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Politics : Don't Blame Me, I Voted For Kerry -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (80050)	11/2/2006 6:35:24 PM
From: American Spirit	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 81568

Bush's #1 Evangelical Ally Resigns Over Gay Drug Scandal Haggard steps down amid gay affair inquiry By Eric Gorski, Felisa Cardona and Manny Gonzales Denver Post Staff Writers DenverPost.com Article Last Updated: Ted Haggard, one of the most prominent evangelical pastors in the nation, resigned today as president of the National Association of Evangelicals amid allegations that he carried on a three-year sexual relationship with a male prostitute. Haggard, founder of the 14,000-member New Life Church, has denied the accusations but said in a statement released by the church today that he could "not continue to minister under the cloud created by accusations made on Denver talk radio this morning." He has placed himself on administrative leave pending investigation, spiritual counsel and a decision by the church's board of overseers, the church's legal counsel said. "I am voluntarialy stepping aside from leadership so that the overseer process can be allowed to proceed with integrity. I hope to be able to discuss this matter in more detail at a later date," Haggard's statement said. The former prostitute, Mike Jones, 59, of Denver, went public with the accusations on Tuesday, saying he felt compelled to do so because he believes Haggard, a strong opponent of same-sex unions, has been hypocritical. "I made myself cry and I made myself sick," Jones said about his decision to come forward. "I felt I owed this to the community. What he is saying is we are not worthy, but he is." Jones says he was contacted three years ago by Haggard for sex - he thinks through a gay newspaper advertisement or an online ad he posted on rentboy.com. Today, Jones showed the Denver Post an envelope addressed to him from "Art," a name Jones says Haggard used - sent from an address in Colorado Springs. Jones said the envelope came to him with two $100 bills inside. Jones also played a recording of a voicemail left for Jones from "Art." Jones refused to reveal what the topic of the voicemail was about because there could be legal problems and he wants to consult with an attorney. "They want to protect the sanctity of marriage and I am trying to figure out what that means because they are not doing a good job," Jones said of anti-gay marriage proponents. "To have someone in such a high profile position preaching against them and doing opposite behind other people's backs is hypocritical." Jones said he would take a lie detector test to validate his claims. The church's lawyer, Martin Nussbaum, said Haggard's resignation is in no way an admission of guilt. He's already denied Jones' accusations, but feels that when an allegation like this is made, he needs to take this step, Nussbaum said. Nussbaum, paraphrased: The bylaws state that when an allegation of immorality is made, this process is triggered, where he puts himself on leave. The outside board makes the final decision. In the interim, the church's associate senior pastor, the Rev. Ross Parsley, will serve as acting senior pastor of the church. Staff writer Manny Gonzales can be reached at 303-954-1537 or mgonzales@denverpost.com

To: LindyBill who wrote (80050)	11/2/2006 6:37:10 PM
From: American Spirit	Respond to of 81568

This creepy preacher has been brainwashing innocent kids in Jesus Camps to be militant far rightwing "soldiers" for Republicans. He boasts about it in the film JESUS CAMP. It's sick. I feel better today though seeing that half the evangelicals are going to vote democrat this time. This proves that at least half of them haven't drinken all the kollaid of these perverted hypcritical rightwingers. This and Mark Foley are not isolated events, it is an epidemic on the far right.

To: LindyBill who wrote (80050)	11/2/2006 7:45:35 PM
From: sea_biscuit	Respond to of 81568

Nope, we are after those (a) who spew venom at gays and then (b) fool around with gay escorts etc. behind the scenes. I have no problem with someone doing (b). It is only when they do (a) AND (b) that I have an issue.

To: LindyBill who wrote (80050)	11/4/2006 8:51:03 PM
From: American Spirit	Respond to of 81568

Why Kerry 'Fiasco' Was Very Good For Dems Dave Johnson 11.04.2006 I think last week's media explosion over Kerry's botched joke was a good thing for the Democrats. In case you were on the moon last week, let me go over what happened. Kerry was making a joke about Bush not having studied hard in school and ending up getting us stuck in Iraq, and left out the word "us." Republicans decided to try to trick people into thinking that Kerry - a war hero who had volunteered to serve in combat after graduating from Yale - was "insulting our troops." They sent instructions out to their echo chamber to pretend to be outraged. They cranked up the phony outrage across the internet, got the story onto The Drudge Report, got Rush Limbaugh to "run with it," and then the TV networks started non-stop coverage and commentary. It was an instant, manufactured media frenzy. And then it went away. Just like that. So here is why I think in the end this was a very good thing for the Democrats. 1) It distracted the Republican machine. Kerry isn't running for anything but the entire conservative outrage machine spent 2 days attacking him instead of talking about anything relevant to the election and to the concerns of voters. Who CARES what John Kerry said? This is not to run down Kerry, but for voters to care it has to be about SOMEONE OR SOMETHING THAT MATTERS TODAY. In this election what John Kerry said just doesn't matter because he isn't running for anything. But the Republican noise machine IS capable of influencing the public and doing real damage. That was two days in which they could have been causing trouble and instead they were entirely focused on something that just does not matter. 2) Crying 'wolf' too many times reduces the effect of crying "wolf." (That's why they call it "crying wolf.") The Republicans cranked up their machine to absolute full volume over something that wasn't true and just didn't matter, and everybody had to listen to it. So the realization that these people cry "wolf" is sinking in. John Kerry DIDN'T SAY WHAT THEY SAID HE SAID, and everyone knew it. And it JUST DIDN'T MATTER and everyone knew it. They were crying "wolf" AND EVERYONE KNEW IT! 3) It allowed us a peek behind the curtain. We're becoming more and more aware of how the Republicans do it, how the sound machine works and how the phony outrage and smear machine operates. We're learning about their techniques. So we're watching and learning, and this week was like a lab experiment for studying conservative outrage and smears. We are learning how to react, how to keep from getting sucked into the defensiveness game, and how to fight back. Two years ago the swiftboating of Kerry cost him the election. This year Kerry - and all of us by extension - understood more about what was happening and responded effectively. So yes, I think last week's media frenzy was, on balance, very good for the Democrats. huffingtonpost.com

To: LindyBill who wrote (80050)	11/4/2006 8:53:09 PM
From: American Spirit	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 81568

If you're going to attack a Democrat, at least use something true and factual to do it. Only an idiot would now know Kerry's botched joke was never intended to diss troops. Of course not. In fact, the joke, the way it was written was actually a very accurate attack on Bush, that he didn't study Vietnam and Iraqi history before he invaded and got us stuck in Iraq. Also notice today that Bush gaffed badly, saying of Iraq "The only way we can win is to leave without finishing the job". How true, sadly and tragically.