04/03/2006
Aussie Prime Minister John Howard: I'm Not Anti-Gay
He just doesn't want gay people and their relationships legitimized as anything close to marriage, and that's why he's planning to veto legislation adopted recently by the Australizn Capitol Territory that would recognize civil unions, he told the Ten Network over the weekend.
John Howard: "This is not an anti-homosexual gesture. This is a gesture to support the special and traditional place of marriage as a heterosexual union for life of a man and a woman in Australian society. Why we're against what the ACT is doing is that, in all but name, they are equating same-sex unions with marriage. I don't support that, not because I'm against homosexuals, but I think there should always be a margin for marriage as we understand it in our society ... you don't equate a gay union with a traditional marriage – that's our position."
ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said that "if Mr Howard's opposition to his law was not driven by homophobia, he should act to remove discrimination against homosexuals from commonwealth legislation."
Same-Sex Veto Not Anti-Gay [the australian]
I'm Not Anti-Gay [the australian]
Posted 8:32 AM EST by Andy in Australia, Current Affairs, Gay Marriage | Permalink
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Love the sinner, hate the sin. It's the same tired justification that the self-rigteous have been using for centuries. "No offense against [black, gay, asian, protestant, catholic, liberal, conservative, southern, northern, hispanic, old, young, fat, Eskimo, etc] people, but the majority of our citizenry just doesn't think that you're quite as good as the rest of us."
This is precisely why civil and human rights should not be up for popular vote.
Posted by: Brian | Apr 3, 2006 9:50:38 AM
HOMOPHOBIC RELIGION AND THE PURGING OF BIOGRAPHIES OF MODERN GAY POPES, CARDINALS, ARCHBISHOPS AND BISHOPS.....
The irony is overwhelming. Since the election of Fuhrer Papen Ratzinger, it is impossible to read the biography whose author, a prominent Catholic, stated that Ratzinger had dealt with suicidal thoughts and a self-loathing homosexuality.
Self-loathing homosexuality is usually the recipe for the worst type of homophobia...a self-suicidal purging of the "evil demons".
Much has changed in the Roman Catholic Church. At one time, Cardinal Archbishops led the Church. Today, diocesan bishops are elected president of councils that are less than canonical in nature, and actually lead the bishops without regard to prelatial rank.
There is no doubt that Ratzinger, as Inquisitor or now as Fuhrer, has succeeded in silencing all progressive periti theological voices in the Roman Catholic Church.
There are gay-affirming "independent" Catholic Churches, or the Episcopal Church, that could become a new home for priest and lay person alike.
In the USA, rumors of living and deceased cardinal archbishops who are/were gay abound. Many of these men are in monogamous long-term relationships, often safely with a prelate in their dioceses.
The reason for the four year law and the mitigation of what first was reported as wholesale defrocking of gay priests is becoming obvious.
Some priests in other countries are "OUTING BISHOPS, ARCHBISHOPS AND CARDINALS and some priests said that they will out the bishops who enforce the Fuhrer Papen Ratzinger's rules against them.
This attempt to scapegoat their paedophilia scandals on normal monogamous or celibate gay priests is evil incarnate.
The Catholic Church is again, as it did with Galileo and Copernicus, and the Enlightenment, waging war against modern science and medicine that defines gays as normative in the psychosexual paradygm.
Those who do not leave, or who do not out hypocritical bishops (including the Fuhrer Papen), should cause a schism in that Church under seige.
If they think it is difficult to sustain a celibate clergy after this, I do not know what they will do.
First of all, their Eastern Catholic Churches in Europe and the Middle East can marry, as can former Anglican and Lutheran married clergy who are re-ordained under exception.
When they wanted to retain Greek Orthodox clergy converts they could rid themselves of the discipline of celibacy. When it came to raping the Anglican Communion, a married priest was fine.
There are over 14,000 married Latin rite Roman Catholic priests who were returned to the lay state for the sole reason that they were heterosexually married.
THEY ARE HOLY HYPOCRITES, HAVE SOVEREIGN NATIONHOOD WITH NUNCIOS WORLDWIDE, AND LONG ARMS OF LAYPERSONS WILLING TO DO THEIR BIDDING.
HOMOPHOBES CALL IT "CHRISTIANITY" !!!!
The False Religion of Pseudo-Christians
Who practices the true religion of Jesus? The Christian Right wants us to think that you can only be a true Christian if you accept their conservative interpretation of the Christian faith.
Critics of the Christian Right are becoming more vocal in challenging this idea.
The president of the (USA) National Council of Churches, Rev. Michael Livingston, recently suggested that the Christian Right is more concerned about "false religion". In a harsher and satiric tone, Bill Maher, on his show last Firday, talked about "pseudo-Christians".
topic: Analysis of Christian Right
From the National Council of Churches article quoting Rev. Livingston:
The president of the National Council of Churches, the Rev. Michael Livingston, strongly urged church communicators to, "Tell our story. By any means necessary."
"Mainline Protestant and Orthodox churches have been pounded into irrelevancy by the media machine of a false religion," Livingston said.
He described what passes as religion to be, "a political philosophy masquerading as gospel; an economic principle wrapped in religious rhetoric and painted red, white and blue."
From a transcript of Real Time with Bill Maher:
The people who run everything can't complain that they're underdogs. To wit, this week there was a highly attended conference in Washington called "The War on Christians" because nothing says "I'm oppressed" quite like the opulent Regency Ballroom of the Omni Shore Hotel.
Whatever happened to that plucky cult called Christianity? Oh that's right. They're 80% of the American people and they've taken over all three branches of government, country music, public schools, the best seller list and, until recently, Katie Holmes.
You know, i dont mind you're part of a dress up cult that hates sex and worships magic. But the paranoia, that does scare me.
