Representative Bart Stupak (D-Mich) has repeatedly protested that he isn't trying to kill health care reform. But, as Stupak told the arch-conservative CNSNews service on Thursday November 5th, he hasn't been able to reach a compromise with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi concerning language dealing with abortion in the H.R. 3962 health care bill. So Stupak is still poised to enact his threat to lead a block of Democrats up to forty strong to join with Republicans and block the health care bill from getting to the House floor when it comes up for a vote, either over the weekend or early next week.

First openly gay nominee for spot on Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is attacked by Traditional Values Coalition, Focus on the Family and the Alliance Defense Fund

Thus far, no video has surfaced of her saying "I would hope that a wise Jewish lesbian with the richness of her experiences would, more often than not, reach a better conclusion," a la the recently confirmed Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, nor has any bizarre petition shown up with her signature affixed to it, a la Van Jones, the president's former point man on green jobs. Nevertheless the Christian Right -- led by the always agitated folks at the Traditional Values Coalition (TVC) -- is up in arms over Chai R. Feldblum's nomination to become a Commissioner on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency that enforces civil rights laws.

Feldblum's record indicates that she is a perfect fit for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; a compassionate advocate for the rights of the disabled and the disaffected. Au contraire say several Religious Right groups: Her appointment will be a victory for the 'forces of darkness,' and mark the end of 'religious liberty.'

Feldblum is the first openly gay or lesbian to be nominated to the EEOC -- as one of five commissioners, her nomination must be confirmed by the Senate -- which issues regulations implementing anti-discrimination laws and which authorizes test case litigation under anti-discrimination laws.

Ahmadinejad's visit to the United Nations stirred Mike Evans and Joel Rosenberg, two leading Christian Zionists, to once again open fire on Iran

I am in New York City standing up for Israel and against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Please pray for me. I have been boycotted by the UN because of our 9/11 NoVisa campaign. - Michael Evans, September 23, 2009

They're not Evans and Novak, and they're not officially tied together like Martin and Lewis, Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, or even Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow, but best-selling authors Michael Evans and Joel Rosenberg appear to be busting out their anti-Iran arsenals at just about the same time.  

While Mike Evans was fighting to keep Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, out of the United States - thereby preventing him from speaking at the United Nations (he failed) - and battling the U.N. to get press credentials for its session (which he eventually received), Joel Rosenberg, fresh from a successful 9/11 National Town Hall Meeting, was warning that "Rumors of a major war between Iran and Israel in 2010 continue to swirl here in Washington and in Jerusalem."  

Reading stories about the religious right often led me to questions as to how organizations in the group came up with so much money.  I ran across several reports about ministers like Gerald Smith being hired as a union buster.  Business men like Henry Ford saw unions as a threat to their fortunes.  During this period some anti-union sentiments were connected to fears of Communist infiltration.  Growing up in Oklahoma and living in a white collar town meant I received a two fold indoctrination on the evils of unions.  As a general rule of thumb the religious right has been anti union.  It has a legacy of hostility towards organzied labor. Christian talk radio often uses the word "union" in the same disdain they would  mentioning  the ACLU.

Matthew Hagee is ready to step into his father's shoes, but Pastor John Hagee is not quite ready to leave the building

As a number of older Religious Right leaders pass on, retire, and/or slip reluctantly into history, many of their sons are heeding the call, and are stepping in to take their place. Jerry Jr. and Jonathan Falwell have succeeded their father, the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, in the running of Liberty University and in the pulpit at Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va., where their father had presided for 40 years before his death; Gordon Robertson has taken on a major role at Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network; and for the past several years, Tim Wildmon has been playing a significant role in the Rev. Donald Wildmon's American Family Association.

Now, it's closing in Matthew Hagee time.

He's a preacher, a talented singer, an author, the host of his own television program, and he's waiting in the wings for his father, Pastor John Hagee -- who late last year underwent open heart surgery -- to ride off into the sunset.

Does Matthew have his dad's fire in his belly? Will he be as controversial a figure as his father? Is he ready for prime time?

Ignacio Reyes and David Schmidt have the look of a boy band; they're young and flashy, earnest and media-savvy. As leaders of the group Live Action, they're committed to organizing a corps of young anti-abortion activists. Pro-choice groups should take notice.

