Far right final fling against us will fizzle - religious amendments won't pass lower house (video)

*click to enlarge. Note the words on the back of the folder :)

Trying to salvage some sort of dignity and authority in the same sex marriage juggernaut, the far right of the gov has tried their favourite strategy; to squeeze Turnbull's balls yet harder.

After the senate comprehensively knocked all the religious amendments to the marriage equality bill on the head, Turnbull has back flipped and now decided that he would support two of the amendments that failed miserably in the senate. Or to put it another way, he has decided to say yes to the far right so he can breath without ball pain.

The amendments he has decided to support are celebrants refusing service to gays because they're gay, if said celebrant decides to do so. In other words the celebrant might as well put on their business card "I don't serve gays". The other is safeguards for the legal status of charities, whatever that means.

However it will fizzle, or at the very least will have to go back to the senate where it'll be voted down again. There are the numbers in the lower house who all want to pass the bill un-amended. Whatever the outcome the far right will once again fail, it just depends how. One wonders why they keep bashing their heads against their ideological brick wall :s

Entsch told Guardian Australia he “absolutely” supported passing the cross-party bill, authored by the Liberal senator Dean Smith, without amendments. 


“The reality is it has been dealt with comprehensively in the Senate,” he said. “It has been overwhelmingly supported.” 


Entsch said MPs were “entitled to make a contribution” but warned “any attempt to disrupt the process by putting out amendments that compromise the intention [to legislate same-sex marriage] is going to be very fraught for those involved. 


 “Even if some were to accidentally get up, which I don’t believe they would, it would have to go back to the Senate. It would be seen as disruptive and wouldn’t be tolerated.” 


At least 73 MPs want to pass the Senate bill unamended: with Labor, the Greens, the Nick Xenophon Team’s Rebekha Sharkie, Andrew Wilkie and Entsch all promising to do so. 


 The votes of the cross-party bill’s co-sponsors, Trevor Evans, Trent Zimmerman and Tim Wilson, would give the bill a majority. 


With Barnaby Joyce and John Alexander fighting byelections and Tony Smith in the chair only 74 votes would be needed for a majority. The Guardian  

Turnbull has clearly lost control of his own party and government. I cannot recall any prime minister presenting such a pathetic, humiliating spectacle as this.

— Mike Carlton (@MikeCarlton01) November 30, 2017

1988 "suicide" finally deemed as gay hate crime by coroner today

The cliff Scott went over

Scott Johnson

It's a well known fact that NSW police didn't care about gays in the 80's and early 90's. There was even a sort of task force that drove around in unmarked police cars bashing gays. Violence against gays when reported to police fell on deaf ears, often the victims getting blamed. Any investigation into crimes against gays was sloppy and unprofessional. Things have since changed. In recent times 88 deaths of gay people during the 80's and 90's have been reopened for investigation due to sloppy police work initially. 

Scott Johnson was an American mathematician living here in Sydney. Where he died was a gay beat which had gays roaming around bashing and stealing off gays who frequented the area. His body was found at the bottom of a cliff at Sydney's North Head. Police deemed it as suicide, which has always been disputed by his family.

Because of the sloppy police work at the start 30 years ago evidence has been lost forever and it would be very hard to definitively identify his killers. They may well be still living among us in Sydney.

The state coroner has also criticised the early police investigation into the US mathematician’s death, saying investigators had rushed to their finding of suicide. 


But the coroner, Michael Barnes, has ruled there was insufficient evidence to identify Johnson’s killers. 


 “The inadequacy of the original investigation, the passage of time since the incident and the unreliability of many of the witnesses has made establishing the precise facts more difficult,” Barnes found. 


“Nonetheless, I am persuaded to the requisite standard that Scott died as a result of a gay-hate attack. There is however, insufficient reliable evidence to identify the perpetrators.” 


Johnson, who was 27, spent his last moments at a cliff top at North Head, near Manly, on 10 December 1988. It was a known meeting place for gay men looking for sex. 


