Category: Politics

Topic Header

Two Saudi Men Sentenced to 7,000 Lashes for Being Gay

Jon Ponder

Iranian Pres. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s recent declaration that there are no gay people in Iran brought attention to the fact gays in Iran who are discovered are sentenced to death, and that a pair of teenaged boys
were executed for being gay in 2005.

American conservatives, many of whom advocate re-criminalizing gay behavior, may have been able to distance themselves from the story because Iran is an enemy of the United States. But now comes word that a major U.S. ally has sentenced two men to be tortured by flogging, and that part of the sentence has already been carried out in public:

Prison authorities in Saudi Arabia have begun administering 7,000 lashes to each of two men convicted of committing “homosexual acts”, a local newspaper reported yesterday.

The Okaz newspaper says that the sentence was being meted out in “phases” and was being conducted in a public square in the southwestern city of Al-Bahah.

Neither man has been named.

The floggings began on Tuesday. The men were dragged into the square, their shirts removed and they were whipped. They were then returned to prison. The process was repeated on Wednesday and will continue daily until all 7,000 lashes have been administered.

Islamic laws prohibiting gay sex are brutal:

Among the Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence (madhahib), the Hanafi school mandates a severe beating for the first offense, and the death penalty for a repeat offender. The Shafi’i school calls for 100 lashes for an unmarried homosexual, death by stoning for a married one. The Hanbali school requires stoning across the board. Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, directed his followers to kill the one who sodomizes and the one who lets it be done to him”(‘Umdat al-Salik, p17.3).

UPDATE:

Contact info:

Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
601 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20037

Main Number: (202) 342-3800
Information/Press Office: (202) 337-4076
e-mail: info@saudiembassy.net

Romney’s Liberal Views Exposed in New Ad from Gay GOPers

Jon Ponder

Romney Has “Massachusetts Values”

The Log Cabin Club, a gay Republican organization, has an ad up in which they expose Mitt Romney’s egregious flipflops on social issues. Here’s the transcript:

Narrator: For years he’s fought conservatives and religious extremists — Mitt Romney.

Romney: “I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country … I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years that we should sustain and support it.” — Massachusetts Senate Debate, October 25, 1994, Boston, Faneuil Hall.

Narrator: Mitt Romney opposed the gun lobby…

Even Ronald Reagan…

Romney: I was independent during the time of Reagan-Bush. I’m not trying to return to Reagan-Bush. — Massachusetts Senate Debate, October 25, 1994, Boston, Faneuil Hall.

Narrator: … a record fighting the religious right … a pro-choice record … Massachusetts values … Mitt Romney.

It’s hard to parse the thinking behind the fact that the LCC decided not to mention Romney’s former support of gay civil rights in the ad — but then it’s impossible to figure why any gay person would be a Republican. There can’t be a more friendless group in politics.

Blackwater Parasite: Contractor Recruits US Troops On Duty in War Zone

Jon Ponder

In addition to receiving an estimated $1 billion in fees from the U.S. government since the Iraq war began, Blackwater is also ripping off U.S. taxpayers by recruiting U.S. soldiers while they are on duty:

Blackwater contractors are allowed to recruit uniformed personnel while they are on duty in Iraq, and they have a powerful recruitment tool: Salaries that are six times what the military pays.

Astonishingly, contractors are free to approach those in uniform, offer them generous salaries to leave their service in wartime, then profit from the skills your tax dollars taught them.

This isn’t just about Navy SEALS or other special operators. In intelligence, for example, we train young soldiers for complex missions and expensively process their security clearances – then contractors bribe them to leave the military, raking in big bucks from your investment in their new employee.

Blackwater contractor salaries are six times military pay:

Blackwater charges the government $1,222 per day per guard, “equivalent to $445,000 per year, or six times more than the cost of an equivalent U.S. soldier,” [according to a congressional report].

And the $445,000 figure probably doesn’t include benefits, perks or bonuses to be awarded upon completion of service.

If the salary of a military security officer is $74,000 (one-sixth of $445,000), the government would save $371,000 in pay for each of the estimated 1,000 Blackwater contractors deployed in Iraq — a total savings of $371 million per year.

Blackwater CEO Erik Prince is a major donor to the GOP and comes from a wealthy family that is highly connected in the Michigan Republican Party. It is unlikely Blackwater’s contracts will be terminated while the Bush regime is in power, but Congress should curtail the company’s practice of recruiting U.S. troops in the war zone.

