Thursday, September 30, 2010

Student Kills Himself Over Sex Prank

A Rutgers University freshman is presumed to have killed himself by jumping off the George Washington bridge after his roommate broadcast live video of him having sex with another man on the internet, according to The New Jersey Star-Ledger.

Authorities found 18-year-old Tyler Clementi’s (pictured) car, wallet and computer on the bridge last week. Clementi’s body has yet to be found.

Dharun Ravi, 18, and Molly Wei, 18, have both been charged with two counts each of invasion of privacy for setting up a camera in a dorm room on Sept. 19 and using it to view and transmit a live sex scene, said Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan.

Ravi and Clementi were roommates at Rutgers. Ravi’s Twitter feed on September 19 referred to his seeing his roommate have sex with another man in their dorm room.

"Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly's room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay," Ravi said on his Twitter page.

Two days later, Ravi posted an iChat link to a video feed of the encounter.

Ravi surrendered to Rutgers police Tuesday and was released on $25,000 bail, the prosecutor’s office said. On Monday, Wei turned herself in to campus police and was released on her own recognizance.

Sharron Angle And Her Husband Are On Government Health Care Plans

Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle's staunch opposition to federal involvement in health care -- or pretty much everything, for that matter -- was contorted Tuesday with recent news that she and her husband receive government provided health care.

From Tuesday's Politico Morning Score:

Angle's campaign acknowledged to Nevada journalist Jon Ralston Monday that both the candidate and her husband receive health care from the federal government. Spokeswoman Ciara Matthews said in a statement: "Mr. Ted Angle receives his pension through the (federal) Civil Service Retirement System. While it is not supplemented by the federal government, current civil servants pay into the program to pay the schedule of those already retired - much like how the Social Security Program works today. Mr. Angle does not qualify - nor does he receive Social Security benefits. His health insurance plan (the Federal Employee Health Program), which also covers Sharron, is a continuation of what he was receiving while he worked for the federal government."

Angle's prior aversion to government-run health care -- at least for others -- has been no secret. She openly touts her intent to "Repeal and replace Obamacare" on her website, and even claimed recently that such broad legislation was actually unnecessary because there was "nothing wrong with our health care system."

"Our healthcare system is the best in the world," said Angle of the American system, once rated 37th-best in the world, in August. "Our doctors are the best...The access is not what is being denied."

Despite Angle's contention that access to health care is not an issue, more than 18 percent of Nevada's population is currently uninsured, nearly 3 percent higher than the national rate.

And in 2009, Angle railed against mandated health care coverage even for autism treatment and maternity leave.

"You know what I'm talking about. You're paying for things that you don't even need. They just passed the latest one, is everything that they want to throw at us now is covered under 'autism,'" Angle said, using air quotes for the neurological disorder. "So, that's a mandate that you have to pay for. How about maternity leave? I'm not going to have anymore babies, but I sure get to pay for it on my insurance. Those are the kinds of things that we want to get rid of."

Mormon Leader Sorry for Prop 8 Pain

A high-ranking Mormon leader apologized for the pain caused by the Proposition 8 campaign in a recent meeting with the Oakland, Calif., stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

According to Religion Dispatches, Elder Marlin K. Jensen, the Church’s historian and a prominent member of the General Authorities leadership hierarchy, accepted an invitation to a special meeting with about 90 Mormons hurt by their Church’s significant role in the Prop. 8 campaign.

“During the one-hour meeting, thirteen gay and straight Mormons came to the microphone,” reported Religion Dispatches. “Many expressed their love for the faith, as well as the profound pain caused by LDS Church actions towards gays and lesbians. Gay Mormons recalled years of prayer and fasting, attempted heterosexual marriages promising to ‘cure’ them, and Church-prescribed aversion therapy. Gay and straight Mormons spoke of how their families and neighborhoods had been divided by the Yes on 8 campaign. And some expressed their anger over the Church’s leading role in a political campaign that gave California and the Mormon community a ‘license to hate’ homosexuals.”

According to an attendee who talked with Religion Dispatches, Jensen, a favorite figure with liberal Mormons, apologized for the pain they described.

“To the full extent of my capacity, I say that I am sorry . . . I know that many very good people have been deeply hurt, and I know that the Lord expects better of us,” he said.

Religion Dispatches puts the apology in the broader framework of a Mormon thaw on LGBT issues since 2008 and recent work within the church to come to terms with the Proposition 8 campaign.

“But behind the buzz stands a deeper story of how a committed group of Mormons is working to heal the rifts created by Proposition 8 and the even larger story of how faith communities slowly come to terms with the legacies of the political battle over same sex marriage,” writes the magazine.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

End DADT, Make Gays Spies

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - Army of Mum
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes2010 ElectionMarch to Keep Fear Alive

Americans don’t know much about religion

A new survey of Americans’ knowledge of religion found that atheists, agnostics, Jews and Mormons outperformed Protestants and Roman Catholics in answering questions about major religions, while many respondents could not correctly give the most basic tenets of their own faiths.

Forty-five percent of Roman Catholics who participated in the study didn’t know that, according to church teaching, the bread and wine used in Holy Communion is not just a symbol, but becomes the body and blood of Christ.

More than half of Protestants could not identify Martin Luther as the person who inspired the Protestant Reformation. And about four in 10 Jews did not know that Maimonides, one of the greatest rabbis and intellectuals in history, was Jewish.

The survey released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life aimed to test a broad range of religious knowledge, including understanding of the Bible, core teachings of different faiths and major figures in religious history. The U.S. is one of the most religious countries in the developed world, especially compared to largely secular Western Europe, but faith leaders and educators have long lamented that Americans still know relatively little about religion.

Respondents to the survey were asked 32 questions with a range of difficulty, including whether they could name the Islamic holy book and the first book of the Bible, or say what century the Mormon religion was founded. On average, participants in the survey answered correctly overall for half of the survey questions.

Atheists and agnostics scored highest, with an average of 21 correct answers, while Jews and Mormons followed with about 20 accurate responses. Protestants overall averaged 16 correct answers, while Catholics followed with a score of about 15.

Not surprisingly, those who said they attended worship at least once a week and considered religion important in their lives often performed better on the overall survey. However, level of education was the best predictor of religious knowledge. The top-performing groups on the survey still came out ahead even when controlling for how much schooling they had completed.