His body was discovered by fishers at the foot of the 60-metre cliff. His clothes, folded neatly in a pile, were found at the cliff top. No witnesses came forward, and police quickly deemed the death a suicide. But the circumstances surrounding Johnson’s death remained a mystery. 


There were persistent suggestions he had been targeted in a homophobic attack. 


Such attacks were common in Sydney at the time. The city was gripped by a series of gay-hate murders in the late 1980s and early 90s. 


The coroner has heard evidence that gangs of gay bashers were active in the area of Johnson’s death at the time. The inquest also heard evidence that a gang called the Narrabeen Skinheads had boasted about bashing an “American faggot” around the time of Johnson’s death. The coroner found that the evidence could not be corroborated. 


Johnson’s brother, Steve Johnson, has long believed his younger brother may have been pushed or hounded off the cliff. He still believes the perpetrators can be caught, almost three decades later. The Guardian 

The demise of the far right in Australia? (video)

Abetz during the senate humiliation

The RWMJ's that have held sway in the gov and over Australia have, in the last two days, suffered a humiliating and public defeat in Canberra. In fact not just the last two days, but ever since the results of the marriage equality postal survey were released. Showing resoundingly that Australians rejected the extreme position that a certain group of Australians didn't deserve marriage because of their sexuality.

I suspect it has been a deep shock to them. Even Abbott, who has been the architect and prosecutor of much of the angst against us has been forced to capitulate. His own seat voted something like 75% Yes.

Up until the postal survey results Abbott and co were stuck in some kind of psychotic delusion that the majority of people may well vote No. There was much talk of the "silent majority", specifically mentioned by Cory Bernardi who asserted that No voters were too petrified to tell pollsters they had voted No, blaming us evil gays for supposed bullying. In their minds all the published polling over the years and even the polling during the postal survey was wrong.

But now that illusion has been truly shattered. Their world view has been shaken, along with their belief that they represent much of Australia. How they got to that point of being so out of touch with reality is anyone's guess. A life of privilege in a bubble? Surrounded by other people the same? Whatever the reason their self proclaimed authority over Australian culture and morality has suffered a huge blow. Even I'd guess within their own parties.

But the survey release was just the beginning. Trying to reassert themselves they proceeded to switch to the US style "religious freedoms" arguments, coming up with ideas that most Australians would find abhorrent. They even had another marriage equality bill drafted by non other than Lyle Shelton's Australian Christian Lobby. How they thought they could get such a discriminatory bill through the federal parliament is an indication of their delusions of grandeur. Australian media was aghast that they wanted to have gays refused service by commercial businesses because they're gay, something that is illegal under current anti-discrimination law. 

And then came their day of humiliation in the senate. They lined up as the marriage equality bill was considered for possible amendments, with a whole list of such discriminatory measures. That they could even try to have discrimination written in to law shows the level of their self assured gall. But their efforts were an horrific failure. Each amendment they put up was solidly voted down by the senate, over and over. At the end of the process they had accomplished nothing except self flagellation and embarrassment in front of the nation. The senate passed the bill without amendments.

They haven't quite given up yet though believe it or not, with Abbott expecting they'll try amendments to the bill again next week when it goes to the lower house for a conscience vote. However with the senate passing the bill solidly on 44/12, there is somewhat of a mandate for the lower house to do similar. The RWNJ's would be on very shaky ground indeed if they threw a spanner in the works at the last hurdle.

Perhaps all this may be a catalyst within the gov? There's many other issues that the far right have dictated policy on but which have no support to speak of in the community. Their love for coal and Adani for one. If nothing else this is at least an opportunity for the gov for self examination and moderation in their policies, although I doubt they'll do it.

But for now the far right are Australia's laughing stock. A conga line of emperors with no clothes. An embarrassment to the country. 

