Spokane7
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October 8, 2011 in City
With values like these, who needs bigotry?
I love a good “issue analysis.” Almost as much as a nice, righteous fistfight.
Wouldn’t it be great if today’s Values Voters Summit delivered both?
I’ve got the right guy for fresh, out-of-the-box analysis – Idaho’s own Bryan Fischer, the director of issue analysis for the American Family Association. And I’ve got a dream that sometime today in the nation’s capital among voters of value, between the Heritage Foundation Breakfast and the American Values Luncheon, between “Straight Talk on Gay ‘Marriage’ ” and “How the Welfare State Erodes the Family,” Mitt Romney will punch him.
Fischer, who was a Boise pastor and right-wing gadfly for 25-plus years, brings a unique bag of nuts to his political analysis. Here’s one: Homosexuality caused the Holocaust. Here’s another: The government “incentivizes” African-Americans to “rut like rabbits.” And another: Native Americans are “morally disqualified” from holding any sovereignty on American soil.
Analytical as all get-out.
Fischer will take another step into national, mainstream crackpottery today, when he appears at the Values Voters Summit along with actual candidates for president. In fact, Fischer is sharing the stage this morning with Romney, which is interesting given that one of Fischer’s recent analyses includes his assertion that Mormons aren’t protected by the First Amendment.
“My argument all along has been that the purpose of the First Amendment is to protect the free exercise of the Christian religion,” Fischer said on his radio program. “Mormonism is not an orthodox Christian faith. It just is not. They have a different Gospel, they have a completely different definition of who Christ is and so forth. I mean, the list could be multiplied endlessly.
“And it was very clear that the Founding Fathers did not intend to preserve automatically religious liberty for non-Christian faiths, so when Mormonism came along, they practiced polygamy, they believed in polygamy, just like Muslims do today.”
It would be nice to hear Romney’s take on this, and maybe we will. It seems more likely that he and everyone else will simply patronize Fischer and Fischerites while grasping for the bigot vote.
But I’d like to offer Mitt a deal: Punch this guy, and I’ll vote for you.
Seriously, Mitt. It’ll be better for your self- respect, the liberal media will cover it like crazy, and it will win over Mormon Democrats.
OK – just kidding about that last part. But still: Punch him, and I’m in.
Fischer and guys like him are a tiresome but energized part of politics these days. A lot of what he believes is right down the middle for “Values Voters”: gay people are perverts, America is a Christian country, the Bible tells us God favors low taxes and opposes welfare, etc. But he goes farther than a lot of his fellow travelers – or at least he’s willing to go farther in public.
Here is a Bryan Fischer values platter, a little “straight talk,” culled from his website and media reports:
• “Homosexuality gave us Adolph (sic) Hitler, and homosexuals in the military gave us the Brown Shirts, the Nazi war machine and six million dead Jews.”
• “For the sake of our children, we should screen out homosexuals who want to immigrate to the United States.”
• “In all the discussions about the European settlement of the New World, one feature has been conspicuously absent: the role that the superstition, savagery and sexual immorality of Native Americans played in making them morally disqualified from sovereign control of American soil.”
• Christianity is “not a religion of pacifism.”
His blog is also very analytical. Some recent headlines:
“Why should U.S. support Israel? Easy – because God does”
“Obama’s platform: Breaking the 8th and 10th commandments”
“Gays aren’t born that way – a lesbian says so”
I hope Fischer makes it clear to Romney – as well as Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain and anyone else seeking the values vote – that when it comes to gay folks and Israel and the Holocaust and superstition and whatever else might cross his mind, his analyses are based on impeccable sources: God and one lesbian.
Analysis, baby. In a recent blog post, Fischer argued that Obama fast-tracked the health care appeal to the Supreme Court in order to lose and then take that loss and capitalize on it in the next election. I’m not sure how Fischer became such a wily political strategist living in Boise – the same way he gained his expertise about the sex lives of African- Americans, I guess – but it was apparently good enough for Rush Limbaugh to pick up and repeat. Rush Limbaugh, who has an audience of millions known as Dittoheads.
So, come on, Mitt. Don’t pander to them – pander to me. I have values. What’s more solidly American than a good old retributive fistfight?
Punch this guy, and the bumper sticker goes on. God and this one lesbian I know want you to.
Shawn Vestal can be reached at (509) 459-5431 or shawnv@ spokesman.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vestal13.
