Heritage Foundation Expands In DC

From today's money beg:

The Heritage Foundation is vastly expanding our presence in Washington D.C. — the belly of the beast. Our headquarters in the heart of Washington, D.C. is just two city blocks from the Senate offices, three city blocks from the Capitol building, and three city blocks from the House offices. It’s from this base that we will wage a policy war with the Left and the Establishment at very close range. In politics, proximity matters. That’s why our physical presence is key and that’s why expansion is critical to future conservative victories. In short, the Freedom Center will be a beachhead from which we can advance your principles in Washington from inescapably close range. And that’s why a generous donor has offered to match every gift to this campaign, dollar for dollar. That is why we must meet our $1 million goal by August 18 to build The Heritage Foundation Freedom Center—the physical epicenter of the conservative movement in America. These funds will be used to jump-start this critical project to secure our movement’s future. And thanks to a generous Heritage supporter, your gift by August 18 to restore liberty in our nation’s capital will be doubled.

The Heritage Foundation was co-founded in 1973 by late Coors Brewing president Joseph Coors. In January 2013 Jim DeMint resigned from the US Senate to become their president. According to their 2014 financial report, they had over $261 million in assets.

Ryan Anderson Backs FADA

"The First Amendment Defense Act would prevent the federal government from discriminating against any citizen or organization because they believe marriage is the union of husband and wife. It would ensure that no federal agency will ever revoke non-profit tax-exempt status or deny grants, contracts, accreditation, or licenses to individuals or institutions for following their belief that marriage is a union between a man and a woman. This bill simply continues the practice of the United States for all of our history. It takes nothing away from anyone. It changes nothing. It protects pluralism amid disagreement. America is in a time of transition. The court has redefined marriage, and beliefs about human sexuality are changing. Will the right to dissent be protected? Will our right to speak and act in accord with what Americans have always believed about marriage — that it’s a union of husband and wife — be tolerated?" - Ryan T. Anderson, writing for the National Review. Anderson's piece also denounces the Equality Act because of course.

KENTUCKY: Anti-Gay Clerk Files Religious Discrimination Suit Against Governor

The Liberty Counsel is suing Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear on behalf of renegade county clerk Kim Davis. Via the Lexington Herald-Leader:

Late Tuesday, Davis filed a lawsuit against Beshear in federal district court. She blamed the governor for instructing all 120 of the state's county clerks to comply with this summer's U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized gay marriage. Beshear's stance left dissenting county clerks vulnerable to lawsuits, including two that she currently faces, filed by groups of her constituents, Davis said. U.S. District Judge David Bunning is expected to rule in these cases in coming days. "The Commonwealth of Kentucky, acting through Governor Beshear, has deprived Davis of her religious-conscience rights guaranteed by the United States and Kentucky constitutions and laws, by insisting that Davis issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples contrary to her conscience, based on her sincerely held religious beliefs," Davis' lawsuit says.

The suit also names the head of the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, which changed the marriage license forms to gender-neutral.

The Liberty Counsel has issued a press release:

“Governor Beshear is unlawfully picking and choosing the conscience-based exemptions to marriage that he deems acceptable,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. When Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway refused to defend Kentucky’s natural marriage laws after “pray[ing] over this decision,” Governor Beshear did not command that he perform his duties, but hired private attorneys to pursue the appeal. “In no uncertain terms, Governor Beshear’s policies and directives are intended to suppress religion—even worse, a particular religious belief,” Liberty Counsel’s complaint points out. “Thus, although Attorney General Conway was given a pass for his conscience about marriage without any threats of repercussion, clerks like Davis are being repeatedly told by their Governor to abandon their religiously informed beliefs or resign.” “Simply put, Governor Beshear is making secularism a litmus test for holding office in Kentucky,” said Mat Staver. “The governor is forcing clerks like Davis to choose between following the precepts of her religion and forfeiting her position, on the one hand, and abandoning one of the precepts of her religion in order to keep her position, on the other,” Staver concluded.

