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Trump’s Shameless Pandering to – and Ignoring of – LGBT and Hispanic Communities Reaches New Heights

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Donald Trump Opens Campaign Office Across the Street From Pulse Nightclub – Scene of Nation’s Deadliest Anti-LGBT Hate Crime, Mass Shooting, Terror Attack

Two months to the day that 49 people were shot and killed at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Donald Trump stood before hundreds of evangelical Christians and delivered a speech at an anti-gay conference organized by a political operative who has called for a “war to restore a Christian America.” David Lane, who runs the American Renewal Project, which is funded by the anti-gay hate group American Family Association, invited Trump to speak to 700 evangelicals on Friday at an event he called “Rediscovering God in America.”

That event was literally 10 miles from the Pulse nightclub, which has since grown into a makeshift memorial covered with flowers and posters, decorated with candles, and held together with memories and tears. 

Donald Trump, literally a few hours after the 49 mostly Hispanic and LGBT people were gunned down, did as he always does. He took to Twitter, patted himself on the back by claiming he’s been right about “Islamic extremism,” and then for weeks used the LGBT community to further his political aspirations. 

The falsehoods spread by the media and groups like the Log Cabin Republicans, claiming that Donald Trump is the most pro-gay Republican to run for president dissolve when anyone looks at his actual stance on LGBT civil rights, and civil rights in general. But even Trump used that narrative to try to woo LGBT voters in the weeks after the Pulse attack, claiming, “I will fight for you while Hillary brings in more people that will threaten your freedoms and beliefs.”

He also falsely, embarrassingly claimed: “The LGBT community, the gay community, the lesbian community, they are so much in favor of what I’ve been saying over the last three or four days.” And, stunningly, “you know what, LGBT is starting to like Donald Trump very much lately. Starting to like Donald Trump very, very much lately.”

So Donald Trump was 10 miles from the scene of the deadliest anti-gay hate crime in U.S. history, 10 miles from the scene of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, and 10 miles from the scene of the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil since 9/11. 

And he ignored it.

He ignored the lives of the people who were lost, and the lives of their families and friends on Friday.

Instead, he addressed a conference of some of the nation’s most anti-LGBT evangelicals. People like David Lane, and Tony Perkins, and David Barton were there. And he just didn’t have time to drive ten miles to honor those people who were gunned down by a religious fanatic because they were LGBT.

Trump has several times mentioned them, when it suited his narrative, but on Friday he couldn’t even summon the moral courage to look those evangelical leaders in the eye and say, “homophobia kills, homophobia hurts, and you, as a community, need to do better, because people are literally dying because of the polices you promote, the hate you spread, the lies you tell.”

Even Republican Senator Marco Rubio, still as anti-gay as ever, in that same room to that same audience, just 24 hours earlier, told them it’s time to stop attacking LGBT people. It was the very least he could do, but it was something.

So what did Donald Trump do, instead of paying homage to the victims of the terror attack on the Pulse nightclub, instead of meeting with the families and friends of the 49 victims who were slaughtered – as Hillary Clinton did quietly in a visit several weeks ago that was not advertised to the press. As House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi did Thursday. As President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden did days after the massacre.

No. On Friday, the same day he tried to woo anti-LGBT evangelical leaders, Donald Trump – or, at least, his campaign – set up a campaign office across the street from Pulse.

Signs reading, “Hispanos con Trump,” “The Train Trump,” and “The Silent Majority Stands with Trump” now line the window of an office building across the street from the Pulse nightclub.

The Orlando Sentinel, reporting the news, graciously notes, the location “could be seen as problematic for a campaign struggling so far with Hispanics and the LGBT community.”

Some may see Trump opening an office across the street from Pulse as pandering, a way to attract LGBT and Hispanic voters, others may see it as a chilling reminder that his hate speech and policies are what nurture, foster, and give sustenance to people who treat minorities like garbage. (Any doubts? See this.)

Because Donald Trump doesn’t care about anyone except Donald Trump, he won’t respect the families and loved ones of the dead, but he sure as heck will invest in real estate right across the street.

 

Image by Jennifer Jacobs, @mmcnarney via Twitter

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News

‘Antisemitism Is Wrong, But’: Marjorie Taylor Greene Pilloried for Promoting Antisemitic Claim

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U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was strongly criticized Wednesday after promoting a historically and biblically false, antisemitic claim while declaring antisemitism is wrong.

