We're coming up on Gay Pride week. So while John Ashcroft dresses up in women's clothes and orders his staff to address him as "Mrs. Mangina," all the loonies have to come out of the closet. (get it? No? You see, the term "coming out of the closet" does not in fact refer to what....wait. You did get it then? Great.)
The airspace over Disney World has apparently been a no-fly zone for some time now. But somebody has come up with a good and completely necessary reason for lifting that ban.
[A] Christian organization that wants to send banner-towing planes over the theme park during this week's Gay Days festivities believes the no-fly zone equals no free speech.
The Virginia-based Family Policy Network seeks to preach during Gay Days "the truth that Christ can set them free from the sin of homosexuality," according to the organization's Web site.
The 13th annual Gay Days, which starts Thursday and lasts four days, is expected to draw more than 100,000 gay and lesbian tourists. While Disney doesn't sponsor Gay Days, which includes several events planned around the weekend under no single organizer, the Magic Kingdom theme park is the center of its activities.
Part of FPN's outreach program, said FPN president Joe Glover, would be planes pulling banners reading: "JESUS CHRIST: HOPE FOR HOMOSEXUALS.COM." The same banner was flown in 2001 without incident, FPN said.
What exactly does "without incident," mean? The plane wasn't shot down by an angry gay guy with a big rock and a relly strong throwing arm? I guess that insulting hundreds of people qualifies an event as going off "without incident."
Not to be outdone, the Attorney General has decided to use the influence of his office to ban a Gay Pride activity at DOJ. This is not at all an inappropriate abuse of power, so stop saying that.
The Justice Department has barred a group of employees from holding their annual gay pride event at the department's headquarters, the first time such an event has been blocked by any federal agency, gay rights leaders said today.
Justice Department officials told the group, called DOJ Pride, that it could not hold its annual event at the department because the White House had not formally recognized Gay Pride Month with a presidential proclamation, Marina Colby, a department policy analyst who is president of the group, said. The group represents several hundred gay and lesbian employees at the department.
Public Advocate, a nonprofit group that describes itself as pro-family, has continued lobbying the Justice Department and other federal agencies in recent months to abandon the gay pride events because it says the events are an inappropriate use of federal resources, said Jesse Binnall, a group spokesman.
Told of the decision to cancel this year's Justice Department event, Mr. Binnall said today, "We're absolutely thrilled that the Justice Department has made such a bold decision to stand up for American families instead of giving in to special interest groups."
Federal Resources? Let's be serious. This is not the issue at stake here, so please cut the bullshit.
On the other hand, Bully for John Ashcroft for standing up to those gays and protecting families, because THOSE TWO THINGS ARE TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY RELATED. If some gay people want to get together for an office party, the shock waves produced from the conga line that will inevitably form once the stereo starts playing Culture Club's "Do you really want to hurt me?" will certainly cause your marriage to fall apart, your kids to be placed in foster care, and your grandomther to go stark raving mad as she tries to repel naked while singing along from the roof of your house. Remember, it's not about quashing gays and their activities, it's about protecting your family. Nobody wants to see grandma naked and singing Boy George. Or do you, you anti-family barabarian?
Standing up for American Families....that quote alone gets that guy on my list of People I Need To Punch in the Throat. We'll see who will be able to keep Standing Up after our encounter.
Angry homophobes want to fly obnoxious banners
Ashcroft stands up to those homos and their quest to break apart your family
Posted by mike at June 6, 2003 12:39 PMNot to be in defense of the crazy homophobes, but this situation parallels the new york city protest against the Iraq war.
The liberals wanted to excercise their right to free speech by protesting at the UN plaza. However, the powers that be decided that was a security risk and that the protestors shouldn't be allowed there. I complained a lot about this, being a liberal, because it takes away from a display of my opinion.
The conservatives now want to excercise their right to free speech by protesting Gay Day. However, the powers that be decided that this is a security risk and that the protestors shouldn't be allowed there (Disney's airspace).
For what it's worth, I think the church _should_ be complaining. Taking away free speech in the name of national security is never a good thing. It wasn't good during the gulf war protests, and it isn't good now.
Reid
Card-carrying ACLU member since 1998 :)