Senator Ian MacDonald in the senate over the last hour #marriageequality #auspol pic.twitter.com/KZjuDvmxvd

— Janet Rice (@janet_rice) November 29, 2017

Tony Abbott says he expects his Coalition colleagues will try and amend Dean Smith's same-sex marriage bill in the Lower House #auspol #marriageequality

— Jane Norman (@janeenorman) November 29, 2017

Marriage equality passes senate after 3rd reading 43/12 (video)

An historic moment in Australian history. The senate has passed Dean Smiths marriage equality bill without amendments. It now goes to the lower house next week to be voted on there, in what will be finally the conscience vote they could have had ages ago. 

Frustratingly, after the last federal election it was the first federal parliament in Australia to have the numbers to pass marriage equality. Yet the RWNJ's in the gov refused to let go of Turnbulls balls and capitulate to a free parliamentary conscience vote. Even though the Howard gov had 5 of them in it's 11 years. LGBT won't forget the continual blocking and stalling on this over years. This moment has happened despite the gov, not because of it. WE own it.

here's the moment marriage equality passed the Senate - huge applause, cheering, hugging. What a moment 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈 pic.twitter.com/B7OZpgIJzb

— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) November 29, 2017

 

Marriage equality has passed the Senat!! And now Adam Bandt​ and his colleagues in the House will oversee the final step before we make this dream a reality #marriageequality 🌈💚💍 pic.twitter.com/zHCNGnmNOl

— Janet Rice (@janet_rice) November 29, 2017

Today was a brilliant day — and one that took a lot of work, many years, and the activism of thousands of everyday Australians. We did this together! We hope everyone is smiling tonight #MarriageEquality pic.twitter.com/Iz40gyiJh6

— AU Marriage Equality (@AMEquality) November 29, 2017

Senate rejects all 5 "religious protection" amendments to marriage equality bill!

It's a great day and evening for LGBT Australians, and a great day for our democracy. Today the stranglehold that the far right of the Abbott/Turnbull gov that they've had over us LGBT has been smashed to bits. The RWNJ's tried to get through discriminatory amendments to the bill that would make marriage for LGBT a different thing for straight people. They have comprehensively failed.

Australia has rejected their intolerant and ideological stranglehold that they have held against us LGBT for years. Time after time they have thwarted attempts to pass marriage equality in Australia. In recent years there have been 20 bills introduced in the federal parliament, with bitter and twisted bitter middle aged white Catholic men holding Turnbull's balls running the show. Now the floodgates have been opened, pent up for years, and washed them aside. This is a humiliating defeat to the far right of the gov by frustrated Australians at their idiocy.

It has been a far too long, far too frustrating, and far too hateful process. But we LGBT stepped up and took it on against the greatest of adversity. Today's defeat for the fringe dwelling likes of Lyle Shelton and the Australian Christian Lobby is a win for all Australians. A win for love against dogma. A win for love for moderates. Most of all a win for love for David and I to finally have our parliament on our side instead of attacking us.

I'm a bit like Penny Wong when the Yes postal survey was announced. I didn't cry then but I'm crying like her now. My glasses are wet and it's even harder to see :s

The first amendment debated by the Senate would have effectively allowed civil celebrants to refuse to marry same-sex couples based on their religious or conscientious beliefs. It was defeated 42-24. 


The second would have legislated widespread legal freedom of speech protections for people who hold various beliefs, including those against same-sex marriage but also against same-sex parenting and relationships, as well as an anti-detriment clause and a legislated parental right to pull children out of classes that mention the relevant beliefs. It went down 44-20 after a few hours of debate. 


On this amendment, Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, a strident opponent of same-sex marriage, and Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm joined the majority voting it down. 


A further amendment relating to defence force chaplains was also defeated, as were amendments in relation to registered charities and religious organisations, with similar margins. 


After the five amendments from the conservative bloc were defeated, the Senate also voted down two amendments from Brandis and resources minister Matthew Canavan. 