On questions about Christianity, Mormons scored the highest, with an average of about eight correct answers out of 12, followed by white evangelicals, with an average of just over seven correct answers. Jews, along with atheists and agnostics, knew the most about other faiths, such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism. Less than half of Americans know that the Dalai Lama is Buddhist, and less than four in 10 know that Vishnu and Shiva are part of Hinduism.

The study also found that many Americans don’t understand constitutional restrictions on religion in public schools. While a majority know that public school teachers cannot lead classes in prayer, less than a quarter know that the U.S. Supreme Court has clearly stated that teachers can read from the Bible as an example of literature.

“Many Americans think the constitutional restrictions on religion in public schools are tighter than they really are,” Pew researchers wrote.

Would you like to take the quiz: http://features.pewforum.org/quiz/us-religious-knowledge/

Gay Cupcake Party for Antigay Bakery

An Indianapolis radio show has decided to hold a “gay cupcake party” in response to a local bakery that would not make rainbow cupcakes and cookies ordered by a gay student group.

According to Fox 59, “Radio Now's The Scotty Show is holding the 1st Annual Gay Cupcake Party on Friday, October 1st, in response to the IUPUI students who were denied service at Just Cookies in Indianapolis.”

Last week, the Just Cookies bakery in the City Market cited “family values” when it refused to make the confections requested by the student group at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis for National Coming Out Day in October.

The city’s Office of Equal Opportunity is investigating the Just Cookies business, according to Fox 59.

Julian Bond Can't Stop Calling Pastor Eddie Long a 'Raving Homophobe'



Julian Bond, the civil rights hero and former NAACP chairman, isn't hiding behind some secret religious code to defend Eddie Long. Instead, he's calling out the embroiled pastor for what he is: a "raging homophobe."

But, says Bond: "You hope these charges are not true because it's bad news for his family, bad news for his church." However, "if they are true, it's typical of people who are raving homophobes who are secretly homosexual. They have this self loathing, self hate, and they have to let it come out some way."

And Bond, who has every credential imaginable to make this assertion, says Long's hosting the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr.'s widow Coretta was a disgrace. "I knew her, and I knew she was a big defender of gay rights, I knew that Bishop Long was a raging homophobe, and I knew that she'd be twisting in her grave if she were buried there, and I'd be twisting in my grave eventually if I went to the funeral there, so I stayed away."



Read more: http://www.queerty.com/julian-bond-cant-stop-calling-pastor-eddie-long-a-raving-homophobe-20100927/#ixzz10qaeGYZk

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Ann Coulter To Gay Conservatives: Marriage 'Is Not A Civil Right -- You're Not Black'

Nobody ever said Ann Coulter was going to play nice during her time at Homocon, a summit held by the gay conservative group GOProud over the weekend, not even the organizers who insisted that she be there. Perhaps it came as little surprise to them, then, when the conservative pundit stood before the group of 150 attendees and aggressively railed against gay marriage.

Marriage "is not a civil right -- you're not black," Coulter told the crowd, building upon an argument that claimed the equal protections provided by the Fourteenth Amendment -- and potentially used to build a case for marriage equality -- were only applicable to black people.

Coulter, who was dropped from a recent event by conservative publication WorldNetDaily for her supposed traitorous behavior in headlining the gay event, wasn't done taking social issues to the heart of perhaps the most socially liberal faction within the GOP.

Anglican Head Rowan Williams: Bring On The Sexually Inactive Gay Bishops

Archbishop Rowan Williams, the Anglican Communion leader who's previously sought a compromise between acceptance of gay clergy and conservative Anglicans who want them pushed out, seems to have found his middle ground: He's got no problem with clergy who are attracted to the same-sex, so long as they never act on it.

Historical standards require bishops to be celibate, regardless of their sexuality, Williams told the London Times.

Archbishop Williams went to great lengths to explain why he stands with conservatives against gay clergy when it comes to doctrine. He said he had to decide against endorsing gay relationships for clergy and bishops because “the cost to the Church overall was too great to be borne at that point“. The Archbishop said that since his appointment eight years ago he knew the gay issue as “a wound in the whole ministry“. “To put it very simply, there’s no problem about a gay person who’s a bishop. It’s about the fact that there are traditionally, historically, standards that the clergy are expected to observe,” Archbishop Williams said.

In Britain, the Telegraph was quick to call the interview "disastrous."

Does he still think it’s OK for gay couples to have sex, as he wrote years ago? “That’s what I wrote as a theologian, you know, putting forward a suggestion. That’s not the job I have now,” he tells Dougary.

No gay bishops, then? Actually, gay bishops are OK, as long as they don’t have sex. (The same prohibition doesn’t apply to lay people, for reasons lost in the mist of time.)

So it’s appropriate for the celibate Jeffrey John to be a bishop? Here Rowan really squirms, saying he “let down” John by blocking him as Bishop of Reading. But we don’t discover why, this year, the still-celibate Dean John unexpectedly disappeared from the candidates’ list for Southwark.

But does the Archbishop hope that one day gay bishops can have partners? “Pass”.

Naturally his conservative opponents, who are busy driving wedges inside the Anglican Communion and forming splinter groups, aren't so thrilled with his comments. But he's also letting down the gay liberals, like the always outspoken Peter Tatchell: "Yet again, Rowan is sitting on the fence regarding gay clergy … I don't know how Rowan sleeps at night."

Victory Fund Video: What Will You Lose?

Gay Marriage Opposition Brief Filed

Ten states have filed a brief opposing marriage equality with a federal appeals court in California, reports the Associated Press.

The 39-page amicus brief states that the Constitution does not require marriage to include same-sex couples and states, not federal courts, have final say in whether to allow same-sex marriages. The brief was sent to the ninth circuit U.S. court of appeals Friday.

Last month a federal judge ruled that that California's Proposition 8, a voter-passed ban on same-sex marriage, was unconstitutional. Judge Vaughn Walker ruled there was no legitimate state interest in preventing same-sex marriages and that "moral disapproval" alone wasn't sufficient reason to justify banning them. The case is currently being appealed.

States who joined the brief against marriage equality are Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.

Male Cheerleader Soldiers On

Eleven-year-old Tyler Wilson refuses to give up his role as a football cheerleader, even after two boys beat him up and broke his arm.

