David Link, with his customary nuance, examines the question:
Warren is all over the map on gay equality. On her show last night, Maddow clearly nailed Warren’s incoherence, both on Prop. 8 and on his role in Uganda. But that is where I think a bit of empathy may be in order (and I know this will be controversial). Like so many other heterosexuals of his age and older, Warren is
"I’ve got a fulltime job reading bills in Congress without reading the bills in another 190 countries,” – Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), asked if he would condemn the Uganda bill. Civil rights groups believe he has been involved in handling African affairs as a member of The Family.
Today on the Dish we had a small reax of the president's Nobel speech. Social conservatives Rick Warren and Tom Coburn came out against the Uganda bill, and Andrew wondered when the pope would do the same. A reader thought they took too long. Another social conservative helped gay rights by moving marriage equality along … Continue reading The Daily Wrap
A reader writes:
As a conservative Christian, I'm glad the Rick Warren and Tom Coburn finally got around to speaking out against the Uganda bill, but at the same time I'm disappointed that it took so long, and I'm disappointed that there are so few voices condemning the bill among those leaders who claim to speak for people like me. Having grown up as part of the politically active religious right, I've seen religious conservative leaders put their vast networks of contacts to use time and again for issues large and small even back in the days before email when they got people to start making phone calls to their friends to make sure information spread. The silence of the religious right social networks is deafening.
One key religious leader has spoken out forcefully against the unchristian Ugandan law to inform on, arrest, forcibly "cure" and execute homosexuals. But where is the Pope in a country where 40 percent of the people are Catholics. When will Benedict speak out to prevent this bill? Or is his silence eloquent enough?
Rick Warren disowns the new Uganda bill designed to inform on, round up, imprison, forcibly submit to "psychological cures", and execute homosexual Ugandans: This is an extremely positive if overdue development. I remain deeply concerned that Uganda's public policy is based on the "curing" homosexuals rubric, but that sure is better than executing them. The … Continue reading “This Terrible Bill”
Today on the Dish we covered some residual protests out of Iran and watched a unsettling clip of Basji brutality. Maddow tackled gay conversion and Uganda, Noah Pollak shared Andrew's view of the US-Israeli fissure, Yglesias talked about outspending the Taliban, and DiA and a Dish reader shared their thoughts on the suicide bomber interview. … Continue reading The Daily Wrap
The far right, including even educational establishments like Patrick Henry College, is now conjuring up visions of an America where the government banishes Christianity or criminalizes its free expression in all its many varieties. A Patrick Henry alum, David Sessions, objects here. It's a brave and nuanced piece. As the Christian right, in the Vatican … Continue reading Gay-Baiting As Fundraising
Jim Burroway passes along speculation that the Ugandan bill, which would sentence gays to death, is likely to pass: Reuters now suggests that passage of the bill is almost assured due to two factors. The first, we’ve already mentioned, is the fact that 2011 is an election year, and no Member of Parliament can be … Continue reading Oil And Homophobia Mix
Today on the Dish we continued to bring together perspectives on the Afghan escalation. Joe Klein investigated the speed of the surge, Packer and Frum looked at the style of the speech, Balko bemoaned the success of bin Laden, Jake Tapper delved into the psyche of Gates, McArdle mulled over the war tax, a reader … Continue reading The Daily Wrap
