Boycott Brunei!

3 Apr, 2019 at 08:48 | Posted in Politics & Society, Varia | 16 Comments

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16 Comments

  1. The piano player in the video is now a clergyman in the Church of England.

    Comment by Tomboktu— 4 Apr, 2019 #

  2. Today, large segments of the Christian Right openly practice a politics based upon disgust. Depicting the sexual practices of lesbians and, especially, of gay men as vile and revolting, they suggest that such practices contaminate and defile society, producing decay and degeneration…. The politics of disgust is profoundly at odds with the abstract idea of a society based on the equality of all citizens, in which all have a right to the equal protection of the laws. It says that the mere fact that you happen to make me want to vomit is reason enough for me to treat you as a social pariah, denying you some of your most basic entitlements as a citizen.

    — Martha Nussbaum, From Disgust to Humanity: Sexual Orientation & Constitutional Law.

    Nussbaum notes that:

    Arguments do not always wear their true purpose on their face, nor are courts required to take them at face value. Laws against miscegenation paraded in a religious and moral dress, but the Supreme Court ultimately held that they were nothing but a device to shore up “White Supremacy.” (Nussbaum 2008: 343-344) (Nussbaum, Martha wip. Liberty of Conscience: In Defense of America’s Tradition of Religious Equality. New York: Basic Books; 2008; p. 343.)

    Today, under the Trump/Pence adminstration the politics of disgust hides its animus under the euphamism of “religious freedom” — the justification to allow religious bigots to act on their religious bigotry and animus in the public domain. This politics of disgust relies on moral obtuseness (equivocation as exemplified in Pences words vs. his deeds). His (evangelical disgust) imputes to the other a subhuman nature. The politics of disgust is profoundly at odds with the basic idea of a society based on equality of all its citizens.

    Comment by Rob Reno— 4 Apr, 2019 #

  3. Anyone how thinkgs Evagelical Christians are not on par with Muslims who persecute the LGBT community are fooling themselves: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AufofOGUpDNzhYMaHK-aKsCSQE0KCw

    Comment by Rob Reno— 4 Apr, 2019 #

  4. The United Nations has condemned Brunei’s ant-homosexual law as ‘cruel and inhuman.’ But the US State Department under Trump/Pence/Pompeo refuses to make a full-throated condemnation, and anyone with half a brain knows full well why. Trump has consistently shown sympathy with dictators and engaged in xenophobic hateful rhetoric. He as attacked our allies and undermined NATO. He has by his moral vacuum (there were never “good people” on both sides in Charlottesville, and to characterize a neo-Nazi group as such reveals much about Trump and the ilk that follow or support him) created a space in the world for all kinds of extremism and fanaticism to flourish. He gives comfort by his moral equivocation to dictators, autocrats, and brutal theocracies like Saudi Arabia and its wonton murder of a journalist.

    Mike Pence, a fundamentalist evangelical Christian, has a long history of hatred and animosity toward the LGBT community. It is no secret. For him to step up and condemn Brunei’s ‘cruel and inhuman’ law would implicitly condemn his own beliefs, and that is why you won’t see him do it. Those who don’t know history are foolish. Fundamentalist evangelical Christianity has persecuted the LGBT community for a long time. Homophobia goes far back in religious history; there is nothing new under the sun. It is no mystery that evangelicals overwhelmingly support Trump. It is also no mystery that they seek to turn America into a Christian Nation again. They seek to erode the wall between church and state that our Founders so wisely erected. Evangelical Christians preach a twisted gospel. Trump is an opportunistic demagogue who wears religion like a John using a prostitute wears a condemn. So you won’t see him go against his “angry mob” (his base). America has become what Abraham Lincoln, Madison, and Jefferson warned us not to become, anti-intellectual and reasonable fools, and that has brought a huge moral vacuum into the world that mainstreams extremism and provides comfort and aid to fanatics and extremists of all ilk, religious, secular, and otherwise.

    Comment by Rob Reno— 4 Apr, 2019 #

    • Unreasonable fools …

      Comment by Rob Reno— 4 Apr, 2019 #

  5. Donald Trump and his VP Mike Pence helped create a world were such wicked ignorant religion can thrive as exhibited in those religious groups and indiviuals that persecute the LGBT community. Let here be no doubt about the ignorant fundamentalist Chrisitian Pence Agenda. It differes only in _degree_ but is not a wit different in principle from what Brunei is doing.

    Comment by Rob Reno— 3 Apr, 2019 #

    • What on Earth are you on about?? Islam and it’s homophobia tendencies existed a good THOUSAND YEARS before Trump was born!!!!

      Comment by Ralph Musgrave— 4 Apr, 2019 #

      • Of course, so what is your stupid point.

        Comment by Rob Reno— 4 Apr, 2019 #

        • “So what is your stupid point.” . . . . If you don’t understand my point, how do you know it is stupid?

          Your grasp of logic isn’t brilliant is it?

          Comment by Ralph Musgrave— 4 Apr, 2019 #

          • Simple … you make claims that were never in the statement. I never said anthing near what you assert …

            Comment by Rob Reno— 4 Apr, 2019 #

          • “Islam and it’s homophobia tendencies existed a good THOUSAND YEARS.” No where in anything I said is such implied or said. You are simply speaking nonsense or don’t understand what was being said in the first place. The rest is below. Beyond that I won’t waste my time.

            Comment by Rob Reno— 4 Apr, 2019 #

      • Trump and ilk like him are no different than any other amoral self-seeking fundamentalist mind set. He uses fundamentism like a John uses a condom.He spreads hatred, islamaohibia, is a pathological liar.

        Pence is a fundamentalist Christian that spreads religious bigotry and engages in weasel like pretzel logic to excuse Trump’s behaviour to get his bigoted religious beliefs enforced by law. Different only in degree from the Taliban or any other fundamentalist tendencies toward theocracy.

        They seek to by force if law make their private religious prejudices, beliefs based on their narrow and ignorant interpretation of scripture, the law of the land, a blatant violation of separation of church and state.
        That is in principle exactly what the Taliban seek, hence different only in degree because they are restrained by the law and secular culture and liberal and moderate religionists from accomplishing their desired ends.

        I never said (apparently you can’t read) they invented homophobia within Islam. But only a fool cannot see Trump’s authoritarian tendencies and clear and present abdication of all sense of moral leadership encourges and emboldens all authoritarian fananticisms, both secular and religious and in between. He turns a blind eye to Saudi King’s murder of a journalist. Are you so deaf, dumb, and blind you can not see how Trump, the so-called leader of the US by his behaviour emboldens all forms of extremism and fanaticism?

        Comment by Rob Reno— 4 Apr, 2019 #

  6. Whoever you hate will end up in your family.

    — Chris Rock, actor/comedian

    Comment by Rob Reno— 3 Apr, 2019 #

  7. I’m with you Lars. This is an abomination in the eyes of Allah, God, Buddha, Norai, and is in stark contrast to the teachings of Jesus in the parables! This is a form of religious bigotry that needs to be condemned world wide by thought leaders of religious orientation from all religions in all domains. Silence is complicity … period! And I note fundamentalism has more in common than living religion has differences. Evangelical fundamentalist Christians from America have taken their sick religion of bigotry, prejudice, and hatred to Africa and brought about the same droconian retrogressive primitive religious behavior in fundamentalist Christains.

    Comment by Rob Reno— 3 Apr, 2019 #


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