During a town hall meeting hosted by Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), a neatly attired young man rose to ask the congresswoman a question. He identified himself as Ignacio Reyes: "We know that over 90 percent of abortions are purely elective, not medically necessary. Why is this being covered when abortion is not clearly health care?" The question -- fair and asked politely -- was greeted by a round of applause and cheers from some in the audience. "Abortion will be covered as a benefit by one or more of the healthcare plans available to Americans, and I think it should be," Lofgren responded.

On hand to videotape the proceedings, and quickly post it on You Tube, was David R. Schmidt. (Schmidt's video is titled "Dem Congresswomen Admits ObamaCare = Taxpayer Funded Abortion Coverage" -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTYvK4h44RU)

Both Reyes (the questioner) and Schmidt (the videographer) are members of Live Action, the anti-abortion organization founded by Lila Rose.

The video quickly bled over into a number of other outlets, from Web sites and blogs to newszines and news aggregators; LifeSiteNews.com's story was headlined "Cat out of the Bag: Dem Congresswoman Admits ObamaCare Covers Elective Abortions," and the Heritage Foundation titled it, "Townhall Downfall: Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) Admits Obamacare Will Fund Abortions."

Perhaps not surprising in this age of proliferating media, Live Action's activists had become significant content providers. This wasn't a Susan Boyle moment, and their video will never top then-candidate Barack Obama's speech on race which within 48 hours garnered nearly 1.5 million viewers, but it did provide for another serious distraction for President Obama's health care reform project.

Struggling to find an identity and a larger audience, a number of long-time hard-core Religious Right groups have joined together to launch the Freedom Federation

The summer had barely begun. Worldwide attention was focused on the death of Michael Jackson and the cable news shock troops were on it 24/7. Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, had yet to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Tea Party movement, which showed some signs of life on Tax Day, was fizzling out. "Birthers" - right wing activists convinced that President Obama was not born in the U.S. - were smoldering on the sidelines. The right's assault on Obama's health care proposals was still weeks away.    

With the Christian right grasping at anti-Obama straws, a group of seasoned "culture warriors" filed into the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., in late June, to announce the formation of the Freedom Foundation, a new consortium of Christian conservative organizations.  

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld might have called it a meeting of dead-enders. Some might have seen it as a gathering of the bewitched, bothered and bewildered!

Now, nearly two months later, in an attempt to counter President Obama's health care reform outreach to the faith community, the Freedom Federation - touting "Real Hope. Real Change. Real Freedom" at it website -- held another Washington, D.C. press conference to warn legislators not to act precipitously on health care when they return from their August recess.

Mark DeMoss, a long-time conservative public relations expert has launched `The Civility Project' which calls for civility in the public discourse.

One could slice and dice just about any period in American history and determine that a "civility" project might have been useful. Nevertheless, it has been over the past few decades that churlish and bombastic invective has prevailed over carefully calibrated discourse. Back in the day, when William F. Buckley was eviscerating liberal foes on his PBS television program, he did it with a sparkle in his eye. (Buckley got considerably less civil with Gore Vidal during ABC's coverage of the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYymnxoQnf8).

A few days ago, when Sarah Palin talked about Barack Obama's health care reform initiatives and claimed that his "death panels" would decide who would live and who wouldf die, she was - to put it mildly -- decidely uncivil. She later reversed course and came out in favor of civility. However sincere or insincere she may be, it is highly unlikely that the likes of Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Rush Limbaugh, will be signing up for Mark DeMoss' "Civility Project."      

DeMoss, a long-time Christian Right/GOP-oriented public relations expert thinks today's political landscape is completely out of whack, and he's offering up his "Civility Project" as a way of learning how political opponents can disagree without being disagreeable.

So if you were DeMoss, and you were launching something as high-minded as "The Civility Project," why would you start off by bashing gays and lesbians?  

National Endowment for the Arts back in conservative crosshairs

It used to be that the mere mention of the National Endowment for the Arts (http://www.nea.gov/) would immediately draw fire from the right. In the 1990s, "Defund the NEA" became a rallying cry that was regularly heard in the halls of Congress. Direct mail packages, designed by conservative public relations pros and delivered directly to your mailbox by the U.S. Postal Service, claimed that the agency supported anti-Christian and pornographic art projects. Demonizing the NEA was a fundraising tool that kept giving and giving and giving.

