US Christian right ‘fundamentalists’ linked to the Trump administration and Steve Bannon are among a dozen American groups that have poured at least $50 million of ‘dark money’ into Europe over the last decade, openDemocracy can reveal today.
Between them, these groups have backed ‘armies’ of ultra-conservative lawyers and political activists, as well as ‘family values’ campaigns against LGBT rights, sex education and abortion – and a number appear to have increasing links with Europe’s far right.
They are spending money on a scale “not previously imagined”, according to lawmakers and human rights advocates, who have called our findings “shocking”. Reacting to openDemocracy’s findings, a cross-party group of more than 40 MEPs has called on the EU’s transparency tsar Frans Timmermans to look into the influence of “US Christian fundamentalists… with the greatest urgency” ahead of May’s European Parliament elections.
March 30, 2019
Revealed: Trump-linked US Christian ‘fundamentalists’ pour millions of ‘dark money’ into Europe, boosting the far right
March 29, 2019
Six Memphis charter schools agree to morality clause with the Catholic Church in lease
But one First Amendment expert said there are several potential conflicts, including standards that address contraception, and that a public school’s mere act of entering into a legal agreement with a religious entity promising to limit its educational offerings for students is unconstitutional.
The clause could also cause a chilling effect on both students and staff and create complications of oversight of a public school by a religious organization, said Charles Haynes, founding director of the Religious Freedom Center..
“A public school is a public school,” he said. “It may not in any way be entangled with a religious group that in any way limits what it can and cannot teach. That’s clearly unconstitutional.”
The issue also raises questions about the promised separation between the Catholic Church and the Compass schools, a network created by Catholic leaders to replace a group of closing parochial schools.
Guidance from the U.S. Department of Education notes charter schools can operate inside religious buildings, but they have to abide by the rules of any public school, including not displaying any religious signage.
“Most importantly,” the guidance notes, “a landlord affiliated with a religion may not exercise any control over what is taught or displayed in the charter school.”
March 28, 2019
Why are all the people screaming about Smollett not also screaming about Wohl
In all the media I cover and some I do not I have seen a steady barrage of vindictive hurled at Jussie Smollett. There are calls for further prosecution, calls claiming this shows there is no hate crimes in the US, calls for the federal government to come down on Smollett, even from tRump.
Yet there is a strange silence on Jacob Wohl who also filed a false police report. https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/jacob-wohl-ilhan-omar-police-report/https://www.inquisitr.com/5340317/jacob-wohl-false-police-report/
Wohl is a far right nut job who supports tRump. Wohl tried to frame Mueller as a rapist and has not faced charges for that. Wohl and crew have attacked a Muslim congress woman filming themselves showing up at her home demanding she sign a paper they made up and called an “affidavit” saying she did not have a sexual relationship with her brother. Yes they are accusing her of having sex with her brother on no evidence because they are RWNJ bigots. During this time they also filmed Wohl reporting he received a death threat to the police. However it was soon found out the account belonged to Wohl himself and he is accused of sending the threat to himself. Sound familiar?
Yet no outcry from any news stations. Fox is not mentioning this at all while demanding strong prosecution and punishment for Smollett. I wonder what could be the difference between them? Could it be Smollett is a gay Jewish Black man who blamed MAGA people, while Wohl is a white Republican tRump supporting MAGA person? Where is equality under the law? Where is justice in this case? Hugs
March 27, 2019
UK Class Teaching LGBT Inclusion Shut Down By Muslim Parents
Again religion being used to try to keep people in the dark ages. Religion is being used as an excuse to deny education and equal rights. It must be fought as hard as possible. This is not about faith, as they can teach their kids at home anything they wish, it is about education for everyone’s children. Thugs!
To be clear, this class never discussed anything sexual. (Obviously.) The curriculum was all about inclusivity and acceptance of people who don’t fit “traditional” molds when it comes to topics like race, religion, and gender identity. The goal was to teach kids that those differences shouldn’t cause them to treat others disrespectfully.
Still, though, enough parents protested over the inclusion of LGBTQ issues in that mix that the school was forced to temporarily stop the class. Specifically, many of the complaints came from people who said LGBTQ rights werre incompatible with Islam.
Pulley tried to make it clear that nothing in the lessons asked kids to go against their family’s faith; you can treat same-sex couples with respect, for example, even if you believe homosexuality is a sin. Yet because of the backlash, the lessons were put on hold.
It’s important for kids to learn that families don’t all look alike. But the “very small, but vocal, minority of parents” seem to believe that exposing kids to the existence of same-sex couples is enough to make them gay. (That’s not how it works.)
Parkfield Community School in Birmingham says it has temporarily paused the class, just to allow for a discussion with the parents, but there is no telling when it will return. Here’s hoping reason wins out over faith-based bigotry.
