Let California Ring

The Adventures of Match.com

I think most people know that I have been trying match.com. I think I have gone on two dates. I just wanted to share some of the people that send me winks – I am sure these are very nice people. But if you know me, you probably understand why I have gone on so few dates from match.com.


warmguy100
Would love to hear from you...
Active within 3 days
46-year-old man
Santa Monica, California, United States
seeking men 35-50
within 20 miles of Los Angeles, California, United States



[Again, I am sure he is a nice guy – but he is 46 and lives in Santa Monica, which is at least 45 minutes to an hour from my house on a good day. And, really, do you think the second picture was taken years ago - this is still warm guy. They almost don't look like pictures of the same person.]







mayneT
Kind heart, adventurous spirit
Active within 24 hours
44-year-old man
Westlake Village, California, United States
seeking men 30-50
within 60 miles of Westlake Village, California, United States




[44 years old... really?]









not12stl4les
Everything happens for a reason...
Active within 24 hours
23-year-old man
Corona, California, United States
seeking men 21-37
within 300 miles of Corona, California, United States


[he is 23 years old – come on]









barsaat
Can I Just Spend My Life With You?
Active within 3 days
27-year-old man
Norwalk, California, United States
seeking men 30-45
within 50 miles of Norwalk, California, United States





inlosangelesca
Will see!!
Active within 3 days
47-year-old man
Los Angeles, California, United States
seeking men 37-51
in in Los Angeles, California, United States







[okay, in good shape for 47]













peejay31
Hope I get lucky here... lets see what happens
Active within 24 hours
33-year-old man
Los Angeles, California, United States
seeking men 32-40
within 25 miles of Los Angeles, Lincoln Heights, California, United States


Pasadenaguy2007
If you are normal please keep reading...
Active within 24 hours
25-year-old man
Pasadena, California, United States
seeking women 21-27
within 20 miles of Pasadena, California, United States

[Okay, this guy is 25 years old. He winked at me. But read his description: he is looking for a woman – or so he says.]

I'm looking for someone who is ambitious and goal-oriented, but has her priorities straight. She must be smart, funny, and adventurous. I want someone who enjoys being outside more than sitting in front of the television. I would prefer being outside near the water but anything outside will do. I love to cook and I'm pretty good at it but would rather be bbqing. I'm one of those people that likes all kinds of music. I like to dance even though its not flattering, and I love to make people laugh and smile. I'm on this site because I think its hard to meet someone who is genuinely good and can appreciate romantic gestures.


latino4LTR
Travel and adventurer looking parthner to share life with
Active within 24 hours
40-year-old man
Long Beach, California, United States
seeking men 30-47
within 1000 miles of Lakewood, Long Beach, California, United States

[yeah, Long Beach – because that is a least an hour away.]



shawnbrady601
swimmer1
Online now!
27-year-old man
City of Industry, California, United States
seeking men 18-35 within 20 miles of City of Industry, La Puente, California, United States

[This has to be his high-school year book photo or something.]



And you wonder why I am still single?

Study blames climate change for hurricane rise

Approximately 60%, and possibly even 70% of what we are seeing in the last decade can be attributed directly to greenhouse warming.

DR. GREG HOLLAND, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, who authored a new report that shows the boost in Atlantic hurricanes is due to a warmer sea

The number of Atlantic hurricanes in an average season has doubled in the last century due in part to warmer seas and changing wind patterns caused by global warming, according to a study released on Sunday.

Hurricane researchers have debated for years whether climate change caused by greenhouse gases from cars, factories and other human activity is resulting in more, and more intense, tropical storms and hurricanes.

The new study, published online in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, said the increased numbers of tropical storms and hurricanes in the last 100 years is closely related to a 1.3-degree Fahrenheit rise in sea surface temperatures.

The influential U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in a report this year warning that humans contribute to global warming, said it was "more likely than not" that people also contribute to a trend of increasingly intense hurricanes.

Rosarito to Ensenada Bike Tour

Heather and I are doing the Rosarito-Ensenada 50 Mile Fun Bicycle Ride in September. It should be lots of fun. Of course, this means I have to get my bike out of the garage - I haven't used it since I have been in California - and get the flat tires fixed. I am not that bad off... Heather has to go buy a bike - so I am one step ahead.

I will post photos at the end of September of our trip, but here are some past photos of the event.

