Author: Pam in Durham

Folks, we’re seeing the official re-closeting of the Democrats in terms of gay visibility and outreach. If you had any illusions that the 2006 iteration of the Democratic party isn’t ready to throw gays under the bus (but take our cash), here is a string of developments to consider.

1. The anti-gay VA Gov, Tim Kaine, was picked for the State of the Union response. If you’ve been reading my blog, you know full well what I think about the symbolism that this choice represented.

What do you think the party is trying to tell gays and lesbians when its choice of Kaine is heralded because “the new governor can best deliver their 2006 message of inclusiveness?” The man’s position on his own state’s pending marriage amendment is that he’s “not comfortable” with the bigoted language but he’ll sign the amendment anyway. More here and here.

For those out there who thought this was no big deal in the bigger scheme of things, just an inconsequential matter, the evidence that the party at the national level has the intention of avoiding the “gay issue” is no loud and clear. Re-closeting gays instead of addressing the right wing with alternative, logical framing based on the core values of the party has been deemed a more meaningful (read: winning) strategy. Is Bob Shrum in the house?

2. Howard Dean abolishes DNC gay outreach post. The laughable excuse on this one (via the Washington Blade) is that the reorg “will be more effective than the previous system because it will “bring in a lot more resources from all of the DNC’s departments and offices,” according to Chris Owens, director of the DNC’s American Majority Partnership program.

Right. This quietly took place last year, allegedly to create an integrated effort to address the concerns of minorities as a group. The gay outreach desk was won after a long struggle; to see it eliminated causes legitimate concern.

Gay Democratic Party activist and fundraiser Jeff Soref of New York City said he resigned from the DNC and from his position as chair of the gay caucus in August largely because of Dean’s decision to eliminate the gay outreach desk.

“It took us many years to win that position, have it funded and make it effective,” Soref said.

Soref said he told Dean “it was not credible” to simply assume that combining all constituent groups into one program without a specific gay coordinator or director would be effective because it would likely result in less attention to the specific concerns of gay Democrats.

“I thought this system could lead to us being re-marginalized by the party,” Soref said in an e-mail message to the Blade. “I have seen or heard nothing since that makes me feel that is not happening,” he said.

Howard Dean fired off a letter to the Blade after this blew up in his face. It still smells to high heaven. As Russ said over at my pad:

Shorter Dean/DNC: The GOP handed us our ASS with those anti-gay amendments last election! They’ll do it again if we ally with the homos. Pipe down, faggots, so we don’t lose…If sacking Hackett was the final nail in the coffin, this is the first shovelful of dirt upon it. What do they suppose they’ll tease us with? “Oh, just pipe down so we can win in Jesusland, then we promise to give you your rights.” Sure. Cuz you won’t be looking forward to the next election, and the next, and the next…

OK. Is it possible that Jeff Soref was a little paranoid about this and Howard’s on the up and up? Well, guess what? Look at this latest development at the DNC…

3. DNC Annual Grassroots Report Omits Any Reference to GLBT Americans. Via Out for Democracy, the news that this new report, unlike previous DNC reports, doesn’t even mention the LGBT community or any outreach efforts.

How do you feel now, homos? A tad marginalized, under-appreciated…that doormat/ATM kind of feeling?

Let’s take a look at Howard Dean’s vision of the core values of the party for 2006. Pay close attention to the sections on civil rights and civil equality, especially given we have state after state passing or preparing to pass amendments making lesbian and gay taxpaying residents second-class citizens.

Focus On Our Core Values

Never Backing Down: Governor Dean has lived up to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s call to never remain silent about the things that matter. From the failed management of the war in Iraq to the moral crisis of 45 million people without access to healthcare, he has shown honesty and backbone and encouraged more Democrats to do the same.

A Clear Agenda: Working with other party leaders, we have created and begun to communicate a clear agenda for change:

Honest Leadership and Open Government — We will end the Republican culture of corruption and restore a sense of responsibility to elected office, and we will pass fundamental reforms that make government more honest, open, and accountable to the American people than ever before.

Real Security — We will protect Americans at home by getting serious about homeland security, and address the real threats abroad by capturing or killing Osama bin Laden and focusing on actual (not imagined) nuclear proliferation. We will be prepared for the threats of tomorrow, and we will always tell the truth to our troops and the American people.

Jobs in America that will Stay in America — We will keep good jobs from leaving and ensure that every job in America is a fair deal. We will balance the budget, ensure that the tax code is simple and fair, and create jobs by making America energy independent.

A Strong Public Education System — We will strengthen our nation’s public schools to restore opportunity and optimism for every American.

A Health Care System that Works for Everyone — We will join every other industrialized country by making sure everyone has access to affordable health care. We will change a corrupt, inefficient system into one that makes sure the world’s wealthiest country is also the healthiest.

What did you think about the civil equality section? Oh, oops…I’m sorry, you didn’t skim past it. IT’S NOT THERE.

And how does that square with past acknowlegments of LGBT outreach? Let’s look at a section of a report under former DNC Chair, Terry McAuliffe, from DNC’s Facts and Figures Glossary (Feb. 2005):

GLBT Outreach: Under the leadership of Chairman McAuliffe, the DNC in partnership with the Kerry campaign, embarked upon the most comprehensive GLBT pride outreach program in the history of a national political party and presidential campaign. During this election year, the DNC manned tables and marched in more than 75 gay pride events in 22 states, taking the DNC’s message of equality and fairness to more than four million GLBT and allied voters. This year’s DNC Convention was a historic one for the GLBT community, with a record number of GLBT delegates, standing committee members, DNC members, and staff.

