Perry’s association with hate groups nothing new

Dallas Voice ^ | June 28, 2011 | Daniel Williams

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Gov. Rick Perry’s planned Aug. 6 day of prayer and fasting, “the Response,” has garnered a range or reactions over the last month, from Houston clergy expressing concern about the blurring of lines between church and state, to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force decrying the rally as “profoundly harmful.” What almost every denouncement of “the Response” has in common is shock that the governor would align himself with the American Family Association, an organization listed by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group.

For those who’ve followed Perry’s political career closely, however, his connections with a notorious hate group are just par for the course.

The Southern Poverty Law Center is a pro-bono legal firm and civil rights advocacy group. Since shortly after its founding in 1971 the SPLC has declared certain groups “hate groups” based on the groups’ perpetuation of inaccurate and harmful information about communities fighting for their civil rights. In the case of anti-gay groups the SPLC places organizations on the list of hate groups for “their propagation of known falsehoods — claims about LGBT people that have been thoroughly discredited by scientific authorities — and repeated, groundless name-calling. Viewing homosexuality as unbiblical does not qualify organizations for listing as hate groups.”

Perry publicly aligned himself with the AFA as early as 2005, when AFA founder Don Wildmon was invited to participate in a signing ceremony celebrating the passage of Texas’ constitutional amendment defining marriage as between “one man and one woman.” The governor’s signature is not required on constitutional amendments. In fact, the executive branch of Texas government can neither propose nor approve constitutional provisions. That didn’t stop Perry from conducting a media event designed to take credit for the amendment’s passage. Perry selected Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Worth as the venue for the event, despite concerns that holding an (albeit superfluous) government ceremony in a religious facility strayed dangerously close to violating the separation between church and state. Also invited to the ceremony was former Louisiana State Rep. Tony Perkins, president of another group on the SPLC’s list, the Family Research Council.

The Family Research Council was formally a part of founder James Dobson’s far-right media empire, Focus on the Family. In 1992 the organizations formally split due to concerns that FRC’s political activities might endanger Focus on the Family’s nonprofit status, but the two groups retain close ties, with Dobson serving on both organizations’ boards (both Dobson as an individual and FRC as an organization would go on to endorse Perry in the 2010 election). Perkins has served as the FRC’s president since 2003.

One of the speakers before Perry’s extraneous signing of the amendment was Rod Parsley, a Pentecostal faith healer and televangelist. Parlsey provided the audience with several “facts” about homosexuality: “Only 1 percent of the homosexual population in America will die of old age,” said Parsley. “The average life expectancy for a homosexual in the United States of America is 43 years of age. A lesbian can only expect to live to be 45 years of age. Homosexuals represent 2 percent of the population, yet today they’re carrying 60 percent of the known cases of syphilis.”

Although Parsley gave no source for his supposed “facts,” the information is taken from a widely discredited study conducted in 1994 by the Family Research Institute, another hate group on the SPLC’s list. The FRI is headed by Dr. Paul Cameron. Cameron’s numerous discredited studies attacking LGBT people have earned him the scorn of the scientific community, losing him his membership in both the American Psychological Association and the American Sociological Association (the ASA said Parsley “consistently misinterpreted and misrepresented sociological research on sexuality, homosexuality and lesbianism”).

As Parsley presented his “facts,” Gov. Perry smiled in tacit approval, later beaming when Parsley went on to thank him for “protecting the children of Texas from the gay agenda.” Neither the governor nor any other organization involved in the signing ceremony issued a retraction or apologized for disseminating misinformation.

Perry’s inclusion of the AFA and FRC in his faux signing ceremony helped elevate the national profile of both organizations. In 2008, when Perry published his book, On My Honor: Why the American Values of the Boy Scouts are Worth Fighting For, he would turn to both organizations for help with its promotion. On My Honor presents the history of the Boy Scouts as grand myth, complete with divine intervention guiding lost travelers through the fog so they can meet and preserve an institution that Perry claims is crucial to American prosperity. However, the real purpose of the book is to decry what Perry sees as a “legal assault” on the Boy Scouts, namely the efforts to remove taxpayer support of the Scouts so long as they maintain their discriminatory policies against LGBT people. Both the AFA’s Wildmon and Ken Blackwell, senior fellow at the FRC, provided glowing promotional quotes for the book which can still be read on the official website.

