I believe in a BIG god.

Mike Farris.

Mike Farris.

The Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian hate group, has a new prez, Mike Farris. Mike is intent on “winning”, meaning he’s all fired up to make sure that certain people are not accorded full human rights, what with their being subhuman and all. Primarily, this means all who fall under the LGBT+ umbrella, and women. Mike believes in a BIG god, so he’s confident. Just once, I’d like to see any of you Christian assholes actually leave something up to that god of yours. We both know you can’t do that though, because there is no god out there just waiting to stomp all over people. Unfortunately, this sort of wishful thinking is capable of a great deal of harm, not that these sanctimonious, so-called lovers of life care about that. Unwanted children? Eh, who cares. Dead women? Eh, who cares. Queer people subjected to violence and discrimination? Eh, who cares.

Farris described himself as a problem-solver by nature, and said ADF was founded to address “the general erosion of religious freedom” as well as “attacks” on marriage, human life, and the right to “preach the gospel” and “live the gospel.”

There has not been one single instance of erosion in regard to religious freedom. Religious freedom has expanded, in truth, and you don’t like that at all, no sir. You can’t stand the fact that secular people are allowed to have their own little scenes up in public, you can’t stand that the narrative isn’t just yours anymore. So, say what you really mean: we aren’t a fuckin’ dictatorship anymore, and we want that back! There’s been no attack on marriage. Again, that has been expanded to be more inclusive. No one is knocking on your door announcing “marriage dissolved!” and glitter bombing you. Although that’s a tempting thought. Since when don’t you have the right to preach the gospel and live the gospel? Just who in the fuck is stopping you? From my perspective, you asses never manage to shut up, and your gospelish lives aren’t terribly impressive, so there’s not much there to keep one’s attention. In short form, no one cares. Live your bloody life however you like. All that’s asked in return is that you allow others the same. Oh, but can’t have that, can we?

Winning means religious freedom is robustly protected. Winning means Roe versus Wade is reversed. Winning means that same-sex marriage by judicial edict is reversed, and we go back to the states and let the states make their own policy on this.

Religious freedom is already protected. That’s not what you want. You want to rule, much like Lucifer did. Is it really all that much to ask that you jackasses pay mind to your own fairy stories? Roe v Wade, yes, because viewing women as autonomous human beings who have a right to make their own personal medical decisions is unthinkable, someone must think of the wonders of misogyny, yes? After all, what’s the point of being a patriarch if you don’t get to make women miserable, that’s one of those perks, ennit? Oh, and marriage. Marriage is marriage is marriage. Marriage is a legal contract, it only has to do with a god if you decide that matters. So, some people have church a/o god based weddings, and some people have civil ones. Me, I went civil. It’s all marriage. Mine is not invalid because it did not invoke a god. It’s not invalid because I chose to not have children, even those of your view do consider childfree marriages to be invalid. Basically, it’s none of your business. The right to marry is a basic human right, you don’t get to withhold it from those you don’t like. If we could do that, I’d certainly never approve of you being married or breeding, Mr. Farris. You’re much too busy passing on hate for my tastes. However, that is not the case, so I have to accept your marriage. That’s how these little social contract thingies work.

The “left elites” want to restrict religious freedom, he said, and “that battle is at a pitched fever [sic] right now.” Farris said winning won’t be easy because “the other side is well funded, well organized, smart, and they don’t play fair.” But, he said, “I believe we can win because I believe in a big God and I’ve seen Him deliver before.”

Oh ffs. This idiocy again. I’m left, yes. Elite, no. I’m certainly not swimming in the same money pool as all you Christian hustlers and swindlers. A con, every single one of you, fleecing money left and right from those who can most ill afford it, while you live the high life, busy spoonfeeding lies and hate into those who think the sun shines out your arse.

Mostly, I’d like you to shut up and mind your own business. That’s all. You live your life, and let the rest of us live ours. I’m perfectly willing to make peace, but you aren’t. No, you must rule, you must destroy, you must always be at war of some fucking kind or other. Without your hate, you have nothing. Ugh. I just can’t go on, I feel like vomiting all over this awful excuse of a human being. The whole mess is at Right Wing Watch.

Sunday Facepalm.