The Ohio sixth grader recently joined the cheerleading squad for the Findlay Steelers, part of a city youth football program. Kids at school teased him mercilessly, and then in late August he was called homophobic names, hit, and shoved to the ground by two classmates at school. His arm was broken, but he initially lied to his mother about the cause of the injury.

Wilson's mother remains supportive of her son's choice to be a cheerleader and refuses to pull him off the squad.

"No, I'm not gonna tell him not to do it if it's something that he's interested in. I want him to enjoy whatever he can enjoy in life," Kristy Wilson said.

After the attack Wilson received a supportive card from the football team.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Monday, September 27 marks National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day — a perfect day to go out and get tested.

On the heels of a disturbing report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that one in five men living in urban areas is HIV-positive and about half of them are unaware that they are, the HIV/AIDS Awareness Day comes as budgets have been slashed, new infections are on the rise, and renewed focus turns to HIV in the gay community.

Fox News Angry Over Colbert Testimony

Stewart Shows GOP's 'New' Pledge Exactly The Same As The Old

The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Postcards From the Pledge
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorTea Party

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Bishop Long Stepping Down In Wake of Fourth Lawsuit?

Homophobic Pastor Eddie Long's problems grow by the day.

Various sites, including AOL's Black Voices, are reporting that Long, who has already been accused of severely inappropriate contact with three male congregants, will be stepping down from the pulpit at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church after Sunday's sermon.

The news comes after a fourth young man leveled still more allegations against Long. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution provides the details of this latest lawsuit.

"Spencer LeGrande, named in a civil lawsuit filed Friday, claims he was 17 the first time the two had a sexual relationship while vacationing in Nairobi, Kenya.

LeGrande, of Charlotte, N.C., alleges that the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church pastor gave him an Ambien, a popular prescription sleep aid, followed by a "prolonged hug," kissing and rubbing, according to the suit.

The suit claims the two shared a bed for the remainder of their trip."

Long and his attorneys continue to deny the numerous claims, and his defense today declared, "We believe that it is unfortunate the young men have chosen to take this course of action. The defense team will review the complaints and respond accordingly at the appropriate time and in the appropriate forum."

Stephen Colbert Hearing: Updates From Colbert's Visit To Congress

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Justice Dept Files Objection to Injunction on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

As expected, the Justice Department late today filed an objection to the injunction requested by lawyers for the Log Cabin Republicans last week following a judge's declaration earlier this month that the law is unconstitutional.

The Advocate reports that the main points seem to be:

"'[A]ny injunction in this case must be limited to plaintiff LCR and the claims it asserts on behalf of its members – and cannot extend to non-parties – plaintiff’s requested world-wide injunction of the statute fails as a threshold matter,' assistant U.S. attorney Paul Freeborne wrote. Freeborne also argued that an injunction would preclude the government both from litigating other legal challenges to DADT or considering the terms of a stay barring discharges of gay and lesbian servicemembers."

Americablog adds: "Finally, the DOJ seems awfully concerned that if LCR wins this case, then the Obama administration will no longer be able to find that gay servicemembers hurt morale and cohesion. Why is the Obama administration so concerned about losing the 'right' to discriminate against gay and lesbian servicemembers?"

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs released the following statement:

"Today, the Department of Justice made a filing in a legal challenge to the Don’t Ask, Don’t tell (DADT) policy, as it traditionally does when acts of Congress are challenged. This filing in no way diminishes the President’s firm commitment to achieve a legislative repeal of DADT – indeed, it clearly shows why Congress must act to end this misguided policy. The President was disappointed earlier this week when a majority of the Senate was willing to proceed with National Defense Authorization Act, but political posturing created a 60 vote threshold. The President spoke out against DADT in his first State of the Union Address, and the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs have both testified in support of repeal. And the Department of Defense continues to work on a plan on how to implement repeal. The President, along with his Administration, will continue to work with the Senate Leadership to achieve a legislative repeal of DADT as outlined in the NDAA this fall."

It remains to be seen whether the Justice Dept. will appeal the ruling.

Megachurch pastor keeps mum on sex allegations

On Sunday mornings, accused megachurch Bishop Eddie Long is usually draped in regal robes and dripping with diamonds and platinum – the kind of material rewards he often says are in God’s plan for those listening.

His message expected this Sunday will be the first in public since three young men accused him in lawsuits of having sexual relationships with them, which he has vehemently denied only through his lawyer and a Twitter posting.

Long built his congregation into a megachurch empire, telling his followers God wanted them to be wealthy and delivering fiery sermons with a secular swagger. He hangs with celebrities like rapper T.I. and donates money to charities and candidates. Even the county sheriff is among his followers.

Long spent more than 20 years building all that up, but his empire hangs in the balance. And his 25,000 followers aren’t about to let it all come tumbling down after the three men’s claims that the bishop abused his spiritual authority.

“I’ve always thought he was a very powerful man of God,” said Anshay Tull, a 27-year-old attendee of Long’s church, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. “I’m just praying, trying to stay hopeful that it’s not true. If it is true, he has to take that up with God. But that can’t take away from the Word that he gives. I think he’s very gifted.”

He’s preached against gay marriage, and his church has counseled gay members to become straight – even though the men claim in their lawsuits that Long used money, cars, international trips, jewelry and other objects to lure them into sexual relationships when they were 17 or 18 years old.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Are We Run by A$$holes?

The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Are We Run by A**holes?
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorTea Party

Shame on Meg Whitman

1 in 5 Gay Men in Big Cities Have HIV

Nineteen percent of gay and bisexual men in major U.S. cities have HIV, but half of those infected are unaware they carry the virus, according to a government study.
Jonathan Mermin, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's HIV/AIDS Prevention division, said the proportion of those who did not know whether they were HIV-positive was high for black men.
The study tested 8,153 men in 21 of the nation's major cities for the 2008 National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System, according to Reuters. The results showed that 28% of black gay and bisexual men had the virus, while 18% of Latino men and 16% of white men were infected.

