Liberal Silliness 6/29/15

Pretty much what the Tunnel Dweller does now.

The Phrase “trigger warning” is now in itself also a trigger.  "Yes — now even trigger warnings need trigger warnings. According to the Feminist Internet, the phrase“trigger warning” is now in itself also a trigger.
. . .  "And the thing that makes even less sense here (yes, that is possible) is that Everyday Feminism’s “content warning” uses the word “trigger” — not just once, but twice!

 Content Warning: This article discusses triggering in detail and mentions common topics of triggering (sexual assault, anxiety, health anxiety, depression, death, non-specific fears and phobias).

 

Farm couple sued for discrimination say they were 'set up' . . . " How can there be "pain and suffering" if the plaintiffs knew full well the outcome of their request?"

 Obama on gay marriage then and now.   . . .  "As Ace points out, most people feel a certain amount of shame in a situation like this but Obama isn’t most people. He’s a lying political opportunist of the highest order. Watch and compare…"
That was then...  and  this is now.

 

A Mosque Raised Thousands To Help A Catholic Church That Was Vandalized

 "What better time than Ramadan for a story about helping out a neighbour in need."

Buzzfeed   "In May, the statue of Jesus in front of St. Catherine of Siena Church in Mississauga, Ont. was desecrated — its sacred heart and face blackened with paint, its fingers mangled."

 

"But it was only the latest act of vandalism at the Catholic church.

"Earlier this year, according to the Catholic Register, someone had previously broken in and ripped pages out of the Sacramentary book. In previous incidents, someone had defaced both the church and a nearby Catholic school with spray paint.

"That didn’t sit well with Hamid Slimi, imam of the nearby Sayeda Khadija Centre.
. . .
"Lando mentioned they needed funds to repair the damage and Slimi took that news back to the mosque.

"The mosque managed to raise $5,000 in a single day after Slimi mentioned the church’s plight at a Friday sermon.". . .

 

More at the link.

Barrying The Dead

 "Frankly, we don't think that it was God's plan to take advantage of these horrendous murders. We think that's more Mr. Obama's style."

 HopeNChangeCartoons

 

. . . "The president warmed up the crowd by reminding them "over the course of centuries, black churches served as hush harbors, where slaves could worship in safety. Praise houses, where their free descendants could gather and shout “Hallelujah.” Rest stops for the weary along the Underground Railroad. Bunkers for the foot soldiers of the civil-rights movement."

"All well and good - but it was only preamble. Knowing that there's no political hay to be made from a single racist lunatic acting alone, it was then necessary for the president to make this punk killer into something larger and more universal...

" "We do not know whether the killer of Reverend Pinckney and eight others knew all of this history, but he surely sensed the meaning of his violent act. It was an act that drew on a long history of bombs and arson and shots fired at churches, not random but as a means of control, a way to terrorize and oppress." . . . 

Family proud of son who captured Sweat

Press Republican  "Judy and Arlend Cook are beaming with pride. Their son, Sgt. Jay Cook, alone on patrol in a community he knew well, captured fugitive cop killer David Sweat."
“It’s been a very emotional day for our family," Judy said. "I still can’t believe it's over and nobody got hurt. We’re very proud of our son, and we’re very happy." Jay, who turned 47 on June 19, is a Burke native who has been with State Police for 21 years. “He’s not used to being shoved into the spotlight like this," said his mother, who was still feeling very emotional Sunday night. “He was a rover today, and he just happened to be in the right place at the right time. He’s very sharp," she said proudly. “He knows the area very well; he’s been patrolling the area for years. He saw a guy, and when he got a better look, he knew who it was," Judy said." . . .

Full article here.

