Monday, August 23, 2010
The line is open
Posted by Max Brantley on Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 5:07 PM
Take it away. But some random notes:
* In answer to questions from several readers: Though I'll believe just about anything about The Huckster and money, this thing just sounded dubious to me. Update:
But what about conservative bloggers on the take? Hmmm.
* Arkansas Business reports that Dan Savage's explicit sex advice column lasted one week in the Fayetteville Free Weekly. That paper is trying to reshape itself as more alternative, but there are limits to alternativity in the Hussman-Stephens Northwest Arkansas newspaper monopoly, of which the Free Weekly is a part. No need to hunt up the cached version of the removed column to read it. Savage's syndicated work is always available on his home website, including the most recent column, opening with anal sex and moving right along to other topics.
* Episcopal school in Texas denies admission to child of lesbian couple. Said the head of school:
We are a church affiliated with the Anglican Church in North America, and it is their policy that we don't provide services to individuals or families that do not behave properly.
Comments (37)
Showing 1-37 of 37
Have a drink tonight for Jazzy's birthday. I think she would do a little belly laugh......
like
dislike
Maybe I'm small minded and provincial but I don't believe it's polite in any situation to open with anal sex. It's a hell of a good closer for some.....but I think dinner, a little conversation and some kissing needs to proceed anal sex. Hope this helps.
Max, I believe that church/school is not affiliated with the Episcopal Church, although it once was. The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth says that congregation was cut loose a while back. I think that congregation considers itself true Anglican.
Tap, I think it is affiliated with the Nigerian Anglican church which I guess the means Texas people don't realize that Nigeria is in Africa and the people are "africians" and who may look a lot like Barack Obama. It gets really hard to keep all of your hatreds separated.
You know cbb, I should have kept my mouth shut (fingers still, I guess) on that point -- since I don't have anything to do with either group -- except it seemed to be pretty important to the Episcopal Church, in the story, to say: "That wasn't us. We don't discriminate."
Here's a blue dot Flowing Data graph of Wal-Mart's growth..from a small NWA corner to the entire nation and beyond. Year and no. of stores in lower R side of image.
http://projects.flowingdata.com/walmart/
Yip DBI, at least a dinner and a movie before fudging around.
There was a time when such writing would have my pants all tent-like but no mo.
This evening I'm getting all excited about some crepes made dark cherries and Nutella.
A Razorbaby fan sent a pdf of today’s D-G op-ed page where --
Pat Lynch promises to revisit his controversial column of two weeks ago with an opener from “an exasperated reader”: “How can you call yourself a ‘liberal’ and oppose marriage equality?”
Pat begins, “One flippant response might be, ‘I don’t let other people do my thinking for me.’”
Continuing, Pat jokes, “without wishing to be disrespectful, what in the world is ‘marriage equality?’ That sounds like something you might hear in divorce court.”
Razorbabies, stare at those three paragraphs for a moment, as do horrified onlookers at a fatal three-way wreck. Try to absorb the tragedy.
Once, perhaps, there were glory days for The Rock’s radio and newspaper media fixture that is Pat Lynch. I was living gloriously elsewhere, blissfully unaware.
Let’s reconstruct the wreck.
Pat’s promise to explain how he calls himself a liberal but opposes “marriage equality” goes unmet.
In lieu of answer, he buries one short sentence midway: “Opposite-gender marriage rightly grants special benefits to couples striving to raise children.”
That’s it. That’s Pat’s answer. His ONLY “explanation” in the entire piece. One tiny deserted island of an irrational sentence round which meander irrelevant digressions into global warming, Bush tax cuts, guns, mosques and the kitchen sink.
The old “straights can make babies and gays can’t” excuse that’s shot full of more holes than Bonnie and Clyde. It’s a hick’s defense for same-sex discrimination.
Oblivious to his unfulfilled false promise, Pat turns stalwart and forges ahead, flippantly (not really, wink, wink) insisting, “I don’t let other people do my thinking for me.” (Thus he claims he’s a liberal.)
But that’s what he just did – let other people do his thinking. Pat relies on the stupidest “argument” against same-sex equality ever shilled, by those with minimal education and maximum faith, this side of Fred Phelps.
Pat’s ONLY “justification” for discriminating against same-sex Americans’ equality is “religious” – where you’re SOLELY required to think as others tell you to, or suffer the consequences of questions and contradictory facts.