Perry reunited with the AFA and the FRC in September 2009 when he was a featured speaker at the “Value Voters Summit,” co-sponsored by both groups and another group on the SPLC’s hate list: the Traditional Values Coalition. Founded in 1980, the TVC claims to speak on behalf of 43,000 churches and lobbies in opposition to LGBT rights and reproductive freedom. Founder Lou Sheldon was quoted in a 1992 Washington Times article as saying: “Homosexuals are dangerous. They proselytize. They come to the door, and if your son answers and nobody is there to stop it, they grab the son and run off with him. They steal him. They take him away and turn him into a homosexual.” Sheldon disputes the quote. The TVC dismisses concern about suicide by LGBT teens on its website, claiming “teens who are struggling with homosexual feelings are more likely to be sexually molested by a homosexual school counselor or teacher than to commit suicide over their feelings of despair.”

In his speech at the Values Voters Summit, Perry trotted out the old conservative war horses of family values and small government conservatism. He also took the opportunity in his speech to make a most peculiar reading suggestion: The Five Thousand Year Leap by Cleon Skousen. Skousen is the founder of the ubiquitously named National Center for Constitutional Studies. Last spring the SPLC wrote an extensive profile of the NCCS and its attempts to rewrite American history to conform to an apocalyptic vision based on fringe Mormon theology.

The Five Thousand Year Leap, which Fox “news” commentator Glen Beck described as “divinely inspired,” lays out a strategy for turning the U.S. into 50 loosely confederated theocracies with little to no federal government. Six years after the book’s 1981 publication, Skousen revised and condensed its claims in a book titled The Miracle of America. In Miracle, Skousen described the white slave owners of America’s ante bellum south as the “worst victims” of slavery, labeled African-American children as “pickaninnies” and expressed sympathy for southerners who defended “white civilization” from the threat of slave revolts.

Both Leap and Miracle are still published by the NCCS. Recent editions, however, have had the most overtly racist passages excised.

Considering Perry’s close ties with the FRC, it’s no surprise that he received their endorsement in the 2009 governor’s race. They joined a long list of far-right organizations and leaders including the state director of the Texas chapter of Concerned Women for America, Ann Hettinger. CWA is not considered a hate group by the SPLC, but has been profiled in the SPLC publication Intelligence Report due to their homophobic propaganda. In 2009, the same year Perry accepted the endorsement of their state director, the CWA’s national office accused the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) of recruiting children, warning “teaching students from a young age that the homosexual lifestyle is perfectly natural … will [cause them to] develop into adults who are desensitized to the harmful, immoral reality of sexual deviance.”

Hettinger’s endorsement makes sense in light of Perry’s assistance in promoting the CWA. In 2008, when Perry held a press conference to promote the creation of a Texas “Choose Life” license plate, he did so with representatives of the CWA by his side. Perry’s prepared speech for the event specifically mentions the CWA and his pleasure at their attendance. That seems to be a pattern for Perry. He’ll invite a group like the AFA, FRC or CWA to one of his press events, talk them up and help them receive public attention. Then, or within the next few years, he enthusiastically accepts that group’s endorsement for public office.

“The Response ” is different than Rick Perry’s other partnerships with hate groups. While comparable in scale to the 2009 Values Voters Summit, and similar in sponsorship to the 2005 staged “signing ceremony,” the timing of this event is unique. In the past Perry seems to have reserved his associations with the likes of the AFA, FRC, FRI, TVC, NCCS and CWA for years that led up to the Texas gubernatorial races in 2006 and 2010. Perry doesn’t face re-election again until 2014, so why is he brushing up his far-right bona-fides so early?

Rumors persist that Perry plans to enter the 2012 presidential race, and he did nothing to quash them by saying he is “thinking about” running. If he does run, this partnership with the AFA would be consistent with his previous campaign pattern. When media commentators warn that the Aug. 6 event in Houston is a precursor to Perry running for president, it’s this pattern they are noticing. If Perry runs it’s a safe bet that the AFA and the other organizations co-sponsoring the event will reward him for his promotional assistance with endorsements. It’s also a safe bet that Perry will use the homophobia of the AFA’s members to scare them into voting for him.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

A nice looking West Texas boy a couple of years from graduation.

