Box Turtle Bulletin
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 lobbyNovember 22nd, 2011
NOM has decided to ban a contributor to one of its blogs. Not a commenter, mind you (that would be nothing new), but a contributor, an official NOM blogger:
We at the Ruth blog have decided to no longer allow Ari to have posting privileges over here. His sarcasm has gone over the line and we don’t care to be associated with it. Those who are interested in hearing what Ari has to say can find him at his own blog. We will stick to reporting on all aspects of the marriage issue in a civil way.
This Ari has recently called gay activists “the most loathsome people in the world.” In the same post, he declared that folks who want discrimination laws enforced “should not be able to go out in the streets for fear of being spat upon by decent people.” The post was removed, but not before NOM took some heat for it.
The irony is so delicious I want to smear it on toast and eat it for lunch.
NOM’s been on a crusade (and fundraising mission) lately about people who are persecuted for their anti-gay views.
NOM has championed these poor victims, all of whom play ball in the same park as Ari, all of whom have made their public statements relevant to their jobs. NOM has denounced alleged attempts by the evil gay mafia to “silence” them. NOM has declared it to be persecution, a violation of liberty, for an organization to decide someone’s rhetoric “has gone over the line and we don’t care to be associated with it.”
Unless of course the organization is NOM. In that case, apparently, it’s a special right they reserve for themselves.
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Tony P
November 22nd, 2011
I perused the site and I noted they’ve locked out comments on almost all their posts. I guess they don’t like feeling the heat.
David C.
November 22nd, 2011
@Tony P: Another Special Right NOM insists on is that all that open and rational debate they like to call for be one-sided—their side. The very last thing NOM wants is a completely open, honest, fact-based discussion of marriage equality because they know they would be on the losing side of that argument.
Betsy
November 22nd, 2011
Hi, Rob. Long time no “see.” About this Ari business, this was entirely my fault. NOM has nothing to do with the Ruth blog, and they had no idea about Ari. I’ve never met or even spoken to anyone at NOM. I’m just a stay-at-home mom whom Dr. Morse hired to manage her blog. As she gives me almost entirely free reign there, she’s not to blame for the Ari thing either. Therefore, Ruth Institute isn’t to blame either. Dr. Morse didn’t know anything about the Ari post until today.
Months ago she and I had reprimanded Ari for going over the line in his comments. We suppressed him for a while, but then let him try again months later. He sometimes writes good stuff, but now it’s clear he has his own agenda and is using the Ruth blog to get readers for his own site. What he posted on the Ruth blog seemed safe enough, I thought, so I allowed it, but it was my fault for not following it back to his blog to see where else he would go. If he had written that ridiculous stuff on the Ruth blog I would never have allowed it. I only saw it today. I get the impression that he is being purposely inflammatory in order to sell his book.
I’ve never met the guy. He wasn’t employed by Ruth. Dr. Morse let him start posting things years ago because she thought he was witty, but he has clearly changed.
Rob, I remember you asking me to print a retraction on the Ruth blog, and I complied. I would expect you to extend the same courtesy now. If you want to blame someone for the Ari debacle, it should be me, as manager of the Ruth blog. Pinning this on NOM is completely unfair.
Thanks, Rob.
Betsy
Pat
November 23rd, 2011
So I guess you were okay with the ridiculous inflammatory stuff that you did post, then, right Betsy?
Ryan
November 23rd, 2011
The main difference is that Ari was associated with NOM directly, and in your other three examples, the people were not. Guaranteed that if Ari had been fired from his job somewhere after publically’ calling gays terrorists who should be spat upon, NOM would be defending him as vociferously as they are the other three. And of course, they would be lying as well, claiming Ari was fired for nothing more than opposition to gay marriage. It’s their standard lie, and it’s hilarious that they can’t employ it this time.
Ray Harwick
November 23rd, 2011
Ruth is discriminating against Ari’s right to assert his Christian principles. Call Maggie! That’s her department. She’ll make a martyr out of him.
StraightGrandmother
November 23rd, 2011
Betsy,
Yes well I am glad you pulled it and then followed up publicly with why. Additionally taking the time to comment on Box Turtle Bulletin is also good.I think it is really admirable of you to stand up and take personal responsibility, usually NOM doesn’t do that.
Now I would like you to answer a question for me. A question I have asked many times on the Ruth blog but got no answer so I finally gave up asking. I know NOM and the Ruth Institute are focused like a laser beam on families and children. What I have asked and have never gotten an answer for is, “What about the children and families of sexual minorities?” It seems to me that Ruth Inst. and NOM only care about the children with heterosexual parents.
The Defense of Marriage Act and all of the 31 State Constitutions that deny loving couples who are sexual minorities the benefits of Legal Marriage are hurting the children with parents who are sexual minorities.
