Trump's Bigoted Judge Nominee backed by Wisconsin Bishops and Dumb Ron Johnson!

Let this be a warning for those who think politicizing religion is a good idea.

Roman Catholics believe Justice Anthony Kennedy went off the rail? Diversity means relaxed moral and ethical standards? Same-sex marriage damages civil society? Guess so:

Are they Catholic Social Bigots, just as God intended?

Archbishop Jerome Listecki of Milwaukee, and bishops in Madison, La Crosse, Green Bay and Superior ... said they "are troubled by the assessment that Gordon Giampietro is not receiving a fair hearing because of his Catholic faith. The teachings of the Catholic Church in the areas of marriage, family life and human sexuality are very clear. Catholic's (sic) who practice their faith understand and are able to articulate them. We believe that Catholics are capable of offering fair and impartial decisions when applying the law."

What did he say?

1. Giampietro said Justice Anthony Kennedy's ruling, "It's not really legal reasoning" that Kennedy "went off the rails years ago" in a decision striking down sodomy laws.

2. On March 25, 2014, Giampietro wrote that “calls for diversity” are “code for relaxed standards (moral and intellectual).”

3. In a July 24, 2015, interview on (faith radio's) “The Lydia LoCoco Show,” Giampietro was sharply critical of the Supreme Court decision affirming the right to same-sex marriage ... “worse” than the court’s Roe vs. Wade “because of the damage it does to civil society.”

4. In the same interview, he took aim at birth control pills, describing them as "an assault on nature."

Bigots are Unbiased and Fair, and not really bigots, even if they have to say so themselves? 

Commission member, Rick Esenberg, defended Giampietro and said the nominee did not have bigoted views. "You may disagree with the position of the Roman Catholic Church with respect to the nature of marriage, but the other thing Gordon has made clear is if he sits as a judge, he'll apply the law and not his personal religious views."

Sen. Tammy Baldwin has it right, again:

A spokeswoman for Baldwin said adding that the senator's objections to the nominee have nothing to do with his Catholic faith:

“These extremely troubling statements were not provided to the (commission) when it considered candidates for this vacancy. Both what was said, and the fact that it was not disclosed to the commission, raise serious questions about whether this nominee would be able to serve as a fair and impartial judge on a federal court.”

The New Republican Party and Cadidates are here...Trump appeasers Ryan and Walker must be proud..

It was hard to imagine...once. Now it's a reality, and that eye watering stench is coming from the Republican Party.

Paul Ryan's primary challenger Paul Nehlen simply reflects the natural "regression" of  Republicans  in general, the exciting next generation of resent driven hate and paranoia. And thanks to Trump's unfiltered boldness, candidates and party leaders are telling us the festering rot we're seeing in America isn't coming from them, it's coming from Jews and drug induced killer immigrants:

(Nehlen) tweeted a list of 81 Twitter users who have criticized him on the social media platform. In the post, Paul Nehlen asserted 74 of the listed critics were Jewish. 

An hour after posting the list of critics, Nehlen tweeted out a link to a page on his campaign website where the names, emails and phone numbers of those who have contacted his campaign to criticize him are posted along with portions of their emails or transcripts of voicemails.

The Terrorist Left: I've been waving this red flag for years. Republicans have vilified the word liberal and portrayed them as terrorists and nation ending socialists for years. What did you think would happen? Note: Nehlen oddly wasn't "silenced...on major social media" was he, when he post his trash on Twitter?

He also posted text of legislation he said he would propose to "end the radical left's silencing of conservative voices on major social media platforms."

 Republicans Mainstream Messaging:

Ann Jacobs chairs the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation and said she has never seen rhetoric like this in Wisconsin politics. 

"The idea that this is someone who is running for public office and who thinks that his anti-Semitic opinions are mainstream, worthwhile, going to get him votes. It's just horrifying."

In response, the person whose message above is shown on the right, explained:

The phone number for a woman who asked Wisconsin Public Radio to identify her as M to preserve her privacy (said), "I contacted someone who wants to be a public official using a public number and because he disagreed with my statement, he posted my private information online. What upsets me the most is that there are people who want to become part of our government who want to end civic discourse, and civil discourse."