 The first, defeated 36-27, would have inserted a line about religious freedom taken from the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights into the bill, and the second, defeated 38-25, would have extended a right to civil celebrants to refuse to solemnise gay weddings. 


Further amendments from the Greens, One Nation, and David Leyonhjelm are yet to be debated. 


BuzzFeed News understands that supporters of the legislation are confident that very few, if any, amendments will get up and the Smith bill will pass the Senate largely unamended. Buzzfeed  

BREAKING: The Senate has voted down all five of the conservative Paterson/Fawcett amendments to the same-sex marriage bill https://t.co/KbgoSn604B

— Lane Sainty (@lanesainty) November 28, 2017

Senate rejects first two religious exemption amendments to marriage equality bill

There are more coming and the senate will continue to hear these proposed amendments over the coming days from the far right of the gov. The bill itself has passed the senate after the second reading (the first marriage equality bill to pass either house of parliament) and has now gone to discussion for proposed changes. 

After the first two amendments have been defeated, it's not looking too good for the RWNJ's wanting a plethora of discriminatory religious exemptions. The first two were defeated 41/24. Perhaps the strength of the senate defeat is a reflection of the support in it to pass marriage equality without unraveling Australia's anti-discrimination laws already in place in various states. The Yes side has made the very strong point that Australians voted for equality in the survey, not to introduce new laws to discriminate.

The Guardian

 Update:

A quick stocktake: The conservative amendments are absolutely tanking in the Senate tonight. Bloc of some govt senators + ALP + GR + NXT + Hinch is, so far, too powerful to beat. Margins of defeat 42-24, 44-20, 42-20.

— Lane Sainty (@lanesainty) November 28, 2017

Still debating #marriageequality. Having to remind fellow senators that we're here to talk about marriage and removing discrimination, not their personal right-wing crusades.

— Janet Rice (@janet_rice) November 28, 2017

Conservatives are starting to lose their temper in the Senate. Ian Macdonald tells off Peter Whish-Wilson for wearing a marriage equality badge as he chairs. "I have made my ruling, sit down!" says W-W forcefully.

— Lane Sainty (@lanesainty) November 28, 2017

 

QLD gay couple getting hate letters in mailbox after Yes vote win

David knows these people on Facebook and was telling me about it yesterday. The post has gone viral in the meantime showing up all over the place on Facebook. I would once again like to thank Turnbull for the hate stirred up by the postal survey process.

So a gay couple of five years in Queensland, who aren't screaming from the rooftops about their sexuality (why would they?) have started getting handwritten letters in their malebox by and unknown neighbour who evidently is too gutless to say it to their faces. They put the letters on Facebook, you can see the post here.

SBS has more about it:

Kirk spoke to SBS about the experience of receiving unprovoked hate from an anonymous person, explaining that the letters must be someone that knows of them, as it references things only a neighbour would know - for example, the fact that the couple own dogs. 


 "My initial thought was that I was p*ssed off that in 2017, at the age of 46, we still have to put up with this crap," he says, adding: "I was also annoyed that, y'know, the Sunshine Coast is where I've spent a good chunk of my life, it's been Andrew's home for 20-something years — this is not the [type of] place that it is." 


However, Kirk says that since the Facebook post has gone viral, other neighbours have made contact to lend their support to the couple. 


 "[One of our neighbours] came over and said, 'I've seen this, this is unacceptable, and I just wanted to say I'm really sorry to see this is happening'," he says. "He brought his kids with him as well, and they told us about how they voted yes and why, and all that sort of stuff. They didn't need to [do that], but it made us feel comfortable." SBS

Welcome to the Liberal/National party's Australia, 2017. 

 

"Honest gov add" - The Juice Media (video)

A brilliant piss take of our pathetic non-gov pretending they are there to actually serve us. Must watch, ha ha ha ha.....

 

Archbishop of Sydney says Yes vote didn't win :s

I've seen this argument put forward online too, in reply to a YouTube video. It makes absolutely no sense and shows a severe lack of understanding of non-compulsory voting. Australia is about the only country I know where you get fined if you don't vote. Across the Tasman in New Zealand it's non-compulsory. 