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In the really bad news department, evangelicals have found themselves in government heaven. Last month, Right Wing Watch reported on the Pendejo-elect’s transition team giving religious right activists, specifically, the members of his evangelical advisory board unprecedented (sb. unpresidented?) input in shaping the new administration. A member of that board, Richard Land, was busy boasting in gleeful surprise about this recently.

Earlier this week, one of the members of that board, Richard Land of the Southern Evangelical Seminary, appeared on the “Point of View” radio program, where he told host Kerby Anderson that he has been shocked by how much influence he and other Religious Right activists have had over the make-up of Trump’s administration.

“Some of my conservative friends and I, we have been pinching ourselves, are we hallucinating or is this actually happening?” Land said. “I know a good number of people on the transition team and I can tell you right now, about half of them, Kerby, think I’m liberal. I mean, these are very conservative people.”

Indeed. Nazis and fascists in general are “ultra-conservative” by typical standards. One could phrase it more precisely as rigidly evil.

Land, a longtime activist and former Southern Baptist Convention official, said that he has “been solicited five times for personnel recommendations” by the Trump administration, which is something that never happened under any previous Republican president. As such, Land said, “this administration is going to have more conservative Christians, Catholic and evangelical, in it than any administration that I’ve been associated with or had contact with, and I’ve been doing this since Reagan.”

For those of us who eschew willful delusions, this is very bad news indeed. “When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.” I would say they would soon be eyeing suitable candidates for kindling, to set that cross ablaze, but there’s no soon about it. Already happening.

Via Right Wing Watch.

We Want Idiots!

Joyner

Rick Joyner.

Rick Joyner declared on the most recent episode of his “Prophetic Perspective on Current Events” program that the Common Core educational standards amount to “treason.”

“Common Core goes to a new level of evil,” he said. “I cannot imagine any sane person wanting that garbage to be taught to our kids. Now I will say this boldly: This is treason. Maybe not intentional treason, but it’s ultimate effect, impact, will be to absolutely destroy America, make us incapable of competing or maybe even surviving in the world to come.”

Common Core is “abominable,” Joyner said, which is why he is “so thankful that we have got a president who understands” its dangers, predicting that Trump “will do something to probably help fix it faster than anything else he can do.”

Well yes, Trump is out destroy education, given the whole Betsy de Vos business, but to declare common core as treason? Please.  So what’s it going to be then, no standard at all? No standards for learning, no standards for schooling, no standards for jobs? Destroying America? Oh my yes, why education results in pesky people asking questions! Those meddling kids!

I expect this is about the incredibly bad system of vouchers, so we will end up with little to no public education, and only people with money will be able to actually educate their children. Everyone else? Eh, I’m sure the rethugs want a sea of idiots for a number of reasons. I’d be willing to bet the number of secular homeschoolers is about to increase.

Via Right Wing Watch.

Prayer vs Pancreatitis.

Seth Johnson. Credit: youcaring.

Seth Johnson. Credit: youcaring.

Guess which one won? Yeah. I’ve had acute pancreatitis. To say it is excruciating is very close to an understatement. I made it a day and a half before gratefully surrendering to the hospital, and the most blessed relief of morphine, which is about all that can bring relief from pain that makes death look pretty damn good. The long trip to the hospital, I had a bowl, and was vomiting the whole way, faced washed with tears that wouldn’t stop leaking, bent double, unable to straighten up, couldn’t walk. My chest felt like it was going to explode, and I could barely breathe. It’s beyond unconscionable that adults allowed a child to endure this until death.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A mother and a father in the west metro are facing child neglect charges following the March death of their 7-year-old son, whom officials say died of pancreatitis without medical attention because his parents had “issues going to doctors.”

Timothy and Sarah Johnson, of Plymouth, were charged by summons last week with one count of child neglect resulting in substantial bodily harm, a gross misdemeanor, in the death of their adopted son, Seth.

According to criminal complaints, the boy died on March 30, covered in bruises, after being found unresponsive on a vomit-covered mattress. An autopsy showed the child’s cause of death was acute pancreatitis and possible sepsis.

[…]

In the days before Seth’s death, his parents were out of town for a wedding, leaving their son in the care of an older sibling. The night they returned, the Johnsons found their son hardly moving and said he didn’t react when they “prayed for his health.”