 Nehlen: "It means not backing down to people like this:" In the lives of these new conservative messengers, this kind of stuff has been normalized, as demonstrated by Nehlen's frightening response. In his world, this makes perfect sense:

Responding to questions from WPR by email, Nehlen's campiagn said "pointing out factual information is not anti-Semitic," and that people's criticisms of the campaign were posted to the site "to provide the public full transparency of what they can expect if they run for office" and that Nehlen is "no more concerned (about those critics receiving threatening or harassing messages) than they were by making threatening/harassing calls or messaging of this campaign."

Not to be outdone: While liberals are vilified for pushing health care for all (the horror), there are right wing groups influencing Republicans right now that have a much deeper and darker agenda:

The group, Abolish Abortion Wisconsin, is affiliated with the radical activist Matt Trewhella and plans to host an event in the State Capitol on February 7, according to the message to legislators from Rep. Chuck Wichgers. Abolish Abortion Wisconsin: “… public officials in Wisconsin are bound by solemn oath and moral duty to oppose the Supreme Court’s perversion of the Constitution … When we are asked what the punishment should be for women who have illegal abortions, we should unashamedly respond – whatever the penalty is for murder in the state where it takes place.”

One Wisconsin Now: “Rep. Wichgers is not advertising a meeting to have a rational discussion of public policy. Instead he is promoting a repugnant hate group that advocates for lawlessness and violence against women.”

No Nonsense, Dystopian GOP War against everyone else coming...

In how many ways can "constitutional conservative" Republicans redefine the First Amendment, and turn it inside-out to fit their twisted down-the-rabbit-hole agenda? We see soon.

The Republican Party platform is taking shape, just in time for their glorious convention featuring speakers who don't like or support their "not a Republican" candidate. This is way too surreal to believe:

PayPal kills expansion in N. Carolina over LGBT Law.

It's so nice to see something like this happen....sadly, can't say Wisconsin's a better choice. Now, what do we do about Mississippi's new law..?

PayPal will no longer move forward with its planned new global operations center in Charlotte, North Carolina, after the state passed a law that eliminates anti-discrimination protections for lesbians, gays and bisexuals and keeps transgender people from using the bathroom of their chosen gender.

“The new law perpetuates discrimination and it violates the values and principles that are at the core of PayPal’s mission and culture. As a result, PayPal will not move forward with our planned expansion in Charlotte,” a statement released by PayPal President and CEO Dan Schulman said Monday.

“This decision reflects PayPal’s deepest values and our strong belief that every person has the right to be treated equally, and with dignity and respect. Our decision is a clear and unambiguous one … As a company that is committed to the principle that everyone deserves to live without fear of discrimination simply for being who they are, becoming an employer in North Carolina, where members of our teams will not have equal rights under the law, is simply untenable.”

Apologetic Bigot candidate Bradley attacks, not looking real sorry now....

Rebecca Bradley's short lived half ass'ed apology is turning into an all out attack on the media and One Wisconsin Now. Bradley ran for cover on conservative talk radio, getting the extra spin machine treatment. Didn't she once say she was "non-partisan." No time for that when your in a full blown public image disaster like this.



One Wisconsin Now's research director Jenny Dye ran down the impressively nasty list of Bradley qualities Walker is quite happy with on the Wisconsin State Supreme Court, already a national embarrassment. Devil's Advocates Radio Network:



Republican trolls may hate liberals more than anything, but when one of their own screws up, they're okay with being just like liberals. Like magic, they're exempt from their strongly held "principles" and responsibilities.

The following troll response to Bradley's grotesque heart felt bigotry...ignore the issue completely:

Not remotely comparable (see for yourself), but a lot easier than watching the Bradley self destruct.

Anyone think Bradley actually apologized for her comments?

"To those offended by comments I made as a young college student, I apologize..."

...and to those who agree with Bradley? They know, wink, wink, they got the message.

Did her bigotry and condescending view of Democratic voters humble Bradley? Nope, she fought back and blamed the messenger for quoting her verbatim:

She also accused One Wisconsin Now of conducting a "blatant mudslinging campaign to distract the people from the issues at hand," according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

Is it possible a conservative would not hold the following conservative values repeated ad nauseam in the presidential race?

An Associated Press review of the Marquette University student newspaper on Tuesday uncovered columns by Bradley where she defends the school's Warriors mascot and criticizes political correctness as a "frightening trend."

She wrote in April 1992 that "The PC movement is entirely the agenda of feminists, gays, liberal extremists and 1960's radicals who never left school and consequently are largely ignorant of the real world."

What the hell does she know about the 60's?

