Why do you suppose Pastor Rick Warren deleted his Chick-fil-A smoochy-tweet?

You know Chick-fil-A: It's the bizarrely named chikin chicken brought to you by, er, emaciated dairy cows with poor spelling skills.

by Ken

There could be a perfectly innocent explanation as to how this tweet Pastor Rick sent out yesterday, reporting with apparent pleasure the good news from his pal, superhomophobe Dan Cathy of Chick-fil-A fame, has come to disappear a day later from the pastor's Twitte "time line" (as I gather they call it), as recounted this evening by my colleague Leah McElrath ("human rights activist, political commentator, and managing partner of Renna Communications") in a HuffPost Gay Voices blogpost (see below).

Yesterday it was being furiously retweeted, and today it's vanished! What a difference a day makes!

Yesterday, of course, was the day ordained by no less an authority on gluttony and right-wing spirituality than former-fatty Minister Mike "When You Hate, Try to Hate with a Smile" Hucksterbee, the celebrated right-wing fitness guru, as "Let's All Wolf Down Piles o' Fried Chicken Like Real American Haters" Day, in support of the Chick-fil-A chicken empire's jihad against equal rights for LGBT people-- by no means limited to marriage-equality rights, by the way. (See Howie's post from last Friday.)

Although the Cathy family and their hordes of roly-poly right-wing-jihadist supporters have succeeded in framing the fracas as a First Amendment issue, it isn't. (HuffPost Gay Voices editor Noah Michelson has a nice post on this very subject.) The First Amendment is just an increasingly popular stratagem among the more ferocious far-right culture warriors: making believe that their rights to free speech are under assault when the reality is that their lunatic screeching is so pervasive throughout the land that it's all but impossible to escape.

Of course the Cathys have the right to free speech, and of course they have the right to their own political views, but non-psychotic Americans also have a right to know hhow much cash is being funneled each year from their chicken money to the Cathys' WinShape Foundation and on to hard-core-right-wing homo-hating causes.

FACTCHECK
Chick-Fil-A Donated Nearly $2 Million To Anti-Gay Groups In 2010
July 02, 2012 9:26 am ET

In early 2011, Chick-fil-A came under fire for its donations and political ties to a number of anti-gay groups. Though Chick-fil-A continues to deny supporting an anti-gay agenda, the company has donated over $3 million to organizations like the Family Research Council and Exodus International between 2003 and 2009. And in 2010 alone, Chick-fil-A donated over $1.9 million to anti-gay causes, more than any other year for which public records are available.

Chick-Fil-A's Charitable Arm Gave Nearly $2 Million To Anti-Gay Groups In 2010

WinShape Is Chick-Fil-A's Charitable Arm. The WinShape Foundation is Chick-fil-A's charitable arm, created by Chick-fil-A founder and chairman S. Truett Cathy in 1984. WinShape has received a substantial amount of funding from Chick-fil-A: in 2010 alone, WinShape received $8,067,161 from Chick-fil-A Inc. [WinShape 2010, Publicly Available IRS 990 Form via Foundation Center, accessed 6/27/12]

WinShape Gave Over $1.9 Million To Anti-Gay Groups. In 2010, WinShape donated $1,974,380 to a number of anti-gay groups:

* Marriage & Family Foundation: $1,188,380
* Fellowship Of Christian Athletes: $480,000
* National Christian Foundation: $247,500
* New Mexico Christian Foundation: $54,000
* Exodus International: $1,000
* Family Research Council: $1,000
* Georgia Family Council: $2,500
[Winshape 2010 Publicly Available IRS 990 Form via Foundation Center, accessed 6/27/12]

ANYWAY, TO GET BACK TO OUR STORY . . .

You have to wonder what to make of Pastor Rick's disappeared tweet. A lot of us are wondering if the pastor didn't find himself on the unfortunate side of a right-wing hate crusade he's suddenly not so sure he wants to be repping. In which connection I might voice my suspicion that for all the Hate Right's apparent triumph yesterday with its hefty turnout for the Right-Wing Fat Pigs' Chicken-Fressing Extravaganza yesterday, Chick-fil-A in the slightly longer term has, altogether appropriately, found itself rebranded as the Chicken Trough for Patriotic Right-Wing Homo-Hating Gluttons. Colleagues have pointed out that it could be similar to what happened with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure when the supposed cancer-fighting foundation's extreme-right-wing upper hierarchy flexed its muscle. Not only did its credibilty take a major hit nationwide, but it opened the field for all sorts of serious questions about how its highly dubious charitable performance.