As the House voted on an antisemitism bill that would require the U.S. Dept. of Education to utilize a certain definition of antisemitism when enforcing anti-discrimination laws, the far-right Christian nationalist congresswoman made her false claims on social media.

“Antisemitism is wrong, but I will not be voting for the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023 (H.R. 6090) today that could convict Christians of antisemitism for believing the Gospel that says Jesus was handed over to Herod to be crucified by the Jews,” Greene tweeted.

The definition of antisemitism the House bill wants to codify was created by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

Congresswoman Greene highlighted this specific text which she said she opposes: “Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.”

READ MORE: MAGA State Superintendent Supports Chaplains in Public Schools – But Not From All Religions

What Greene is promoting is called “Jewish deicide,” the false and antisemitic claim that Jews killed Jesus Christ. Some who adhere to that false belief also believe all Jews throughout time, including in the present day, are responsible for Christ’s crucification.

Greene has a history of promoting antisemitism, including comparing mask mandates during the coronavirus pandemic to “gas chambers in Nazi Germany.”

Political commentator John Fugelsang set the record straight:

“If only you could read,” lamented Rabbi Dr. Mark Goldfeder, Esq., CEO and Director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center. The Antisemitism Awareness Act “could not convict anyone for believing anything, even this historical and biblical inaccuracy. It only comes into play if there is unlawful discrimination based on this belief that targets a Jewish person. Do you understand that distinction @RepMTG ?”

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“Not surprising,” declared Jacob N. Kornbluh, the senior political reporter at The Forward, formerly the Jewish Daily Forward. “Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has been accused in the past of making antisemitic remarks — including her suggestion that a Jewish-funded space laser had sparked wildfires in California in 2018, voted against the GOP-led Antisemitism Awareness Act.”

Jewish Telegraphic Agency Washington Bureau Chief Ron Kampeas, an award-winning journalist, took a deeper dive into Greene’s remarks.

“Ok leave aside the snark. The obvious antisemitism is in saying ‘the Jews’ crucified Jesus when even according to the text she believes in it was a few leaders in a subset of a contemporary Jewish community. It is collective blame, the most obvious of bigotries.”

“The text she presumably predicates her case on, the New Testament,” he notes, “was when it was collated a political document at a time when Christians and Jews were competing for adherents and when it would have been plainly dangerous to blame Rome for the murder of God.”

“Yes,” Kampeas continues, “that take is obviously one that a fundamentalist would not embrace, but it is the objective and historical take, and *should* be available to Jews (and others!) as a means of explaining why Christian antisemitism exists, and why it is harmful.”

CNN’s Edward-Isaac Dovere also slammed Greene, saying she “is standing up for continuing to talk about Jews being responsible for the killing of Jesus. (John & Matthew refer to some Jews handing over Jesus to Pilate,not Herod. But also: many, including Pope Benedict, have called blaming Jews a misinterpretation)”

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OPINION

MAGA State Superintendent Supports Chaplains in Public Schools – But Not From All Religions

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Visitors to Oklahoma’s State Schools Superintendent’s personal social media page will notice a post vowing to “ban Critical Race Theory, protect women’s sports, and fight for school choice,” a post linking to a Politico profile of him that reads, “Meet the state GOP official at the forefront of injecting religion into public schools,” a photo of him closely embracing a co-founder of the anti-government extremist group Moms for Liberty, and a video in which he declares, “Oklahoma is MAGA country.”

This is Ryan Walters, a far-right Republican Christian nationalist who is making a national name for himself.

“God has a place in public schools,” is how Politico described Walters’ focus.

Last week the Southern Poverty Law Center published an extensive profile of Walters, alleging “hateful rhetoric toward the LGBTQ+ community, calls to whitewash curriculum, efforts to ban books, and attempts to force Christian nationalist ideology into public school classrooms.”

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“Walters is superintendent of public instruction, and public schools are supposed to serve students of all faiths, backgrounds and identities,” Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, told SPLC.

Walters is supporting new legislation in Oklahoma that follows in Texas’ footsteps: allowing untrained, unlicensed, uncertified, and unregulated religious chaplains and ministers to be hired as official school counselors.