Irish Pres. Picks Gay Rights Over Parade

Irish president Mary McAleese turned down an offer to head the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade because of its history of shutting out gay Irish participants.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

NAACP reaches out to gays

NAACP's Ben Jealous speaks at New York gay and lesbian community center:

"The NAACP is opposed to discrimination in all its forms. We recognize that many of our members are also members of the LGBT community, and just as the LGBT community counts on us to stand with it for basic civil rights protections, so we count on the LGBT community to stand with us in our unified struggle for the broader civil rights agenda."

Despite Setback, Gay Rights Move Forward

Efforts that could lead to a reversal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that prohibits openly gay soldiers from serving in the military may have stalled in the United States Senate, but the legal fight is advancing in the federal courts along with other important gay rights litigation.

In addition to the military policy, two laws restricting gay rights — the federal Defense of Marriage Act and the California ban on same-sex marriage — have been declared unconstitutional by federal judges in recent months.

The fact that these decisions have come from federal courts signals a shift for activists on gay legal issues. Until recently, the activists’ conventional wisdom held that gay rights cases should work their way through state courts, which were viewed as more accommodating than the federal judiciary.

But the three recent decisions on gay rights issues suggest that federal judges are increasingly willing to strike down what they see as antigay bias embodied in legislation, said Erwin Chemerinsky, the law school dean at the University of California, Irvine.

“Federal judges are no longer persuaded that a moral condemnation of homosexuality justifies government discrimination,” he said.

The path ahead for the litigation in all three cases is long, difficult to predict and risky, legal experts say. The ultimate question is whether a majority of justices on the United States Supreme Court will agree with the district court judges’ interpretation of the court’s own rulings in cases like Lawrence v. Texas, a case that struck down a state sodomy law.

That decision marked a turning point in federal litigation on gay and lesbian legal issues, said Daniel R. Pinello, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York. Before Lawrence, the federal courts had seemed largely inhospitable to gay rights cases, he said.

“The most strategic approach was to look at state action, not federal action, because a United States Supreme Court and federal judiciary dominated by Republican appointees did not provide a very favorable risk analysis for litigation,” Professor Pinello said.

In the 6-to-3 majority opinion in Lawrence, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote of due process rights associated with “autonomy of self that includes freedom of thought, belief, expression and certain intimate conduct.”

While Justice Kennedy argued that the decision did “not involve whether the government must give formal recognition to any relationship that homosexual persons seek to enter,” Justice Antonin Scalia angrily predicted in dissent that the majority opinion would, in fact, justify homosexual marriage.

Early interpretations of that decision have been tentative — the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit said Lawrence could not even be interpreted to overturn an Alabama ban on sex toys.

Since then, judges have shown themselves more willing to interpret Justice Kennedy’s opinion in Lawrence as recognizing rights regarding personal relationships. Judge Vaughn Walker, the federal district judge in San Francisco who overturned Proposition 8, the California ban on same-sex marriage, quoted Justice Scalia’s dissent in his decision.

To Richard Epstein, a libertarian legal scholar at New York University, the logic of the Kennedy opinion in Lawrence inexorably leads to a grant of rights against discrimination.

“There’s just no way, once you start down that road, that you’re going to get off of it,” he said. “If you can’t criminalize it, you can’t discriminate against it.”

While saying that he is “no seer,” he predicted that if the three cases made their way to the Supreme Court, Justice Kennedy would ultimately write majority opinions that upheld the three recent district court opinions.

He added, however, that in his view as a self-described “Constitutional fuddy-duddy,” the argument for finding legal rights based on sexual orientation is not as compelling as racial rights under the equal protection clause.

“Politically, I am in sympathy with them,” he said. “Constitutionally, I’m not.”

Bill Clinton: I Regret DADT

Saying that he only reluctantly signed DADT into law when it became clear that Congress would impose an outright ban on gays in the military if he didn't, former President Bill Clinton told CBS News last night that he regretted his role in the creation of the bill. He also said that former Joint Chiefs Chairman Colin Powell was deceptive about how DADT would work.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

DADT Repeal Fails in Senate

The tone was set for a devastating rejection of an effort to end the 17-year-old policy that bans gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military as soon as GOP senator Olympia Snowe sent out an ominous statement Monday afternoon.

By Tuesday afternoon, repeal advocates lost Sen. Susan Collins, who said she would join a GOP filibuster unless Senate majority leader Harry Reid agreed to open the debate. The loss of Collins was the Democrats’ last best chance for beating a GOP filibuster that would prevent the Senate from moving forward with debate on the National Defense Authorization Act, to which the “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal measure was attached.

By the time the dust settled, Republicans had prevailed 56-43. Repeal advocates swiftly decried the outcome as the product of a massive political failure but vowed not to give up till year’s end despite an increasingly bleak outlook for the effort.

“Today’s vote is a failure of leadership on the part of those who have been duly elected to serve this nation and to put the best interests of the country ahead of partisan politics," said Alexander Nicholson, executive director of the gay veterans group Servicemembers United. “It is simply inexcusable that this vote failed today.”

But Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, acknowledged what everyone knew.

“We now have no choice but to look to the lame-duck session, where we’ll have a slim shot,” Sarvis said. “The Senate absolutely must schedule a vote in December, when cooler heads and common sense are more likely to prevail once midterm elections are behind us.”

Indeed, Sen. Joseph Lieberman indicated earlier in the day that he fully expected Reid to push the legislation again following the November election.

“I spoke to Senator Reid today, and he's very clear and strong that he's going to bring this bill to the floor in November or December — hopefully November — because he has to, because the military needs the bill.”

Lieberman said he didn’t believe opponents of repeal had the votes to strip it out of the legislation.

“Maybe that’s why they're fighting so hard,” he offered.

Following the defeat, Sen. Carl Levin called it “outrageous” that a filibuster was used to block mere consideration of the legislation.

“It’s a sad, sad day, when the defense authorization bill is filibustered to the point where we can’t even debate that bill,” Levin said. “The Senate filibuster on motions to proceed cannot be allowed to succeed.”

If the Senate fails to pass the defense funding bill before the end of the year, Levin said a continuing resolution could be passed to address some budgetary needs of the Pentagon, but that such a fix would not suffice for all defense needs.

Sen. Jack Reed, who joined Levin at the press conference, said he hoped the Senate could still strike an agreement to debate the bill before recessing for the midterms. But he also suggested that the Pentagon itself may have funding needs that make the NDAA a more urgent consideration during the lame-duck session.

