Jeremy Hooper's Blog, page 289
March 9, 2013
My letter to 'NY Times' regarding Focus on the Family fluff piece
In reference to the piece titled "Focus on the Family Works to Invite Discussion and Transform Message" (reprinted online under the headline "Focus on the Family Works to Change Its Message")
I have watched, with incredible concern and continued frustration, at the mainstream media's willingness to foster Focus on the Family's claim to be a newer, softer organization under the leadership of Jim Daly. Concern, because I don't think reporters who are mere visitors to the "culture war" debate und...
March 8, 2013
How to make an author's Friday night
From a reader:
I have debated back and forth for the past few weeks, deciding if I were actually going to send this message. The main thought I had was "what words can I possibly use to even attempt to explain what reading his book has done for me?" Also, I know you get many messages throughout the day and I didn't want it to just be another generic "oh! Your book is so wonderful, it spoke to me, etc." e-mail. This is not to bash it, nor is it to boost your ego. I honestly don't know what it i...
Since we're talking Clinton & DOMA, here's the letter HRC sent him on 9/13/96
Sure, he's made his position clear now. But back then, the Human Rights Campaign's Elizabeth tried to save the 42nd President both time and face:
William J. is closer to ninety now than he was sixteen-and-a-half years ago. I'm happy he's closer to the right side of history as well.
Video: NOM's latest offends gay soldiers, inclusive chaplains, actual victims, countless others
I'm sure whoever put the audio track under this video in support of discrimination thought he or she was making the thing sound valiant and noble. Instead, it makes it look even more like a parody than its already incongruous messaging would have otherwise:
Ron Crews and Jerry Boykin are both professional activists on this issue, the latter working for the Family Research Council and the former heading up something called the Chaplains Alliance for Religious Liberty. Both men are nakedly anti-...
S.E. Cupp responds to Maggie Gallagher (but in a way replies to me)
A few years back, I wrote a piece on conservative S.E. Cupp and my annoyance with what I saw as her double speak. At the heart of my post was a 2009 Daily News column in which Cupp argued that gay people should be okay with straight women having bachelorette parties in gay bars even if they themselves did not support marriage equality. I was particularly annoyed because while Cupp claimed to support gay rights, she also said in the piece that she "strongly oppose[d] gay marriage.” This,
couple...
POLL: American Catholics (that don't work for NOM) support freedom to marry
The Catholic leadership continues to promote the National Organization For Marriage's agenda. Meanwhile…
March 8, 2013 - American Catholics Support Same-Sex Marriage, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Catholics Want New Direction From Next Pope
American voter support for same-sex marriage is inching up and now stands at 47 - 43 percent, including 54 - 38 percent among Catholic voters, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
FULL: March 8, 2013 - American Catholics Supp...
Video: Spokesperson for losing MN For Marriage campaign still speaking; hopes for different result
Autumn Leva, one of the top surrogates who the Minnesota For Marriage campaign brought in from DC to speak for last fall's failed (from their perspective) effort, is now trying to convince the public that her side has the intellectual capital in the current conversation about legalizing marriage equality. This even though the 2012 elections both repudiated their cause and gave control to the pro-equality Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party.
Here's Leva's spiel:
That last part if particularl...
CPAC in a nutshell: 'They didn't invite Christy [sic] but [NOM's] Dr. J will be there!'
From the latest email blast of the National Organization For Marriage's Ruth Institute:
(CPAC is the Conservative Political Action Conference, for the non-politicos. They pointedly exclude LGBT groups.)
I'll let the GOP sort out these questions for themselves. I will, however, encourage folks to know and understand what Dr. Roback Morse will be bringing to the party.
ADF's 6th week of prayer: Solicitor General gets the middle, lack-of-blessing square
Those of you who have seen the past five weeks' sheets know how it goes: The first box, which always features someone from the anti-gay side, gets a blessing; the third square, which is always a Supreme Court justice, gets a largely neutral call for "wisdom and discernment"; the middle square, always someone on the side of LGBT equality, gets a prayer about "manifest[ing] goodness in his/her life" (because, you see, the goodness cannot possibly be there already).
Here's this week's take, with...
