73 Comments

Wow, the DNC found a vertebra. Let’s hope they continue to generate more.

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I'd love for the NALT Christians to step up and condemn the extremists in their faith.

(I know. Fat chance. Even though they know it's going to hurt them if they don't)

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I'd love to see the tobacco companies call each other out for marketing carcinogens. Or the fossil fuel corporations criticize each other for destroying the environment. Ain't gonna. Businesses (which churches certainly are) NEVER call out other businesses marketing the same product. That could have a negative effect on the market as a whole, which could mean lower profits for US. Horrors!

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And Big Tobacco is also too busy going after vaping. They hate competition for the youth market.

Big Tobacco. Another group of child molesters.

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I'm getting cynical (and have always been a little paranoid, which I consider a survival trait), but I'm reminded of the old saying "Words are cheap." Let's see if they actually do anything. Even bigger, let's see if the moderate Christians finally stand up and be counted, instead of hiding their heads in the sand.

I still fear a probability that I will be a refugee from America before I die.

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Indeed, actions speak far louder than words ... and I would genuinely enjoy seeing Democrats speak very loudly indeed with their behavior in the halls of government.

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I don't recall them speaking out about this stuff when Trump was in office.

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They did, but it was all buried by the Lame Stream Media on Hunters laptop in a pizza kitchen basement.

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You forgot to include some Drag Queens.

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It's a good start. Still, I can't help but notice the paucity of members of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, which would be a means through which "White Religious Nationalism" could be confronted and countered. Thus far, there are only 17 House members and NONE in the Senate, and all, of course, Democrats. I would hope to see a veritable FLOOD of Democrats joining the CFC, plus some serious discussion, debate, and legislation regarding the threat the Christian nationalism poses to my homeland.

Then, too, this could be little more than hand-waving ... something I grew sick and tired of about 10 squares back.

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Anyone who takes the Democrats--or ANY political party--as face value is criminally naive. DNC resolutions have about as much value as campaign promises: they're only worth something if they're backed up with action. I still remember Bill Clinton's stump speech to LGBT groups in '92: "I have a vision of America, and you are part of it." We supported him in enormous numbers. Then within a few months of taking office he signed the Defense of Marriage Act into law. Then there was Biden's oft-repeated promise that he and his party would pass the Equality Act in his first hundred days. They never even tried, didn't so much as lift a finger to do it. I think I can be excused for being skeptical about this thing.

Yes, words mean something, and this resolution ha symbolic importance. But as Hemant notes, they didn't even publicize it. The practical political value of symbolic statements is zero. I deeply hope they'll back this up with action. But till then I remain skeptical.

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Feb 6, 2023·edited Feb 6, 2023

Speaking of pushy Christians...

From the upper left corner of the country:

"Anti-abortion group to pay $960K to Planned Parenthood for noise violations"

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/anti-abortion-group-to-pay-planned-parenthood-960k-for-noise-volations/

Not just for noise but actual interference with patient care. So much for "right to life."

EDIT to fix link. They actually spelled "violations" "volations" in the link address :)

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From the article: “Those attorney fees total $850,000, according to Legal Voice and Planned Parenthood. That number was reached as part of a settlement between Planned Parenthood and the church’s insurance company, Wendy Heipt with Legal Voice confirmed.”

I suspect that church is now uninsurable.

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The lord will provide. /s

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But who needs insurance when you have an awesome god, am I right?

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And who care if a church is destroyed as long as an intact bible is recovered or random bits are in the shape of a cross.

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Also no respect for the sensibilities of anyone other than themselves. Their insularity on multiple levels truly knows no bounds.

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Christian Nationalists might have the upperhand when nobody refers to them by their NAME - Baptists of the Baptist Convention Southern and otherwise. The SBC has more money than most countries and a Civil War shaped chip on its shoulder. The SBC will burn this country to the ground (again) to protect its assets and tax exemption. They've had 95 years to study Hitler's "mistakes" and have decided to go with invisibility. They aren't playing.

