The Devil Went Down To Detroit

Via World Net Daily:

After weeks of speculation and protests by Christian leaders in Detroit, the unthinkable took place. Just after 11 p.m. on July 25, a satanic organization unveiled a 9-foot statue of the goat-headed Baphomet, a pagan symbol of Lucifer. The 1-ton statue features two young children looking up adoringly at the devil. Leaders of the Satanic Temple have been saying for weeks they planned to unveil the statue somewhere in Detroit and leave it there temporarily before moving it to Arkansas, where they plan to set it beside the Ten Commandments at the State Capitol. This is the same statue they attempted to erect months ago in the Oklahoma State Capitol. Nine Detroit preachers have done battle with the Satanic Temple, protesting the statue being brought to their city and pleading with the city not to allow it. “They got kicked out of Boston, Oklahoma didn’t want them, they tried to put (it) up in Florida, that was shut down,” said David Bullock of Greater St. Matthew Baptist Church in Detroit at a recent news conference. “Now they come to Detroit. Why do they come to Detroit? We gather together to stand, as one unit, against this demonic spirit,” said Pastor Don Shelby of Burning Bush International Ministries.

World Net Daily either doesn't know or doesn't care that the Satanic Temple is actually a group of atheist pranksters opposed to religious icons on public property. WND points their readers to the website Church Militant, which "infiltrated" the statue's unveiling party.

Before the unveiling, the announcer denounced the protestors who had shown up outside the original venue — in addition to ChurchMilitant.com's presence and our conspicuous six-foot-tall statue of St. Michael secured to a flatbed truck, two women were also present holding up a large banner with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. At 11 p.m., two men in leather S&M attire grabbed each side of the sheet and yanked it off, to loud applause and shouting. The men then stood directly in front of the monument and began kissing lewdly while the crowd cheered, and afterwards a steady stream of VIP ticketholders — who had paid $75 for the chance to approach the statue — took turns sitting on Baphomet's lap while engaging in sexual groping, mostly homosexual in nature. Outside, ChurchMilitant.com staff drove the St. Michael statue around the venue three times while reciting the St. Michael prayer.

VIDEO: Church Militant founder Michael Voris spoke to local news outside the event. Five years ago I reported that Voris was calling for a "benevolent Catholic dictatorship in the United States." 

Ford Worker Files EEOC Complaint Over Firing For His Anti-Gay Email To Bosses

Via Detroit's ABC affiliate:

A former Ford Motor Company contractor says he was fired because he criticized the auto company for having a policy that is pro-gay, according to a complaint filed with U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Thomas Banks of Ypsilanti, who also filed his EEOC complaint against Rapid Global Business Solutions, stated that the companies violated his civil rights, discriminating against him because of his religious beliefs. Banks was not available for comment. But Liberty Institute, which is based in Dallas, and is representing Banks, issued a press release criticizing both companies for the termination. In a written statement, Liberty Institute says that in July 2014, Banks received a Ford Motor Company newsletter, “…which shared its policy to promote pro-homosexual ideas. In the feedback section, Mr. Banks submitted a single comment, addressed to Ford, disagreeing with Ford’s policy based on his biblical views.”

Here is the text of Banks' biblical views:

“For this Ford Motor should be thoroughly ashamed. Endorsing and promoting sodomy is of benefit to no one. This topic is disruptive to the workplace and is an assault on Christians and morality, as well as antithetical to our design and our survival. Immoral sexual conduct should not be a topic for an automotive manufacturer to endorse or promote. And yes-this is historic-but not in a good way. Never in the history of mankind has a culture survived that promotes sodomy. Heterosexual behavior creates life - homosexual behavior leads to death.”

Both Ford and the contractor have issued statements affirming their anti-harassment policies. (Tipped by JMG reader Scott)

PETA Offers To Pay Water Bills Of Detroit Families But Only If They Become Vegans

From PETA's website:

With jobs in Detroit disappearing, many residents are struggling. As they’re forced to choose which bills to pay, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department has chosen for them―shutting off water and leaving many people high and dry. The department put the shutoffs on a temporary hiatus, but people’s water bills are mounting. So with the help of a generous PETA member, we have come up with one small way to assist Detroit residents and save animals, too. Thanks to this donor, PETA will be able to pay off the water bills for 10 families who commit to going vegan for one month. We’ll also help them get started by giving each family a basket of healthy vegan foods and recipes. The last thing that people who are struggling need is increased health-care costs. By accepting our offer to go vegan, not only will families be getting an immediate financial boost and helping animals, if they stick with it, they’ll also lower their risk of obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and strokes.