"But there will be increasingly, I think, specific issues that will emerge about provisions that they must have that I think will help convince some of our colleagues that we've gotta get this bill done," Reed said.

Levin was hesitant to signal the likelihood that the NDAA might get new life in the waning days of the congressional session but added, “I will do everything I can to see that the bill is brought up during lame duck.”

McDonald's


According to Consumerist, the mcfarthest you can be from a McDonald's in the Lower 48 states is 115 miles. As the crow flies, not by car, in northwestern Nevada. Plan your travel accordingly.

Goodbye High Fructose Corn Syrup, Hello Corn Sugar

The makers of high fructose corn syrup want to sweeten up its image with a new name: corn sugar.

The bid to rename the sweetener by the Corn Refiners Association comes as Americans' concerns about health and obesity have sent consumption of high fructose corn syrup, used in soft drinks but also in bread, cereal and other foods, to a 20-year low.

The group applied Tuesday to the Food and Drug Administration to get the "corn sugar" name approved for use on food labels. They hope a new name will ease confusion about about the sweetener. Some people think it is more harmful or more likely to make them obese than sugar, perceptions for which there is little scientific evidence.

Approval of the new name could take two years, but that's not stopping the industry from using the term now in advertising. There's a new online marketing campaign at and on television. Two new commercials try to alleviate shopper confusion, showing people who say they now understand that "whether it's corn sugar or cane sugar, your body can't tell the difference. Sugar is sugar." http://www.cornsugar.com

Renaming products has succeeded before. For example, low eurcic acid rapeseed oil became much more popular after becoming "canola oil" in 1988. Prunes tried to shed a stodgy image by becoming "dried plums" in 2000.

Who’s a family?

New study tracks shifting US views

As much as Americans revere the family, they differ sharply on how to define it.

New research being released Wednesday shows steadily increasing recognition of unmarried couples - gay and straight - as families. But there’s a solid core resisting this trend who are more willing to include pets in their definition than same-sex partners.

How "family" is defined is a crucial question on many levels. Beyond the debate over same-sex marriage, it affects income tax filings, adoption and foster care practices, employee benefits, inheritance rights and countless other matters.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Scalia: Constitution Does Not Outlaw Bias Over Sexual Orientation

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia spoke at UC Hastings Law School (which as you may recall was recently involved in a SCOTUS case of its own), and told those assembled that the U.S Constitution does not outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation:

"If the current society wants to outlaw discrimination by sex, you have legislatures," Scalia said during a 90-minute question-and-answer session with a professor at UC Hastings College of the Law. He said the same was true of discrimination against gays and lesbians.

The 74-year-old justice, leader of the court's conservative wing, is also its most outspoken advocate of "originalism," the doctrine that the Constitution should be interpreted according to the original meaning of those who drafted it.

*****

"Nobody thought it was directed against sex discrimination," he said. Although gender bias "shouldn't exist," he said, the idea that it is constitutionally forbidden is "a modern invention."

The court has not applied the same exacting standard to discrimination based on sexual orientation, an issue it could reach in several cases now in lower courts, including the dispute over California's ban on same-sex marriage.

But when the justices overturned laws against gay sex in 2003 as a violation of personal autonomy and due process, Scalia dissented vehemently. He compared the anti-sodomy laws to statutes against incest and bestiality and said many Americans view bans on homosexual conduct as protections for themselves and their families against "a lifestyle that they believe to be immoral and destructive."

Scalia said Friday he's not a purist and is generally willing to accept long-standing court precedents that contradict his views.

Knights of Columbus Gave $1.4 Million to NOM in 2009

The Iowa Independent looks at a report detailing donations in 2009 by Catholic group Knights of Columbus:

Add to that list a donation of a whopping $1.4 million in 2009 to the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), a nonprofit group dedicated to fighting same-sex marriage through the ballot initiative system in California, Maine and other states. In Iowa, the group has already spent $235,000 on an ad campaign aimed at convincing voters to oust three Iowa Supreme Court justices over their ruling that legalized same-sex marriage, and before that spent nearly $100,000 on a special legislative election in southeastern Iowa.

While NOM hasn’t yet made public its 2009 fundraising numbers, the amount of charitable contributions it received in 2008 totaled approximately $2.9 million.

The NOM donation eclipses what the Knights of Columbus’ Supreme Council spent on some of its own charitable programs — such as its new effort supporting food banks or its total spending on education initiatives — in the same year, much to the outrage of some observers, including Catholic groups.

“It was a fairly simple, straightforward decision,” says Patrick Korten, vice president for communications for the Knights. “We are pro-family, and believe strongly in the defense of marriage. NOM is the single most important group engaged in defending marriage.”

The paper adds: "...Catholic activists predict that such spending on conservative causes will provoke a backlash among the faithful. 'Do you think someone in New Mexico thought their donation was going to this effort in Maine, as opposed to aiding the sick and feeding the hungry?' asks George Burns, an attorney in Maine who fought NOM’s campaign to pass Amendment 1."

NAACP Pres. to Speak at LGBT Center


Benjamin Todd Jealous NAACP president Benjamin Todd Jealous will make a historic appearance at the New York City Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center this Wednesday in preparation for One Nation Working Together, a progressive rally to take place next month in Washington, D.C.

The visit, believed to be the first by a sitting NAACP president to an LGBT center, comes in advance of the rally backed by major civil rights organizations and unions, which is expected to draw hundreds of thousands to the Lincoln Memorial on October 2 under the theme of “jobs, justice, and education.” Participating groups such as the NAACP, the National Council of La Raza, the AFL-CIO, and the Service Employees International Union will issue their most explicit call to date for LGBT equality during the march.

“I believe it is unprecedented for the sitting NAACP president to speak at the New York LGBT center, or any LGBT center, for that matter,” said Jeffrey Campagna, head of the LGBT desk for One Nation Working Together in New York. “It is an indication of the true coalition that One Nation Working Together represents and the true opportunity this is for the LGBT movement to join with labor groups and other civil rights groups to advance our agenda.”

Christine O'Donnell: "I Dabbled Into Witchcraft"

Monday, September 20, 2010

Hawaii anti-gay Christian group handed tax bill

A Christian “charity” called the Hawaii Family Forum – which helped lead the fight against civil unions – now owes the government $20,741 in taxes for “excessive lobbying,” says the IRS

Says the Star-Advertiser:

The nonprofit group reported spending $125,695 on lobbying last year, a huge jump over the zero dollars it said it spent on lobbying in 2008. The change comes after at least two complaints were filed with the Internal Revenue Service about the forum’s extensive political activities.