The parents said the boy was barely able to eat two small bites of pizza. They decided to consider in the morning whether or not their son needed to see a doctor.

When the parents woke up, they found Seth unresponsive and called 911. The boy was pronounced dead a short time later.

I certainly hope Seth’s siblings have been removed, and neglect is not a serious enough charge for these disgusting assholes. Full story here.

Ah, Heresy.

Donald Trump with Pastor Paula White (Photo: Facebook).

Donald Trump with Pastor Paula White (Photo: Facebook).

Oh, the evangelical crowd is happily crying “Heresy!” over the choice of prosperity gospel huckster Paula White being chosen to perform the inauguration prayer.

“I’d rather a Hindu pray on Inauguration Day and not risk the souls of men, than one whose heresy lures in souls with promises of comfort only to damn them in eternity,” wrote Erick Erickson, an outspoken Trump critic on the right. “At least no one would mistake a Hindu, a Buddhist, or an atheist with being a representative of Christ’s kingdom.”

Oooh, look, someone actually said even an atheist would be better. Sort of.

“Paula White is a charlatan and recognized as a heretic by every orthodox Christian, of whatever tribe,” said Russell Moore, of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and an outspoken Trump critic.

White, who is the third wife of Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain — also her third spouse — takes in up to $80,000 a week, according to a 2007 report by the Tampa Tribune, and owns multimillion-dollar homes in Trump Tower and Florida.

“Paula White has a long history of bankruptcies, failed business ventures, and unsuccessful marriages, which makes her the perfect choice to deliver a prayer on behalf a president-elect who has proudly proclaimed that he’s never felt the need to ask forgiveness from God for anything,” wrote Paula Bolyard, a conservative Christian blogger for PJ Media.

Trump and White do seem to be a perfect match. And they are neighbours, so cozy.

Erickson was particularly troubled by a video, which he posted, that shows White speaking to a man who says he’s a son of God, and that Jesus Christ was “not the only begotten son of God” — to which the pastor agreed, “He’s the first fruit.”

“Paula White is a trinity denying heretic,” Erickson wrote. “She rejects the Council of Nicaea’s creed that every Christian accepts. To reject the orthodoxy of the Nicene Creed is to reject Christianity itself.”

Oh, theology wars, the meat and drink of Christianity. First fruit, eh? So Yahweh has been busy raping young women and producing more magical sons for centuries? Eeeuw.

Via Raw Story.

The Inauguration Huckster.

Donald Trump with Pastor Paula White (Photo: Facebook).

Donald Trump with Pastor Paula White (Photo: Facebook).

Take a good look at the background in that photo.

In 2007, TV preacher Paula White got investigated by the U.S. Senate for her shady fundraising practices.

Ten years later, she will pray at Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Yes, really.

White is a televangelist with a huge audience and a knack for stirring controversy. She’s been a Trump booster for years, and she helped organize a summit for him in the early days of his presidential campaign with other televangelists. Her presence at the inauguration is a very strong indicator that Trump’s White House will be a safe space for the Christian right’s most controversial characters.

Think of Paula White’s ministry as the church version of Trump University. She preaches the prosperity gospel, an approach to Christianity that is, shall we say, unorthodox. Prosperity-gospel preachers teach that God wants people to be rich, and that he makes them wealthy as a sign of his blessing and favor; the richer you are, the more God loves you.

[…]

While Grassley was investigating White, Trump was praising her. CNN quoted him in a broadcast aired Nov. 26, 2007, describing her in glowing terms.

“Paula White is not only a beautiful person, both inside and out, she has a significant message to offer anyone who will tune in and pay attention,” Trump said. “She has amazing insight, the ability to deliver that message clearly, as well as powerfully.”

White has expressed similar sentiments about Trump, once describing him as “a diamond that reveals a new facet each time it is turned in the light.”

And during Trump’s campaign, she vouched for his saintliness.

[…]

As The Daily Beast detailed last year, the overlap between Trump’s and White’s message is glaring. One of the sermons for sale on her website is called “Why God Wants You Wealthy.” Trump, meanwhile, wrote a book titled Why We Want You to Be Rich. Trump and God both. Why aren’t you rich already?

