Tag Archives: Huffington Post

HuffPo Celebrates ‘Great’ Novels Giving Teens Gay Role Models

Do you know what your teens are reading? The folks at the Huffington Post do, and they’re happy to report the emergence of gay role models in teen-focused literature.  In a July 19 post, contributors Jessie Kunhardt and Alexandra Carr highlighted 13 “great” novels for gay teens who want to explore teen homosexuality or find “fictional role models.” Kunhardt and Carr praised the books as “worth a read” despite many of the books having generated complaints from parents and bans from schools and libraries. The list included brief summaries and, in some cases, excerpts of positive reviews from mainstream publications including Publisher’s Weekly and Booklist. The reviews praised the books for themes like “celebration of human differences,” “be proud of who you are” and “love can lead to acceptance.” One highlighted book, “Kissing Kate,” was written by Lauren Myracle, an author whose “TTYL” series topped the American Library Association’s list of Most Challenged Books in 2009. The books, written in “instant message” format, have been criticized for offensive language and nudity, according to the ALA. Another book, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky, was celebrated as a teen literature “classic” by the HuffPo writers. “Perks” was the ALA’s third most-challenged book for its depictions of “homosexuality, sexually explicit, anti-family, offensive language, religious viewpoint, unsuited to age grou, drugs, [and] suicide.” The Huffington Post is a vocal advocate for the mainstreaming of homosexuality through teen literature. Last June, the liberal blog posted an Associated Press article noting that there were “finally” books offering gay role models to teens. And despite the ALA’s list of Most Frequently Challenged Books, the organization has repeatedly shown its approval of the LGBT agenda in children and young adult novels. A report by the Culture and Media Institute found that in 2009 alone, more than 40 pro-gay books were given ALA awards.

Left-wing Media Regulation Group Sees ‘Astroturf’ Everywhere Except in Mirror

Advocacy groups have increasingly labelled their opposition as “astroturf,” or corporate-funded fake grassroots, groups in order to demean them and lessen the fact that both sides enjoy some measure of public support. Many of the organizations throwing around accusations of astroturfing, such as the Marxist net neutrality advocacy group Free Press and the liberal ThinkProgress not only engage in astroturf strategies, but are financially supported in ways they decry as astroturf. The media, unsurprisngly, has often chosen to ignore leftist astroturfing and focus on accusations of rightist astroturfing. The Daily Caller reported Wednesday on a pro-neutrality letter circulated around Capitol Hill by Free Press which was a product of the same astroturfing tactics Free Press has decried. The “signatories” of the letter had no recollection of the letter and had no idea they had signed it. One of the signatories, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation wrote to the Federal Communications Comission, The Hill reported , asking to be removed from the list of signatories. Tellingly, a Free Press spokeswoman suggested that they were pressured to do so. Presumably by the Satan-worshipping board of directors of some telecommunications company. Mike Riggs, of The Daily Caller, wrote: “Interestingly, groups like Free Press and NTEN like to publicly denounce letters with questionable signatories. In 2009, Ars Technica pointed to a letter that was supposedly authored by a group of senior citizens who supposedly had written Congress to oppose net neutrality. The group ‘forgot to strip out the “XYZ organization” and replace the text with its own name,’ reports Ars Technica, which caught wind of the letter from Free Press. ‘It’s unclear who was behind the letter, but it certainly looks like evidence of anti-neutrality forces rounding up an odd collection of allies on this issue,’ wrote Ars’ Matthew Lasar.” Free Press has shown a similar indifference to ethics in the past, with campaign director Timothy Karr quick to accuse anyone and everyone who opposes net neutrality of being a corporate tool, much of the time sans any sort of evidence, whatsoever. Michael Turk of Digital Society offered Karr $1,000 for proof that he was an astroturfer. One June 30, The Daily Caller reported that Free Press had outright lied regarding the FCC preventing them from attending closed-door meetings on net neutrality when they had, in fact attended. Similarly, they said they had been invited to attend a Congressional meeting on the issue and then told reporters they had been denied access. The same Daily Caller story pointed out that Free Press is a member of the Open Internet Coalition , a pro-net neutrality group. Amazon, Google, eBay, PayPal, Twitter, Earthlink are members, as are several marketing firms. Not only that, but Free Press’s own lobbying efforts are coordinated by a firm called the Glover Park Group, of which anti-net neutrality company Verizon is also a client. Many of the accusations of astroturfing by telecommunications companies in other blogs and publications ultimately come from Free Press. When PBS’ Media Shift experienced a large number of anti-net neutrality comments, Free Press campaign director Timothy Karr was quick to offer his expertise in throwing around astroturfing accusations for them. Wrote Mark Glaser: “While I have seen a lot of evidence pointing toward certain individuals who post time and again against Net neutrality, I haven’t found a ‘smoking gun’ that proves without a doubt that this campaign is paid for by telecom companies.” So Free Press denounces certain tactics as astroturfing, but when they engage in them, it’s grassroots advocacy. That’s a sharp contrast to the Tea Parties, which were heavily accused of being astroturf last year, by several media outlets. Wrote Julia A. Seymour of the Business & Media Institute: “ABC’s Dan Harris repeated criticism from the left that the tea parties were ‘a product’ of Fox News and lobbyist organizations.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been one of the more visible figures reitterating the charge. Well, as long as Free Press provides the media with “information” and the corporate-funded liberal activists continue to be “grassroots,” there won’t need to be a smoking gun because any center-right organization will be astroturf.

