What the Hell is Up With the Police?!

As the Cleveland abduction nightmare unfolds before our eyes, astute observers are asking a question the media merely glosses over. What the hell was up with the Cleveland police?

What are that city’s taxpayers paying for, anyway? Can the laxity of the cops, in the decade after the disappearance of these young girls, possibly be excused with a shrug because, “After all, it was a bad neighborhood”?

Don’t citizens in low-income neighborhoods deserve adequate police protection, too? Why, anywhere in our universe, would that be considered an acceptable answer?

One of the neighbors says he once saw the girls outside naked, on all-fours, tethered on dog leashes. And that he called the police to report this. He says they didn’t even bother to show up.

Other neighbors say that, over the years of these girls’ captivity, they called the cops to report various shady goings-on at the horror house. Nobody in the police department ever did a damn thing about these complaints.

Are they too busy harassing innocent people to have time to do their sworn duty?

It evidently falls to the alternative media to ask tough questions about this matter. The mainstream media has mentioned it, but only in passing. We all pay taxes, in one form or another, to support our local law enforcement officials. Are we getting even a fraction of what we’re paying for?

How safe are we, really? And dare we even consider giving up our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms to protect ourselves, when those we pay to protect us leave us defenseless?

Those left most vulnerable, by victim disarmament AND by negligent policing, are the very people “progressives” claim they care so much about. Women, gays and lesbians, people of color and the poor are the folks most likely to be targeted by violence. As the mainstream media beats the drum for citizen disarmament, of course it will say nothing about that.

Let’s get busy, America, and ask the questions our self-appointed guardians of information will not ask. And let’s make sure we can continue to defend ourselves, because when the need arises, for that, too, we can count on nobody else.

Religion AND Politics? We’re in the War Zone!

I believe that every blog’s basic purpose should be respected. Gay Patriot, for example, wants to be a political blog and not a religious one. From time to time, the bloggers may choose to post an item sharing some insight into their own faith, but as it’s their blog, they reserve that right. That’s not for their commenters to determine.

The subject of religion is brought up there repeatedly, of course, by commenters who can’t resist referring to Christians opposed to same-sex unions or full gay inclusion as if they are the only Christians who exist. My primary point there was that this is not true. I have made that point, and now I’m perfectly content to let the subject rest there.

On Born on 9-11, however, politics and religion often mingle. I do this because I see the two subjects as inextricably intertwined. It may be better if they weren’t, but they have been since long before I started commenting about the situation. Such is the case all over the world today, and even if I didn’t write about it, I doubt other people will stop mixing the two.

It’s a highly volatile mix. Anywhere religion and politics are brought together becomes a war zone. Well, Born on 9-11 is very much a war zone.

As this is my blog, I do reserve the right to set down some rules. Anyone who disagrees with me is free to comment to that effect. But if I feel they’re crossing the line from commentary to haranguing or harassment – merely perpetuating a conflict simply for the sake of making trouble, rather than to further honest debate – I will cut them off. Again, on my blog I have every right to do that.

A troll is someone who disrupts discourse on a blog in an attempt to destroy the blog. People who merely disagree are not trolls, even when they do a good job of presenting their argument. Especially when they do a good job of presenting their argument. Unlike some of the commenters at Gay Patriot and many other blogs, I do not equate effective dissent from my convictions with trolling.

There will be rules of engagement in this war, though, as it is fought on my blog. Nuts who simply show up to scream that I’m going to Hell will be banned. They certainly don’t lack opportunities to do that elsewhere. If every other venue affording them the chance to express their views is banned, then we can all worry about that together. And believe me, as a libertarian, I would then do something more than simply worry.

I do not agree, by any means, with all libertarians on everything. We are a contentious lot, and outside the narrow range of subjects we believe are the proper province of government, we disagree about many matters. What some people fail to understand about libertarians is that since we don’t believe in dragging government into every area of life, for us most issues fall outside the scope of political opinion. This is exactly why we feel so free to squabble about every topic we consider non-political.

I doubt Ron Paul and I, for example, would see eye-to-eye on issues such as same-sex unions performed in church, or full inclusion of gays in Christian congregations. Were we (however improbably) to be members of the same church, we’d likely lock horns over women’s ordination. I don’t think he interprets the Bible the same way I do, which is one of the reasons we’d probably never find ourselves in the same church.