Blind to his own hypocrisy; ignoring his own cheat on honoring his promise to explain himself; mistaking his theocratic parroting of religious dogma for thought, information or understanding (of the Constitution, for starters) – Pat finally yields to his childlike compulsion to denigrate the most powerful social and civil rights movement to sweep America in fifty years by brushing off the whole thing with a joke.
“What in the world is ‘marriage equality?’” Ha, ha. “That sounds like something you might hear in divorce court.” Ho, ho.
Pat can’t stop himself! “Without wishing to be disrespectful,” he lies to himself and his readers, since that’s exactly what he’s being to millions of American women, men and children.
During my time in The Rock my impressions of Lyncho on the radio and at the Town Pump were of bumptious geniality and a self-deprecating gratitude for having made his mark and his living in the largest media market he possibly could.
I don’t appreciate being mistaken about people. Both Pat’s columns on this subject stress his belief that American equality is to be religiously determined.
I’m deeply sorry I so misjudged him.
Ugly. Sad.
Thank you for pointing out the great gulf between the Episcopal Church and that Anglican group. We have some of them here in Little Rock, and it galled me when I lived within sight of their rented building in Hillcrest and had to walk past it daily without ever darkening their tainted door. I did enjoy knocking the dust from my shoes as I walked past.
Yes, those fool Texan Anglicans are not part of the Episcopal Church USA. I'm Episcopal and gay, and I've only been received with open arms.
I'd venture a guess that many of us who still subjugate ourselves to the DG op-ed page found it hard to dig out the “argument” in Lyncho’s screed. The philosophy of his “church home” provides some context:
From Wiki:
The origins of the Anglican Mission was the First Promise Movement. In 1997, 30 priests… released a document called The First Promise which "declared the authority of the Episcopal Church to be 'fundamentally impaired' because they no longer upheld the 'truth of the gospel'". The following year, St. Andrews Church of Little Rock, Arkansas, became one of the first in North America to come under the oversight of the Global South provinces. The continued controversy in the Anglican Communion led Archbishops Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda and Moses Tay of South East Asia to consecrate Chuck Murphy and John Rodgers as bishops at St. Andrew's Cathedral, Singapore, on January 29, 2000. … The intervention of foreign Anglican primates into the provinces of the Episcopal Church and Anglican Church of Canada was and continues to be highly controversial within the Anglican Communion.
The Episcopal Church's acceptance of clergy in homosexual relationships is one highly publicized example of conflict between AMiA and TEC. In 2003, the election and ordination of Gene Robinson as the Episcopal Church's first openly gay, non-celibate bishop caused many conservative Episcopal churches to turn to the AMiA and similar Anglican break-away groups.
That’s right—biblically-justified condemnation of homosexuality was essential to a group of people in Little Rock splitting from the mainline Episcopal Church. Still seeking affiliation with the church established by the clean living, morally upright King Henry VIII, they went to Rwanda to find a bishop homophobic enough to bless them. St. Andrew’s is a big deal in evangelical Christianity.
Of course, they have every right to their beliefs and practices.
I have every right to call them bigots and hypocrites.
Surely that Anglican school in Texas is simply trying to be as faithful as possible to Jesus's words.
Didn't he say something like, "Let the little children suffer?"
Norma, I had the same feeling abut the Pat Lynch column. Liberal. he is not. Isn't it amazing that indoctrination by certain religious faiths trumps everything else?
I think it was the Newt that promised the "culture" wars when Clinton was elected in'92. What has it been for so long? Flags, guns, gays, liberals, welfare with a small dose of that old time Christian religion.
As the message grows old, they bring us new ones. Heavy Christian principles laced with toxic dose of racial and religious intolerance are finding popularity in some political parties. What we have now is a war on tolerance in general.
And this in the United States of America where businesses with employees that number in the tens of thousands have the same basic rights as you, an individual with limited resources.
What is sad is that a large part of Arkansas's voting population either buys into the right's message (ignoring a lot of fact) or they just care for their comfortable life in retirement.
Conservative bloggers taking money for promos. Say it ain't so. They've been huckstering their masses for ten years or more. When your small tent includes evangelical marketing groups just expect it. There's nothing contemptible that's beneath them.
See your previous thread on the Koch Bros.