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Left-wing Media Regulation Group Sees ‘Astroturf’ Everywhere Except in Mirror

Schaeffer: ‘Nuttiest’ Evangelicals Support Israel

Author Frank Schaeffer, son of the late prominent theologian Francis Schaeffer, can’t seem to find anything good about evangelical Christians. In his latest blog on the Huffington Post , Schaeffer criticized evangelicals’ support of Israel. “Some of the nuttiest American religious leaders today (and in the past) have latched on to one form or another of Christian Zionism,” he said. “To put it mildly, the evangelical theological/biblical ‘reasons’ have deformed US policy and made America act against self interest,” Schaeffer wrote. “This has also harmed the state of Israel.” Schaeffer suggested that so-called Christian Zionists “would rather see an innocent Jewish or Palestinian child blown up in a rocket attack as long as the ‘Promised Land’ is ‘fully reclaimed’ to fulfill their harebrained ideas of biblical prophecy.” He suggested that American Christians’ support for Israel was driven by a desire to bring about Armageddon, but downplayed a quote he included from a Texas pastor Rev. John Hagee which seemed to suggest some of that support might stem from Biblical history as much as prophecy. “Israel exists because of a covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob 3,500 years ago – and that covenant still stands,” Hagee told The New York Times. “World leaders do not have the authority to tell Israel and the Jewish people what they can and cannot do in the city of Jerusalem.” Schaeffer also took the opportunity to attack what he called evangelicals’ “unhealthy affinity with the idea of religion-based states,” criticizing those who believe America was founded on Christian principles. It’s not the first time Schaeffer has attacked Christians, including his late father. On Huffington Post June 17, he wrote that, “We need to eradicate fundamentalism in all its forms,” specifically targeting fundamentalist Christianity. He called the Bible “nuts in many places” and said “no one” follows it. In 2008, Schaeffer defended President Obama’s controversial preacher, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, by criticizing “right wing white preachers (following in my father’s footsteps) [who] rail against America’s sins from tens of thousands of pulpits.” Like this article? Sign up for “Culture Links,” CMI’s weekly e-mail newsletter, by  clicking   here.

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Schaeffer: ‘Nuttiest’ Evangelicals Support Israel

Texas GOP Platform Bans Homosexuality

Texas Republicans recently unveiled a policy platform that includes a statement of support for legislation that would make it a felony to issue a marriage license to same-sex couples as well as for an official to perform a marriage ceremony for gay partners wishing to wed. The 25-page proposal debuted last week as a guiding light for the state GOP over the next two years defines its position by saying: Marriage Licenses – We support legislation that would make it a felony to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple and for any civil official to perform a marriage ceremony for such. The proposal from Republicans in the Lone Star state makes the following claims related to the party's view of homosexuality: – “We believe that the practice of homosexuality tears at the fabric of society, contributes to the breakdown of the family unit, and leads to the spread of dangerous, communicable diseases.” – “Homosexual behavior is contrary to the fundamental, unchanging truths that have beenordained by God, recognized by our country's founders, and shared by the majority of Texans.” – “Homosexuality must not be presented as an acceptable “alternative” lifestyle in our public education and policy, nor should “family” be redefined to include homosexual “couples.” The recently rolled-out platform from the Texas GOP has also come under scrutiny for advocating to outlaw all “sexually-oriented businesses” — including strip clubs and “all pornography” — while allowing virtually unrestricted access to oil and gas drilling. story from huffington post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/22/texas-gop-platform-advoca_n_619601.html The 2010 platform from the Republican Party of Texas can be found here. http://static.texastribune.org/media/documents/FINAL_2010_STATE_REPUBLICAN_PARTY… video from newsy http://www.newsy.com/videos/texas-gop-platform-bans-homosexuality/ added by: Stoneyroad