The ruling in the ACLU's suit against Davis is expected next week. (Tipped by JMG reader Allen)

Quote Of The Day - Paul Hard

"Four years ago, this journey began in grief and pain. I am grateful that the courts have ruled that it will end in justice and equality for couples like David and me. I pray that equality for LGBT Americans continues and need not be won at the cost of sorrow and turmoil. I hope that this decision marks a new day for Alabamians and others in the public’s recognition of my marriage and a love that is equal to any other." - Paul Hard (above right with his late husband), who last week finally won his legal battle against his evil former mother-in-law.

Hard was represented by the SPLC, who announced the closure of the case today. Here's how it all started:

Hard, an assistant professor at a Montgomery area university, and Fancher were married in May 2011 in Massachusetts. Fancher was killed three months later when his car collided with a large truck on Alabama’s Interstate 65. Hard sued the trucking companies in a separate case not filed by the SPLC, and that suit was settled in July 2014. On the morning of the accident, when Hard arrived at the hospital in Prattville, Alabama, a receptionist refused to give him any information about his husband. He was told he was not a member of Fancher’s “family” and that gay marriages weren’t recognized in Alabama. Finally, a hospital orderly told Hard, “Well, he’s dead.” After receiving the traumatic news, a funeral home director cited Alabama law in insisting that the death certificate indicate Fancher was never married – even though Fancher and Hard were legally married in Massachusetts. Likewise, the state would not recognize Hard as the surviving spouse. Fancher’s mother, Pat Fancher, sought to be the sole beneficiary of the wrongful death suit proceeds, even though Hard was due a portion as the surviving spouse.

The mother-in-law was represented by the Foundation For Moral Law, which was founded by Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore after he was first booted from the bench. Since Moore's reelection the group has been headed by Moore's wife, Kayla Moore. The SPLC has filed unrelated judicial ethics complaints against Roy Moore for his calls to defy the US Supreme Court's Obergefell ruling.

MAINE: State Supreme Court Rules That NOM Must Reveal Their Donors

Via the Portland Press Herald:

The National Organization for Marriage has lost another round in its attempt to hide the identities of donors to a successful 2009 referendum campaign to reverse Maine’s marriage equality law. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court on Tuesday denied NOM’s motion to block a ruling by the state’s ethics and elections commission that the organization must register as a ballot question committee and begin disclosing its donors. Last year the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices imposed a $50,250 fine on NOM, the nation’s leading organization opposing gay marriage, a ruling that could affect the way nonprofit organizations attempt to influence Maine elections. The ruling followed an investigation in which the staff of the ethics commission found that NOM failed to comply with state law by concealing its operations and donors during the drive to overturn Maine’s same-sex marriage law in 2009. The ethics vote meant that the state will require the organization to register as a ballot question committee and disclose its donors from the campaign.

The director of the ethics commission says that NOM has both paid its fine and registered as a ballot question committee "under protest."

More from the Bangor Daily News:

The National Organization for Marriage has argued that the Maine Ethics Commission misapplied the law that its donors from across the United States were supporting the organization’s general principles and not specifically the referendum in Maine. The organization also has argued that disclosing its donors would seriously hinder its ability to raise funds in the future. In May 2014, Maine Ethics Commission Chairman Walter McKee said that the National Organization for Marriage has made a “mockery” of Maine’s campaign finance disclosure laws. It was unclear whether the National Organization for Marriage has any additional legal options to avoid disclosure of the list.

Lively: God Is Punishing America Because Non-Christians Have Religious Freedom

ILLINOIS: Porno Pete LaBarbera To Host Fundraiser For Scott Lively (And Himself)

From the event page:

Scott Lively, founder of Defend the Family International, is the most persecuted pro-family leader in the world on the issue of homosexuality. He will give his thoughts on the new reality of post-Obergefell America (the SCOTUS decision declaring "gay marriage" a supposed Constitutional right). Lively, the author of "The Pink Swastika" and several other books on the homosexual agenda, is the target of a leftist lawsuit accusing him of "Crimes Against Humanity" because he took part in a pro-family seminar opposed to the LGBT agenda in Uganda. Lively will discuss this frivolous lawsuit whose real intent is to silence conservative Christians. You will also hear from AFTAH Founder and President Peter LaBarbera and Grace Gospel pastor John Kirkwood. Refreshments and light snacks will be served. Donations to AFTAH and Lively's organization will be accepted at the event.

