By J. Matt Barber, Liberty Counsel, July 29, 2008

I’m always mystified when allegedly intelligent, bottom-line-obsessed corporate types abandon the fiscally secure milieu of political neutrality and take sides, officially, on deeply polarizing, socio-cultural issues of the day.

That’s exactly what the formerly family-friendly McDonald’s Corporation recently did. In an apparent effort to pierce the hyper-demanding good graces of the radical homosexual lobby, these clowns (pun intended) have thrown the vast majority of potential Mickey D’s customers, worldwide, under the bus. Because of this colossal corporate blunder, the hamburger giant is now facing an embarrassing and ever-growing international boycott.

McDonald’s self-inflicted woes started back in March, when the company paid $20,000 to have Richard Ellis, McDonald’s “out and proud” homosexual vice president of communications, placed on the board of the innocuously tagged “National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.” NGLCC is an extremist, “gay” activist organization that lobbies for leftist causes, such as “gay marriage,” and pushes for other policies that would grant special privileges to certain individuals who define themselves based upon unhealthy, traditionally immoral and changeable sexual behaviors.

Police-protected sadistic celebration reveals continuing lawlessness in America’s ‘gay-est’ city

WARNING: GRAPHIC ALBEIT COVERED-UP PHOTOS OF LEGAL PUBLIC PERVERSION IN SAN FRANCISCO; NOT FOR CHILDREN

CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE. Man whips another man’s back as crowd watches at the “Up Your Alley” street fair in San Francisco. Consensual sexual violence, degradation and even “slavery” are part of the “leather” movement — which has its own “pride” flag just like the “gay” movement that birthed it.

By Peter LaBarbera

These photos were taken on Sunday, July 27, 2008, by amateur pro-family volunteers for Americans For Truth, at the “Up Your Alley” street fair in San Francisco — one of the city’s two open-air celebrations of sadomasochism (euphemistically called the “leather” lifestyle by practitioners). It is telling to us that the same city whose mayor, Gavin Newsom (D), ignited the “same-sex marriage” crusade in California by illegally issuing “gay marriage” licenses — openly tolerates and celebrates gross perversions, nudity and sexual lawlessness on its streets. Last year, Newsom issued a congratulatory welcome letter to attendees of the “Folsom Street Fair,” the bigger S&M festival held in September that also runs and sponsors “Up Your Alley.”

These photos do not fit in with the slick, national “gay” marketing plan, to be sure. Nevertheless, this pathetic and debased spectacle is as much an offspring of the “GLBT” movement as the current quest for homosexual “marriage.” The latter radically redefines and corrupts an ancient institution created by God to order relations between man and woman as the basis for family life. Perverse events like “Up Your Alley” and “Folsom Street Fair” mock any notion of right and wrong — as the reckless pursuit of anything-goes “tolerance” leads governmental authorities to enable and promote evil, turning freedom into sexual anarchy while causing a breakdown in law and order.

Homosexual activists mock and deride Americans For Truth relentlessly for exposing sordid realities like “Up Your Alley” — and showing you what happens when sexual radicals come to dominate a major city. They don’t want Americans to see this side of their agenda, so they attack the messenger. But we must face reality and come to grips with the truth that “rights” based on aberrant sex are not genuine civil rights. In fact, they pervert the noble ideal of American freedom. (It’s no coincidence that the same San Francisco politicians who welcome these nudity- and perversion-filled festivals in city streets have moved to condemn ex-gays and Christian moral opposition to homosexuality.)

Like the pantless perverts wandering around in sneakers-only at “Up Your Alley,” the liberals’ pro-homosexual “tolerance and diversity” program is now fully exposed as a soulless and bankrupt ideology. According to its precepts, nothing can be judged as wrong (sexually-speaking) — except, of course, normal, historic Judeo-Christian mores. But common sense leads us to ask: if homosexualism is a good or benign force in society, why in San Francisco — the nation’s “gay” Mecca, its “queer” utopia — do we witness this progression into degrading and wicked public displays sanctioned by the government? Turns out, boundaries are good — they protect us; they even protect people (sinners, all) from themselves. But without God, there are no limits, and evil fills the void: if a once-Christian-infused culture can go from holding sodomy in contempt to embracing “Gay Pride,” then why not indulge “Leather Pride”?

AFTAH in the News… 

By Allie Martin – OneNewsNow – 7/29/2008; listen to the story online HERE

Alleged church shotgun murderer Jim Adkisson had a problem with the Bible and the church, liberals and homosexuals, according to reports.