Garofalo: Bible a ‘Work of Fiction’ for ‘Child-Like Audience’

Sometime-comedian Janeane Garofalo never passes up an opportunity to slam conservatives or, apparently, Christianity. The Huffington Post gave her an opportunity June 24 to kill two birds with one stone. In an  interview  promoting her upcoming special on a network called EPIX, Garofalo compared the most widely-read book of all time, the Bible, to a Bill O’Reilly autobiography and a children’s book authored by former President Bush. When asked by a Huffington Post reader which of those three publications she’d rather read, Garofalo said, “Actually that’s like six and one half, that is six and one half right there.” Presumably, she meant to use the popular idiom, “six of one, half a dozen of the other.” “That’s just three works of fiction targeted to a child-like audience so any, all, any one, none,” Garofalo said. “I don’t know how to read either, so that’s kind of a drag.” During the interview, Garofalo also expressed disappointment in President Obama. “It’s a drag that he’s such a conservative,” she lamented. Garofalo’s made her disdain for religion clear in the past. During a June 16 appearance on “The Joy Behar Show” on Headline News, she called prayer “anti-intellectual.” Behar later defended Garofalo on ABC’s “The View,” saying the comedian should have said prayer was “un-intellectual.” Garofalo has also built a long resume of attacking conservatives. She has compared the GOP to neo-Nazis  and called Tea Party protestors ” functionally retarded ,” and ” racist backward motherf***ers .” She has called the stable of Fox News anchors and hosts, as well as conservative talk radio hosts,  liars .

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Garofalo: Bible a ‘Work of Fiction’ for ‘Child-Like Audience’