I respect Ayn Rand’s views on many matters. But both Dr. Paul and I disagree vehemently with her opinions on religion. We’re libertarians, and we love to argue.

This is a libertarian blog, so arguments are always welcome. It’s a war zone, but it’s MY war zone. That means we’re all going to follow my rules.

In my own little empire, I get to be the empress. I’m not too strict a libertarian to like that!

Gay Christians Make Right-Wing Heads Explode!

A certain potty-mouthed commenter at Gay Patriot very recently objected to my use of the term “anti-gay” Christian to describe Christians who disapprove of church blessings for same-sex unions.

Okay, then he should think of a pretty euphemism he likes. Only he should make sure it’s an honest one. As I keep trying to remind these people, they’re entitled to their own opinions, but not to their own facts.

There are gay Christians who are so conservative, theologically, that they differ with straight Christians who disapprove of their “lifestyles” only on matters involving homosexuality. Except for those half-dozen snippets of Scripture, they interpret the Bible exactly the same way.

That’s right. There are gay Roman Catholics, gay conservative Evangelicals, even gay Orthodox Jews. And I mean ones who don’t believe they must remain celibate all their lives or try to become straight. Sorry that’s inconvenient for some of their straight co-religionists, but there it is.

That may not be my cup of tea. As an Episcopalian, I am somewhat more liberal theologically. But just as there are all sorts of different political views gays might possibly hold, we also span the spectrum religiously.

I wouldn’t think the crowd at Gay Patriot would find that too terribly hard to wrap their minds around. After all, if there are gays politically conservative enough to hold the views some of those folks do, why would there not be gays that religiously conservative, too?

Brace for head explosions. Rinse, and repeat.

I used the term “anti-gay” in my comments there not so much as a pejorative, but simply because I couldn’t think of another term that might capture the razor-thin line between what some gay religious people and some of their straight co-religionists believe.

It is insulting and unjust for the readers of Gay Patriot to have to read – again and again and again and again – of “Christians,” as if ALL can safely and comfortably be presumed to condemn same-sex relationships. When the word “Christians” is used by itself, it clearly implies that it encompasses all Christians without exception. But as a matter of fact, that is a long way from being true. Not even all conservative Christians any longer condemn same-sex love.

Sorry, try again. As for me, until these people can come up with a better term, I’ll keep using “anti-gay.” As that’s literally the only thing that separates some gay conservative Christians from many straight ones, it has the advantage of being short and concise.

It has the additional advantage of being the truth.

Gay Conservatives and their Games

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Poor gay conservatives. They’re a lot like Charlie Brown. All they want is to be included in the game. The other kids won’t let them play. And it doesn’t seem to occur to them that the game itself may be the problem.

A political movement, party or other organization will be organized according to one of two models. Based on its motivations, it will be driven either by principle or by power.

Gay Patriot used to be about principle. It is becoming, more and more, about power. It is dedicated to holding together a coalition that tries to go in two different directions at once – directions so totally opposite that it can’t be done. That coalition has become paralyzed, because the result of trying to move in two opposing directions simultaneously can be nothing else.

People who point out what should be obvious are going to be unpopular. I suppose I could try to hold my temper better and express myself more like Miss Manners. When I get testy or sarcastic, it hands those who don’t want to listen to me anyway a convenient excuse to distract.

Today on Gay Patriot, a resident guardian of All Things Moral and Decent got snide and snarky with one of our regular commenters, Douglas. Some tomfoolery about banana slugs and trails of slime. The Moral Guardian – who goes by the handle of Heliotrope – did this because, well of course, HE’S not snide or snarky.

Libertarians will always be skunks at the power-seekers’ garden party because we care about principle. For this, we are “purists” or “extremists.” All we’re doing, however, is stating the truth in bold and simple terms.

Some of us do stray into over-purity or extremism, but while we’re simply telling the truth is not when that happens. Because some of us can veer into error, our adversaries anticipate that this will happen and accuse us of it before the opportunity has arisen. In itself, that is dishonest. What they can’t handle is honesty, and they will resort to whatever form of trickery might work in silencing us.