Over the past decade, however, in part because the agency appeared to consciously distance itself from funding controversial art projects, and in part because the Christian Right moved on to other issues (abortion, same-sex marriage, immigration), fighting funding for the NEA was no longer at the top of their agenda.  

Concern over how President Barack Obama's stimulus money is being used is again focusing attention on the NEA. A July 30 Fox News report (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/29/stimulus-funds-art-hou ses-showing-pervert-revues-underground-pornography/) pointed out that some stimulus money (the Recovery and Reinvestment Act) earmarked for the NEA, wound up stimulating an NEA-funded "pornographic" film project, a long-running pansexual performance series, and a dance production featuring naked dancers.

On June 7th, 2008 Sarah Palin interrupted her schedule of state business and spent Alaska state taxpayer money to fly up to Juneau to the Mat-Su Valley where she attended on June 8th two religious events dominated by the Wasilla Assembly of God, which is demonstrably Palin's key Alaska church.

At the end of one those events, young adults in a church Palin had attended for over two decades were presented with Samurai swords. "Warriors of old were considered undressed if they were without their sword... Swords were worn in service to the lord of the realm. Some of the most renowned swordsmen were the Samurai," intoned a church member officiating the sword ceremony, who then quoted Psalms 149 verses 6-9:

"May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double edged sword in their hands to inflict vengeance on the nations, and punishment on the peoples, and to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, and to carry out the sentence written against them."

As I described in a June 11, 2009 story Ensign's "C Street House" Owned By Group Touting Plans For Christian World Control, founder of Youth With a Mission Loren Cunningham, whose organization owns the house where GOP Senators John Ensign and Tom Coburn enjoy cheap rent, espouses a doctrine known as the "Seven Mountains Mandate" in which believers seek to gain world control, by gaining influence over seven key sectors of society: religion, government, media, education, arts and entertainment, family, and business.

But the Seven Mountains idea is not unique to Loren Cunningham, and it is likely that Sarah Palin embraces the 7M Mandate's theocratic agenda:

In a 2005 religious ceremony (link to video footage) held as Palin was preparing to run for the Alaska governor's seat, two pastors publicly blessed and anointed Palin and in a short speech prior to the anointing, Kenyan religious leader Thomas Muthee gave an opening speech in whcih he clearly espoused, with Sarah Palin in the audience, the 7 Mountains Mandate.

The 7M Mandate is being promoted by a newly formed global Christian relational network, coalescing out of Pentecostalism and the Charismatic movement, which represents a radically different new form of Christianity, whose leaders Palin is extensively linked to, that most Americans do not even know exists: The New Apostolic Reformation.

Packin' Pistols for God and Country: NRA Christians stake claim on patriotism and the America

For many in this country the connection between guns and God is as American as burgers and fries, baseball and beer, and July 4th and fireworks. On Saturday, June 27, more than 200 people packing guns (albeit unloaded) gathered at the New Bethel Church in Louisville, Kentucky, where Pastor Ken Pagano welcomed them to an event called the "Open Carry Celebration."

According to the New Bethel Church website, the "Open Carry Celebration" was held on a Saturday instead of a Sunday, so that it was clear that it was "not a church worship service, where the focus is on Jesus and our responsibility to Him. Rather," Pagano, a former Marine weapons instructor, pointed out, "this is merely a church-hosted event, similar to any other event that any other church may do to celebrate their heritage."

"Open Carry" was held several weeks after Pagano had encouraged his parishioners to bring the guns to a church-sponsored picnic. "Honestly, I would really like to see this mushroom into a Thunder over Louisville, where we are just inundated with civil-minded responsible gun owners," Pagano said.

"As a Christian, I believe, and as an American this country was founded on the deep-seated belief in God and firearms -- without which we wouldn't be here today," Pagano told FOX News during the run-up to the "Open Carry" event.

"There is nothing illogical nor immoral about being a God-fearer and a decent community-minded individual who believes in rights to bear arms and use firearms for self-defense if necessary or just for sporting purposes."

