Via Sullivan, this DVD from the American Family Association:
Residents of the small Arkansas town of Eureka Springs noticed the homosexual community was growing. But they felt no threat. They went about their business as usual. Then, one day, they woke up to discover that their beloved Eureka Springs, a community which was known far and wide as a center for Christian entertainment–had changed. The City Council had been taken over by a small group of homosexual activists.
The Eureka Springs they knew is gone. It is now a national hub for homosexuals. Eureka Springs is becoming the San Francisco of Arkansas. The story of how this happened is told in the new AFA DVD “They’re Coming To Your Town.”
One of the first actions of the homosexual controlled City Council was to offer a “registry” where homosexuals could register their unofficial “marriage.” City Council member Joyce Zeller said the city will now be promoted, not as a Christian resort, but a city “selling peace, relaxation, history and sex.”
Oogedy-Boogedy! Yes, the existential threat to the way of life for the good folks of Eureka Springs is that people came to their town and… tried to form a family. Terrifying.
And before we forget, this gets back to the Kathleen Parker piece from yesterday- the AFA is the face of the GOP base, at least to those of us on the outside looking in. This is the real problem for the GOP. I can understand how people might not want things to change, especially core issues like marriage. But it isn’t just marriage- it is everything, and Kevin Drum neatly summed up the problem for the GOP:
There will always be plenty of votes for a culturally conservative party. That’s not the problem. The problem is the venomous, spittle-flecked, hardcore cultural conservatism that’s become the public face of the evangelical wing of the GOP. It’s the wing that doesn’t just support more stringent immigration laws, but that turns the issue into a hate fest against La Raza, losing 3 million Latino votes in the process. It’s the wing that isn’t just a little skittish about gay marriage, but that turns homophobia into a virtual litmus test, losing 6 million young voters in the process. It’s the wing that isn’t just religious, but that treats belief as a precondition to righteousness, losing 2 million secular voters in the process. It’s the wing that isn’t just nostalgic for old traditions, but that fetishizes the heartland as the only real America, losing 7 million urban voters in the process. It’s the wing that goes into a legislative frenzy over Terry Schiavo but six months later can barely rouse itself into more than a yawn over the destruction of New Orleans.
Now, the GOP didn’t lose all those votes solely because of their embrace of cultural victimhood. It was a Democratic year, after all, and the economy worked against them too. Still, exit polls suggest they had already lost most of this ground by 2006, and the economy had nothing to do with it back then. Conservative gains after 9/11 may have masked the problem for a while, but fundamentally these are voters who saw the Republican Party turn into a party of rabid identity politics and turned away in disgust. It’s probably cost them (so far) about 10 million votes, and in an era where 53-47 is considered a big victory, that’s a helluva deficit to make up elsewhere.
A party that merely wants to move more slowly and more deliberately than liberals in the cultural sphere wouldn’t have lost all those votes. But the real-life GOP, a party whose primary association in much of the public mind is with revulsion toward gays, immigrants, urban elites, and the non-churchgoing, did. That’s oogedy-boogedy.
And all the embrace of Sarah Palin did by the GOP base was solidify that perception. The GOP has decided that the route to electoral success is a divisive “us v. them” mentality. One small problem for the GOP- they included too many people in the “them” category. You would think a huge electoral loss to the “MOST LIBERALEST SENATOR EVER,” a black man named Hussein, would make them think about their strategy for a moment.
wvng
Ahem, John, did you notice that Michael already picked up on the dvd?
DrDave
And God bless them for it.
Listen, the fact is unless you are filthy, stinking rich, the GOP does not represent your best interests. Period. Most people have come to realize this. The last hangers on are the malignantly Christian. They may figure it out. They may not. The way I see it, it doesn’t really matter any more.
Bobzim
They have their own airline?!?!/
p.a.
Nope. God bless ’em.
How long before they go from standing on shore facing the tide shouting "NO!" to filling their pockets with rocks and walking in?
NonyNony
Actually, the way things are going, the malignantly Christian will push the arm that represents the filthy, stinking rich out of the GOP entirely and take the party over for themselves. I’m not sure what it turns into at that point.
