Tolerance, Acceptance and Love

Just exactly what are LIBERALS supposed to stand for?  When I talk and correspond with my many Liberal friends they tell me that they are accepting of others, their lifestyles and their choices.

As an example Liberals support lesbians, homosexuals and transgender people and seek to have society accept them and give them both equal rights and equal protections under the law.  This is no different than past championing of equal rights rights for minorities and for women, two battles that are not yet fully won.

Liberals fight discrimination.  Liberals are the champions of the oppressed.  Liberals are caring, understanding, tolerant and loving people.

Except, of course, when they're not.  Sadly, for about 95% of people who claim to be Liberals, tolerance, acceptance and love are just pure bullshit.

Most folks who claim to be Liberals or call themselves "Progressives" are actually the "Taliban of the Left," living in a cesspool of hate and malice toward all who don't follow the unyielding scripture of the elite left's political mandates.  Today's Liberals nether seek to understand or accept anyone who differs by even a fraction of a millimeter from the demanded principles.

All too many so called "Liberals" are, in reality, misogynists, racists and religious bigots.

This week's tragic example of left wing bigotry was occasioned by the death of Shirley Temple Black.

A reading of last weeks blogs, news stories (from the "we're always in total denial about our overtly left leaning bias" mainstream media) and entries on Facebook and Twitter, provided a litany of evil behavior supposedly practiced by the one time beloved child star.  In reality it all boiled down to one single unforgivable sin: Temple Black was a ...... gasp! .... Republican!

See more than enough examples here to make you vomit:

‘F*ck Shirley Temple’: Lefties bash late Republican star, smear her as ‘roaring racist’

Her failures as a woman were legion. She never once appeared nude in overtly sexually suggestive film clips like today's model teen, Miley Cyrus.  Nor did she ever abuse drugs or enter rehab like today's cultural icons and former Disney child stars Britney Spears, Demi Lovato or Selena Gomez.

She did not live life in excess, posting sexual escapades on you tube, She didn't even dare to have children out of wedlock. She did not, to our knowledge, have an abortion.  If she did, she failed the Liberal litmus test by not shouting it out to the hilltops. She did divorce once, but, alas, that wasn't enough to gain her favor in today's Liberal circles.

Sadly, once her Hollywood career was over, the tragic Mrs. Temple Black made the fateful decision to actually serve her country. Beloved around the world, she was appointed Representative to the 24th United Nations General Assembly in 1969. In 1974 she was appointed United States Ambassador to Ghana. Unlike the embarrassing Ambassadors appointed recently by President Obama, she was well qualified for her roll and was not merely rewarded for massive fund raising. Imagine! A qualified Ambassador! No wonder my pretend Liberal friends hate her.

Shirley Temple Black was first female Chief of Protocol of the United States in 1976 and was in charge of arrangements for President Jimmy Carter's inauguration and inaugural ball. Temple Black broke the glass ceiling before today's pseudo women's right leaders even knew there was a glass ceiling.

Temple Black went on to serve as the United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia finishing her long and distinguished career in government in 1992.

She was a real leader in many other ways, most importantly going "public" about her battle with breast cancer at a time when such matters were never discussed, but were instead a matter of great shame born in silence by the women affected. The tumor was removed and a modified radical mastectomy and Temple Black went public on Television and in a feature article in McCall's (a leading women's magazine of the day), with full and graphic details. She gave hope thousands of women and restored respect and dignity for tens of thousands. In the history of supporting women Temple Back was the real deal, showing courage seldom displayed by today's so called Liberals.

O.K., now I will fess up with the sordid truth. Shirley Temple Black did enter politics as a Republican, albeit a relatively liberal Republican at a time when there still was a liberal wing of the Republican party.  She ran for Congress in 1967 on a platform of racial equality, but was defeated by a strong anti-war candidate during the height of the Viet Nam War protests.

This past week it was painful to read the blogs, tweets or listen to MSNBC.  Nobody it seems bothered to know the facts.  Hate is so much simpler. 

I'm not really sure why I posted this essay.  After Left Justice, who until 5 days ago tweeted under the name of @turnleft16 on Twitter already said all there is to say: "...while everyone (over 60) is doing their Shirley Temple memories, here is mine: She was a republican… i didnt need to know anything more— "

Speaking Truth to Power

Most of you missed the most powerful, articulate and passionate speech at the Democratic Party National Convention last night.  Most networks cut away from Timothy Cardinal Dolan's benediction so their talking heads could tell you their opinions on Barack Obama's speech (I thought it was better than they did).

It took tremendous courage for Dolan to give this benediction in a convention that many on the right have (quite correctly) called Abortion Fest 2012.  Dolan was prayerful, yet impassioned and confident. He spoke of Life and Religious Freedom.

His benediction was just a five minutes and sixteen second long.  Watch it now:

Feminists or Fascists

For my last forty years I have fought for the rights of women. And even more importantly I've fought for the RESPECT of women. This has meant a never ending fight for equal pay, equal treatment, equal opportunity and equal rights. Whether it was a fight for equal and full funding of women's sports in high school or college or a fight for women's right to control their own bodies, each step forward was tough and opposed by a dizzying array of religious zealots and misogynists.

Especially tough has been the on going fight for abortion rights. And even tougher is the continuing fight for gay marriage (which is both a women's issue and a gay rights issue).

And I'm sorry to say that for all the progress we've made here in the United States, the clock has wound backwards in many parts of the world, where rape is now a common part of war, and child prostitution is condoned and even assisted by dictators in the some third world countries.

We are a long way from victory.

Tragically, we are not being helped by many so-called feminists and progressives who have decided that a full frontal assault on Carrie Prejean, Miss California who was attacked unmercifully by the world famous Perez Hilton, is the most important issue of the day.

My problem is that there is only one liberal, liberated woman in the mix and that is Carrie Prejean herself. She had the courage to speak truth to power. And she did so with grace and candor without ever condemning those whose beliefs differ from hers.