UPDATED: Thanks to SCOTUS and Obama, what lies in store for us?

http://terrellaftermath.com/

The Volokh Conspiracy:  Of marriage and liberty – some thoughts on Justice Thomas’ Obergefell dissent  " Of the four dissenting opinions in today’s Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, Justice Clarence Thomas’ is by far the most interesting and compelling. Thomas effectively argues that state recognition of marriage cannot be a form of “liberty” protected by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment because liberty only includes protection of individual rights against government interference, not the conferral of government benefits. His analysis has an important kernel of truth. But it ultimately fails to prove that laws banning same-sex marriage are constitutional." . . .Much more on this subject here: The Volokh Conspiracy

The Unlikely Turning Point in the Same Sex Marriage Battle . . . "So immune are our friends to history, they likely do not know who it is they have to thank for the accelerated transmutation of this highly unlikely idea into law. As I note in my forthcoming book, Scarlet Letters, if there were a Che Guevara in this movement, it was his hysterical homeboy, Perez Hilton." . . .

Post-SCOTUS Gay Marriage: Religious institution tax exemptions at risk. . . "Interestingly, Oppenheimer doesn’t argue for abolishment of tax exemptions as punishment for holding sacred the belief in traditional marriage. So why strip churches of their tax-exempt status? To redistribute the wealth, of course; use one social issue as a guise to push another, completely unrelated issue." . . .

Update: First published in the comments section, we post here now, this response by Robert Deffinbaugh of Richardson, TX, to the tax issue mentioned previously:

1. Without a doubt, there are some (too many) “churches” or “religious organizations” that are really just a tax dodge.  In other words, abuses of the non-profit exemption do occur, and this may tempt some to punish all, rather than to weed out the abusers.

2. There is a kind of “logic” to the argument put forward regarding taxing churches.  Churches and religious organizations get an advantage not granted others.  Others do pay for benefits we receive (but then, that is what welfare does as well – with few objections).  The apparent logic here may seem compelling, but. . .

3. The founding fathers (as I recall) believed that the power to tax was the power to control, and to destroy.  The church cannot truly be free from the state when and where the state has the power to tax it.  Our government can hardly be ignorant of this fact.  Note the ever-growing power of the IRS, and their efforts to hinder conservative organizations.  (And now, the IRS runs the health care system.)  The “good” of the people (health care) may become the tail that wags the dog, and thus in the name of “good” churches will be crippled, at best, or destroyed, at worst.  All of this turns “the separation of church and state” on its head.  The power to tax the church will be a key piece in any plan to abolish it.  The more the church is perceived as unloving and bigoted, the more the public will support taxing it.

4. Jesus taught that we should render to Caesar (government) that which belongs to Caesar, and to God that which belongs to Him (Matthew 22:21).  The apostle Paul instructed Christians to “pay their taxes” (Romans 13:7), so we need to be careful in all such matters, that we are not failing to submit to government by refusing to pay our taxes.  The real question before us is, “What taxes are legitimate in God’s sight?”  What does belong to Caesar?

5.  It is my personal opinion that we can expect the taxation of the church (and the removal of claiming contributions to the church as a tax exemption) to come soon, as a thinly veiled attack on the church of our Lord.

6. Other indirect forms of opposition and persecution should be anticipated.  Legal action based upon gender beliefs and practices, fire codes, etc.  All these, in my opinion, will be leveled at the church.

7. We should bear in mind that while such “less than direct” opposition may come about soon in our country, saints throughout church history (and around the world today) are not merely being taxed, they are being imprisoned and killed for naming our Lord as Savior.

8. The way we respond to such opposition is crucial, and a matter of obedience to Christ and the adornment of the gospel – see 1 Peter 2.

UPDATE 2: Obergefell v. Hodges and Tax Exemption for Churches . . . "Polycarp was martyred about 155 A.D.  He was first burned at the stake, and then stabbed to speed up his dying.
"According to the traditional account of his death, before his final ordeal the Roman official asked him, “What harm is there to say ‘Lord Caesar,’ and to offer incense, and all that sort of thing, to save yourself?' ”. . .

 His Church, no stranger to strife, was born in adversity. It grew from its courage to resist. It matured by failing to conform.  

