In Case You Were Wondering, Ted Cruz is Awful

Sen. Ted Cruz will prosecute and defund Planned Parenthood--a non-profit organization that sometimes performs abortions which are legal per Roe v. Wade and also prepares tissue for donation, which is also legal, but Cruz will prosecute them to the fullest extent of: he's really grossed out, you guys. As everyone, but let's pick Gawker, has pointed out, the polio thing, since the development of the vaccines uses fetal cells, was probably the most inapt use of a thing that involves science in a political ad ever. This is what we might call an "unforced error", but the audience Cruz was aiming for would probably be completely unimpressed by little old scientific facts. (See also--would fail like a very fail-hard thing in the general election.)

He's basically been rolling heavy lately; he visited the AFA to reassure them that voting for a theocracy will get them the theocracy that will save America from the heathen hordes. And he'll be showing up at a theocratic fucked-up family values shindig that is planning to give an award to a guy who handed off his adopted kids to a rapist.

Which just leads me to wonder--seriously Ted? Are you that worried about Mike Huckabee stealing your Christofascist kid-touching proponent voters?

Because if that's your base--maybe you should not be running for president. Cult leader, maybe. Not president.

Fired/Not Fired

Reports that Bryan Fischer was "fired" from the American Family Association, as such, seem to have been a bit overblown. He's been dropped as "spokesman", but retains membership and his radio show. It's more like a shuffle of positions, really. And in the meanwhile, by not having the responsibilities of "spokesperson" per se, Fischer is freed up to really, really speak his mind as radio host.

I do kind of shudder to think he might have been holding back on us before being relieved of the onerous burden of speaking for the integrity and good will of the AFA, which, as has been pointed out numerous times by numerous outlets particularly in the run-up and reviews of The Response event held this past weekend in Louisiana and hosted by possible presidential hopeful Governor Bobby Jindal, has been designated by the SPLC as a hate group. This designation is probably not in the least because of the views of its former spokesman, who has vented variously about his belief that all the Nazis were gay, that Native Americans are cursed, that Scott Lively is a swell fellow--especially because of his missionary work in Uganda, that orcas and bears should die already, that Muslims and Jews never were meant to have First Amendment rights,  and that saving lives instead of killing people the way Jesus intended is a little bit gay. (Yes, PFAW linked to all that stuff so I didn't have to. Edifying stuff, really.)

Bryan Fischer of AFA Demonstrates his Version of Christian Love and Understanding by blaming lots of AIDS on some Politician

Representative Barney Frank's announcement of his retirement after a great career as a legislator has prompted religio-creep Bryan Fischer to suggest that his example has been responsible for many AIDS deaths. Because....I don't know. Young folks always seek to emulate the sex lives of their congresspeople, I guess. Musicians, movie stars---congresspeople. It's just what's hip and happening. (You know, I don't think that makes any sense at all.)

I actually think the AIDS epidemic in the US has a  lot more to do with elected officials ignoring the impact of AIDS because they considered it a gay disease, and they gave no importance to gay lives.  These careless assholes were encouraged in their reckless disregard for human life by homophobic sex-negative moralistic shitbags, who should also be considered responsible for not just the wasted time that could have been spent in identifying, controlling, and educating about the disease, but the spread to not just gay but straight people, also. Because AIDs is not a "gay disease"--HIV is a virus, and it just does what a virus does. It's not a moral judgment--it's an infection that spreads via exchange of bodily fluids, like IV drug use, blood transfusions or straight sex by heterosexuals.

By being an elected official who was out and outspoken, Barney Frank actually served as a positive example to LGBT* people that we could be, and endure, and thrive, as out and outspoken people. Maybe something like that makes the environment a little friendlier where this is still one of the more brutal, enduring reasons for LGBT* deaths--and that, I also don't mind attributing to homophobic shitbags who really don't give any real importance to gay lives. Even while they are using the deaths of gay people to slander somebody for their orientation.

Bryan Fischer is so ignorant I sometimes wonder if he's even real.