The Good News | 10.19.11

We spend so much time bummed out by the ugliness that goes on in the world, it's important to take time to appreciate the good news...

NJ Governor Chris Christie publicly denounced the anti-gay statements made by teacher Vicki Knox (Joe My God)

HRC has launched a national version of their popular NY campaign 'Americans For Marriage Equality.' The first video features Newark Maryor and superhero Cory Booker. (HRC)

Former 'Ex-Gay' activist John Smid tells Chris Matthews he's gay and gays cannot turn straight. (Towleroad)

Botswana's former president calls for decriminalization of homosexuality. (Towleroad)

After 24 years of research, the anti-malaria vaccine known as RTS,S (aka Mosquirix) is in the final stage of clinical trial and could potentially be the world's first effective anti-malaria vaccine, saving millions of lives. (Treehugger)

A Gallup poll released yesterday is the first to find plurality support for marijuana legalization, a huge step in eliminating the wastes of time, money and resources spent enforcing the criminalization of a plant found in nature. (NYT)

Several prominent Coloradan political leaders are appearing in a video message telling gay and lesbian teens that "it gets better." (KWGN)

Shaquille O'Neal appears in a new anti-LGBT bullying video by the American Federation of Teachers and GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) as part of National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. (Bleacher Report)

Hundreds of LGBT voters join conservative party to help state senator Mark Grisanti (R-Buffalo) (WGRZ)

The Rev. Boon Lin Ngeo, a Malaysian Protestant pastor whose message of tolerance for homosexuals has drawn fire in his country, urges change in Malaysia. (NYT)

The Batshit Files: News Roundup | 10.06.11

• The Westboro Baptist Church revealed their plans to picket Steve Jobs' funeral. They announced this via a tweet sent from an iPhone. (Buzzfeed)

• New Hampshire state representative (and Rick Perry BFF) Al Baldasaro has been asked to step down after statements he made about the openly gay soldier who appeared in the GOP debate. What did he say, exactly? Oh just that he thought the booing was “great,” because he “was so disgusted over that gay marine coming out...He doesn't realize it, but when the shit hits the fan, you want your brothers covering your back, not looking at your back.” (The Advocate)

• Bill O'Reilly says it's "always bad to use Nazis in analogies." Except if you're Bill O'Reilly. (Media Matters)

• Herman Cain: "If you don't have a job, and you're not rich, blame yourself!" (Think Progress)

• Poor Bryan Fischer. He's not really a hateful bigot when he likens gays to domestic terrorists, pedophiles, slave traders and murderers -- he's simply "telling the truth." (Right Wing Watch)

• You're right, WorldNetDaily. Immigration to the US by "Mexicans and others" is exactly like the Nazi Invasion Of Europe. (Media Matters)

• Hank Williams, Jr. seems to think that the Freedom of Speech means that television networks are required to pay him millions of dollars to air his song in a television program. (NY Mag)

• Self-proclaimed prophet Bobby Conner says the US policy on Israel caused the BP oil spill. (Right Wing Watch)

• Fox and Friends' Brian Kilmeade says that, unlike the Occupy Wall Street movement, the Tea Parties "popped up out of nowhere." And by "out of nowhere," he means "promoted relentlessly by Fox News." (Media Matters)

• Daniel Lapin of Toward Tradition appeared on The 700 Club with Pat Robertson to tell us that the Bible warned us of the 9/11 attacks, which were based on Hitler's dream. (Right Wing Watch)

• The right wing media really does not like the new poverty-stricken Sesame Street muppet at all. (Media Matters)

• Michael Bresciani of Renew America wrote that the booing of the openly gay soldier at the GOP debate (and the silence from the candidates) was justified because the crowd, and the candidates, rightly adhere “to the scriptural belief that homosexuality is a sin of perversion and the promulgation or promoting of it can make them guilty, culpable or complicit by association.” (Right Wing Watch)

• Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert told the House that Obama's jobs bill is really just a ruse to destroy traditional marriage. (The Advocate)

The Batshit Files: News Roundup | 8.26.11

As we prepare for the impending winds and rain of Hurricane Irene, large swaths of the US are experiencing unseasonable, record-breaking crazy:

• Pat Robertson says the quake-induced crack in the Washington Monument is a sign from God. (Right Wing Watch)

• Rabbi Yehuda Levin blames the earthquake on gay marriage (it's always the gays, isn't it!) (Huffington Post)

• Cindy and Mike Jacobs: The earthquake was a sign from God and that it is a sign that Christians need to teach people about Jesus. (Right Wing Watch)

• Rick Perry compares homosexuality to alcoholism. (Think Progress)

• The 24-year-old man being held in last year’s firebombing of an Oregon mosque ranted about Muslims and referred to himself as a “Christian warrior,” according to documents released. (Sierra Vista Herald)

• Mission America's Linda Harvey: 'There's no proof' that LGBT people exist! (Right Wing Watch)

• Bryan Fischer has single-handedly disproved Darwin with a one-page blog post. (AFA)