"Future of Babylon" Project Preserves History to Some, Ushers in "End Times" to Others

On April 10, 2003, one day after U.S. forces established control over Iraq, a number of Iraqis took to doing, to paraphrase Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld "what a free people do"; running amok and looting whatever wasn't permanently nailed in place.

One of the hardest hit targets was Baghdad's Iraq Museum. While the pillaging of the Iraq Museum was covered fairly extensively by the media, the destabilization of antiquities in Babylon, where U.S. forces built a military base, Camp Alpha--received much less media attention.

In January 2005, the Boston Globe reported that according to a report by John Curtis, keeper of the British Museum's Near East department, "US-led troops using the ancient Iraqi city of Babylon as a base have damaged and contaminated artifacts dating back thousands of years in one of the most important archeological sites in the world."

Now, four years later, the State Department and the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage have established a project aimed at preserving the remains that still exist, and developing a major tourist attraction.

For conservative Christian evangelicals Joel Rosenberg and Tim LaHaye, the project could move us all one step closer to the "End Times."  

After months of silence, the U.S. State Department finally condemns the murders of several dozen young men who were gay, or perceived to be gay.  

In 2005, during the height of internecine violence and resistance to the U.S. occupation, Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali a-Sistani, issued a religious decree that said that gay men and lesbians should be "punished, in fact, killed." He added, "The people should be killed in the worst, most severe way of killing."

According to the New York Times, "The language has since been removed from his Web site."

However, when al-Sistani speaks, many Iraqis listen!

In early April, the New York Times reported that "The relative freedom of a newly democratic Iraq and the recent improvement in security have allowed a gay subculture to flourish here. The response has been swift and deadly."

In the 1970s, 80s and 90s, deeply held religious beliefs became the scaffolding for a broad, and often violent, white nationalist movement    

Over the past few months, right-wing extremists have unleashed a series of attacks that have included the assassination of Dr. George Tiller, increased attacks on abortion clinics, the killing of three police officers in Pittsburgh, and the shootings at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday, June 10.

"In the 1970s, 80s and 90s, the deeply held religious beliefs of an assortment of white nationalists became the scaffolding for a broad, and often violent, movement of racists and anti-Semites. Leonard Zeskind's recent book, "Blood and Politics: The History of the White Nationalist Movement from the Margins to the Mainstream," details the growth of this movement and why they are not to be ignored.

Zeskind told CNN that at this point, the "shooting cannot be shown to be motivated by the fact that Barack Obama is president. "What white nationalists believe is that Barack Obama confirms their worst fears about the United States, that the government is in the hands of people that they consider racial aliens," Zeskind said. "It's a confirmation of long-held beliefs rather than something entirely new."

[ed: this story continues in part two, Col. Jim Ammerman, Apostle & New World Order Conspiracy Theorist]

What is New World Order conspiracy theory and how is it spreading through our society?

A few weeks ago I spoke at an event sponsored by one of the local chapters of the American Jewish Committee and emphasized the growing dangers of New World Order Conspiracy theories.  Included in my presentation were video clips and examples of the rapid mainstreaming of this conspiracy storyline.  However, my presentation was not focused on white supremacist groups but Christian Zionist leaders who freely and openly disseminate this paranoid conspiracy to millions worldwide in the guise of end times prophecy.  

Condemn the murder of Dr. George Tilller? Absolutely! Is condemnation enough? Not on your life!

Sometime during the day after the assasinastion of Dr. George Tiller, I received another condemnation of the murder in my in-box.

This one was from Faith In Public Life, an organization working hard to establish "common ground" amongst conservative and liberal religious leaders. (Thus far, I have generally been agnostic about "common ground" efforts.)

The headline read "Religious Leaders Seeking Common Ground on Abortion: Condemn George Tiller's Murder, Say Act Offends Us All"

What followed was a condemnation of the murder. I was sorry to see that it didn't go nearly far enough.

While everyone on both sides of the abortion issue seems to condemn the murder of George Tiller, few admit the malignant effects of "baby killer" rhetoric

In the immediate aftermath of the murder of Dr. George Tiller, words came flowing forth from every conceivable direction. The media reported, longtime anti-abortion activists "condemned," but few apologized for years of hate speech directed at Tiller.

