Now, Melissa Etheridge posts her views about Rick Warren.

[kstewart33]

She posted this about five hours ago at Huffington Post. Her wife's entry was posted on DU yesterday. Here is Melissa's perspective:

This is a message for my brothers and sisters who have fought so long and so hard for gay rights and liberty. We have spent a long time climbing up this mountain, looking at the impossible, changing a thousand year-old paradigm. We have asked for the right to love the human of our choice, and to be protected equally under the laws of this great country. The road at times has been so bloody, and so horrible, and so disheartening. From being blamed for 9/11 and Katrina, to hateful crimes committed against us, we are battle weary. We watched as our nation took a step in the right direction, against all odds and elected Barack Obama as our next leader. Then we were jerked back into the last century as we watched our rights taken away by prop 8 in California. Still sore and angry we felt another slap in the face as the man we helped get elected seemingly invited a gay-hater to address the world at his inauguration.

I hadn't heard of Pastor Rick Warren before all of this. When I heard the news, in its neat little sound bite form that we are so accustomed to, it painted the picture for me. This Pastor Rick must surely be one hate spouting, money grabbing, bad hair televangelist like all the others. He probably has his own gay little secret bathroom stall somewhere, you know. One more hater working up his congregation to hate the gays, comparing us to pedophiles and those who commit incest, blah blah blah. Same 'ole thing. Would I be boycotting the inauguration? Would we be marching again?

Well, I have to tell you my friends, the universe has a sense of humor and indeed works in mysterious ways. As I was winding down the promotion for my Christmas album I had one more stop last night. I'd agreed to play a song I'd written with my friend Salman Ahmed, a Sufi Muslim from Pakistan. The song is called "Ring The Bells," and it's a call for peace and unity in our world. We were going to perform our song for the Muslim Public Affairs Council, a group of Muslim Americans that tries to raise awareness in this country, and the world, about the majority of good, loving, Muslims. I was honored, considering some in the Muslim religion consider singing to be against God, while other Muslim countries have harsh penalties, even death for homosexuals. I felt it was a very brave gesture for them to make. I received a call the day before to inform me of the keynote speaker that night... Pastor Rick Warren. I was stunned. My fight or flight instinct took over, should I cancel? Then a calm voice inside me said, "Are you really about peace or not?"

I told my manager to reach out to Pastor Warren and say "In the spirit of unity I would like to talk to him." They gave him my phone number. On the day of the conference I received a call from Pastor Rick, and before I could say anything, he told me what a fan he was. He had most of my albums from the very first one. What? This didn't sound like a gay hater, much less a preacher. He explained in very thoughtful words that as a Christian he believed in equal rights for everyone. He believed every loving relationship should have equal protection. He struggled with proposition 8 because he didn't want to see marriage redefined as anything other than between a man and a woman. He said he regretted his choice of words in his video message to his congregation about proposition 8 when he mentioned pedophiles and those who commit incest. He said that in no way, is that how he thought about gays. He invited me to his church, I invited him to my home to meet my wife and kids. He told me of his wife's struggle with breast cancer just a year before mine.

When we met later that night, he entered the room with open arms and an open heart. We agreed to build bridges to the future.

Brothers and sisters the choice is ours now. We have the world's attention. We have the capability to create change, awesome change in this world, but before we change minds we must change hearts. Sure, there are plenty of hateful people who will always hold on to their bigotry like a child to a blanket. But there are also good people out there, Christian and otherwise that are beginning to listen. They don't hate us, they fear change. Maybe in our anger, as we consider marches and boycotts, perhaps we can consider stretching out our hands. Maybe instead of marching on his church, we can show up en mass and volunteer for one of the many organizations affiliated with his church that work for HIV/AIDS causes all around the world.

Maybe if they get to know us, they wont fear us.

I know, call me a dreamer, but I feel a new era is upon us.

I will be attending the inauguration with my family, and with hope in my heart. I know we are headed in the direction of marriage equality and equal protection for all families.

Happy Holidays my friends and a Happy New Year to you.

Peace on earth, goodwill toward all men and women... and everyone in-between.

Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melissa-etheridge/the-choice-is-ours-now_b_152947.html

[racaulk]

1. "i don't call my caps yamakas... cuz that is a religious name for a hat"

[QC]

21. its a jew hat! i jus ware basebal cap!

[Name removed]

2. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[QC]

3. duz she have a yammicky?

[MNBrewer]

4. "I know, call me a dreamer, but I feel a new era is upon us."

We'll see. We'll see. (Breathing deeply, since I'm not gonna hold my breath)

[yardwork]

5. I'm happy for her. Google "token torturer."

[bluedawg12]

33. Good call!

I learned something new. Token torturer.

The irony, pukesterrick get's publicity and gives nothing, but give ME a little faux kindly attention and we are being advised by her that we should reach out.

