While yesterday's news that Bryan Fischer had been fired from his post as Director of Issues Analysis at the American Family Association was most welcome, it turned out to be nothing more than a ruse. In fact, Fischer was allowed to keep his radio talk show gig sponsored by and paid for by the AFA. So basically, he was stripped of a rather meaningless title, had his name removed from their list of spokespeople, but is still allowed to spew his venom over the airwaves through the auspices of the AFA.
Thinking that they now had the moral upper hand in their their long-standing dispute with the Southern Poverty Law Center for being designated a hate group by them, they sent the SPLC a demand that they no longer be associated with Fischer.
AFA rejects the idea expressed by Bryan Fischer that "Free exercise of religion" only applies to Christians. Consequently, AFA rejects Bryan's assertions that Muslims should not be granted permits to build mosques in the United States;
AFA rejects the ideas expressed by Bryan Fischer that the violent expulsion of Native Americans was divinely ordained and that, "Superstition, savagery and sexual immorality" morally disqualified Native Americans from "sovereign control of American soil."
AFA rejects the ideas expressed by Bryan Fischer that "we" need to clamp down on immigration because Hispanics are socialist by nature and vote Democratic because it allows them to "benefit from the plunder of the wealth of the United States."
AFA rejects Bryan Fischer's characterization of minorities as "people who rut like rabbits."
AFA rejects the statement by Bryan Fischer that, "Homosexuality gave us Adolph Hitler, and homosexuals in the military gave us the Brown Shirts, the Nazi war machine and six million dead Jews."
AFA rejects the policy advocated by Bryan Fischer that homosexual conduct should be illegal.
AFA rejects the notion advocated by Bryan Fischer that, "We need an underground railroad to protect innocent children from same-sex households."
AFA rejects Bryan Fischer's statement that, "If Hillary Clinton becomes president In 2016, she will not only be our first female president, she could be our first lesbian president."
In light of this notice, do not continue to charge AFA with the statements by Bryan Fischer that we have repudiated. When identifying "hate groups" in the context of training military or law enforcement personnel, do not put AFA in a false light by quoting Mr. Fischer's statements that we have repudiated.
Well, bully for them. They can repudiate Fischer's words all they want, but the bile and filth he spread unabated on their behalf since 2009 is the AFA's to own. While the AFA continues to allow Fischer to fill the airwaves with his hate under their banner, they are to remain associated with every spittle-inflected word that comes out of his mouth on his program. No amount of disavowing his putrid rhetoric should be taken seriously until his program is permanently pulled.
The SPLC wasn't buying it.
Without ending Mr. Fischer’s talk show, without apologizing for the bigoted statements that he, Mr. Wildmon, and others associated with the AFA have made, and without making it crystal clear that the AFA will not tolerate any such statements in the future, the AFA’s 11th-hour disavowal of Mr. Fischer appears to serve only one purpose: to give the AFA a degree of plausible deniability while it continues to spew hateful rhetoric. It’s a shell game and a transparent one at that.
The American Family Association isn't fooling anyone with their little stunt, least of all the Southern Poverty Law Center. Firing Bryan Fischer from his official post at the AFA might have been a good start, but until they completely kick him to the curb, it isn't anywhere near good enough. Bravo to the fine people at the SPLC for standing up to this deception and calling it out for the bullshit that it is.