Detroit Ruled Eligible For Bankruptcy, May Not Have To Pay Pension Obligations

This does not bode well for other cities. Via New York Times:

The judge, Steven W. Rhodes, dealt a major blow to the widely held belief that state laws preserve public pensions, and his ruling is likely to resonate in Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and many other American cities where the rising cost of pensions has been crowding out spending for public schools, police departments and other services. The judge made it clear that public employee pensions were not protected in a federal Chapter 9 bankruptcy, even though the Michigan Constitution expressly protects them. “Pension benefits are a contractual right and are not entitled to any heightened protection in a municipal bankruptcy,” he said. James E. Spiotto, a lawyer with the firm Chapman & Cutler in Chicago who specializes in municipal bankruptcy and was not involved in the case, said: “No bankruptcy court had ruled that before. It will be instructive.”

One union has already filed its intent to appeal the ruling and others are expected to follow.

GM Recognizes Gay Marriages

General Motors will now recognize same-sex marriages for the purposes of insurance and pension benefits.

“GM will recognize a legal marriage for U.S. employees no matter the state of residence,” the automaker said in a statement. “For example, if a GM employee residing in Michigan, where same-sex marriage is not recognized, got married in New York, GM would recognize that marriage.” GM also changed its policies to allow same-sex partners of GM employees to inherit their spouse’s pension when they die. “Because marriage is considered a ‘life event,’ U.S. hourly and salaried employees can add their spouse to their health care coverage at any time within one year from their date of marriage or during the next annual enrollment period with proof of a valid, legal marriage license,” GM said in a statement.

Let's see if this prompts a Dump General Motors boycott by NOM.

Sen. Rand Paul: Obama Will Bail Out Detroit Over My Dead Body

"There’s some good things that come out of bankruptcy. One is you get to start over. Bankruptcy lets you be forgiven of your debt. And you do so by getting new management, better management, and by getting rid of unwieldy contracts, contracts that give you where public employees are getting paid twice what private employees are and things come back more to normal. That’s the way cities and businesses can recover. "I basically say he [Obama] is bailing them out over my dead body because we don’t have any money in Washington." - Sen. Rand Paul, speaking to Breitbart.

Detroit Declares Bankruptcy

Yesterday the city of Detroit finally declared bankruptcy.

The decision, confirmed by officials after it trickled out in late afternoon news reports, also amounts to the largest municipal bankruptcy filing in American history in terms of debt.  “This is a difficult step, but the only viable option to address a problem that has been six decades in the making,” said Gov. Rick Snyder, who authorized the move after a recommendation from the emergency financial manager he had appointed to resolve Detroit’s dire financial situation. Not everyone agrees how much Detroit owes, but Kevyn D. Orr, the emergency manager, has said the debt is likely to be $18 billion and perhaps as much as $20 billion.

Chicago Transit Bans Political Ads

As Pam Geller continues a court battle with the city of Detroit, Chicago's transit authority has banned all political advertising. Geller's transit ads have faced legal challenges almost everywhere they have appeared.

The CTA said in a statement it allows ads as a way to raise money — not as a way to get a political message out. “CTA buses and trains are not public forums for debate," said CTA President Forrest Claypool. "These guidelines make clear the purpose advertising has for the CTA and defines more precisely what is acceptable advertising on our system and what is not.”  The Chicago Transit Board voted to only allow ads in three categories: commercial and promotional; government; and public service announcements. Those PSAs will be limited to non-profits with messages related to health, welfare and education. As opposed to a public space such as a park, where people can choose to walk away from something they think is offensive, "if there's a form of advertising on our trains or buses, that's a captive audience," said CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase.

Chicago's new rules also ban ads for movies, television, and violent video games. In the Detroit case, Geller is denying that her anti-Islam message is political and is instead designed "to save lives."  Hit the first link and read her raging account of yesterday's development. (Tipped by JMG reader Mel)

Vatican Advisor Edward Peters Tells Marriage Equality Supporters That They Should Not Receive Communion

Edward Peters is a Detroit professor and the Vatican's US legal advisor. He's also the father of NOM's Thomas Peters.  This weekend the elder Peters warned Catholic supporters of same-sex marriage that they should not attempt to receive Holy Communion at Mass or else they'll be "rebuked or sanctioned."

