From the “government small enough to fit into your bedroom” department, we have the American Family Association of Indiana’s Micah Clark trying to breed hate against gays by trotting out the false assertion that homosexuality is somehow linked to child molestation. He provides no explanation for all of the molestations committed by heterosexuals. Advance Indiana takes him to task.
Just pass a law legalizing heterosexual child molestation. That would solve the hypocricy.
Hey, even homosexual molestation is okay as long as you call it “hazing” and your Daddy’s a Republican politician.
Don’t believe me?
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/nation/14423159.htm
Gee, I should have read all the way to the end of the article I cited. It gets even better.
The victims, junior high school standouts and student council officers from across Arizona, had been hand-picked to attend the weeklong leadership camp at an Episcopal Church conference center in the forest.
I didn’t have the Episcopalians pegged as such loons. Back when I lived in Mississippi, they were vastly more pleasant and well-socialized than the local Baptists and Methodists.
Of course, that was 15 years ago, about the age of the kids in the article. Maybe the Episcopal Church’s attempt to move into the 20th (yes, 20th) century and ordain gay ministers has provoked this, uhm, “healthy” response.
I think the American Family Association has a kind of point in a bizarro-world kind of way. Think about how hard it must be to be a gay teenager in a n Republican, Episcopalian, as the kids in the article are. In this back-slapping homophobic culture, being gay is unforgivable. But use a position of authority to indulge a bit of sexual sadism? Hell, we’ll slap you on the back, hand you a beer, and welcome you back into the fold.
In fundie politics, there’s room for fine distinctions in sexual depravity, you see. Being happy, well-adjusted, and gay is a big problem, because, knowing the general society will accept you, you might not need the church anymore. Being a sadistic loon with homoerotic predilections? Hey, no problem. Decent society will scorn you, so we’ll keep you safe within the warm bosom of the lunatic fringe.
It’s important to view outrageous statements by the AFA and others in their proper contexts. The hate is just a tool. The goal is repression. They know you can’t make an omelet without a few teenage boys getting broomhandled. And look at the side benefit — for the perpetrators, there’s no better resume-builder for joining the local police force. Just ask poor old Abner Louima, whom we’ve all conveniently forgotten once we chalked his grim experience up to collateral damage from “excessive zeal” and our “well-intentioned” “tough on crime” policies.
These are the people whom we’ve permitted to claim the moral high ground with their preening religiosity. Are we proud of ourselves and our “tolerance” yet?