There are already surveys reporting a sharp turndown in Chick-fil-A's public perception. (See, for example, the BrandIndex.com report "Chick-Fil-A takes a hit with fast food eaters.")

This chart measures YouGov BrandIndex consumer ratings of Chick-fil-A as compared with the Top National QSR (quick-service restaurants) Sector over the period from June 1 to July 25.

And while this is so far only anecdotal, I am hearing stories from all over of people, and not especially political people, who have been startled enough by the disclosures about the company's right-wing activities and responded with some version of "I had no idea" and a vow to rethink their chicken-scarfing priorities. Is it possible that Pastor Rick and his people suddenly, er, got religion, and by today were no longer quite so sure that they wanted the pastor positioned quite so squarely as the Spiritual Pastor for Hate Chicken?

Anyway, here's Leah's post. There are lots of links in the onsite version.

Pastor Rick Warren Deletes Tweet Supporting Chick-Fil-A Action
Posted: 08/02/2012 5:20 pm

On Wednesday, August 1st, Pastor Rick Warren tweeted out a report about a conversation he says he had with Chick-Fil-A owner Dan Cathy in which it's claimed that the fast food chain "set a world record" during the day. His tweet was referring to actions by right-wing religious communities who called upon their congregations to buy food from Chick-Fil-A to show their support for his comments against equal marriage rights for same-sex couples.

During an interview with the Ken Coleman Show, Mr. Cathy reportedly said those advocating for same-sex marriage will in turn bring "God's judgment" upon the United States. He has also defended the millions of dollars his corporations has donated to so-called "family ministries" that fight against the legal recognition of same-sex marriages.

However, on Thursday, August 2nd, a review of Pastor Warren's Twitter timeline revealed that he appears to have deleted the tweet referenced above. Ironically, the tweet immediately following where the Chick-Fil-A related tweet should be is one that says: "Your past is past. It can't hurt you unless you let it." If this is the case, one must wonder why Pastor Warren felt the need to delete the tweet supporting the politicized, anti-equality stance of Chick-Fil-A and its owner.

Warren Tweets About a Conversation with Chick-Fil-A Owner Dan Cathy

[Click to enlarge]

In this tweet on August 1, 2012 at 8:23pm, Rick Warren reports a conversation with Chick-Fil-A owner Dan Cathy. Implicit in the tweet is Warren's support for Cathy's and Chick-Fil-A's political stance against civil marriage rights for same-sex couples. He is reporting what he claims are the results of calls from right-wing mega-churches to their congregations to buy food from Chick-Fil-A today. This action came in response to calls from within the lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender (LGBT) community and their allies to boycott the fast food outlet.

[Click to enlarge]

Although the previous referenced tweet shows up as the most RTed tweet under #ChickFilA on Twitter, it appears Rick Warren deleted the tweet from his timeline. You can see all his tweets from August 1, 2012, and the previous tweet is not among them. Ironically, the tweet immediately following what had been his tweet in support of Chick-Fil-A says: "Your past is past. It can't hurt you any more unless you let it." If that's the case, one has to wonder why he deleted the politicized tweet supporting the anti-equality stance of the Chick-Fil-A corporation.

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Bishop Gene Robinson's Elegant Prayer For Obama Censored By... HBO? Obama?

Yesterday HBO-- not understanding what "family friendly means-- decided to censor Bishop Gene Robinson's invocation at the "We are The One" pre-inaugural event at the Lincoln Memorial. The "gay" Bishop was rushed onto the schedule after the huge expression of outrage from progressives when Obama made the politically expedient decision to have bigoted pop-preacher Rick Warren deliver the big invocation tomorrow. I'm betting Warren's address isn't likely to be nearly as meaningful or stirring as the one by Robinson that HBO decided not to air. (By the way HBO claims the decision to censor wasn't their own but was made by the Inauguration Committee, a lame excuse even if it's true. And Obama says he intended for Robinson to be broadcast.)