This Weekend: Opera Strikes Back

I will be busy most of the weekend assisting at the GMCLA concert - DIVAS 3: Opera Strikes Back.

What is it about gay men and opera? Whatever it is, we’re sure you’ve never seen opera quite like this. We mix some of the world’s most beautiful melodies with GMCLA verve—plus a little wit. We’ll remind you why you like opera so much, or help bring out the opera queen you’ve always kept inside—but never dared reveal.

If you want to see some clips from past DIVAS concerts:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3x-pwJGsgU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK6w4wokeTg

Disney to Eliminate Cigarette Smoking in Family Films

Walt Disney Co., responding to Congressional calls for Hollywood to discourage tobacco use, will eliminate cigarette smoking from some films.

Family movies from Disney, the first studio to make the pledge, won't show cigarette smoking, and executives will discourage scenes in Touchstone and Miramax productions, the Burbank, California-based company said today in a statement.

Disney also will include anti-smoking advertisements on DVDs with films that have cigarette smoking and will ask theater owners to run the ads before showing those movies. Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger made the commitment in a letter to Rep. Edward J. Markey, the Massachusetts Democrat who chairs the U.S. House Telecommunications and Internet subcommittee.

``Disney's decision to take a stand against smoking is groundbreaking,'' Markey said in a statement on his Web site. ``Now it's time for other media companies to similarly kick the habit and follow Disney's lead.''

The company declined to make executives available for comment. Disney's statement is ``cigarette specific,'' Markey spokeswoman Jessica Schafer said in an interview.
Iger has undertaken other health initiatives. This year, Disney theme parks will eliminate foods with trans fats that contribute to heart disease. The company will license characters only for foods low in sugar, fat and calories by the end of 2008.

Bush Administration Subpoenas Michael Moore

For the filming of his documentary SiCKO, Michael Moore took sick 9/11 workers to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to help them obtain free medical care.

“The (rescue workers just want medical attention!” Moore shouts into a loudspeaker in the movie, in a futile attempt to win over the security guards. “The same kind Al Qaeda is getting!” In May, Moore announced that the Treasury Department launched an investigation into his trip, examining “whether he had violated restrictions on travel to Cuba.”

Last night on NBC’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Moore announced that “the Bush administration has now issued a subpoena for me, going after me for helping these 9/11 rescue workers.” Moore said that the subpoena was unwarranted, since journalists are allowed to travel to Cuba, and “this was a work of journalism.” “I was there to help them and now I’m going to face this further harassment from the Bush people,” said Moore. “Aren’t they busy with something else?”

In May, Moore received a letter from Dale Thompson in the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, claiming, “OFAC has information indicating that you claimed to qualify under the provision for general license for full-time journalist.”

Moore also announced that on Aug. 11, The Weinstein Company, which distributes SiCKO, will donate 11 percent of the box office receipts to help 9/11 rescue workers who need medical care.

Without gay priests Church would be lost claims Bishop Gene

The openly gay bishop whose ordination sparked the crisis in the Anglican Communion has claimed the Church of England would be close to shutting down if it was forced to manage without its gay clergy.

The Bishop of New Hampshire in the US, the Right Rev Gene Robinson, who is divorced and lives openly in partnership with a gay man, said he found it "mystifying" that the mother church of the Anglican Communion was unable to be honest about the number of gay clergy in its ranks.

He said many of the English church's clergy lived openly in their rectories with gay partners, with the full knowledge of their bishops. But he criticized the stance of bishops who threaten the clergy with emnity should their relationships become public.

Speaking in an interview in London, Bishop Gene said: "I have met so many gay partnered clergy here and it is so troubling to hear them tell me that their bishop comes to their house for dinner, knows fully about their relationship, is wonderfully supportive but has also said if this ever becomes public then I’m your worst enemy.

"It’s a terrible way to live your life and I think it’s a terrible way to be a church. I think integrity is so important. What does it mean for a clergy person to be in a pulpit calling the parishioners to a life of integrity when they can’t even live a life of integrity with their own bishop and their own church? So I would feel better about the Church of England’s stance, its reluctance to support The Episcopal Church in what it has done if it would at least admit that this not an American problem and just an American challenge. If all the gay people stayed away from church on a given Sunday the Church of England would be close to shut down between its organists, its clergy, its wardens.....it just seems less than humble not to admit that."

