Sunday, August 30, 2009

More Lions, Please.




Have I mentioned how happy I was that my mom moved out of Ohio, thereby eliminating any need for me to ever go to that state again?

Here's yet another reason why:


A high school student in Ohio has won a $121K settlement from his school district after his science teacher burned the image of a cross on his arm.

School board members in Mount Vernon agreed Wednesday night to resolve a federal lawsuit by paying $5,500 to the boy and his family and $115,500 to their lawyers. The family still has a similar suit pending against the eighth-grade teacher, John Freshwater. He was fired last year by the school district northeast of Columbus after an internal investigation accused him of using a scientific device to burn the student and found that he had preached his Christian beliefs in class.

Freshwater has filed a $1M suit against the school district saying they violated his freedom of speech and his civil rights.


Yes, it's a tough day for a whack job fundy when he can't brand his students. Why this freak hasn't been sent to prison is yet another good reason to avoid Ohio, where such criminals run rampant, burning books and the flesh of children.

It kind of makes one pang for the days when Roman emperors simply threw early Christians to the lions for entertainment. But really it was a failed attempt to curb a cult that got out of control.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Fake Bigots Wanted



NOM, aka the National Organization for Marriage, aka the Mormon money launderer, seeks more lousy actors to pretend to hate gay marriage.

These freaks really need to be shut down.

Callfor Actors posted in Kennebunk newspaper.

Casting Director James Stiles is putting out the word that he’s looking for two 'real Maine' women to appear in a television ad produced by supporters of traditional marriage. Stiles is looking for a 'teacher type' and a 'working waitress type,' both in the 35-45 age range. If you want to try out, he’s holding auditions from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 2) at the Howard Johnson in South Portland. If you’re hired, it’s a three day gig that pays $500 a day."

Nothing less classy than holding an audition in a HoJo. Add that place to a dung-pile of boycotts for businesses that already stink.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Arizo-no


Frommers Tour Guides recommend a boycott of the entire state of Arizona!

The founder of Frommer's Guides, Mister Frommer himself, dishes it out!

I am shocked beyond measure by reports that earlier this week, nearly a dozen persons, including one with an assault rifle strapped about his shoulders and others with pistols in their hands or holsters, were openly congregating outside a hall at which President Obama was speaking to the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

For myself, without yet suggesting that others follow me in an open boycott, I will not personally travel in a state where civilians carry loaded weapons onto the sidewalks and as a means of political protest. I not only believe such practices are a threat to the future of our democracy, but I am firmly convinced that they would also endanger my own personal safety there. And therefore I will cancel any plans to vacation or otherwise visit in Arizona until I learn more. And I will begin thinking about whether tourists should safeguard themselves by avoiding stays in Arizona.



Read more at "Do Guns at Political Events Disturb You? Then Consider Skipping Arizona for Now."

Considering that as I type this my brother is moving my mom from her Tucson home for the past year (where the neighbor's dog viciously killed her cat, among other problems) to her new home in nearby Oakland, I'd say it's a boycott I can keep.

I mean, really. Boycotts on Whole Foods (CEO is an ass about healthcare reform), RockStar drink (despicably awful swill sold by despicably awful rightwing freak spawn of Michael "Savage" Weiner) and the like are just too easy!

Make me boycott Netflix or chocolate chip cookies and I'll have a problem.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Terror Faker


In the Firm Grasp of the Obvious Dept:

Tom Ridge: I Was Pressured To Raise Terror Alert To Help Bush Win


In a new book, former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge reveals new details on politicization under President Bush, reports US News & World Report's Paul Bedard. Among other things, Ridge admits that he was pressured to raise the terror alert to help Bush win re-election in 2004.

Ridge was never invited to sit in on National Security Council meetings; was "blindsided" by the FBI in morning Oval Office meetings because the agency withheld critical information from him; found his urgings to block Michael Brown from being named head of the emergency agency blamed for the Hurricane Katrina disaster ignored; and was pushed to raise the security alert on the eve of President Bush's re-election, something he saw as politically motivated and worth resigning over.

Dave Weigel, writing for the Washington Independent, notes that in the past, Ridge has denied manipulating security information for political reasons. In 2004, for example, he said, "We don't do politics in the Department of Homeland Security."

