Friday Free-For-All

Here’s a chance to do some off-subject commenting. Try to keep it at least somewhat relevant to the site and, as always, follow the guidelines.

My random thoughts are after the jump. Be sure to add yours to the Comment Section.

Anti-Science Education

An AgapePress article reports that the Kansas Board of Education lost its born-again majority and the losing conservatives are not happy that the anti-evolution science requirements may be overturned.

“We just had a lot coming against us,” she explains, including “a lot of well-funded, loud, obnoxious, rude people who have no ethics and morals, and they don’t bat an eye at lying and manipulating the truth.”

She wasn’t trying to be ironic.

Magical Made-Up Studies

For some reason, anti-gay activists love to claim that “studies say…”. You would think they would be embarrassed to make bold-faced lies in this manner. Elaine Donnelly, of the Center for Military Readiness (they aren’t too interested in readiness, they just want a return to the 50’s), had this to say

However, the military readiness expert observes, studies have clearly shown that homosexuality and military service are not a good mix.

I guess that Donnelly doesn’t know that most of our allies in Iraq have openly gay service men and women. But, then again, I suspect the studies she references are about as substantial as Donnelly’s credentials on military readiness (she sat on some political committees about women in the military but has no history in service, strategy or readiness).

You’re Hired, You’re Fired

Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum of man-on-dog fame had a brief moment in which he seemed to be supporting equality. GenderPAC, the transgender lobby group, got Rick’s signature on the following pledge:

The sexual orientation and gender identity and expression of an individual is not a consideration in the hiring, promoting or terminating of an employee in my office.

Then after someone explained the words to him, and the wingnut press wrote a scathing article, Santorum decided that yes he does favor discrimination and that someone else signed the pledge, not him (according to his recently outed senior aide). It’s hard to see how this flip-flop can do anything but hurt him.

In 1994 the citizens hired Santorum to represent them in the US Senate. Throughout this campaign he has been consistently tailing his opponent in his re-election efforts. Perhaps Pennsylvanians have decided that non-extremist, logic-driven, policy-focused, priorities are a consideration in the termination of a Senator in his office.

I Failed Cuz the Rules are Biased to Give Advantage to the Honest

The anti-gay-marriage folk in Illinois have their undies in a bunch and it’s starting to chafe. They turned in petitions to have an advisory anti-gay referendum put on the ballot but it didn’t pass the truth-test. The rules require that 95% of the signatures be real and they only had 91%. Unlike most states, Illinois isn’t fond of the “oh, sign it anyway” school of political activism.

This initiative is non-binding and would do nothing but give anti-gay folk a chance to identify as such. Considering that both party’s gubernatorial candidates oppose the measure and both have been campaigning for the gay vote, this effort might be more of a personal spitefulness than an effort to increase votes for the Republican. But it would probably increase voter turnout amongst the “I hate gays” crowd which might help some race or other.

Further, polls suggest it would fail. But this doesn’t stop the anti-gay activists. Having failed to meet the requirements, our good buddy Peter LaBarbera wants to change the rules. He says that it’s just too tough to expect anti-gays to be honest 95% of the time.

But gay marriage opponents have taken their fight to federal court contending that the process to get a referendum on the Illinois ballot is burdensome and unconstitutional.

[snip]

Although the opponents lost their case at the federal district court level, they are hopeful the appellate court will intervene, said Peter LaBarbera, executive director of the conservative Illinois Family Institute.

“It’s not near over,” LaBarbera said.

His success in this appeal is expected to be similar to his success in his outreach to the Chicago bathhouse. The weather forcast is predicting rain on his parade.

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