And now for something completely different:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

A Republican politician who is a staunch Christian and has HUGE IRON BALLS!

Moderators: please be tolerant with the one-sentence paragraphs.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1078163468305920.xml

Wenke supports gay unions

Monday, March 1, 2004

[e-mail] 388-8578

(...)"I kept quiet when African-Americans were facing discrimination," he said. "There have been too many people who have been discriminated against in my lifetime, and this time I'm not going to sit quietly while somebody is being mistreated.

"This is a matter of conscience. There's nothing in it for me."

He said his vote "will hurt me personally," and it already has.

(...)

He wonders aloud if his stance on this issue will kill his political career. "I'm on a suicide mission," he said.

He does not want to be a spokesman for gay rights. "This isn't my issue," Wenke said. "Job growth, taxes, smaller government -- those are my issues. ... I didn't come here to fight this battle. I'm sort of angry that it's come up the way it has."

(...)

"He loves to be a gadfly," said Larry Kiser, pastor of Richland Bible Church. "He gets a little mad sometimes at the right-wing Christian mentality. ... He think there's a tendency to oversimplify."

[LeahMira]

1. Finally! Good news.

"I kept quiet when African-Americans were facing discrimination," he said. "There have been too many people who have been discriminated against in my lifetime, and this time I'm not going to sit quietly while somebody is being mistreated.


I'm so happy that Mr. Wenke has finally had enough of silence. Sometimes I think that the longer it takes to wake up to injustice, the stronger the commitment to oppose it.

[Crachet2004]

6. Yeah, there are a lot of truly good, religious people...

It's not always a contradiction in terms...quite the opposite, in fact. And I sometimes wonder how many potential supporters we have alienated with our often, rather shrill retaliations, for right wing attacks on us? And I am guilty of this too...one of the worst. Not that we should'nt defend ourselves-we must!

But true Christians of conscience cannot support: the Iraq War, discriminition, deplorable economic divides, hunger in America, etc...

I wish there were some way of altering the current misconception...maybe a 'Democrats for Christ' voters registration drive? Some way of disabusing the myth, that all genuinely religious people of necessity, dwell politically on the Right. They do not. Nor are they even inclined that direction.

Anyone with any 'Christ Consciousness' at all, knows in their heart, the hate, envy, war and greed the GOP pedals as political stock in trade, has nothing to do with Christs' Ministry here on Earth. Given our aspirations and values, I think the Message of Christ comes down on the side of the Democrat Party...but we have not been able to utilize it, for some reason.

The thunder we are continuously bombarded with from the political Right, on the other hand, is very much 'Old Testament'...the booming voice of the 'jealous,righteous,vengeful...Lord of Hosts'.

The political Right is welcome to keep the Patriarchal Thunderer, Yah, but I wish there were some way we Democrats could embrace the Son as our icon...he was much more likable, and I believe if He were alive today, He would be a Democrat!

[seabeyond]

7. yes i like

i am looking for someway to bring democrat back into this area. adn to go to our sepgregated black area that is highly democratic, the only in time, (almost, wink) and huge church goers and using that message may be a good thing. thank you for the thought

i know there are many that dont want bush, just have been so conditioned to vote republican and democrat bad

[Crachet2004]

11. I am from Appalachia, and in many ways,...

it is the same here. My mother and father and their parents before them were always Republicans...it was sort of born in the bone, I guess. Then my mother switched, and all five of us kids almost always vote Democrat.

In the large, extended families, such as we have here in the hills, the older ones have a lot of influence-and the younger ones have a lot of respect for what they think. This time, a way of approaching the older folks is through SS. If the GOP is left unchecked, they will do the same thing to it as they did to Welfare...and that is a fact! They have already done a partial rip-off with the new drug benefit...it mostly benefits corporations!

But in terms of the 'Culture War', I simply do not think the GOP should be allowed to have both the Father and the Son on their team. They can keep the old 'Desert Thunderer', but we get Jesus!

Many in the Democrat Party are a little too intellectual and affluent to understand how important Christ is in the lives of people living a little closer to the edge than they are! These are the very people who are our natural constituency, and they often don't vote-or vote the wrong way-because we have allowed ourselves to be portrayed as anti-God! The GOP works on this fulltime, and we aren't even fighting back! The only thing I know of that can quench the 'Fire and Brimstone' being heaped on us from the Right, is a long, cool drink of Christ's Love and Mercy!

Good Luck!

[fob]

2. Moral of the story: A little critical thinking can go a LOOOONG way

HUGE IRON BALLS is the understatement of the century for this guy.

Reasons why(from the article)
A member of a fundamentalist church...

The 58-year-old state representative from Richland Township(MI) opposes abortion and gun control...

And he is opposing the bill, he said, out of a long-held and deeply felt belief that discrimination against homosexuals violates democratic principles and his Christian values.(The Critical Thinking part)...

"He's taking a standing contrary to President George W. Bush, against the Republican Party and against almost every Republican in the Legislature," Glenn said. "It will hurt him and it should. ... I'm sure the people of his legislative district would prefer to have someone who will represent their views on something so fundamental."

"It's certainly going to make re-election more difficult," ...

"It's all about this double standard and unequal treatment," he said. "It's just not fair."

This guy deserves a DUey Award!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

3. What about...

A PAIR OF PLANET-SIZED TITANIUM SPHERES?

[Bunny]

4. My God! I'll vote for him!

Where do I sign up?

[seabeyond]

5. this man i love

ah so good to my ears to hear such grace. and an amend to him. maybe others will get a little more brave with his example. as i saw in another thread, to say a truth in a party that is in such battle can be..........challenging. to say the least.

i hope he isnt to beat up in his community adn church

that they will love this in him as well being christians that they are

[calimary]

8. Then go to the link and email the author - this man deserves support.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

9. Another jewel from Mr. Wenke

"At the last State of the State address, his guest of honor was his pastor. And he keeps his business closed on Sunday, pointing to the Bible's Fifth Commandment.

'I'm one of the few dinosaurs that says this should be a day of worship and rest,' he said. 'Most of my competitors are open on Sunday. Sunday is the second-best shopping day of the week. But I still think this is a commandment that should be kept.'"

THAT was a commandment that was put in place for a VERY good reason. People aren't machines. Maybe it was sneaked in by unionized angels. :evilgrin:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

10. The guy's factsheet at the Michigan House site

http://house.michigan.gov/rep.asp?DIST=063

If you ask me, he looks like Mitch Pileggi with hair. :evilgrin: