Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Tony Perkins issues petty statement about cancellation of his appearance on 'This Week'

FRC's Perkins
Anti-lgbt hate group leader Tony Perkins (head of the Family Research Council) published a statement today about the cancellation of his appearance on Sunday's ABC news program  This Week with George Stephanopoulos

Last week, the group Faithful America  circulated a petition asking that This Week cancel Perkins's appearance on the grounds that his organization is an SPLC designated hate group because it deliberately passes along lies about the lgbt community, such as the claim that gay men routinely molest children.

Perkins's statement addressing his cancellation struck me as petty but I am going to post it in full along with some "clarifications:"

The far-Left must be desperate for moral victories, because now they're making them up! This past weekend, a liberal group launched a petition to ABC News encouraging them to cancel my appearance.

(Editor's note - Perkins will not mention Faithful America by name throughout his statement as a deliberate way to dehumanize the group in the same manner he dehumanizes lgbts.)

 Of course, this is nothing new for me or FRC. Among the many things I've observed firsthand about the intolerant Left is: if they can't shout you down, they'll try to shut you down by silencing you. The reason is quite obvious. The facts, truth, reason, and common sense are against them so they don't want a reasonable conversation, they don't even want a debate!

(Editor's note - It is ironic that Perkins claims "the left" is trying to shut him down. Apparently he forgot how his group joined several other religious right organizations last year in an unsuccessful attempt to shut down the ABC sitcom "The Real O'Neals," claiming that it was anti-Christian and the creator of the show, noted lgbt activist Dan Savage, was an "anti-Christian bigot." 

Also,while Perkins claims that "the left" doesn't want to debate, he also seems to forget that in 2014, he allegedly REFUSED to debate blogger and lgbt activist Jeremy Hooper on Fox News. Because of this refusal, Megyn Kelly conducted a bizarre interview with Hooper and then Perkins without the two confronting each other.

Lastly in the matters of truth, Perkins was caught distorting information on at least two occasions. In 2010, Chris Matthews of Hardball had to issue a clarification regarding a false medical group Perkins cited to make the phony connection his group pushed regarding gay men and pedophilia. And in 2013, Luke Russert pushed back against Perkins when he cited a phony study on gay parenting.)

 So, in typical George Soros fashion, they tried – unsuccessfully -- to pressure ABC News to cancel my appearance, and then claimed victory when ABC did so for completely unrelated reasons. After leading FRC for a decade and a half (as well as working on the other side of the interview desk, which I've done as a reporter and now as a daily radio show host), one thing is certain when it comes to the press: schedules change all the time. The media has to adapt to breaking stories of the day and different guests' availability. When ABC canceled my appearance Monday, it had nothing to do with this petition that an insignificant number signed. If that were the case, we could overwhelm their petition with one of our own. This liberal group previously claimed they banned me from another TV network. But that was false because I've continued to make appearances on the network. Just since Sunday, I've appeared on Fox News Business, twice on MSNBC, and twice on Fox News.

(Editor's note - Faithful America's exact statement:  "Other media outlets have increasingly stopped offering a platform for Perkins' vitriol after hearing from thousands of us who are outraged by his claim to speak for everyday Christians."  Don't worry. I will address Perkins's comments about Faithful America's petition.)

Over the last few days, ABC News has heard from those who want to censor Christian viewpoints. Now it's time for ABC News to hear from you and viewers across the political spectrum who value a civil discussion. Please contact ABC News by sending them an email and let them know where you stand.

(Editor's note -  Faithful America does not want to censor "Christian" viewpoints. That is unless you feel that  "Christian" viewpoints entail making false statements about groups of people while hiding behind your "faith."

Lastly, I have a simple question. Perkins minimizes the effect of Faithful America's petition by claiming that FRC could have created one with more signatures possibly defending Perkins . If this is the case, why does he feel the need to tell folks to contact ABC on his behalf? Faithful America's petition was a way to send a message to ABC and it seems that perhaps it was a success on some level because Perkins is obviously trying to get his supporters to send a message, just in a different manner.) 

Now doesn't that clear things up rather nicely?


'Religious right group unveiled guide on how to pray about Trump' & other Wed. midday news briefs

We need to pray for protection FROM Trump, not pray for him to be president.

Apparently the religious right group organizing yesterday's meeting with Trump had a guide on how to pray  about Trump for attendees. It's ONLY three pages.  I for one am speechless. 

You can see it by clicking here.

Hat tip to Brian Tashman of Right Wing Watch

 
Tony Perkins Agrees '100 Percent' That Donald Trump Would Be Better For The LGBT Community Than Hillary Clinton - "When I heard that, I screamed like a white woman in church!"

 Mat Staver: Gay Marriage Is A 'Lie From The Pit Of Hell' - Geez! Staver doesn't even TRY to be original.

 The People Hurt By North Carolina’s ‘Bathroom Law’ Who Aren’t LGBT - Shame that hardly anyone talks about this unfortunate truth.

 A GOP Congressman Is Planning An LGBT Nondiscrimination Bill — With Exceptions - NO THANK YOU! And it just sticks in my craw how the opposition was able to slyly move away from "exemptions for religious institutions" to "exemptions for people of faith." It makes a HUGE and ugly difference.

Hate group leader Tony Perkins doesn't believe faith should be used as a weapon (unless it's by him)

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council

Anti-lgbt hate group leader Tony Perkins had an interview yesterday  with MSNBC's Peter Alexander about Donald Trump's meeting with the religious and and anti-lgbt right.

You can feel free to watch the entire interview via Media Matters. Once was enough for me, thank you very much. Granted, some folks have pointed out that since Perkins and his group (the Family Research Council) masquerades as a faith-based group while pushing anti-lgbt lies, he shouldn't be given a platform by mainstream media.

I don't exactly agree and for two reasons. I think that mainstream media should have people like Perkins on but should do a better job in giving their viewers accurate information on what he is all about as well as asking critical questions on his statements and his group's tactics; both of which belie the fact that Perkins is a religious leader and his group is faith-based.

The second reason is more to the point. Perkins opens his mouth like a fish eager for bait and gets hooked. That is to say, he generally says something which gives the lgbt community an opportunity to prove him a liar.

Such as this statement when Alexander questioned him on Trump attacking the religion of his opponents:

ALEXANDER: Donald Trump there saying we don't know anything about Hillary in terms of religion. In fact, we do. She's been public about her Methodist faith. She's spoken about it, she's written about it. She attended church. She actually had a close relationship to Billy Graham. So is Hillary Clinton's faith the real source of concern?

TONY PERKINS: First off, I don't think faith should be used as a weapon. I think faith is a building block, it’s a bridge. . .

If Perkins doesn't think faith should be used as a weapon, then why does he and his group constantly use it as a way to stomp down the lgbt community?

Like the time he said gays are "pawns of the enemy," i.e. Satan:



Or the time he questioned pro-lgbt Christians by using terms like "fascism" and "heresy."

And let's not forget the time when he said "homosexuality leads to eternal damnation."

Also, how could we forget when he compared upholding non-discrimination laws to the Holocaust by making references to boxcars and "re-education camps."

Lastly,  the Family Research Council in general is an organization pushing a  huge con game in which its leaders such as Perkins and spokespeople hide behind claims of "sincerely held religious beliefs" while at the same time pushing lies and junk science to smear the lgbt community.

So this claim by Perkins that he doesn't think faith should be used as a weapon is yet another lie he perpetrates.

He meant to say he doesn't think faith should be used as a weapon unless it's by him.

Hat tip to GLAAD CAP