And how about this non-answer response from Scott Walker, :

"It's really irrelevant in that it's now up to the voters to decide come... April," Walker said. When asked, Walker would not explicitly condemn Bradley's comments or share his own views on the subject.

And as we're constantly being told, these outrageous conservative views don’t really reflect conservative views…

He said Bradley's early views did not reflect those of young conservative activists, like himself, at the time.

But just as frightening is Walker's lack of concern over putting a justice on the state's highest court that held these strong bigoted and intolerant views:

Walker said the question of whether he would have appointed Bradley to the Supreme Court had he seen her 1992 opinion pieces is irrelevant.

State Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling disagreed, saying: "As elected officials, it's our job to lead by example. Hate speech, discrimination and intolerance are never 'irrelevant.'"

Walker also believes conservative activist judges and justices never have a reason to recuse themselves:

Asked if Bradley would have to recuse herself from significant cases involving discrimination of gay and lesbian people, Walker said no, because there is nothing in her judicial record that suggests she would be biased on those issues. 

Superior Mayor Hagen said what he meant in "bad choice of words" about the Obama's!!!

Mayor Bruce Hagen of Superior not only called Obama a Muslim, but said he was destroying the country. 

“Unbelievable! She and her Muslim partner have destroyed the fabric of Democracy that was so very hard fought for."

Would you describe that as a "poor choice of words?" Someone should ask the mayor how he would rephrase that. Calling his statement below an apology would, in my opinion, be another "poor choice of words." And yet Mayor Hagen thinks we're all as dumb as his in denial bigoted supporters:

WashingtonTimes

"...a poor choice of words in a moment of anger. I apologize to the Muslim community for being insensitive. I had my back up. I'm not a racist. I'm not a bigot. I'm not a religious zealot. I'm a Christian, and I have a strong faith in God. I have so many friends that are of various different religions. The bottom line was I was deeply, deeply in pain and hurt by what was cast back at me for what I believed to be an honest error and mistake."

Why do we accept these vapidly empty Republican take-backs and non-apologies?

After all, it was only last week Mayor Hagen dug his heals in (picture) when residents protested his bigoted statement and outright lie about Obama's religion. He got major nationwide press. Despite being wrong, Mayor Hagen claimed he had a 1st Amendment free speech right to his opinion, completely missing the point. Like all Republicans caught in a lie or bigoted/racist comment, admit no wrong, dig in, and get what mileage you can:

Do we still have freedom of speech in the country? I, like any other citizen or public official, have the unalienable right to speak and represent my beliefs through the First Amendment. To retreat from the very freedoms that are guaranteed in the Constitution and for which many millions of men and women have fought to ensure, would be wrong and the continued attack on free speech.Sometimes I kind of forget. I have huge respect for the office of the president, but no respect for the current administration.”

Pretty clear choice of words, right? But the media is pretending his job saving non-apology is somehow okay and sincere. Not this time. 

Walker Stumbles Again, Twice; compares gay men to pedophiles, dismisses value of minimum wage workers lives.

Gay Boy Scout Leaders Dangerous: The press won't say it, but I will: Scott Walker just compared gay men to pedophiles, when he said the ban on gay Boy Scout leaders "protected children." Seriously, what else would it mean?

The Boy Scouts of America’s National Executive Committee voted unanimously this week to allow gay adults to serve as employees and troop leaders. In response to the vote, Walker told IJReview: 

“I was an Eagle Scout, my kids have been involved, Tonette (Walker) was a den mother. I have had a lifelong commitment to the Scouts and support the previous membership policy because it protected children and advanced Scout values.”

What a leader and bigoted presidential wannabe.

Minimum Wage Disconnect: Scott Walker must also think that minimum wage service industry jobs are either on their way out or just a brief jumping off point to a great paying job in the future that will never go away. These jobs are here to stay, as the nation moves to a greater dependence on service industry employers. Major companies that reorganized their business model after the Great Recession now require fewer full time workers, and depend more on parttime workers making less money and no costly benefits.

So Walker's tone deaf comment about how lame it for Democrats to focus on the minimum wage is brutally disconnected from reality:

"The left claims that they're for American workers and they've just got really lame ideas — things like the minimum wage. Instead of focusing on that, we need to talk about how we get people the skills and the education and the qualifications that they need to take on the careers that pay far more than the minimum wage."

No, Republicans aren't at all racist...