You know the Missouri legislature recently felt the need to propose a resolution declaring Christianity Missouri's majority religion. No kidding? Really? You mean people aren't saying "Gosh I'd like to go to Missouri but... too Jewish."
In Savannah, recently, a chldren's book about a baby penguin that's raised by two male penguins was removed from the library for its homosexual overtones because you know penguins in those tuxedoes, with the dreamy eyes... huge fags.
The Christian Right are now officially the party of paranoia: secularists are attacking Christmas, gays are attacking marriage, liberals are attacking values, white girls are being abducted at an alarming rate. You know if you're going to be that paranoid all the time, just get high.
And the worst part is, the people bitching loudest about being persecuted for their Christianity, aren't Christians at all.
They're demagogues and conmen and scolds. And the only thing they worship is power. If you believe Jesus ever had a good word for war, or torture, or taxcuts for the rich, or raping the earth, or refusing water to dying migrants, then you might as well believe bunnies lay painted eggs. And Jesus never said a word about gay marriage. He was much too busy hanging out with 12 guys.
Now, I know George Bush says Jesus Christ changed his heart. But believe me, Dick Cheney changed it back. You know the only thing Bush has in common with Jesus is they both went into their father's business and got crucified for it.
Thomas Jefferson called the type of Christian who trumpets his own belief in the divinity of Jesus rather than the morality of Jesus 'pseudo-Christians' and that's who's running our country today.
And since they thrive so much on turning water into whining and get off on their endless pretend persecution, this Easter season, let's give them what they want. Let's go to the zoo, get some lions and feed them Tom Delay.
ARE AMERICAN YOUTH AFRAID TO GO TO THE STREETS, OR " GO TO THE MATTRESSES" LITERALLY IN THE CULTURE WARS....??????
The European neocons are working their strategies in France. The most secular nation in Europe cannot be swayed by theocons as in the USA.
The global hegemonists are trying to destroy any opposition to their economic violence against the vestiges of any middle class in the industrialised world.
What is happening? Paris is burning !! Despite the fact that the corporate US press is describing the riots as "terrorism", the real message is making the bloggers aware of the information and awareness we should have.
Where are the American activists today? Where are the LGBT activists? The Right Wing wins when either the Left Wing is in a cast or the limb is amputated, and the party is nothing more than a centrist pragmatic debating society.
Soulforce is an example of social activism that brings injustice, bigotry, homophobia and economic rape to the fore. The economic forces of the world are returning us to a world where you were either connected or disconnected, rich or poor, hopeful or hopeless. This time, as before, the military and the organised right wing Churches are accomplices to evil.
I fear that if " Bread and Circuses" and other circuit diversions highlight the conversation and the activities, the German reality of 1933-39 is just around the corner.
Posted by: Raymond | Apr 3, 2006 9:51:32 AM
Bigotry by any other name is still bigotry. John Howard is a bigot.
Posted by: Robert In WeHo | Apr 3, 2006 10:44:12 AM
The easiest way to figure out if what you're saying is anti-whatever to replace the term in question with "black" and ask yourself if the statement is racist.
Black unions are not as legitimate as White/Black unions...
If that's not racist, I dunno what is.
I love when people dress up their hatred with a cloak of 'love for tradition' - please.
If the world was run by tradionalists, we still be screeching everytime the moon comes out from behind the trees.
Posted by: Seangstm | Apr 3, 2006 10:57:25 AM
Well, I don't know what the Aussie straight divorce statistics of late are, but in USA it is estimated that about half of straights who marry eventually divorce. So, the narratives which link gay relationships with a decline in heterosexual marriage are curious, indeed. I have a strong hunch it is just distracting narrative, like the Roman Catholic church going on about gay priests - when it should be taking a look at its own celibacy rules as these institutionalize that sort of personal formation of men who will eventually be priested while occupying states of psychosexual immaturity. You cannot reach psychosexual maturity by only moving the furniture around in your head. You need dating experience, and reflection, and lots more that wises you up and seasons you for adult ethical living.
Oh well. Get used to this song & dance, we will surely hear more of it.
Meanwhile, if somebody really wants to strengthen the foundations of straight marriage, they should get a national childcare policy going which doesn't penalize two working parents by making them choose between their work life and their parenting. Now that would be a revolution.
Duh.
Posted by: drdanfee | Apr 3, 2006 1:03:12 PM
I think we all know that just like every other time of persecution in history this one will come to an end. As the old saying goes it's always darkest before the dawn and haven't they been ranting more in the last 5 years than ever before. They are clutching as whimsically as they can... but societies change.
Little John Howard has some heavy backing from church groups at the moment. What we need is to remove the ability for corporations (of which I cound churches) to fund political campaigns! What we need is for the corporations to stand back and let the government do it's job and for the governments to govern FOR their people.
We, "The Gays" are some of those people. We pay taxes just like everyone else. If I have to accept that I can't adopt, can't get married (or civil-unioned) then I want a discount on my medicare levi and on my taxes. Why should I help fund a family with five kids, or the family courts that are overflowing with divorce / custody cases from these blessed heterosexual unions that break down oh so frequently.
And of course we over here in Australia would be helped along nicely if you guys over in the US did something about making it legal... we seem to have ignored the UK's efforts, but I'm sure if Uncle Sam came to the party... little John would start to listen.
So no pressure... but would ya hurry up already :P
For now Aussies can check out http://www.glrl.org.au/ for info about what's going on to get this on track.
Posted by: Tyroga | Apr 3, 2006 5:35:21 PM
"I'm not a racist. Just because I oppose interacial breeding because it poses a threat to the white blood line doesn't make me a racist."
Yawn.
Posted by: Chad Hanging | Apr 4, 2006 2:23:04 PM