From Family Research Council:
This weekend, New Hampshire's largest newspaper didn't just report the headlines--it became one. When two homosexual men submitted a wedding announcement to the Manchester mainstay, editors turned it down. Joseph McQuaid, the paper's publisher, said the decision isn't anti-gay. It's pro-marriage. "This newspaper has never published wedding or engagement announcements from homosexual couples," he said in a statement. "It would be hypocritical of us to do so, given our belief that marriage is--and needs to remain--a social and civil structure between men and women and our opposition to the recent state law legalizing gay marriage."
Not surprisingly, McQuaid's bold stand is creating plenty of waves in one of the few states where counterfeit marriage is actually legal. In the brief time since Saturday, the paper's position even became a topic of local campaigns. Paul Hodes, a Democratic candidate for the Senate, insisted that the Union Leader change its policy and "respect the law." Hardly, said Kelly Ayotte, his GOP opponent. "Government has no right to interfere with the freedom of the press." And he's right. The First Amendment guarantees both the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press for everyone--including newspaper editors. Our hats go off to McQuaid for cutting through the political correctness and refusing to yield on a matter of principle. "While the law sanctions gay marriage," he explained, "it neither demands that churches perform them or that our First Amendment right to choose what we print be suspended." While the Left screams about intolerance, it's encouraging to see that the Union Leader is living up to its name.
Me: Freedom of the press. Yes. Plus, the Union Leader is standing by principles it's hard to fault.
I'll add to the above post this notice, also from FRC, regarding Facebook's excruciatingly politically correct posture towards homosexuality. FRC can foresee future Facebook censorship. Hope not. Here's FRC's post:
If there were a status update for Facebook's entire site, it might say something like, "Jumping on the politically correct bandwagon." Last week, the social media giant officially friended the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) to "end hate speech and anti-gay bullying" on the Internet. The new partnership, which made a splash in the mainstream news, is significant because it puts Facebook on the media's growing path toward censorship. Apparently, anything they construed to be anti-homosexual will be stripped from the site. Where does that leave Americans who morally oppose the lifestyle and want to help people find freedom from it?
FRC and other conservatives may soon find out. According to CNN, the world's biggest social networking hub will be trolling its pages for violators. "And this isn't just routine... policing, either," the reporter cautions. GLAAD will see to that. In a press release about the alliance, the organization is urging liberals to take an active role in shutting down speech. "Our community needs to continue to be vigilant and report instances of hateful comments and images across the site to Facebook moderators as well as post messages of support for gay, bisexual, and transgender youth."
It may happen slowly, but I guarantee that Facebook will begin to broaden its definition of what's "hateful" based on GLAAD's prior actions. Will GLAAD pressure Facebook, as it did the Washington Post, to purge any research about the risks of homosexuality? Will discussions about biblical faith suddenly be considered harassment? And, more importantly, will these standards be applied across the board? The Daily Caller thinks not. In a great post yesterday, Caroline May talks about the site's hypocrisy. "... [N]ot all threatening language is created equal, apparently," she writes. "Among Facebook's many online communities are groups such as 'I Hate Rush Limbaugh,' 'I Can't Wait for Rush Limbaugh to Die,' and 'Rush Limbaugh Should Die Slowly.' ... In an email to The Daily Caller, Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes did his best to explain why language criticizing homosexuality is hateful and will be censored, while calls for Rush Limbaugh's slow death are legitimate and allowed."
But, like the whole "hate crimes" debate, this isn't about protecting homosexuals. It's about an orchestrated effort to force Americans into accepting their behavior. If it weren't, Facebook would have seen through this partnership with GLAAD for the unnecessary publicity stunt that it is. After all, the site already warned users that it wouldn't tolerate obscene personal attacks--long before Tyler Clementi's tragic death. Teaming up with GLAAD just shows Facebook's cowardice. Like the mainstream media, they're succumbing to pressure to silence free speech. GLAAD is establishing itself as an organization that wants to censor any opposition to its radical agenda. Last week, it tried to intimidate the Washington Post into blacklisting me from the paper because of an op-ed I wrote about the dangers of homosexuality. This is how they define "hateful." You can read my column on FRC's Facebook page... at least for now.
If there were a status update for Facebook's entire site, it might say something like, "Jumping on the politically correct bandwagon." Last week, the social media giant officially friended the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) to "end hate speech and anti-gay bullying" on the Internet. The new partnership, which made a splash in the mainstream news, is significant because it puts Facebook on the media's growing path toward censorship. Apparently, anything they construed to be anti-homosexual will be stripped from the site. Where does that leave Americans who morally oppose the lifestyle and want to help people find freedom from it?
FRC and other conservatives may soon find out. According to CNN, the world's biggest social networking hub will be trolling its pages for violators. "And this isn't just routine... policing, either," the reporter cautions. GLAAD will see to that. In a press release about the alliance, the organization is urging liberals to take an active role in shutting down speech. "Our community needs to continue to be vigilant and report instances of hateful comments and images across the site to Facebook moderators as well as post messages of support for gay, bisexual, and transgender youth."
It may happen slowly, but I guarantee that Facebook will begin to broaden its definition of what's "hateful" based on GLAAD's prior actions. Will GLAAD pressure Facebook, as it did the Washington Post, to purge any research about the risks of homosexuality? Will discussions about biblical faith suddenly be considered harassment? And, more importantly, will these standards be applied across the board? The Daily Caller thinks not. In a great post yesterday, Caroline May talks about the site's hypocrisy. "... [N]ot all threatening language is created equal, apparently," she writes. "Among Facebook's many online communities are groups such as 'I Hate Rush Limbaugh,' 'I Can't Wait for Rush Limbaugh to Die,' and 'Rush Limbaugh Should Die Slowly.' ... In an email to The Daily Caller, Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes did his best to explain why language criticizing homosexuality is hateful and will be censored, while calls for Rush Limbaugh's slow death are legitimate and allowed."
But, like the whole "hate crimes" debate, this isn't about protecting homosexuals. It's about an orchestrated effort to force Americans into accepting their behavior. If it weren't, Facebook would have seen through this partnership with GLAAD for the unnecessary publicity stunt that it is. After all, the site already warned users that it wouldn't tolerate obscene personal attacks--long before Tyler Clementi's tragic death. Teaming up with GLAAD just shows Facebook's cowardice. Like the mainstream media, they're succumbing to pressure to silence free speech. GLAAD is establishing itself as an organization that wants to censor any opposition to its radical agenda. Last week, it tried to intimidate the Washington Post into blacklisting me from the paper because of an op-ed I wrote about the dangers of homosexuality. This is how they define "hateful." You can read my column on FRC's Facebook page... at least for now.