Rick Perry's Prayer Rally Is 'Non-Denominational' & 'Non-Political' & By 'Non,' He Means 'Very'

Seriously, has this guy not read the Establishment Clause?

From Wikipedia:

The Establishment Clause prohibits the federal, state or municipal establishment of an official religion or other preference for one religion over another, non-religion over religion, or religion over non-religion.

Additionally:

In the Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet, 512 U.S. 687 (1994), Justice David Souter, writing for the majority, concluded that "government should not prefer one religion to another, or religion to irreligion."

Take a look at the latest promotion for 'The Response.'



If it wasn't clear enough exactly who the Governor wants to join him at his non-denominational, non-political rally, today it was established that only Christians are allowed.

There is no doubt that Rick Perry is gunning (no pun intended) for the presidency. And he is clearly gunning for the far-right Christian conservative population. There is nothing that motivates people to vote more than fear, and Perry is peddling fear like a late-night infomercial: Fear immigrants, fear Islam, fear Obama, fear the secular left -- they want to take away your right to pray to Jesus.

There are plenty of crazy GOP hopefuls. But Perry may just be the only one crazy enough to shoot the First Amendment as if it were a coyote, and then brag about it.

United States Senate Members Offer Message of Hope For LGBT Youth

A video for LGBT youth around the country and the It Gets Better Project, featuring U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

I can't help but notice the dearth of R's in that list. That sends quite a message of its own, don't you think?

Michele Bachmann's Story of America

See? This is why it might be a good thing for Michele Bachmann to get the GOP nod. Endless comedy show fodder.

From Jimmy Kimmel Live:

Miss USA 2011 — Should Math Be Taught In Schools?

The real tape of the actual Miss USA pageant contestants answering a similar question on evolution can be viewed here.

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)

Michele Bachmann and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Poor Michele Bachmann can't catch a break.  It makes you wonder if Sarah Palin is holding out on announcing her candidacy just so Michele Bachmann can serve as the whipping post for a bit. 

On the heels of her latest gaffes, Bachmann told CNN, "I’m a substantive, serious person and I have a strong background...I'm introducing myself now to the American people so that they can know that I have a strong academic scholarly background, more important I have a real life background."

Yesterday, Bachmann had a little bit of a run-in with a convicted serial killer. As you've probably heard by now, Bachmann, while in Waterloo, IA, told a Fox News reporter, "Well what I want them to know is just like John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa. That's the kind of spirit that I have, too."

John Wayne wasn't from Waterloo (he was from Iowa, but three hours away in Winterset), but killer clown John Wayne Gacy lived, worked, and killed there.

If Bachmann were a scholar, she might have avoided the John Wayne comparison altogether. Anyone who had followed John Wayne beyond his screen appearances would have been aware that he was an ex-socialist WWII service-avoider who said "I believe in white supremacy..."

As if her day couldn't get any worse, Tom Petty is reportedly issuing a cease and desist letter for her use of his song 'American Girl' during her rally.

The song, it has been noted, was also sung by the kidnapped politician's daughter was in "Silence of the Lambs."

Michele Bachmann, the scholar, appears not to have studied the lyrics to many of the songs played during her rally (and don't be naive, those songs are not pulled out of a hat). The Atlantic has compiled a list of questionable lyrics from the songs, which included "Start Me Up," "Let's Get Loud," and "I Got You (I Feel Good)."

Bachmann has also been using Katy Perry's 'Firework,' which anyone knows, unless you live under a rock, is somewhat of an LGBT anthem. Bachmann the scholar, is ridiculously anti-LGBT. As Richard Roeper stated, "'Firework' is "all about acceptance and tolerance and celebrating our differences. Perry dedicated the video (which has nearly 200 million views on YouTube) to the “It Gets Better” campaign, which is dedicated to fighting harassment of gays and lesbians."

Of course, all of this will lead Bachmann and her supporters to decry the "lamestream media" as sexist haters who are ready to put her every move under a microscope. Sound familiar?

Hold on, folks. We're only one day into the 'official' Bachmann campaign.  There's a whole lot where yesterday came from.

States That Allow Marriage Between First Cousins

Sometimes maps say everything:

via NYT.