danger to minority groups of all kinds. In addition to fighting for our own equality, we need to vigorously combat this assault on our pluralistic representative democracy.
By the way, I also recommend that everyone send the “bishop” and those like him a letter or email explaining why they are wrong and publish those letters in any way you can.
JustDtruth4U
It’s funny how all of you make statements that Harry Jackson is a hateful person, but yet your language towards him and others that believe like him; is a clear indication of the amount of HATE that’s in you. I support Harry Jackson and here’s to his success!
ewe
Strip him of his nonprofit status NOW.
ewe
@JustDtruth4U: Our hate is in response to him and people like you who are the aggressors. Basically you are a passive aggressive spectator trying to make yourself a victim the second after your pig throws the first spear. You are an idiot and gay people are not as stupid as evangelical bible thumping hate freaks. Let me say it more clearly… It is you that starts the hate and hides behind a delusional god as your justification.
ewe
@JustDtruth4U: Our hate is in response to Jackson and people like you who are the aggressors. Basically you are a passive aggressive spectator trying to make yourself a victim after throwing the first insult. Gay people are not gullible for ignorant evangelical bible thumping hatemongers. It is you that begins the animosity and hate and hides behind a delusional god for justification.
ewe
Queerty: you have a strange list of unacceptable words one can post while allowing others some would think are worse. It is confusing.