Rick Perry 1969 TX A&M Yearbook, Aggieland

Perry attended Texas A&M University, where he was a member of the Corps of Cadets, a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity and one of A&M's five yell leaders (a popular Texas A&M tradition analogous to male cheerleaders). He interned with the Southwestern Company during the summer time as a door-to-door book salesman where he honed his communication skills. Perry graduated in 1972 with a degree in animal science. While at Texas A&M University Perry successfully completed a static line parachute jump at Ags Over Texas (a United States Parachute Association dropzone), the dropzone that was then in operation at Coulter Field (KCFD) in Bryan, Texas, just north of Texas A&M (in College Station, Texas).

Upon graduation, he was commissioned in the United States Air Force, completed pilot training and flew C-130 tactical airlift in the United States, the Middle East, and Europe until 1977. He left the Air Force with the rank of captain, returned to Texas and went into business farming cotton with his father.

In 1982, Perry married Anita Thigpen, his childhood sweetheart whom he had known since elementary school. They have two children, Griffin and Sydney. Source

Anita and Rick Perry dove hunting 2010

Perry Awarding Iraqi Service Medals

Texas Marines

Gov. Rick Perry participates in ceremonies at Camp Mabry to redesignate the 49th Armored Division as the 36th Infantry Division. The former 49th Armored Division, which consists of approximately 12,000 soldiers, makes up almost two-thirds of the Texas National Guard. The division's redesignation as the 36th Infantry Division is part of the Texas Army National Guard's transition from a heavy armored force to a more versatile infantry force.

Texas Gov. Perry receives a warm greeting from Ghazni Provincial Governor Dr. Usman Usmani at the flight line minutes after landing at Forward Operating Base Ghazni by UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. Perry led a delegation of four other governors to visit

Lt. Col. Thomas J. Kleis (R) briefs Texas Gov. Rick Perry (C) as Command Sgt. Maj. Peter P.A. Collins (L) listens on the intelligence gathering successes the 636th Military Intelligence Battalion has achieved during their last six months of duty in

Texas Gov. Rick Perry stands with Texas service members from the 636th Military Intelligence Battalion, 71st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade and the 136th Military Police Battalion on July 20th under the Texas flag he presented to the 636th.

Rick Perry served in the U.S. Air Force after graduating from Texas A&M

C-130 Rick Perry: He flew the world before politics

Rank: Retired as a captain

Hometown: Haskell

Crew job: C-130 aircraft commander

Served in the Air Force: 1972 to 1977

Dyess AFB tour: March 4, 1974, to Feb. 28, 1977

His story: Way back before he was governor of Texas, Rick Perry had two choices as a young member of the Air Force.

He could either follow his dream and work toward becoming an instructor pilot in the sleek T-38, or he could fly the hulking C-130, planes that affectionately were referred to as "trash haulers" by Perry and his cohorts.

"It was one of the great adventures of my life," Perry said. "I had a fairly pedestrian life until I was 23 years old."

Perry could count on one hand the number of trips he had taken out of his home state by the time he graduated from Texas A&M University, but everything changed when he joined the Air Force.

Flying C-130s, Perry lived in Germany and Saudi Arabia. He flew in Central and South America, North Africa and all over Europe.

"I saw all of these different types of governments and I made the connections to how the people acted and looked, and it became abundantly clear to me that, at that particular point in time, that America was this very unique place and that our form of democracy was very rare," Perry said. " ... That was the greatest gift I received from my years of being in the military, and they really shaped my outlook on the rest of my life."