The hate soiree will be live-streamed.

HOUSTON: Anti-Gay Pastors Sue Mayor

Via Houston's CBS affiliate:

A group of pastors fighting Houston's equal rights ordinance has filed a lawsuit against Mayor Annise Parker, claiming she tried to deny voters' rights and intimidate clergymen opposing her. The legal action comes at the beginning of what's likely to be a passionate campaign leading up to a referendum on the ordinance in November. "She violated and trampled the voting rights of over a million people in the fourth largest city in the United States of America," said Andy Taylor, the attorney representing the clergymen, at a news conference with his clients. "Are you with me? Can you believe it? Is that what happened?" The clergymen who filed the suit have fought the ordinance from the beginning, focusing on its protections for gay and transgendered people. They're among the leaders of a petition drive that called for a referendum to repeal the ordinance.

Last month the Texas Supreme Court ruled that Houston must either repeal its LGBT rights ordinance or place it to a public vote. Parker has vowed to win at the polls.

RELATED: Next month the above-pictured pastors will take part in an anti-gay forum titled The Texas Response.

FRC Staffer Craig James Sues Fox Sports For Anti-Christian Religious Discrimination

Former New England Patriots running back, failed US Senate candidate, and current Family Research Council staffer Craig James has filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against Fox Sports, alleging that the network fired him as a commentator over his Christian stance on same-sex marriage. Yahoo News reports:

In 2013, Fox Sports Southwest fired James two days after it hired him upon learning of a statement he made in 2012 while running for the U.S. Senate. During a debate that involved Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and Ted Cruz, James said that being gay is a choice and that “right now in this country, our moral fiber is sliding down a slope that is going to be hard to stop if we don’t stand up with leaders who don’t go ride in gay parades. I can assure you I will never ride in a gay parade.” Fox Sports Southwest Senior Vice President of Communications Lou D’Ermilio took issue with the comments. “We just asked ourselves how Craig’s statements would play in our human resources department. He couldn’t say those things here.” The suit, which was filed Monday morning, claimed James was fired “because of his religious beliefs about marriage and his expression of those beliefs.”

James' suit claims that he "shows love and kindness to all those around him" including his LGBT friends and family members. That claim might come as a surprise to his LGBT friends and family members who happened to be listening as he guest-hosted on Tony Perkins' radio show in December, when he told a caller that he wasn't really sure whether gay people should be executed.

#AllLionsMatter

Lively: It's Time For A Christian Revolution

"How is it that a relatively tiny handful of homosexual activists, themselves representing less than 2% of our population, has managed in the same period of time to establish a reign of homo-fascism in the United States that has turned centuries-old American values upside down and has turned its large Christian plurality (if not majority) into criminals (if they dare to cling to the teachings of the Bible)? Isn’t it true that one man with the flimsiest of plans could utterly defeat the abortion industry and the LGBT agenda in short order — if God backed Him? So why have virtually all our efforts failed? It’s really pretty simple. The American church just doesn’t have God’s favor anymore. The brutal truth is the church has lost the so-called culture war and is now under occupation, like the French under the Nazis, with nothing left to do but organize resistance and plot to overthrow the occupiers through a political revolt." - Crimes against humanity defendant Scott Lively, writing for his blog.

KENTUCKY: Liberty Counsel Tells Court That Clerk Is A "Conscientious Objector"

The Liberty Counsel yesterday filed a motion in the ACLU's lawsuit against four-times-married Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis in which they characterize her as being similar to an anti-war conscientious objector.