That she echoed President Barack Obama's exact position on gay marriage almost word for word simply adds to the irony.

We love Barack. We hate Carrie. It's a tough line of thought to follow. Barack is a hero, a liberator, a voice of reason. Carries is a c---, a bitch, a whore, and much, much worse.

As I listen to the totally pathetic Keith Olbermann and dozens of pseudo liberals and false feminists parade across MSNBC and many other programs, I am sickened.

These people aren't feminists, they are fascists who demand strict adherence to a narrow set of highly specific positions and activities. Dare to cross the line and you will be raped on public television with joy, glee and reckless abandon.

For another, but generally supportive viewpoint, read B. Daniel Blatt's excellent blog post On the “Need” of All Too Many on the Left to Hate at Gay Patriot.

The Secret Life of the American Teenager

I must admit that my lovely wife and I are secretly addicted to The Secret Life of the American Teenager. We love every minute of this breakthrough drama about a 14 year old girl who becomes pregnant and has to deal with ALL the consequences. The show is at once hopeful and heartbreaking, tragic and inspiring, funny and sad.

It's easy to fall hopelessly in love with Amy Juergens (played beautifully by Shailene Woodley, pictured to the right), the 14 year old who makes a terrible mistake one night while away at band camp. Through much of the first season Amy kept the secret from her parents and most of her friends and even her new boyfriend Ben (played with a deft romantic touch by Kenny Baumann) who is NOT the father of the baby.

And all America has fallen in love with Amy and Ben and Ricky (the baby's father) and the extremely large cast who cover the very real issues of sex and pregnancy and growing up without ever sugarcoating or holding back on any issue.

As you might suspect, writer and producer Brenda Hampton's Secret Life is a very, very liberal Hollywood values show. Sex is dealt with openly and honestly. The show is a weekly one hour commercial for sex education and then tops that off by providing a great deal of sex education right in the show.

Abortion was covered logically and dispassionately as a real option to be considered by any young girl who finds herself in this situation. Amy, for several weeks, considers having an abortion and visits an abortion clinic. She almost goes ahead with the abortion.

But the "pro-life" position was also handled fairly through a strong Christian character, Grace (played by the very beautiful Megan Park). Grace, who wore a "chastity ring" until recently, is terribly tempted to have sex and is having great difficulty reconciling her emotions, not to mention her hormones, with her Christian teachings. No subject is taboo on this show.

Most importantly the show empowers young women. Amy stays in High School and works to graduate and go on to college. It certainly doesn't romanticize pregnancy, but it never condemns it, nor does it ever condemn Amy who faces some of life's toughest decisions with a realistic mixture of fear, ignorance, bravery and hope. Amy is the hero of her own life.

Even though the show on cable (ABC Family), it has a huge audience (3 million viewers plus) and often actually out performs major network shows in the ratings.

However, back in the real world, the cable and network news today covered with occasional irrational glee, the breakup of 18 year old unmarried Bristol Palin and the father of her baby, Levi Johnston. MSNBC has, frankly, been disgusting in their coverage of a young lady whose only claim to fame is to be the daughter of Alaska Governor and former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

But what is truly pathetic is the left wing and progressive blogosphere's treatment of Bristol which has been sexist, vitriolic, hate filled and often just grossly pornographic. It is simply hard to even imagine this much hatred. And it's tough to read this much filth.

When they aren't portraying her as a slut who was begging to be used and abused by a variety of men, they portray her as mindless bimbo completely incapable of controlling her urges and sexual libido. And I'm cleaning most of this up. Every foul word to describe women and every gross misogynistic term used to degrade women can be found on The Daily Kos, The Huffington Post and other bastions of supposed liberal thought.

So as liberal Hollywood producer Brenda Hampton works to bring America into the 21st Century of enlightenment about teenage pregnancy and the innate worth of every woman, the so-called progressive left does their damnedest to treat women much worse than the most horrific fundamentalist Muslim Taliban society or extreme, backwards, fundamentalist Christian sect.

Amy Juergens, American Hero. Brstol Palin, American Whore and Slut.

It would be funny if it wasn't so tragic.

A New Title and Statement of Principles

I've made a very small change in the title of this blog and the principles that guide my writings here.

The old subheading at the top of this page "An Explorer in Cyberspace" is long outdated. If you go back in the essays to their beginnings you will find 99% of the entries were about the marvels of Internet. Many essays were designed as guides to the use of the many tools available on line.

The Internet has changed and grown. It's still a little bit of the wild west, but it is so much more. For many of us it is our principle source of news and information. It is also an important part of our social lives.

Today most essays I write are about politics and world events. And most essays reflect my long held liberal and religious values as a Unitarian Universalist. I believe in equality of all men and women. I believe in individual freedom and cherish the extremely rare freedom of speech. I believe we need to help and protect one another, especially the weakest among us. And we should always help secure for others the rights we so cherish.

This blog is an extension of my life, it is not my entire life. I've changed the blog title and heading to more clearly reflect what I am doing here and now.

Are We All Going to Put the "N" Word on Our Tee-Shirts Now?

It's official. Respect for women is over. Hundreds of years of fighting for equal rights and equal respect, lost in a just a few days.

And those who we expected to protect our freedom have sold us into slavery.

If you actually believe in the inherent worth of all human beings, you are worthless yourself.

If you actually believe in freedom of a woman to chose, you must be ridiculed for making a choice.

If you actually believe in the freedom of religion, you must be damned for all eternity in the most vile manner possible.

If you actually believe in the dignity of all women, you must be denied all dignity.

If you are a woman today, any woman, you are nothing more that an object. You are a possession. You are a sexual outlet. You are to be used and then discarded. You are scum. You are nothing.