[snip]

[lahargis]

Let’s just post it all for Mike Toomey shall we?
Immediate Past Positions Only individual in Texas history to be Chief of Staff for two Texas Governors

• Rick Perry - Nov., 2002 - Sept. 2004
• William P. Clements, Jr. - 1989 - 1990

Former State Representative - District 135, Houston, Texas. Elected for three terms. 1983 - 1988
68th Session
Named Best House Freshman (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Judiciary and Urban Affairs Committees

69th Session
Chairman, Budget and Oversight
Judiciary Committee
Appropriations Committee
Conference Committee on Appropriations Bill
Chairman, Subcommittee on Dedicated State Funds
Named one of the Ten Best Legislators (Texas Monthly Magazine)

70th Session
Chairman, Judiciary Committee
Natural Resources Committee
House Sponsor of Tort Reform Legislation
Named one of the Seven Best Legislators (Dallas Morning News)

71st Session
Deputy Chief of Staff for the Governor of Texas

EDUCATION B.A. Degree in Philosophy - Baylor University (1972)
J.D. South Texas College of Law (1976)
PROFESSIONAL Practicing Attorney in Houston, 1976-1988
General practice with emphasis on Business Law
CIVIC ACTIVITIES & ACHIEVEMENTS & AWARDS ODK Circle, Baylor (Honorary Scholarship and Leadership)
Order of Lytae (Honorary Scholarship in Law School)
Former Chairman of the Board - West Houston Chamber of Commerce
Optimist Club President
Law Journal Member and Editorial Board Member of Law Journal
Recipient American Tort Reform Association, Tort Reformer 1987

NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE COMMENTS
“Under Toomey’s guidance, that vanguard of political professionals helped undertake the complete Republican takeover of state government.” Laylan Copelin, Austin American Statesman, May 16, 2004
“A man who had always been known for his intensity and hard work…” Dave McNeely, Austin American Statesman, August 26, 2001
“Toomey was such a key budget-cutting member of the House Appropriations Committee during the economic turndown in Texas caused by the oil bust..” Dave McNeely, Austin American Statesman, August 26, 2001
“…Texas Monthly magazine named him one of 10 top legislators.” Dave McNeely, Austin American Statesman, August 26, 2001
“Toomey was the first real tort reformer. He started the crusade, and he was successful.” Bruce Gibson, Austin American Statesman, August 26, 2001
“There’s nobody who works harder, studies the issues more and is more determined. He is a tough, tough negotiator.” Kent Caperton, Austin American Statesman, August 26, 2001
“Toomey read every single bill that was filed. And I don’t mean skimmed’em.” Cliff Johnson, Austin American Statesman, August 26, 2001
“Incredible talent, expertise and focus to my staff and his efforts as chief of staff were a major factor in the success of the 2003 legislative session.” Governor Rick Perry, Austin American Statesman, September 4, 2004
“He has once again served the state tirelessly, and I am grateful for his dedication to serving the people of Texas.” Governor Rick Perry, Austin American Statesman, September 4, 2004
“…had all the qualities essential to mastering this most difficult of legislative arts: industry, inspiration, a mind for detail, and objectivity.” Paul Burka and Alison Cook, Texas Monthly’s 10 Best legislators, July 1985
“....Toomey has accumulated the skill and will to influence every issue of consequence. Toomey brings to the job a work ethic that has been legendary since 1985..” Patricia Kilday Hart, Texas Monthly, May 2003
“He approaches issues with a zeal and tenacity that even his detractors admire. Everything about him speaks of discipline.” Patricia Kilday Hart, Texas Monthly, May 2003
“Toomey does his homework, argues his points and carries voluminous knowledge on a wide range of issues…” The 7 Best, Dallas Morning News, June 2, 1987
“His hard work contributed significantly to the success of the regular session this year.” Governor Bill Clements, The Dallas Morning News, 1989
“For the past twenty years, Mike Toomey has loomed large in state government,…as the Capitol’s premier business lobbyist…With his encyclopedic knowledge of state government…” Patricia Kilday Hart, Texas Monthly, May 2003

[Diogenesis]

Cincinatus’ Wife, it is customary to ping someone you
post about on FR.

That said, why don’t you “call forth” Perry’s comments
where he addresses the RINO issues of open borders
and Gardasil mandates (and RomneyCARE/ObamaCARE mandates).

............. [ ........... crickets]

[truthfreedom]

I was dumping on Perry before Dio showed up.

I just, honestly, hate Perry the most.

Can’t you understand that some people, like myself find the whole situation surrounding forced vaccinations as bad as anything any of the other candidates ever did.

And Bilderberg makes him completely unacceptable.

So, yes, he clearly identified me as someone who hates Perry, based on all the links I was already using, but I’m not affiliated with him or her in any way.