The Bush administration was forced to admit in the days after the 2004 alert that it was based on intelligence three or four years old. Officials then claimed there was a previously unmentioned "separate stream of intelligence" that justified the warning -- but offered little tangible information to support their new story..

ThinkProgress recalls, the AP reported that "even 'some senior Republicans' privately questioned Ridge's timing of a terror alert that came just three days after the Democratic National Convention."


Isn't it oddly convenient that Bushco stooges only tell the truth after their party lost miserably, they're out of power, the weaseldink underlings are shilling books?

-

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

ASStroturf and stupid tables

In which Rep. Barney Frank tells an Astroturfer Rent-a-Mobber cliché-spewing moron off:



Funny thing is, I'm actually shopping for a dining room table.


And on to the media:

Astroturf: Exposing the Fake Grassroots Rightwingers

Astroturf describes fake grassroots groups that are created and funded by corporations, political parties or industry trade associations to advance a political agenda.

Astroturf groups fighting media reform manufacture the impression of public opposition to issues like Net
Neutrality to sway policy makers and the media. What these groups won't tell you is that they're bought and paid for by the phone and cable industry.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Mob Rule


The ridiculous displays of orchestrated rage by mostly white old Republicans over healthcare reform may have swayed the Obama administration.

White House appears ready to drop 'public option'

Bowing to Republican pressure, President Barack Obama's administration signaled on Sunday it is ready to abandon the idea of giving Americans the option of government-run insurance as part of a new U.S. health care system.

Facing mounting opposition to the overhaul, administration officials left open the chance for a compromise with Republicans that would include health insurance cooperatives instead of a government-run plan. Such a concession would likely enrage his liberal supporters but could deliver Obama a much-needed win on a top domestic priority opposed by GOP lawmakers.

This is despite the fact that Repub scare tactics and deliberate mis-information and outright lies, like those spewed by Quitter Palin, have been disproven.

FACT CHECK: No 'death panel' in health care bill
Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin says the health care overhaul bill would set up a "death panel." Federal bureaucrats would play God, ruling on whether ailing seniors are worth enough to society to deserve life-sustaining medical care. Palin and other critics are wrong.

Nothing in the legislation would carry out such a bleak vision. The provision that has caused the uproar would instead authorize Medicare to pay doctors for counseling patients about end-of-life care, if the patient wishes.

But that hasn't stopped the Rent-a-Mobs from spewing vitriol. It's ironic, since most of these protestors, following the orders of Republican and "blue dog" Democratic politicians given hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions by lobbyists for pharmaceutical and health insurance corproations, have enjoyed the benefits of "socialism" for decades, i.e. the G.i. bill, Medicare and Medicaid, in addition to "socialist" infrastructure, FDA, and more government servies.

But that isn't stopping the increasingly racist, fascistic and violent behavior and statements by Rethugs.

Fears for Barack Obama's safety as healthcare debate fuels extremism
The message was clear. The sign carried by a 51-year-old man last week outside a raucous town hall meeting on healthcare in Hagerstown, Maryland, read "Death to Obama". Just to emphasise his point, a second message was also scrawled on the cardboard placard. "Death to Obama, Michelle and 2 stupid kids," it stated.

Welcome to the disturbing new face of the radical right in America. Across the country, extremism is surging, inflamed by conservative talkshow hosts, encouraged by Republican leaders and propagating a series of wild conspiracy theories. Many fear it might end in tragedy.

Obama has been labeled as a threat to democracy and an anti-white racist by senior presenters on the TV channel Fox News. Republicans, seizing on the fierce debate over Obama's plans to reform healthcare, have called him a socialist who plans "death panels" for the elderly. Rumors have circulated that Obama was not born in America and that he plans to ban firearms. Despite having no basis in fact, they have become widely believed. A recent poll in Virginia showed only 53% of voters believed Obama was born in the US. In neighbouring North Carolina, 54% of voters shared that opinion.

Such extremism is becoming a major security issue, prompting fears of an attack on Obama's life or some other incident of domestic terrorism. "This is a very dangerous situation that can spin off 'lone wolf' individuals who decide now is the time to act against people they see as an enemy," said Chip Berlet, author of a book on rightwing extremists.