HuffPo Writer Also Wants to Eradicate Limbaugh, Beck, and O’Reilly

Huffington Post blogger, Frank Schaeffer, has been trying to eradicate elements of the right for quite some time.  Katie Bell had a great post on Monday covering his recent call to ‘eradicate’ fundamental Christianity.  It’s no secret that Schaeffer is very critical of religious elements in society.  But on a side note, were you aware that he is a former member of the religious right?  Apparently making mention of such information gives him street cred with the non-religious left.  He mentions it nearly every time he opens his mouth .   Take a drink every time Schaeffer mentions his past participation in the religious right, and you’re sure to be hammered in no time. Not content with attacking the religious right, Schaeffer has also made a career of attacking the conservative voice in general.  Last year, he penned a column so bereft of facts that even the Huffington Post should have been embarrassed by the content.  More troublesome is that this particular post included the pronouncement of a new Web site campaign that is wrong on two fronts:  It incorrectly predicts the rise of violence perpetrated by the ‘far right’ (anyone who dares to oppose Barack Obama), and it specifically labels conservative talk show hosts Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck as ‘domestic terrorists’. Schaeffer states in his October 5th, 2009 column that, “The extremism and paranoid delusions of the far, far loony right — in other words The Republican Party today as led and deformed by Beck/Limbaugh/Fox and the fundamentalist “Christians” — is now on full display.” He goes on to say, “Now some of us … are organizing to do something about this evil (yes I use that word deliberately) trend.  We’re doing this because more and more of us see that if unchecked the inflammatory garbage spewing from the Right’s hate machines will result in tragedy — in other words violence.” And with that came the announcement that he was endorsing a new Web site known as StopDomesticTerror.com .  The site sports a prominent home page banner that features the likes of Scott Roeder (George Tiller’s murderer), and James von Brunn (Holocaust Museum gunman).  Shockingly however, there are also images of O’Reilly, Beck, and Limbaugh alongside these murderers.  The implication being that conservative talk show hosts are as culpable in these attacks as the men who actually pulled the trigger. Schaeffer’s main contribution to the Web site is a letter penned to Attorney General Eric Holder.  While Holder doesn’t feel the need to read such major things as say, a law he plans to challenge , it is very unlikely he found time to delve into Schaeffer’s letter.  As such, we outline some key excerpts for Mr. Holder. The letter starts with, “I am a former leader in the religious right movement…”  No surprise there.  One has to wonder if he can legally change his name to that statement. “…and am writing to request a meeting with you or other top officials of the Department of Justice to discuss what I believe is an escalating threat of hate crimes and domestic terrorism. I am deeply concerned that we are facing a period like that before 9/11 where warnings were ignored or brushed aside for various unacceptable reasons.” Based on his column which specifically mentions the hate speech of O’Reilly, Limbaugh, and Beck, along with the fact that their images are plastered onto the homepage, one can only surmise that this statement makes a definitive comparison between the conservative talk show hosts and the 9/11 hijackers. Schaeffer then takes a swipe at the oh-so-threatening Town Hall protestors saying, “…angry demonstrators fueled by racism and hate speech have been directed to physically disrupt town hall meetings wearing “body armor” and “packing heat.” The letter wraps up with, “I would also like to share my ideas of how to reach out to the right wing media that foments this hate speech so they understand that such speech pushes some people to commit violence.” While Schaeffer is quick to note that this last statement should not be construed as a war on Fox News, he is contradicted by the site’s ‘action items’ which state:  We will ask companies to stop advertising on extremist media outlets such as Bill O’Reilly’s FOX TV show and Rush Limbaugh’s radio show because of their lies, incitement and racism. We will insist that ‘shock jocks’ stop targeting people with racist and violent hate speech designed to incite violence against others. Send a note to FOX advertisers to stop ads on Glenn Beck’s show, http://www.colorofchange.org/beck Of course, the Color of Change organization was co-founded by Beck’s good friend, Van Jones , so their credibility, much like that of their founder, is almost certainly non-existent. Every tragedy that the liberal left is able to exploit, they do so without concern for facts and logic.  It has been repeated over and again with: The aforementioned George Tiller murder. The IRS plane attack by Joseph Stack. The University of Alabama shooting spree. The Binghamton Immigration center shooting spree. The disproved murder of Census worker Bill Sparkman. Point being, this has and always will be a staple of the liberal left.  Schaeffer is no different.  With his recent rant on the ‘eradication’ of fundamental Christianity , has Schaeffer actually exposed himself?  By his own definition and understanding of how words can incite violence, has his call to eradicate fundamentalism identified him as a domestic terrorist? Only a former member of the religious right would know for sure… What say you, Mr. Schaeffer? – Send comments or tips to rustyweiss@verizon.net . Please join me on Facebook. Photo Credit:  WorldNetDaily.com

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HuffPo Writer Also Wants to Eradicate Limbaugh, Beck, and O’Reilly

HuffPo Gives Catholic-Insulting Lady Gaga Music Video a ‘Thumbs Up’

Pop music sensation Lady Gaga recently released a music video for her popular song, “Alejandro,” but the music video was so controversial that it was denounced as being blasphemy. Despite the video’s clear inappropriate sexual content and profane misuse of Catholic religious symbols, the liberal blogspot Huffington Post joined with the rest of the media in praising the video. Author Michele Somerville wrote in her June 14 article, “ Holy Gaga! A Catholic’s Defense of ‘Alejandro ’” that she, “gives ‘Alejandro’ a thumbs ups. It’s pop culture tour de force.” According to Somerville, “the only sin” she found with the video is that it is a, “possible transgressions against Madonna.” In the music video Lady Gaga swallows a rosary while dressed as a nun, stimulates intercourse, and features half-naked men dancing in high heels. Catholic League president Bill Donohue denounced the video . “Lady Gaga is playing Madonna copy cat, squirming around half-naked with half-naked guys, abusing Catholic symbols — they’re always Catholic symbols — while bleating out ‘Alejandro’ enough times to induce vomit,” Donohue explained. “That she is confused is an understatement. In any event, we hope she finds her way back home.” Somerville, however, gushed about the video. She explained that she’s a fan of Lady Gaga and she even showed the video to her three children because she “knew they would soon see it.” Somerville compared Lady Gaga to Madonna and explained that Madonna’s once controversial music video for “Like a Virgin” created a “religious outcry” as well. But then she took it a step further and wrote that Michelangelo’s The Last Judgement was once labeled “obscene.” She explained, “Many of the same Catholics who would see putting pants on Michelangelo’s angels as anathema were quick to chastise Madonna for performing on a giant cross.” Somerville continued attempting to compare Michelangelo with Lady Gaga.  She wrote, “It’s safe to assume that a naked penis in church was as offensive to many Catholics 500 years ago as Lady Gaga deep-throating all five decades of the rosary is today. We have no idea what Jesus would think of ‘Alejandro’…” He probably wouldn’t think too much of someone using a God-given talent to mock some of His most devout followers and their beliefs. Somerville, however, mused, “Is it not possible that God likes a laugh?”

