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News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyFebruary 1st, 2010
Uganda’s Parliament will return after its long winter recess tomorrow, and it is expected that its first order of business will be to take up the Anti-Homosexuality Bill for its second reading. The anonymous blogger GayUganda says that police round-ups are continuing under the current law even as we speak. Does anyone doubt that there are those who would like to see the same thing here? Anti-Gay Inc., in the form of the American Family Association, thinks it’s a dandy idea. Here’s Bryan Fischer, host of the AFA’s Focus Point radio program:
It might be worth noting that what I actually suggested is that we impose the same sanctions on those who engage in homosexual behavior as we do on those who engage in intravenous drug abuse, since both pose the same kind of risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. I’d be curious to know what you think should be done with IV drug abusers, because whatever it is, I think the same response should be made to those who engage in homosexual behavior.
I don’t know that Fischer has taken a position on Uganda’s proposal for the death penalty against HIV-positive or “serial offender” gay people, nor their proposal for life imprisonment for everyone else, nor their proposal to lock up anyone — health care professionals, caregivers, landlords — who has any knowledge or contact with gay people. But it doesn’t really matter. The impulse is the same. To paraphrase an old joke about sex and prostitution, we’re just haggling over the price.
[Hat tip: Warren Throckmorton]
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KZ
February 1st, 2010
Wow…
The AFA continues to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ.
Joe in California
February 1st, 2010
All the more reason to Stop all aid to this country.
We should still continue talks to help them understand how wrong this bill is.
Hopefully, Hillary Clinton will bring together the right people from the global community to correct this wrong.
What is shameful, are the certain Christians sitting on the sidelines on this one! WTFWJH8?
Tina
February 1st, 2010
Here’s my question, if Fisher REALLY believed what the Bible says, then why doesn’t he call for executions right here in the good ol’ US of A, not just prison?
I mean, that’s in there.
“If a man lies with a male as with a women, both of them shall be put to death for their abominable deed; they have forfeited their lives.” (Leviticus 20:13)
Instead, he seems to be “picking and choosing” out of the Bible. Gay = sin, but death for gays… well, that’s a little extreme.
He seems to have selected only that Scripture which is agreeable to him.
I fear that he’s been influenced by The Culture!
Frank
February 1st, 2010
Just bring back the lions.
Jarred
February 1st, 2010
It might be worth noting that what I actually suggested is that we impose the same sanctions on those who engage in homosexual behavior as we do on those who engage in intravenous drug abuse, since both pose the same kind of risk of contracting HIV/AIDS.
I find it difficult to believe that Mr. Fischer actually believe that HIV transmission is or ever has been the reason that IV drug abuse is a crime. The fact that drug abuse was illegal before anyone had even heard of HIV or AIDS belies that fact. Putting aside the fact that some of us question the way IV drug abuse is handled by our current legal system, the fact remains that there are dozen of reasons why such drug abuse is illegal, and none of them apply to gay relationships. In effect, Mr. Fischer is being quite disingenuous in the way that he’s setting up a false equivalency here.
Rebecca
February 1st, 2010
So he’s in favor of criminalizing heterosexual sex too? That spreads HIV.
Chris McCoy
February 1st, 2010
Tina said:
I prefer this one:
“If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay the girl’s father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.†(Deuteronomy 22:28-29)
And this one:
“If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.†(Leviticus 20:10)
homer
February 1st, 2010
I also really wish they would just tell exactly what they think and not be such cowards. If these so-called Christians want to imprison, torture, and kill us, why don’t they just say it and see what happens.
Doug
February 1st, 2010
But Chris, how much is 50 shekels of silver in US currency? And at what exchange rate?
Richard Rush
February 1st, 2010
I understand that Bryan Fischer is one of the founding members of . . .
Theocrats
United for
Righteous
Dominion
Frank
February 1st, 2010
The safest sex is any kind of sex between two uninfected folks…
Eric in Oakland
February 1st, 2010
It is funny how they always exclude lesbians from their equation. Lesbians are at far less risk of contracting HIV than heterosexual women.
I also wonder if they favor similarly punishing people for eating high sugar foods, since it puts them at greater risk of becoming diabetic?
Or what about owning a handgun? That significantly increases the chances of a gun-related death in one’s family.
Or participation in risky sports or hobbies? Mountain climbing, sky diving, auto racing, and many other legal activities pose potential health risks.
Martin
February 1st, 2010
Eric, lesbians are invisible to these people because they don’t have “real” sex. Remember, it’s not really sex unless there’s a penis involved!
Timothy (TRiG)
February 2nd, 2010
My head hurts.
Timothy (TRiG)
February 2nd, 2010
To expand on my previous comment. Last night, when PZ Myers was a guest of Atheist Ireland, someone in the audience asked why sceptics and rationalists are so optimistic, when change happens so slowly. The reply from Michael Nugent of Atheist Ireland was that, however slowly, the world is moving in the right direction, as revealed by the world social attitudes survey, in every continent but Africa. The reply from PZ Myers was also interesting: He said that the ideas of free choice, of freedom of conscience is so obvious to us that we have a hard time understanding that so many people don’t get it.
And that’s what makes my head hurt when I read stuff like this.
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/02/arent_they_cute_when_they_unas.php
TRiG.
CPT_Doom
February 2nd, 2010
Mr. Fisher is also completely wrong about the legality of IV drug use. It is NOT illegal to use IV drugs or to have them in your system (as long as you are not driving). It IS illegal to possess drugs or the tools to take them. I’m not sure how that works with Fisher’s analogy – maybe we should be forced into reparative therapy if we have possession of “homosexual paraphenalia” – you know, Barbra Streisand records, Tinky Winky dolls, or too many pairs of D&G shoes,
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