Federal authorities have launched a programme to try to detect any individuals who might be planning rightwing attacks similar to those that in recent months have killed a Kansas abortion doctor and a black security guard at Washington DC's Holocaust Museum.

At the same time, the watchdog group the Southern Poverty Law Centre has issued a report that warns of rising numbers of potentially violent rightwing militia groups. The number of hate groups has grown from 602 in 2000 to 926, the organisation found. Its report quoted one senior federal law enforcement official, Bart McEntire, as saying: "This is the most significant growth we've seen in 10 to 12 years. All it's lacking is a spark."

You don't need to be an expert profiler to know that that spark will undoubtedly be ignited by a white, gun-owning Republican racist. The fact that these protests have sprung up so suddenly is proof of the orchestration from higher-ups.
Remember the last time Republicans sent Angry Mobs to Disrupt Something?
I do. And it did so much damage to America that we are still recovering and Obama is left to pick up the pieces. Let's not let them use the same tactics to shut down discussion of Healthcare Reform in town hall meetings across the nation. They are trying to stop that the same way they stopped the recount.

And they were ALL Republican Party operatives.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Mor(m)on Maine Money-laundry


(This is from Californians Against Hate. I decided to copy it in its entirety, to show how far-reaching the creeps in the Mor(m)on Church are going:)

 
Letter Sent to Maine Election Officials
Warning of Money Laundering by National Organization for Marriage (NOM) & Others
 

LOS ANGELES, CA / AUGUSTA, ME – Californians Against Hate founder Fred Karger sent a letter today warning top Maine election officials of possible money laundering by opponents of same-sex marriage. 
 
The organization trying to overturn Maine’s same-sex marriage law, Stand for Marriage PAC recently turned in 100,000 signatures to place the question on the November ballot.  These gay marriage foes hope to repeal LD 1020 -- the law passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor allowing same-sex marriage in Maine. 
 
Of the $343,689.50 raised to pay the Brighton, Michigan based National Petition Management, Inc. to collect the signatures, only $400, or a mere .001 of that total came from individuals.  The remaining $343,289.50 was given by various religious organizations and James Dobson’s Focus on the Family.  The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) gave nearly half of that total, $160,000.  The remainder came from Catholic organizations ($150,000) and James Dobson’s Focus on the Family ($31,000).

“It sure looks like they are trying to hide the donors in their latest effort to strip away marriage equality,” said Fred Karger. “  There is no way these organizations like NOM and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland had all this money sitting in their treasuries (except for possibly Focus on the Family).  They went out and raised it expressly for this campaign.  It’s very expensive to hire these signature gathering firms to collect 100,000 signatures in a short period of time.”
 
Let the Money Laundering Begin
 
NOM is a Mormon Front Group

 
There is an ongoing investigation into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) by the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC Case #08/735). The FPPC is looking into both the Church’s lack of reporting its non-monetary contributions to Prop 8, and also whether NOM was, in fact, established as a front group by the Salt Lake City based Mormon Church.  The Mormon Church has used this tactic in several states beginning in Hawaii in 1996. 
 
Warning Maine Officials

 
In a letter to Jonathan Wayne, Executive Director of the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Elections Practices (letter copy below), Karger warned of suspected money laundering by the major donors to Stand for Marriage PAC.
 
It begs the question; are they directing all contributions to their existing organizations, who in turn then give the money to Stand for Marriage PAC?,”  Karger asked in today’s letter.  “We are very familiar with how this coalition operates, and we want to warn the political leadership and the residents of Maine to beware.
 
The coalition has also hired the highly regarded Schubert, Flint Campaign Management firm of Sacramento, California. 
 
Who are the Victims Here?
 
These major backers of Stand for Marriage PAC will do their best to play the poor victim.  They like to say that their contributors are being targeted simply because they give money to “preserve marriage.”  That’s what they did in California after running a very nasty campaign and spending $40 million to take away marriage equality from millions of Californians.
 
Let’s be clear.  They are NOT the victims here.  The Mormon Church and its coalition have qualified and passed Constitutional Amendments in 30 states to yank away civil rights from gay and lesbian Americans. 
 
The Mormons began this fight in 1988.  They have been destroying lives, intimidating people and demonizing an entire class to solidify their base and raise millions and millions of dollars.  
 