It has become clearer to me than ever what is going on. The power-scramble and spin at Gay Patriot really helps to clarify it. Thus I will continue to point it out, whether I see it there or elsewhere in the “mainstream” conservative blogosphere and media. They want conservative gays to have a seat at the table, and there’s nothing at all wrong with that. But if they think that requires stifling libertarians, then they have sacrificed principle to achieve it.

The libertarians are the ones who respect and listen to gays. The ones who have invited us to the table in the first place. The social conservatives still don’t want us there, and are determined that if they can’t stop us from taking a seat, they will keep us quiet. Worse, they will keep on lying about us and ordering us around.

Gay conservatives have absolutely nothing to gain from such an arrangement – including power. Especially power. The promise of power they seem to hold out to us is illusory. They are lying to us. Like Lucy with the football, they will only keep yanking it away just as we run for it.

Heterosexual conservatives with absolutely no moral core certainly want us to keep running for that power football they like to hold out. But they will keep snatching it away before we can kick it. This is only the latest strategy to keep us lying flat on our backs. The others didn’t work, and – despite the efforts of those who scramble for power simply because they want to get into the game – this one won’t, either.

What’s really amusing is when gay conservatives criticize gay liberals for toadying to power. Yeah, funny, the human foibles to which the other side alone is always prone. The statist Left and Right have been playing that game for decades. Projection is a game of which they never tire.

Social Conservatism — No Opposition Allowed!

Another Sabbath day, another brouhaha over at Gay Patriot. This time, I have done the unthinkable: I have candidly stated that there are Christians who are NOT social conservatives. And that our faith is just as important to us – just as sacred – as theirs.

My first comment, on that thread, was that the best way for anti-gay churches to combat those who’d sue them for not performing same-sex union ceremonies was to stop being dishonest about the fact that other churches exist. You know, churches that disagree with them about same-sex unions. That this would permit them to give evidence that same-sex unions did not NEED to be performed at churches that oppose them. That by ignoring that churches that disagree with them on this issue exist, anti-gay churches are actually making things tougher on themselves than they need to. Horrifyingly to social conservatives, I propose that they actually trust in the truth!

That is a plain, bald fact. Social conservatives, as I also pointed out, are entitled to their own opinion. But they are not entitled to their own facts. Whether they agree with us or not, whether they even consider us Christians or not, is quite beside the point. We believe ourselves to be Christians, just as much as they are, we go to church, we read the Bible, and we disagree with them on gay issues.

What social conservatives try, all too often, to do is pretend — in their rhetoric — that ALL Christians agree with them on gay issues, and that everyone who doesn’t agree is not only not a Christian, but opposed to the Christian faith. Their own dishonesty is coming back to bite them, because non-Christians who would force all churches to perform same-sex unions play into the same lie. That only anti-gay churches are real churches, and therefore that they must be forced to perform same-sex unions.

What social cons are demonstrating, on that thread, is that they are such liars they can’t even deal with the facts. On that entire thread, I said nothing about censoring them, or shutting them up. Their own position is, quite evidently, so shaky that they can’t even stand for an opposing one to be stated.

But it WILL be stated. It will be stated, and repeated, and the fight will go on. Those who are trying to shut up and stop the Christians opposed to gay marriage are not Christians; they are outsiders. Social cons must blur the lines between the outsiders and the insiders with whom they disagree, because their argument is clearly so weak they can’t be sure it will prevail.

Predictably, I am being cast — by implication, since nobody has the gumption to do it explicitly — as a liberal, as someone ungodly, as one who would drag in the government to censor anti-gay Christians. This MUST be done, because otherwise – gasp! – they might actually have to face pro-gay Christians’ argument and contend with it.

They can’t do that. They are liars and cowards to the core.

The problem is that social-conservative Christians always do exactly what they accuse pro-gay Christians of doing: they drag in outsiders. People who try, repeatedly, to turn a thread on sacred matters into a joke and a game obviously do not believe in anything more sacred than the joke and the game. They have no respect for anyone’s faith – not even that of those whose side they claim to take.

Also very revealingly, NONE of the social-conservative Christians who comment on that blog have stepped in to voice their opinions. They are perfectly willing to see their own faith, their own God, dragged through the mud. They are hollow to their core, too. It doesn’t bother them when nonbelievers cuss, and make crude sexual innuendoes, and crassly joke on a thread about the faith they supposedly hold dear.