“Like a noncombatant who cannot shoulder a rifle, a county clerk who cannot issue” same-sex licenses “can still faithfully and devotedly serve this country, and their county,” lawyers for Kim Davis argued in a pleading filed Thursday in U.S. District Court. Asking Judge David Bunning to deny an injunction forcing Davis to begin issuing licenses again, attorneys Roger Gannam and Jonathan Christman from the Orlando-based Liberty Counsel note that Kentucky law allows county clerks an exemption from issuing fishing and hunting licenses. “If Kentucky is able to accommodate personal beliefs and conscientious objection regarding something that is (to some) as trivial as fishing and hunting, surely Kentucky can and must provide similar accommodation for deeply held beliefs about the fundamental nature of marriage,” they said in their pleading.

The ACLU has seven days to respond to the latest motion. Earlier this month Davis testified that she had "prayed and fasted" about her decision to disobey the Supreme Court. The final ruling in the case is expected in mid-August. Kentucky's county clerks are elected and can only be removed by the state legislature, which is out of session until January. Davis and other renegade clerks face fines and jail for contempt of court should the ruling go against them.

Sodomites Are Bleaching Harlem

Hate preacher James David Manning wants to build an "anti-sodomite monument" across 125th Street to defy the "bleaching of Harlem."

ALABAMA: SPLC Updates Complaint That Roy Moore Has Violated Judicial Ethics

AL.com reports:

In its filing today, SPLC says Moore has committed new ethics violations by improperly commenting on pending or impending cases in numerous speeches and interviews; by suggesting that Supreme Court precedent need not be followed; and by announcing that he would recuse himself from cases rather than apply precedents with which he disagreed. The SPLC also contends Moore's continued association with the Foundation for Moral Law also violates the Alabama Canon of Judicial Ethics. Moore's wife, Kayla, services as the president of the legal services organization; Moore is listed as president emeritus.

"Justice Moore has been removed from office for unethical actions once before, but it's clear that he hasn't learned his lesson," SPLC President Richard Cohen said in a statement. "It's obviously unethical for him to urge defiance of a United States Supreme Court ruling. He needs to understand that he is a judge, not a preacher." The SPLC complaint states that in a July 7 interview with political activist Randall Terry, Moore indicated that he was in "active" conflict with the federal judiciary over its "horrendous opinion" in the same-sex marriage case and was fighting the same-sex ruling with briefs and speeches.

The SPLC's original complaint, filed in January, contends that Moore is "encouraging lawlessness by attempting to assemble state officials and judges to oppose the federal court system."

Duggar Family Issues Money Beg

Via Radar Online:

How low will they go? Thanks to their former lucrative TLC contracts, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are reportedly millionaires. However, now that the network has canceled the family’s reality show, 19 Kids And Counting, following disgraced son Josh’s sex abuse scandal, the shameless parents and their ultra-Christian brood are begging fans for financial support, RadarOnline can reveal. On the conservative clan’s official YouTube page, Duggar Studios, the family asks for supporters to contribute funds so the kids can create “fresh quality content” on their video site. “Every contribution is helpful, big or small,” they claim. However, the videos, featuring the children playing basketball and going to the dentist, don’t seem to require much of a budget. Also, clips are only uploaded to the account once every few months. The former reality stars have a history of money grubbing.

More from OK Magazine: "According to a report, the Duggars lost their $45,000-per-episode paychecks along with endorsement deals, sponsorships, speaking engagements and royalties, which could amount to a '$25 million or more a year' loss in total."

NOM Money Begs ON FADA (Again)

"We have already made great progress in advancing the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA). The Senate version of FADA, S. 1598 authored by Utah Senator Mike Lee, has 36 Senate cosponsors. The House version, HR 2802 authored by Idaho Representative Raul Labrador, currently has 142 cosponsors. That means that over 40% of the entire Congress is officially supporting this critical legislation — an impressive accomplishment! Despite this high degree of Congressional support, enactment of FADA will take a fierce fight. NOM must raise $100,000 immediately to mount a full court blitz to pass this legislation. The First Amendment Defense Act is the Hyde Amendment of the marriage issue. It will protect people of faith from being forced to be involved in supporting this illegitimate attempt by the Supreme Court to redefine marriage. Please help us protect American families and the religious and charitable institutions they treasure by making a generous financial contribution to NOM today." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, who doesn't say how that $100K will be used. Today's email contains 15 links to NOM's donation page.