March 26, 2019
BREAKING: Charges Dropped Against Jussie Smollett
https://www.joemygod.com/2019/03/breaking-all-charges-dropped-against-jussie-smollett/
Chicago’s ABC affiliate reports:
Charges against actor Jussie Smollett have been dropped, his attorneys said Tuesday. Smollett is in court to make an emergency court appearance. In a statement, Smollett’s attorneys Tina Glandian and Patricia Brown Holmes said, “Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him. Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgement.”
Christians using religion to negate other people’s civil rights. Again !
Another Christian state legislature member promoting his religion. Hugs
TEXAS: Republicans Advance Bill To Allow Doctors And Many Others To Discriminate Against LGBT Citizens
The Austin Statesman reports:
Opening what promises to be one of the most contentious fights of the 2019 legislative session, a Senate committee on Monday approved a bill to give state-licensed professionals — including doctors, lawyers, pharmacists and barbers — broad protection for actions taken according to their religious beliefs.
Opponents said the bill, and more than a dozen similar measures that have not yet been acted upon, would give religious people, particularly conservative Christians, the power to discriminate against gay, lesbian and transgender people as well as anyone they don’t want to do business with or serve.
March 20, 2019
Republicans are trying to make it illegal for schools to teach about trans issues
https://www.queerty.com/republicans-trying-make-illegal-schools-teach-trans-issues-20190213
Zack Ford of the progressive political site Think Progress has called HB 1108, “the first ‘no promo trans’ bill to actually have traction in the country,” comparing it to “no promo homo” laws currently active in seven U.S. states which forbid teachers from discussing any LGBTQ issues — including LGBTQ politics, queer history, or sexual health — in a positive light.
One of the bill’s supporters, Republican Representative Fred Deutsch, said, “We protect our children that we’re sending to public schools from the influences of other children that are suffering with different disorders.”
He continued, “I don’t want my grandchildren going to kindergarten and being confused if they’re a boy or a girl. Treat our children with respect, all of them, but let’s not subject them to notions of fancy.”
Deutsch sponsored a failed 2016 bill to prevent trans kids from using the bathroom matching their gender identity.
Ford points out that trans children identify themselves at an early age, and many age-appropriate children’s books discuss the issue. HB 1108 would effectively ban these books and disallow faculty from addressing the trans child’s medical and psychological needs.
The bill’s sponsor, Republican Representative Tom Pischke, has “a 100-percent rating from Family Heritage Alliance Action, South Dakota’s anti-LGBTQ political advocacy group,” Ford writes.
March 19, 2019
March 15, 2019
March 12, 2019
Lawsuit: Principal Said 4th-Grader’s Essay on LGBTQ Rights Was “Not Acceptable”
They do not want LGBTQ to be mentioned, seen, acknowledged at all. They seem to think if they ignore the LGBTQ we will all go away. Wrong. Hugs
According to a recent lawsuit, a fourth grader in South Carolina was told her brief essay on LGBTQ rights couldn’t be included in a collection sent home with students because it “would create [an] undesirable situation at the school.”
What was so awful about the girl’s essay? The assignment was to write a paper about any topic, addressed “to society,” and here’s what the girl wrote:
To society,
I don’t know if you know this but peoples view on Tran’s genders is an issue. People think that men should not drees like a women, and saying mean things. They think that they are choosing the wrong thing in life. In the world people can choose who they want to be not being told that THEIR diction is wrong. I hope people understand that people can hurt themselves from others hurting their feelings. People need to think before they speak because one word can hurt someone’s feelings. We need to fix this because this is getting out of hand!
… Defendant Principal Elizabeth Foster religiously defended her decision by consistently raising her voice and making loud statements, including but not limited to the following: that the original paper would “make other parents upset,” “would create a undesirable situation at the school,” was “not acceptable” and that it was “not age-appropriate to discuss transgenders, lesbians and drag queens outside of the home.” Defendant Principal Elizabeth Foster further proclaimed that “due to the type of school this is, the people that work here and the students and families of the students that go here, the topic would be disagreeable.”
Why should the feelings of a bunch of (I assume) conservative Christians prevent this essay from being included in the mix? It’s perfectly age-appropriate to talk about treating people with civility and decency. It’s also fine to discussion LGBTQ issues considering students learn about family structures and mommies and daddies from a young age. If it’s not weird to talk about straight, cis people, it shouldn’t be weird to talk about gay, lesbian, and trans people. Hell, it’s not like the girl was describing what people do in the bedroom.
March 6, 2019
Leaked Chat Logs Show White Supremacist Hate Group Conspiring To Keep Racist GOP Rep. Steve King In Office
Again we are shown proof that the republican party has long been racist, and the party of tRump depends on the racists to keep them in office. We need to worry about these people. Hugs
The Huffington Post reports:
Newly leaked chat logs linked to a prominent hate group reveal that white nationalists have actively worked to keep Rep. Steve King and his racist ideology in office — by donating to his campaign, calling members of Congress to show their support when King stumbles or by attempting to reach the congressman directly.