Via The Daily Beast.

The Persecution Files: Gohmert & Gaffney.

Catholics burning Protestants, a fine old Christian tradition.

Catholics burning Protestants, a fine old Christian tradition.

Christians just love the idea of persecution. Generally speaking, throughout all of Xian history, the persecution was applied by them, towards pretty much everyone, including those Xians who decided to do things a bit differently. The history of Xianity is a particularly nasty one, and it’s not at all like they like to paint, with them the humble, willing martyrs so terribly persecuted. The initial church, the Catholic one, had a death grip on many world leaders, as well as too much of the population. The had terrible wealth and power, and used it. Ages went by with the constant spilling of blood, all the wars, the crusades, condemning countless children and adults to death. All the declarations of heresy. The inquisition. Oh, all those witches to torture, burn, and hang. A Christian’s work is never done. Once divisions took place, those who rejected Catholicism got busy torturing and killing those who wouldn’t renounce Catholicism (as in Hawaii), and so on. A history replete with brutal oppression, burning with fanatical hatred and writ in blood. The majority of Xians, anywhere in the world, know very little about actual history. They know the insipid stories they are fed, and little more. Learning on your own when you’re any flavour of xian is frowned upon, and quickly discouraged. Learning has this nasty habit of shedding light, and making a person curious and questioning. Not a good thing when it comes to religion. You are, to steal from Futurama, to choose to believe what you have been programmed to believe.

Christians to this day insist they are persecuted, oh yes we are, they cry, while stamping their feet. This never ending cry is often deafening here in uStates. Recently, the ever delusional Louie Gohmert and Frank Gaffney went on and on about it.

[Read more…]

Merry Christmas and Long Live the King!

Reint-a-Claus (Fritz Liess).

Reint-a-Claus (Fritz Liess).

The Twittersphere has been exploding throughout the holidays, and with good reason. Apparently, not one person in the “Trump Team” is capable of anything except gaffes, which they happily publicize all over the place, then have to rush in and try to spin it with very poor excuses. Normally, I’d say this would be a banner time for comedians, except they are in fear of all those Trumpoids, who seem to be singularly humourless.

On Sunday, the Republican National Committee (RNC) tweeted out a Christmas greeting that included a reference to a “new King.”

“Merry Christmas to all!” wrote RNC Chairman Reince Priebus and co-chair Sharon Day, according to TheHill.com. “Over two millennia ago, a new hope was born into the world, a Savior who would offer the promise of salvation to all mankind. Just as the three wise men did on that night, this Christmas heralds a time to celebrate the good news of a new King. We hope Americans celebrating Christmas today will enjoy a day of festivities and a renewed closeness with family and friends.”

Twitter users were baffled and a little horrified to see a major political party calling its Republican-elect a “king” before he’s even sworn into office.

Oh look – we now have an official godling and a king. Oh joy. The idiot lunatics are in charge. You can see some of the choicer twitter reactions at Raw Story.

Not Rainbow as in Gay, No.

The Ark is lit up with a big totally-not-gay rainbow.

The Ark is lit up with a big totally-not-gay rainbow.

Ken Ham has decorated the “ark” with xmas lights, in a bid to take back the rainbow from all those icky queer folk.

On his website this week, Ham announced that he would be lighting up the Ark in rainbow colours as a Christmas treat.

He wrote: “Our special Christmas event at the Ark Encounter started on Friday, December 16. We’ve decorated the whole Ark property with beautiful Christmas lights. And, for added ‘wow factor’, we’ve lit the whole Ark in beautiful rainbow colors. It’s gorgeous at night!”

Simply gorgeous, dahling.

However, he wants to make crystal clear that it’s not rainbow as in ‘gay’, but rainbow as in ‘God will bring death to sinners’.

Ham wrote: “In recent times the rainbow has come to represent… the LGBTQ movement.

“Indeed when the US Supreme Court legalized gay ‘marriage’ last year, the White House was lit up in rainbow colors.

“Sadly, people ignore what God intended the rainbow to represent and proudly wave rainbow-colored flags in defiance of God’s command and design for marriage.

“Because of this, many Christians shy away from using the rainbow colors. But the rainbow was a symbol of God’s promises before the LGBTQ movement—and will continue to be after that movement has ended.

