"One day the good Lord will take Fidel Castro away."

GEORGE W. BUSH on Cuban leader Fidel Castro, responding to questions at the U.S. Naval War College in Rhode Island


[and remember, Bush is the "Christian." What a Christian statement. Bush and I obvious believe in different gods.]

"Now I understand why I survived Bush's plans and the plans of other presidents who ordered my assassination: the good Lord protected me."



FIDEL CASTRO, Cuban leader, in response to Bush's remarks

'7 Point Pledge' to curb global warming

Al Gore called on people around the world to sign a "7 Point Pledge" promising personal action in curbing global warming. Audiences at the eight Live Earth concerts will be asked to sign the pledge.

It asks individuals to:
1.To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth;
2.To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become "carbon neutral;"
3.To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2;
4.To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation;
5.To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal;
6.To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests; and,
7.To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.

The pledge is also available at www.LiveEarth.org.

Church Wedding for Gays Soon a Reality in Sweden

Sweden, already a pioneer in giving same-sex couples rights, looks set to allow gays to marry in the Lutheran Church, with plans to introduce a new marriage law in January 2008. If the so-called "gender neutral" marriage legislation is adopted, the Scandinavian country would become the first in the world to allow gays to marry within a major church.

Californians languish in worst traffic

Californians idle in the nation’s worst traffic jams on interstates surrounding major metropolitan areas but they are far from alone — 52 percent of these urban stretches of highways are congested, according to a new study released on Thursday.

Drivers in four lucky states enjoyed zero congestion: Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. But one Midwestern state, Minnesota, and two East Coast states nearly matched California’s sorry showing.

Some 83.33 percent of California’s urban interstates are overcrowded, followed by Minnesota at 77.78 percent and New Jersey at 73.35 percent, according to the 16th annual survey by The Reason Foundation, a Los Angeles-based nonpartisan group.

Manhattan popularized the term “gridlock” but traffic jams on New York’s urban interstates were only mediocre, ranking 37th at 53.39 percent, according to the libertarian-idea promoting group that compared volume-to-capacity ratios.

[I don't think this is a surprise to anyone in California.]

Ugandan minister upset by emails from gay people

A homophobic politician in Uganda has branded LGBT people who have sent him hate emails 'sick' and accused them of using 'foul language.' James Nsaba Buturo, the minister of Ethics and Integrity, said he gets at least twenty threatening emails a day, mostly from people in the US and UK.

The Ugandan Ethics and Integrity minister made it his mission to root homosexuality out of his nation. He’s proposed aversion therapy, threatened arrests and accused the media of promoting homosexuality. Not only can gays get help through reparative therapy, but a good life prison sentence will also set them straight - homosexuality’s illegal in Uganda. Buturo insists, of course, the government isn’t attacking gays, just homosexuality.

Mr Butoro has been a leading opponent of gay rights and last year promised to round up and imprison rights activists.

If you would like to email him: njbuturo@parliament.go.ug

Priscilla The Musical

Calif. court sides with Episcopal diocese in property dispute

Buildings used by three Episcopal parishes that broke away from the mother church in a dispute over a gay bishop should be placed under the control of the Los Angeles diocese, an appeals court ruled. Relying on church law, the state's 4th District Court of Appeal ruled Monday, "The right of the general church in this case to enforce a trust on the local parish property is clear."

But the three judges on the panel made it clear they were staying out of doctrinal disputes. "Readers will look in vain in this opinion for any indication of what religious controversy may have prompted the disaffiliation," Judge David G. Sills wrote. "That controversy is irrelevant to this action."

The appeals court reversed lower court rulings in favor of the three conservative parishes -- St. James Church in Newport Beach, All Saints Church in Long Beach and St. David's Church in North Hollywood.

They pulled out of the six-county Los Angeles Diocese and the 2.3-million member national Episcopal Church in 2004, following the ordination of a gay bishop in the Diocese of New Hampshire. They announced they were placing themselves under the jurisdiction of the Anglican Church in Uganda.

The Los Angeles Diocese sued to gain control of the properties, arguing that the parishes held their church buildings in trust for the diocese and the national Episcopal Church and were not entitled to them.

The churches argued the diocese's lawsuit to seek control of the properties interfered with the parishioners' freedom of speech. The trial judge said the churches had demonstrated they were being sued for their disagreement with the church's views concerning the consecration of homosexual clergy and also ruled that the local churches owned the property.

Diocese officials were pleased by the decision.