This stunning image got a whole lot of retweets from right wingers. See if you can spot the bigotry, racism, and religious fundamentalism:

Indiana and Arkansas Religious Freedom changes just window dressing....

The changes in Indiana and Arkansas weren't even close to changing these discriminatory "religious freedom" acts. Check out the comments from Dan Savage, and Sarah Warbelow of the Human Rights Campaign, as they dissect the meaningless changes. You have to wonder why so many opponents of this law are now satisfied:



Wolf Blitzer interviewed war crazy Senator Tom Cotton, where Cotton said "in Iran, they hang you for the crime of being gay." Gee, thanks Tom (notice how he said it was a crime). Cotton was asked his reaction to the law in Arkansas, and responded, "well in Indiana, we believe in religious freedom." Blitzer interrupted and said "everybody believes in religious freedom." Nice one Wolf:



Wisconsin has its own religious freedom bill waiting in the wings...ever get the feeling Republicans states over a short period of time will all look the same and have the same one size fits all right wing set of laws? I guess that's somehow different from those "intrusive" one size fits all federal laws?  WISC and Jessica Arp:

Janesville Embarrassment!! Giving bigots a voice in our classrooms the real controversy.

At the same time states are having their bigoted gay marriage bans overturned for being unconstitutional, the Janesville School District is apologizing for not giving bigots a voice in their classrooms. In an indirect way, they did just that:

WSJ: The Janesville School District superintendent issued a public apology Tuesday for the showing of a video that she describes as pro-gay marriage and in violation of district policies requiring the presentation of all sides of “controversial” or “political” topics.

It’s only controversial to bigots, who found a way to inject their sick politics into the mix. It’s a constitutional protection for the rest of us. Apologize...? Nice lesson to teach our kids.

What got little attention was this important detail; the students chose the video, a positive message of equal rights and a look at the LGBT struggle in the words of our kids. So this is what conservative are talking about when they want to develop their own "local" curriculum?

…16-minute video of children reacting to marriage proposals between same-sex couples and sharing their thoughts on issues like gay marriage bans or whether they would stay friends with someone who told them they were gay. Bits of text flashed during the video offering viewers information about the history and status of gay marriage in the United States or about discrimination and hate crimes, among other things.

That struggle presented “both sides.” But Janesville felt obligated to apologize to just a few bigoted parents hell bent on holding onto their prejudices and politicizing the whole event as "propaganda."

...two parents and a grandparent who had contacted the principal upset about the video. A grandparent contacted the School Board because she felt a public apology for what happened in April was warranted … “I found the video to be inappropriate and propaganda laden in addition to the left-wing political view,” grandparent Jo Yungerman wrote to the principal.

So Yungerman thinks its a “left-wing political view.” Who injected politics into the Janesville classroom? 

Imagine inviting a guest like Yungerman to discussion the evils of gay marriage. Or imagine this; presenting an opposing opinion over interracial marriage or opposition to ending school segregation back in the 60's?  

…it did not offer a similar look at views in support of keeping marriage between men and women. The policy requires classroom discussions to include all sides of a political matter. She said she felt “that the concept of gay marriage would fall under political action and/or legislation” because cases are being argued for and against it in courts across the country. The video was played on April 11 to recognize the Day of Silence, a national event to bring “attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools,” according to the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network. “School staff should encourage, not condemn, the brave efforts of youth in Gay-Straight Alliance clubs to make their schools safer for all students.”

Video creators Benny and Rafi Fine said in an email that they do not consider the video to be biased, and consider “raw opinions of children to be incredibly valuable insight on our current society.” They also said they were surprised to see any need for a public apology over the video.

GOP Bigots, Blasted by Big Business for Arizona "License to Discriminate" Bill, now Changed their Minds.

It wasn't that the "discriminated against gays" bill looked bad and bigoted, no, that wouldn't have been enough to force the manic GOP backtracking. What turned things around for the GOP was the unintended consequence of pissing off their big business base of supporters. The NFL, Apple, Marriott, Delta Airlines, Intel....not happy!

As the Washington Post's Harold Meyerson put it:

"As patriotism can be the last refuge of scoundrels, so religion can be the last refuge of bigots."

The very idea of giving business owners a chance to discriminate based on their religious beliefs is mind boggling.
My question now to my homophobic Republican friends trying to backtrack; what about your principles? Here's a compilation of clips showing Americans the control business has on Republicans, and how this ridiculously hateful bill has actually spread nationwide.