As far as where the filthy stinking rich go – they’ll co-opt the Democrats, who are already mostly in the pocket of the filthy, stinking rich – it’s just that the rich bastards in the Democratic party want to live in a first world nation, while the rich bastards in the Republican Party seem to not care if their country becomes a third world one. (I think that’s what all of that "Europeanization" talk is about – anyone who wants to live in a first world nation is accused of being a filthy European socialist. I actually kind of stand in awe of the ability of the rich bastards at the helm of the GOP to convince people that living with a standard of living that’s objectively worse than most of the rest of the West is somehow an American ideal. It’s impressive, in a Lex Luthor kind of way.)
J.
Who knew you could get gay just by drinking the water?
Eureka!
John Cole
@wvng: Ehh. It was not there when I started the post.
MattF
One problem with "teh gays are coming to your town and are going to take over" is that minorities have always been in your town, and in larger numbers than the powers-that-be ever admitted. The ‘taking over’ thing has to do with there being more of ’em than previously. It’s just democracy in action– and if you don’t like it, well… that’s too bad.
DBrown
(Sarcasm alert)
What’s the big deal about the american family assoc. DVD ? Homosexuality is evil – just read the bible and besides, it can be cured by prayer and that it is caused by liberals. It is important to know that homosexuals have to go after children to recruit since they aren’t created by our all loving god – the one that wants all homosexuals to be killed or was that witches … or just jews or other evil chrit killing non-believers …
So, what is the problem for good, honest money loving christians who just want to defend their homes from this wave of godless, child predators that want to take over your town? Ask Palin.
And Sullivan aligns himself with Christian conservative?
Incertus
I find this hilarious because I went to grad school in Fayetteville, which isn’t far from Eureka Springs, and I saw this happening in the early stages. Maybe the gay influence can pretty up the world’s ugliest Jesus statue, which is right near there.
Jeff
Nah. They "won" prop 8, so they think it is a winning strategy. It doesn’t matter that the trends are not in their favor, they had to lie to win (that whole bearing false witness be damned) and they depended on the Mormon’s to bankroll them/
CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII
This is the one thing that is concerning to me, with it being a Democratic year and with the economic scare directly before the election, there are still far too many automatons who will pull the lever for the GOP, the margin should have been much more startling in that case. Democrats did good enough, but, need to do better next time.
Call it what it is, they are full of hate.
CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII
They are still worshiping idols, I see. Nothing is as inspiring as a phallic Jesus. (btw, the artist apparently doesn’t realize Jesus supposedly had elbows).
Tattoosydney
@Bobzim:
Have you met many straight male flight attendants?
We control ALL airlines! Bwah hah hah hah!
Tattoosydney
@MattF:
This is very true – I think the thing that pisses the wingnuts off most is that the minorities who have always been there in their community are not shutting up and being happy with their lot like they used to (and like they are supposed to)…
Gone are the days when the queers were happy with being the nice, slightly effeminate bachelor uncle who everyone liked because he didn’t push it in anyone’s face (or at least not where anyone could see).
It’s the gall of teh gays in simply saying "I want to live my life where ever I choose to live it" and then just getting on with living their lives without asking permission…
they’re so (dare I say it?) uppity…
Tattoosydney
@Incertus:
Oh my god, that’s horrible.
WWJD? Have a hissy fit that someone thought he looked like a slightly buxom milk carton, I expect…
CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII
@Tattoosydney:
and his chest is a bit inflated too, it makes him look like a poor excuse for a substitute fertility goddess. Oh, that conjures some thoughts I should probably keep to myself. (I’ll shut up now).
Tattoosydney
@CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII:
Who knew that Jesus had breasts?
Aside from this guy (of course).
CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII
When I was five, my mother took me to a gay hairdresser, and she acted like that was such a cool thing, and remarked on what great hairdressers they were. Somehow I think if she were alive today she wouldn’t think it was chic anymore.
South of I-10
There is something so wrong with this quote. Who knew Arkansas was the gay haven? They better watch out for the natural disasters, everybody knows that the worst hurricanes hit around Labor Day, not because it’s the peak of hurricane season, but obviously because of Southern Decadence Fest in New Orleans.
CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII
@Tattoosydney:
OMG!
But shouldn’t that "paps" be "mams"? (and yes, there is a gender pun intentionally inserted there too!).
CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII
@Tattoosydney:
Come to think of it, perhaps Jesus IS God. I’ve heard more than one man tell me that if they had designed humans, men would have real breasts so they could spend time enjoying them in private.
jenniebee
That one sentence is so full of win, it’s win-tastic.
ppcli
"Eureka Springs is becoming the San Francisco of Arkansas."
.
Perhaps the most hilarious thing – among the many hilarious things – in this quote is the suggestion that it would be a bad thing – indeed, a shockingly, horrifyingly bad thing – to be the San Francisco of Arkansas. I’ve been to San Francisco. I’ve been to Arkansas. Let’s just say that "the San Francisco of Arkansas" is a much more appealing description than, say, "the Arkansas of Arkansas".
CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII
Almost made me ruin my keyboard. Nice try.
Bibblesnæð
You’re right, they should think about what they’re doing, but they won’t. They’ll blame those gays, those blacks, those godless liberal elites… They’ll never run short of others to blame, and that’s no surprise, since that’s what "conservatives" do today, at least American ones.
Nothing’s ever their fault. They never do anything wrong, it’s always somebody else who hurt them. Thinking about what they’re doing, and whether some of it might be wrong is no fun. Blaming others for everything bad that happens to them is.
It amazes me, when I think back to 2001, when everybody in the press was going on about how "the grownups are back in charge." If there’s ever been a whinier, more childish, more tantrum-throwing bunch of little babies, I can’t think of it.
Xecklothxayyquou Gilchrist
Then, one day, they woke up to discover that their beloved Eureka Springs, a community which was known far and wide as a center for Christian entertainment—had changed. The City Council had been taken over by a small group of homosexual activists.
Isn’t this how the Fundies took over? By getting elected to the school board and going from there?
CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII
Yes, and if they didn’t feel so much pride that they had to boast about how they did it, liberals might never have picked up on their formula. Ha!
demimondian
@Incertus: OMFG.
I hadn’t even thought about "Have you found Jesus? Yeah, he’s that there milk carton…" since I graduated from Hendrix…
Bob
I am buying real estate in Eureka Spring, Arkansas. Sounds like it will be a great investment.
Bobzim
I think Kathleen Parker is focusing on the wrong thing that will keep the Republican Party down for the near future.
It won’t be the un-Christian Wrong and it be the Homosexual Agenda of Fabulousing-Up Squaller Holler.
No, the two things that will keep the ‘Pubbies in the minority are reconciling their illegal immigration policies with the need to win over Hispanics, and health care.
Until the Parkers, Brooks’, Frums, et al. can drag the far-right wing into the Promised Land of these two issues, they will wander the desert.
CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII
She addressed the immigration issue in her piece. She said ‘Non-whites won’t get whiter".
demimondian
@Bobzim: Parker would probably disagree with your assertion about health care and the like, although she is wrong and you are right. However, she’s not wrong that kowtowing to religious radicalism is a huge problem right now.
Cassidy
Can straight guys get in on the sex part? Not interested in guys, but we’ll vote for just about anything that involves a hot chick and a guaranteed blowjob.
Don
I’m tickled by the language about the taking over of the Council, like it happened by some sort of forced and stealthy sodomy. You mean they went and campaigned and got themselves elected to public office in order to accomplish social change? *gasp*
CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII
So those starbursts for Sarah Palin were about whether she gave good head?
Smudgemo
Since I have a view of San Francisco from my bedroom window, am I gay or just an expert on it?
Ben
Needless to say, Eureka Springs is probably the coolest town in Arkansas.
Here’s an awesome story that I’m about 90% sure is true. Back in the 70s, Eureka Springs was the Christian Mecca of Arkansas, with the giant gaudy Christ statue and a nightly "Passion Play," a dramatic recreation of Christ’s crucifixion. But lots of hippies were moving into the area, and there were a host of communes on the outskirts of the city. There were also some gay and lesbian communes, at least one of which is still extant.
So naturally, there was conflict between the old guard and the hippies. It was fairly common for a truck full of carousing rednecks to "roll" a poor hippie they found walking down the road (roll=beat up).
You guessed it, one night the guy who played Jesus in the passion play, with long hair and flowing clothes, was walking to work, when a truck full of rednecks came upon him, beat the crap out of him, and sent him on his way.
