Break out the straightjackets and call the attendants in white coats! Some of the far right media have totally lost any pretence of restraint, logic, and integrity. Bent on wreaking as much divisiveness as possible, the homophobic rantings of nationally syndicated writers such as Charley Reese, have reached an all-time low, or high, depending on your view.
The seemingly rabid Mr. Reese uses despicable terms with slanderous overtones calling those who believe the Boy Scouts should not exclude members based on their sexual orientation, the "sodomite lobby." What a bunch of ludicrous nonsense. As Reverend Meg Riley of the Unitarian-Universalist Association and George Neighbor, Jr. of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) have said, "Discrimination is un-American. Americans oppose discrimination and that's what this issue is all about. This is about principles we all cherish -- equality, unity, spirituality and privacy. Equal rights is reasonable. The radical right is forcing this issue to further their broader agenda."
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, "97% of sexually assaultive crimes are committed by men against women and children." One 1992 study from the Children's Hospital in Denver showed that children are 100 times more likely to be molested by a family member than by a gay or lesbian person.
As stated in a fact paper from the psychology department at University of California-Davis, "The empirical research on adult sexual orientation and molestation of children does not show that gay men are any more likely than heterosexual men to molest children." It concludes by saying, "molesting children has nothing to do with whether a man is heterosexual or homosexual."
Reese claims "secular people have decided that homosexual behaviour is not immoral" implying that one couldn't possibly be religious, which in Reese's case translates to "Christian", and support homosexuality. By that logic, members of the Episcopal Church, Church of Christ, Unitarian-Universalist and many other churches, are secular, thus non-Christian, because of their support of homosexuals. Wonder if anyone informed their God?
In the same breath, he also maligns pagans, equating them with sodomites and calling them secular. To the contrary most pagans are deeply spiritual, with high standards of morals which require them to live a life of harmony and harmlessness much as most Christians believe Jesus Christ taught.
He goes on to claim that today's society, meaning we liberal folk with our so-called immorality and debauchery, is similar to what led to the rise of the Third Reich. The only place there is any of that kind of activity going on is amongst Reese's "friends" of the far right, which supports the Aryan Nations and other of their extremely homophobic ilk. Their agenda calls for violent takeover of our government and extermination of homosexuals and all other minorities. They and other white-supremacy groups embrace Hitler and Nazism.
Making unsubstantiated and wildly extreme claims has no place in journalism. Opinions are important, but they should be based upon sound facts and reasoned judgement. When someone like Reese appears to go off the deep end, one can only conclude it is as a result of their own fear and self-hatred concerning their own sexuality.
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