I have proof. But I will provide no images. I will provide no copy. I will merely point you to this link: Obama Supporters T-Shirts

And this link: Obama's Supporter's Vile T-Shirt Prominently Displayed on Barack Obama's Own Website

I've already signalled my support for John McCain for President. I can hardly threaten Barack Obama. He is hardly afraid of losing my vote. But if he doesn't specifically condemn what his supporters are doing (exactly as John McCain has done several times over the last few days), I will certainly lose all respect for him. Now and forever.

This is not an option. If the man cannot condemn this debasement of all women, he does not deserve to be President. It is this serious.

When was it that Gang Rape became acceptable?

What is happening here?

When did it become OK to advocate, celebrate, or even encourage, the gang rape of a woman? How is it that this joke became OK?

It seems that when Sandra Bernhard celebrates the gang rape of Sarah Palin, it's just all in good fun. I understand that Sandra Bernhard is a comedian. So we just laugh and we just snicker. Ha. Ha. Gang Rape. She's just a comedian. What is everyone so upset about?

Don Imus is just a comedian. But Imus became the center of a nationwide controversy when he referred to a women's basketball team as "nappy headed hos." He was forced to apologize profusely, over and often, for his remark. He lost his job(s). He was a pariah.

Michael Richards was much more than just a comedian. The three time Emmy Award winning actor (for his role as Cosmo Kramer in Seinfeld), used the "N" word in response to hecklers in an nightclub act in 2006. He also apologized profusely, but his career was over, It ended in one night. He "retired" and hasn't worked since, devoting his life to charity work, behind the scenes and out of the limelight.

So when was it OK to joke about gang rape (along with literally dozens of other vile references)? When did we decide we would not only look the other way, but actually applaud if the victim was politically conservative woman ?

What if Imus simply repeated Bernhard's joke, word for word, but directed it at Michelle Obama? Would it be funny then? Would it be OK?

I believe I've transcribed Bernhard accurately, I've only changed the name of the victim.

"Michelle Obama would be gang raped by blacks in Manhattan if she followed through on her threat to visit New York."

Is that funny? Are you laughing?

Of course the target wasn't Michelle Obama, it was Sarah Palin, and that makes it all OK. I've actually read several progressive bloggers defend the rant and actually blame Palin. It's all her fault. Just like all women who have been raped. If they just hadn't dressed so provocatively, they would never have been raped.

Yep. Sandra Bernhard is blameless. She couldn't help herself. Still, I'm surprised. Black men raping a white woman? Isn't that a racist stereotype? Where is Al Sharpton?

What if Mike Richards makes a comeback and does a new nightclub routine advocating gang rape for Islamic women? How would we react. If we stand, laugh and applaud, how would the world view America?

When was it that Gang Rape became acceptable?

FT.com: Democrats on Capitol Hill fear Obama fallout

Do Democrats on Capitol Hill fear Obama fallout? That's the headline in today's Financial Times.

Andrew Ward, the Washington, D.C. correspondent writes that Democrats believe the lock they had on victory is rapidly fading away. Here's what Ward says:

"Democratic jitters about the US presidential race have spread to Capitol Hill, where some members of Congress are worried that Barack Obama’s faltering campaign could hurt their chances of re-election. " "Party leaders have been hoping to strengthen Democratic control of the House and Senate in November, but John McCain’s jump in the polls has stoked fears of a Republican resurgence." "A Democratic fundraiser for Congressional candidates said some planned to distance themselves from Mr Obama and not attack Mr McCain." “If people are voting for McCain it could help Republicans all the way down the ticket, even in a year when the Democrats should be sweeping all before us,” said the fundraiser, a former Hillary Clinton supporter. " “There is a growing sense of doom among Democrats I have spoken to . . . People are going crazy, telling the campaign ‘you’ve got to do something’.” "Concern was greatest among first-term representatives who won seats in traditionally Republican districts in the landslide of 2006. “Several of them face a real fight to hold on to those seats,” the fundraiser said. " "Tony Podesta, a senior Democratic lobbyist, said members of Congress were “a little nervous” after Mr McCain shook up the race with his choice of Sarah Palin...... "

If this is true, and today's latest POLL NUMBERS are not encouraging for the Obama campaign, it's strictly the fault of the Democrats themselves, and especially their left wing supporters like The Daily Kos and Media Matters. Their vile, disgusting, sexist, anti-woman, anti-middle class, and absolutely relentless attacks are backfiring and backfiring badly.

I will try one more time to tell my Liberal and Democrat friends. So far they are not listening.

But here I go: You cannot abandon every thread of fairness, decency and principle in launching these increasingly bizarre attacks. I know you are panicked. You are reacting very, very badly. Americans are strongly rejecting your diatribes. You are angering the public.

First you managed to wake the sleeping giant. Now you're making him (and her) very, very angry.

What a Wonderful Night

When you get to watch Howard Fineman of Newsweek basically shut down Keith Olbermann, it is a wonderful night. Olbermann, who certainly doesn't belong behind the anchor desk of a major news network, was doing his best to berate and tear down Sarah Palin after her magnificient and show stopping speech to the Republican Convention. Fineman simply wasn't buying a single slanderous remark Olbermann tossed his way. Instead Fineman restated the obvious: Palin is clearly ready for prime time and the Democrats really do have a serious problem.

To paraphrase Fineman, since I don't have a video clip or transcript yet, Democrats have a very serious problem. Up until tonight Obama was the sole media star, now he has a serious rival. Palin has captured the attention, and in many ways, the hearts of the American people.

I would add that since the media and Democrat blogosphere have been so extremely unfair to Palin and her family, she also has the sympathy of almost all Americans. The Obama loving media really made a serious mistake on this one. Americans like the underdog to begin with. And Americans insist on fairness. When the media and underhanded Democrat operatives attacked and vilified Palin and her daughter in a manner that would never have been tolerated if it were a Democrat candidate, they screwed up big time.