That's the beauty of keeping all marriage -- the union initiated, governed, and dissolved by the State -- separate from whatever religious groups want to do.
I am a divorced man, with a living ex-spouse, who has refused to become a prayer eunuch in accordance with Matthew 19:12 -- in defiance, I hope to find the right one and marry again some day. Jesus taught this will make me an adulterer. Certainly, the Anglican Church in North America has every right to consider marriage "a lifetime commitment between one man and one woman," as I understand it generally does, and therefore deny me any rights or privileges concerning marriage within that church body.
So long as the State of Arkansas says I was married. I am now divorced. And I *can* marry again.
So long as the State of Arkansas doesn't say, based on the scriptures, my next union will have to be a "civil union" instead of a marriage, because I am still married, scripturally, to my ex-spouse.
See how nicely that works out when everbody stays in their own lanes?
TAP....Just wanted to say that I might have to arm wrestle STJ for your affections. Great post, as usual.
Being a smart man, you are aware that the "wordy" ones are usually all talk and no action.
Just sayin'.
As an old newspaperman (literally), I have watched "alternative media" for years, It seems they always have to have some kind of sex column to make it. Isn't "alternative" coverage of local politics and government, or cultural events enough? Or do you have to have coverage (or uncoverage) of the sex habits of your readers in order to e a success?
Cammack,
Don't even think about trying to move in on my man. Tap was spoken for long ago and I don't take too kindly to another L sniffing around what's not hers. You better back off or I'll...I'll...I just don't know. I'm pretty sure you could beat me up in a fight so I'll dog cuss you and run the other way.
Norma, thanks for bringing up the idiot's column. I read that this morning and said to myself, "Honestly, Pat, you're just a joke.'' It's almost not worth debating because it would be like kicking a baby seal.
His main argument is..."Opposite-gender marriage rightly grants special benefits to couples striving to raise children.”
How can this cartoon-looking man look himself in the mirror and write this sentence? He's been married multiple times and has ZERO children! This doesn't even address the fact that this so-called "argument'' is utterly inane on so many levels and has been debunked for its sheer stupidity.
Well, I guess I better get back to work on the "gay agenda.'' We, in the community, are assigned to break up at least five "traditional'' marriages per week and I'm still two short of my quota. Y'all know any couples on shaky ground? I can swoop in, break them up, and it still counts toward my gay-agenda quota.
I'd hate to have my L card revoked.
Sister, call Mike Huckabee. you know how he feels about wedding registries and any type of gifts. Maybe he could figure out a way to be covenant-married to Jethrine in Florida while having their marriage busted up in arkansas by a conniving L. I bet you get at least five points for breakingi up a covenant marriage.
One more thing but very important -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAZZY!
thanks to CiCi for alerting us.
If you dont mind, there's no trouble to get into where I live, and I dont feel so good since I was out in the heat too long last week, so instead of raising any hell in your name, I think I'll just sit and think about how much we miss you and how much love and nurturing you gave to everyone. Dammit, Jazzy, we do miss you. But go on and have a Happy Birthday anyway, ok?
Norma I do love it when you begin to steam- that was a generous and roundly deserved spanking for Lynch.
You know, I don't guess I'll ever understand the common conservative fight against gay marriages. I really don't see the point. If you don't like it, don't do it. It's not my bag, either, but I couldn't care less about Adam and Steve. Their business is... well, theirs.
I can certainly see how they might not *like* the concept, but I don't see how they can have a leg to stand on when it comes to recognizing the right of folks to marry whoever they want... not liking something is a vastly different thing than trying to ban it from everyone else.
Sigh.
KARK keepin' it classy. Reporting on a family tragedy, says the names are being withheld, but give the street address.
Slime.
Doc--Same thing happened with the recent murder-suicide. No names but a full address that it took all of a minute to find out the identities of the homeowners. I believe it was more than one local station that did it too.
I have listened to some on the right and some in faith communities, and I have come to the conclusion that they believe limiting the "the right to marry" (Pat can try that if "marriage equality" sounds funny) is a matter of social morality common to all faiths and therefore offensive to none.
They apparently believe that a Higher Power holds open the state of "holy matrimony" to adulterers, fornicators, atheists, agnostics, prostitutes, murderers, Satan-worshippers, demon-followers, pagans, Pagans, Wiccans, blasphemers, child abusers, idolators, etc., etc....."