The message is clear — the Dems are going to avoid the gay issue like the plague again. They are not interested in reframing the issue and not ready to counter the AmTaliban. The Democrats are just not “comfortable” enough to fight at the national level for our rights. Thanks for the heads-up, Howard.

The truth of the matter is, there is no spine in this party, no desire to really take on Republicans on anything remotely related to gay civil equality on any matter (and I’m not just talking about same-sex marriage). One can only conclude that the party doesn’t see any urgency about the amendements sweeping through the nation, and that it’s a perfectly acceptable position to say “let the states decide” — to make discrimination of a class of citizens permanent law. Many of those states don’t even have a fig leaf of “separate but equal” civil unions/domestic partnerships/”marriage” to offer up to same-sex couples (they can’t be equal because none of the over 1000 federal benefits that convey with civil marriage exist).

At this point, because of Dem silence while the void is filled by the hate mongers demonizing gays, you’ve got some states considering a ban on gays adopting or fostering kids (adoption’s already banned in Florida), deep-sixing same-sex benefits, and choosing to kill anti-discrimination bills that propose adding sexual orientation to existing law — what icing on the cake this is in the daily lives of gay Americans in those locations.

How sad is it that the Democrats allow its agenda to be driven by fear of the likes of the American Family Association’s Don and Tim Wildmon, for example, who have effectively bullied and led the GOP by the nose (and has moved on to corporate America). The Dems refuse to politically counter an organization that, reminding folks again:

• has an advocate for executing gays and abortion providers on its radio show
• believes gays were the real evil behind the Holocaust?
• thinks gays are responsible for the “end of times”?
• tries to convince the public that gays are a “public health” threat? or diseased perverts who die early?

These folks are extremist windbags and theocrats, along with the Dobsons, Bauers, and Lou Sheldons screeching out there. If we weren’t in Bizarro World, a real Democratic party with real core values would be scorching and silencing these clowns as the crazies that they are.

With the exception of a few elected Dems willing to speak passionately about the bigotry guiding the Right (such as Mel Watt, Senfronia Thompson, David Englin, the latter two in particular showing bravery, since they have much to lose as local officials), the “electability” factor trumps conscience.

Oh yes, and Paul Hackett, who was also gay-affirmative (well, we all know how that ended).

Why are those few politicians who are putting their necks on the line to say the right thing not held up high as the model to follow?

We’re in for a rough ride folks — and those of you concerned about reproductive freedom, I don’t see anything up there for you either. Welcome to the club.

And yes, I did write the party about this.

Also:

• BlogActive: Howard Dean goes on rampage… Kills constituent desks
• Keith Boykin: I Want My Gay DNC

Hat tip, Out for Democracy, via PageOneQ. Cross-posted on Pam’s House Blend.

Homophobic D.C. pastor and Millions More March organizer Willie Wilson pulled Keith Boykin. (via PageOneQ):

A month-long effort by the National Black Justice Coalition and the D.C. Coalition to secure a speaker at the Millions More Movement commemoration event that met with apparent success mid-week, was quashed this morning.

When NBJC president Keith Boykin and vice-president Donna Payne reported to the event on the Mall, they say, they were blocked from speaking by MMM organizer Rev. Willie Wilson.

Boykin was supposed to to represent the black LGBT community at the event.

Back at the Freedom Plaza rally, Payne said that when she and Boykin arrived at the MMM site, Wilson said, “They will not be speaking.”

“I’m so angry, so angry,” Payne said.

Boykin, and homo-bigot Willie Wilson.

And from 365gay.com:

“In our previous conversations with Minister Farrakhan, he has consistently kept his word. Rev. Wilson, however, has not been cooperative. We call on Minister Farrakhan to fulfill our agreement,” the statement said.

Wilson is executive director of the Millions More Movement. He is also pastor of Union Temple Baptist Church in Southeast Washington, the District’s largest Black congregation and has a record of homophobia.

In July Wilson, warned his congregation that “Sisters making more money than brothers and it’s creating problems in families … that’s one of the reasons many of our women are becoming lesbians.”  

In the July 3 sermon entitled “You’ve Got to Fight to Be Free” he also said, “Lesbianism is about to take over our community. I’m talking about young girls. My son in high school last year tried to go to the prom. He said, ‘Dad, I ain’t got nobody to take to the prom because all the girls in my class are gay. Ain’t but two of ’em straight, and both of them ugly.’”

*

He tried, he really did, but Willie Wilson, one of the organizers of the march, was making it clear that Keith Boykin was not going to give a speech today on the visibility of gays and lesbians in the black community. Keith recounts what happened on his blog, in the post, “The Speech That Didn’t Happen.”

After eight months of discussion, four productive conversations with Minister Farrakhan and a heated exchange with Rev. Willie Wilson, the Millions More Movement March took place today and I was not allowed to speak. Although I believe we have opened the door for historic and positive dialogue with Minister Farrakhan, Rev. Wilson does not appear to be ready for such dialogue.

This is what happened today. After I arrived at the VIP tent shortly after 8 in the morning, my colleague Donna Payne spoke directly to Rev. Willie Wilson backstage, and he informed her that no one from the National Black Justice Coalition would be speaking today. Donna told Rev. Wilson that he was violating our agreement, and Wilson replied that the agreement was void because the Coalition had not responded by Friday. That was not true.