Oh yes, there is more. By the way, that was Identity Evropa’s banner at the top of today’s post about the 182% increase in white supremacist incidents.
White Supremacist Incidents Up 182% Since 2017
https://www.joemygod.com/2019/03/white-supremacist-incidents-up-182-since-2017/
ADL’s Center on Extremism (COE) continues to track an ever-growing number of white supremacist propaganda efforts, including the distribution of racist, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic fliers, stickers, banners and posters. The 2018 data shows a 182% increase of incidents from the previous year, with 1,187 cases reported, compared to 421 in 2017.
The propaganda, which includes everything from veiled white supremacist language to explicitly racist images and words, often features a recruitment element, and frequently targets minority groups, including Jews, Blacks, Muslims, non-white immigrants and the LGBTQ community.
Read the full report.
NEBRASKA: Bill To Protect LGBT Workers Fails After GOP Reps Claim “Reverse Discrimination” Against Christians
So preventing Christians from activly persecuting and opressing LGBTQ people is discrimation of Christians? Is this a secular nation or a theocracy? Hugs
According to GOP state Sen. Robert Clements [photo], the bill would legitimize “reverse discrimination” against Christians. Other claimed it would spawn “frivolous lawsuits.”
March 5, 2019
Again religion used as a club to deny equal rights
UTAH: Republicans Gut GOP Bill To Ban Ex-Gay Torture After Testimony From Anti-LGBT Christian Hate Group
Family Watch International — an Arizona-based organization that the Southern Poverty Law Center lists as an anti-LGBT extremist group — brought its resources to bear against Hall’s version of the bill.
Fliers with a photo of a smiling, heterosexual couple on their wedding day were piled around the committee room, directing readers to the organization’s website.
The SPLC reports on Family Watch International’s founder:
Sharon Slater forged close ties over the years with virulently anti-gay African activists like Ugandan pastor Martin Ssempa — an enthusiastic supporter of the country’s “ Kill the Gays ” bill — who have helped her lead campaigns to oppose the decriminalization of homosexuality. While these laws impose long prison terms on LGBT people, Slater insists that her position is a compassionate one: by reinforcing a culture inimical to homosexuality, she claims, LGBT people will be encouraged to unlearn their attraction, in turn neutralizing the threat they present to what the Christian Right calls the “natural family.” The rights of LGBT individuals, she argues, are “fictitious.”
FLORIDA: GOP Bill Would Undo All Local LGBT Rights
https://www.joemygod.com/2019/03/florida-gop-bill-would-undo-all-local-lgbt-rights/
The Orlando Sentinel reports:
Just when advocates for a statewide LGBTQ civil-rights appear to have more support than ever — including from a growing number of Republicans — another bill in the Florida Legislature is threatening to eliminate anti-discrimination measures already enacted by cities and counties.
Grant is the Majority Whip of the Florida House. About 60% of LGBT Floridians are currently protected by local anti-discrimination ordinances.
March 2, 2019
March 1, 2019
CPAC Head Matt Schlapp Blasts “Radical Democrats” For Being Intolerant Of Mike Pence’s Hatred Of LGBT People
Does he even see the irony of his statement? Does he intentionally turn the truth upside down and inside out like this to make Christians who want to tell other adults they can not have consensual sex with each other and who demand the right to control a female’s body and reproductive rights, the victims? Again because they do not get to persecute and force others to live their doctrines they are not the victims. The victims are the ones these Christians use their faith to attack and bash. The real victims are the ones they deny rights to because they demand we all go by the standards of goat herders from 4000-2000 years ago. The real victims are the children they deny an education so they can stay true to a myth that has no evidence of being real. Ggggrrrrrr. Hugs
“It is the growing intolerance on the left towards Americans who want to make their own religious choices, including their own sexual choices, that should be respected. I’m sad the left won’t respect their choices.” – CPAC head Matt Schlapp
Georgia GOP Attempts Another “Religious Liberty” Bill
Again another Christian who thinks being unable to discriminate and persecute others makes them the victim. That is christian privilege. Imagine if another religion demanded that right. Hugs
https://www.joemygod.com/2019/03/georgia-gop-attempts-another-religious-liberty-bill/
“Georgians need to be fully protected under the First Amendment,” said state Sen. Marty Harbin
“This is not about discrimination against anybody. It’s a protection,” said Mike Griffin, a lobbyist for the Georgia Baptist Convention. “There are situations where we believe Christians are being targeted in some way. And it’s not just about Christians. It’s about all people of faith.”