Justice Thomas: Liberals Scarier Than Ku Klux Klan

Jon Ponder

In his new autobiography, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas — who was under-qualified to serve on the Supreme Court when he was nominated by Pres. George Bush in 1991, and his performance in the interim has been lackluster, to put it politely — reveals himself as a shallow and vain man who is still nursing wounds over his contentious nomination hearings 16 long years ago.

But his comparison of his liberal critics to the Ku Klux Klan is over the top:

“I’d grown up fearing the lynch mobs of the Ku Klux Klan; as an adult, I was starting to wonder if I’d been afraid of the wrong white people all along. My worst fears had come to pass not in Georgia but in Washington, D.C., where I was being pursued not by bigots in white robes but by left-wing zealots draped in flowing sanctimony.”

Writing about Anita Hill, the woman who accused him during the hearings of making untoward remarks of a sexual nature, Thomas goes for petty:

In a somewhat pettier vein, he adds that she had “bad breath,” that the idea he might have wanted to date her was “laughable,” that nobody on his staff liked her and that “the first thing she did [when she went with Thomas to work at the EEOC] was claim the largest office in my suite.”

New GOP Logo Features Blue (Not Red?) Elephant

Jon Ponder

The GOP has unveiled a new logo for its convention in Minneapolis next year. One striking thing about it is that the elephant in the center is rendered in Democratic blue instead of Republican red.

Is this a subconscious admission that Republicans fear that America will turn from red to blue next year?

Another thing: Are those prison stripes?

Finally, as Keith Olbermann pointed out last night, experts say that when elephants are usually only up on their hind legs when they’re copulating, so perhaps there’s a bit of an homage to the sex lives of prominent Republicans, including Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana, whose family values include consorting with prostitutes and Sen. Larry Craig who has pleaded guilty for trolling for sex in a men’s room.

Ron Paul Raises $5 Mil – in Range of Frontrunner Rudy’s $11 Mil

Jon Ponder

Quarterly fundraising reports from the presidential campaigns are in, and Rep. Ron Paul — the only Republican candidate who opposes the war — made a little news:

[Paul] surprised observers when his campaign said it had raised about $5.1 million from July through September, more than doubling his contributions from the second quarter and bringing total donations to more than $8 million for the year. The Paul campaign said it had $5.3 million in cash on hand.

Frontrunner Rudolph Giuliani raised $11 million, Mitt Romney $10 million, John McCain $6 million and Fred Thompson $8 million. Ron Paul has an intense grassroots following but polls under 5 percent in national surveys. The fact that the renegade candidate raised donations within range of the top tier is interesting. He bears watching.

Paul opposes the war, as noted, and some of his libertarian views would appeal to liberals. He opposed the Patriot Act, for example, and favors habeas corpus. He is for legalizing drugs, especially medical marijuana.

In one significant area, however, the libertarian supports government intervention, and it is a deal killer for the left. He opposes a woman’s right to abortion.

UPDATE: Here are Paul’s own words on abortion:

In my medical career, I’ve delivered more than 4,000 babies, so naturally my professional experience has influenced my views on abortion. It’s my strong belief that life begins at conception, and that children in the womb are entitled to inheritance rights. More broadly, libertarians, like most Americans, respectfully come to different views on the issue based on their different personal feelings about when human life begins … I think we ought to return the issue to the states so that local opinions could better determine the specific regulations concerning this deeply personal issue.

And on gay marriage:

Just like with abortion, I believe that marriage is an issue best decided by the states, not the federal government. I’m opposed to a federal ban on gay marriage, but it also goes both ways: I’m against the courts at the federal level pressuring the states into accepting same-sex marriage licenses. What we’re talking about in both cases is the redefinition of an ancient social institution by the federal government that’s best left to the people to decide at the local level.

—

Democratic frontrunners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama raised a combined $47 million, more than the combined totals of all the Republicans mentioned above. Clinton raised $27 million, and Obama raised $20 million.

AFA: We Didn’t Lie And Morningstar Still Hates Christians

Buck Banks

Man, Joe Mansueto must have really rattled the Wildmons, American Family Association’s head henchmen, when he responded by e-mail to all the AFA drones who sent him an e-mail through the AFA site criticizing his company for not taking an ad from Faith Financial, as we reported earlier. See, most organizations who are slimed by the Wildmons choose to meet with them privately. Mansueto, chair and CEO of Morningside, chose to take the fight to the public.