• Bryan Fischer WILL NOT STOP his quest to have dominion over the bears! (AFA)

• Santorum: Gays can't marry, because a tree is not a car. (Towleroad)

• A list of 159 priests alleged to have abused children has been released by the Boston Archdiocese. (A little too late?) (Boston Globe)

• Rick Perry has joined Bachmann, Romney, and Santorum, in signing the uber-hateful anti-gay marriage pledge. (Towleroad)

• Joseph Farah, editor of World Nut Daily, has posted an editorial stating that marriage equality will "plunge" America into "the moral abyss of chaos and barbarism." (Right Wing Watch)

• Indiana state Rep. Phil Hinkle (R) admitted that he paid a young man $80 to have a good time, but insisted he isn’t gay and doesn’t know why he did it. (IndyStar)

• Peter LaBarbera says News Corp is pro-gay because it is "based in New York City, which is a gay Mecca." (OneNewsNow)

• In an extraordinary burst of hyperbole, homophobia, and Islamaphobia, NOM says gays have issued a‘fatwa,’ and are waging ‘jihad’ against Christians. (Think Progress)

• Renew America wonders if Obama is a demon. Really. (Renew America)

The Batshit Files: News Roundup | 7.14.11

Is it the heat, or the stupidity?

• Michele Bachmann's church says the Pope is the anti-christ. (Raw Story)

• Mike Bickle, official endorser of Rick Perry's The Response prayer rally, sees marriage equality as a sign of the End Times and is rooted "in the depths of Hell." (Right Wing Watch)

• Fox News forgets that 9/11 took place on George Bush's watch, and Dana Perino, sitting right there, fails to correct them. (Raw Story)

• Sarah Palin on debt ceiling: 'Reload,' don't 'retreat' (LA Times)

• Michele Bachmann flubs her Jewish cred by mispronouncing “chutzpah” (News Hounds)

• Tea Party Nation: President Obama is just like Casey Anthony (Right Wing Watch)

• Rick Perry wants to leave government ‘in God’s hands,’ says ‘God, you’re gonna have to fix this.’ (Think Progress)

• Wis. GOP state senate candidate: ‘Why not teach creationism’ and put a cross in school? (TPM)

• Poor Rupert Murdoch is 'annoyed' with all these negative headlines about his company (allegedly) hacking 9/11 victims' private voicemails. (WSJ)

• Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake: Obama supporters 'are the dumbest motherfuckers in the world.' (Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog)

• Michele Bachmann wants to make sure you know she's not pro-slavery. (Mediaite)

The Batshit Files: News Roundup | 6.28.11

A whole buttload of crazy for you today:

• Rick Santorum: Liberals want marriage equality in order to ‘undermine faith' (ThinkProgress)

• Pat Robertson says God will destroy America because of gay marriage. (Right Wing Watch)

• Ohio state rep wants to ban abortion because China has too many smart kids (Right Wing Watch)

• Michele Bachmann's fans quickly revise Wikipedia entry for John Quincy Adams to match Bachmann's assertion that he was a Founding Father. (ThinkProgress) 

• Bryan Fischer weighs in on Michele Bachmann's "John Wayne" gaffe ... by claiming that all the Left is doing by mocking her is "reminding us of the clear connection between homosexuality and pedophilia." (Right Wing Watch)

• Bryan Fischer (he's on a roll!) says fidelity in gay relationships "just doesn't happen" and that it is common for gay men to have 500-1000 partners in their lifetimes (Right Wing Watch)

• An Oregon couple who treated their infant daughter with faith healing rather than take her to a doctor were sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years probation. (Oregon Live)

• N.Y. town clerk won't sign marriage licenses for same-sex couples. I suppose she should find a new job? (Daily Kos)

• Chuck Colson says that “the tyranny of tolerance” will drive America into a totalitarian state (Right Wing Watch)

• Catholic Church denies funeral mass to San Diego gay businessman (LGBT Weekly)

• Authorities find bomb apparently targeting immigrants in Arizona (SPLC Hatewatch)

• Michele Bachmann stands by claims that ‘Founding Fathers’ ended slavery (Raw Story)

The Batshit Files: News Roundup | 6.15.11

 A whole buttload of crazy:

• Citing the Bible, a government recreational facility in Kentucky forced two gay males with developmental and intellectual disabilities to leave the premises. (KYEquality)

• Family Research Council: Gay-straight alliances make kids unhealthy (Right Wing Watch)

• Rick Perry says he's a prophet and that's why Texans don't like him much. (Houston Press)

• American Family Association's Bryan Fischer: Gay adoption is a "social disaster." (Right Wing Watch)

• More than 70,000 so-called "moral police" officers have been deployed in Tehran to enforce a government approved dress code. (Al Jazeera)

• Southern Baptists still totally (and officially) believe in Hell. (Associated Baptist Press)

• Rush Limbaugh is launching his own line of tea, featuring Limbaugh as Paul Revere on the label. (Raw Story)

• Tea Party camp. For kids. Really. (Crooks & Liars)

• Texas Republican says it is ‘very insulting’ to use Spanish in his presence. (Raw Story)

• Glenn Beck, huge Ayn Rand fan, despises Ayn Rand. (Huffington Post)

The Batshit Files: News Roundup | 6.8.11

People, you so crazy:

Rainbows have been banned at Mississauga Catholic school (Xtra!)