Token stupid, too. New term, don't google....yet!


unreal.

[KitchenWitch]

6. How many times do you need to be told to go away.

Don't post this shit here.

[Maven]

7. Please. PLEASE. Get out of here.

You are not helping anything.

[enigmatic]

8. ugh

No sale.

[NMMNG]

9. Melissa needs to lay off the quaaludes

And you need to stop posting this bigot-apologist shit here.

[Name removed]

18. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JanMichael]

10. soooo Pastor Rick is sucking up to celebrities.. and they are falling for it.

so fucking what.

Two kazillionaires kissing each other's ass.

Merry X-mas you two. Use a condom.

[ccharles000]

11. I really like her.

[racaulk]

16. I used to.

I still think she's a talented musician and songwriter, but I just think she's wrong on this.

[mitchtv]

45. I did

something smells oh its the post;(Not yours charles)

[gothmoor mythergos]

12. He had her at "I'm your number 1 fan!"

"Her description of the difference between civil unions and marriage being like the difference between a hat and a yarmalke? Hilarious. Especially considering Mr. Warren says God doesn't hear the prayers of Jews."

[Kahuna]

13. She gets it..

:applause:

[Hissyspit]

14. What she gets is...

suckered.

Warren knows exactly what he is doing.

[MNBrewer]

15. Newsflash

Celebrity Conned by Religious Huckster!

She can join John Travolta and Tom Cruise. Such illustrious company.

[SammyWinstonJack]

27. Well said!

:thumbsup: I am amazed that she was suckered at all but more, that she was suckered by warren. :shrug:

[ronnykmarshall]

67. Yeah she got PUNKED!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4707422

[ruggerson]

17. Just because this woman is well known does not make her opinions any more valid

she has a right to express herself and I'm glad that she did.

But she has not been elected "Head Lesbian" and her take on this is just one more variant viewpoint.

I'm happy to read what she has to say.

I'm equally happy to disagree with it, if I feel she is in error.

[Mira]

24. I like your response - I read her letter with great interest - I DO think she is

being suckered - but I also think she is a person just like us - with an opinion.
No more, no less.

[MNBrewer]

36. and, you know what they say about opinions.

( * )

[Mira]

43. Yup - she has no more than just one

[Neecy]

19. "Maybe if they get to know us, they wont fear us"

Ha ha ha. By the way, Missy, it's "won't".

Gee...a wealthy celebrity tells the masses that all will be well if we embrace Pastor Rick.

[bluedawg12]

29. OMG, another knee slapper.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Bluebear]

20. And my honey heche got squeezed by rick warren & could have eaten her up, it's another word for hat.

[TheWraith]

22. Kicked and recommended.

A very wise and apropos message along with a balanced viewpoint.

Not that it'll make any difference to the DU hatefest participants.

[davidinalameda]

37. so standing up for our community is a "hatefest"

thanks for playing

[Name removed]

42. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ronnykmarshall]

68. Hatefest?

Kiss my ass.

[kdpeters]

23. Good for Melissa. Pretty much sums up how I look at it too.

Nice article. Thanks.

[readmoreoften]

25. Funny how the fithy rich have all this time for "faith" and "patience" with bigots.

How big of her. :eyes:

[SammyWinstonJack]

30. !

:thumbsup:

[bluedawg12]

26. That's almost as funny as the farmer's thingy blog

it really is. :rofl:

[Zuiderelle]

28. Oh what a surprise... kstewart33 again.

:eyes:

[Zuiderelle]

31. It's no surprise that the head of the biggest church in our country is capable of schmoozing

and using lies and smiles to pretend not to be exactly what he is. His charisma and charm are his weapons.

[racaulk]

34. There you go with your multiple replies again.

You must be just trying to boost your post count.

Busted!!! :P

:hi:

[Zuiderelle]

38. I know. I'm transparent.

And full of rage, dontcha know?

:)

:hi:

[Starry Messenger]

32. Looks like Saddleback is the new Scientology.

Sad. It's always a little tragic when celebrities give a pass to guys like this.

[MNBrewer]

39. She had just gotten out of the pool, and she had water in her ears.

She thought it was BROKEback Church.

[readmoreoften]

35. And Alan Keyes is a famous black politican against affirmative action. SO FUCKIN WHAT?

Sheddep aready.

[NMDemDist2]

40. my first question when reading this was

if he 'regretted his choice of words' why didn't he change the message the next week?

or did he? I certainly didn't hear about a "sorry, I f@#ked up" speech

:shrug:

[noamnety]

41. No kidding - both sides of his mouth are in overdrive.

His church STILL is hosting a video of him saying "you NEED to vote for Prop 8."

There's no "I struggled with this, I understand if you are struggling with it." Just you NEED to do this, it's God's will.

What a steaming pile of horseshit. I'm sorry to hear she fell into it and didn't notice.