Several hours later, the Wildmons are in full spin mode, quoting Faith Financial’s version of what happened as a way to deflect criticism:

‘Based on the fact that Morningstar takes advertisements for liberal social interest groups, it still appears to AFA that the Faith Financial ad was rejected due to it’s Christian content.’
— Tim ‘Wildman Jr.’ Wildmon

Faith Financial attempted to amplify its message of values-based investing on a national platform. To that end, it worked with a global ad agency named Come And Stay which suggested using Morningstar.com, one of the largest and most popular investor information resources in the industry. The ad agent worked with Faith Financial to craft an ad that met both the criteria of Faith Financial and Morningstar then submitted an offer/invoice (what is generally considered a contract) to CEO Stephen Bolt of Faith Financial who signed it and sent it back to be presented along with the 80 word text of the ad to Morningstar. Much to the surprise of both the ad agent and Faith Financial, the ad was rejected by Morningstar. Faith Financial Planners was told by the ad agent after he had consulted with Morningstar that ‘Unless you change the message completely and eliminate the Christian undertones…’ the ad will not be accepted.

The ad agent submitted an offer/invoice to CEO Stephen Bolt of Faith Financial who signed it and sent it back to be presented along with the 80 word text of the ad to Morningstar. From Faith Financial’s perspective, the offer/invoice was a binding agreement as is stated in the contract, but Faith Financial recognizes that Morningstar.com never accepted Faith Financial’s ad and thus, Morningstar never signed an agreement with Faith Financial.

Anybody who has ever dealt with advertising knows that signing an insertion order is a contract between the advertiser and the advertising agency, not the publisher. That’s why there’s an agency percentage — for the work and the financial risk. So, there was never a contract between FF and Morningstar — but that’s what Tim Wildmon said. So who’s lying? I’d bet on both Faith Financial and Wildmon. The above was offered by Wildmon by way of explanation.

He then accuses Morningstar of anti-Christian bias while not offering one iota of justification other than to say that because Morningstar rejected the ad, then it is de facto biased. Oh, except for this:

Based on the fact that Morningstar takes advertisements for liberal social interest groups, it still appears to AFA that the Faith Financial ad was rejected due to it’s [sic] Christian content.

I went to the Morningstar site and I had a devil of a time finding an advertisement. And here’s where you can find the advert for Faith Financial.

I went to the Faith Financial Web site and to tell you the truth it looks to me like some kind of Christian multilevel marketing pyramid scheme. Judge for yourself by going here.

I could see how Morningstar, which is one of the largest financial sites in the country that does real analysis and provides real content regarding financial matters might be put off by Faith Financial, which looks kind of questionable.

And last time I checked it is within the rights of a private business to choose to do or refuse to do business with whomever it desires. And if there are consequences to that decision, then so be it. People are free to boycott and demonstrate any business that clearly demonstrates bias, but refusing to play ball with a bunch of flaky Christian scam artists is not against the law.

Unfortunately, neither is lying — with one hand on the Bible — to people to get them to follow your misguided agenda.

Larry Craig’s Guilty Plea Stands

Jon Ponder

Sen. Craig was supposed to step down on Sept. 30 but apparently has not. Maybe he was waiting on this:

Senator Larry E. Craig failed today in his effort to withdraw his guilty plea in connection with an undercover sex sting operation. The decision dealt the Idaho Republican a crippling setback in his attempt to hold on to his seat and caused new anxiety for other Republicans.

A Minnesota judge rejected Mr. Craig’s arguments entirely, declaring that, contrary to what Mr. Craig asserted, his guilty plea was made unambiguously and without coercion.

“The defendant, a career politician with a college education, is of, at least, above-average intelligence,” Judge Charles A. Porter Jr. ruled in Hennepin County District Court. “He knew what he was saying, reading, and signing.”

No word on whether Craig will appeal the ruling.

UPDATE: Craig says he will serve out his term:

“I am extremely disappointed with the ruling issued today. I am innocent of the charges against me. I continue to work with my legal team to explore my additional legal options.

“I will continue to serve Idaho in the United States Senate, and there are several reasons for that. As I continued to work for Idaho over the past three weeks here in the Senate, I have seen that it is possible for me to work here effectively …

“In addition, I will continue my effort to clear my name in the Senate Ethics Committee – something that is not possible if I am not serving in the Senate.

“When my term has expired, I will retire and not seek reelection. I hope this provides the certainty Idaho needs and deserves.”

Bush Secretly Reauthorized Torture in 2005

Jon Ponder

The biggest shock is that the agressive torture rules Cheney and Bush wanted were shot down by then-Attorney Gen. John Ashcroft, who I would have otherwise expected to fall in lockstep. Good for him, if it’s true.

Reading between the lines, it appears Ashcroft was pushed out and replaced by Gonzales, who once wrote that terrorism had rendered the Geneva Convention rules on torture quaint:

When the [Ashcroft] Justice Department publicly declared torture “abhorrent” in a legal opinion in December 2004, the Bush administration appeared to have abandoned its assertion of nearly unlimited presidential authority to order brutal interrogations.