“As Christians, we need to take the rainbow back and teach our young people its true meaning.”

Ham then prophesied a global catastrophe that will exterminate sinners like gay people.

He wrote: “Although God promised He would never judge the earth with a global Flood again, He is coming to judge sinful mankind a second time. This coming judgment won’t be with water but with fire.”

Right. So, you want to teach children that the rainbow is a symbol of El Shaddai’s promise he’s really, truly over his genocidal tantrums, but of course, that promise only applied to grisly deaths by water, and the fire is coming. Christianity, warped to the core.

Via Pink News.

The Patriotic Duty of All Americans.

Republican Michael 'Duke' Lowrie is running for state Rep. in Louisiana's District 8 (Duke Lowrie official website).

Republican Michael ‘Duke’ Lowrie is running for state Rep. in Louisiana’s District 8 (Duke Lowrie official website).

The patriotic duty of all Americans – be the best bigot you can be! Yet another bigoted xenophobe is running for office. A republican, natch.

Mic.com reported that Michael “Duke” Lowrie believes that it is the patriotic duty of all Americans to withhold their consumer dollars from businesses that benefit Muslims in any way.

The former paramedic and firefighter announced this week that he is running to represent Louisiana’s District 8 in the state House. He told the Shreveport Times that he stands by remarks he made about not supporting Muslim businesses or companies that hire Muslim workers.

“We are a Christian nation. The threat of Islamic terrorism is real. Too many times, politicians are sometimes so afraid to speak the truth because of the PC culture in which we live. I’ll call it how I see it. We must tackle Islamic extremism head on. I believe President Trump will do that,” Lowrie said in a statement on Friday.

No, we are not a Christian nation. That’s even written into all those old documents xenophobes such as yourself revere. I’m not a Christian, but so far, no one has shown up to revoke my citizenship. I wish you nasty, evil bigots were afraid to speak your lies and poison, the world would be a nicer place if you all put a lid on it. Since when do people who are doing nothing except working hard equate to terrorism? Only in the heads of xenophobes like Mr. Lowrie.

In a November, 2015 Facebook post, Lowrie wrote, “Many of you may or may not know but Shreveport – Bossier was one of the cities on the Islamist kill lists. Perhaps they despise our hospitality here or our over the top support for our military. Regardless the fact is the Islamist (sic) seek to kill us and make us submit to their false religion and god.”

They despise us for our hospitality! Our hospitality is so famous! Oh, so is our extremist support of military! It’s a pity these fools can’t be poisoned by irony.  Right now, I’d settle for them being able to discern fantasy from reality. Here’s the FB post:

So friend’s. The time has come that we must face and take action against this evil that has been placed before us. All day I have prayed and contemplated what to do. Many of you may or may not know but Shreveport Bossier was one of the cities on one of the islamist kill lists. Perhaps they despise our hospitality here and or our over the top support for our military. Regardless the fact is the islamist seek to kill us and make us submit to their false religion and god. There are many who worship, if you call it that, islam here among us. I do not believe they deserve the peace of our culture or the continued fruits of our society while following this religion. I for one will no longer knowingly go to or do business with any establishment that has someone who I know is a follower of islam working there. I will challenge every islamist I see to denounce their false god and religion. Those islamist here walk among us in stores and we act is if they are no different than any of us. Well im sorry they are different. Their religion demands you convert or die.

Why yes, Muslim people do walk among other people, often in stores. That’s called shopping, Mr. Lowrie. Most people have to do that sooner of later. If their religion demands you convert or die, then why haven’t you converted or died yet, Mr. Lowrie? It just couldn’t be that those people who share that Christian faith of yours simply want to live their lives without undue fuss, right? (And yes, it’s the same damn religion. Same god. Abrahamaic religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam.) Even in the wilds of nDakota, I know a fair number of Muslim people, and no one has talked religion at all, let alone stated “convert or die!” For fuck’s sake. Oh, and “the peace of our culture”? Really? A country filled with white bigots, toxic with aggrieved entitlement mentality and way too many guns, a peaceful culture? You’re part of American “culture” Mr. Lowrie, and I’d say peace is the last thing on your mind, given your fantasies.

