In a message dated 9/14/07 1:02:18 P.M. Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
The Religious Right and Anti-Gay Speech: In their Own Words _http://www.hatecrimhttp://www.hatehttp://www.http://ww_ (http://www.hatecrime.org/subpages/hatespeech/hate.html) Please > explain. It's both a political tool and an industry unto itself. See the following: Homophobia Inc.: Christianist Message of Hate Raises Hundreds of Millions of Dollars - Tax-Free Homophobia has flourished in the Bush era, both as a potent political tool and as an industry unto itself. — Many people believe George Bush would have lost Ohio in 2004, and thus a second term, if Karl Rove hadn't made sure there was an anti-gay initiative on the state ballot. — In just one year, the top 10 Christianist groups that promote homophobia raised over $400 million in tax-free dollars: * Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) Founder, CEO and Director: Pat Robertson 2004 Revenue: $186,482,060 * Focus on the Family Founder and chairman: Dr. James C. Dobson 2005 Revenue: $137,848,520 * Coral Ridge Ministries Founder and President: Rev. D. James Kennedy 2005 Revenue: $39,253,882 * Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) President, CEO and General Counsel: Alan Sears 2004 Revenue: $17,921,146 * American Family Association (AFA) Founder and Chairman: The Rev. Donald Wildmon 2005 Revenue: $17,595,352 * American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) Founder and President: Pat Robertson, Chief Counsel: Jay Sekulow 2005 Revenue: $14,485,514 * Family Research Council (FRC) Founder: James C. Dobson, President and CEO: Tony Perkins 2005 Revenue: $9,958,115 * Jerry Falwell Ministries Founder and Director: Jerry Falwell (deceased) 2005 Revenue: $8,950,480 * Concerned Women for America (CWA) Founders: Tim and Beverly LaHaye 2005 Revenue: $8,484,108 * Traditional Values Coalition (TVC) Founder and Chairman: The Rev. Louis P. Sheldon 2005 Revenue: $6,389,448 All of these groups use homophobia as a fundraising tool, but while some address a wide range of social issues, four of them — Focus on the Family, AFA, FRC, TVC — are one-trick ponies that focus all or most of their activities on promoting homophobia. (The late Falwell and CWA arguably could belong to this group too.) These four groups raised $169 million of the revenue in 2005. If fundraising for these four hate groups remains flat each year from 2005 through the end of 2007, they will have raised about $500 million among them in three years. Tax free. Now talk about your straw man. Here you take an extremist group, similar to the Ku Klux Klan and associate their hatred for homosexuals with anybody that is against the gay political agenda. If one is not accepting of homosexuality as normal and just an alternative life style, then you have a phobia, an irrational fear, a fear that you might have those tendencies within you and you must suppress them so nobody knows. Problem is you only have to be against the gay political agenda to be classified a homophobe, not have an irrational fear. Wow, nice try. But the fact remains most Christians resent a group of people trying to change the culture and force them to accept a lifestyle they find an abomination and against their values. Nothing wrong with supporting politicians that will throw road blocks up to that. That doesn't make somebody a *gay basher*. ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com