But soon after Alberto R. Gonzales’s arrival as attorney general in February 2005, the Justice Department issued another opinion, this one in secret. It was a very different document, according to officials briefed on it, an expansive endorsement of the harshest interrogation techniques ever used by the Central Intelligence Agency.

The new opinion, the officials said, for the first time provided explicit authorization to barrage terror suspects with a combination of painful physical and psychological tactics, including head-slapping, simulated drowning and frigid temperatures.

AFA Caught in Another Lying Smear Campaign

Buck Banks

A couple of days ago I received an e-mail from Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association. In typical seething indignation, the missive exhorted me to leap to the condemnation of Morningstar, a provider of financial information, for its refusal to run an ad on its Web site from Faith Financial Planners:

Like any bullies, the Wildmons — pater and son — exaggerate their organization’s power and significance, and wield the threat of economic boycott like a baseball bat when they attack on behalf of Jesus.

We have learned that our friends at Faith Financial Planners were denied a paid advertisement on the website of Morningstar unless they removed the “Christian” content from their advertisement. Morningstar — one of the largest providers of financial information on mutual funds, stocks, and portfolios for individual investors and institutions in the world — told Faith Financial that the company had to “change the message completely and eliminate the Christian undertones.” This is a clear example of bigotry just because Faith Financial represents a Christian message about values and investing. Faith Financial is a company that, through one of its subsidiaries, provides information for Christians to use in reflecting their values in their investments. The information alerts values-based investors to those companies that are involved in pornography, abortion, the homosexual agenda, etc.

But Wildmon wasn’t finished yet:

In an unprecedented move, after a contract had been signed by both parties, an ad sales agent for Morningstar informed Faith Financial that Morningstar had reversed its decision to accept the ad and decided that Faith Financial must censor the “Christian undertones” in order for the ad to be acceptable. American Family Association is asking you to let the leadership at Morningstar know that this kind of Christian bigotry is unacceptable.

I, of course, took action. I like to take the AFA’s stock letter copy and rewrite it to take the polar opposite position. In a perverse way, it relaxes me and is mightily entertaining. Today I received a response to my e-mail from Morningstar Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Joe Mansueto:

The AFA’s email alert claimed that Morningstar asked a company called Faith Financial Planners to “eliminate the Christian undertones from their ad,” reneged on a contract, and rejected an advertisement on the basis of anti-Christian bias.

These allegations are false. First and foremost, at no time did Morningstar sign a contract with Faith Financial or any group representing Faith Financial, and no one at Morningstar asked Faith Financial to “eliminate the Christian undertones from their ad.” The AFA is also incorrect in accusing us of bias in our decision not to run the ad in question.

Seems Morningstar had pretty good grounds for not running the ad:

This ad, which was submitted to us by a third-party agency, was a special promotional offer for a free copy of the book “Money on Loan from God.” A variety of companies run these types of promotional offers, which are made available to people who sign up for Premium Membership service on our Web site, Morningstar.com.

To give you a better sense of our internal process, our ad sales team evaluates each ad submission on a case-by-case basis, within our stated advertising guidelines. We have limited sponsorship opportunities available for the special offer area of our Web site and often turn down promotional requests based on a number of factors.

We also frequently turn down ads that we believe make unreasonable or risky promises to investors. The text in this particular ad — “Achieving a double bottom line on your investment, financial and moral!” — raised a red flag with our ad rep. Also, our ad rep was not familiar with the author of the book or the book’s contents.

Taking all of these issues into consideration, as well as our advertising guidelines, our ad rep made the judgment call to turn down the promotional offer for this special area of our site.

So, let’s review the facts, since AFA apparently didn’t: There was no signed contract, Morningstar didn’t ask Faith Financial to change its ad copy, the ad probably violated Morningstar’s ad policy and it wasn’t Faith Financial but a third-party agency that submitted the ad.

This is a familiar approach by American Family Association — trump up some nonexistent instance of alleged bias against Christian values, distort the facts, rouse its base to action and smugly await some hoped-for free media coverage.

The AFA simply practices thuggery in the name of Jesus. Like any bullies, the Wildmons — pater and son — exaggerate their organization’s power and significance, and wield the threat of economic boycott like a baseball bat when they attack, supposedly in defense of Jesus.

Morningstar’s Mansueto did the right thing by showing the AFA for what it is — a gang of lying, bullying Christian fundamentalist extremists.

Update: AFA has compounded its earlier lies with new ones. Read more…