How many The National Review editors does it take to type up a disingenuous “gays are gonna getchya” op-ed? The answer is “all of them” as evidenced by the editorial board’s latest unintentionally hilarious opus, “Legislating Immorality“, which includes such hellacious assertions as:
“Gay activists are already using the legal system to try to revoke the tax-exempt status of the Mormon church. If you believe that churches and synagogues, priests and rabbis won’t eventually be sued for their statements on sexuality, you’re kidding yourself.”
You see, the fight for marriage equality is really a Trojan horse that will allow all the gays to install an Orwellian thought police state where everyone will have to love and obey our super gay beliefs. We will replace the Ave Maria with Bette Davis’ performance of “I’ve Written a Letter to Daddy” from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and order the holy host to be served with a lime-jicama slaw crudite.
Think I’m exaggerating? Try this:
“Churches oppose same-sex marriage in part because it represents an implicit threat to freedom of conscience and belief. California already had one of the broadest civil-unions laws in the country. There was little in the way of government-sanctioned privileges that a state-issued marriage license would confer. But the drive for same-sex marriage is in practice about legislating moral conformity – demanding that everybody recognize homosexual relationships in the same way, regardless of their own beliefs. Freedom of conscience, or diversity of belief, is the last thing the homosexual lobby will tolerate…”
Get that? Because the idea of states recognizing same-sex equality might make religious zealots feel bad about themselves, it ought to be outlawed. “Freedom of conscience” is about the dumbest thing we’ve heard from Prop 8. supporters yet. Is this really the best the far-right can do? Nobody is demanding that “everybody” recognize same-sex marriage, just the state. The Catholic Church opposes marrying divorced couples, but that’s their right. Unitarian Universalist, Metropolitan Community Church, Quakers, and Reform Jews all recognize gay marriage as a sacrament and that’s their right as well. That is real “diversity of belief”.
But marriage as defined by the state, does not belong to the Mormon Church, or the Catholic Church or the Quakers. It belongs to all Americans, regardless of faith, and therefore must be available to all Americans.
But wait, The National Review isn’t done, yet. Not when there’s legal battles afoot:
“Given their cavalier disregard for the freedom of conscience, it’s little surprise that the gay lobby is equally disdainful of democracy: They began pursuing legal challenges to Proposition 8 practically before they were done tallying the votes.”
Since when has addressing your grievances in the public court of law made you “disdainful of democracy”? It’s like The National Review doesn’t even have a fundamental grasp on how American democrcay works. If only their parents had spent less time screening Triumph of Will to them as children and instead sat them down for some hippie-free lovin’ Schoolhouse Rock:
brcksvg
I’m just a bill…
Joe Moag
Too much Ayn Rand growing up for this group, as well. BTW, have you seen Bette Davis doing Ave Maria? Phenomenal!
Evah21
You know…the far-right keeps saying things like…we’re forcing people to accept homosexuality and the homosexual belief set (whatever that is) but…has it occurred to them that they are trying to force US and the entire NATION to believe their cock and bull stories, lies, and hate-ridden beliefs?
I also would like to know how using the court system is anti-democratic. I can’t quite grasp my head around that one. You know, they call us gay fascists…but…calling our efforts to use the legal system for justice, of all things, “anti-democratic” is just insanity.
Charles J. Mueller
@Evah21:
“calling our efforts to use the legal system for justice, of all things, “anti-democratic” is just insanity”
ABSOLUTELY.
And look how far it has gotten them. Amazing, isn’t it? And the dumb fucks they spew this shit out to the folks who eat it up like candy, vote!
Dick Mills
This is a total and complete lie:
“Gay activists are already using the legal system to try to revoke the tax-exempt status of the Mormon church. If you believe that churches and synagogues, priests and rabbis won’t eventually be sued for their statements on sexuality, you’re kidding yourself.”
The reason that there is even a possibility that the Mormon Church will lose their tax-exempt status is if they broke the law! If they took money raised for their tax-exempt “church” and funneled that money into the “yes on H8” campaign then that is a violation of IRS rules. And more insidiously allows their membership to make donations and then write-off the donation on their individual income tax returns. So, tax payers end up funding “yes on H8”.
The tax deductible donation issue would give any religious institution an extra leg up on any political action committee where donations are not tax deductible.
And if the Mor(m)ons did that, they should lose their tax-exempt status, and all donations to them should cease to be tax deductible. It may be difficult to prove it, but there was one interesting disclosure from the “Yes On H8” group where they received an “in kind” donation from the Mormon Church of a couple grand which is documented as travel expenses for Mormon leaders who traveled to California to support the campaign.
That smacks of illegality, and could prove embarrassing to the Mor(m)ons. And, is probably just the tip of a large ice berg.
Bobo
That magazine cover is the perfect accompaniment to any blog post about National Review’s idiocy.
Chris
They can’t understand the difference of democracy and mob rule, but that’s normal. Stupid people often don’t understand why the rule of law is needed for a democracy. (“But I believe he’s a terrorist/murderer etc., let’s ignore all laws and lynch him.”)
But the US have a problem: You can’t count on the federal Supreme Court for wise decisions.
AZgaybe
The National Review…can you imagine going for a job interview for them? and what credentials would you need? Hum, once upon a time in America you could own a black person and then emancipated black men could vote(if he dared) but woman of all color could not vote for more than 50 years! Mormons practiced polygamy or didnt renounce it until their statehood was in jeopardy. History speaks for itself…all created equal, but wait, except for you and you and you.
Liberace
has it occurred to them that they are trying to force US and the entire NATION to believe their cock and bull stories, lies, and hate-ridden beliefs?
Of course it has, but that’s the whole point.
Kevin
Even William F. Buckley Jr. thinks that rag sucks.
Nothing but a propaganda tool for the Talibangelists.