The Wizard, fkap blog has had over ten thousand visitors today, That happened because our message rang so very true with the reading and blogging audience. Democrats absolutely surrendered their principles and their moral authority once they attacked Sarah Palin for the unforgivable sin of being a Republican while female.

I want to thank the over fifty blogs and bulletin boards that reprinted my essay and or linked to my blog. I want to thank all who have posted comments or sent me emails or text or Twitter messages. I'll try to visit and write to every one of you.

The unfairness of the media attack continues. It's appalling and embarrassing. Journalists have surrendered their objectivity and their honor. I am going to write a great deal more about this. But the bottom line is that the public hates what is happening. And they're not going to take it.

I hope and pray we'll get back to a campaign of issues and ideas, but I doubt it. I remain a strong liberal and advocate for women's rights, gay rights and civil rights. These are the topics we should discuss. But so long as misguided Democrat operatives and progressive yet unprincipled bloggers make the issue her sex, her family, her baby or her daughter, that is a debate we cannot possibly win.

And if we don't see a much stronger response against this lynching from Barack Obama himself and key Democrat leaders, Hillary Clinton in particular, then we will see Sarah Palin as Vice President in January, 2009.

-----------

On a personal note, Sarah Palin may just have actually won the election tonight with a very genuine and heart felt comment totally overlooked by the major networks. I can personally assure you that these words are still ringing in the hearts and minds of the parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters every special needs child:

"Children with special needs inspire a special love. To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House."

For a special needs parent, having an advocate in the White House trumps every single other issue. When Sarah picked up baby Trig after her speech, the election was over. Sarah won.

It's Over. We've lost.

September 2nd, 2008. The 2008 Election ended this morning as a vast cadre of liberals, progressives, Democrats and like minded journalists lifted the white flag and surrendered.

We surrendered something a whole lot more valuable than our vote. We surrendered our principles. We surrendered our core values.

We surrendered all hope. We surrendered our shared dreams that our daughters would inherit a better world, a world of promise, equality, justice, fairness and honor.

We had dreamed of a world where our 17 year old daughters wouldn't be striped naked and raped on the front page of the New York Times, above the fold.

We dreamed of a world where a candidate, man or woman, could run for the highest office in the land and not be "swiftboated" with sexual lies and slander so vicious, so cruel, so gross and destructive that they actually wither our very soul.

I actually believed we were better than that. I actually believed "swiftboating" was the sole property of Republicans. I actually believed we wanted to debate the issues. I actually believed we wanted the real change so eloquently promised by Senator Barack Obama. I actually believed we wanted a better world for our sons and our daughters.

So I thought the extremely bizarre story, so obvious a blatant lie, that somehow appeared in The Daily Kos, claiming Governor Sarah Palin had somehow faked her own pregnancy to cover up for her wayward teenage daughter would be laughed off and quickly vanish from the Kos pages like the trash it was. It was a joke, A sad, sick joke.

But instead of the aborted fetus it should have been, it was born full grown into the waiting arms of liberal bloggers and journalists, who quickly passed out cigars and congratulated themselves as proud mamas and papas. All this in spite of the fact that absolutely everyone knew the story was an absolute lie.

The only thing we aborted was the truth.

Like all lies, it took many forms and grew in dozens of directions simultaneously. The Huffington Post, already in full blown Palin Derangement Syndrome, ran every possible rumor, variation and invented more lies to compliment the original. And the main stream media, who for a solid month refused (absolutely refused) to reprint or broadcast a single word of the John Edward's affair, ran with the verifiably fake Palin story within hours of it's publication.

All of a sudden, "Did you hear what they wrote in The Kos" became an acceptable substitute for fact checking. Of course, since one single phone call could disprove the story, nobody in the mainstream media could be bothered to pick up a phone.

Finally, Governor Palin was forced to issue a statement. She had no choice. She advised the salivating media of her teen daughter's pregnancy. And that's when we finally surrendered our all of our most cherished principles.

Armed with an official statement, nothing could possibly hold the main stream media back and the liberal blogosphere went berserk. The full fledged gang rape of Bristol Palin was underway. Any shred of decency that remained in the liberal blogosphere was gone.

Remember that wonderful Academy Award Winning Movie, "Juno?" Remember the warm and supportive television series "The Secret Life of An American Teenager?" Remember liberals demanding we treat a pregnant teenager with love, support and respect. Well, fuck that shit, there's a conservative teenage harlot to burn at the stake!

There are a very few crying "don't." I point with great respect to The Ikonoclast and to Lee Stranahan over at HuffPo, but the mob is out of control and cannot hear their pleas.

Barack Obama himself is pleading for restraint. But the town sheriff's eloquence cannot stop the mob. There's a lynching to be held.

And now, on day two, we're going full force after the teen father. Seek and destroy. Seek and destroy. Seek and destroy.

So I'll simply leave you with the eloquent words of one of our very own leaders, Senator Dick Durbin, who on June 12th of this year said:

"But I will tell you this: the hottest ring in hell is reserved for those in politics who attack their opponents’ families. And if there are some strategists who think that’s the way to win the election, I think they’re wrong."

At the time Durbin said it, I didn't think it was true.

But I do now.

Women

Have I mentioned in the last few minutes just how brilliant The Middleman is? I believe there might be just one original episode left in the series. It's unlikely to be renewed by ABC Family, who deserve kudos anyway for green lighting the series in the first place. It will always remain one of television's (and literature's) finest moments.

The Middleman: Fighting Evil So You Don't Have To. I know the fictional world is safe in the hands of Wendy Watson (as portrayed by Natalie Morales on the right). But what of the real world?

You want a strange and disconcerting night? Just watch Michelle Obama's excellent speech at the Democrat Convention, highlights (errr.... lowlights) of Nancy Pelosi's speech to the same convention and then watch Natalie Morales and Matt Keeslar. Of course there is less fiction in any five minutes of Javier Grillo-Marxuach's Middleman that in any corresponding five minutes of Pelosi's speech.