"Now we can get about the business of healing and about the business of being a church. It's been a long ordeal," said the Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno, bishop of the diocese.

Eric Sohlgren, lead lawyer for the three parishes, said the decision ran counter to 30 years of legal precedent in California. "What the court said here was that if a hierarchical church wants to take control of local church property, all it has to do is pass a rule," he said.

The parishes will decide soon whether to appeal to the California Supreme Court.

High School Students Urge Bush to Ban Use of Torture

President Bush was presented with a letter Monday signed by 50 high school seniors in the Presidential Scholars program urging a halt to "violations of the human rights" of terror suspects held by the United States.

The White House said Bush had not expected the letter but took a moment to read it and talk with a young woman who handed it to him.

"The president enjoyed a visit with the students, accepted the letter and upon reading it let the student know that the United States does not torture and that we value human rights," deputy press secretary Dana Perino said.

The students had been invited to the East Room to hear the president speak about his effort to win congressional reauthorization of his education law known as No Child Left Behind.
The handwritten letter said the students "believe we have a responsibility to voice our convictions."

"We do not want America to represent torture. We urge you to do all in your power to stop violations of the human rights of detainees, to cease illegal renditions, and to apply the Geneva Convention to all detainees, including those designated enemy combatants," the letter said.

The designation as a Presidential Scholar is one of the nation's highest honors for graduating high school students. Each year the program selects one male and one female student from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Americans living abroad, 15 at-large students, and up to 20 students in the arts on the basis of outstanding scholarship, service, leadership and creativity.

"I know all of you worked hard to reach this day," Bush told the students in his education speech. "Your families are proud of your effort, and we welcome your family members here. Your teachers are proud of your effort, and we welcome your teachers. And our entire nation is proud to call you Presidential Scholar."

Dear Mr. President

Pink sings to Mr. President.

Here are the lyrics:

Dear Mr. President - Come take a walk with me - Let's pretend we're just two people and - You're not better than me - I'd like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly - What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street - Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep - What do you feel when you look in the mirror - Are you proud How do you sleep while the rest of us cry - How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye - How do you walk with your head held high - Can you even look me in the eye - And tell me why Dear Mr. President - Were you a lonely boy - Are you a lonely boy - Are you a lonely boy - How can you say No child is left behind - We're not dumb and we're not blind - They're all sitting in your cells - While you pay the road to hell - What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away - And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay - I can only imagine what the first lady has to say - You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine - How do you sleep while the rest of us cry - How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye - How do you walk with your head held high - Can you even look me in the eye - Let me tell you bout hard work - Minimum wage with a baby on the way - Let me tell you bout hard work - Rebuilding your house after the bombs took them away - Let me tell you bout hard work - Building a bed out of a cardboard box - Let me tell you bout hard work - Hard work - You don't know nothing bout hard work - Hard work - Oh How do you sleep at night - How do you walk with your head held high Dear Mr. President - You'd never take a walk with me - Would you

Cops: Fleeing gunman wounds himself

Breaking news from Tucson:

A man who had fired a gun during a dispute accidentally shot himself while fleeing Sunday, Tucson police said.

The 30-year-old Tucsonan was arguing at an apartment complex in the 3200 block of East Bellevue Street when he fired one shot from a handgun, but no one was injured, Tucson police Officer Dallas Wilson said.

The man then ran to a bus stop a short distance away at East Speedway Boulevard and North Country Club Road, accidentally shooting himself on the way, Wilson said.

Police caught him at the bus stop, where they found him with injuries that were not life-threatening, he said. He did not say where the man shot himself.

The man's name has not been released, but he is facing at least two counts of aggravated assault, Wilson said. He did not explain the dispute that sparked the shooting.

[This is Nelson's apartment building in Tucson - the one he was trying to sell. I think the asking price just went down. The article doesn't say where the guy shot himself... let's just say he is missing a testicle or two.]

Wentworth Miller and Luke McFarlane an item, claims Perez

Very very good sources reveal exclusively to PerezHilton.com that Prison Break’s Wentworth Miller is dating fellow actor Luke McFarlane. Many of you may remember McFarlane from his brief stint as T.R. Knight’s boyfriend or from his role on the ABC show Brothers & Sisters.

“Wentworth and Luke have been secretly dating for almost six months now,” says an impeccable source close to the pair. “They’ve been very quiet about their relationship, obviously, as Wentworth is not out of the closet.”

Things between the pair are so serious that the couple are talking about moving in together, we hear.