The draw of the unknowable 
ChefGus/ John Olsen on October 08 at 3:53 a.m.
So… Shawn….. i was a “wimp” in grade school and high school… geeky (not a term in those days).. with glasses, long wavy hair and a gentle demeanor ….sort of ‘soft’ as it were….
BUT my dear father who was a ball turret gunner in WW II was my mentor and my hero… he also was a Golden Gloves boxer….135 lbs and hard as nails…. with a beautiful a capella voice and also long wavy hair that he kept “crew cut” all of my early life…only later to let the silver waves “wave”.
My Father taught me to box, and to box well when i was 5 or 6.
NO ONE much ever picked on me, or bullied me, in spite of my ‘demeanor’…. only once…just once at age 13… and that ‘once’ knowing I was in a critical situation… like Sherman Alexie in his famous book about teens…. and knowing i’d lose unless i threw the first punch… i did Just that… BAM.. and down he went… and he did not get up… and i was Never ever ‘put upon’ again…. and to this day have never had a physical confrontation that i am afraid of… nor that i feel i could not deal with… nor that ultimately resulted in any violencde… but my ‘carriage’ is such that folks just do not heckle me much…
SO an idea…. a la your buddy at the Review..Mr Clark…. How’s about you/we get some bumper stickers made up…. with some design….. perhaps with a rainbow of colors… that simply say “PUNCH THE BULLY”….. and give them away to any that have the cojones to put them on their car. I have the Blue and Yellow Human Rights “Equal” sign on my all of my bumpers… and on the rear fender of my motorcycle.. my car also potters along with my I Proudly Served in the Army cap and my NRA sticker in the window… and of late a Sierra Club Sticker ……….. maybe confusing to folks… but it’s Never an issue…not once… whatcha think out there?? John
ChefGus/ John Olsen on October 08 at 4:07 a.m.
So… sorry to be peripatetic this morning… but… it looks like it is likely easy… and certainly a variety of designs available but one:
http://www.makestickers.com/customize.aspx?TID=7131
this web site one can pretty much design their own and but one small example…. i’ll pay for the first 100… if you would be able to distribute them? let me know chefgusolsen@gmail.com :))
norpass on October 08 at 8:22 a.m.
Ummm, Shawn? There are a couple things you need to know about Mitt ‘the snit’ Romney. 1)- Romney is a coward. Oh yes he is. Romney has NEVER “punched” anyone except maybe for a woman. 2)- Romney likes to “bully” women. Oh yes he truly does.
Back in the SL Olympic days when the Snitster was Oly boss, I got right up in his face and he tucked tail and ran. Oh yes. You see, I knew a number of the girls that worked for that smarmy punk and they were quite declaratory about Romney’s bullying and his utter disdain for the fairer gender. Seems old Snit feels that a woman’s place is in the home barefoot and pregnant. In comprehensive submission to the man.
So any “dream” of Mitt the snit punching anyone, is not now or ever going to happen. AND IF Romney is the best that the Republican Party can offer America, we’ll be shackled with the Obama for another 4 years. Dang, there’s something to look forward too…
liberal_in_right_wing_land on October 08 at 10:31 a.m.
Why are Shawn’s columns always blocked unless you pay for the site, but Doug Clarks are free? I would rather read the progressive articles over the idiot who hates light bulbs. At least make it fair and have both columnists articles be free for everyone or blocked for everyone.
soccermomsusie on October 08 at 2:39 p.m.
Speaking of stickers, Here are some ones that are free. Freedom isn’t free but these stickers are:
http://twitter.com/#!/soccermom_susie/status/122784689256800256/photo/1
HEAR OUR VOICE!!!!
Rod_Foss on October 08 at 3:09 p.m.
Never heard of Fischer, so I don’t know where he’s coming from in terms of the Bible. And talk about your blind leap of faith, I’ll have to assume Vestal hasn’t quoted this guy out of context.
I read Shawn’s piece in the regular paper. The issues are gray the way he described them and the way Fischer states them, assuming Vestal stated them correctly.
One can make a valid point in principle and so muck-it with junk-it that you might as well have not said it.
A few points: America is no longer a Christian nation. If it ever was, it lasted probably only a couple generations (to our hurt). God does not oppose welfare, as long as the people are theocratic ancient Israel living in obedience to God. Their taxes, per Him, were very high, and He commanded care for the poor. Yet if they obeyed Him from a true heart, His blessings on their lives would have more than compensated.
