A college psychology professor's observations about public policy, mental health, sexual identity, and religious issues
Apparently, it doesn’t matter what Trump does as long as he appoints judges acceptable to the religious right. Watch Robert Jeffress preach the Trump gospel.
.@robertjeffress: It is amazing how 1 or 2 conservative Supreme Court picks will cover a multitude of sins with Evangelicals. pic.twitter.com/frY1MtHwt6
— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) March 27, 2017
Gateway Church Apostolic elder James Robison has long been known as a Christian right mover and shaker. A persistent story I hear is that Ben Carson would only endorse Donald Trump if Trump first spoke to Robison. Even if untrue, the story highlights the reputation Robison has in Christian right political circles.
Gateway Church’s founding pastor Robert Morris added to that mystique earlier today by telling his congregation that Robison and Donald Trump talk “two or three times a week.” Morris said Robison has Trump’s “private cell phone” which he uses regularly. Watch:
Transcript
I really do want you to get the book, it’s one of the most amazing books I’ve every read, and has conversations of him speaking with people you know, well-known people, Muhammad Ali, President Reagan.
And if you don’t know, I talked last week about serving on the Advisory Council.
James, though, speaks with our President probably two or three times a week, and has his private cell number, and he picks it up even when he’s in a meeting. You know, ‘I’m meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, James, can I call you back?’ But–
So, I’m very very grateful for James Robison and for his influence.
I wonder what Robison does with his influence. I suppose this is intoxicating to those ministers who have Trump’s number, but with Trump routinely peddling falsehoods, ignoring Russian attacks on the Ukraine, and waging war on the press, I can’t see much evidence of Christian influence.
Perhaps this is an oversight that will be corrected or perhaps Trump doesn’t mean what he said about taking care of our service members. We shall see.
If you don’t think @realDonaldTrump’s #hiringfreeze hurts our military, and military families, think again. This just leaked online. pic.twitter.com/H69Uh8Fukq
— VoteVets (@votevets) February 21, 2017
Tweet and retweet this information. Perhaps Trump will correct this consequence of his executive order. If he doesn’t, then it will fly in the face of his pledges to take better care of military personnel.
For more information about this action, see this article at Military.com.
In 2011, social conservatives — mostly Christian groups — complained about the presence of GOProud, a gay conservative group, at CPAC. Many socially conservative groups pulled out.
Now, CPAC has scheduled Milo Yiannopoulos to speak. Yiannopoulos is a gay self-styled conservative who has spoken favorably of sex between young teens and adults. Thus far, (since Saturday), no major Christian or socially conservative group has come out against the speech, as far as I can determine.
Individual religious and social conservatives have spoken out. Reagan biographer Paul Kengor said the decision was “appalling.” He added, “If this is your idea of the new conservative movement, count me out.”
In my view, the issue isn’t Yiannopoulos’ sexual orientation. I supported GOProud’s involement at CPAC in 2011 and doubted that Ronald Reagan would have opposed it. My issue is Yiannopoulos’ defense of sexual relationships between teens below the age of consent and adults. On that basis, CPAC should immediately rescind the invitation to speak.
If social and religious conservatives don’t come out against the planned speech by Yiannopoulos, then it will be one more sign that their voice has been stifled by support for the Trump/Bannon administration.
On Saturday, Donald Trump claimed that something terrible happened in Sweden on Friday night.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/t0tSLV3GGQc[/youtube]
Problem: There was no terror attack in Sweden on Friday night. Social media mocked Trump for conjuring another false story (Last Night in Sweden).
Then today he tweeted that he saw that “news” on a Fox News program in which a guest claimed refugees are behind an increase in crime in Sweden (except that crime there is steady).
My statement as to what’s happening in Sweden was in reference to a story that was broadcast on @FoxNews concerning immigrants & Sweden.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 19, 2017
Sweden has taken in large numbers of refugees much to the consternation of far right neo-Nazis. In fact, a Swedish neo-Nazi group, the Nordic Resistance Movement has been responsible for carrying out acts of aggression in response to the influx of refugees. They also engaged in a victory rally for Donald Trump after he won the U.S. presidential election. So yes, there has been some acts of violence in Sweden, but at least some of them carried out by those who support our president.