ALABAMA: Evil Mother-In-Law LOSES, Court Orders Big Payout To Gay Widower

Evil Alabama mother-in-law Pat Fancher and the Foundation For Moral Law have finally lost their attempt to deny gay widower Paul Hard the proceeds from a wrongful death suit filed on behalf of his late husband, who died in a car accident in 2011. Equality Case Files has the order:

The Clerk of the Court is DIRECTED to issue a check drawn on ServisFirst Bank where the funds are deposited in a money market account for the principal amount of $552,956.69, plus ninety percent of all interest earned to date that is due for distribution to Plaintiff Paul Hard. This check shall be made payable to Servis First Bank. ServisFirst Bank shall provide the Clerk of the Court with official checks payable to: a. The Southern Poverty Law Center Client Trust Account in the principal amount of $552,956.69, plus ninety percent interest earned to date; and b. The Clerk of the Court for ten percent of all interest earned to date to the U.S. Treasury.

Two weeks ago the Foundation For Moral Law filed an argument which claimed that the Obergefell ruling does not apply retroactively to unsettled legal claims.

"The issue is not whether someone may marry a member of the same sex today. The issue is whether a court may or should look back four years and recognize a marriage that was not legally valid. Of course, if the marriage is recognized it will only cause further economic harm to a family which has already lost one its own. And if recognized, this man will be awarded an entire spousal share of the wrongful death proceeds which would be unjust even under normal circumstances considering the two were 'married' less than 3 months."

Immediately following the above-linked ruling, the Foundation For Moral Law filed a motion to set aside the order. The same judge responded by saying, "Didn't I just say go fuck yourself?"

RELATED: The Foundation For Moral Law was headed by Roy Moore until he won reelection to the Alabama Supreme Court. The group is now headed by his wife, Kayla Moore. The Foundation For Moral Law openly advocates for replacing the government of the United States with a Christian theocracy ruled by "biblical law."

Rick Perry Confirms For Duggar Fest 2015

That makes six of the GOP presidential candidates: Perry, Walker, Huckabee, Santorum, Cruz, and Carson. So far. Who will say no?

NOM: Alabama Should Ignore SCOTUS

"The Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell mandating same-sex marriage throughout the nation is not only wrong, but illegitimate. The oaths that elected officials take is to 'the Constitution,' not to 'the Supreme Court,' and it is high time that 'that eminent tribunal' be reminded that the very essence of its authority comes from the Constitution. As John Marshall stated in the famous decision of Marbury v. Madison, the power of judicial review does not imply a superiority of the courts to the elected branches of government, but a superiority of the Constitution to both."- NOM chairman John Eastman, in a joint press release urging the Alabama Supreme Court to act on the demand filed earlier this month by the Liberty Counsel.

Monica Cole Has The Boy Scouts Sadz

"As 1MM predicted, the Boy Scouts of America has dropped its ban on homosexual adult leaders. This means men who are attracted to males are now welcome on campouts in intimate proximity to boys. Last week, the BSA's National Executive Board approved the new policy on a 45-12 vote. This follows a vote just two years ago to allow homosexual boys to join the ranks. The BSA has made its decision; now make yours by taking these immediate actions: 1. If you are in scouting, or have a son or grandson in scouting, show your convictions by resigning from the organization. Your dropped membership will send a strong message that your values are steadfast, faithful and unchangeable. 2. If your church charters a scouting unit, contact the pastor and scouting committee members. Urge the church to drop the charter based on the truth of God's word and Christian values. 3. Find an alternative to the BSA. 1MM strongly recommends the Christian-based Trail Life USA program." - Monica Cole, head of One Million Moms, via email.