Since its one of the best pray-type things I've ever heard and since HBO decided not to show it, I figured we'd reprint it in its entirety here at DWT and show the video as well:

A Prayer for the Nation and Our Next President, Barack Obama

By The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire

Opening Inaugural Event
Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC
January 18, 2009

Welcome to Washington! The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God’s blessing upon our nation and our next president.

O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will…

Bless us with tears-- for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.

Bless us with anger-- at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Bless us with discomfort – at the easy, simplistic “answers” we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.

Bless us with patience-- and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.

Bless us with humility-- open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.

Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance-- replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.

Bless us with compassion and generosity-- remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.

And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.

Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln’s reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy’s ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King’s dream of a nation for ALL the people.

Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain in these times.

Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.

Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.

Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.

Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters’ childhoods.

And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we’re asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand-- that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.

AMEN.

UPDATE

It clearly wasn't HBO's decision, because the event schedule called for the invocation to be delivered at 2:25 and the telecast to begin at 2:30, and HBO clearly didn't control the event schedule.

It's also way worse than just the invocation being somehow missed. The Obamas and Bidens didn't enter until the start of the telecast, which means that somebody scheduled for the invocation to be given before the guests of honor were present -- and before the TV cameras were rolling.

And note that the Obama camp statement doesn't even blame HBO. It merely regrets the error in executing their plan.

My guess: Some of the high-up "concept" folks in the Obama team took it for granted that Bishop Robinson's invocation would be telecast; why else invite him? But at some point in the back-and-forth between the "get it done" people on the Obama team and HBO, confronting a rigid two-hour broadcast time limit, it was suggested that with all that wonderful music to pack in, nobody wants to watch some old windbag bishop, do they? And to the people at that level, I'm guessing it really didn't make any difference.

What's shocking is that apparently nobody higher up in the PIC ever checked the schedule, which everyone involved had to have had. Somehow, nobody even noticed that the First and Second Family weren't scheduled to make their entrance until after the old windbag bishop had been hustled safely out of microphone range.

Great work, team! It's going to be an interesting four years. -- Ken

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Somewhat belatedly, we pass along Melissa Etheridge's thoughts on the Pastor Rick situation

I've already had my say about Pastor Rick and the regrettable invitation ("It seems safe to say that President-elect Obama doesn't give a damn what we think of the choice of Rick Warren to give the inaugural invocation"), and so has most everyone else. Last week from Africa Howie passed along a HuffPost post by Melissa Etheridge, which I've held off passing on -- frankly because I thought it was too easy to foresee the reflexive response to it, and the reflexive response to the response, and in all likelihood the reflexive response to that. So I tossed it on my steadily growing pile of "stuff I want to come back to when I have a chance to draw a breath."

Somewhat belatedly, I commend it to your attention, and I hope folks will at least listen to Melissa, not because she's a "celebrity," or because she claims any great political sophistication, which, please note, she doesn't. But clearly a lot of people take her seriously as an artist, and I think the qualities that make her an artist who has won a place in so many hearts -- including, apparently, Pastor Rick's! -- are apparent here. -- Ken

The Choice Is Ours Now

By Melissa Etheridge - The Huffington Post, Dec. 22, 2008

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.

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It seems safe to say that President-elect Obama doesn't give a damn what we think of the choice of Rick Warren to give the inaugural invocation

"Rick Warren gets plenty of attention through his books and media appearances. He doesn't need or deserve this position of honor. There is no shortage of religious leaders who reflect the values on which President-elect Obama campaigned and who are working to advance the common good.''

-- Kathryn Kolbert, president of People for the American Way, on the announcement that Pastor Rick Warren will give the inaugural invocation

by Ken

By now I imagine everyone has heard the news. Certainly from the time it oozed out this afternoon, it has spread like wildfire over the blogosphere, and in particular over the liberal blogosphere. Pastor Rick Warren of the Saddlebrook megachurch will give the invocation at the presidential inauguration.

There's plenty of time, and plenty of reason, for fulminating, but first I think it's important to keep in mind that the announcement of the selection of the celebrated right-wing evangelical power broker and die-hard homophobe was bracketed with the announcement that the benediction will be given by the Rev. Joseph Lowery, the hugely admired civil rights leader. (There will also be performances by Aretha Franklin, violinist Itzhak Perlman, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma, among others.)