One of Shawn’s sneering points is Fischer’s supposed claim that Christianity is not a religion of pacifism. And so it isn’t, for 2 reasons: whatever the world perceives “Christianity” to be, Christ is not a “religion.” He is God, Savior, Lord, Redeemer, Reconciler, Life-giver, and too many superlatives for this blog.
And oh, how is He not a pacifist! Anyone who wants to debate that point with me is welcome. I’ll take on all comers.
Ed Byrnes on October 08 at 5:22 p.m.
Two decades ago musician Lou Reed called the monument in New York Harbor “the statue of bigotry”…which seems slightly prophetic considering our times.
He also said it should read “give us your poor, your tired huddled masses, we’ll club them and sell them on the boulevard” and I hope that our current social climate is a hiccup and we’re not heading that way as a long term change of course. If we do we should truly be God fearing: I believe God meant it when were directed to love each other as brothers and sisters.
Ed Byrnes
greenlibertarian on October 08 at 8:06 p.m.
The Prince of Peace is not a pacifist? 97% of the words attributed to Jesus Christ on the matter of pacfism, He supports.
A tiny subset of His words indicate the opposite.
It appears, like most faux Christians, Rod Foss is picking and choosing the words of Christ that might support his position, while ignoring everything else He said on the matter.
Typical cafeteria Bible-thumpers.
Rod_Foss on October 08 at 9:23 p.m.
For Ed,
This is a direct quote from the King James Version:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men…He came unto his own [the Jews] and his own received him not.” (Now, pay attention to this part, Ed, it is vitally important): “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” John 1:1-4, 11, 12. And, “For as many are as led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear: but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” Romans 8:14, 15.
Sorry, Ed, we are not all God’s children; we are not all brothers and sisters. We are all God’s creation, but we are children of God, by adoption, when we believe in and receive Jesus, the Son of God, as our Savior. That and nothing else, per God, not me.
Green, buddy! How ya doin”?
No, Green, the Prince of Peace is not a pacifist. The peace from Jesus is either personal (read the Bible) or forced upon the world at His second coming (read the Bible). But pacifism is a human concept not to be found in the Bible and impossible to associate with Jesus (read the Bible).
And where in this world did you get the “statistic” of 97%? And supposing you conceived it based on your subjective “interpretation” of his quoted words, how can you prove that your interpretation rightly explains Jesus having a humanistic philosophy unknown until modern times?
And why won’t you challenge me with scripture? Amazing how you know Jesus so well, yet can’t prove any of your opinions about Him from the Bible. Go ahead, try it. But please, stay in context. I can quote words from the Bible that say there is no God, but they would be out of context!
C’mon Green, accept my challenge! Quote something that proves your point of view.
greenlibertarian on October 09 at 12:38 a.m.
Wet noodle off topic ramblings of a madman do not a challenge make.
May the Lord have GREAT mercy on you, you’ll need it.
BTW, you missed a few capitalizations, of -H-is words.
Don’t despair tho, a thousand Hail-Mary’s (or your favorite Pentenance) and you’re good with God.
Ed Byrnes on October 09 at 10:07 a.m.
Rod, I seriously doubt that God would frown upon anyone who treats every human being as his brother or sister and one of God’s children.
Ed
Rod_Foss on October 09 at 12:36 p.m.
Green
I never miss those capitalizations. I typically capitalize them out of reverence and respect for Christ (habit since childhood). This time, I quoted KJV exactly, letter for letter. Read the Bible.
Ed
Didn’t mean to imply God would “frown” on that attitude towards other people. Plenty of scriptures to prove God wants people to treat people decently, and if you want to put the brother/sister concept on it, I’m sure that’s your business and not mine. (God even wants me to treat my good buddy Green decently!)
My comment merely pointed out a hard point of truth. Some liberals today spread the error we are all, literally, brothers and sisters if we are creations of God. The idea is that we, therefore, are all saved. This isn’t true, per the scriptures I quoted. Again, from God not me.
ChefGus/ John Olsen on October 10 at 5:52 a.m.
I love them bibles that puts all of Christ’s words in RED print…. and that is all you need to read to understand the message of the NEW testament..the Gospel/God’s words… The New Testament can be taken on it’s own… and will actually stand without the supposed support and line of history flowing from the Old Testament… stick to the Red words and you likely will be ok… john