“They spend a lot of time at each other’s houses,” says our mole. “Wentworth has been pretty reclusive since he’s become famous and he’s been even more of a shut-in since he started dating Luke.”

The pair are so close that McFarlane has even accompanied Miller to Asia to film some recent commercials and adverts, our source tells us.

“Wentworth’s become very difficult to work with,” a Fox insider adds. “He’s been cutting back immensely on the amount of press he’s doing for Prison Break. He’s very nervous about reporters asking him if he’s gay.”

[okay, Perez Hilton is usually right about these things. Of course, Wentworth has said that he isn't gay. But so have many other people... and Perez has usually been right.]

Canadian Anglicans sideline same-sex blessings

Canada's Anglicans narrowly voted Sunday against letting priests bless same-sex marriages, but they also agreed the blessings do not conflict with their church's core doctrine, a step opposing sides agreed opens the door to such ceremonies in the future.

The moves by the Anglican Church of Canada came at a time when divisions over the Bible and homosexuality are roiling the world Anglican fellowship.

The resolution that failed would have given individual dioceses the option of letting their priests perform blessing ceremonies for gay couples who have already married in civil ceremonies. It would not have allowed priests to actually marry same-sex couples. Civil marriages for gay couples have been legal in Canada since 2004.

The resolution required a majority rule in three orders — the laity, clergy and bishops. It failed only in the order of bishops, which voted 21-19 against it.

''There is no question that there was a lot of disappointment on the part of some people and a lot of pain, and some people will be saying, 'How long, oh Lord, how long will this conversation continue?' And it will continue,'' said Bishop Fred Hiltz, who was elected to lead the Anglican Church on Friday and voted for the resolution.

Gay rights activists, however, took solace in an earlier vote Sunday, in which the Anglicans agreed that same-sex blessings do not conflict with the church's core doctrine. In that vote, the clergy and the laity were combined and voted 152-92 in favor; the bishops voted 21-19 in favor.

Where the Wild Things Are

"Where the Wild Things Are" is one of my favorite childhood books. The book is being adapted for a movie - filming has already started.

"This illustrates just how far the vice president will go to evade external oversight."

STEVEN AFTERGOOD who tracks government secrecy at the Federation of American Scientists, on Dick Cheney's efforts to close down the agency that monitors how his office handles classified documents

"Don't know... Hard to say."

White House Spokesman TONY SNOW responding during a press conference Monday when asked if the Iraq War has pushed the peace process forward in any way

The Garden - Early

I have all four bed of the vegetable garden going. My japanese cucumber are going strong and I have already picked a few.

I tried a small, sweet watermelon this year. It is off to a slow start... and better hurry. I have pumpkins and squash in the same bed, which have taken off.

I did "green" beans this year... some are ready to pick. I will have to figure out something to make with them this weekend.

My eggplant is really small again this year. I am not sure why I have a little trouble with the eggplant. But I love them from the garden.

Three types of tomatoes... just waiting for the romas to turn red.

Kevin Spacey: not interested in acting anymore

"I don't care about my personal acting career any more. I'm done with it. After 10 years of making movies and going better than I ever could have imagined, I sort of had to ask myself: What am I supposed to do with all of this success that I have had? Am I just going to keep making movie after movie and be concerned with all of that 'Are you up, are you down, are you hot, are you not?', and I don't really care. What I care about is working with people, what I care about is the remarkable experience of being able to be a part of bringing people together."

[Think he will come out now?]

Lawmakers keep same-sex marriage in Massachusetts

Massachusetts lawmakers blocked a proposed ballot measure Thursday that would have let voters decide whether to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage in the only state that allows it.

The narrow vote was a victory for marriage equality advocates and a blow to efforts to reverse the historic court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in the state. More than 8,500 gay couples have married in Massachusetts since it became legal in May 2004.

To get the proposed ban on the 2008 statewide ballot would have required 50 votes. It got 45, with 151 lawmakers opposed. There was no debate.

As the tally was announced, the halls of the statehouse erupted in applause.

Ban on Interracial Marriage Ended 40 Years Ago Today

Forty years ago, on June 12, 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in Loving v. Virginia, effectively ending a ban on interracial marriage that was still recognized in 16 states.

Adrian - 6 months

Nelson's Birthday at Lake Arrowhead

We rented a cabin from the nuns to celebrate Nelson's 45th birthday at Lake Arrowhead. The lake was a lot smaller than I thought, but a nice little town around the lake.

David and Andy were testing the water.

The cabin was the "Fatima House" and Mary was everywhere.