HRC: With the passage of SB 1062, the “License to Discriminate” bill in Arizona, opposition to the bill has been growing. Many businesses and organizations in Arizona understand that this bill does more that it says it would. It would allow any individual, corporation, institution, or business organization may be permitted to refuse services to LGBT people on the basis of religious freedom.

Businesses across Arizona are contacting Governor Brewer and letting Arizonans know that they are “Open for Business to Everyone!”

Republicans in Washington State seek Exemption to Non-Discrimination Law.

The “conscience clause” scheme by bigots, racist and religious zealots has always fascinated me.

We’re seeing this unfold now over Obamacare’s requirement to provide free birth control to women.

Businesses are trying to use the conscience clause to deny coverage for religious or just about any other reason.

The trouble is, your First Amendment rights can't infringe on, or take away someone else's.  

Republicans have a way of standing up for the Constitution, all the while redefining it and twisting into knots. Have you ever seen so court challenges?  

Here comes another amazing down-the-rabbit-hole shredding:

News Tribune: Bill seeks exemption to non-discrimination law: Several Republican lawmakers filed a bill Thursday seeking an exemption to the state's anti-discrimination laws just weeks after legal action was taken against a Richland florist who denied service to a gay couple for their upcoming wedding.

The bill introduced by Sen. Sharon Brown, R-Kennewick, would allow businesses the right to deny services or goods if they felt doing so was contrary to their "sincerely held religious beliefs, philosophical beliefs, or matters of conscience."

And Brown see’s nothing wrong with this. Of course this would open the flood gates of discrimination. Just as bizarre, Brown is willing to give up “matters of conscience” if it’s already a federal law.

The measure would not apply to the denial of services to people under a protected class under federal law, such as race, religion or disability.

I’m pretty sure “denial” can’t be used as evidence in a court of law:

Brown argued that the bill is not intended to undermine the law or the rights of gays and lesbians in the state and isn't a commentary on same-sex marriage. "The citizens of the state clearly weighed in on that issue," she said. "It's intended to protect religious freedoms."

Going for the Latino Voters, Republicans offer Clear Message!!!

Nothing says conservative bigoted, racist, white supremacy than this:

Honesty is an unexpected but welcome outcome of power and arrogance. 

Anti-Muslim Film Maker Found, Conservatives say he's the victim for making laughable movie.

After the anti-Muslim film maker was found, conservative media started to defend themselves, with "can't you take a joke," or "hey, what's the big deal?"

The conservative trash news site Hot Air, posted this bizarre “don’t blame us, blame Muslim’s who can’t deal with criticism” screed by Ed Morrissey. The filmmaker is the real victim here?

Controversial Cover?

Over the last couple of days, I wonder whether the American media may get someone killed — and perhaps more than a few people — with their irresponsible stakeout of “Sam Bacile.” If anyone interested in taking revenge on Nakoula Besseley Nakoula wanted to know where to find him, it wouldn’t take long in Cerritos, California, especially with some media reports noting Nakoula’s distinctive front door. This media swarm puts that entire neighborhood at risk, now and probably for a very long time. And for what?  Is Nakoula a serial killer? A child molester?  No, he’s a man with poor taste who made a video that insulted some people who can’t deal with criticism, even the laughably inane and inept criticism of this 14-minute cheesefest that makes Plan 9 From Outer Space look like Citizen Kane.  

Real laughable stuff, resulting in people dying and anti-American demonstrations? What is it about a conservatives inability to take responsibility, ever? I don't even want to get into their weird, twisted, sick sense of humor. 

According to the media:

A man purported to be a filmmaker involved with the anti-Islam video sparking violent unrest in the Middle East and North Africa was escorted by deputies from his Cerritos, Calif., home shortly after midnight Saturday morning, NBCLosAngeles.com reported. Nakoula emerged wearing a coat, hat, scarf and glasses. L.A. County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Steve Whitmore confirmed to NBCLA that Nakoula, 55, was taken to the Cerritos sheriff’s station for interviewing by federal probation officers aimed at determining whether he violated the terms of his 5-year probation by uploading a video to the Internet.

Here’s KTLA’s coverage:

RNC Chair Reince Priebus falsely accuses President of Sympathizing with Attack and Libyan killing of American.

