Originally posted at American Thinker.
Thanks to Barack Obama’s inability to remain out of the sexual-political arena, once again the depths of liberal hypocrisy are revealed for all to see.
It began when openly gay award-winning Missouri defensive end Michael Sam was named St. Louis Ram’s 249th overall choice in the 2014 NFL draft. Sam, the man with the two first names, felt compelled to publicly celebrate with his boyfriend Vito Cammisano. In a video tight shot, surrounded by adoring family and friends, Mike and Vito recreated the customary wedding cake routine where the bride and groom stuff whipped cream into one another’s mouths and then partake of a messy, gooey lip lock.
Clearly thrilled beyond belief, via a White House statement, Barack Obama congratulated Michael Sam, the Rams, and the NFL for “taking an important step forward in our Nation’s journey.” After all, knowing Sam’s sexual preference is sure to have a huge impact on next year’s football season.
In what can only be described as a cheap paraphrase of Martin Luther King’s “not color of skin, but content of character” statement, Obama’s gay-football kudos included the following: “From the playing field to the corporate boardroom, LGBT Americans prove everyday [sic] that you should be judged by what you do and not who you are.”
Here’s the problem with that heartwarming sentiment: just days prior to Obama’s message to Michael, real-estate expert David Benham and his twin brother Jason’s fixer-upper show Flip it Forward, which was due to premier in October, was canceled by Home and Garden TV because a left-wing activist group exposed the brothers, calling them “anti-gay extremists.”
Right Wing Watch found out that in their private lives, the brothers support the pro-life movement and promote marriage. In addition, it was also revealed that David dared to express the opinion that the radical religion of Boko Haram, the group who kidnapped approximately 300 schoolgirls in Nigeria, “takes life and enslaves it,” which, although true, isn’t something Islam-loving liberals are ever going to acknowledge.
Unlike Michael Sam, who is encouraged to be who he is, what the Benhams “do,” which is to “find a fixer-upper and transform it into the dream home [needy families] never thought they could afford,” has very publicly now taken a backseat to who they “are.” The reason why is because lately, in Barack Obama’s “fundamentally transformed” America, the sin of being a Christian family man and churchgoing son of a pastor is grounds for national shaming.
Yet Sam’s demonstrative show of celebratory affection for Cammisano, something that is poles apart from pro-life advocacy or signing a petition in support of marriage, is nonetheless just as private a display, if not more so, as protesting abortion or speaking out against gay rights – two things the telegenic twins are currently being chastised for.
So what’s the problem? If Obama’s laudatory statement to Sam is true and equality is the goal, then why do we have three men, all of whom have different skill sets and abilities, being treated so differently? The one who is gay is being judged for “what he does,” while the other two, perceived as homophobic, are consequently judged and condemned for “who they are.”
It’s clear Michael Sam is a man of strong persuasion and, like the Benhams, is proud to show it, which is his right. The difference is that the North Carolina-based brothers proclaim their faith in God and disapprove of lifestyles and practices they personally feel go against biblical tenets, which used to also be their right as Americans. However, for the Benhams, vocal expression of personal beliefs has resulted in hypocrites like Barack Obama, self-proclaimed champion of diverse lifestyles, proving yet again that he is anything but.
It makes one wonder what exactly the president is talking about when he lauds Michael Sam, the Rams, and the NFL for “taking an important step forward in our Nation’s journey.” Where exactly are those steps taking America? And as far as this “Nation’s journey,” what’s the destination if a culture that claims inclusiveness excludes, punishes, and demonizes 83% percent of Americans who call themselves Christian, 37% of whom, like the Benhams, identify themselves as evangelical?
Chris Stone, founder of Faith Driven Consumer, called HGTV canceling Flip it Forward a “rash action.” After all, Barack Obama did say that “from the playing field to the board room,” intolerance “holds no place” in what Stone defines as “America’s rainbow of diversity.” Isn’t that right, President Obama?
Seeing as how Barack didn’t also issue a public statement in the Benhams’ defense, it’s likely the president differs with this premise from Mr. Stone:
Whether people agree or disagree with the Benhams’ faith-driven perspective is beside the point; the Benhams have a right to have those views and to be treated equally with those who hold to other viewpoints. This is the very definition of tolerance.
Not anymore! After participating in a shared exhibition of same-sex affection, which has now been juxtaposed with some of the things the Benham brothers oppose, Michael Sam is being celebrated as a trailblazer by a president who picks and chooses where he applies the unbiased tolerance he’s always talking about.
Nonetheless, the Benhams have said that they have not, and would never, “discriminate against people who do not share [their] views.” Yet all that matters little, because it’s the Benhams who are the ones being discriminated against.
Meanwhile, Barack Obama, who prides himself on standing up for social justice and fostering fairness, hasn’t said one word about the injustice of punishing two men based on who they are, and what they believe, rather than what they do. That’s why America should sit up and take notice. Once again, thanks to Barack Obama, liberal hypocrisy and all of its intolerant splendor is on display for the whole world to see.