But not homosexuals. There all gods draw the line.
But they have a problem. They know our Constitution won't all this different treatment based on faith. Any faith. Or all faiths.
So they are forced to come up with a rational, non-religious, basis to draw the line.
And the best some can do is the wholly irrational, historically dubious premise that the purpose of marriage is to facilitate the upbringing of "legitimate" children.
It's a stretch. It seems nonsense to us. It's all they have as a cover for what is, in truth, a faith-based (and therefore unconstitutional) objection.
Pat Lynch, on the issue of marriage equality is on the wrong side of history.
For those that don't remember, he was a long-time radio talk host on KARN-AM back in the 1980's and 1990's before getting fired in 2000 when KARN-AM went full-time conservatalk--the station already had been airing Limbaugh for 9 years previous (Pat's replacement was Dave Elswick).
Lynch drifted over to KABZ (not sure if it was still KSYG at the time) 103.7. KSYG/KABZ tried in vain for 5 years to compete against Lynch in the 9AM-12pm timeslot with various mostly conservative shows. 103.7 dumped the conservative talk at that time for more "entertainment talk" and dumped "Dr" Laura and its more overtly conservative shows. I think Lynch's show lasted about 3-4 years but it was not political like his old KARN-AM show was. The last radio gig Lynch had in LR was on the short-lived Air America station on 1380AM where he sort of returned to his "roots".
Lynch to my knowledge has never been a supporter of Marriage Equality, and has been alleged to have supported Amendment 83 being written into the Arkansas Constitution.
Happy Birthday, Jazzy!
But I don’t get it. Because remember when you died? In retrospect I guess it was quintessential Jazzy. “SURPRISE!” Easier on everybody, the way you did it, I guess you were thinking. Maybe you were right.
Still, it was hard on everybody. On the blog Razorbabies went nuts, as you know. I was “in transit” myself for a week or so and didn’t know you’d checked out till I came back to an outpouring of love for you and vile loathing for me from Christian bloggers for not having “properly” said buh-bye.
As you also know, I was happy to provide the target for their anger and frustration and told you goodbye, right here, the minute I learned from Cammack.
So that was your new birthday to me, Jazzy. But I understand everybody celebrating your old one and I join them.
Here’s my little present for you from earth, Jazzy, if you can spare a couple. A little joy for it All, a little love and thanks for You. Stick around for Patti, girlfriend, because you know what’s True.
You never. Ever. Walk alone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNO--zU5Zy0
RE: Savage Love, that WEHCO/Stephens Media "alt" weekly in Fayettenam.
The whole things sounds like a publicity stunt for the paper. Its not like "Savage Love" is a new column, its been around for years and yes its risque. This reminds me of back in 1997 when KATV which lost "Live With Regis Kathie Lee" (before it Kelly Ripa became Regi's co-host) to KTHV grabbed the rights to that trashy Sally Jessy Raphel talk show. That mashup lasted just a few weeks before KATV got complaints about the show and was filling in with Andy Griffith reruns and dropped the show by January 1998.
The Fayetteville Free Weekly in 2010 like KATV in 1997 with Sally knew damn well what they were getting into with Dan Savage's column. As for Don Nelms, his advertising seems to have too much pull with the paper in question. The FFW of course have the right to publish any syndicated columns it chooses but this smacks of either cluelessness or the "outrage" of FFW advertisers was itself part of the plan all along.
Lest anyone is confused between Episcopal and Anglican, there is a difference. The Anglican community is becoming populated by former Episcopal churches ( not sure if they still refer to themselves as Episcopal ) not happy with the Episcopal Church's compassionate acceptance of homosexuals.
Having said that I am shocked this Anglican community will not provide services to families that don't behave properly. I believe Jesus healed and helped in his day those in society no one else would. In the simpliest sense the Anglican community is not doing what Jesus would do.
Didn't Jesus have something to say about holding the sins of the parent's against the child?
Alas, another "cut and paste" religion.
"I think it ( Anglican community of North America ) is affiliated with the Nigerian Anglican church " True I believe. The Nigerian Anglican church have Bishops with more than one wife. Proper behavior.
Ron,
Not denying your story, but do you have a reference for the multiple wives.
........again, cut and paste theology........
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