Peters said that Catholic teachings make it clear that marriage is between one man and one woman. And so, "Catholics who promote 'same-sex marriage' act contrary to" Catholic law "and should not approach for holy Communion," he wrote. "They also risk having holy Communion withheld from them ... being rebuked and/or being sanctioned." Peters didn't specify a Catholic politician or public figure in his post. But he told the Free Press that a person's "public efforts to change society's definition of marriage ... amount to committing objectively wrong actions." Peters, an attorney and the Edmund Cardinal Szoka chairman at Sacred Heart, was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 to be a referendary of the Apostolic Sinatura, which means he helps advise the top judicial authority in the Catholic Church.

The elder Peters has previously said that prominent Catholic politicians such as Rep. Nancy Pelosi and NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo should be denied communion for their support of gay marriage.

Yesterday Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron echoed Peters' words, saying that it would be like "perjury" for pro-gay Catholics to receive communion.

"For a Catholic to receive holy Communion and still deny the revelation Christ entrusted to the church is to try to say two contradictory things at once: 'I believe the church offers the saving truth of Jesus, and I reject what the church teaches.' In effect, they would contradict themselves. This sort of behavior would result in publicly renouncing one's integrity and logically bring shame for a double-dealing that is not unlike perjury."

Röyksopp - The Drug

Filmed in the ruins of Detroit. Strange even by their standards.

Where Are People Moving?

Using 2008 IRS data, Forbes Magazine has created a fascinating interactive map showing which cities are gaining or losing populations and where people are coming from/going to. Detroit, Los Angeles, and Miami appear to be suffering the greatest exoduses, with New York City remaining fairly unchanged. Red lines are outbound, black lines are inbound. You can click on every county in the country and see its changes.

Decaying Detroit

Click over to IO9 for a slideshow called The Grandiose Decay of Abandoned Detroit. Strangely and sadly beautiful. Detroit proper has lost half of its population since peaking in 1950, although the surrounding suburbs and metro region has continued to grow.

A Stadium For The Price Of A House

Here's a grim indicator for Michigan. The Pontiac Silverdome, which when built was the largest NFL venue in the nation, has sold for 1% of its construction cost.

In a stunning sign of the imploding economy, Detroit is selling its $56 million sports dome for a bargain basement $580,000. The 80,000-seat Pontiac Silverdome, once home to the Detroit Lions, went for 1 percent of the cost to build it 35 years ago. The city of Pontiac owns the stadium, which was valued at $20 million just last year. Analysts say the price is a stark demonstration of the area's economic devastation. “It’s certainly one of the most severe points in history, because of the economic crisis and the falling housing prices,” said a local economics professor. The crisis is not just affecting blue collar workers, but "we're talking about well-paid, white collar professionals" as well, a county foreclosure counselor told the Christian Science Monitor.

A stadium for less than the cost of a house. The new owners plan to refurbish the venue and turn it into the home of a professional soccer team.

Auto Bailout Deal Collapses

The auto industry bailout fell apart late last night.

A bailout-weary Congress killed a $14 billion package to aid struggling U.S. automakers Thursday night after a partisan dispute over union wage cuts derailed a last-ditch effort to revive the emergency aid before year's end. Republicans, breaking sharply with President George W. Bush as his term draws to a close, refused to back federal aid for Detroit's beleaguered Big Three without a guarantee that the United Auto Workers would agree by the end of next year to wage cuts to bring their pay into line with U.S. plants of Japanese carmakers. The UAW refused to do so before its current contract with the automakers expires in 2011.

The breakdown left the fate of the auto industry — and the 3 million jobs it touches — in limbo at a time of growing economic turmoil. General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC have said they could be weeks from collapse. Ford Motor Co. says it does not need federal help now, but its survival is far from certain. Democratic leaders called on Bush to immediately tap the $700 billion Wall Street bailout fund for emergency aid to the auto industry. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., called the bill's collapse "a loss for the country," adding: "I dread looking at Wall Street tomorrow. It's not going to be a pleasant sight."

It promises to be a grim day on Wall Street.

Motown Protects Transgenders

Detroit has become the latest large city to pass transgender protections. The city council voted 7-1 yesterday to amend the existing non-discrimination laws that already protect gays and lesbian, adding gender identity.