Andy made Nelson's birthday cake... okay, so there were 72 candles on the cake.

Yes, that is lots and lots of smoke!

Public 'Tolerance' of Gay Rights Makes a Comeback

According to a recent “Values and Beliefs” survey conducted by Gallup, public “tolerance” toward gay rights has made a bit of a comeback.

When Americans were first asked in 1977 whether gay relations should be legal, just 43 percent of respondents answered in the affirmative. By the middle of 2003, the number had jumped to 60 percent, only to plummet (to 50 percent) after the Supreme Court struck down a Texas sodomy law in June of that same year.

Last year, the number of Americans who said gay relationships should be legal increased once again to 56 percent, and this year it reached 59 percent, similar to the 2003 high point.

According to the results of that most recent Gallop survey, s similar pattern can be seen when looking at attitudes about whether gayness should be sanctioned as an “acceptable alternative lifestyle.”

Same-sex unions seen boosting economy

Legalization of same-sex marriage would be a windfall for New York City and state, according to a report issued yesterday by city Comptroller William C. Thompson.

The report, "Love Counts: The Economic Benefits of Marriage Equality for New York," predicts the city economy would gain $142 million, while the state economy would gain $184 million in the three years following legalization.

According to the study, most of the revenue would come from money spent on weddings. It's estimated that ceremonies both simple and lavish would swell the city's coffers by $175 million and the state's by $247 million. Other gains would derive from hotel stays, increased tax revenues, and marriage license fees.

Democratic Presidential Candidates Endorse Repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

The entire field of eight Democratic presidential candidates indicated their support for repealing the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual personnel during a televised debate on Sunday. The candidates, appearing on CNN, all expressed support for allowing lesbians and gays to serve openly in the armed forces.

The 2008 Republican presidential candidates indicated they would maintain the federal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service personnel. Speaking in New Hampshire, many of the leading candidates said they believed the policy "is working," in stark contrast to remarks on Sunday by Democratic candidates, who unanimously supported repealing the law.

"I don't think this would be the right time to raise these issues," former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said. Giuliani was joined by Senator John McCain (R-AZ), who told the audience that "I think it would be a terrific mistake to even reopen the issue. It is working, my friends. The policy is working."

Gay Marriage Bill Passes Calif. Assembly Second Time

The California Assembly passed legislation Tuesday allowing same-sex couples to marry despite a threat by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that he will veto the measure, as he did with the last bill.

The Assembly voted 42 - 34 along party lines. The legislation now moves to the Senate where it is also expected to pass.

"By denying a group of individuals the right to marry, we denigrate that entire group and deny them citizenship," Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) the bill's author said as he led off debate.
Lawmakers passed a nearly identical bill in 2005 - becoming the first legislative body in the nation to approve a measure allowing same-sex couples to marry - but it was vetoed by the governor who argued the issue should be decided by voters or the state Supreme Court.

Schwarzenegger said in February that if the second bill passed the legislature he would veto it also.

Called the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act it would amend the Family Code to define marriage as a civil contract between two persons instead of a civil contract between a man and a woman, and again reaffirms that no religious institution would be required to solemnize marriages contrary to its fundamental beliefs.

Boy Scouts may lose lease in Philadelphia for anti-gay policy

The city of Philadelphia may require the Boy Scouts of America's Cradle of Liberty Council to affirm that it will not discriminate against openly gay people or else lose its rent-free headquarters.

The group has made its headquarters on a half-acre owned by the city in the upscale Philadelphia Art Museum area since 1928, when the city council voted to allow the Scouts to use the property rent-free "in perpetuity." The Scouts pay for building upkeep. The City Council passed a resolution Thursday that City Solicitor Romulo L. Diaz Jr. said was a last step needed to end the Scouts' lease.

Jeff Jubelirer, a spokesman for the Cradle of Liberty Council, said any decision probably would involve the leadership of the scout's National Council, and he did not know how scout officials would react.

The Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that as a private group, scouts have a First Amendment right to bar gays from membership. The Cradle of Liberty Council adopted a nondiscrimination policy in 2003 but was ordered to revoke it by the National Council, which said local councils had no right to deviate from national rules that bar participation by anyone who is openly gay.
The Cradle of Liberty Council, the third-largest scouting group in the country. It has been battling with the city for more than three years over the policy, which like the national Scouts organization forbids gays from being leaders. In 2003, the council in Philadelphia said it would adopt a nondiscrimination policy on gays. However, weeks later the group dismissed an 18-year-old Scout who publicly acknowledged he was gay.