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PRE-FREAKING-CISELY! It is well past time we called a spade a spade. Sadly, so long as Christian privilege and the presumption that faith is a virtue [instead of a euphemism for "gullibility"], the crap will go on.

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Feb 7, 2023·edited Feb 7, 2023

I think it's called an "entrenching tool" these days...

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The 87% white SBC uses regular white privilege as buffer protecting its white christian privilege.

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You didn't mention the Conference of Catholic Bishops, an equally villainous joker in democracy's deck. Fabulously wealthy, and they control the Supreme Court. And that's not to mention that they are agents of a foreign nation, the Vatican.

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Feb 6, 2023·edited Feb 6, 2023

I don't suppose we could get away with a surgical strike on Vatican City.

Hey, if the US can target weddings by Muslims in Iraq...

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The Southern Baptist Convention is the GOP & vice versa. Like any criminal organization invisibility is paramount. They exclusively use people of other denominations to do their dirty work; Catholics are their favorites. Why Catholics do it is utterly confounding - Protestants HATE Catholics - it's kinda the whole point of Protestantism.

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"𝘞𝘏𝘌𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘚, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪-𝘚𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘮, 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘢, 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘢, 𝘹𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘢, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘢..."

Wait- no wishy-washy appeasement? Just a straight-up condemnation of bigots, and explicit mention of their victims... who are you people, and what have you done with the DNC?

I mean, I'm happy to see it, but where was this fire back in 2016?

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Feb 6, 2023·edited Feb 6, 2023

In 2016, no one was honestly expecting Donald Trump to gain the WH. Even he believed he was going to lose and was as shocked as anyone when he "won" (thanks to a combination of confirmed interference in the election by Russia, a bungled FBI investigation by James Comey, an Electoral College that failed to do its job and tantrum voters who couldn't see the difference between Trump and Hillary Clinton pushing this undeserving pumpkin-hued lout into the Oval Office).

Democrats may not always be on top of things but at least they make the effort. The GQP NEVER will. They are the Dark Side.

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Feb 6, 2023·edited Feb 6, 2023

True- but then, it's that very complacency that allowed him to pull it off. Everyone just assumed that the insane fascist con man would lose (because of course he would; who would vote for someone that unhinged?) and that the following four years would be business as usual. The wake-up call should have come when he secured the nomination, not when he oozed into the White House, and it definitely shouldn't have taken the horror show that was 2020 to get the point across.

I'm glad that the blindingly obvious has finally dawned on the upper echelons of the power structure... but damn, wouldn't it be nice if they'd paid attention 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 the GQP traded in their dogwhistles for bullhorns?

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Where was this fire back in 2016? Unless I miss my guess, it was the same place it'll be in 2024.

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Quick, somebody nail down the rug so they can't sweep anything under it!

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Oooh, you just reminded me of a meme I saw about Predator Pell. It was an image of a dust broom sweeping something under a fancy rug and it said it was Pell’s ashes along with his crimes. I thought it was clever.

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Someone promise me we're done moving around. Please?

Calling out the problem is all well and good, but until something is actually done about it, I'm not holding my breath. So far, most of what I've seen out of the Democrats on this issue is tippy-toeing around members of the GOP that might suddenly do something rash. The time for negotiating with these extremists is long gone, and I see no more use in claims of attempting to 'reach across the aisle' anymore. Paul Pelosi got attacked in his own home by one of these folks, and that means it's time to stop treating criminals with kid gloves.

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It's an excellent resolution, but I can't help being skeptical than many Democratic candidates will make an issue of it in their campaigns. That would take some courage, a commodity conspicuously lacking in most American politicians.

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Freedom of speech. Freedom to hate. The KKK still exists. Hateful, Christian freaks target normal people. The mentally ill Christians can’t be stopped from hurting the people who stand for peace, love and tolerance.

