Reading about all the supposedly really smart people are looking down at all us hoi polloi (defining hoi polloi even those like Charles Krauthammer with similar intellectual pedigrees and residence in or near coastal big cities and university towns) who have questions about the “Ground Zero Mosque,” I started seeing a pattern in their criticism of those putting forward conservative ideas or opinions at odds with their world view.

They who sneer how simplistic rubes right-wingers are offer a remarkably simplistic analyses about the motivations for our actions, that our political opinions are rooted in animosity against minorities.

If we oppose the mosque, it’s because we’re anti-Muslim.  If we oppose Obama’s policies, we’re racist.  If we disagree with courts overturning the will of the people to mandate state recognition of same-sex marriage, we’re anti-gay (or self-hating if we are gay).  If we support tough laws cracking down on illegal immigrants, we’re anti-Hispanic and xenophobic to boot.

You get the picture.

This lady don’t mince her words.  :-)

Conservative pundit Ann Coulter responded today to the announcement that WorldNetDaily was dropping her as a speaker for one of their events, calling WorldNetDaily Editor Joseph Farah a “publicity whore” and a “swine.”. . . .

WND posted an email exchange between Coulter and Farah in their public announcement that she would be removed from the list of speakers. Coulter expressed anger that he quoted her from their private emails on the issue.

My, my, this guy is a real piece of work, first, he peddles the birther nonsense, then he throws a hissy fit because Coulter would speak to an audience of gay conservatives, then he publishes private e-mails.

In her e-mail to the Dally Caller, Coulter reminds them that her “fellow evangelicals — and I know lots and lots of ‘em — – all think it’s great that I’m doing this. (of course, they know I’m not changing my mind on gay marriage even though I like gays.)”

I’m presuming the Caller had her permission to post this missive that she acknowledged she wrote in a rush.  And she has evangelicals who think it’s great she’s speaking to gay conservatives!?!?  That really does upset the narrative now, doesn’t it?

And note how she says it’s possible to like gay people and oppose gay marriage.  Upsetting another narrative.

UPDATE:  Just received this note from Chris Moody at the Daily Caller, “Ms. Coulter did give us permission to use the email.”

And I thought Republicans welcomed such comments — or so our critics tell us.

“A Republican Party official on Tuesday criticized anti-gay comments made by a Republican who is running for the Iowa House“:

Candidate Jeremy Walters of Des Moines wrote on his Facebook page that the Bible says gays should be killed, and that he believes AIDS was designed by God to kill them. . . .

Tuesday, Matt Strawn, the party’s chairman, said in a statement: “Mr. Walters’ comments are inappropriate and in no way represent the beliefs of the Republican Party of Iowa. HIV/AIDS does not discriminate, and our hearts and prayers go out to any Iowa family facing this disease.”

If I lived in Nevada and were polled today on the state’s marquee U.S. Senate race, I would probably indicate that I was undecided, leaning toward voting for “None of the These Candidates,” an option the Silver State allows.  Yet, much as I dislike Sharron Angle’s stand on a variety of gay issues, I realize that she is the only candidate who has a serious chance of removing Harry Reid from the United States Senate.

And this politician has spent his years as Democratic Leader, obstructing the Republican agenda when in the minority and pushing Obama’s big-government agenda when in the majority.  No wonder Rasmussen polls this race as a tie, but when they include leaners, Angle edges ahead.  People just don’t like Harry.  For all the money he’s poured into the race, he can barely muster a narrow lead (in the best polls) while holding only one-third of independent voters.

Indeed, “If Sharron Angle truly is as cuckoo as Harry Reid says she is,” Las Vegas Sun columnist Jon Ralston writes, “and as her own words occasionally indicate, why isn’t the Senate majority leader, arguably the most powerful Nevadan in history, running away from her in the polls?”

But here’s the rub: People hate Reid. I tell my daughter never to use that verb, but it’s the only word for it. It seethes, blinds, sputters.

I am asked all the time for the provenance of such animus. I still believe it is a combination: Anger at the Obama-Reid-Pelosi agenda that folks blame for their economic lot, Reid’s four decades in politics, his general mien and, of course, his intemperate remarks (war is lost, taxes are voluntary, tourists smell). (more…)

While the folks at HRC can’t contain their outrage that the company (with an excellent record of treating gay employees fairly) won’t kowtow to their demands, the folks at Target are having a little fun with the left-of-center gay group.  Just yesterday, I received this report from a reader:

I am starting college next week and decided to apply for a job at Target. So I log on to their web site and saw that they have a banner up touting their perfect score from the HRC as one of the best places to work. After hearing about the greivences the HRC has with Target, I knew this bragging wasn’t incidental. It seems to me that they are using the HRC’s own words to show what a ridiculous issue they are creating. I think its hilarious, and I applaud Target for using the HRC to fight back against the HRC.

Ditto that.

Here’s the screenshot of the banner:

Guess their just reminding people that HRC’s recent grandstanding notwithstanding, the organization has honored them for treating their gay employees with dignity.  One more reason to shop at Target.

In his column today, asking, if it’s bigoted to criticize religion, David Harsanyi finds an interesting double standard in the media coverage of protests against religious institutions.  Note all the self-important pundits stomping their feet and thumping their chests about the bigotry of those protesting the Ground Zero Mosque.  Where were they when some disgruntled citizens protested another religious institution?