But I'm actually getting carried away (as usual). I do have a point for you to consider. Compare this week's Democrat convention to the current events in any nation of region generally operating under Islamic law.

In Denver, Colorado we are watching some of the world's finest and brightest women showcased on television for the whole world to see. As I already mentioned, Michelle Obama was wonderful in telling her American story to the world. Michelle is a woman, a woman of color, who is a heroine to women everywhere.

And we saw Carolyn Kennedy deliver a moving speech. She is, in many ways, the future of the Democrat Party.

I've already mentioned Nancy Pelosi and, as much as I dislike her, she is probably the third most powerful person in America.

For the next two nights, the Democrats will showcase Hillary Clinton, a woman who has nearly achieved the highest elected office in America (which is arguably the most powerful position on earth).

Compare America's celebration of women in power to the virtual invisibility of women throughout much of the Islamic world. Under the most conservative (fundamentalist) rule, women are denied all education, denied medical care and denied all basic human rights. Even under relatively modern Islamic societies women are denied the right to own property, hold elected office and, in some countries, denied the right to drive a car.

Often women are forced to avoid all contact with men except for direct relatives. They cannot dine in restaurants or even enjoy a cup of coffee in Starbucks (an American women was recently arrested in a Starbucks in Saudi Arabia).

In one of the greatest injustices and ironies of Islamic society, being raped means jail time for the woman, even as the rapist walks free. Sometimes being raped means a death sentence, as the woman's family must kill her to save the family's honor.

In really big news this week, Iran has notified the world that it might, just might, outlaw the stoning of women. But they're not sure yet. But for certain women cannot participate in sports or even attend sporting events. The Ayatollah's have spoken on this issue.

Now the Democrats will spend the next three nights bashing John McCain. And that's OK by me. It's tradition. And while it's actually rather unlikely any speaker from the dais will speak out FOR the oppressed women of the world, the very presence of women sharing power and the stage with men speaks volumes.

Strong women around the world are fighting evil, from Hillary Clinton to Natalie Morales. But we all need to join the fight.

Blind Prejudice

I've been writing a great deal lately about the blind prejudice that all too often turns into absolute hatred in our political and economic discourse. Much of what is written in blogs and repeated on talk radio (from the left and right) is nothing short of hate speech.

And while racial prejudice and sexual discrimination (and the objectification of women in our society, hat tip to the ikonoclast) continue to fester and infect our society, the "Derangement Syndromes" surrounding political philosophies and our supposed opponents and members of opposing political movements has reached a boiling point.

It hit really close to my home (both physically close and close in terms of religion and values) Sunday with the shooting and murder of two members of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church during morning services. The shooting occurred during a children's performance. Thank God no children were killed.

The shooter, Jim D. Adkisson, left a letter in his car with the reason for his rampage. Adkisson "stated hatred of the liberal movement."

Thankfully Adkisson himself was not killed in the rampage and didn't have the chance to commit suicide. One report stated he had 76 shotgun shells and planned to use them all. He was wrestled to the ground by church members. He is now being held by the Knoxville police.

Among the many sins of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church were it's sponsorship of the American Civil Liberties Union and its support of women's rights and gay rights. They had recently put out a sign welcoming gays to the congregation.

These people were shot for the very beliefs I hold and practice every day.

As a society we must learn to respect each others views, religions and politics or we will find ourselves mired in internal fighting like the ongoing conflicts in Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, or past sectarian battle in Ireland.

Love is the spirit of this church and service is its law. This is our great covenant: to live together in peace, to seek the truth in love, and to help one another. Written by James Vila Blake and used in many Unitarian churches (including the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church) as a Statement of Faith.

If only everyone could live by this simple and non-sectarian creed. Please send your prayers and thoughts to the friends and members of the Knoxville community touched by this tragedy. This tragedy touches everyone.

Here is a link to the website of The Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church

Timetable? We Should NEVER Leave Iraq

Aided by blind hatred and near sickening political demagoguery by those who simply despise George Bush, America stands on the verge of making one of the worst foreign policy decisions in all of history.

And George Bush and his aides are so wounded, not to mention virtually incompetent in all matters political, they are doing nearly nothing to prevent the coming disaster.

This textbook failure will make Viet Nam look positively heroic.

Put simply, America stands poised to snatch defeat (and so much worse) from the jaws of victory. Bush and the military leaders in Iraq have virtually won the peace. We've gone from Invasion, to War, and then on to Occupation. FInally we are on the verge of peace.

I believe the occupation is now at an end and we are ready to enter into a period of mutual support, cooperation and even friendship.

And the Iraqi Government clearly believes the same thing. We should see troop withdrawals begin this fall.

If intelligent forces were guiding the foreign policy of our country, instead of electioneering and demagoguery and the flames of personal hatred, we would be entering into a long term agreement of mutual support and protection between our countries. The agreement would absolutely mirror our agreements with Japan, Germany and dozens of other countries.

Instead, Bush is unable to negotiate such a treaty. Not because the Iraqis are unwilling, they are actually begging for such an agreement, but because Bush is terrified by our Congress and the mood of the electorate.

He cannot bring a treaty before a Congress that most certainly will fail to ratify it.

No the mood in this election year is retreat, submit, withdraw and abandon. There are no facts on the ground that will ever placate a Congress effectively controlled by Moveon.org.

Bush is so inarticulate and so inept he cannot speak to the American people and convince them to do the right and intelligent thing. He lacks the powers of persuasion of his predecessors and the current Democrat Presidential candidate.

Instead Bush has "promised not to tie the hands of his successor." No treaty, no agreement, no nothing.

And Obama will most certainly leave a very fragile Iraq to fall under the control of a religious dictatorship that will become the greatest enemy ever faced by any power on earth.