“This tax form just confirms what we had suspected, and that is that they engaged in excessive lobbying, that they have no charitable programs, that they are 100 percent a lobbying organization,” said Holly Huber, who filed a complaint with the IRS in June on behalf of Hawaii Citizens for the Separation of State and Church. “They should not be a tax-exempt nonprofit charitable organization. They are a political action group.”

Key vote is set for Tuesday on military ban repeal

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has set a cloture vote for this coming Tuesday afternoon on a bill that contains language for a repeal process of "Don't ask, don't tell." Democrats need 60 votes to begin debate on the National Defense Authorization Act. Pro-repeal groups are stepping up their efforts to lobby senators to allow a vote on the bill and resist efforts to strip out the military ban language.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Gaga Inspires Chain Reaction of Activism on DADT



And, make sure to keep watching till the end.



Now, Senator Mike Bennett has responded.

Wyoming couple drops gay marriage lawsuit

A gay couple in Cheyenne has dropped a federal lawsuit that challenged the Wyoming law defining marriage as existing only between a man and a woman.

The Casper Star-Tribune reports that David Shupe-Roderick and Ryan W. Dupree filed a notice Friday voluntarily dismissing their lawsuit against the state.

They say they are dismissing the suit because unspecified circumstances had changed.

The couple sued last month, alleging that Wyoming’s law defining marriage as being a contract solely “between a male and a female person” was unconstitutional.

Some gay-rights activists expressed concern about the lawsuit; others thought it might be a con. The two men were representing themselves, even though they’re not lawyers.


Wyoming gay marriage case a con?

The Billings Gazette is reporting that the two men who are suing for gay marriage in Wyoming have troubling backgrounds.

The couple, who are representing themselves, may not have actually applied for a marriage license; LezGetReal says they may not, in fact be gay, though it’s not clear what benefit they’d get from pretending to be, or from filing this suit.

State Official Bullies College Student

Chris Armstrong (pictured, right), the gay president of the University of Michigan's student government, has found himself the target of cyberbullying by one of the state's top law enforcement officials.

Assistant attorney general Andrew Shirvell (pictured, left) runs a blog focusing on Armstrong, who has campaigned to stop tuition hikes, expand gender-neutral housing for transgender students, and mitigate underage drinking by keeping dining halls open later, according to WXYZ News.

Shirvell has described Armstrong as a "Nazi-like" recruiter for "the cult that is homosexuality." He also claims Armstrong aims "to promote the radical homosexual agenda at the University of Michigan and to use his position to promote that cause." He has also featured a photo of Armstrong with a swastika added to his face, calling him "Satan's representative on the Student Assembly."

Shirvell was involved in campaigning for state attorney general Mike Cox, who has initiated a statewide agenda to stop cyberbullying.

“I don't agree with Mr. Shirvell's tactics, his judgment, or his word choice, but nonetheless I recognize his non–work-related blog is protected by our Constitution," he said in a statement to WXYZ News.

BYU Student Defends Prop. 8 Editorial

Brigham Young University student Cary Crall A Brigham Young University student who wrote an editorial criticizing the Mormon establishment for backing and heavily financing the efforts to ban marriage equality in California has found himself defending his words and his faith.

According to ABC News, Cary Crall, a senior at BYU, submitted a letter to the editor of The Daily Universe, the campus newspaper. The letter was first rejected, then published as a guest editorial, but then removed from the newspaper's website for being too offensive, a faculty adviser said.

"If the real reason for supporting the amendment is a privately held religious opinion and belief in a prophet — that a prophet is telling us to do it — then we need to be honest about that and take the consequences," Crall told ABC News. "I think the Mormon community owes that kind of introspection to the rest of the world for our actions in Proposition 8."

Thursday, September 16, 2010

A Very Special Message

Australia Lifts Ban on Transgender Military Service

The chief of the Australia Defence Force has reportedly removed its policy that effectively banned transgender people from serving in the military:

"The individual whose recent gender transition lead to the reform work was not available for public comment, but the referral service that assists gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender service members, DEFGLIS, was aware that commanders had been anything but understanding. While the ADF works on a new policy to address those problems, slated for December, Air Chief Marshall Houston called on commanders to show more understanding. Monday’s signal instructed commanders to “manage ADF transgender personnel with fairness, respect and dignity … and existing medical review provisions; and ensure all personnel are not subjects to unacceptable behavior”. It comes 18 years after the ADF repealed the ban on gay and lesbian service members, and two years after it started recognising same-sex relationships for family entitlements. Yet Australia still trails Canada, Israel, Czech Republic, Spain and Thailand, which not only allow transgender soldiers to serve but also support them through diversity programs."

Gillibrand and Udall to DOJ: Don’t Appeal DADT Decision

U.S. senators Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Mark Udall of Colorado sent a letter to Atty. Gen. Eric Holder on Wednesday urging the Department of Justice not to appeal the recent decision from a federal judge that found the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy unconstitutional.

The letter, reported by Joe Sudbay at Americablog, represents the first formal communication from elected officials to the Justice Department since Judge Virginia A. Phillips of the U.S. district court for the central district of California found “don’t ask, don’t tell” unconstitutional in the case Log Cabin Republicans v. United States.

In the letter Gillibrand and Udall, both Democrats, ask Holder to allow Congress to accomplish the work of lifting the ban through the National Defense Authorization Act.

“President Obama, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, have all publicly advocated for the repeal of this harmful law,” write the senators. There is no legal or military justification and not one shred of credible evidence that supports continuing the discriminatory DADT law, and considering the guidance of the commander-in-chief and the nation’s top two defense officials, we urge you to refrain from seeking an appeal. The federal court decision was a step in the right direction, and we are confident that the Senate will take the ultimate step by voting this fall on the fiscal year 2011 National Defense Authorization Act to permanently lift the ban on gays in the military. Although we understand that only action by Congress can bring real finality to this issue, we believe an appeal of the recent federal court decision could set back those congressional efforts. Therefore, we request your assistance in ensuring that we can eradicate this discriminatory law permanently and urge the Justice Department to choose not to appeal any court decision that would keep this law in place.”