Take Sue and Sally parents to Liza and Robby. Sue works and Sally is the stay at home mom like you. Because of mean discriminatory state laws that prevent both Sue and Sally from being equal co-parents only Sally is legally Liza and Robby’s parent. Sue is not legally their mother but in every other way is their mother. I know a family like this Betsy, so this is not theoretical.
Betsy what about the children Liza and Robby? If Sue died the children would not be able to claim Social Security survivor benefits from the earnings she paid in. If Sally got breast cancer Sue would not be able to take off of work and have her job protected by the Federal Family Leave Act and take care of Sally and their children.
Furthermore because the state will only permit Sally to be the one legal mother now Liza and Robby get cheated out of not just a legal second parent, but another set of legal grandparents. Grandparents who would like to leave them money. Sue’s parents love and adore their grandchildren and would like to put money away for them in a college fund. BUT because they are not legally the children’s grandparents Liza and Robby must claim these gifts as ordinary income and pay taxes on it. Not true for children who have parents who are heterosexual.
Betsy I finally have my opportunity here. Is it in the BEST INTERESTS of the CHILDREN of sexual minorities to deny their parents civil marriage and all the benefits that come with that? How do you justify denying equal rights to sexual minorities when you know how it harms their children?
Betsy do you really only care about children with heterosexual parents and just plain don’t give a damn about children, if through not fault of the children, their parents happen to be gay. Betsy what is best for children who parents are sexual minorities? What is best for them Betsy? I really want to see your answer. But I bet you don’t answer. That is my bet, that you will not answer. I asked this question so many times on the RI blog and never got an answer. What is best for the children?
Ray Harwick
November 23rd, 2011
Re: ” His sarcasm has gone over the line”
Betsy,
It’s not mere sarcasm when someone calls for spitting on gay people. It’s advocacy for ASSAULT. Stop trying to diminish what he and you paymasters at NOM do at every opportunity. Maybe you didn’t read about this fellow, Burke Burnett, a gay guy who lives near Paris, Texas. He showed up at a social gathering and three guys who absorb the hatefulness coming out of NOM first BEAT him, stabbed him with a broken bottle, then threw him into burning 55 gallon drum – and LAUGHED about it.
When asked what he’s like to see the court do in terms of punishment, Burnett responded, “I’ll have to pray about it. God is our judge.”
You’re hanging with the *wrong* crowd.
Did you read about the lesbian who got fired at New Life School in Waxahatchie, Texas? She’s been there coaching and teaching and *poof* – she’s fired when a new principal shows up and finds out she’s a lesbian. Oddly, this teacher had 50 parents show up at the school to demand her reinstatement AND ask why she was fired. The principal’s answer: “We’re not allowed to reveal private information.” So the parents said if you can’t reveal private information, that REMOVE the action from her records that say she was fired for cause because she *must* report that when she applies for *any* new job in accordance with Texas law.
Of course, the principal refused their recommendation.
See, it was suitable enough to the principal to just get rid of her. He wanted something negative to follow her so she couldn’t get any other job as a school teacher.
That’s the kind of crowd YOU hang with, Betsy. They don’t want to merely stop marriage equality – they want gays and lesbians to HURT economically.
Rich
November 25th, 2011
Betsy, I think “StraightGrandmother” has posited a very sincere and worthy series of questions that The Ruth Institute and NOM are obligated to answer. And, like StraightGrandmother, I, too, have asked similar questions and posed sincere gay family scenarios only to be ignored because, I have had to assume, the questions and scenarios are too logical and rational to be countermanded. In other words: no one at The Ruth Institute or NOM has a viable argument to offer.
But, in truth, I believe that the most recent pulling of all posts by Ari has as much to do with this: It would appear that The Southern Poverty Law Center may be close to designating NOM as a Hate Group and, by association, The Ruth Institute. I suggest this because I have been in touch with TSPLC and their responses to me are clear that NOM is in their sights. The fact that TRI and NOM have cut off so many of their hateful blog posts would suggest that they are desperately trying to clean up their actions. Betsy? StraightGrandmother and I await your response.
StraightGrandmother
November 30th, 2011
Betsy, I am STILL waiting….
Betsy you take the time and take advantage of the good graces of The Box Turtle Bulletin to advertize your error asking for forgiveness but when we ask something of you, what do we get? Silence. Please come back and answer my question!
Timothy you were nice enough to offer Betsy space here on your website, will you please do me a great favor? Will you E-Mail Betsy and ask her to reply to my questions? I really want one time to see my question answered maybe you can get my question kicked upstairs and answered.
Thank you Rich!
Timothy Kincaid
December 1st, 2011
SG,
That was Rob, not me. I don’t have Betsy’s info.
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