Division and Hatred We Can Believe In

It is a shame indeed that Rick Warren will be giving the invocation for the Inaugural ceremonies of the Obama Administration. Warren is a spewer of hate and a sewer of division who deserves no place in main stream society and certainly should not be legitimated by the President, certainly not one who claims to be interested in bringing people together.

Think Progress has the rundown with links but I'll recap quickly;
Warren support California's Prop 8 which stripped homosexuals of the right to marry
Warren has equated gay and lesbian relationships to polygamy and bestiality
Warren has likened abortion to the Holocaust
and for good measure...
Warren has called for the assassination of foreign leaders

Because I like to share here is the letter that I sent to the Obama transition team at Change.gov:

I am saddened and deeply offended that the administration would invite a propagator of hate and division such as Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at the Inaugural ceremonies.

I would remind you of the quote from the President-elect posted in the Civil Rights section of this website (change.gov):

"While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."

-- Barack Obama, June 1, 2007

Mr. Warren fails to treat all Americans with dignity and respect and elevating him to such a visible role in the Inauguration and in the process legitimizing his message is not change that we can believe in or that we deserve.

Mr. Obama was asked about the choice of Warren this afternoon:


I'd say that's pretty cold comfort at best and a piss poor explanation to boot.

Being invited to Warren's church is not the same thing as inviting Warren to give the invocation at the Inauguration. The Inauguration is not a time to be having a conversation, that isn't the point to the Inauguration. Rather it is about setting the tone for the Administration and Rick Warren is not the right person to be setting the tone, unless of course you think that homosexuality should relegate an individual to the status of second class citizen.

As to whether Obama can rightly be classified as a 'fierce advocate' for gay and lesbian equality, well Matt Stoller goes to town on that one (it may be a bit much but he does have a point).

PFAW and HRC have issued statements and Pam's House Blend (I don't know anything about it) appears to have the Obama team talking points.

In closing if you haven't seen the Jon Stewart / Mike Huckabee interview on gay rights yet you should.