In 2008, thousands of gay-rights activists protested the Mormon temple in Westwood, Calif., for its role in passing Proposition 8 — the ban on same-sex marriage. This grew into a national protest to undermine the influence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — even though not every Mormon was involved.

I don’t recall anti-Mormon protesters being referred to as bigots for targeting religion; it appeared to be just the opposite, in fact. And if I am offended by aspects of Mormon theology, why not voice those concerns? Put it this way: If Mormons proposed the erection of a 13-story community center in West Hollywood or the West Village, I would be happy to join the outcry of protest.

Read the whole thing.

Guess the folks at WorldNetDaily were so pleased with the success of the American Family Association’s (AFA) boycott of Home Depot that they decided to engage in a little temper tantrum of their own. They dropped Ann Coulter as a speaker for their “‘Taking America Back National Conference’ next month because of her plan to address an event titled ‘HOMOCON’ sponsored by the homosexual (sic) Republican group GOProud that promotes same-sex marriage and military service for open homosexuals (sic).”

This shows that we still have our work cut out for us on the right.  While openly gay conservatives have, by and large, found welcome on the right, exceptions do remains.

Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of WND, contends GOProud has a very “‘unconservative’ agenda”.  Huh?  Guess, he doesn’t like small government and individual freedom.

In reply, Coulter stood firm:

That’s silly, I speak to a lot of groups and do not endorse them. I speak at Harvard and I certainly don’t endorse their views. I’ve spoken to Democratic groups and liberal Republican groups that loooove abortion. The main thing I do is speak on college campuses, which is about the equivalent of speaking at an al-Qaida conference. I’m sure I agree with GOProud more than I do with at least half of my college audiences. But in any event, giving a speech is not an endorsement of every position held by the people I’m speaking to. I was going to speak for you guys, I think you’re nuts on the birther thing (though I like you otherwise!).

Good for her, meanwhile Farrah continues in a rant reminiscent of some things I’ve seen in the comment threads to this blog (only twisted to fit his partisan perspective), “GOProud is about infiltration of the conservativemovement and dividing it from within with twisted and dangerous ideas way out of the mainstream of American public opinion.”

Twisted and dangerous ideas?  Guess he must have a problem with that freedom thing.

The First Amendment to the Constitution:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The House Speaker has “called for an investigation of those who are protesting the building of the Ground Zero Mosque on Tuesday“:

There is no question there is a concerted effort to make this a political issue by some. And I join those who have called for looking into how is this opposition to the mosque being funded,” she said. “How is this being ginned up that here we are talking about Treasure Island, something we’ve been working on for decades, something of great interest to our community as we go forward to an election about the future of our country and two of the first three questions are about a zoning issue in New York City.

Now, an investigation of a political protest movement may pass constitutional muster, but it certainly smacks of authoritarianism.  An investigation does not mean she favors abridging freedom or speech or curtailing “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” which is what opponents of the “Ground Zero Mosque” have been doing.  But, she sure doesn’t seem comfortable with it.

Why, may I ask, does she need to know how this is being “ginned up”?  Why can’t she just take issue with their arguments without casting aspersions at their motives?

Wonder if she also wants to investigate her Senate counterpart, Harry Reid who thinks the mosque should be built elsewhere?  Guess she’ll also be calling for an investigation of Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid, director of Al-Arabiya TV who wrote  that the “last thing Muslims want today is to build just a religious center out of defiance to the others, or a symbolic mosque that people visit as a museum next to a cemetery.” (more…)

Last week in a piece for the Advocate, Drew Sweetwater wrote:

In California from 1999 to 2003, Democrats controlled the state legislature, and there was a Democratic governor, Gray Davis. During this time marriage equality (sic) legislation was not made law and upheld in California.

To the present time, many gay rights activists are comfortable dumping millions of dollars into the campaign war chests of Democrats running for office — Equality California, the Human Rights Campaign, and other so-called nonpartisan gay organizations — and they have nothing to show for it. Talk about a bad, fraudulent investment.

He notes a well that at the national level, neither the 110th nor the 111th Congress, both controlled by Democrats, have moved forward on repeal of DOMA.

But, Calfornia is a special case.  The leading gay advocacy group, “Equality California,” while, little more than a (gay) front group for the California Democratic Party has great sway in a state capital dominated by Democrats.  And they wear their partisanship on their sleeve.  Stroll down the street in the city where Drew and I live and you’ll see their storefront headquarters decorated with Boxer and (Jerry) Brown signs.

They’ve long had influence in Sacramento, but never use that influence to put forward innovative solutions to address their concerns.  Instead, they constantly lobby for measure upon measure, assuming that whatever they want, they can get through the legislature.

Well, that’s not always the case.  In the wake of the passage of Prop 22 in 2000, a measure which codified the traditional definition of marriage as one man and one woman into state law, they stomped their feet and gnashed their teeth and hoped and prayed some nice, kind judge would spare them the hard work of making the case for state recognition of same-sex marriage. (more…)

In a must-read post on big government has forgotten how to build big projects, the like of which it helped put up during World War II, Michael Barone laments that

Big government has become a big, waddling, sluggish beast, ever ready to boss you around, but not able to perform useful functions at anything but a plodding pace. It needs to be slimmed down and streamlined, so it can get useful things done fast.

Pretty much sums it up.  It wants to tell us what to do while it can’t do much of anything well or efficiently.