After two decades of assaulting the LGBT Community, we are now fighting back with our talent, our numbers, our friends, our money and our purchasing power.  They are not the victims in this equation, and even the best PR by all of their consultants cannot rewrite history. 
 
Our hope is that as young people discover that they are LGB or T, they do not  feel any less of a person because Maggie Gallagher (NOM $160,000 to the Maine campaign), Bishop Richard Malone (Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, ME $100,000 to the Maine campaign) Knights of Columbus (Catholic Church’s Political Arm $50,000 to the Maine campaign) or James Dobson (Focus on the Family $31,000 to the Maine campaign) gave so very much money to bully them and take away their rights. 
 

Copy of Letter To Maine Election Officials:
August 13, 2009
 
Mr. Jonathan Wayne
Executive Director
Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and
Elections Practices
135 State House Station
Augusta, Maine 04333
 
Re:  Money Laundering -- Stand for Marriage PAC
Dear Mr. Wayne:
 
We have reviewed the very first finance report which was recently filed by Stand for Marriage PAC, the group trying to repeal Maine’s same-sex marriage law.
 
It appears that there are already questionable activities. 
 
Stand for Marriage PAC reported raising $343,689.50 during the period April 1 to July 5, 2009.  We found it very suspicious that of that total, only $400 was given by individuals.  The balance of $343,289.50 was contributed by various religious organizations and James Dobson’s Focus on the Family. 

That means that individual contributions to repeal gay marriage in Maine are only .001% of the total raised. 
 
Are the proponents trying to hide the identities of those contributing to their campaign?  Are they directing all contributions to existing organizations, who then gave the money to Stand for Marriage PAC?  This appears to be the case.
 
If this is true, would it not be considered money laundering?
 
We have been very active and have closely tracked all the money that was raised to pass Proposition 8 in California last year.  Californians Against Hate was the first to uncover the vast involvement in the election by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church).  Our extensive research revealed that the Mormon Church had its members in California and around the country give approximately 75% of the $40 million that was raised to pass Prop 8. 
 
On November 13, 2008, just nine days after the election, we filled a complaint with, the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), your counterpart in California.  Our complaint alleged that the Mormon Church had spent a tremendous amount of money in non-monetary contributions that they never reported, which is required under California election law. 
 
We submitted evidence supporting our claim that the Mormon Church ran out of state phone banks, produced 27 slick commercials (that ranged from 30 seconds to 8 minutes long) and put them on their elaborate web site Preserving Marraige.org  for all to see.  We also asked the Commission to investigate the Mormon Church for bussing people from Utah to California for precinct walking, sending out extensive direct mail and numerous other activities.
 
Eight days later, the FPPC announced that they were launching an unprecedented investigation into the Mormon Church (Case # 08/735) as a result of our complaint. 
 
On March 19, 2009, we filed a supplemental complaint with the FPPC.  We received hundreds of secret Mormon documents that show exactly how involved the Mormon Church has been throughout the country in fighting same-sex marriage.  The documents reveal how the Church established front groups to wage their battles, and shield the Church from any negative publicity  
 
We believe that the Mormon Church established the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) in May of 2007 for the express purpose of qualifying Proposition 8 for the California ballot.  This was done in conjunction with leading Catholic organizations such as the Knights of Columbus, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and James Dobson’s Focus on the Family.
 
It is no coincidence that these are the exact same groups that are funding and leading the effort to repeal Maine’s recently passed same-sex marriage law.
 
We believe that only Focus on the Family had money in its treasury.  The other groups raised money expressly for the campaign to hire the professional signature gathering firm to qualify the referendum.
 
They are trying to hide the true identities of those contributing to the campaign.
 
It certainly sounds like money laundering to us.  We hope that your office will investigate the genuine sources of the funds contributed to Stand for Marriage PAC.
 
The Mormon Church appears to be using the National Organization for Marriage to fight same-sex marriage all over the Northeast. 
 
They admitted as much in a Washington Post story on May 29, 2009.  A spokeswoman in Salt Lake City declined to say whether the church is involved in debates going on in the Northeast except to say, “…that leaders remain intent on preserving the divine institution of marriage between man and woman. The faith holds that traditional marriage transcends this world and is necessary for the fullness of joy in the next life." 
 