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Let's notice something else, while we're at it. The statement made is about: "White Religious Nationalism." Time to ask: how much does "Jewish nationalism" figure into that phrase? How about Mormon nationalism or Islamic nationalism? It's time to grasp the nettle and admit to the blunt fact that this is CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM that we are talking about. Granted that there are elements of the more mainstream Christian community that has spoken out about this issue, and indeed, some of them are cited in the above article, but the silence of the general Christian population regarding this threat to American democracy is deafening.

If we are going to combat Christian nationalism, it has to be confronted most of all by those who have thus far failed to call it out, being the Christian "silent majority." They stand to suffer as much for the onslaught of CN as atheists, agnostics, and freethinkers do. Even more, their denunciation of Christian Nationalism will aid in its downfall.

The obvious question is: do they have the 𝘤𝘰𝘫𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 to stand up and be counted?

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While I agree with you on all your other points, Mormons do have a corrupting hold on the state governments of at least two states. If that is considered nationalism or not, I’m not sure, but it does cause a great deal of civil rights violations and a host of other deadly issues stemming from the religion. There have also been near misses with Mormons getting more power nationally, ie Mitt Romney.

To be sure, white Christian nationalism is made up of a majority evangelicals, a good proportion of Catholics and does also include a not insubstantial minority of Mormons. We can’t underestimate the folks we’re protecting ourselves from.

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Excellent point. The LDS church is also the one who funded the push against Prop 8 in California, which NONE of us should ever forget. The Mormons should be taken down HARD.

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The LDS. Homophobes who had a child molester and a polygamist as a prophet.

He didn't end well. And those pesky gays are still around. They even get married now. Unlike Mor(m)ons, one married partner at a time will do just fine.

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Feb 7, 2023·edited Feb 7, 2023

OT – This is interesting

𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝟏𝟑𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠

• A federal judge suggested that the federal right to abortion — which the Supreme Court overturned last year — might still be protected by the Constitution's 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery.

<snip>

A 1990 paper by a Northwestern University School of Law professor found that the 13th Amendment, with its prohibition against involuntary servitude, provides a textual basis for the right to abortion.

"When women are compelled to carry and bear children, they are subjected to 'involuntary servitude' in violation" of that amendment," wrote the paper's author Andrew Koppelman, which was cited by Kollar-Kotelly in her order. *

<snip>

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/judge-suggests-abortion-might-be-protected-by-13th-amendment-despite-supreme-court-ruling/ar-AA17bbxA

* It's called gestational slavery for a reason. Forced birthers are enslavers.

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"𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨" 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥-𝘢𝘯𝘥-𝘢-𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵, 𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯.

-- Captain John Christopher, to Captain James T. Kirk

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I wait for sc or right wing judges twisted arguments that forced gestation is not slavery 🙄

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And I want to see a pro-choice (preferably woman) argue that FG *IS* slavery and pin their ears back!

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Too bad Simone Veil is dead, she did well to shut up those who compared abortion rights to nazism.

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Yep, it is going to be interesting to watch the contortions they will go through to do that.

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"May you live in interesting times"

Just image the justices President DeSantis will appoint. That will really be "interesting".

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Especially halitosis.

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She Hulk and Ben Shapiro? God damn you that something I can't un-see.

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I just read a manhua with a tall and strong woman and her smaller and scholar husband 😁

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DeviantArt is full of such artwork and stories. He can find plenty of material for his umm... fetish.

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Or he could try pornhub. 😁

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What a shame Shapiro will probably never watch She-Hulk. He'd likely laugh his arse off!

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hate to say this but I agree with what Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers is doing. These religious whacks needs to know what is really in that book.

https://washingtonstand.com/news/us-house-committee-chair-invites-members-to-read-bible-in-a-year

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If they read it cover to cover it'll produce more atheists, so I gotta be happy with that.

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You can read the bible to committee members, but you can't make them comprehend.

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they got serious motive to not comprehend what they are reading.

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All I can say is; it's about time.

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As a Christian, I am distraught that this resolution is necessary. Thank you for your work in calling out these dangerous beliefs.

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And that's why proofreaders are still needed...

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Especially with AIs doing all the writing. Fact-checking will also become a hot career.

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