Christianists Turn On Rick Perry

Ever since Texas Gov. Rick Perry declared that gay marriage was a matter of states' rights, Christianists from Tony Perkins to Porno Pete have issued condemnations of the likely GOP presidential candidate's position. Today the strongest words yet come from World Net Daily founder Joseph Farah.

I admit it. I've been intrigued with Texas Gov. Rick Perry as a potential GOP presidential candidate. I attended his most recent inauguration in Austin. I've been impressed with what those who know him well say about his character. I liked that he called for a prayer rally in his state with co-sponsorships from the American Family Association, Jim Dobson and Family Research Council's Tony Perkins. I knew he had made mistakes as governor, but the state is prospering while the rest of the nation sinks into an economic morass. I believed he would pose more than a formidable challenge to Barack Obama in 2012. But you can forget all that – and all the nice things I said and wrote about Rick Perry. I'm afraid I've wasted my time and your time. In fact, I was just dead wrong in all of my conclusions about the governor of Texas. I no longer want him to run and no longer believe he is a viable candidate. In fact, I will do all I can to warn the American people away from him. [snip] Evidently I was fooled by Rick Perry. I freely admit it. I feel unclean for the nice things I have said about him to date. Forgive me.

NOTE: While Perkins says Perry is wrong about states' rights, he will still appear at Perry's all-Christian prayer rally.

Perry: Marriage Is A States Rights Issue

Yesterday Texas Gov. Rick Perry said that he considered same-sex marriage to be a states' right issue and that he has no problem with New York's move to legalize it.

Perry, who has been weighing a presidential run, said he opposes gay marriage — but that he's also a firm believer of the 10th Amendment. "Our friends in New York six weeks ago passed a statute that said marriage can be between two people of the same sex. And you know what? That's New York, and that's their business, and that's fine with me," he said to applause from several hundred GOP donors in Aspen, Colo. "That is their call. If you believe in the 10th Amendment, stay out of their business."

Perry is expected to formally announce his presidential run by summer's end.

TENTHER: Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) Says Child Labor Laws Are Unconstitutional

Newly elected GOP Sen. Mike Lee (UT) says that federal child labor laws are unconstitutional because as per the Tenth Amendment, only laws expressly laid out in the Constitution are legal. Lee is part of the new class of "states rights" Congress members intent on overturning all federal legislation not mentioned in the Constitution.

Teabaggers Mum On DOMA Ruling

Although the Christianist right has been screaming blue bloody murder, we haven't heard much from the teabaggers about last week's DOMA ruling. According to the Washington Post, Tea Party libertarians and Tenthers are quietly thrilled with the ruling's affirmation of states' rights.

The silence is by design, activists with the loosely affiliated movement said, because it is held together by an exclusive focus on fiscal matters and its avoidance of divisive social issues such as abortion and gay marriage. Privately, though, many said they back the decision because it emphasizes the legal philosophy of states' rights. "I do think it's a state's right," said Phillip Dennis, Texas state coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots. The group does not take a position on social issues, he said, but personally, "I believe that if the people in Massachusetts want gay people to get married, then they should allow it, just as people in Utah do not support abortion. They should have the right to vote against that." Everett Wilkinson, state director for the Florida Tea Party Patriots, agreed: "On the issue [of gay marriage] itself, we have no stance, but any time a state's rights or powers are encouraged over the federal government, it is a good thing."

While Tea Party leaders acknowledge that many in the movement oppose same-sex marriage, they claim it is "not a majority" and that the issue "just isn't on our radar." Hmmm. One Florida Tea Party official claims that his group has several hundred gay members.

HomoQuotable - Jonathan Capehart

"Let me point out that the Gill case was not the only relevant one decided by Tauro. He also ruled that DOMA was unconstitutional because it trumped states’ rights to set their own marriage laws. It was a satisfying outcome. But his decision has gay legal eagles and federal court tea leaf readers a bit mystified and concerned. 'Perhaps more importantly, his Tenth Amendment arguments prove entirely too much,' Yale constitutional law professor Jack Balkin wrote last week about Judge Tauro’s ruling. 'As much as liberals might applaud the result, they should be aware that the logic of his arguments, taken seriously, would undermine the constitutionality of wide swaths of federal regulatory programs and seriously constrict federal regulatory power.' Balkin supports marriage equality, fyi.

"As nice as this decision is, it’s only the start of the long journey to the Supreme Court. All eyes are on the Justice Department and whether it will appeal the Tauro rulings to the Appellate division. I won’t be surprised or angered if it does. An administration traditionally defends the nation’s laws no matter its policy view of them. President Obama has made it clear many times that he wants DOMA repealed. (Got that, Congress?) And if the administration does appeal I hope it mounts the same limp defense it did in District Court. We can only hope that those same indefensible -- and unconstitutional -- rationales for unfairness will lead to the ultimate demise of DOMA." - Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart.

Twelve States Ready HCR Lawsuits

According to World Net Daily, twelve state attorneys general are preparing to sue the federal government to block the health care reform bill.

"The health-care reform legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last night clearly violates the U.S. Constitution and infringes on each state's sovereignty," said Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, a Republican. "On behalf of the state of Florida and of the attorneys general from South Carolina, Nebraska, Texas, Utah, Pennsylvania, Washington, North Dakota, South Dakota and Alabama," McCollum announced, "if the president signs this bill into law, we will file a lawsuit to protect the rights and the interests of American citizens."