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HuffPo Gives Catholic-Insulting Lady Gaga Music Video a ‘Thumbs Up’

Conservative Pundit Canned for ‘Waterloo’ Remarks [Firings]

On Monday, David ‘Axis of Evil’ Frum compared the GOP’s health care defeat to Napoleon’s Waterloo , and chastised Rush Limbaugh . On Thursday he was booted from his right-wing think tank fellowship. We have some ideas for your next move, Dave! Sure, the American Enterprise Institute kicked you to the curb for being a turncoat and you’re probably feeling blue, but they’re a bunch of pussies anyway. A little shake-up could do them some good. In honor of your new found freedom, here are a handful of things you could do to get back on top where you belong. • Write a tell-all. OK, so you wrote a book about GW Bush called The Right Man , but everyone knows that was a bunch of ass-kissy bullshit. It’s time to really tell it all. You can start with something like this: Yeah, George W. Bush was an illiterate moron, so I plugged the ‘Axis of Evil’ thing into his State of the Union address to really set things off around the world. There, I said it. And did I mention that Rush Limbaugh is a dickhead? Now get off my nuts. • Fight Rush. Yeah, he’s big and angry and probably loaded on all sorts of nice drugs, but you can take him, Dave! You did once call him ” the stereotype of self-indulgence ,” so it’s time to finish what you started. And just think of the publicity. • Make friends with North Korea’s Kim Jong-Il . Nothing would say “fuck you” to the GOP like pulling a Jimmy Carter and getting down with a regime you once labeled a part of the Axis of Evil. Kim has expensive taste in scotch and likes strippers . You really can’t lose here, Dave. • Start a charity. What better way to show you really do have a heart and don’t mind all of the talk about you being a warmonger than running a nice little NGO? Start with something simple, like an orphanage in Iraq, maybe? You figure that one out. So there you go, Mr. Frum. Sadly, it’s hard to imagine any of these things coming true. A good guess would put you in line for, say, a guest blogger spot at The Huffington Post ? But don’t say you weren’t advised! [ Image via Getty ]

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Conservative Pundit Canned for ‘Waterloo’ Remarks [Firings]

Geoffrey Dunn points out Palin’s latest health care lie.

She is STILL lying? Yeah I was just stunned.

You just have to take a moment to read this Phil Perrier piece on Palin from the Huffington Post. This is laugh out loud funny!

And lets face it, Sarah Palin is a gossip columnist’s dream. At first blush she came across as a Christian “family values” no-nonsense conservative. Then, the press started poking around and found delightful amounts of nonsense in Sarah’s closets. What ensued was the veritable Jerry Springer episode that is the Palin family; Bristol, the 17 year old pregnant daughter, Levi, the dimwitted yet hunky father of the Love Spawn, Trig, the baby with Down’s Syndrome, and Sarah’s husband, a man who has displayed less personality than a bowl of moose stew. And it got better, Levi posed for Playgirl magazine, his mom got arrested for selling prescription meds, while Sarah and Bristol and Levi tossed verbal grenades through the press at every turn. Forget running for president, this smells like a damn compelling reality show on Bravo! The Kardashians look like Ozzie and Harriet compared to the Palins. It’s perfect, a horribly dysfunctional, morally bankrupt, greedy, fame-obsessed, Christian conservative family, with guns! Sign me up! (You can read the rest of this wonderful post by clicking the title at the top of the page.) The only problem with Sarah Palin’s reality show is that it is happening in MY reality. Here is perhaps my favorite line from the post. This woman has a persecution complex you could drive a truck through. Amen to that, Mr. Perrier, Amen to that!

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You just have to take a moment to read this Phil Perrier piece on Palin from the Huffington Post. This is laugh out loud funny!