Ann Coulter on Kent State massacre: "That's what you do with a mob" (Media Matters)

Rep. John Labruzzo (R) defends bill banning abortion, compares women seeking abortions to heroin addicts (Think Progress)

Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) claims that legalizing gay marriage is akin to legalizing pedophilia, incest, and letting three-year olds drive a car. (Right Wing Watch)

Wash. Times says Palin was "correct" about Paul Revere; "Left Does Not Revere History" (Media Matters)

Sarah Palin's fans edit Paul Revere Wikipedia entry to make it reflect Palin's unique version of the events. (Computerworld)

Man tells police he raped woman because he was afraid of the Rapture (Orlando Sentinel)

'Psychic' tip leads to serious search, but no mass grave containing 30 bodies, as the 'psychic' claimed (MSNBC)

David Barton: Founding Fathers were against teaching evolution; Revolution was fought to end slavery (Right Wing Watch)

Herman Cain’s plan for securing the border: Build an electrified Great Wall Of China, fill a moat with alligators (ThinkProgress)

Massachusetts State Rep. Ryan Fattman (R, duh): If an undocumented woman were raped and beaten as she walked down the road, she should be afraid to come forward. (Right Wing Watch)

The Batshit Files: Post-Memorial Day Weekend News Roundup | 5.31.11

• A Vatican newspaper article says condom use may increase AIDS risk. I'm pretty sure someone also once died from being hit in the head with a life preserver while drowning. (Catholic News Service)

• A man who planned to kill Planned Parenthood doctor and clinic workers was arrested for accidentally shooting his gun in his hotel room. (Hatewatch)

• Bachmann: 'God called me to run for president.' The Lord smites in mysterious ways. (TPM)

•  Roger Ailes' bomb-proof office protects him from 'those gays.' (TPM)

• Christian community threatens violence against atheist student. (DailyKos)

• Where's The Birth Certificate? debuted at number 6 on the New York Times bestseller list (CNN)

• Ben Shapiro: Sesame Street has a liberal bias (Huffington Post)

The Batshit Files: News Roundup (Rapture Edition) | 5.20.11

Your daily tub o' crazy:

• The "Don't Say Gay" bill has passed in Tennessee senate in a 20-10 vote. Gay kids appear to still be gay. (The Advocate) 

• Rush Limbaugh says "The global warming people" are "almost identical" to the rapture people, which is almost identical to saying meteorologists are almost identical to palm readers. (Media Matters)

• Palin has a "fire in her belly" for possible White House run. Hopefully it's something she ate. (Fox News)

• Michele Bachmann's headbanging anti-gay BFF says Obama's not a Christian during MN House prayer. (Mother Jones) 

• Gingrich says young people should have to pass a history test before they are allowed to vote. If he knew his history, he would know that this would be illegal under the 1965 Voting Rights Act. (ThinkProgress)

• End Times enthusiast Tim LaHaye says Obama and Clinton are not Christians. They're Socialists. (Right Wing Watch)

• Bryan Fischer, the wart on the ass known as the AFA, says gay activists are the "number one perpetrators of hate crimes in America." (Right Wing Watch)

• Unattractive evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa may lose his job for his article stating "black women are significantly less physically attractive than women of other races."(Jezebel)

• It's official: Kentucky will grant tax incentives to the ark park. (NCSE)

• The 16-year-old NJ girl who challenged Michele Bachmann to a debate has been threatened with violence and called a "whore."  (KARE)

The Batshit Files: News Roundup | 5.17.11

So much batshit, so little time. Here's your tub o' crazy for the day:

• Michele Bachmann’s Head-Banging, Gay-Bashing BFF: How the Minnesota lawmaker fell in with a controversial hair-metal evangelist (Mother Jones)

• Scott Walker's next battle: The WI governor takes on the state's domestic partnership law (Huffington Post)

• Totally insane rant about "The Homosexual Agenda and the US Military" (Canada Free Press)

• Glenn Beck Announces 'Restoring Courage' Rally In Jerusalem (Huffington Post)

• Jury selection begins for the case of the 15-year-old girl who was raped by a fellow church member and forced to stand before the congregation to apologize for getting pregnant. (MSNBC)

• The Botox beauty pageant girl has been taken into custody. (Daily Mail)

• The American Family Association (emphasis on the Ass) warns that a Harvey Milk Day could include "cross dressing contests" and "mock gay weddings" in our children's schools. (OneNewsNow)

• Malawi President Bingu Mutharika says gays are "worse than dogs." (BNL Times)

• Evolution denier and "free" credit report scammer Ben Stein thinks IMF chief Strauss-Kahn must be innocent, because economists usually don't commit sex crimes. (Wonkette)