And it's so damned unnecessary. The war is won. The occupation is over. All we need to do is support the people of Iraq, exactly as we have supported the people of Germany, Japan and South Korea. Trade, financial aid, rebuilding, mutual aid. Iraq is ready to govern. If we don't abandon them.

Please read the entire Wall Street Journal article from Friday, How Prime Minister Maliki Pacified Iraq.

America is very close to succeeding in Iraq. The "near-strategic defeat" of al Qaeda in Iraq described by CIA Director Michael Hayden last month in the Washington Post has been followed by the victory of the Iraqi government's security forces over illegal Shiite militias, including Iranian-backed Special Groups. The enemies of Iraq and America now cling desperately to their last bastions, while the political process builds momentum.

These tremendous gains remain fragile and could be lost to skillful enemy action, or errors in Baghdad or Washington. But where the U.S. was unequivocally losing in Iraq at the end of 2006, we are just as unequivocally winning today.

And while you're in a reading mood, please read the news report from this morning, Iran police start wider crackdown on un-Islamic dress. Is this really the future we want to grant to the women of Iraq?

Evil

I really hate to post so frequently because I feel posts often get overlooked. Please do take time to read my post on $8.00 Gasoline immediately below.

Having said that, occasionally I read a post on another blog that is so important that it DEMANDS to find a larger audience. Rachel Lucas has, once again, written such a post. It's short. And I'm not reprinting a single word of it here. It's titled Who’s the hottest ring in hell reserved for? Click on the link and read her post.

We often get so absorbed in our local politics, especially during a Presidential Election, that we lose all perspective. Thank you Rachel for reminding us that we need a wider vision.

A Return to Reason and the Rule of Law

Longtime Wizard readers know what strong confidence I have in the U.S. Judicial System. As a long time member of the ACLU, I remain confident that, given time, the courts will defend the minority against the oppression of the majority. It is the way our Constitution was designed and it almost always works.

But I was really starting to get worried in the case of the Texas Department of Child Services massive raid on the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) ranch in El Dorado, Texas. The armed assault based on a prank phone call, followed by the wholesale arrest and confinement of over 500 children and mothers, was one of the darkest days in recent American history.

The Texas CPS violated Texas law, the Texas Constitution and their own guidelines in removing, confining and then placing into foster care over 440 children, many as young as 1 year old, without even a hearing.

And the children and parents were left with a ragtag team of court appointed lawyers from all across the state who had neither the time nor the resources to fight the battle.

Even the neighboring states of Arizona and Utah were appalled by the out of control Texas Department of Justice. They took the unusual step of meeting with their FLDS communities to assure them that there would be no repeat of the Texas raid in their states.

Yesterday the Third Court of Appeals in Austin issued a sweeping ruling that should finally put both this case and the egregious actions by Texas law enforcement back on the right track.

From Michelle Roberts Associated Press story as published in The Huffington Post:

SAN ANGELO, Texas — In a ruling that could torpedo the case against the West Texas polygamist sect, a state appeals court Thursday said authorities had no right to seize more than 440 children in a raid on the splinter group's compound last month.
The Third Court of Appeals in Austin said the state failed to show the youngsters were in any immediate danger, the only grounds in Texas law for taking children from their parents without court action.

It was not clear when the children, now scattered in foster homes across the state, might be returned to their parents. The ruling gave a lower-court judge 10 days to release the youngsters from custody, but the state could appeal to the Texas Supreme Court and block that.

The decision in one of the biggest child-custody cases in U.S. history was a humiliating defeat for the state Child Protective Services agency. It was hailed as vindication by members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, who claimed they were being persecuted for their religious beliefs.

"It's a great day for Texas justice. This was the right decision," said Julie Balovich, a Legal Aid attorney for some of the parents. She was joined by several smiling mothers who declined to comment at a news conference outside the courthouse.

Sect elder Willie Jessop said the parents were elated, but added: "There will be no celebrations until some little children are getting hugs from their parents." He said his faith in the legal system will be restored "when I see the schoolyard full of children."

Over on Huffington, a commenter with the handle named iratior summed up my feelings best:

"I'm just as much against child abuse and spousal abuse as anybody else, but I think that the way the Texas authorities handled this case set some terrible precedents. When they began their actions, all they had to go by was the phone call; the person making the call could have been a complete fake, for all they knew."

"If you have children, would you want the government to have the power to seize them just because somebody who doesn't authenticate themselves and could be a complete fake calls a government agency and accuses you of abusing them? This concept of "guilt by accusation" is ruining our legal system."

Class Action Child Removal

I hope everyone saw the excellent Keith Morrison documentary on Dateline NBC last night chronicling the State of Texas raid on the Yearning For Zion ranch and the horrific aftermath for the families and children who had lived there.

Morrison put a human face on the tragedy. And it is worse than a tragedy. It is easily the worse abuse of power by any state in the history of the United States. Four hundred sixty two children were kidnapped and imprisoned in concentration camp like conditions by the State of Texas. And a court system that should be protecting the rights of these children, has completely ignored the facts of the case and issued rules based solely on rumor and prejudice.

Jessica Dixon, director of the child advocacy center at Southern Methodist University's law school in Dallas has called the raid "class-action child removal."

She added "I've never heard of anything like that."

Keith Morrison has brought the whole story to life.

Lorene: "Clinging to my skirt. My baby's sick."

Keith Morrison, Dateline NBC: "How old is your baby?"

Lorene: "Seventeen months -- and he's so sick."

Keith Morrison: "Who has him?"

Lorene: "I don't know, some woman has him, I don't know who it is."

Keith Morrison had full access to the Yearning For Zion Ranch. And the remaining parents were open and candid in their interviews. The compound was modern, clean and attractive. The school is modern and well equipped. The buildings, carved from limestone right on the ranch, are stunning.

However, the State of Texas wouldn't allow Keith to see any of the women and children they had forced to leave in mere minutes without explanation. Texas "protected" the women and children by locking them away and wouldn't even allow their lawyers to visit them, let alone the press or any of their families.