It sure sounds like the Mormon Church is involved to us.
 
On our web site Mormongate.com, we describe the formation of NOM.  This was done at the very highest level of the Mormon Church – the President and the 12 Apostles. 
 
You can see exactly how they operated in Hawaii in order to skirt state election laws there.  They funneled money through Hawaii’s Future Today, which they established to fund that state’s campaign to ban same-sex marriage. 
 
In the near future, we will be releasing other official Mormon documents that explain how this happened in other states.

 
If we can be of any assistance in your efforts to monitor Stand for Marriage PAC, please to not hesitate to call upon us.
 
Best regards,
 
Fred Karger
Founder
Californians Against Hate
www.CaliforniansAgainsthate.com
619-592-2008

cc:  Attorney General Janet Mills         

Washington Post article


Inquiry Set on Mormon Aid for California Marriage Vote



Mormongate.com

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Easy as ABC

While mostly white old Republican rabble-rousers scream down any logical discussion at healthcare reform town halls across the country, spurred on with instruction booklets on how to disrupt these meetings, with docs sent by politicians paid off by insurance industry lobbyists, meanwhile, artist Chris Jordan creates a clearer picture:


Building Blocks, 2007
16 feet tall x 32 feet wide in eighteen square panels, each sized 62x62".

Depicts nine million wooden ABC blocks, equal to the number of American children with no health insurance coverage in 2007.






Saturday, August 1, 2009

Bash Mash


A brief comparison to recent antigay attacks has me bewitched, bothered and bewildered.

Worst:
U.S. military accused of atrocities against Iraqi gays
Refugee tells stunned audience that soldiers detained, executed gay civilians
(Washington Blade) - A fundraising event to benefit an LGBT community center in Lebanon last week took a surprise turn when stunned audience members were shown graphic photographs of beheaded corpses and images purportedly depicting U.S. soldiers preparing to execute gay Iraqis.

Two gay Iraqi refugees, who declined to use their real names, delivered a presentation at the Human Rights Campaign headquarters July 24 in which they detailed alleged abuses of fellow gay Iraqis while calling on their audience to donate funds to Helem, a Lebanon-based center that works to address the plight of LGBT people in the Middle East.

One of the Iraqis, who goes by the name “Hussam,” showed the audience of about 80 people gruesome images, including shots allegedly of a beheaded man who was gay and another of the victim’s twin brother grieving over the severed head.

While asserting that anti-gay violence in Iraq is often committed by Iraqis, Hussam also said U.S. service members were involved in anti-gay hostility. For example, he said service members displayed signs in front of their barracks with the words “Fuck Off Fags.”

Horribly Ironic:

Suspect in gay sailor's death commits suicide
(CNN) A sailor accused of killing another sailor was found dead in his cell in a southern California military jail, officials said Friday.
Seaman August Provost (photo: from his MySpace page) was killed while on sentry duty at Camp Pendleton.

Petty Officer Jonathan Campos was found dead in the brig at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in San Diego, a military statement said. The cause of death was self-inflicted asphyxiation, according to the statement.Campos had been charged with murder in the June 30 shooting death of Seaman August Provost.

Provost was killed while he was standing guard as a sentry for the Assault Craft Unit 5 compound at Camp Pendleton, officials said. Authorities also said Provost's body was set on fire at his guard post. Provost's family believed that he was killed partly because of his sexual orientation.

Horrific II:

2 killed in Tel Aviv shooting
GLBT activist says shooting that killed 2, wounded 10 at gay community meeting place in central Tel Aviv was 'deliberate act against gay community'

(Israel News) A shooting incident occurred at a meeting place for the GLBT community in Tel Aviv late Saturday evening, and paramedics have reported two people dead. At least ten people have been wounded, six of them seriously.

The incident took place at a time during which teenagers belonging to the GLBT community were holding a meeting. At around 10:40 pm shots were heard at the meeting place in central Tel Aviv. A man dressed in black was spotted by eyewitnesses fleeing the scene, and he was later spotted again on a nearby street.