Rev. Wilson’s excuse seemed a mere pretext to prevent us from speaking. Sadly, I am not surprised. He has been an obstacle to this process all along. Ever since his controversial July 3 sermon in which he blamed the rise of lesbianism for the problems in the black community, Rev. Wilson seems to have developed ill feelings toward the black gay community for responding to his attack. That was three months ago, and I had hoped to use my speech today to extend an olive branch to Rev. Wilson to move beyond our differences and heal our wounds, but his actions this morning made that impossible.

Eva at Lloydletta has thoughts on what went wrong.

I was thinking this probably happened because Keith Boykin and Jasmyne Cannick did the outing campaign looking for stories about Willie Wilson being a closet gay.  [<font color=red>I posted about the series on my blog here</font&gt]

This reminds me alot of what happened between Log Cabin Republicans and the Bush campaign in 2000. Jake Tapper’s account discusses the Log Cabin internal divisions on this.

Keith gave it the old college try, but after Wilson’s behavior (as a minister, no less), it’s time to hang it up with getting a seat at that particular table.

Farrakhan knew exactly what he was doing when he extended the invitation in the first place. The National Black Justice Coalition had sent him a list of 10 prospective gay speakers for the MMM — Keith wasn’t on the list — yet Farrakhan asked Keith to speak, knowing that Wilson was hopping mad over the outing campaign from a few weeks ago.

It’s no surprise then, on the day of the event — with festivities in motion — Wilson could pull rank and block Keith from taking the stage and call it miscommunication. The goal is achieved — the NBJC doesn’t get a chance in front of thousands of people that needed to hear the message Keith planned to deliver.

For me, the larger issue is the whether there will be a follow-up reaction to this incident by the other black leaders at that march — will they ignore this slight? Will they address Wilson’s bigoted remarks and end-run on the black gay community?

These are the people that need to be asked to comment on what it means when a segment of the black community that has been marginalized and demonized is explicitly denied an opportunity to openly address a painful issue — black homophobia — with a message of hope.

Instead, Farrakhan and Wilson played Keith — letting him publicize the “success” of being given a seat at the table, and then pulling the chair out from under him — all to show him who was in charge. It’s disgusting.

I don’t want a seat at the table of homophobes and bigots claiming to be religious leaders. Keith, you’re better than these people. They are brothers under the skin with the white evangelical AmTaliban — they’d rather bed down with those jackals.

Keith’s speech — the one that he could not give because of bigotry by a man of the cloth — is powerful. You can read it here.

Cross-posted on Pam’s House Blend.

I’m just going to toss this one out there, because here is the New Black Right, laid out for all to see. From WorldNetDaily – the Delusional Bush/Mehlman Self-Loathing Negro TM, Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, founder and president of BOND, the Brotherhood Organization of A New Destiny:

If whites were to just leave the United States and let blacks run the country, they would turn America into a ghetto within 10 years. The audience, shall we say, disagreed with me strongly. Now I have to disagree with me. I gave blacks too much credit. It took a mere three days for blacks to turn the Superdome and the convention center into ghettos, rampant with theft, rape and murder.

There’s more…

President Bush is not to blame for the rampant immorality of blacks. Had New Orleans’ black community taken action, most would have been out of harm’s way. But most were too lazy, immoral and trifling to do anything productive for themselves.

He’s spouted sh*t like this before, most recently here. He goes on to blame blacks generally, and Mayor Nagin in particular. I agree that Nagin was a moron who lacked the will to do anything for the underprivileged in his city, but it isn’t because he’s black, which is dumb*ss Peterson’s argument, it’s because Nagin cannot identify with someone that can’t get a ride out of town because of his classism.

Anyway, most of the rest of Peterson’s essay is so offensive that I won’t post any more of it. White power to you, “brother,” pass the Kool-Aid.

From the Klan store, Jesse (no, I’m not going to link back to it):

This is an authentic Klan Robe complete with hood, mask, cape, belt and stripes!

Each robe is tailored made, by hand to <u>your exact specifications</u&gt. No rack room products small, medium, and large here! These robes are not made until your order is completed. This assures a custom fit for you, and no one else. You choose the color and number of stripes, and you choose the color of the cape. Most places that you can have robes made (which is very few and sold as a novelty) wont even give you the stripes or cape, much less sew them on!. Here at Klan Store not only will we do this, but we’ll even sew on any patch that you purchase from us (MIOAK, Blood Drop, etc) <u>at no additional charge</u&gt!

The maker of these fine robes is a professional tailor, and is rumored to be third generation Klan, (you’ll get no straight answer from Klan Store about that subject) so you can just image the high quality of these custom, hand tailored robes.

The shipment time on this product, due to the custom tailoring for each individual, will be approximately 6-8 weeks. Please remember, that these are not made until you complete your order, so it will be custom fit.

Please print out the Measurement Chart (the picture to the top right) to use as a guide while measuring each reference point.

Note: ALL MEASUREMENTS MUST BE DONE IN U.S. INCHES.

