This Week In Hypocrisy

The Traditional Values Coalition has been registered as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for a couple of years now. The group has become known for sneaky tactics such as mailing out false censuses to senior citizens, which looked an awful lot like government documents. Their website and speeches preach lies about gay people, such as the extremist favorite lie that gays kidnap children to turn them into homosexuals. Their latest mailer is to senior citizens and concerns the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. This is what the TVC Christian Seniors Association is sending your parents in order to scam money out of them.




The lie that hate crimes laws prohibit freedom of religion is a widespread one, so much so that the Texas Republican Party has even bought in. However, the law only penalizes those who wish to commit crimes against people based on their race, religion, or sexual orientation. Even the HCPA itself states that “Nothing … in the law shall be construed to prohibit any constitutionally protected speech – including the exercise of religion protected by the first amendment." The Hate Crimes Prevention Act goes out of its way to protect your right to say that all fags should burn in Hell.




Groups like the TVC, the National Organization for Marriage, and NARTH are among the many currently using fear in order to raise funds. Their moneymaking schemes not only exploit the elderly, but further the spread of hatred. If any business engaged in the tactics that religious lobbies do they would be shut down, their leaders prosecuted as racketeers. Groups like TVC are among the many that are trying to make civilized democracies into theocracies. Many of these groups funnel money into nations like Uganda, hoping that Biblical law will reign.

 One peculiar aspect of all of this is the fact that the Ten Commandments prohibit bearing false witness. There is no escape clause, no "thou shalt not bear false witness except" clause. In the book cited as the basis for all of their misogyny and homophobia, one of the most horrendous sins is to lie. Then again, you don't have to read a book in order to beat someone to death with it.