The police's Tel Aviv district commander, Major-General Shahar Ayalon, said the incident had not been preceded by threats to members of the community. "For 15 years this place has served as a club belonging to the union for private rights. Today a teen meeting was taking place," he said. "At some point someone walked in and began firing left and right. The shooter escaped and we are searching for the suspect. We have no specific description of the suspect or the circumstances."

One eyewitness to the shooting said, "The place looked like a slaughterhouse." Another witness said the shooter had worn a mask. Civilians were warned to stay away from the area.

Unsporting:
Hawaii Football Coach Apologizes for Antigay Slurs
Hawaii coach Greg McMackin was suspended for 30 days without pay and has volunteered to take an additional 7 percent pay cut from his $1.1 million salary for making a derogatory comment while describing Notre Dame’s chant before last year’s Hawaii Bowl.

In a room full of players, assistant coaches and boosters, a tearful McMackin addressed reporters late Friday after meeting with school officials for several hours.

“I just want to say I made a big mistake. I want to apologize to everyone and anyone that I offended with my remarks,” he said. “I’m committed to do whatever I can to use this as a life lesson to learn from my mistake. When we make mistakes, we have to learn from it and make better people of ourselves.”

In total, McMackin will lose roughly $169,000 from his salary this year. But the real damage seems to be to his reputation and to the university. (The idiot coach repeatedly called players "faggots" for doing a silly dance, then tired to pressure media nearby to not report his idiocy.)

Unsporting II:
Bombing, assault mars Outgames
(Bay Area Reporter) - A Seattle runner was injured Tuesday afternoon when explosive devices were thrown at athletes and exploded at the start of the 4x200 meter track relay at the World Outgames 2 in Copenhagen – the second violent incident since the opening of the Outgames last weekend.

Dean Koga from Seattle Frontrunners was in the starting block when two bombs were thrown from behind a wall onto the track at the new Østerbro Stadium, home to a major track and field event for the first time. According to members of the Seattle team, the bombs "exploded upon impact and resulted in Koga sustaining injuries to his right hand from flying material. We had had four Seattle Frontrunners at the starting blocks at the time and 16 on the track, but all others are unharmed, however, a little shaken up."

Koga was transported to a local hospital where medical workers removed impacted plastic material from his hand and stitched the wound. He was later released. Koga, 58, competed on Wednesday and won the gold medal in the 200 meter race in his age group.

Another bomb was thrown about 45 minutes later, according to athletes at the meet, and police arrested a 31-year-old Danish man who was seen running from the scene, according to the athletes.


Sour Grapes:
[Edits made here]
Last night (Friday), before the wildly popular Midnight Mass show (campy movies, drag queens, general hilarity) a gay man named Joshua [NOT Joshua Granell, aka Peaches Christ] and his boyfriend Sebastian where physically thrown out of a wine bar on Geary called Internos. They were called "faggots" and hustled out of the bar.

According to them, all they were doing was hugging and looking into each others eyes, they just wanted a drink before their sold out screening of Showgirls.

Facebook pals have rallied. This bar was made clear to be an anti gay zone, and a "kiss in" has been called for tonight at 9pm at www.internoswinecafe.com (415) 751- 2661. Supporters have been asked to post responses to this incident on the bar's Yelp page. (At the time of my posting this, half a dozen people have already done so.)

Said drag queen Anna Conda, "Let's go be very GAY tonight!"

It's not much compared to the heinous other crimes listed, but it's the least one can do to hold on to at least one outpost of gay-friendliness in our town. Otherwise, worse events like those above will happen.

UPDATE: more than 40 people showed up for the protest. An expansive account and strong response was posted on Edge San Francisco. (Thanks for the comments correction).

UPDATE: The person involved in this incident has turned out to be not so honest as reported in the BAR.

Anyway, while back, ludicrous GOP presidential candidate and fundamentalist snake-handler Mike Huckabee said on TV that he didn't think anti-gay crimes were equivalent to anti-black crimes. He said, in effect, there weren't enough "skulls cracked" for antigay violence to be as important, or worthy of Hates Crimes legislation. Huckabee later back-pedaled after criticism (and after losing any hope of presidential dreams).

Fortunately, others, like the Danes, who arrested all the violent offenders in Copenhagen, think differently than the bigots, bombers and violent assassins, and the rightwing idiots who dismiss them.