Tammy Baldwin introduces LGBT health care data bill

"Rep. Tammy Baldwin’s (D-Wis.) legislation, known as the the Health Data Collection Improvement Act, would allow HHS to collect voluntary data on sexual orientation and gender identity in department-supported programs and surveys, according to a statement from Baldwin’s office."

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

HIV spread 'out of control' among French gay men


Transmission of the AIDS virus seems to be "out of control" among gay men in France despite an overall fall in the number of new HIV cases in the country, according to a study published on Thursday.

Scientists from the French National Institute for Public Health Surveillance found that nearly half of the 7,000 people newly infected with HIV in the country in 2008 were gay men, and the incidence among homosexual men is 200 times higher than in the heterosexual population.

Experts said the findings showed that French authorities needed to revise and renew prevention strategies and ensure they were properly targeted at groups most at risk of HIV infection.

The human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS infects 33.4 million people globally. In sub-Saharan Africa, 22.4 million people have it, and Eastern Europe currently has the fastest growing HIV epidemic in the world.

Gay Fed Workers Allowed Unpaid Leave

Federal employees can take off up to 24 hours a year to care for same-sex partners as part of a benefits package extended last year by President Barack Obama that does not include full health care coverage for partners

Canadian Court Upholds Ban on Gay Blood Donation

A court in Ontario, Canada has ruled against a man challenging Canadian Blood Services' ban on gay blood donation, CTV reports:

"In a ruling released on Thursday, the Ontario Superior Court dismissed a constitutional challenge from a man who argued the policy violated his rights, finding that Charter of Rights does not apply to the blood agency's policies, because it is not a government entity. The ruling stems from a case that began with Canadian Blood Services suing a gay man named Kyle Freeman, who lied about his sexual status when he donated blood. Freeman had syphilis when he donated blood, which prompted the agency to sue. Freeman argued he lied because the policy banning gay men from donating wasn't scientifically justified and violated his rights. He launched a counterclaim under the Charter. But on Thursday, the court dismissed the challenge, finding Freeman liable for $10,000 for negligent misrepresentation."

The current policy is reported as follows:

"Intravenous drug users, people who may have been exposed to Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (mad cow disease), people who have exchanged money for sex or drugs are all permanently banned. Currently, men who had sex with men from 1977 onwards (the year estimated as the start of the AIDS epidemic) also face 'indefinite deferrals' from donations."

James Franco

"Sure, I’d tell you if I was. I guess the reason I wouldn’t is because I’d be worried that it would hurt my career. I suppose that’s the reason one wouldn’t do that, right? But no, that wouldn’t be something that would deter me. I’m going to do projects that I want to do. Everyone thinks I’m a stoner, and some people think I’m gay because I’ve played these gay roles. That’s what people think, but it’s not true. I don’t smoke pot. I’m not gay. But on another level, there’s something in me that is able to play roles like that in a way that’s convincing.”

—James Franco, finally putting to bed rumors he is gay, which apparently having a long-time girlfriend, Ahna O’Reilly, didn't do

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Reid to schedule ‘Don’t Ask’ vote next week

The Washington Blade has learned that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) intends to schedule a vote next week on major defense budget legislation that contains “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal language, regardless of any objection from members of the U.S. Senate.

A senior Democratic leadership aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Reid met with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday to inform the Republican leader that the fiscal year 2011 defense authorization bill will come to the Senate floor the week of Sept. 20.

The aide said Senate leadership is anticipating the Senate won’t have unanimous consent to bring the legislation to the floor, so 60 votes will be necessary to end a filibuster and move forward with debate on the bill.

“We are going to take it the floor next week to see where the votes are,” the aide said.

Last month, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) objected to moving forward with the defense authorization bill after August recess. The aide said he’s “hopeful” the Senate has at least 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.

Pope Benedict XVI Chooses To Ignore His Own Core Beliefs When It's Convenient.


During his four-day British visit, beginning Sept. 16, Pope Benedict XVI will violate his own steadfast rule against popes beatifying anybody by bringing Cardinal John Henry Newman, "the renowned 19th Century Anglican convert who greatly influenced the Roman Catholic Church," one step closer to sainthood. Benedict believes popes should only canonize, not beatify, but is making an exception as he continues his campaign to traffic conservative Anglicans away from that gay-loving church and into the Roman Catholic fold. Where he's not making any exceptions: gay marriage. On that point, Benedict yesterday told an audience at his summer residence where he welcomed Germany's new Vatican representatives, the Church cannot support laws that "contribute to the weakening of the principles of natural law” and to "confusion about society’s values."

Focus on the Family meets China

Chinese school districts in the Yunnan Province have teamed up with Focus on the Family to bring an abstinence-only curriculum to the region’s teenage population.

The province’s ministry of education sent more than 500 teachers from half of the districts in the Yumman province to learn the curriculum in government-sponsored seminars. According to the Washington Post, Focus on the Family plans to extend the program to two school districts per year.

The communist Chinese government has shown distrust for evangelical organizations in the past, however, the alliance with Focus on the Family provides a possible way to slow population rates in the country.

In order to convince the Chinese government to allow the program, a deal was reached in which Focus on the Family agreed to remove all political and religious information from the curriculum.

Pope Benedict Sets Stage for UK Visit with Attack on Gay Marriage

Pedophile-enabler Pope Benedict has attacked same-sex marriage again, Bloomberg reports:

"Benedict, speaking before paying a historic visit to the U.K. later this week, said the Roman Catholic Church 'cannot approve of legal initiatives that imply a re-evaluation of the life of the couple and the family.' The pope, in a reference to legalized marriage among homosexuals, said such laws 'contribute to the weakening of the principles of natural law' and to 'confusion about society’s values.' He made his remarks today while receiving Germany’s new envoy to the Holy See at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo south of Rome, according to a transcript posted on the Vatican’s website."

On his UK visit, the Pope will reportedly comment on the UK's equality law:

"Media reports indicate the head of the Catholic Church will not stray into overt criticism of the government which is hosting him, but he will suggest that Christians ought to be allowed the religious freedom to, for example, wear crucifixes at work. The comments are likely to stoke controversy over Britain's equality laws. Earlier this year, Chris Grayling faced outrage when he defended two Christian B&B owners who refused a room to a couple on the basis that they were gay."