“We heard a lot of talk about a lot of those support staffs, people such as counselors, having shortages,” Rep. Kevin West, a Republican, said, KFOR reports. “I felt like this would be a good way to open that door to possibly get some help.”

Walters praised West, writing: “Allowing schools to have volunteer religious chaplains is a big help in giving students the support they need to be successful. Thank you to @KevinWestOKRep for being the House author for this bill. This passed the House yesterday and moves on to the Senate where @NathanDahm is leading the charge for this bill.”

As several Oklahoma news outlets report, there’s a wrinkle lawmakers may not have anticipated.

“With the Oklahoma House’s passage of Senate Bill 36, which permits the participation of uncertified chaplains in public schools, The Satanic Temple (TST) has announced its plans to have its Ministers in public schools in the Sooner State. If the bill advances through the Senate, this legislation will take effect on November 1, 2024. State Superintendent Ryan Walters, a vocal advocate for religious freedom in schools, has endorsed the legislation. The House approved SB 36 by a 54-37 vote on Wednesday,” a press release from The Satanic Temple reads. “The Satanic Temple, a federally recognized religious organization, has expressed its dedication to religious pluralism and community service.”

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Walters responded on social media to The Satanic Temple’s announcement.

“Satanists are not welcome in Oklahoma schools, but they are welcome to go to hell,” he wrote.

Former Lincoln Project executive director Fred Wellman served up an equally colorful response.

“Hahahaha!!! You are an idiot,” Wellman wrote. “How did you not see this coming? Satanists, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Pastafarians…come one come all! After all you’re not trying to establish Christianity as the state religion are you? We had a whole ass revolution about that. There are history books about it…oh…right. Not your thing. What a fool.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) served up a warning.

“The state of Oklahoma cannot discriminate against people or groups based on their religious beliefs,” the non-profit group wrote. “Walters’ hateful message shows, one again, that he only believes in religious freedom for Christians and that he is unfit to serve in public office.”

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News

Potential Trump VP Pick Says ‘If You’re a Billionaire’ You Should Vote for Trump

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One of the possible picks to be Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate, seen as “rapidly ascending” the list, is urging billionaires to vote for the ex-president.

North Dakota Republican Governor Doug Burgum “is quickly moving up former President Trump’s list of possible vice presidential picks because Trump’s team believes he would be a safe choice who could attract moderate voters,” Axios reported on Sunday. “Burgum is on a long list of VP contenders, but Trump’s rising interest in the North Dakota governor has been clear in recent weeks — and reveals his latest thinking about how he thinks his running mate could help him with undecided voters.”

Praising Governor Burgum, the National Review’s Michael Brendan Dougherty on Monday wrote he was “the only candidate in 2024 to easily exceed expectations in the debates.”

“He is a well-liked governor from a small state. He projects seriousness and sobriety, two qualities Pence also had that were important to balance the 2016 Republican ticket. Burgum is also good at championing Republican policy, including our desperately needed policies of energy abundance and supply-side reform. He is also the right age — 67 — with no signs of slowing down. Burgum needs to survive the millions poured into opposition research, but, if he does, I think he would bring credit and balance to the Republican ticket.”

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On Tuesday, Gov. Burgum, appearing on Fox News, told Laura Ingraham, “when you see someone who cares this deeply about this country, what he’s going through and what the Democrats and the liberal media is putting him through, and how he gets up and fights for every day people in America every day, and then his policies are all in the right direction.”

“If you’re a billionaire and you care about your shareholders, you care about your family and your grandkids, you should be voting for someone that’s going to bring prosperity to America and peace to the world, that’s what President Trump is going to do, that’s what he did for us when he was president,” Burgum claimed.

The Hill adds, “Ingraham suggested a lot of billionaires are still planning to support President Biden, especially those that are the ‘Wall Street types.’”

Last year, asked if he would ever do business with Trump, Bergum told NBC News, “I don’t think so,” and added, “I just think that it’s important that you’re judged by the company you keep.”

Some reports call Bergum a billionaire, while Forbes last year reported it “estimates Burgum’s net worth to be at least $100 million.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: Trump Would Not Oppose State Pregnancy Surveillance or Abortion Prosecution

 

 

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