The truth is there to be seen, in stark contrast to the lies. I will simply trust in it to stand on its own.

Civil Unions Opponents: Liars, Thieves and Frauds — Oh, My!

Gay conservatives LOVE Ann Coulter. She condescends to appear at HomoCon; she’s served on the GOProud board. She loves us! She LOVES us!

Ann Coulter is a lawyer. Never, ever forget that. It plays into a fact no gay or lesbian American – however conservative – should ever forget: not only does she oppose gay marriage, she’s even against civil unions.

The Ann Coulters of the world would allow us NO protection for our relationships, our families, our homes, our life-savings, our futures or even our lives. None whatsoever.

Let’s also remember that heterosexuals in this country have taken away, from ALL single people gay and straight, some very basic human rights. We cannot designate whom we trust to make our medical decisions in life-or-death situations in which we’ve been incapacitated. We can’t keep as much of our own hard-earned income as married heteros, because we’ve got to give them tax breaks to bribe them to stay together. We cannot leave our property to whomever we choose.

Why not? Because those rights have been hijacked and held hostage by heterosexual married people. As their divorce rate rockets toward sixty percent – with absolutely no evidence to show all these government freebies do anything to make their marriages stronger – they arrogate these basic rights, which should belong to all free people, to themselves.

Of course, Coulter and her ilk will piously remind us, we can always go to a lawyer and have papers drawn up to afford us these rights. So we aren’t just being held hostage by married straights; we’re being held hostage by lawyers.

These people are shysters. They are cheap, ambulance-chasing frauds. How many social conservative politicians and pundits, who take Coulter’s position, are attorneys? And how many more are beholden to contributions from them?

Inquiring minds would like to know. Follow the money, and we’ll find out!

For these thieves and con-artists to hide behind God and the Bible is sick. It’s twisted. It’s blasphemy. There is literally nothing they really hold sacred, and they’ll hijack and pervert absolutely anything to rake more of our money into their pockets.

Social conservatives cannot possibly be taken seriously when they claim they’re moral people. Everything they do is craftily designed to get their hands on other people’s money, and to promote themselves and their own glorious little careers.

Follow the money.

“Shut Up and Play?!” — How About Shut Up and Go Away!

Predictably, over at Gay Patriot, the coming-out of NBA center Jason Collins is being leapt upon as an excuse to beat the living crap out of gay people. While, of course, the notion that gay conservatives are self-hating is dismissed, by this same crowd, as a Leftist plot. But okay, I’ll buy their claim that they don’t hate themselves. It’s every other gay person on the planet they evidently can’t stand.

I stopped being a sports fan because I got sick of athletes’ (overwhelmingly-heterosexual) sexuality flaunted in my face. As a Christian, I disapprove of the conduct of many athletes. I refuse to voluntarily pay for it.

Of course, as a taxpayer, I am still involuntarily paying for it. We the People are forced – literally at gunpoint – to fund professional and college sports. Not that the Gay Patriot crowd, whose undies are in a perpetual bunch about taxpayer funding for Big Bird, is going to utter a chirp against that.

As long as they serve as attack-dogs for homophobe ignoramuses, gay conservatives can jolly well expect to go on being called “self-hating.” What appears more likely, than that they hate themselves, is that they are driven by a deep compulsion to prove, to these ignoramuses, that they’re good people.

I think homophobic ignoramuses are vile and utterly disgusting excuses for humanity, and I hold them in absolute contempt. I don’t give a big, fat damn what they think of me. If they thought I was a godly person, or a patriotic American, there would be something very, very wrong with me. Their disapproval, I regard as a badge of honor.

I refuse to bend over for the statist Left when it wants me to, and I refuse to bend over for these fiends from Hell. Far-Right Talibangelicals are the worst people in this country, and I will fight them to my last breath. They want to destroy us – all of us – including the gay conservatives who slaver over them.

Where’s the outrage against heterosexual misconduct in sports? In response to the question, only crickets can be heard. But you very rare gay athletes who come out – demonstrating vastly more gumption than most of your critics – should just “shut up and play.”

Well, I’ve got a word for those who tell you to do that. Shut up, and go away. Better yet, take your selective outrage and go screw yourselves.