Each Point is as follows:

Do you want the mask portion of hood to be detachable? – Yes or No

Do you wear glasses? – Yes or No

Do you want an extra lining added to the inside of robe? – Yes or No

Hood size – Circumference of Head

Point 1 to Point 2 – From Neck to 8 inches above Shoe

Point 3 to Point 4 – Across Back Shoulders

Point 5 to Point 6 – Diameter around Waist

Point 7 to Point 8 – Diameter around Hips

Point 9 to Point 10 – Shoulder to Wrist

Point 11 to Point 12 – Right Shoulder to Left Hip

Point 13 to Point 14 – Diameter around Chest

While we’re at it, let’s give minister Peterson extra bigot points for his anti-gay and anti-feminist outlook on life.

It should come as no surprise that the homosexual lobby has launched a campaign to use black America for its pernicious purpose of promoting same-sex “marriage.” Blacks have proven time and again to be a useful tool in promoting the sick desires of black leaders, the Democratic Party and the elite white feminist movement (yes, most feminists are upper-class angry white women) – why shouldn’t radical homosexuals continue the trend?

If we fail at this time to expose the homosexual movement and its malicious goals, then its agenda will carry the day. Thus, we must clarify what is at stake in its argument, and why it must be strongly opposed.

Yes, a true moral leader.

Cross-posted at Pam’s House Blend.

“We will have Citizenship Sundays that are intended and designed to encourage the voters then registered to turn out and vote and to vote as Christians, to vote not on the basis of their party affiliation or their economic status or their ethnic background but as Christians.”
— Laurence White, pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Houston, ready to register voters to re-elect Rick Perry

Rick Perry and his band of Texas Taliban supporters continue to pump up voters for his re-election. No doubt the churches will be trying to register the Katrina evacuees that are now permanently settling in the state, trying to convert a natural response to the governor’s generosity in their time of need into votes for the gay-bashing Perry.

“If the governor is going to use clergy and churches to build his reelection machine, he should be open about who is paying for it. After all, Texans have a right to know what big-dollar special interests are dragging our churches into partisan politics.”
— Kathy Miller, of the Texas Freedom Network

(Houston Chronicle):

About 2,000 socially conservative ministers across Texas will be collecting more than tithes today as they call on their congregations to register to vote so they can be ready to add a ban on gay marriage to the state constitution in the November election.

Texas Restoration Project, which organized the voter-registration drive, says the effort is an attempt to bring morality to government by empowering Christian voters, regardless of party. But critics say the Texas Restoration Project is nothing more than an adjunct of the state Republican Party and Gov. Rick Perry’s re-election campaign.

The political consulting firm handling the Texas Restoration Project’s logistics is a company that did $3.2 million in business last year with the state GOP and Republican candidates for office. It is headed by the former spokesman for a Republican congressman and the former executive director of the Texas Republican Party.

…At the core of the current voter-registration drive is Proposition 2, a proposed state constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would define marriage as the union of one man with one woman and would prohibit civil unions. Texas already has a law banning gay marriage.

If the amendment is adopted, its supporters say, it would safeguard that law from judicial challenges.

The Texas Freedom Network, which is fighting the influence of the Religious Right in the state, is calling for transparency in the operations of the Restoration Project.

The president of the Texas Freedom Network today called on Gov. Rick Perry to reveal who is paying to recruit hundreds of Texas pastors to hear him and his political backers at campaign-style events around the state.

“It’s time for Gov. Perry to come clean,” said TFN President Kathy Miller. “Texans have a right to know who is paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to get pastors to support the governor’s reelection campaign.”

…More than 500 pastors attended the first “Pastors’ Policy Briefing” in Austin. Hundreds of others attended this week’s event. Organizers have not revealed who is paying for the pastors and their wives to attend these events for free.

At this week’s event, however, wealthy San Antonio businessman Dr. James Leininger sat at the front and was repeatedly thanked by speakers. East Texas chicken tycoon Bo Pilgrim introduced the governor today. Together, Dr. Leininger and Mr. Pilgrim have donated or loaned more than $1.6 million to the governor’s election campaigns since 1997. Each donated $50,000 to the Gov. Perry’s reelection campaign in June of this year, according to records from the Texas Ethics Commission.

Pam’s House Blend

And I thought ‘yard ape’ referred to the President strolling across the grass last night to give that lead balloon speech on live TV.

The woman serving as associate vice president for student services at Greenville (SC) Technical College “resigned” after multiple brain malfunctions in her job there. She’s “numb” and “shocked” that calling children evacuated from the worst natural disaster in our country’s history as “yard apes” — in two separate briefings last week — might be a teensy bit beyond the pale.
(IslandPacket.com):

“I’m just numb and in a state of shock,” Holcombe told The Associated Press. When asked if she meant the comment as a racial slur, she said: “Heavens, no.” [Yes, I call all little darkies yard apes – doesn’t everyone?]

A message left for school president Tom Barton was not immediately returned Wednesday. Barton said Tuesday that Holcombe had apologized in a separate meeting. He said the comments were reported to him by staff members who attended the meeting last Thursday. “We’re going to rectify the situation and make it very much known that we won’t ever tolerate that kind of situation – ever,” Barton said.

Barton said Holcombe, associate vice president for student services, made the comment at a briefing to inform college employees of their roles as Greenville Tech bused hurricane refugees from the Palmetto Expo Center for registration. “It’s even hard for me to repeat because I can’t imagine anybody that would make such an asinine statement,” Barton said.

“It was stated that ‘We will take these yellow buses and go pick up these yard apes.’ My God, how bad can bad get?”

