Of course he was dead wrong in the specifics of his claim. Perhaps he should pick up that Bible he's so busy thumping and, like, read it. I remember something about a guy working for seven years at a time until he finally got the sister he really wanted.

But he is right in that marriage has always involved at least one male and one female. Gay marriage is a radical attempt to redefine a millenia old instituion that was based on religion and procreation. It is not a civil rights issue, although there are certainly civil rights issues that must be resolved regarding gay couples. Quite simply it is the wrong fight at the wrong time. Instead of whining that the government won't call your civil union by another name, you should be fighting to get citizens in all 50 states the right to the civil rights protections that a few states have.

Making Rick Warren look stupid is easy. Apparently facing the basic facts about marriage and its history is something Salon has as much trouble with as Warren. Warren goes for hyperbole over logic to stir emotions. It is the most profitable thing to do. Salon is actually worse in that they make their arguments sound reasonable, despite them being based on disinformation and false logic.

Rick Warren is NOT a big deal. Billy Graham is all but dead, so he is off the table for his traditional slot. His son is closer to Warren than he is to his Dad. Warren is arguably the most popular American spiritual leader in the nation. Yes, he is often repugnant, but he is also a step up from the Jerry Falwell generation of "preachers". At least in between silly rants, Warren manages to do some good in the world. He is a step forward for the Christian Right. Maybe by highlighting that there are areas where Obama and Warren can agree and work together, we can move the country forward. Maybe if we praise Warren where he deserves it, while politely damning any new divisive statements, we can create an atmosphere where the next generation of the Christian Right produces a leader that is as big of an improvemnt over Warren as Warren is over Falwell.

No, we aren't going to see a mainstream Baptist preacher saying that engaging in homosexual activities is acceptable. But we might see a generation of preachers that focus on the message of Christ rather than being an arm of the GOP. My message to anyone who wants to use the Bible to demonize a person for being gay is the same message that I would send Salon about fact-checking Rick Warren: Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

The whole "stealing Christmas" thing is getting old, but I think that the left is wrong to engage in knee-jerk criticism of something like this.

What exactly did Mr. Norris say that was so bad that Salon felt the need to mock him? He defended Christianity and attacked the vocal assholes on the left who try to provoke anger in Christians by tossing out the word "mythology" whenever people talk about their faith. I see nothing wrong with that. An intolerant atheist is just as obnoxious as an intolerant Christian. Atheism is a religion and it has its zealots, too.

As for the rest, he was attacking CRIMINALS who steal something sacred to a large group of people. While it may not always be the case, there could certainly be situations where the perpetrators ARE committing hate crimes. Most are probably just idiotic teenagers thinking that it will be cool, but with the number of occurrences rising, it is also possible that there are many cases where the crime is being perpetrated by someone with the sole purpose of hurting a group with whom they disagree and/or that they dislike.

This is just another case of left wingers, confused by Obama's landslide victory, not knowing how to function without someone to demonize. The last 16 years have been a constant state of war on the political landscape, from the ______-gate-of-the-day Arkansas Project to Bush's trampling of everything America stands for. It seems that some Democrats have forgotten how to function in a relatively peaceful time.

I was thrilled by the blog from Melissa Etheridge's partner quoted in the War Room piece above this one. For the first time in decades, the culture wars failed to help the Republicans smear Democrats to win elections. Liberal is no longer a four letter word. It seems to me that it is only those on the far LEFT that are eager to continue the culture war and that is all a horrid little attack piece like this one is.

The FOX team was well aware that few of their kids would be risking their lives in an illegal, irresponsible war, but this is their MONEY. You don't play games with a Republican's money.