My source tells me that this incident actually led to somewhat of a detente between the two camps, as the Christians were self-reflective enough to feel a little embarrassment. So the guy who played Christ on stage got to play Christ in real life…
Svensker
@Incertus:
I love that statue.
In fact, I love it so much I am pretty much speechless.
jenniebee
I was thinking about this thread in conjunction with the Napolitano thread, and the spittle factor, I have to say I’m happy it’s reaching the absurd point when to have any impact, it has to overreach. There have been a few circumstances over the past few years where the "family values" crowd has sneered at their opponents for not having children, only to have the smeared candidate hold a press conference to reveal the number of miscarriages his wife has had.
I’m personally looking forward to the first candidacy where the candidate’s struggles with infertility are part of the narrative of his/her "come to Universal Healthcare Jesus" moments and form a central part of the campaign.
If you don’t have to deal with it, you probably aren’t aware that infertility in industrialized countries is on the rise, thanks in large part to the industrial chemical soup we’re all swimming in (guys, hate to break it to you, but there’s very likely estrogen in your drinking water). And fertility medicine is generally not covered by insurance – only a few states require it, and where it’s not required, it’s not covered.
CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII
I bet that improved his performance.
Tsulagi
Eeeeekkk…The Gay Menace!
Jesus Christ, these people think they’re in a Cold War with Teh Gay. They infiltrate your town by dawn, and by nightfall you’re forced to accessorize. With taste. Man the Wal Marts!
And then you would be wrong. For AFA and similar like the collective brain trust at RedState, the electoral failures in the past two cycles is that they didn’t demonize the “them” in their own country enough. At RS they call failure to do so “New Tone.” They crack me up.
If AFA and the others firm up control of their party, look forward to 2012 to where if I don’t vote for Palin being told I would then be a gay-Nazi appeaser. While not often in prayer, I’d offer one up for my middle finger to grow taller.
(Parenthetical Love)
As someone who’s been to Eureka Springs on more than one occasion. Yeah, theres a few boutiques and a night club or two. But sheesh theres more pine trees than people. Also there probably more weddings per capita in that city than anywhere else in that state.
Hyperion
nope, not there yet.
Cassidy
@ Circus
Pick any random guy and watch them for about 5 min. I guarantee he spent 2/3 of it thinking about getting head.
Tsulagi
@Cassidy:
And the other third about what was to come after the appetizer.
p.a.
Actually, they may. In a few generations if trends continue we may all be the color of coffee milk. Oops- coffee milk is a Southern New England specialty, so an image that won’t translate everywhere- think coffee extra extra extra cream.
YellowJournalism
I expect this to be a Stephen Colbert segment in the near future.
Sounds like this video plays as a "Reefer Madness" of gay rights.
brantl
You would think a huge electoral loss to the “MOST LIBERALEST SENATOR EVER,” a black man named Hussein, would make them think about their strategy for a moment.
That would break 35-40 years of precedent.
passerby
@Incertus
I spent a year in grad school at the U of A in Fayetteville (no, name not in campus sidewalks–finished at UTM/MSU) and made a weekend trip to Eureka Springs. I found ES to be a charming town with neat shops, flea markets, unpretentious bistro type restaurants. Not for one minute did I get that it was born of a "gay" influence. Huh.
I didn’t understand that whole Passion Play tourist attraction thing they have there. Why would anyone think people want to see that re-inacted over and over again especially "off season"? I sooooo don’t get their mindset.
That was 20 years ago and I can’t imagine that ES is being referred to as the SF of AR…that would be a tall order. There’s no place like SF.
And yes, that giant Jesus of the Ozarks statue is hideous–it has no neck so it’s out of proportion. I was told that they had to make it shorter because any taller and they would be required to put a blinking red light on top. So hilarious, if true.
binzinerator
All kinds of win in there.
The best thing about this is that in 20, at tops 25 years most of the assholes who freak out over Teh Gay will be dead. Because a lot of this is a generational thing.
I recall way back when I lived in Atlanta between Poncy and Piedmont park, I used to go to this barber shop in the neighborhood. (heh, way back then I had hair to cut!) Anyways, the guy who always cut my hair was once described to me by a friend as quote a blatant flamer unquote.