In the hours following the murder and the subsequent condemnations from Religious Right leaders, I remembered Jerry Falwell's notorious post-9/11 remarks, blaming feminists and the ACLU, among others -- and the uncomfortable flip-flopping that followed. It was clear that his comments represented what he was thinking. Yet it was also clear, as he tried to backtrack and apologize, that he realized he had monumentally goofed.

I was reminded of those wretched Falwell maneuverings on Monday evening while watching Frank Schaeffer -- the son of the late Francis Schaeffer, one of the founding fathers and most revered figures on the Christian Right - point out during his appearance on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show that the condemnations of Tiller's murder issued by leaders of the Christian Right seemed forced and empty.

French government agency report claims growing influence of religious sects and cults at UN and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

A French government agency called MIVILUDES (Mission interministérielle de vigilance et de lutte contre les dérives sectaries -- Interministerial Mission for Monitoring and Combating Cultic Deviancy) recently issued a 199-page report claiming that religious sects and cults are exerting a growing influence in international bodies such as the United Nations.

According to a report at Digital Journal, "A sect is defined here as being any religious organization which can be characterized as employing any of the following methods; Mental destabilization, exorbitant financial demands, a rupture with members' original environment, power in the hands of one person, the invasion of a person's physical integrity, the recruitment of children, antisocial preaching and troubling public order, activities which lead it to be tried in a court of law, using parallel economic structures, attempts to infiltrate the workplace, schools, and public powers."

For Newt Gingrich, there are so many battles and so little time. With 2012 in his sights, Gingrich has become a one-man GOP band, trumpeting god, guns and the resignation of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

In his most recent "Newt Gingrich Letter," the former House Speaker, who knows from resignations, demanded the resignation of current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He wrote in "Why Pelosi Should Step Down" that, "The case against Nancy Pelosi remaining Speaker of the House is as simple as it is devastating:

The piece's subtitles tell the story:

"From a Question of Memory to a Question of Criminality"

"Pelosi on the CIA: 'They Mislead Us All The Time'

"Why Did Pelosi Escalate the Controversy into a Full Scale War With the CIA?"

"If Pelosi Consented to Waterboarding in 2002, the Bush Policy Is Vindicated"

"Speaker Pelosi Has Made America Less Safe"

Mega-evangelical Samuel Rodriguez joins with Senator Ruben Diaz to rally opponents to gay marriage.

Years from now - I won't venture a guess as to how many but I am fairly certain by that time the names Carrie Prejean and Perez Hilton will be mere footnotes - when the history of the struggle over gay rights and same-sex marriage is written, there will be plenty of heroes/heroines to be honored, and more than enough villains to go around. Maybe villains is too strong a term; how about anti-gay true believers whose beliefs resulted in real harm? For every courageous couple in Iowa or Massachusetts who, against great odds, have pressed on, there are those that have made it their business to stand (metaphorically for now) in the courthouse doorway.

For now, if you've been following the battle over same-sex marriage and you don't know who the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez or Rubén Díaz are, you likely soon will.

Rodriguez, President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), and Diaz, a New York state Senator from the Bronx a Pentecostal pastor in that borough, are two key players leading anti-same-sex marriage forces in New York State.

On Sunday, May 17, while much of the "culture war" crowd was focused on events at Notre Dame University -- where President Barack Obama was heartily welcomed by UND graduates and their families - things were hopping in New York City. Thousands of anti-same-sex marriage activists marched in opposition to Governor David Patterson's gay marriage bill.

A Larry Ross Communications, a reliable Christian conservative public relations outfit, has worked hard to salvage Prejean's reputation

Earlier today, after reviewing additional materials - more racy photos of Miss California Carrie Prejean - Donald Trump, the owner of the Miss USA pageant, announced that "Carrie will remain Miss California." At his press conference, Trump said "We've really studied these photos. We've made a determination that everything we've seen to date that she's done -- some were very beautiful, some were risqué -- the pictures taken were acceptable, were fine, and in some cases were lovely pictures."

However you view the Carrie Prejean Affair, recognize that not only was Trump's decision a victory for Prejean - she may now continue her ascent as a Christian Right icon -- it was also a victory for A Larry Ross Communications.