With non-compulsory voting actual turnout can also be an issue. But if you don't bother voting then you have no right to complain about the result. 

It’s good enough for the people and good enough for the government — but that’s not good enough for the Catholic church. 


While the Yes vote for gay marriage was a convincing 61.6 per cent, the country’s most influential Catholic cleric Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher reckons that is not a majority. Because about 20 per cent of eligible Australians “abstained altogether”, Bishop Fisher claims actual support for same-sex marriage is really only about 49 per cent. 


But the Archbishop’s comments were discounted by marriage equality campaigners, who said under his logic, only 30.5 per cent of Australians voted No. “It is disappointing that Bishop Fisher is the only No case leader ungraciously refusing to accept the result,” Equality Campaign spokesman Clint McGilvray said. JoeMyGod  

Telsa completes world's biggest lithium ion battery on time - South Australia

 The state of South Australia has given the big finger to the Turnbull/Abbott gov and hired Elon Musk's Telsa company to build the worlds biggest battery storage system to address their electricity problems. It will go online in only days on Dec 1st.

This whilst in the Queensland election to be shortly held, the Liberal National party has pledged to insanely build a new coal fired power station. The federal gov continues to promote coal as a "baseload" power with no alternatives.

The South Australian premier recently clashed with the federal gov after the boffins in Canberra blamed the blackout they had the other month on the states high reliance on renewable energy. This was when electricity towers (which had nothing to do with renewables) that supplied South Australia we blown over by severe winds.

The Powerpack system aims to "stabilise the South Australian grid" and supply enough power for over 30,000 homes, which is about equal to the amount of homes that lost power in September. 


In March 2017, the State Government announced a plan to create a A$150 million (US$114 million) fund made to support renewable energy projects. Tesla was selected from over 90 competitive bids to provide the entire energy storage component for Neoen's Hornsdale Wind Farm. 


 "While others are just talking, we are delivering our energy plan, making South Australia more self-sufficient, and providing back up power and more affordable energy for South Australians this summer," said Premier Jay Weatherill in a media statement. 


"The world's largest lithium ion battery will be an important part of our energy mix, and it sends the clearest message that South Australia will be a leader renewable energy with battery storage." Mashable  

Turnbull gov blamed this on renewables :s

Flow chart for those against David & I marrying because the bible (graphic)

Says it all.

Abbott has spoken against gay marriage to those who vandalised inner Sydney gay murals

Abbott speaks against gay marriage at Lebanese Maronite Catholic mass meeting

There's more information that has come to light in regard to the Facebook group "Christian Lives Matter", who have been threatening violence against the gay community in the inner west of Sydney and have defaced gay murals in that area. They are a group of people from the western suburb block of 12 No voting electorates and part of the Lebanese Maronite Christian community. 

From The Stirrer:

Both were vandalised by a group of young men from Christian Lives Matter, apparently in response to the country voting overwhelming to let LGBTI marry. Now, I know little about them, but I understand they are from the Lebanese Maronite Christian community, and claim to be ‘defending their religion’. The Stirrer

I've never heard of them, and likely very few people in the eastern suburbs have either, certainly not within the gay community here. Despite us not having the faintest idea who they are, or them having the faintest idea who we are, they have chosen to judge our relationships as being wrong because the bible. Going so far as to commit vandalism in our community to art they don't approve of.

From "Christian Lives Matter" Facebook page

I guess it's understandable, as religious zealots never take no for an answer to something that "the bible says". Just typical really. Of course the worry here is of the threats of violence from these people via Facebook to our community, where they don't live and obviously know nothing about. If they want to have delusions about an invisible sky man and talking snake they so be it, they have every right to do that, just as much as me following the Flying Spaghetti Monster. But they have absolutely no right to vandalise innocent law abiding people's property because of their religion, or threaten violence.