…”It’s not like she just came to work,” he said. “She’s been here and she knows our philosophy and she knows the institution. I just can’t imagine why she did it.”

Holcombe said Wednesday she did not want to discuss the incident because she didn’t want “to add fuel to the fire,” but she said she looks forward to the day her side of the story can be told.

And what might that side of the story look like? This, my friends, is an example of someone that belongs with the knuckle-draggers in the White Power movement. May I direct her to the Stormfront message board, where she can mingle with this breed of apes…

Actual Stormfront Ape Quotes

“A local church here in our small town in Arkansas has decided to take in 198 of the refugee blacks from New Orleans. Now let me start off by saying there is not one single black in this town, and now they are bringing in 198 of these raping, murdering, thieving, blacks. What the he** can we do? Damn, i just starting buying our house here, and have only made 5 payments so far. I need advice please…..”

“Where the heck is the local Klan when ya need em ?!!”

“Believe it or not, we called the local Klan about 2 weeks ago, and they actually admitted that they don’t do anything anymore, because they are broke….”

“If everyone in your town feels the same way. Just act like they aren’t there. Act like they’re invisible. Everybody. Do it long enough and the nature of the attention starved negro will come out in such ways to deserve arrest, but none will be able to blame Whitey.”

“Yea man, I know how you feel. The little town that I live in which is in Utah is 98% white at least, and now we have these blacks being moved here . Im not saying all of them, but the majority of them are low life druggie criminals who live off of welfare. I would also like to know what to do.”

and more…

“There can be no confusion as to what to do concerning these negro beasts, these savage rapists who defile our young with inhuman brutality, put them up against the wall and put a bullet in their head. If they were to even touch my daughter they would be decapitated and hung by the feet off the corner streetlight for all to see, we cannot give any quarter to these predators, violent savage beasts, thrust upon us, dispose of them like the trash they are.”

“White Community: Helping the Forgotten Victims of Katrina“

and more…

“In order to keep everybody here well informed and prepared on where all the negros be headed and endin’up as a result of bussing them around the country, I think it would be a good idea to have a thread listing just where they are being accepted…by stupid mayors and their ilk. I imagine it to be more widespread than we are being told and I don’t trust the local media outlets to be very eager to let us know about it, lest it result in racial discord. As far as I know there aren’t any here yet in NE PA.”

“So far none here in north Indiana, coons don’t like the cold. I’m buying some guns to prepare myself for them, I’m sure some will make it up here.”

“115 due to land in Tucson this morning! Time to print out my listing of the dangers these negroes will face in this area of the Sonoran Desert and infiltrate the leaflets in their Welcome Wagon handouts.”

“Unless these niggers get krystaaal and fried chicken, they will start rioting and raping whites. If they do get their demands, they will still rape and kill, just not riot as much.”

Cross-posted at Pam’s House Blend

As the upcoming, ridiculous smokescreen event, A National Day of Prayer(TM) approaches, the NYT runs a hilarious story on desperate attempt to get the recuitment of evangelical black voters back on track, “Gulf Coast Isn’t the Only Thing Left in Tatters; Bush’s Status With Blacks Takes Hit.”

The flailing course-correction effort has Turdblossom working to corral as many of the bought-off pastors and get them out in front of the cameras as possible. At the top of Rove’s list is millionaire preacher T.D. Jakes, who will be leading the Day of Prayer(TM).

…behind the scenes in the West Wing, there has been anxiety and scrambling – after an initial misunderstanding, some of the president’s advocates say, of the racial dimension to the crisis.

One of Mr. Bush’s prominent African-American supporters called the White House to say he was aghast at the images from the president’s first trip to the region, on Sept. 2, when Mr. Bush stood next to Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi and Gov. Bob Riley of Alabama, both white Republicans, and praised them for a job well done. Mr. Bush did not go into the heart of New Orleans to meet with black victims.

“I said, ‘Grab some black people who look like they might be preachers,’ ” said the supporter, who asked not to be named because he did not want to be identified as criticizing the White House. Three days later, on Mr. Bush’s next trip to the region, the president appeared in Baton Rouge at the side of T. D. Jakes, the conservative African-American television evangelist and the founder of a 30,000-member megachurch in southwest Dallas.

Bishop Jakes, a multimillionaire and best-selling author, is to deliver the sermon this Friday at the Washington National Cathedral, his office said, where Mr. Bush will mark a national day of prayer for Hurricane Katrina’s victims. The bishop’s style of preaching is black Pentecostal – he roars and rumbles in performances that got him on the cover of Time magazine as “America’s best preacher” in 2001. More important to Mr. Rove, he has become a vital partner in the White House effort to court the black vote.

The story continues to nakedly tie the faith-based cash flow party to the Bush newfound public love of the darkies in the storm zone, as Bush made sure some face time to his shuffling minions as damage control. He had plenty of takers ready to belly up to the bar for the Chimp.

Last week, the White House continued its political recovery effort among African-Americans through its network of conservative black preachers like Bishop Jakes. Many of them have received millions of dollars for their churches through Mr. Bush’s initiative to support religious-based social services – a factor, Republicans say, in Mr. Bush’s small increase in support among black voters, from 9 percent in 2000 to 11 percent in 2004.