[mitchtv]

46. Ah, poor thing she just wants to fit in

Being a token at the inauguration is a big thing

[Starry Messenger]

47. I found it.

Talk about a smoking gun!

http://www.saddlebackfamily.com/blogs/newsandviews/index.html?contentid=1502

I screen grabbed the whole thing and just downloaded the video. Thank you for the heads up!!

[noamnety]

49. Ah, sorry for not linking it.

I had linked it in another thread - but I'm suddenly glad you thought to download it, since he's been scrubbing his site to hide evidence recently.

[Starry Messenger]

50. Exactly.

He's sanitizing his hate.

[bluedawg12]

44. Here's some strange news- the antigay message came down on Ricks web

This is new and wasn't up at Box turtle earlier today.

Rick Warren Removes Anti-Gay Membership Message from FAQ
Jim Burroway
December 22nd, 2008

"It was just last Saturday that we noted that Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church banned all people “unwilling to repent of their homosexual lifestyle” from church membership. Saddleback’s Small Group’s FAQ used to read:

Because membership in a church is an outgrowth of accepting the Lordship and leadership of Jesus in one’s life, someone unwilling to repent of their homosexual lifestyle would not be accepted at a member at Saddleback Church."

http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/

[IndianaGreen]

55. They have been scrubbing their website for the last couple of days

web archive has the original page

http://web.archive.org/web/20071214040302/http://www.saddlebackfamily.com/membership/group_finder/faqs_smallgroup.asp?id=7509#q_20

[NMDemDist2]

58. OMG!!!!! "What about Dinosaurs" ROFLMFAO

Question: How do they fit in with the idea that God created the world rather than the world evolving on it’s own? Why doesn’t the Bible talk about dinosaurs?

Answer: The Bible tells in Genesis 1 that God made the world in seven days, and that he made all of the animals on the fifth day and the sixth day. All of the animals were created at the same time, so they all walked the earth at the same time. I know that the pictures we all grew up with in the movies were that dinosaurs roamed a lifeless, volcanic planet. Remember these are just pictures drawn by someone today! The Bible's picture is that dinosaurs and man lived together on the earth, an earth that was filled with vegetation and beauty.

What happened to the dinosaurs? The scientific record lets us know that they obviously became extinct through some kind of cataclysmic event on the earth. Many scientists theorize that this may have been an asteroid striking the earth, while many Christians wonder if this event could have been the worldwide flood in Noah's day. No one can know for certain what this event was.

Although it cannot be stated with certainty, it appears that dinosaurs may have actually been mentioned in the Bible. The Bible uses names like "behemoth" and "tannin." Behemoth means kingly, gigantic beasts. Tannin is a term that includes dragon-like animals and the great sea creatures such as whales, giant squid, and marine reptiles like the plesiosaurs that may have become extinct. The Bible's best description of a dinosaur-like animal is in Job chapter 40. We don't know for certain if these are actually dinosaurs or are some other large creatures that became extinct.

This should not sound so strange. After all, God tells us that he created all the land animals on the sixth day of creation, the same day that he created mankind. Man and dinosaurs lived at the same time. There was never a time when dinosaurs ruled the earth. From the very beginning of creation, God gave man dominion over all that was made, even over the dinosaurs.

"For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day." Exodus 20:11

"All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made that was made." John 1:3

"Look at the behemoth, which I made along with you and which feed on grass like an ox. What strength he has in his loins, what power in the muscles of his belly! His tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are close-knit. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like rods of iron. He ranks first among the works of God." Job 40:15-19 (NIV)

[bluedawg12]

60. If he gives up any of the mythology - he's got nothing to numb the people

that keep coming and tithing week after mind numbing week.

[bluedawg12]

59. It's all to take heat off the invocation.

He is never going to change.

[glitch]

48. Oh dear. You would think people would learn to mistrust "charm" offensives after 8 years of Bush.

Instead of listening to the talk people really should be watching the actual actions of these people before they try to shape public opinion about them.

[mondo joe]

51. Sometimes I sing in the shower. NT

[Creideiki]

52. Time and place for everything

She lost me at, "I hadn't heard of Pastor Rick Warren before all of this."

Because I had heard of him. Not to mention that his name was plastered all over the place with the "Values Voter Forum". How can anyone remotely politically astute not have heard of him?

The real issue, though, isn't whether or not to reach out to him, or to allow him to reach out to us. The issue is the time and place. Handing him the microphone at an inauguration that was supposed to institute a Presidency that was supposed to be about "change" is inane.

After the inauguration, if the reaching across the aisle is going to happen, that's fine. Right now, is not the time.

[IndianaGreen]

53. Warren is as smooth as the serpent in the Garden of Eden

If Melissa were straight, she would have encountered many smooth talking men in her life who, once they got what they wanted it, would dump you for someone else.