The Stirrer article goes on to encourage dialogue between the LGBT and the Maronite Christians to increase understanding between our two groups, that we're no threat to their religion and there's no need for them to feel they have to threaten us. I totally agree. Getting to know us as just people like them has been the thrust of the whole marriage equality campaign for years. Ignorance is the enemy.

There's no doubt that this could get right out of hand though if they keep coming in to our community and vandalising it. We LGBT won't be putting up with their bullshit. Tempers will flare and confrontation could unfortunately end in violence, which nobody wants to see.

Lyle Shelton and Miranda Devine have already been called out by the mayor of the inner west of Sydney for stoking the fires, supporting them in their vandalism of artwork. Surprisingly though it appears there's been another person guilty of this, albeit perhaps unaware? As an update to The Stirrer article it has come to light that at the beginning of the postal survey Tony Abbott attended the Lebanese Maronite Catholic group in western Sydney to drum up support for a No vote against gay marriage.

Take it as you will, whether you blame Turnbull for this whole postal survey and the hate it's inflamed, Tony Abbott for using the survey for inflammatory words against the LGBT community, or both. It's definitely very wrong in hindsight, virtually lighting the match IMO. The media said Abbott wasn't campaigning against us but that was obviously wrong. From The Catholic Weekly:

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott addressed a packed hall of Maronite Catholics in Punchbowl on September 2, urging them to make their voices heard in the upcoming plebiscite on same-sex marriage. 


Speaking before an audience that included the Maronite Bishop of Australia, Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, Mr Abbott lauded the contribution of the Maronite community to Australia, praising Maronite families, workers and business people for their exemplary citizenship. 


 “A silent majority that remains silent ceases to remain a majority,” Mr Abbott said. 


“You love our country; that’s what today’s meeting is all about … trying to have the very best country that we can.” 


The family was the bedrock of the communities that make up Australia, Mr Abbott said, and marriage was fundamental in protecting children and families. 


 “Yes, love is so important. But in the end, marriage is about the welfare of the kids; it’s about the protection of the family. 


“And that’s why it’s so important that we don’t do anything to water (marriage) down, (that) we don’t do anything that would lead to reduced respect and protection for the families of Australia.” The Catholic Weekly

There's so much coded language in that. "Family" is always used by No people as code for hetero families as the only real families. He brings in patriotism to Australia, even suggesting voting Yes would be unpatriotic - "If you love our country...."  And WTF is "protecting children" supposed to mean, that gays are paedophiles? That's certainly a dog whistle. He even goes on to say "marriage is about the welfare of the kids", another dog whistle. And of course "protection of the family", meaning LGBT don't really have families as they're not straight.

The most audacious is at the end where he says it's important "we don;t do anything that would lead to reduced respect and protection for the families of Australia" WTF? What about rainbow families? What are they Martians? What about what the postal survey and Abbott's drumming up of hate did to them? And now look at the result; we have vigilante Christians coming into our community with the intent for vandalism and violence.

Newtown police described as "visibly shocked" last night when receiving images of violent threats by vigilante group "Christian Lives Matter", who are being monitored. Lyle Shelton has doubled down on his support, despite criticism from Leichhardt mayor for encouraging crime. pic.twitter.com/PpEMFhlM4W

— Pauline Pantsdown (@PPantsdown) November 21, 2017

Abbott with Maronite youth leaders

ACL article header

Header for "Christian Lives Matter" Facebook page

Natasha has a new "Grasshopper" - pics :)

Natasha, younger than we thought she was at only 13, has a new student. Little Cloe is such a sweet little thing Natasha has taken her under her paw. Even to the point of letting her cuddle up on their favourite sleeping places.

It's a real surprise because Natasha can be a real bitch when another female is in her space, but not this time. They just get on really well.

Bottom picture is another night of The Bird. Same magpie keeps coming around at about the same time every evening. Cloe is still pouncing and ending up stuck on the screen.  