On Tuesday in the Roosevelt Room, Mr. Bush met with black preachers and leaders of national charities, and sat next to Bishop Roy L. H. Winbush, a black religious leader from Louisiana [and, along with Jakes, a strong supporter of the Federal Marriage Amendment]. On Thursday, two senior White House officials, Claude Allen and James Towey, held a conference call with black religious leaders to ask what needed to be done. Mr. Towey is the director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, and Mr. Allen, who is African-American, is the president’s domestic policy adviser.

One Bush supporter, the Rev. Eugene F. Rivers III, the president of the National Ten Point Leadership Foundation, a coalition that represents primarily black churches, said last week that something positive might come out of the crisis. “This is a moral and intellectual opportunity for the Bush administration to clearly articulate a policy agenda for the black poor,” Mr. Rivers said in an interview.

Cross-posted at Pam’s House Blend.

“Our outreach to the African-American community is based on shared priorities like closing the health gap and the wealth gap and the education gap. It’s not based on politics, it’s based on policies, and those policy needs remain.”
— RNC head Ken Mehlman, dismissing speculation that post-Katrina bungling by the administration will have an impact on recruiting blacks to vote GOP

That’s some strong Kool-Aid, let me tell you. Add to that the smoking of something quite strong if the Repugs think the Bush catastrophe after Katrina won’t hurt the efforts to squeeze out some black votes.
They spent most of 2004 working the gay bogeyman to shave off some black evangelicals, but this debacle is really going to test their PR machine. The Ken-bot’s working this damage control as hard as he can. (Reuters):

Public anger over the slow government response to Hurricane Katrina could deal a long-term blow to the Republican Party’s aggressive effort to woo black voters, already the most loyal Democratic bloc.

The high-profile Republican effort to win black support became much tougher, analysts said, after days of images of poor and largely black crowds pleading in vain for help in a devastated New Orleans. The resulting outcry included pointed questions about the role of race and class in the government’s response.

“There is so much anger out there, I think it is going to be very difficult for Republicans to break through to African Americans,” said Ron Walters, director of the African-American Leadership Institute at the University of Maryland.

“This is extremely damaging — it’s a powerful, emotional, family-oriented issue that goes right to the heart of people,” he said. “Mistakes like this have a shelf life. This is going to be with us for a long, long time.”

A poll released on Thursday by the Pew Research Center found a huge racial divide in perceptions of the disaster, with 66 percent of blacks saying the response would have been quicker if the storm victims had been white, while 77 percent of whites disagreed.

David Bositis, an analyst of black politics at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, said the storm’s aftermath would feed existing doubts about Republicans among many blacks. “The problem for Republicans in terms of getting more black support is that African Americans don’t trust the Republican Party,” he said. “You can look at what happened with Katrina as a further betrayal of trust.”

Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican Party, launched the effort to build black support after Bush increased his share of the African-American vote in 2004 from 9 percent — the worst Republican showing since Barry Goldwater in 1964 — to 11 percent.

Republicans stepped up the recruitment of black candidates for congressional and statewide offices and Mehlman, who took over as party chairman in January after managing Bush’s re-election, met repeatedly with black groups. Mehlman rejected any suggestion Katrina would hurt the appeal of Republicans in the black community and said it did not require a change in Republican strategy.

But maybe I’m wrong…look at what the cat dragged in — one of Bush’s at-the-ready black pastors to spew unbelievable sh*t.

“If black folks want to blame someone for this tragedy they only need to look in the mirror.”
— Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, head of Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny

A reader of my blog found an article on one of Bush’s newfound friends – another pastor seduced by the faith-based cookie jar. This one is Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, founder and president of BOND (Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny).

Peterson’s definitely had the Mehlman Kool-Aid, so much of it that this pious pastor is ready to put the blame on the human tragedy of New Orleans squarely where he thinks it belongs — on the poor black people themselves. He must have received the cheat sheet faxed out of Rove’s office that also implicates Ray Nagin and Kathleen Blanco for all the administrative f*ckups. This is sick. (Cybercast News Service):

A black conservative leader says don’t blame racism or President Bush for what happened to thousands of black people during and after Hurricane Katrina.

“The truth is black people died, not because of President Bush or racism, they died because of their unhealthy dependence on the government and the incompetence of Mayor Ray Nagin and Governor Kathleen Blanco,” said the Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, founder and president of BOND (the Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny).

Peterson singled out the Rev. Jesse Jackson, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and rapper Kanye West, all of whom blamed President Bush for not doing enough to help black people, especially in New Orleans, where TV images showed scenes of desperation and violence that continued for several days after the hurricane hit.

Jackson called President Bush’s response “incompetent” and charged that racism is partly to blame for the slow evacuation of survivors; and during a nationally televised fundraising event on NBC, West said, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”

Not fair, said the Rev. Peterson: “If black folks want to blame someone for this tragedy they only need to look in the mirror.” Mayor Nagin has blamed everyone else except himself, when it was Nagin who failed in his duty to evacuate and protect city residents, Peterson said.

Nagin and Blanco deserve their share of blame, but to let Bush off the hook is a sign of mental illness here.

I think Rev. Peterson deserves his personal set of Klan sheets if he thinks racism had nothing to do with what has unfolded. This pastor buyout is worse than I thought.

As Bill Clinton pals around with the Bushes and signs on to participate in the fundraising/relief effort BushClintonKatrinaFund.com, maybe Bill needs to take a look back at what he did in his Administration. He signed the Federal Defense of Marriage Act back in 1996, and that has now crippled gay and lesbian couples in their attempts to get their lives together after the storm.

