Michigan

Lawsuit By Michigan Conservative Christian Group Seeks To Overturn Hate Crimes Law

Jillian Rayfield | January 17, 2012, 12:02PM

Gary Glenn of the Michigan branch of the American Family Association thinks the federal hate crimes law is trying to promote "thought crimes" and "eradicate religious beliefs opposing the homosexual agenda."

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American Family Association

Lowe's: Existence Of Muslims A Controversial 'Topic'

Jillian Rayfield | December 12, 2011, 10:42AM

Under fire for a decision to pull advertising from the TLC show All-American Muslim, Lowe's this weekend put out a backhanded apology, saying that "individuals and groups have strong political and societal views on this topic" and "we've managed to make some people very unhappy."

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Bryan Fischer

Bryan Fischer: Muslim Immigration To The U.S. Is A 'Toxic Cancer'

Jillian Rayfield | April 7, 2011, 8:49AM

Bryan Fischer

Conservative radio host Bryan Fischer on Wednesday doubled down on his "Muslims have no first amendment rights" comments from last month, this time arguing that the United States should "restrict immigration from Islamic countries."

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Bryan Fischer

Bryan Fischer: Muslims Have No First Amendment Rights

Jillian Rayfield | March 24, 2011, 12:42PM

Conservative Radio Host Bryan Fischer

Bryan Fischer, the "Director of Issues Analysis" for the social conservative group the American Family Association, says that when it comes to Islam, the First Amendment is a privilege, not a right. "Islam has no fundamental First Amendment claims, for the simple reason that it was not written to protect the religion of Islam," Fischer wrote today.

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American Family Association

Social Conservative Bryan Fischer: Blame The Gays For WikiLeaks

David Taintor | December 9, 2010, 8:27AM

Conservative Radio Host Bryan Fischer

Bryan Fischer, the "Director of Issues Analysis" for the conservative Christian group the American Family Association, wrote on his blog this week that gays -- not Julian Assange -- are responsible for the thousands of government documents released by Assange's WikiLeaks.

More specifically, Fischer assumes that the alleged WikiLeaks source Private Bradley Manning was "at minimum" seriously confused about his sexuality. He then really stretches things when he suggests that Manning leaked the documents to wage war on the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.

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American Family Association

Bryan Fischer: Gay Rights Groups Should Pay For AIDS Research

Jillian Rayfield | December 3, 2010, 8:34AM

Conservative Radio Host Bryan Fischer

Bryan Fischer, the "Director of Issues Analysis" for the conservative Christian group the American Family Association, doesn't think that taxpayers should fund AIDS research anymore, since "we know what causes AIDS: homosexual sex and injection drug use," and "since we know the cause, we know the cure: stop engaging in homosexual sex and stop shooting up with drugs."

"Homosexual activist groups likewise are pushing a lifestyle that kills," Fischer wrote Wednesday, on World AIDS Day. "If anybody should be obligated to pony up funds to mitigate a health crisis, it ought to be the organizations that are responsible for advocating the very behavior that created and perpetuates the epidemic."

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Bryan Fischer

Bryan Fischer On SPLC 'Hate Group' List: 'We Are Truth Groups, Not Hate Groups'

Jillian Rayfield | November 29, 2010, 11:23AM

Bryan Fischer, issues director at American Family Association

Bryan Fischer defended the American Family Association against the Southern Poverty Law Center's "hate group" designation , arguing that "what the SPLC calls 'myths' about homosexuality turn out to be what neutral observers call 'truths' about homosexuality."

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Medal Of Honor

Bryan Fischer Defends 'Feminized' Medal Of Honor Comment: God Honors 'Aggressive War'

Jillian Rayfield | November 19, 2010, 8:47AM

Bryan Fischer, issues director at American Family Association

On his blog Thursday, Bryan Fischer defended his comments this week that the Medal of Honor has become "feminized" because "we now award it only for preventing casualties, not for inflicting them."

Fischer, who is the "Director of Issues Analysis" for the conservative Christian group the American Family Association, explained himself after what he called "blowback" to his column: "The bottom line here is that the God of the Bible clearly honors those who show valor and gallantry in waging aggressive war in a just cause against the enemies of freedom, even while inflicting massive casualties in the process."

"What I'm saying is that it's time we started imitating God's example again," Fischer wrote.

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American Family Association

Bryan Fischer: We've 'Feminized' Medal Of Honor By Not Giving It To Soldiers Who Kill More People

Jillian Rayfield | November 17, 2010, 1:36PM

Bryan Fischer, issues director at American Family Association

Bryan Fischer, the "Director of Issues Analysis" for the conservative Christian group the American Family Association, was unhappy yesterday that President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to a soldier for saving lives. This, Fischer wrote on his blog, shows that the Medal of Honor has been "feminized" because "we now award it only for preventing casualties, not for inflicting them."

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American Family Association

Social Conservative Bryan Fischer: Get Rid Of The 'Curse' That Is The Grizzly Bear

Jillian Rayfield | November 9, 2010, 12:51PM

Bryan Fischer really hates it when animals attack. Like, hates it so much that he thinks we'd be better off without them.

Which is why Fischer, who is the "Director of Issues Analysis" for the conservative Christian group the American Family Association, wrote a blog post today called "A hot dog on two legs - time for open season on Yellowstone grizzlies," in which he refers to Grizzly Bears as a "curse" and says that "it's time" for the grizzlies to go.

Does Stephen Colbert know about this guy?

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Same sex marriage

Anti-Gay Groups Defeat Iowa Supreme Court Justices

Rachel Slajda | November 3, 2010, 10:39AM

The "Judge Bus"

Three of Iowa's Supreme Court justices were voted out of office last night, chalking up a victory for the national anti-gay groups that spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the race.