I just want to systematically drop my links on there. They’re good solid links giving different parts of the Perry story.

By the way, off my “Perry hating” topic, has anyone really noticed how completely unpresidential Michele’s resume is?

Perry has a strong overall resume, experience wise. Solid early - Texas A&M and Air Force, and then into politics, starting small, working up. Obviously there was 2nd guessing on a lot of things about him, but the overall resume is solid.

Santorums resume is similar. Both are “state” quality.
Rick has a great Pennsylvania education. 3 Pennsylvania schools, an MBA and a Law Degree. Right from Law School to a good firm and then, at 32, to the House, and shortly after that to the Senate. That’s a real solid resume.

Romney has the Double Harvard MBA, JD. That’s the best elite education of the bunch. Made a lot of money. Olympics, Governor.

Cain has a surprisingly good elite resume. There are qualifications there. I didn’t know that he’d run before.
Solid solid qualifications. Was an economic advisor to Dole/Kemp in 96. He majored in math and got a masters in computer science at Purdue. I like the record. A lot of people might yell at him about the fed, but a lot of people would look at it as a solid credential. On top of that he’s an author and a radio talk guy.

All 4 of those guys have basically a resume of consistent success and high level achievement.

[truthfreedom]

Uh, ok

[truthfreedom]

So you’re saying I need to do some photoshops?

[Ron H.]

The SPLC IS a hate group.......

That's the absolute truth if I ever heard it before. That's akin to the kettle calling the pot black isn't it?!

[muawiyah]

BTW, when it comes to Perry, it really isn't the "RINO issues" ~ he is, in fact, a RINO having been an elected Democrat who came over to run as a Republican.

That's after doing major damage to Republican party fortunes in Texas.

They can forgive him. I say we no longer have need of or room for RINOs in the Republican party.

We don't need the Leftwingtards either!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The fact that you come out of the barn with a lie on your lips makes me stop reading your post.

Nothing was forced.

The only thing “forced” about the HPV vaccine is your insistence on lying about it.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

July 7, 2011--- ROVE THINKS PERRY IS A “GO” FOR 2012. Karl Rove, the “architect” of George W. Bush’s presidential victories, isn’t the world’s biggest Rick Perry fan. But the Texas political pundit says he thinks Perry is going to run for president in 2012. On Fox News, Rove agreed with a host who said Perry would seek the presidency. “Well, I think you’re right that he is going to run,” Rove said. The former White House aide said Perry would have a good fund-raising base for a White House campaign: “This is a big state with nearly 24 million people, and if you’re the governor of the state, you have the capacity to go out and raise a lot of money from people.” More>>>

[Jabba the Nutt]

The Southern Poverty Law Center has two purposes. First, to make tons of money for the conmen running the show. Second, to smear conservatives.

This article serves both purposes.

[TribalPrincess2U]

0bamie will get the gay and black vote no matter who runs against him.

[NeoCaveman]

Me too.

[lahargis]

At least your admitting it :)

[lahargis]

Ronald Reagan was in fact a democrat at one time also

[farmguy]

Since perry signed “hate crimes” legislation into law for Texas (after his predecessor had vetoed similar legislation), I doubt that there is anything to this charge.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Hate Crimes Bill Signing ............"I have expressed reservations about passing a hate crimes law which delineates particular groups of Texans. I continue to have questions about the eventual wisdom of dividing people, when our energies should be dedicated to bringing them together.

But I also believe that as the Governor - and as a Texan - I have an obligation to see issues from another person's perspective, to try to walk in another person's shoes. I have sought to do that in considering this bill and believe that it should now become law.

Some will disagree with my decision. I would simply ask that they also try to do what I have done - to walk in another Texan's shoes..................."

[Tex-Con-Man]

So the only thing that matters to you is what Perry did before 1989?

Over 10 years as Governor of Texas and all he’s accomplished are moot because he once belonged to the Dem party over 20 years ago?

Interesting “thought process” for exercising your voter franchise.

[truthfreedom]

start with something like this maybe



Add in a little - help me mommy, Gardasil Rick Perry is coming, and something from one of those nice pics you gave me to use and we're in business.

[prairiebreeze]

organization listed by the Southern Poverty Law Center

No need to read any further.