Virginia's Republican Attorney General, Kenneth Cuccinelli, has also vowed to bring suit, claiming Congress' constitutional power to regulate interstate commerce doesn't extend to requiring Virginians to buy health insurance. "If a person decides not to buy health insurance, that person by definition is not engaging in commerce," Cuccinelli said in a statement. "If you are not engaging in commerce, how can the federal government regulate you?" And in the 12th state, Idaho, Republican Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter signed a measure last week requiring the state's attorney general to file a suit challenging the mandate as soon as the health-care overhaul becomes law.

All will be citing the Tenth Amendment in their suits.

Tenthers Advance On Gun Control Laws

The Tenther movement scored another victory today when South Dakota declared that it had exempted itself from federal gun control laws. Via World Net Daily:

A fifth state – South Dakota – has decided that guns made, sold and used within its borders no longer are subject to the whims of the federal government through its rule-making arm in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and two supporters of the growing groundswell say they hope Washington soon will be taking note. South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds has signed into law his state's version of a Firearms Freedom Act that first was launched in Montana. It already is law there, in Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming, which took the unusual step of specifying criminal penalties – including both fines and jail time – for federal agents attempting to enforce a federal law on a "personal firearm" in the Cowboy State. According to a report in the Dakota Voice, the new South Dakota law addresses the "rights of states which have been carelessly trampled by the federal government for decades." "As the federal government has radically overstepped is constitutional limitations in the past year or so, an explosion of states have begun re-asserting their rights not only with regard to firearms, but also in shielding themselves against government health care, cap and trade global warming taxes, and more," the report said.

The Tenthers are named for the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which declares that the states have sovereignty over any issue not expressly mentioned in the Constitution. Tenthers are using that amendment to fight for exemptions to federal laws covering health care, abortion, LGBT rights, hates crimes, and a myriad of other issues.

Oklahoma Senate Votes To Exempt State From Federal Hate Crimes Law

Oklahoma state Sen. Steve Russell's bill to exempt his state from complying with the federal hate crimes law has passed overwhelmingly.

Under the new provisions of Senate Bill 1965, reports that were collected during investigations of possible hate crime that did not end in a conviction would be destroyed or kept by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Russell said the bill is meant to prevent the federal law enforcement officials from taking over a case and applying different standards when local law enforcement has already investigated a case. Only a few senators questioned Russell about the contents of his proposed amendment. The measure passed 39-6 and now heads to the House for consideration. Russell said his bill is meant to protect speech of all kinds. "We just don’t want the pendulum to swing too far the other way,” he said. "This protects people to do or say whatever they want, as long as it complies with local ordinances.” Russell said hate crimes should be prosecuted by local officials and not the federal government.

Under Russell's bill, Oklahoma law enforcement can ignore or sweep under the carpet any hate-motivated murder or assault on LGBT persons. And the feds won't be able to step in because the case records will have been destroyed or withheld. His bill is yet another example of the Tenther campaign to refuse to abide by federal laws.

RELATED: Russell's opposition to the Matthew Shepard Act first came to our attention when he claimed that it would protect his state's corpse-fuckers from prosecution. Corpse-fucking, while frowned upon by many, has long been a favorite hobby for many of Oklahoma's home-schoolers.

Oklahoma Legislator Wants Exemption To Hate Crimes Law In Order To End State's Raging Corpse-Fucking Epidemic

Oklahoma state Sen. Steve Russell (R) plans to submit a bill that would authorize the state to opt out of the recently passed Matthew Shepard Act. Because it discriminates against the right to hate queers and would hinder the prosecution of corpse fuckers. SRSLY.

“The federal government should not be creating a special class of people, and that is just what they did when they passed and signed this bill,” Russell said. “All crimes against another person have some level of hate in them, and people can be assured that our laws that protect people against crimes such as murder are sufficient to protect everyone.” Russell said because the government has decided to intervene on issues of morality, he is worried that religious leaders who speak out against any lifestyle could be imprisoned for their speech. “The law is very vague to begin with,” Russell said. “Sexual orientation is a very vague word that could be extended to extremes like necrophilia.” Russell said he is also concerned if someone is attacked and killed for his or her sexual orientation, the suspect could pass the blame onto a religious leader who preached out against the lifestyle of the victim who was attacked.

What IS it about Christianists and corpse fucking? Russell plans to cite the Tenth Amendment in his bill, saying that the Tenth specifically restricts the federal government from imposing laws not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution. The Tenth Amendment has repeatedly been cited across Greater Wingistan as a way for states to avoid adhering to various federal programs, including heath care reform.

Tenthers: Throw Off The Shackles Of The Federal Goverment

Some outfit called the Tenth Amendment Center used the occasion of Constitution Day yesterday to urge Americans to encourage their states to "opt-out of the shackles of the federal government." They demand that candidates in the 2010 election sign on to their "10-4 pledge to return sovereignty to the states." The last line of this clip: "The federal government is as worthless as it is dangerous." The tenthers are behind much of the secessionist movement we've seen in states such as Texas, Montana, and Idaho.