CNN Nixes Poll on Gays in TV

CNN removed a poll from its website that asked, "Is the surge in gay TV characters 'bad for society'?"

The poll accompanied a report titled "Too Gay for TV?" on CNN's sister network HLN. The report, according to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, also used questionable sources. According to GLAAD, the report includes an interview with Dan Gainor of the Culture and Media Institute, which advocates against gay inclusion in the media. The report, however, also included actors Chris Colfer, Eric Stonestreet (at left, pictured with Jesse Tyler Ferguson), and Jane Lynch, each of whom were either nominated or won an Emmy this year.

Crist to Expand Support for Gay Rights

Florida governor and independent U.S. Senate candidate Charlie Crist is set to endorse a broad package of gay rights, including adoption rights, the right to serve openly in the military, and employment nondiscrimination, as early as this week.

The Raw Story obtained a copy of the position paper, in which Crist does not reverse his opposition to marriage equality and instead maintains support for civil unions.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Soldiers Impacted Under 'DADT' Accompany Lady Gaga to VMAs

Lady Gaga appeared on the VMAs white carpet with the Mike Almy, former U.S. Air Force Major discharged under the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy; Stacy Vasquez, former U.S. Army Sgt. First Class discharged under DADT; Katie Miller, a top West Point cadet who resigned in August in protest to DADT; and David Hall, former U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. discharged under DADT.

Said Aubrey Sarvis, Army veteran and executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network about the appearance:

"Lady Gaga’s recognition of these fine patriots casts a spotlight on the unjust burden that ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ imposes upon the brave men and women who defend our country every day, and further underscores why the Senate must swiftly act to get rid of this despicable law for good. With expected votes on the Senate floor later this month, advocates of open service still have time to contact both their senators and urge them to show support for all our veterans by voting to end DADT."

Lady Gaga tweeted: "Silks, fabrics, shoes + jewels, fashion dreams + breaking rules. Real heroes on my arm, tonight, is for us monsters, and our fight. X"

Upon accepting the award for Best Female Video for "Bad Romance", Gaga again drew attention to DADT, thanking the "discharged soldiers" (below) who came with her, adding, "And thank you to all the gays for remaking this video over and over again."



Lady Gaga continued her advocacy on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on today's season premiere of Ellen, taped directly after her win at the VMAs. She urged viewers to call Senator Harry Reid to tell him to schedule a vote on DADT and the Defense Authorization Bill.








BTW, Reid's number is (202) 224-3542.

Alaska: Schwarzenegger pokes fun at Palin


While flying to Asia last night, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger took some time to poke fun at Sarah Palin via Twitter.

Sally Kern's Supporters' New Name For Trans Opponent: 'Confused It'

Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern's anti-queer vitriol is coming from her "friends," not her official campaign!

The Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee, which backs Kern, has taken to referring to Kern's transgender challenger, Democratic attorney Brittany Novotny, as "a confused it."

OKCPAC is joining Kern in not backing away from the reprehensible elected official's previous comments that homosexuality is a bigger threat to American than terrorism. Here's the other portion of the group's email to supporters: "The hatred and rage toward Sally continues unabated in the homosexual community because Sally dared to declare their political agenda for what it truly is, more dangerous to the future of America than the threat of terrorism."

Military's gay ban is unconstitutional

A federal judge on Thursday declared the U.S. military's ban on openly gay service members unconstitutional and said she will issue an order to stop the government from enforcing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy nationwide.

U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips said the ban violates the First Amendment rights of gays and lesbians. "Don't ask, don't tell" prohibits the military from asking about the sexual orientation of service members but requires discharge of those who acknowledge being gay or are discovered engaging in homosexual activity, even in the privacy of their own homes off base.

In her ruling, Phillips said the policy doesn't help military readiness and instead has a "direct and deleterious effect" on the armed services.

The Log Cabin Republicans, a 19,000-member group that includes current and former military members, filed a lawsuit in 2004 seeking an injunction to stop the ban's enforcement. Phillips will draft the injunction with input from the group within a week, and the federal government will have a week to respond.

After-hours e-mails requesting comment from U.S. Department of Justice attorney Paul G. Freeborne and from the Pentagon were not immediately returned Thursday.

The lawsuit was the biggest legal test of the law in recent years and came amid promises by President Barack Obama that he will work to repeal the policy.




White House Response:

"The Justice Department is studying the decision, including the question of its scope and immediate effect and we expect them to announce their next steps after that review is completed. The President remains committed to legislative repeal of DADT, and he will continue to work with lawmakers to achieve that goal this fall. And he will continue to work closely with Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff on an ongoing study of how to best implement the repeal."

Friday, September 10, 2010

Gov. Schwarzenegger Hits 'Whatever, Go Away' Button on Prop 8

With three days to spare before the deadline, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today told the State Supreme Court he won't be appealing the federal Prop 8 ruling, sticking with his earlier position that the law is dumb. The conservative legal group Pacific Justice Institute, with the appeal Beckley v. Schwarzenegger, tried forcing Schwarzenegger to direct Attorney General Jerry Brown to appeal.

Duke Pulls College Republicans Funding



The Duke University College Republicans lost its funding five months after it impeached its chairman because he is openly gay.

The student senate Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to defund the organization for the academic year, according to the Duke student newspaper, The Chronicle. Student senators were shown discriminatory and harassing e-mails Wednesday night that Justin Robinette and his supporters received. The senate also voted to revoke the group's charter, but that decision must be approved by the Student Organizational Finance Committee.

Robinette said earlier this year that the executive board decided he was unfit to serve as chairman because of “conduct unbecoming of a person in a position of leadership,” including failing to attend events and using the group’s funds for personal use. Robinette said the charges are "petty" and the situations in question occurred before he was unanimously reelected in March, a month before the abrupt impeachment.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Stewart Takes Down Florida Pastor Planning 'Burn A Koran Day'

The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Weekend at Burnies
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorTea Party


My favorite line: "This man is f***ing crazy," Oliver said. "He doesn't represent Christianity any more than "Dr. Laura represents the United Negro College Fund."

The guy is just stupid. I think the media should just stop coverage of this idiot. This will be my last post about him.