GOSH, I CAN'T IMAGINE WHY HE WOULDN'T WANT TO HANG OUT WITH THESE PEOPLE

CNN reports:

Obama tones down National Day of Prayer observance

For the past eight years, the White House recognized the National Day of Prayer with a service in the East Room, but this year, President Obama decided against holding a public ceremony.

... representatives from the legislative and judicial branches are expected to attend an event the National Day of Prayer Task Force is holding on Capitol Hill.

But, despite numerous attempts to get a representative from the executive office to attend, "it doesn't appear they are going to fulfill our request," said Becky Armstrong, marketing and media manager of the National Day of Prayer Task Force....

Task Force Chairman Shirley Dobson said in a statement that she was disappointed in the "lack of participation" by the Obama administration....

Dobson will be a presenter at that event, along with her husband and former president of Focus on the Family James Dobson, author Beth Moore, NFL player Shaun Alexander and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann.

Yup, for some unimaginable reason, the president doesn't want to hang out with James Dobson ... who just issued this Day of Prayer video urging followers to "put on the full armor of God in a "battle" against gay marriage, and also against the hate-crimes bill currently making its way through Congress, which the president has urged Congress to pass.



Video excerpt:

As I'm recording this video greeting, there's a so-called hate crimes bill that's working its way through the congress that contains no adequate safeguards to protect the preaching of God's word. Because the liberals in Congress would not define sexual orientation, we have to assume that protection under the law will be extended to the 30 sexual disorders identified as such by the American Psychiatric Association. Let me read just a few of them: bisexuality, exhibitionism, fetishism, incest, necrophilia, pedophilia, prostitution, sexual masochism, urophilia, voyeurism, and bestiality. Those are just a few. And I have to ask, have we gone completely mad?

I've told you about this "30 sexual disorders" urban legend (rural legend?) making its way through Wingnuttia. As it turns out, it's the lite version of the rumor -- check out this World Net Daily story:

The leader of a pro-family organization says families across the nation need to contact their U.S. senators now to try to derail a legislative plan that already has passed the U.S. House and is being awaited by President Obama -- after a Democrat confirmed it would protect "all 547 forms of sexual deviancy or 'paraphilias' listed by the American Psychiatric Association."

Yup -- 547! That's a lot more than 30! (And no, a Democrat didn't really "confirm" this "fact," at least not in any sense of the word "confirm" that has any genuine meaning.)

GOP congressman Louis Gohmert of Texas explains what could allegedly happen if this bill passes:

If a mother hears that their child has been raped and she slaps the assailant with her purse, she is now gone after as a hate criminal because this is a protected class. There are other protected classes in here. I mean simple exhibitionism. I have female friends who have told me over the years that some guy flashed them, and their immediate reaction was to hit them with their purse. Well now, he's committed a misdemeanor, she has committed a federal hate crime because the exhibitionism is protected under sexual orientation.

This is all based on the notion that "sexual orientation" isn't defined in the legislation. But a chief supporter of the bill Representative Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, explained why on the House floor:

Baldwin pointed out that the term "sexual orientation" was already defined in the "Hate Crime Statistics Act of 1990." Here is precisely what that legislation says:

As used in this section, the term "sexual orientation" means consensual homosexuality or heterosexuality.

Thus, a definition of the term "sexual orientation" is not needed in the hate crimes legislation because it already exists.

Dobson is going to use tomorrow's Prayer Day to spread this nonsense -- and, puzzlingly, Obama wants to keep a wide berth!

Who'da thunk?

(CNN link via Betty Cracker.)

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UPDATE: But it's the National Day of Prayer! It's part of our deep-rooted American tradition to have a public ceremony at the White House!

Er, no:

Although the annual East Room events started with Mr. Bush, President Reagan hosted a Rose Garden event in 1982 and President George H.W. Bush scheduled a breakfast in 1989.

Yup -- Saint Reagan had eight chances to do what the right is going to scream at Obama all day for not doing, and Saint Reagan failed to do it seven times.

Oh, and did I mention that Obama's failure to participate means he's an atheist?

"For those of us who have our doubts about Obama's faith, no, we did not expect him to have the service," said Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America. "But as president, he should put his own lack of faith aside and live up to the office."

(Emphasis added.)

If CWA says it, it must be true!