One day my parents came for a visit, and my father tagged along when I went to get my hair cut. After a few minutes in the joint, my father seemed a little antsy. Well it was a gorgeous spring day so I didn’t think anything of it when said he was going outside for a bit.
My hair stylist finished cutting my hair, I thanked him, paid and left. Saw my father outside and we walked together in silence to my car. As he gets in my car he stops and says in a low tone "That guy seemed kinda fruity, don’t you think?"
That make me laugh, as I finally figure out what was up with my Pop — plus his being Capt’n Obvious. I says to him, "Kinda, Pop? But he’s just the guy who cuts my hair and he’s very good at it and I like going to him."
That little episode made me think. To me, ‘my hair cutter guy’ is a hair stylist who knows his shit, does a very good job, and he’s personable. And he happens to be gay. To my father, he’s a fruity-toot who happens to cut hair.
That for me pretty well sums up the difference two men 25 years apart look at Teh Gay.
In another 20 years his entire generation will be gone. (The downside is I won’t have very many years left either.)
Gay marriage is only a question of when.
Geeno
@p.a.:
I was weaned on Coffee Milk!
Still love it, but dairy and I haven’t been getting along lately.
Eureka Springs
A couple of points from an AR native who lived in ES on and off over the last 25 years and also spent about ten years living in SF. Oh, and for the record, I am straight. *g*
ES is a town of 2,200, SF, over 750k. Both are artist havens and have a strong tourist industry. ES often accommodates over ten times it’s population in tourist lodging.
Back in the 80’s Anita Bryant invaded Eureka Springs.. Though it wasn’t long before she tucked her pointy little tail and ran for Branson.
We’ve had a series of attacks/protests from all around over the last year or so in particular. Once the mayor allowed civil unions (some sort of certificate) to be performed at City Hall.. the protesters arrived in droves from OK, KS, MO and southern AR. More important, happy couples and their kindred spirits have been lined up to celebrate their relationship..and the vast majority of the town welcomes them with open arms.
ES is small, a very special place on so many levels and is handling this all very well, but due to it’s small size and the number of fundies all around us.. including the number of super wealthy Wal Mart (Bentonville AR is about 50 miles west of ES) family members and their top employees who are willing to spend a lot to crush liberty for their amusement. ES could always use your support.
passerby
Echo that bizinator. Grew up Catholic. One day it was raining and my Dad was headed out to Mass. I offered him my magenta umbrella and he declined saying (with a smile on his face) "I can’t use that one. I’ll look like a fruit!!"
Out of 5 siblings I have a lesbian sister and a don’t-ask/don’t tell brother. Their partners have been part of our extended family for decades. Compare that with myself and 2 sisters who have been divorced 5 times all totaled.
100% agree that it’s only a matter of time and I’m hoping your estimate of 20 years is overshot.
Krista
I think that unfortunately, there will always be some bigotry out there, as some parents will do their best to raise their children with their own attitudes. But it’s becoming rarer and rarer. Kids aren’t as sheltered as they were 50 years ago, so it’s impossible to keep them from being exposed to people who are different from them, which is a very good thing, IMHO.
God, you just look at how things have changed since I graduated from high school. It’s been 15 years, and there was not one "out" kid in my entire high school of 1000 people. It was just unheard of. Now, there are more and more kids who come out during high school, and you’re seeing more and more openly gay kids on tv, so kids are becoming a lot more sophisticated and blase about the fact that one (or more) of their peers is gay.
Gringo Starr
IOZ has the best take on this.
Perry Como
The worst I was ever menaced by a gay man was when a friend told me the red wine I picked didn’t go well with beef cheek ravioli.
GMC No Relation
Them gay use code, too! The following is from http://www.eurekasprings.org/weddings/ :
Romancing the Springs
The Ancient Greeks had over 40 words for love. It may be no coincidence that Eureka Springs has over 40 unique places for you to give voice to your special love. Take your pick of gardens, chapels, or beautiful homes. Even if your dream wedding is being married on horseback or on a boat, we can handle that, too!