With nearly all precincts reporting, the three justices -- David Baker, Michael Streit and Chief Justice Marsha Ternus -- were voted out by an average margin of 55% to 45%.

It's the first time an Iowa Supreme Court justice has been ousted since Iowa instituted its system of appointment and retention in 1962.

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Same sex marriage

The Campaign You're Not Watching -- But Anti-Gay Groups Are

Rachel Slajda | October 26, 2010, 10:19AM

The "Judge Bus"

Last year, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled unanimously to allow same sex marriage in Iowa. This year, Iowans will vote on whether to keep or boot three of the seven justices who decided that case -- and the campaign has attracted hundreds of thousands of dollars from national anti-gay groups.

In Iowa, judges are appointed, not elected. But at the end of every judge's term, he or she goes up for "retention," meaning the populace votes whether to keep them around or throw them out.

The National Organization for Marriage, the American Family Association and the Family Research Council have seized on the chance to "fire" three of the justices, including Chief Justice Marsha Ternus, and are spending money -- more than $700,000 so far -- asking people to vote against retention. The campaign has also drawn cash from those who support gay marriage, and the justices themselves; the overwhelming majority of independent expenditures in the state, in fact, have been directed at the judicial retention race.

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American Family Association

Top Social Conservative Bryan Fischer: 'Handle Muslims Just Like We Handle The Neo-Nazis'

Jillian Rayfield | September 9, 2010, 11:44AM

Bryan Fischer

Bryan Fischer, the "Director of Issues Analysis" for the American Family Association, wrote a blog post yesterday that argues that "Germany is giving us a template on how we handle Muslims: just like we handle neo-Nazis," which amounts to German police carrying "out 30 predawn raids against the nation's largest neo-Nazi group two days ago."

Fischer is known for his Islamophobia, previously arguing that the U.S. should have "no more mosques, period," because "every single mosque is a potential terror training center or recruitment center for jihad" and thus "you cannot claim first amendment protections if your religious organization is engaged in subversive activities."

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Bryan Fischer

Searching For Bryan Fischer: One Top Social Conservative's Record Of Xenophobia

Jillian Rayfield | August 16, 2010, 8:40AM

Bryan Fischer

Top social conservative Bryan Fischer has attracted a lot of notice over the last week for his polarizing comments about Muslims. And while Fischer may be the "Director of Issues Analysis" for the conservative Christian group the American Family Association, AFA spokesman Cindy Roberts remains emphatic that his "analysis" of the "issues" is his and his alone. Roberts told TPM that Fischer's writings, many of which are featured on Fischer's AFA website blog "Focal Point," are "his personal opinion" and "not AFA's position."

But Fischer and the AFA alike, both with ties to mainstream conservative politicians, have a long and colorful history of championing social conservative causes that are often discriminatory, and in some cases, just plain bizarre.

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Bryan Fischer

Social Conservative Bryan Fischer: Paterson Wants To Impose Sharia Law On New York

Jillian Rayfield | August 13, 2010, 3:37PM

Bryan Fischer

Bryan Fischer, the "Director of Issues Analysis" for the American Family Association who said there should be "no more mosques, period," now believes that Gov. David Paterson is attempting to impose sharia law on New York.

Paterson had offered to help the Cordoba House developers get state land for their proposed Muslim community center that's become known as the "Ground Zero mosque." Fischer wrote in a blog post today that Paterson "quite deliberately offered to grant Islam a favored status under New York public policy that is denied to Christian churches."

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Stephen Colbert

Colbert: Bryan Fischer's Right -- NYC 'Mosque' Is 'Weapon Of Mass Construction' (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | August 13, 2010, 10:20AM

Stephen Colbert agreed with critics last night who say that the "Ground Zero mosque" is a "weapon of mass construction" and a "slapping eye-stab" to America. In fact, Colbert said he agrees with Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association "who blogged where angels fear to tweet," and said that there should be "no more mosques, period."

"Every permit granted to a mosque," Colbert continued, "is one denied to an American house of worship" -- "a mall."

He added that we should also ban barns since Timothy McVeigh used one of those. And since Unabomber Ted Kaczynski used a shack "let's get rid of shacks. And just to be safe, let's get rid of Shaq. After all, I think I've seen him in a turban," Colbert said, referring to the 1996 movie Kazaam.

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American Family Association

Top Social Conservative Doubles Down: 'Every Single Mosque' In U.S. Is Terror Threat

Jillian Rayfield | August 12, 2010, 1:19PM

Bryan Fischer of Americans United with a mosque inset.

Bryan Fischer, who wrote a blog post this week arguing that the U.S. should have "no more mosques, period," explained to TPM today that "every single mosque is a potential terror training center or recruitment center for jihad" and thus "you cannot claim first amendment protections if your religious organization is engaged in subversive activities."

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American Family Association

Top Social Conservative: 'No More Mosques, Period'

Jillian Rayfield | August 11, 2010, 1:02PM

Bryan Fischer

Bryan Fischer, the "Director of Issues Analysis" for the American Family Association, wrote a blog post yesterday on the AFA's site arguing that the United States should have "no more mosques, period."

"This is for one simple reason," he writes. "Each Islamic mosque is dedicated to the overthrow of the American government."

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Bryan Fischer

Top Social Conservative: Hitler Used Gay Soldiers Because They Had 'No Limits'

Zachary Roth | May 26, 2010, 11:16AM

Bryan Fischer, issues director at American Family Association

A top official with a leading social conservative group recently laid out the view that Adolf Hitler deliberately recruited gays to be his "enforcers," because they had "no limits" to "the savagery and brutality they were willing to inflict."

During a radio broadcast, Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association explained:

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