 

Fringe dwelling Lyle Shelton has close ties with "Christian dominionist" theology - historian

QLD election Toowoomba 2006

Chrys Stevenson is an historian and has in 2011 written an article that goes very deeply into the history of both the Australian Christian Lobby and Lyle Shelton. He traces the influences that shaped Shelton as he grew up and embraced them. It's clear that Shelton adheres to Christian "dominionist" theology; the idea that Christians must infiltrate all levels of gov to make laws according to their strict conservative religious views.

If this sounds like some kind of extreme left-wing conspiracy theory (and I'm well aware that it does!) take a look at the website for the NACL where the dominionist rationale is clearly laid out:


"Either Christian morality or Humanist amorality will prevail. Christians must be in positions of leadership to decide which it will be. Said one Christian politician, 'I didn't believe Christians should impose our traditional moral values and ideals on those that opposed them, so I did nothing, and they in time imposed their immorality on me ... If we do not support the legislation of Christian morality, we allow the legislation of humanist immorality."


When Yates stepped down as the ACL's chief of staff, the role was taken on by Lyle Shelton. The ACL could hardly have found a candidate with a finer dominionist pedigree.


Lyle Shelton is the son of Ian Shelton, pastor of Toowoomba City Church, a "transformation" ministry which grew out of the now defunct Logos Foundation, a cultish group closely associated with dominionist and reconstructionist theology.


Apparently, Shelton Snr joined Logos in the early 1980s when Lyle was in his pre-teens. When the group folded in the wake of its leader's sexual indiscretions, it was resurrected by Shelton in the guise of the Toowoomba City Church. Shelton Senior's vision is for Toowoomba to become:

 

"a transformed city where all the spheres - sport/arts/leisure, welfare, health, media & information, law/police/judiciary, politics & government, business & commerce, education - ... come under the lordship of Christ."

 

............................................

 

Prior to joining the ACL, Lyle worked with Summit Ministries Australia, an offshoot of an American organisation headed by Christian dominionist, David Noebel.

 In the 70s, with the communist threat fast diminishing, Noebel was among the first to employ anti-gay rhetoric as a new focus for fundamentalist fear-mongering - a strategy put to good use by the Australian Christian Lobby. According to Noebel in The Battle for Truth:

 

"[G]overnment exists not so much to create laws as to secure laws, to apply God's laws to general and specific situations ... False law-making - such as 'concessions to the majority' as a basis for the legalisation of abortion, homosexuality, pedophilia or incest - will not be tolerated by God."

 Summit's clearly stated goal is to "prepare tomorrow's servant leaders to engage and transform our culture."

 

For some years, Summit Australia held a "biblical world view conference" in Australia. Far from distancing himself from this den of dominionists, Jim Wallace, managing director of the ACL, was on the programmes for 2006 and 2007 along with David Noebel and Darrell Furgason. Shelton was recruited from Summit to the ACL in 2006. ABC

Stevenson observes even back in 2011 the undue influence Shelton and the ACL has over the Australian Federal gov. In doing so he points out that if this were Muslims demanding religious laws of their own be passed by gov there'd rightly be outrage. One such radical Muslim was even banished from the Lakemba Mosque for demanding just that. That it's time the Australian gov saw the ACL and Shelton for what they really are; extremists who don't deserve to be part of the democratic processes in Australia, let alone given the voice and influence they have. 

The Australian Christian Lobby is so intimately linked with dominionist theology it beggars belief that it does not subscribe to its aims. Nobody denies that, in a democracy, all citizens have a right to have their voice heard in the public square. But, the privileged role accorded to the ACL by our political leaders must now be questioned. 


Just as responsible Muslims have distanced themselves from the lunatic ravings of Ibrahim Siddiq-Conlon, it is time for the leaders of Australia's mainstream Christian churches to publicly disassociate themselves from the right-wing, extremist, divisive dominionism of the ACL. 