The GOP know that "they" ALL know what THAT sort of language REALLY means — "Ancient Greeks" indeed……
Church Lady
My God, I had no idea what I was missing! We have a farm in Rhea Valley, but I’ve contained my wanderings between Bull Shoals to the west and Mountain Home to the east. I now know that on my next trip to the farm, I absolutely have to make time for a side trip to Eureka Springs. I want to see the Ozarks’ version of ND’s Touchdown Jesus. That, and see if Eureka Springs really is the San Francisco of Arkansas. :)
Jon H
I suspect the cause of this is that a few more people in Eureka Springs have rainbow flags on their houses or their cars.
Panic!
DFH no.6
It was the venoumous, spittle-flecked, hardcore cultural conservatism, along with the stupid fucking war, that finally drove my lifelong-Republican businessman brother-in-law into the welcoming arms of the socialists… err, Democrats. He won’t be going back.
When McCain picked Palin he called me and simply said "Sarah Palin?" My only response was to laugh. He then said, "Though so, too" and hung up.
His is one of those up-from-nothing immigrant family stories (he spent his early childhood in Italy, herding goats of all things), making something of himself in America through education and hard work, as did all his siblings. He achieved affluence during the Reagan years, so Repubs figured they had a lock on him. Wrong. And they’ve lost his three college-age kids, too, for the same reasons, including Irrational Fear & Hatred of Teh Ghey.
He only voted for Dumbya the first time, so he’s a bit ahead of the estimable Mr. Cole in that regard. Glad to have them both in The Collective
Notorious P.A.T.
Please don’t. I don’t mind reading about ignorance, but I really don’t care to see (feigned) ignorance used while doing so.
Notorious P.A.T.
Good for them. That takes a whole lotta courage, right there.
cs
I grew up in Arkansas and still make a point to visit Eureka Springs every couple of years. I love that beautiful place so much. It’s definitely what you would get if you took San Francisco and put it under a shrink ray.
This is nothing new. The oh-so-quaint B&B’s were advertising in regional gay publications 20 years ago. As long as I’ve known the place, the town has always been accepting of whatever the hell you are and was tolerant even before the locals discovered you could make money from gay tourists.
Nylund
Technically, I think its now "Us vs. all Y’all" not "Us vs. Them".
reagankid
The AFA is the face of the entire Republican party?
What a sweeping generalization (which is an informal verbal fallacy…)
That’s like saying that Greenpeace is the face of the Democratic party, saving seals somewhere instead of kids with malaria in Africa.
I agree there’s a tug of war going on in the GOP, but to suggest that the extremist group AFA represents millions of people is an inaccurate caricature that hardly respects the diversity represented in an enormous group.
It’s rather difficult to respect arguments that just sound like rehashed liberal illuminati talking points. To paint an inaccurate picture of your opponent, then "conquer" it and pretend you’ve beaten the real thing, is yet another fallacy…
Argue with a philosophy of small government, or legislation involving human rights and the subsequent issue of sanctity of life, but don’t waste your time on Don Wildmon. I’m a Republican, and I sure don’t.
David Moisan
@MattF:
No, it isn’t that there are more minorities in your (or my) town, it’s just that they get to thinking that being uppity and vocal about their concerns is a good thing.
The wingnuts hate this. Even in Massachusetts, we have a smattering of very vocal fundamentalist Repubs who hate the outcome of the election, the 1913 repeal, and marriage of teh gheys.
Mrs. Peel
You mean like Fux Noise? You righties get so good at this projection crap that it becomes downright amusing to watch. If it was an Olympic event you’d be winning gold medals.
mikefromtexas
There’s something else queer about ES. If I remember correctly there are 247 intersections in town. Not one of them crosses at a 90 degree angle. There is also an inordinate number of people there who have lived in or around Corpus Christi. The guy who ran the Subway shop. The two women we met that owned a small boutique. Another shop keeper, upon hearing where I was from, asked if I knew a place here called Solomon’s Mine. Yes, it’s a couple blocks from my home. He said to stop in and tell his dad, who owns the place, hello for him. Small world. But ES is a cool lottle town.
Mike G
You guessed it, one night the guy who played Jesus in the passion play, with long hair and flowing clothes, was walking to work, when a truck full of rednecks came upon him and beat the crap out of him.
LOL! That paragraph had 200% of the US RDA of irony.