Alan Caruba: a voice of calmness and wisdom silenced

"After spending most of his life in Maplewood, New Jersey, Caruba died in South Orange, New Jersey on June 15, 2015 days after returning from the Tenth International Conference on Climate Change, a climate change skeptics conference in Washington, D.C. On June 10 he published his last article in Heartlander Magazine, which said: "An entire generation has grown up and graduated from college since the first lies about global warming were unleashed. That’s how long Heartland and others have labored to present the truth. If the media fails to take notice of this week’s conference, you will know that the battle will continue for a long time to come."

Warning Signs   Excerpts from one of Caruba's last articles:  "Skeptics" Gather in D.C. 
"In March, the Gallup Poll revealed that “Although climate scientists have been in the news describing this winter as a strong signal that global warming is producing more extreme weather, Americans are no more likely today (55%) than in the past two years to believe the effects of global warming are occurring.”

 

 . . . "Without your knowing it, the nine conferences that preceded the current one have had a dramatic impact on your life and wallet. For one thing, you’re not being robbed by a “carbon tax” aimed at “reducing greenhouse gases.” On the other hand, you may be at risk of losing a coal-fired plant that provides your electricity if the Environmental Protection Agency is allowed to continue its vile attack on our energy resources." . . .

. . . "The Conference will honor some of the world’s leading “skeptics”—the alarmists call them “denier.” They include Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) as the winner of the Political Leadership on Climate Change Award, sponsored by the Heritage Foundation. My friend, Robert M. Carter, Ph.D. will receive Heartland’s Lifetime Achievement in Climate Science award. Others whom you may not have heard of include William Happer, Ph.D., David Legates, Ph.D., and Anthony Watts, all of whom have been on the front lines of the battle for the truth about the planet’s climate.

"An entire generation has grown up and graduated from college since the first lies about global warming were unleashed. That’s how long Heartland and others have labored to present the truth. If the media fails to take notice of this week’s conference, you will know that the battle will continue for a long time to come."

 His wisdom and friendship will be sorely missed . TD

Politico Writer Proclaims: It’s Time to Legalize Polygamy

Sweetness & Light   "At first glance we thought this (originally 2,219 word, 51 paragraph) article was a reductio ad absurdum argument against ‘same sex marriage.’ But it isn’t. It’s written by a long time proponent of polygamy, who welcomes the ‘slippery slope.’ In fact, he says it’s long overdue.

"From the Politico:

It’s Time to Legalize Polygamy

Why group marriage is the next horizon of social liberalism.
By FREDRIK DEBOER | June 26, 2015
Welcome to the exciting new world of the slippery slope… The question presents itself: Where does the next advance come? The answer is going to make nearly everyone uncomfortable: Now that we’ve defined that love and devotion and family isn’t driven by gender alone, why should it be limited to just two individuals?
The most natural advance next for marriage lies in legalized polygamy—yet many of the same people who pressed for marriage equality for gay couples oppose it…

"Remember how the media mocked conservatives who said this was next?" . . .

jessicalikescake.blogspot.com

Don't laugh; some people are discussing this seriously  . . . "And I wouldn't use the term "gay marriage," because no one will check whether the 2 women want to have sex with each other. 2 women could marry to obtain the economic benefits of the government's legal status of marriage. Why shouldn't 2 women marry to create a household within which they could manage childcare, file a joint tax return, and get better health insurance for the blended group?" . . .Althouse

ISRAEL-HATERS: Obama Hosts Radical Israel-Haters at ‘President’s Table’ During Muslim Dinner

Clash Daily

 

"This isn’t surprising of our president anymore, but something we have sadly come to expect.

President Barack Obama hosted two radical anti-Israel activists, Riham Osman and Batoul Abuharb of Houston, Texas, on Tuesday night. They both had the honor of sitting at Mr. Obama’s exclusive “President’s Table” at the annual White House Iftar dinner. Both have publicly stated that they consider Israel and its leadership to be sponsors of terroristic acts.

Riham Osman, seated at the “President’s Table” Tuesday night, is the communications coordinator for the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), a group founded by members of the Muslim Brotherhood that has challenged the U.S. designation of Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist groups.

Osman herself has engaged in toxic rhetoric when it comes to the state of Israel.