And although Texas law demands they have a hearing before children are removed into foster care, after three weeks in confinement, the children were placed into foster homes as far as 500 miles from their homes or parents.

The women and children were held first at the complex of Fort Concho, an hour away, then taken to this sports coliseum. Three weeks elapsed. During which the mothers said they were offered a choice.

Keith Morrison: "Were you allowed to leave at all?"

Mother: "If we left, we couldn't come back to our children."

So here they stayed. The media, and even their own lawyers, were refused entry.

The Associate Press reports that CPS officials have conceded there is no evidence the youngest children were abused, and about 130 of the children are under 5.

Teenage boys were not physically or sexually abused either, according to evidence presented in a custody hearing earlier last week, but more than two dozen teenage boys are also in state custody, now staying at a boys' ranch that might typically house troubled or abandoned teens.

Constitutional experts say U.S. courts have consistently held that a parent's beliefs alone are not grounds for removal.

"The general view of the legal system is until there is an imminent risk of harm or actual harm, you can't do that," said UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh.

The DATELINE Report continues with this sad anecdote:

Lorene, it turns out, is one of the tearful women just returned from that sports stadium, where she watched her children bused off to foster care. She worries most about Natalie, her only daughter.

Lorene: "She's always been very attached, she doesn't do well without me."

Authorities said they'd attempt not to separate siblings, but couldn't guarantee it as they spread the children around the vast state of Texas.

Keith Morrison: "You don't know where they've gone?"

Rulon and Lorene: "No."

Keith Morrison: "Have they gone to one place or more than one place?"

Rulon: "We've heard more than one."

Lorene: "We've heard rumors that they're split up."

And this very morning, Lorene tells us, was her 3-year-old's birthday.

Lorene: "He turned 3 today. His third birthday and they took his mother away."

How To Identify Victims of Child Abuse

How can you identify victims of child abuse?

As the State of Texas moved swiftly to protect 460 victims of child abuse, look no further than the common characteristics of the children taken from the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints and their Yearning For Zion 1,700 acre ranch.

These children are in such horrific danger that they are being moved as far as 500 miles away from their home, their mothers, fathers and family members, and often out of reach of their court appointed attorneys, in order to "protect" them.

The abused children all have these identifying traits (Source: Associated Press):

• They are healthy and seem happy.


• They are polite and well mannered.


• They have been raised on a diet of home grown vegetables, chicken and fresh fruit. Absolutely No Junk Food!


• The dress modestly. No low slung jeans or bare midriffs for these kids.


• They have been home schooled and are well probably ahead of the children attending public schools.


• They engage in prayers with their family every day.


• They can be any age from one month to 18 years of age or older.


• They can be boys or girls.

The exact nature of the abuse suffered by the vast majority of the 462 "children" now under the protective custody of the State of Texas can actually never be determined by any psychiatrist or other professional. It's so secret only the State of Texas will ever know what it is.

To be certain a very few girls in the FLDS sect have been forced into marriage, possibly at a young age, as young as 13. Of the 462 children taken by the State of Texas their might be fifty (50) who are or were at one time, victims of forced marriage. Maybe. Eventually the State of Texas may or may not get around to actually investigating this potential crime. Certainly no one has been charged yet.

Had the of State of Texas moved to protect those fifty young girls, it's unlikely there would have been much objection. The action might have been applauded in spite of the fact the whole raid on the Yearning For Zion Ranch was started by an easy-to-identify false report. So while the legal grounds for the armed assault on the compound might have been faulty, rescuing the girls could have made it all worthwhile.

But that's not what happened. Janet Bennion, the nation's leading expert on the polygamist sect is appalled. Bennion is a world renowned Professor of Anthropology at Lyndon State College in Vermont. She has spent months living with the sects in Utah, Montana and Mexico.

As reported by Vermont's WCAX-TV, Professor Bennion stated, "This is absolutely the wrong way to go about it. This is a group of people that are already against the government and the outside world, and then you get raided by state troops, kidnapping the children."

"If you can establish abuse, of course intervention must be made, but use an intervention that doesn't break the constitution and that doesn't violate all these civil rights laws," argues Bennion.

Some believe it's polygamy, not the alleged child abuse, that's actually on trial. Others fear it's an excuse to attack the underlying religion.

A motley assortment of almost four hundred lawyers is struggling to sort out this madness. Unfortunately, most are court appointed and come from all four corners of the state. Some have yet to meet their clients, others are simply trying to figure out where their clients have been taken.

According to Texas law none of this should be happening. But short circuiting the law has become the norm for this case.

So some of the lawyers for the parents and other lawyers for the children are attempting to restore logic and order.

ABC News reports tonight, "A state appeals court has agreed to hear arguments next week about whether the state can place the children into temporary foster care without giving each family an individual hearing."

"These families have the right to have their voices heard in the legal process," said Robert Doggett, an attorney with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, which filed the appeal. "The idea that these children can be taken away without giving their families the opportunity to address allegations and fight to stay together is absurd."

Lawyers point out that the figurative cows are already out of the barn. Now that the children have already been scattered throughout the state, it may be nearly impossible to insure them of their rights.

HOAX

Could a deranged woman in Colorado Springs, Colorado call the police and accuse you of child abuse or rape and have the police bring an armed assault force to break into your house and take your children into "protective custody?"

That's exactly what happened this week in El Dorado, Texas. The woman, who has a long history of making false abuse claims, called long distance from Colorado. She claimed to live at the Yearning For Zion compound in El Dorado, Texas. In repeated calls that may have continued for two weeks, she accused her imaginary husband of rape.

And Texas responded in full force. They sent a veritable army. They expected a war.

Hasn't anyone in Texas ever heard of "Caller ID?" And what ever happened to old fashioned ideas like investigation?