After all, it was Ross' public relations team that helped guide Prejean through all the "revolting developments" (to borrow a catch phrase from the late William Bendix's character Chester A. Riley on the 1950s television program "The Life of Riley") that have ensued since that fateful night she proclaimed her opposition to same-sex marriage.

Carrie the Model has already eaten up a lot more than her fifteen minutes

In what some like to think of as "post-culture war" America, consider the case of Carrie Prejean. Responding to a question about same-sex marriage asked by Perez Hilton, a pageant judge and celebrity gossip uber-blogger, on April 19, during the nationally televised Miss USA pageant -- Prejean said:  

"Well I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised and that's how I think it should be between a man and a woman. Thank you very much."

An overheated Hilton quickly posted a video blog in which he called Ms. Prejean a "dumb bitch." Prejean, obviously disappointed about finishing in second place, maintained - during a series of talk show appearances -- that it was possible that her failure to win was the result of her stance against same-sex marriage.

And that's when the fun began!

Experience has taught Rick Warren that he can get away with holding up Hitler youth, to his church members, as a model of dedication to a cause. But, Warren may just have gone too far, because nobody likes a liar. As Larry King declared on Larry King Live, "No matter what you think of Rick Warren, he's an extraordinary guy." Warren is indeed extra-ordinary, because ordinary Christian sensibility-as defined by the Ten Commandments that have helped shape Judaism and it's daughter religions, Christianity and Judaism-would commonly hold that it's at the very least unseemly to lie. Rick Warren appears to be under the impression that it's possible in this day and age to be filmed espousing one position, then declare on national television, that he had never done anything of the sort. And, why might Rick Warren think so ? Well, John Hagee got away with as much - though Hagee was careful in his statements to avoid, in strict terms, technically lying. Activists such as Pam Spaulding are rightfully holding Rick Warren's big anti-gay ego to the fire for one of the few things that might just knock the mega-evangelist off his global perch.

More than you, or Rachel Maddow (who I adore), might ever want to know about the upcoming 'Tea Parties'

In December of 1773, colonists in Boston - then a town in the British colony of Massachusetts - protested against the British government after officials in Boston refused to return three shiploads of taxed tea to Britain.

The protesters boarded the ships and tossed the tea into Boston Harbor. The action became a signature event of the nascent American Revolution.

Now, more than 235 years later, a number of conservative organizations are resuscitating the "tea-party" concept. On Apr. 15, Tax Day in the U.S., organizers are hoping that thousands of people will turn out in cities across the country to protest the Obama administration's "wasteful spending".

Now, more than 235 years later, a number of conservative organizations are resuscitating the "tea-party" concept. On Apr. 15, Tax Day in the U.S., organizers are hoping that thousands of people will turn out in hundreds of cities across the country to protest the Obama administration's "wasteful spending".

Desperate to turn their flagging political fortunes around and aiming to take advantage of the public's anger over government bailouts, the bonuses handed out to executives at American International Group (AIG), etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, a number of longtime Republican Party operatives, religious right groups, a 25-year-old free market advocacy group, and a newly formed coalition of previously unknown groups have been organizing "Tea Parties."

Will these 'Tea Parties' draw crowds? You betcha! Has the always-opportunist Newt Gingrich and the ever-alert Fox News Channel jumped on board? For sure! Is it worthy of Rachel's ridicule? Why not!

Is it worth paying attention to? Stay tuned!

Here's a few things you should know about the whole 'Tea Party' thing.

Despite recent victories for same-sex marriage in Iowa (the State Supreme Court decision allowing same-sex marriage) and Vermont (lawmakers overriding the Governor's veto of same-sex marriage legislation), things are not going all that well in Hawaii. In late March, I received a note from a longtime Christian right- and cult-watching friend living in the Aloha state, who aired out his thoughts about why he civil-unions bill -- HB444 - had recently hit the wall in the state's legislature.

The bill "passed the Hawaii House and word was that there were enough votes in the Hawaii Senate for it to pass with a veto-proof "supermajority" of 18 votes," my friend wrote. "Unfortunately, it had to pass through the Hawaii Senate Judiciary and Government Operations Committee, and a 3 to 3 tie vote in the Committee prevented the bill from being reported out." Mike Gabbard, a Democrat, was one of two Democrats who helped put the kybosh on the bill.  