Washington Post blogger Rachel Weiner posted this story- RNC Chair: Obama ‘sympathizes with attackers’

WP: In a tweet, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus suggested not only that the Obama administration had responded to the attacks in Egypt and Libya with sympathy  – as Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney argued – but that President Obama himself personally sympathizes with the attackers.

That would be a baseless lie, and an irresponsible act that should result in Priebus’ firing. But since it reflects the current right wings fear of the "other," nothing will happen:

Both accusations appear to be based on a statement from the Cairo embassy, released before the attacks, which condemned “the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims.” (Protesters were spurred by clips of an anti-Muslim film.) The Obama administration … saying it was not approved by Washington and “doesn’t reflect the views of the U.S. government.”  

The media, Fox News in particular, is now focusing in a long past drone attack, and the anniversary of 9/11 for the unrest, although originally, the story blamed the right wing film.

WP: The director of a controversial anti-Islam film has gone into hiding, according to reports, fearing reprisals over a work that has sparked violence in Egypt and has been linked to events in Libya that led to the deaths of four Americans.

But right wing zealot and religious warrior Sam Bacile’s film may have contributed in some way to the killing. Here's a compilation of clips that will give you an idea of what was so offensive. See Buzzfeed as well:



Is it all about the Republican Party's campaign of religious bigotry and fear mongering?:

“Innocence of Muslims,” was produced and directed by an Israeli-American, Sam Bacile, a California real-estate developer who called Islam “a cancer,” in an interview. Mr. Bacile told The Journal that he raised $5 million from about 100 Jewish donors and shot the two-hour movie in California last year. A  14-minute trailer for the English-language film,  which was posted on YouTube in July, attracted little attention until last week, when a version dubbed into Arabic was posted on the same YouTube channel and then copied and viewed tens of thousands of times more … 

Just your Average Anti-Gay Marriage Conservative!!

Republicans. Let's face it, they're all nuts on that side of the aisle. Here's another bigoted bumbling fool to add to the  tea party whack-a-do list...and it's funny too.

Jonathan Turley: Former Christian radio preacher Michael Leisner’s protest of General Mills seems right out of Saturday Night Live. Leisner is upset with what he says is the support of General Mills for same-sex marriage so he decides to torch a box of Honey Nut Cheerios on their lawn . . . and proceeds to torch their lawn in Golden Valley, Minnesota. He did succeed in reaffirming the company’s new slogan: “You’re on your toes with Cheerios”

I love how Leisner calls for his associates to bolt for the car. Leisner is infamous for his attacks on gay leaders and such comments as stating that President Barack Obama has “bent forward to accommodate the sodomites of New York.” He has railed against the “depraved, debasing debauchery of gay activists.” Of course, they tend not to torch the lawns of their neighbors. 

Chick-fil-A customers: "It's like seeing someone coming out of a porn shop all sweaty, with a box of goodies. Yuck."-me

Does the Constitution protect bigots from looking like lousy Americans? Nope. Hate and seething homophobia may produce long lines at Chick-fil-A, but it's bad PR, and makes every customer look grotesque.

It’s like seeing someone coming out of a porn shop all sweaty, with a box of goodies. Yuck.  Here's what you'd expect to see from the Fox News coverage:

An Op-Ed in the NY Times by Steve Salbu, who says he’s gay, supports Dan Cathy’s right to be a big business bigot. Don’t you love tolerance? But tolerance is the weapon of the right, because it’s an invitation to push the envelope with little or no blowback. I’m thinking “tea party.”

When Republicans target Planned Parenthoods, is it big government discrimination? They’ve even threatened boycotts of businesses that ban firearms. But ASKING Chick-fil-A to go away because they’re homophobic losers? That’s going too far?

(What was) troubling was that officials in a number of cities expressed not only their ire but also their desire to keep Chick-fil-A out of their towns. In Boston, Mayor Thomas Menino urged Chick-fil-A not to open a restaurant, explaining to The Boston Herald: “You can’t have a business in the city of Boston that discriminates against a population.” In Philadelphia, the City Council member James Kenney wrote to Mr. Cathy, instructing him to “take a hike and take your intolerance with you.” A Chicago alderman opposed the opening of a new Chick-fil-A restaurant in his ward. And Speaker Christine Quinn of the New York City Council endorsed a movement by students at New York University who are pushing for the removal of Chick-fil-A from the school’s campus.