Texas had four years to investigate the compound. A simple Google Search would have yielded plenty of information about the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), most important their demand that sect members practice polygamy, illegal under Texas law.

But that never happened. Instead a false claim by a very sick woman has yielded the results that critics of the sect have long desired.

The state removed all 416 children from the compound and are holding them in frankly disturbing conditions. Families are split apart and all children over the age of 4 have been forcibly separated from their parents.

Experts say this will continue for many months. The court today decided to continue the state's custody. And they ordered DNA tests in hopes of proving some children were born to mothers under the age of 16.

It's a pretty good bet that there have been forced marriages and polygamy and children born to young teens. But, lawyers tell me, it's unlikely that anyone will ever be prosecuted. No one is going to jail.

But some children may end up in foster care. And, under Texas Law, the court battles will go on for years and will likely result in many children ultimately returning to their parents, though perhaps not to the compound.

Many of my readers think that's a good thing.

I hate the fact that the State of Texas was unable or unwilling to do their job. Instead, they've made a mockery of the judicial system, and all of us are more vulnerable because of their failures.

The New York Times has an excellent investigative article here.

I encourage my readers to also read a strong opposing view presented by Utah Savage. Be sure to read the extended discussion by her readers. This is an important issue that does involve all your civil rights as well as the illegal activities and the lifestyle of the FLDS.

Three Thoughts

FIRST: Please, please, please take the time to watch the entire video I posted earlier this evening, Missing Pieces. It's a remarkable music video and all based on a true story.

SECOND: I think the questioning during the Democrat Debate last evening was entirely appropriate and necessary. The critics of ABC's moderators Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos are just plain wrong.

Barack needs to be asked tough and occasionally personal questions that directly reflect his character. Hell, until last night, the contestants on American Idol were facing tougher scrutiny than Barack Obama. And, frankly Simon Cowell is a whole hell of a lot tougher than any debate moderator Obama has ever faced in the 25 preceding debates.... until last night. Kudos to Gibson for a job long overdue.

The man is running for President of the United States! I want to see him under fire before I cast my vote next November. Namby-pamby questioning on The View just ain't gonna cut it.

The best benefit of the debate last night was that it helped prepare Obama for the fall campaign. Yes, Obama struggled at times. But he'll be ready next time.... when it will really count.

THIRD: The State of Texas versus 416 innocent children is a moral, political, financial, legal and logistical disaster. The children of the families of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints face absolutely no imminent danger from the church, it's elders, the families and certainly not from their mothers.



But the children are in a living hell thanks to the State of Texas. And based on today's nightmare in Court, they will likely be in limbo for years. As MICHELLE ROBERTS, writing for the Associated Press, said today, "As many feared, the proceedings turned into something of a circus - and a painfully slow one."

Now we have 400 lawyers all trying to make a name for themselves. God help us all. And God especially help Texas District Judge Barbara Walther. She will need the wisdom of Solomon.

Protecting the Most Vulnerable Among Us

The Child Protective Service (CPS) in Texas will tell you they have a sacred obligation to protect the weakest and most vulnerable among us. They could not ignore the accusation of rape from the now curiously missing sixteen year old girl and they absolutely couldn't leave the 416 children at the Yearning for Zion compound in west Texas in harm's way.

Now we see the beautiful, well groomed, nostalgically dressed mother's and grandmothers weeping in genuine agony, their children ripped from them. We are left to imagine the tears and absolute terror of the children who have suddenly had their entire lives destroyed.

Television and reporters are now revealing to us the Yearning For Zion compound. Like the mothers weeping in the foreground, the compound is beautifully manicured, quaintly nostalgic and perfectly maintained. It reminds one of an Amish community.

And the similarity doesn't end there. As I write tonight there is an Amish teenage girl being forced into a marriage she doesn't want, being forced into a life she yearns to escape. A virgin, with virtually no sex education, she is terrified of the wedding bed. Her lifelong religious upbringing prevents her from seeing the event as rape, but many outside her community might see it as such.

This young Amish girl longs to go to college, longs to escape a life that seems like slavery to her. But society, her parents, her family, her church, her traditions will not allow her to escape.

And Child Protective Services will never be called. And, if they were, they would never intervene.

Meanwhile, in Detroit, a young teenage girl is preparing for a day in school. She is dressed in conservative traditional Islamic garb, but she has hidden modern clothing and she will change clothes as soon as she is out of her father's sight.

What this poor girl doesn't know is that her father knows of her sin and plans to take corrective action immediately. Instead of going to school, the girl will be swept off to Pakistan without warning, without a goodbye to friends or family. She will immediately be forced into marriage to a fifty five year old man.

It must be done today, before the young girl's flirtations with secular life goes to far and the family might be forced into taking more horrific action to save their honor. They genuinely believe they are saving the girl's life.

And Child Protective Services will never be called. And, if they were, they would never intervene. After all, a parent has the right to move anywhere they wish, even Pakistan. The child is a minor. We don't arbitrarily rip a child from her parents for something that might happen. Do we?

Meanwhile, just a few blocks away, another child prepares to make a really horrific journey. She is going, alone, to have an abortion. Society will protect her for a few hours. She will be able to abort her unborn child without ever telling her parents. But she is terrified and lonely and, after the abortion, she will return to the drug invested, gang ruled neighborhood that led to her pregnancy in the first place.

She has no way out, at least no way she can see. To survive she will once again give her body to the gang. She sees no option.

Because society has decided abortion is such a sacred right, no one will dare call Child Protective Services. But, if they did, no one will help. They are no laws being violated.

As a society we've deciding polygamy is wrong. And there are only a few hundred members of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints. They have no version of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to lobby for their protection or to improve their public image.

But this much is certain. Somewhere tonight a six year old child cries for his mother. He is sick, lonely and frightened. He doesn't understand why the state of Texas decided his entire life should be destroyed.

I'm having a little trouble with it myself.