The president of Americans for Truth says homosexual activists will use the recent church shooting in Knoxville, Tennessee, to advance their agenda and call for “hate crimes” legislation.

According to police reports, Jim Adkisson walked into the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville on Sunday and opened fire — killing two and wounding five others. Authorities believe Adkisson selected the congregation because of its liberal social stance, including support for homosexual causes.

Shortly after the shootings took place, pro-homosexual groups such as the Human Rights Campaign were offering assistance to the church. Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality thinks groups with agendas similar to HRC’s will use the tragedy to continue their push for federal hate crimes legislation.

“The fact is, this case will get the attention it deserves — and I believe this man could be given the death penalty, without any extra help from the feds and any sort of hate crimes prosecution,” he explains. “If he’s guilty of murder, and [if] the facts are true, he should get the death penalty.”

Click HERE for the rest of the story at One News Now

Dear AFTAH Readers,

Please take the time to read carefully this superbly crafted column by my friend (and former boss) Bob Knight of the Culture & Media Institute. Bob is an expert in dissecting the lies of the Left, but I particularly enjoyed this piece setting the record straight on the Democrats’ and the Washington Post’s shameful mistreatment of Elaine Donnelly, a national leader in keeping radical sexual agendas out the military.

Post columnist Dana Milbank’s snideness is answered below by Bob’s classy — and very instructive — piece. As you know, AFTAH has been on the receiving end of a mountain full of cheap, spurious and ad hominem attacks of the sort leveled at Elaine — who deserves our thanks for decades of faithful service to the nation. — Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.org

TAKE ACTION: Spread the word by asking your family, friends and contacts to call their Congressman and U.S. Senators to voice their opposition to homosexualizing the U.S. military. Call 202-225-3121 (House) or 202-224-3121 (Senate); or go to www.congress.org.

A summary of Donnelly’s testimony and the statement of Brian Jones is available on the Center for Military Readiness’ website. Her full-length statement, with supporting footnotes and links, is posted on the House Armed Services Committee website. (Question: where were all the Republican men who should have been defending Donnelly?)

_________________________

Bob Knight writes:

A Lady Under Fire

A Washington Post columnist claims a supporter of the ban on gays in the military exhibited “rage” in Congressional testimony — but The Hill reveals that the rage was on the other side.

By Robert Knight
Culture and Media Institute
July 25, 2008

Elaine Donnelly reported for duty Wednesday. She went to a battlefield where most men who agree with her were AWOL.

Like her mentor, Phyllis Schlafly, she did not let others’ cowardice or indifference interfere with what she needed to do. Mrs. Donnelly, President of the Center for Military Readiness, told the truth at risk of ridicule or worse, keeping the faith that telling the truth matters no matter what.

Jim David Adkisson allegedly went on a shotgun killing rampage at a liberal Tennessee church. If convicted, he should get the death penalty. “Hate crimes” laws are not necessary to bring killers like this to justice.

I just sent this short note to Joey Leslie, editor of the Tennessee homosexual newspaper “Out and About,” concerning the case of Jim David Adkisson, 58, who allegedly went on a shotgun rampage at a Tennessee church, killing two people and leaving several others in critical condition.

Of course, pro-homosexual activists will seek to exploit this case to win passage of a federal “hate crimes” law, but as I told an American Family Association reporter today, surely justice can and will be done in this case — possibly including the death sentence that this (alleged) murderer deserves — without the extra help of special “hate crimes” prosecution. Please pray for the injured victims and the families of all the victims of this senseless act. — Peter LaBarbera

Here’s my note and HERE is the full Out & About story:

Mr. Leslie, I am diametrically opposed to your agenda as a pro-family advocate on the other side of the homosexuality issue, but if this account is true, this murderer [Jim David Adkisson] should get the death penalty. And that can be done without federal Hate Crimes legislation. Best–pl

Peter LaBarbera
Americans For Truth
Naperville, IL
www.americansfortruth.org
630-717-7631

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Biblical love balances compassion and condemnation of sin

The following talk, “God’s Plan for the Gay Agenda,” was given by John MacArthur on his Christian radio program Grace to You (copyright 2004; all rights reserved). We will post more of MacArthur’s teachings and those of other Christian leaders in the future. This 2004 sermon — even more applicable today than it was fours years ago — was posted on the Bible Bulletin Board by Tony Capoccia. Emphasis is added below:

God’s Plan for the Gay Agenda

By John MacArthur

If you’ve been watching the headlines over the past six months, you may have noticed the incredible surge of interest in affirming homosexuality. Whether it’s at the heart of a religious scandal, political corruption, radical legislation, or the redefinition of marriage, homosexual interests have come to characterize America. That’s an indication of the success of the gay agenda. But sadly, when people refuse to acknowledge the sinfulness of homosexuality—calling evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20)—they do so at the expense of many souls, perhaps even their own.