As a gay man, I’m disheartened. A society that truly believes in individual freedom will respect Mr. Cathy’s right to his views. Those who disagree with him are free to boycott Chick-fil-A in protest. But if our elected officials run Chick-fil-A out of town, they are effectively voting for all of us, regardless of our respective beliefs, and eliminating our individual freedoms. And freedom, after all, is at the heart of the controversy over same-sex marriage.

We made this happen, by never showing outrage over bigoted comments like those from Dan Cathy. Cathy’s religious freedom allows him to vilify and belittle others who have the same First Amendment rights as he does, but unfortunately for them, aren’t allowed to enjoy them.

Yet the comments above were opinions, and not a governmental efforts to stop the chain from opening their rancid sandwich shops. It'shard to disagree with any of the viewpoints:

In a statement to FoxNews.com, Sarah Hamilton, a spokeswoman for Emanuel, said that the mayor said that Cathy did not share Chicago’s values. “He did not say that he would block or play any role in the company opening a new restaurant here,” Hamilton said in a statement to FoxNews.com. “If they meet all the usual requirements, then they can open their restaurant, but their values aren't reflective of our city.”

And in a letter Philadelphia City Councilman James Kenney wrote a letter to Cathy criticizing him for his comments. "As an American you are legally entitled to your opinion, regardless of how insensitive and intolerant it may be, but as a fellow American and an elected member of Philadelphia City Council; I am entitled to express my opinion as well," Kenney wrote. "So please – take a hike and take your intolerance with you. There is no place for this type of hate in our great City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection."

Did you know that businesses have constitutional rights that gay Americans don't? It's true:

"We heard about the protests against Chick-Fil-A, so we came over to support the rights of small business owners and the rights of business owners to say what they believe," said Keith Chillquist. "There's this thing called the Constitution, and Democrats try and take it and do whatever they want with it but we think that's wrong." 

We did nothing to it but object, but the authoritarian nature of conservatives won't stand for our free speech rights. And just to make sure enough people showed up, free gift cards from a right wing fringe group:  

The Wisconsin Family Council purchased 300 $5 gift cards as a "thank you" to those stopping at the restaurant to eat. Julaine Appling, president of the group, said with the turnout so much greater than anticipated, they had to buy more gift cards to try and keep up.

What a con.

Chick-fil-A boycott has nothing to do with Free Speech, everything to do with Bigotry, Homophobics.

I don’t get the free speech crap these whack-a-do’s profess to be supporting when they go out and buy their chicken sandwiches for gay bashing.

The boycott against Chick-fil-A is the ultimate in free speech, and the owners of the chain have every right to freely and publicly hate gay people. Their religious freedom is also on full display, using God to support their ignorance, intolerance and bigotry.

The gay community and their supporters are free to boycott and not encourage bigoted businesses.

But Racine’s homophobic losers turned out in force, and weren’t afraid to parade their petting hatred in public. See the picture, and remember the faces.

jsonline: Hundreds of people participating in a national effort to support the fast food chain Chick-fil-A are gathered at its only Wisconsin restaurant, in Racine's Regency Mall, Wednesday. Wisconsin Family Council is handing out 200 to 300 gift cards of appreciation at Chick-fil-A as part of the show of support.

Free food...no wonder so many turned out.

Chick-fil-A has been at the center of a nationwide controversy because Dan Cathy, president of the chain has been public about his opposition to gay marriage - and to political efforts to recognize same-sex marriages.

Customers are saying they are not affiliated with any specific group - some say they're here to show their support for the company's view on gay marriage, younger customers say they are here to in support of free speech. 

This show of chicken sandwich strength isn't in support of free speech, it's in support of bigotry.

Where Far Right Wing Politics is Headed...next week.

I don't watch Glee. I don't know much about the show, but I thought this parody bit about one of the main characters going into politics was real close to reality-"sneaky gays."

Democrats, AGAIN, missed an easy opportunity to Defend Religious Freedom and delegitimize "Constitutional conservatives"

Adam Serwer, of the American Prospect, just off handidly came up with an easy way for Democrats to counter the trumped up mosque at Ground Zero "controversy." If the First Amendment argument is too difficult for liberals to tear conservatives a new asshole, at least take Adam's advice and tell them government can't tell anyone where the mosque should be located. Other Republicans have also chimed in with their opposition. All included in the clip below.

Suhail Khan, of the Conservative Inclusion Coalition, is shockingly sane and offended. By the way, it's so strange to see the words conservative and inclusion in the same name, much less back to back.

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