And as far as the Chimperor goes, well we all know the sh*tstorm of craven political homobigotry that he, Karl and Kenny Mehlman stirred up in the last election, resulting in a rash of those state marriage amendments that just compound the horror for gay and lesbian victims of Katrina in the affected states.

Looking at the Katrina Fund’s FAQ, I don’t see any information about whether money raised will be available to gay families, but given the money will be disbursed by the governors of three states that discriminate, I wouldn’t hold my breath.
We pay taxes, we are helping to pay for the recovery, but as gay and lesbian Americans, our relationships are officially denied and discriminated against in our darkest hour by our government. Facts from 365gay.com:

Recovering from the devastation of hurricane Katrina may be particularly difficult for same-sex couples who are not recognized in any of the three states directly hit by the storm or in those states where refugees have fled.

• The Federal Defense of Marriage Act prevents FEMA from providing any relief in the form of family benefits to same-sex couples. The laws also will directly impact gay and lesbian families where one partner has died as a result of the hurricane.
• Federal DOMA bars Social Security survivor benefits. State benefits would also be denied.
• Louisiana has a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and prevents the state from recognizing any legal status for common-law relationships, domestic partnerships or civil unions.
• Mississippi and Alabama both have defense of marriage acts which also deny rights to gay and lesbian couples.
• Should the family home be in the name of the deceased partner the survivor would have no rights.
• Any insurance payouts could go to the estate of the deceased and if there is no will would go to the closest blood relative.
• In cases where one partner is hospitalized the other partner would not be guaranteed visitation rights or any say in medical care.
• If the deceased partner were the birth or adoptive parent of the couple’s children those children could be removed from the care of the other parent and placed in foster care.
• Surviving same-sex partners even could be denied any say in funeral or burial decisions.
• Even in those cases where couples had legal documents such as living wills, powers of attorney or other agreements that could be valid in the states in which they were prepared and notarized there is no guarantee they would be honored in states where survivors were relocated.

The National Youth Advocacy Coalition, a nationwide organization which works on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans youth, is coordinating an effort in the wake of hurricane Katrina, to establish a fund to assist LGBT youth and families. The national fund, will help provide direct services — especially in areas where refugees are heading — to many LGBT youth and their families that will be displaced as a result of the tragedy.

Groups in the coalition include the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, Mautner Project: The National Lesbian Health Organization, National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) , and Pride at Work.

You can donate here.

Many gay and lesbian couples, even those that can afford to take the legal steps to get what security they can in this bigoted nation, put off doing it for all the same reasons everyone else does — time, not wanting to face mortality issues, etc. It’s time to stop and do what you can to prevent the state and feds from screwing you over.

Resources from Lambda Legal:

Marriage advisories and warnings

• Thinking of Getting Married in Canada?
  Joint Advisory From Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund, National Center for Lesbian Rights, ACLU Lesbian & Gay Rights Project, and Freedom to Marry – June 2003
• Decisions, Decisions…
  Deciding Whether To Get Married In Canada or Massachusetts
• We Got Married in Canada, What’s Next?
  An Action Guide for Newlyweds

Advanced Planning (Wills and Life Planning Documents)

 *What Are You Waiting For?
Write a will!

Lambda Legal’s Help Desk: Here you can find phone numbers to call about discrimination, and your rights.

Lambda’s Legal Help Desk staff respond directly to members of our communit(ies) who are seeking legal information and assistance with discrimination related to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and HIV status. To the extent that our resources and priorities allow, Lambda Legal takes on legal representation of callers whose situations present impact litigation issues; for many others, Lambda Legal provides leads to other organizations and practical information that might help them address their problems. We also provide a list of suggested questions to ask a prospective attorney.

Cross-posted on Pam’s House Blend.

Race Disparity Seen During Traffic Stops. For all the Freeper bigots out there that think minorities are getting a free ride, are “sticking it to whitey” or any of the other BS that implies reverse discrimination against the dominant population, I invite them to switch places for a while, and experience the following kind of day-to-day crap people of color still experience first-hand.

I love the little detail in this story that the Bush admin didn’t want this information publicized, and the person that wanted to do so ended up demoted. John Conyers is calling for an investigation.

I haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing DWB (driving while black), but I have encountered SWB (shopping while black — being followed in a store to make sure I didn’t shoplift) and HTWB (hailing a taxi while black — being bypassed).

Black, Hispanic and white motorists are equally likely to be pulled over by police, but blacks and Hispanics are much more likely to be searched, handcuffed, arrested and subjected to force or the threat of it, a Justice Department study has found.

The study, by the department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, was completed last April and posted on the agency’s Web site after Bush administration officials disagreed over whether a press release should mention the racial disparities. Traffic stops have become a politically volatile issue as minority groups have complained that many stops and searches are based on race rather than on legitimate suspicions.

The bureau’s director, Lawrence A. Greenfeld, appointed by President Bush in 2001, wanted to publicize the racial disparities, but his superiors disagreed, a BJS employee said Wednesday. No release was issued. Greenfeld has told his staff that he is being moved to a new job following the dispute, according to this employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to reporters. Greenfeld was not immediately available for comment. Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse would not comment on Greenfeld’s status.

“When someone in law enforcement who is willing to speak the truth about racial profiling gets demoted for it, that’s absolutely chilling,” said Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP’s Washington bureau. “To manage any problem, we must first measure it.”