How should you respond to the success of the gay agenda? Should you accept the recent trend toward tolerance? Or should you side with those who exclude homosexuals and decry the sin? The Bible calls for a balance between what some people think are two opposing reactions—condemnation and compassion. Really, the two together are essential elements of biblical love, and that’s something the homosexual desperately needs.

Homosexual advocates have been remarkably effective in selling their warped interpretations of passages in Scripture that address homosexuality. When you ask a homosexual what the Bible says about homosexuality—and many of them know—they have digested an interpretation that is not only warped, but also completely irrational. Pro-homosexual arguments from the Bible are nothing but smokescreens—as you come close, you see right through them.

WARNING: GRAPHIC — AFTAH reporters troubled by many children exposed to homosexuality celebration

GAY SHAME DAY? Do homosexuals have special rights on “pride” days to engage in public indecency and other illegal behaviors? This exhibitionist running a booth in the pornographic “Freedom Zone” at the recent San Diego Gay Pride festival was masturbating and playing with himself in public as people looked on. No security officials were called in to stop him in the roughly half hour AFTAH reporters were there as he continued to fondle himself. (The Freedom Zone — it was actually called the “Freedom Xone,” suggesting its pornographic content — was blocked off from the rest of the festival area by black plastic divider walls.) Look for further photos on San Diego “gay pride” in the coming days. CLICK HERE to listen online to an interview by CWA’s Martha Kleder with Peter LaBarbera of AFTAH. Blocked Photo: Allyson Smith, AFTAH.

CWA writes:

Gay Pride and Parenting

Concerned Women for America, July 24, 2008 —

Efforts to enact same-sex “marriage” across the nation have also bolstered the number same-sex couples seeking to parent children. Peter LaBarbera, President of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, just returned from California where he attended San Diego’s “gay’ pride festival. What he saw there was nearly the same level of public displayed perversity but this time with an increasing number of children in attendance. He spoke with CWA Policy Analyst Martha Kleder about what he saw. Listen | Download

The number of sites that come up on a Google search of “gay military pornography.”

The arrogance of the pro-homosexuality-in-the- military forces has escalated to unbelievable levels — a product in part of the huge political mobilization by anti-Don’t-Ask/Don’t-Tell forces compared to their pro-family opponents. Once again we see the play for sympathy based on the false and unproven idea that people are “born gay.” Get out your violins: the homosexual victims are coming … to Capitol Hill to demand more “rights” based on their aberrant sexual inclinations. Straight soldiers’ rights? Forget it! And no need to hire a PR agency for the “gay” side: the liberal media is taking care of that (more on Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank’s hit-piece against Donnelly later).–Peter LaBarbera

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Tony Perkins of Family Research Council writes in his July 24 “Washington Update”:

Rude Congressmen Tell and Don’t Ask at Hearing

For the first time since Congress beat back Bill Clinton’s effort to bring homosexuals into the military in 1993, there was a hearing on the topic yesterday on Capitol Hill, which FRC’s Vice President for Policy Peter Sprigg and several Witherspoon Fellows attended. The Democrats in Congress are laying the groundwork for action next year, when they hope [a Democrat will be] president … to overturn the law which codified the military’s longstanding policy excluding homosexuals. Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, and Sgt. Major Brian Jones, a veteran of the Army’s elite Delta Force, ably defended the law in the face of shockingly disrespectful and even abusive questioning by members of the House Military Personnel subcommittee. Particularly egregious was the behavior of Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.), who said that Donnelly’s concern about the impact of HIV-positive soldiers was “dumb” and that her testimony about behaviors common among homosexuals was “bonkers.” Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.) used the silly line, “When did you decide to be heterosexual?” The false assumptions that people are “born gay” and can never change, and that homosexuality is equivalent to race, permeated the questioning. Yet no one explained how it would benefit the military to recruit service members who plan to commit acts which are criminal under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Additional Resources
AP: Vigorous debate held on ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’