Perhaps, in their intimate association with the ACL, our government is conforming to the maxim, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." But, as citizens of a multicultural, multi-faith, multi-denominational, secular, democratic society, Australians - of all faiths and none - should "beware the enemy within." ABC  

Remember he's talking about the Labor Gillard gov back in 2011. Yet this gov is even more intimately linked to the ACL and Shelton. Almost tied at the hip, to the point where the ACL even drafted a marriage discrimination bill. 

After all Shelton did run for the National party in the QLD 2006 state election and became an advisor to Barnaby Joyce after failing to get office. The ACL seems almost a branch of the National party rather than an independent body. Jobs for the boys? 

Senator Dean Smith, Christine Forster and Polly at the Stonewall Hotel (Video)

For those who may not realise, The Stonewall is a gay pub on Oxford St in Sydney. Polly has been part of Oxford St for decades, Christine Forster is Tony Abbott's gay sister, and Dean Smith is the gay Liberal senator from Western Australia and author of the consensus marriage equality bill presented in the federal senate last week. Quite a thing for them all to be together like that.

 

Lyle Shelton praises christian vandals destroying art inner west Sydney

Both Lyle Shelton and Miranda Devine have been called out by the Mayor of Sydney's inner west for supporting the christian vandals that are attacking art work around the inner west.

Called "Christian Lives Matter" they are religious extremists who won't accept the results of the national postal survey, coming from the 12 seat block in western Sydney that voted No to create trouble in Newton, a big gay area of Sydney.

Shelton and Devine should absolutely be ashamed of themselves for supporting a group that is threatening violence to LGBT in the inner west. 

I applaud these young Christians for their courage. More, not less courage will be required in the days ahead. And (scroll down), wedding service providers are already being targeted by 🏳️‍🌈 activists. Thx @mirandadevine for bringing this to light. https://t.co/PPTBrWKS67

— Lyle Shelton (@LyleShelton) November 18, 2017

Newtown police described as "visibly shocked" last night when receiving images of violent threats by vigilante group "Christian Lives Matter", who are being monitored. Lyle Shelton has doubled down on his support, despite criticism from Leichhardt mayor for encouraging crime. pic.twitter.com/PpEMFhlM4W

— Pauline Pantsdown (@PPantsdown) November 21, 2017

(the 5th image, twitter only allows 4 at once) pic.twitter.com/CZO2sverTp

— Pauline Pantsdown (@PPantsdown) November 21, 2017

 

Fuck you western Sydney

Westie idiots religious nutters censored this, painting it black

I'm angry. I'm fuming.

I have stood up for minorities all my life. If you persecute and hate them you may well one day find yourself in one. Old people who get discriminated against and can't get a job because they're either old or disabled. Young people being trashed by this gov in work-for-the-dole slave labour when there's no job's. Muslims when the gov demonises them for political gain. Asylum seekers who they've labelled as criminals.

In such a case I think it would be only natural for fellow minorities to support us LGBT minority. But in western Sydney, not even that far from where I live in the east, you didn't. You fucked us over in western Sydney in a cluster of 12 seats voting up to 74% No against David and I's love. 

Fuck your bible. Fuck your Koran. Fuck your stupid "cultural" excuses. Australia has comprehensively rejected them all. What you need to do now is get over it and get over yourselves. Australia is a place of multiculturalism and diversity. If you can't accept that then why did you come here? I'm from New Zealand and an immigrant too BTW. I didn't come here bringing religion and prejudice.

Western Sydney has long been a thorn in the side of gay Sydney in the east. You've ruined Oxford st making it into what is probably the most policed area in Sydney. You come in here time after time, making trouble and bashing us as we leave gay pubs. The result is over policing, the gay pubs getting a reputation for violence because of your misbehavour, and leading to the lockout laws that have fucked up everything. 

Fuck you. You lost homophobes. Suck lemons (being polite there). Drag you knuckle dragging heads into this bloody century. 

And don't come come in to our space and censor our legal art. Just fuck off assholes.