I’m pretty sure the phenomenon of DWB is more often than not black men that are getting stopped and mistreated, especially if they are driving a car in the “wrong place” or the car is perceived as “too expensive” by law enforcement for the darkie behind the wheel to be driving. [That would rule me out anyway, between my late-great, low-end ’88 Mercury Tracer hatch or my current Focus wagon, those aren’t exactly models one would steal.]

Meanwhile, here are some details on the findings.

• Blacks (5.8 percent) and Hispanics (5.2 percent) were much more likely to be arrested than whites (2 percent).

• Hispanics (71.5 percent) were much more likely to be ticketed than blacks (58.4 percent) or whites (56.5 percent).

• Blacks (2.7 percent) and Hispanics (2.4 percent) were far more likely than whites (0.8 percent) to report that police used force or the threat of it. Force was defined as when an officer pushed, grabbed, kicked or hit a driver with a hand or object. Also included were police dog bites, chemical or pepper spray or a firearm pointed at the driver, or the threat of any of these.

• Handcuffs were used on greater percentages of black motorists (6.4 percent) and Hispanics (5.6 percent) than whites (2 percent).

• Black and Hispanic drivers and their vehicles were much more likely to be searched than whites and their vehicles. Black motorists were searched 8.1 percent of the time; Hispanics, 8.3 percent; whites, 2.5 percent. Vehicles driven by blacks were searched 7.1 percent of the time; by Hispanics, 10.1 percent; by whites, 2.9 percent.

The Washington Post reports today that John Conyers has called an investigation into Lawrence Greenfeld’s demotion over the release of the information.

Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) said he was preparing a request for an “independent review” by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, which will be asked to examine the personnel issues and the formulation of the study itself.

“It is totally unacceptable for the Justice Department to politicize statistical releases and demote individuals merely because they were seeking to provide accurate summaries of statistical information regarding racial profiling,” Conyers said.

Conyers’s demand came after a report in the New York Times focusing on Lawrence A. Greenfeld, who heads the Bureau of Justice Statistics, a small office staffed primarily with statisticians who conduct studies and issue reports on law enforcement issues.

Quoting unidentified officials and documents, the report said Greenfeld was ordered to delete references to racial disparities in a news release prepared to announce a study on the treatment of different ethnic groups during police traffic stops.

Cross-posted at Pam’s House Blend

“Anybody can go stand at the Mall that day: arsonists, drug dealers and child molesters. There’s a big difference between simply being invited to stand on the Mall and actually being invited to speak and to bring up the issues that concern us, like homophobia, which the Movement is not addressing.”

— Philip Pannell, gay activist on the weak “welcome” to the Farrakhan/Willie Wilson-organized event.

The split is sadly official. After homo-bigot Willie Wilson’s “lesbian diatribe” from the pulpit, and no response to the hatred from Farrakhan, the black gay community is organizing its own gathering at Freedom Plaza in downtown Washington on the morning of October 15.
(365gay.com):

Gay African Americans say that despite assurances they will be welcome at the 10th-anniversary of the Million Man March in Washington they will hold their own rally.

The Million’s More march and rally will be held October 14-16 and will be led by the Nation of Islam’s Minister Louis Farrakhan. Farrakhan has told black gays that they will be welcome at the event, but DC black gay leaders say they have been shut out from any role in organizing the march.

“To say we’re welcome isn’t enough,” Philip Pannell, a longtime gay rights and political organizer told the Washington Post. There also are concerns about some of those who have been invited by Farrakhan to organize the event, including Rev. Willie Wilson, pastor of Washington’s Union Temple Baptist Church.

Last month Wilson caused a fury in the gay community when he warned his congregation that “Sisters making more money than brothers and it’s creating problems in families … that’s one of the reasons many of our women are becoming lesbians.”

In the July 3 sermon entitled “You’ve Got to Fight to Be Free” he also said, “Lesbianism is about to take over our community. I’m talking about young girls. My son in high school last year tried to go to the prom. He said, ‘Dad, I ain’t got nobody to take to the prom because all the girls in my class are gay. Ain’t but two of ’em straight, and both of them ugly.’”

As you will recall, Wilson was exposed as a liar, since his son didn’t need a date – he has a girlfriend.

Aside from that nonsense,  how sad is all of this? For those that have pooh-poohed the schism in the black community, particularly the faith community over gay civil rights, this is a milestone that cannot be ignored. Is it more important to be black than gay? Is the fact that black gays and lesbians cannot participate in the planning of this event (or speak at it for that matter) a signal that these issues of discrimination against gays carry no weight in the black community? That is indeed the message Farrakhan and Wilson are telegraphing right now. Are black queer people to choose allegiances? This is indeed a sickness.

Whether the fallout translates into shifts in voting patterns is meaningful to debate and decipher, but it certainly places those of us that inhabit both spheres on notice. One wishes that we could hear the wisdom of Coretta Scott King right now.

*

Earlier post on BT:

Dems sleep while gay rights splits the black faith community

Earlier posts on the ignorant Willie Wilson on my blog:
* DC pastor – lesbianism is “about to take over our community”

* Homo-bigot DC pastor gets skewered by rights groups

* DC Rev ‘apologizes’ for outrageous sermon attacking gays

*  Homo-bigot reverend flaps his lips over lesbianism – again

•  Lesbian pastor targeted after criticizing homo-bigot Willie Wilson

•  Willie Wilson: homo-bigoted pastor and LIAR