Here is Michael Paulson's post from early this evening on the Boston Globe website:

EVANGELICALISM, POLITICS
Obama taps evangelical for inauguration

Posted by Michael Paulson

President-elect Barack Obama (right) has tapped Rick Warren (left), the most prominent evangelical preacher of the post-Billy Graham generation, to deliver the invocation at his inauguration. The decision was announced today by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

Warren pastors the Saddleback Church, a megachurch in Orange County, California, but he is best know as the author of the best-selling "Purpose Driven Life" and its many spinoffs. And Warren has been a forceful advocate for reordering evangelical priorities -- he does not support abortion or same-sex marriage, but his public priority has been combatting AIDS in Africa, and he has criticized the politicization of evangelical Protestantism.

Warren has hosted Obama several times; in 2006, he invited Obama to speak at his church on World AIDS Day (an invitation that drew some criticism of Warren from the right); in August of this year Obama and the GOP nominee, Sen. John McCain, were interviewed on live television by Warren in an election forum; and earlier this month, on World AIDS Day, Obama offered taped remarks praising President Bush's work on AIDS, which was being recognized by Warren at Saddleback.

The choice is winning praise by anti-abortion groups that have been concerned about the Obama administration. The Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody blogs, "Pro-life pastor Rick Warren will give the invocation at President-Elect Barack Obama’s inauguration. It makes a whole lot of sense. Even though Warren and Obama disagree on the life issue, they do see eye to eye on many social justice issues. This move is also classic Obama because it is a signal to religious conservatives that he’s willing to bring in both sides to the faith discussion in this country. Obama has never shied away from that."

But advocates for abortion rights and same-sex marriage are furious. People For the American Way President Kathryn Kolbert called the choice "a grave disappointment,'' citing Warren's opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion, and writing, "Rick Warren gets plenty of attention through his books and media appearances. He doesn't need or deserve this position of honor. There is no shortage of religious leaders who reflect the values on which President-elect Obama campaigned and who are working to advance the common good.'' And blogger Andrew Sullivan, under the headline "Ugh" wrote: "Shrewd politics, but if anyone is under any illusion that Obama is interested in advancing gay equality, they should probably sober up now. He won't be as bad as the Clintons (who, among leading Democrats, could?), but pandering to Christianists at his inauguration is a depressing omen."

(Photo taken at Saddeback Aug. 16 by Mark Avery/Reuters.)

There was apparently some effort to spin the news by fobbing it off on the inauguration committee, chaired by Senator Feinstein. But that's so silly as to be insulting. Does anyone believe that the committee would do anything, anything at all, against the wishes of the president-elect? I'll go further: Does anyone believe that any decision by the committee has been or will be made without clearance from the president-elect's people? Not a chance.

I'm going to assume that the objections to Pastor Rick are too obvious, and audible around us, to be worth enumerating here. If his selection for the invocation was not intended as a kick in the teeth for those who believe in women's reproductive choice and those who believe in equal rights for LGBT Americans, that was accomplished nevertheless.

I don't think the thinking here is mysterious. It's not just a matter of "inclusiveness." It's surely an attempt to bring more people into President Obama's planned Really Big Tent -- to recruit and perhaps even coopt people who aren't already part of the Obama coalition.

Since the president-elect truly doesn't seem to care what progressives think, I guess all we can do -- beyond making our share of nasty noise -- is to hope that he's right about the possibility of bringing people with such contrasting views together to find shared solutions. Me? I'm more persuaded by the argument Digby made for us the other day about Republicans. (I think she would agree that it's even more true of the Christian Right.)

[Republicans] really do believe that bipartisanship is date rape -- they have done for the past 30 years. And there aren't any Republican political professionals who didn't come up in that school. To them, this is what politics are all about. Since they have paid no price for this beyond a fairly even ebb and flow of electoral politics there's been no reassessment of their methods. Dems don't play the blame game. Republicans do.

Dealing with a ruthless obstructionist opposition party that always operates in bad faith and never misses an opportunity to weaken the president was always going to be part of Obama's challenge. (And it doesn't matter if the public hates it -- the whole point is to wear them down until it's just too exhausting to resist.)

Clearly, President-elect Obama believes otherwise. I hope he's right. I hope we aren't looking at an administration whose policies are going to be tailored to acceptability by Pastor Rick.

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