[bluedawg12]

62. She sounds needy - you may have a point about her and men

[MsUnderstood]

64. Stop the self loathing everyone

I think it is hideous how easily we in the gay community are cannibalizing ourselves over this event.

The prayer at the inauguration doesn't matter! Really. Try this--name the man who gave the prayer at the last 4 inaugurations. . .don't you google it either. I don't care what human blesses obama as long as it gets the devil out of the white house.

WE can reach to the other side with arms our with swords. . .to make gay rights and equality a reality we have to change the minds of people like Rick Warren. Attacking him does not make us friends (and his mind can be changed).

Attacking Melissa by saying she is ignorant because she is gay (what moron would say it is because she is gay she's never been suckered by a man?) is so homophobic I can't even think how to respond.

Mocking her wife because she tries to frame the argument in her own way is wrong on top of wrong.

So really, cut it out.

[Bjorn Against]

54. What are the chances of Warren just randomly calling Etheridge to tell her what a big fan he is.

What are the chances of Rick Warren just happening to be a Melissa Etheridge fan and just by random chance he happened to call her up to ask for an autograph right after he is being exposed to many people as an anti-gay bigot. There is no way in hell Warren is sincere on this, and I don't know how Etheridge is so easily taken in by his obvious pandering.

[bluedawg12]

61. Yes, fundys are known for their open minded love of all music

ask the Dixie Chicks.

Why is Warren suddenly so thick in the mix?

[Laughing Mirror]

65. "He had most of my albums from the very first one."

Damning her, with faint praise, fake praise, seems to have worked on her. Warren's powers of con-artistry worked on her, as well as so many others, sadly.

But they are starting to wake up.

[ronnykmarshall]

69. Melissa you're going to burn in hell ...

but before you go can you autograph this copy of "Yes I Am"?

[Laughing Mirror]

72. Sure Rick, any time. Is this autograph good for a gig for me at Saddleback?

Or is it just blackmail?

[Neshanic]

56. Shame on them both.

[bullwinkle428]

57. My first impression is that Warren is the ultimate snake-oil salesman,

and Melissa just bought the whole truckload of it!

[Political Tiger]

63. Melissa Etheridge has not been a supporter of gay rights

Not JUST a supporter that is, but an ACTIVIST for gay rights!

It's very sad to see so many people being so ugly towards her as if suddenly she's the enemy.

[ronnykmarshall]

70. Excuse the fuck out of me, hon.

But I've been an ACTIVIST for gay rights all my adult life. I've met a lot of people that were also ACTIVISTS for gay rights and some of them were full of shit. Melissa is WRONG on this.

She is not above being criticized.

[Laughing Mirror]

71. She's not an enemy, she's just fallen for the enemy's charms

She'll realize this once she comes out of her stupor and finds out that Warren is not really such a nice guy after all. That he didn't really have all her albums, although she believed him when he told her that, over the phone.

[ronnykmarshall]

66. and Rick Warren is still a pig.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4707422


Quit trying to defend this fucker.

[HEyHEY]

73. Is her new album called "Songs sung by a stupid idiot"?

I love how pop singers think they're fucking smart or something.

[readmoreoften]

74. My favorite logical fallacy American style: 'appeal to authority' becomes 'appeal to celebrity.'

And her ability to sing mediocre songs gives her what credentials on this issue above the majority of LGBTA persons (a better authority to appeal to, though still a logical fallacy) or deduction itself?

If every LGBT person in America except one was deluded into thinking that Rick Warren's assessment of LGBT people as pedophiles was not evidence of bigotry, then every LGBT person in American except one would be wrong.

If " = pedophilia" is a bigoted sentiment then is as bigoted a sentiment as or . If the Democratic party does not included bigoted ideas in its platform, then it would not include those who currently espouse anymore than it would give a platform to those who espouse

Just as (1+2) is no more equal to 3 than 3 is equal to 3, homosexual is no more or less equal to pedophilia than hemophiliac is less equal to pedophilia. Ergo: those who espouse "homosexual is equal to pedophilia" should not have a place in the party any more than those who espouse "hemophiliac is equal to pedophilia."

To allow those who say "homosexual is equal to pedophilia" to have a place in the party is equivalent to either

A: "We deny the premise that ' = pedophilia' is a bigoted sentiment. We aver that is not equivalent to , the latter of which is incorrect.

or

B: We allow bigoted sentiments.

It's not a matter of persuasion. It's a matter of logic-based fact. My vote for Obama instead of McCain means that I tactically advocated for Obama over McCain. It cannot mean anything else regardless of my intent. Obama is promoting Warren which is identical to the promotion of bigoted ideas, regardless of his intent and regardless of whether or not Melissa Etheridge, RuPaul, Liberace, Jesus Jr, or the Dalai Lama disagrees.