Originally Posted By Daannzzz <a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/os-scott-maxwell-gay-adoption-020310-20100202,0,1037988.column" target="_blank">http://www.orlandosentinel.com...8.column</a>
Originally Posted By mawnck Jeez, that's quite the story! >>"Arrogant judicial activism" was how the finger-waggers at Orlando's Florida Family Policy Council described the ruling in an alert it sent out to its members last week. And to make their point about just how frightening this ruling was, the Policy Council included a photograph of the couple — a strange and androgynous-looking duo, one with bleached skin and both with mullet haircuts. The couple look so odd (you literally can't tell whether they are male or female) that one might wonder how any judge could place a young child with such a disturbing-looking duo. Except the judge didn't. The abnormal-looking couple that the Policy Council chose to illustrate this story is not the same couple granted the right to adopt the child. No, the two-woman couple awarded custody of the 1-year-old — South Florida trade-show executive Vanessa Alenier and her partner, Melanie Leon — look more like J.Crew models: all-American with catalogue clothes and smiles. The picture that the Policy Council chose was a grotesque caricature. These are the dirty tactics of Christianity's far-right warriors.<< Photos are at Daannzzz's link.
Originally Posted By gadzuux Same story - different day. Christians are up in arms about equal rights for gay people. And they're not above lieing and distorting the facts to support their arguments. And if it leads to a child being ripped from the arms of his parents - so be it. It's god's will.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy Do you think these religious wingnuts are aware that lying is among the prohibited items declared in the 10 Commandments?
Originally Posted By skinnerbox Given that hundreds if not thousands supported the murder of Dr. George Tiller, I doubt it, SG. The Ten Commandments are for everybody else, dontcha know. They're "on a mission from god," so they get a free pass.
Originally Posted By mawnck <------- disgusted with the behavior of the FFPC, but also just a little bit uncomfortable with the implication that the kid is better off being with *attractive* lesbians.
Originally Posted By Mr X That picture is telling. Deep in the dank hearts of your common North American bigot there lies a belief that those they despise aren't even human. Savages. Beasts. Monsters. Look at the way blacks, asians, and Jews have been portrayed at the heights of hatred, and you see the very same sorts of pictures depicted all over the place. Douglas often speaks of projection. To me, THIS is the true sort or projection. The bigot wants to prove that THOSE PEOPLE are the monsters, but closer examination proves just the reverse.
Originally Posted By gadzuux Except that deep in these dank hearts they know that they need to obscure the actual facts to make their case more compelling. Someone knew that they needed to replace the 'normal' looking couple with a more threatening photo - that their case cannot stand on it's merits alone. In the same vein - fox needed to dump out of Obama's session with the house democrats because he was making too much sense. They've been framing him as a leftist radical socialist with an evil agenda - and yet when anyone watches and listens to what he's saying, their fabricated narrative falls apart. Opponents of gay marriage need to invent salacious claims out of whole cloth if they are to prevail. Republicans need to fearmonger their base with falsehoods about increased taxes, government takeovers of banks, auto companies and wall street. These are deliberate actions that seek to mislead people into believing things that are not true. So somebody is realistic enough to understand that outright deception is necessary to convince others of the validity of their beliefs. And what we see over and over again is that it only works on the most gullible among us. Thus their 'movement' becomes largely populated with people who are ignorant and fearful and easily manipulated. Unfortunately these people's votes count every bit as much as everybody elses. It's for this reason that people who are discerning enough to see these tactics for what they are - not just shrug it off and vote for republicans anyway. By doing so you're only perpetuating the cycle and tacitly endorsing their actions.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Except that deep in these dank hearts they know that they need to obscure the actual facts to make their case more compelling. Someone knew that they needed to replace the 'normal' looking couple with a more threatening photo - that their case cannot stand on it's merits alone*** Oh sure. The truth is though, that's the image that they BELIEVE is the truth. Perhaps not on the surface, but if they see an attractive couple they don't think "attractive", they think "defective", and if a replacement picture is required to show people "the truth", well that's fine too.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***It's for this reason that people who are discerning enough to see these tactics for what they are - not just shrug it off and vote for republicans anyway. By doing so you're only perpetuating the cycle and tacitly endorsing their actions.*** I think seeing such a thing and not speaking out is a tacit endorsement. Giving them a vote is an EXPLICIT endorsement, and those that do so are culpable imo.