The “ISIS Kill List” conspiracy is a misinterpretation of an ISIS propaganda effort from March of 2015, according to Snopes.com. ISIS published a list of U.S. service personnel it deemed as enemies of Islam and their home addresses.

Snopes said, “Although the March 2015 ISIS report was treated seriously by the U.S. military and law enforcement at the time it was issued, the Pentagon noted that the list seemed to be more of an ISIS social media scare tactic using information taken from publicly available online sources than an actual threat.”

Lowrie and others among the conspiracy-minded view the “Kill List” as a blueprint of what targets the terror group plans to “destroy.”

An inability to face reality should be an automatic disqualification to holding office. How I wish.

The election to fill the House seat takes place on March 25. So far, Lowrie is the only candidate who has declared.

Oh, please, someone with a brain, step up!

Via Raw Story.

Atheists Want to Abort Baby Jesus, Oh My!

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Oh, is it possible for us atheists to be more evil? According to some, yes. The luridly purple (and highly inaccurate) prose of Christian fanatics know no bounds, and now includes the utter horror of atheists attempting to abort a birthed baby from thousands of years ago. Right, that just makes all kinds of sense! The actual problem? Oh, the usual – evil atheists and satanists are allowed to put up their own seasonal displays, messages, and billboards, quelle horreur!

The haters of all-things-Christmas, some of whom claim to be “freedom” lovers, are busy again this December trying to legally abort the baby in the manger.

If they could pull this off, it would be the ultimate late-term abortion, since that baby was born 2,000 years ago and lives eternally as the King of Kings.

Oh FFS. The idiocy is simply too much to bear.

The atheist-Satan alliance is becoming more visible than ever. Bill Donohue of the Catholic League noted in a recent press release that atheists and Satanists have the same goals: they hate Christianity.

Most satanists are atheists, who happily use satanism to smack fanatical Christians by means of using their own twisted logic. As for actual Satanists? They’re Christians too, and should be embraced by Christians, after all, you wouldn’t have a religion at all without your scapegoat, would you? It’s rather silly, the bad rap Lucifer gets, given that almost all of the vicious, bloodthirsty killing in the bible is the direct action of Yahweh. (If you haven’t read Drunk With Blood: God’s Killings in the Bible, by Steve Wells, I highly recommend it.)

no_estimates

So, if you’re actually going to believe all that silly shit, looks like Christians are on the wrong side. Nothing new there. I just can’t continue quoting the idiotic column, but it is a goldmine of paranoid idiocy, so if you’re in the mood, here it is.

The Twelve Days of Trumpmas.

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The Religious Reich have a Xmas wish list, one they fully expect Santa Trump to fulfill. Just the wish list here, click over to Right Wing Watch for the grisly details.

After jettisoning all of their rhetoric about public morality and personal character in order to help Donald Trump get elected, Religious Right activists are now hoping the president-elect fulfills the promises he made to the social conservative movement during his campaign.

Trump, who received the support of around eight in ten white evangelical voters, spent months boasting that he is a “great Christian” who will restore the long-lost holiday of Christmas and create “the strongest Christian lobby.”

[…]

“Like President-elect Trump, we have much to celebrate this Christmas season,” the National Right to Life Committee declared in its December newsletter, rejoicing in Trump’s anti-choice policies and Cabinet picks.

As Christmas approaches, Religious Right activists are reminding Trump of the good deeds they did to help elect him and demanding that he, in turn, deliver on his promises. Here are just 12 of the gifts the Religious Right is expecting from Trump in the new year:

  1. Nominate conservatives to the Supreme Court.
  2. Repeal the Affordable Care Act.
  3. Sign the First Amendment Defense Act.
  4. Rescind Nondiscrimination Protections.
  5. Defund and Investigate Planned Parenthood.
  6. Reinstate the Mexico City Policy.
  7. Codify The Hyde Amendment.
  8. Sign a 20-week Abortion Ban.
  9. Sign The Conscience Protection Act.
  10. Repeal The Johnson Amendment.
  11. Federal Voucher Funding.
  12. Curb Immigration, Ban Muslims and Stop Refugee Resettlement.

The details aren’t pretty. If all this is managed, we’ll be well past the welcome to fascism stage. Via Right Wing Watch.