Gabbard has long been a supporter of anti-gay and anti-abortion initiatives, so perhaps his vote wasn't much of a surprise. Why then, in August 2007, after being elected to the state Senate as a Republican, did Gabbard switch to the Democratic Party? And why did Democrats embrace him?

While Rick Warren's recent remarks and decisions in Iowa and Vermont signal a momentum shift on same-sex marriage, the antis are reloading

In the world of sports, there's lots of talk about the "Big Mo."; as in "momentum." Sometimes having what seems like the "Big Mo" pans out: Take this year's Connecticut women's basketball team for example. Undefeated and dominant during the regular season, coming into the recent NCAA Tournament the Huskies appeared to have a lock on the championship. And, they won it handily, practically dismantling every team it played.

Sometimes the "Big Mo" shifts on a dime: In 2004, the New York Yankees had basically humiliated the Boston Red Sox in the first three games of the American League Championship Series; "Big Mo," had clearly taken up residence in the Yankee dugout. Not so fast, sparky! "Big Mo" pulled a switcheroo. The Red Sox went on to win four games in a row and then took "Big Mo" along with them as they swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.

These days, with the decision of the Iowa Supreme Court, and the Vermont legislature's  override of the Governor's veto, same-sex marriage has picked up a little bit of steam and picked up a little bit of speed and ... well ... it now has the "Mo."

I'm not sure if it's the "Big Mo" or the "Little Mo," but it definitely is the "Mo."    

The heir to the Home Savings Bank fortune and the longtime donor to conservative think tanks, causes and candidates dumps the Republican Party

I have three jokes in my comic arsenal. The one I tell the most often -- in adult company only -- goes like this:

On July 21, 1969, Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11 explored the surface of the moon. Armstrong, the first to set foot on the moon said: "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."

Years later, a savvy technician discovered that Armstrong had mumbled "good luck Kowalsky" under his breath. When finally asked about those words, Armstrong reluctantly said that when he was growing up in Wapakoneta, Ohio, he lived next door to the Kowalskys. According to Armstrong, the couple fought all the time.

One day, he was passing by their window and he heard Mrs. Kowalsky screaming at her husband. 'Oral sex?,' she yelled. 'You'll get oral sex when the kid next door walks on the moon!'

An updated punchline might have been: "Oral sex? You'll get oral sex when Howard Ahmanson becomes a Democrat."

This is surely Kowalsky's lucky day!  
   

With his new group, Renewing American Leadership, and his endorsement of Tax Day Tea Parties, the former House Speaker aims to unite religious and economic conservatives

Of all the possible political enterprises you'd expect to find the ubiquitous Newt Gingrich involved with, an effort aimed at uniting religious and economic conservatives would not immediately come to mind. "Drill Here. Drill Now. Pay Less." Sure. A health care reform plan advocating medical savings accounts? Absolutely. Privatizing Social Security? Definitely. Now with his eyes apparently firmly planted on the 2012 presidential sweepstakes, and sensing a definite opening, the smart and snarky former House Speaker -- who led the 1994 Republican Revolution that took control of the House for the first time in decades, and then later was forced to resign -- has formed an organization called Renewing American Leadership, which aims to breach the gap between conservative factions.

Dan Gilgoff recently reported in U.S. News & World Report that "At a time when many religious conservatives say the Republican Party is ignoring their issues and taking their support for granted, former House speaker and GOP idea man Newt Gingrich is turning his attention to the concerns of conservative Christians like never before."

On October 25, 2008, I attended a presentation given by Christian nationalist history revisionist David Barton. After his presentation, I approached him and gave him a copy of my book, Liars For Jesus: The Religious Right's Alternate Version of American History, a book debunking many of his lies, as well as those of a number of his fellow revisionists.

On January 16, 2009, I became the subject of a segment on Barton's WallBuilders LIVE! radio show, in which he lied about me, my book, and our encounter at his presentation.

Rather than just write about the lies Barton told about me on his show, I decided to make a little video with iMovie, something I've never tried to do before. I ended up getting a bit carried away, making a video that's over an hour long, but once I got started, I wanted to address not just the lies Barton told about me on his show, but also the lies he told in the presentation I attended in October.