Catholic adoption agency closes rather than accept gay couples

A Roman Catholic adoption charity is to turn away children in care because it refuses to accept the government's gay rights laws.

Catholic Care will end its 100-year-old adoption service, which places 20 children with new families every year, because it does not want to help same-sex couples adopt.

The Sexual Orientation Regulations, passed earlier this year, protect gay, lesbian and bisexual people from discrimination when accessing goods and services.

Wow: Lies

[Everyone should see the first 6 minutes of this. I am still amazed that over 20% of the American public STILL believes that we FOUND weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.]

"You're giving out condoms, but who's going to give us a guy?"

ROSE CRESSCENZO, 82 at a condom give-away sponsored by the New York City's Department of Aging, which seeks to educate senior citizens about AIDS

Response from Feinstein

Dear Mr. Bolling:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the "United States National Health Insurance Act" (H.R. 676). I appreciate the time you took to write and welcome the opportunity to respond.

On January 24, 2007, Representative John Conyers Jr. (D-MI) introduced the "United States National Health Insurance Act." This legislation would establish a government program to provide health insurance coverage for all United States residents. H.R. 676 has been referred to the House Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Natural Resources. Currently, no companion legislation has been introduced in the Senate.

I recognize that the large number of people who lack health insurance is a critical problem facing our country. I find it unacceptable that nearly 46 million people in our country are without health insurance. This problem is especially acute in California, where over 6 million people are uninsured. The escalating cost of some premiums continues to make obtaining health insurance difficult, if not impossible, for many Americans. I am working hard to remove existing barriers to health care so that all Americans have access to the services they require. There is no excuse for inaccessibility of health care and insurance should be available for all people. I have noted your concerns and will keep your comments in mind as the Senate considers health care reform proposals.

Again, thank you for writing. If you have any further questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841. Best regards.

Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein

United States Senator

Response from Schiff

Dear Mr. Bolling :

Thank you for contacting me regarding your support for the United States National Health Insurance Act, H.R. 676. I appreciate hearing from you and welcome your input.

The United States National Health Insurance Act is a legislative proposal to extend publicly financed, privately delivered health care to all Americans. The proposal would extend Medicare, an existing federal program aimed at those who otherwise could not afford care, to all Americans. H.R. 676 is just one of several proposals to achieve universal coverage that Congress is considering, in addition to proposals put forth by various Presidential candidates. I share your support for universal healthcare and I am studying each of these proposals to reach that goal. I am pleased that this debate is taking place, as it casts a spotlight on an issue that I believe is among the most pressing priorities our nation faces. In the richest nation on earth, no one should go without good, affordable care.

Health care is a basic human right, and we know from experience that those without insurance are far less likely to obtain timely care. Even for those lucky enough to have employer provided insurance, navigating the Byzantine system of HMOs an d PPOs can be a daunting task. Approximately 45 million Americans lack health insurance, 9 million of whom are under the age of 18, and millions more don't have adequate coverage. I am most disturbed by the fact that America allows millions of children to grow up without adequate access to modern medicine. We as a nation have the ability, and the moral obligation, to ensure that all our citizens have access to health care regularly, especially our children and most vulnerable population, and not just when a medical problem necessitates a trip to the e mergency r oom.

Congress is expected to act this year to reauthorize the State Children Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP). S-CHIP currently provides coverage for over 750,000 California children from low and middle income families, as well as coverage for pregnant women and families. S-CHIP has been highly successful since its enactment in 1997, and California has experienced great successes in getting children enrolled in the Healthy Families program and keeping them that way. Inadequate health care for children has additional costs - how can we ask a student to concentrate in class when they are suffering from a toothache or untreated asthma? Giving children access to the health care that so many of us take for granted is one of my top priorities in Congress.

Since coming to Congress, I have helped to enroll many of my constituents in available programs, such as Medi -Cal and Healthy Families. Many of those eligible for these programs don't know it, and end up forgoing help to which they are entitled. We also have enlisted information technologies to make the enrollment process simpler.

I will be closely monitoring the debate in Congress, and will continue pushing to address the disparities in health care in America in a way that is affordable for all Americans and doesn't sacrifice quality of care. I firmly believe that a solution can be found so that we can achieve universal care, and I look forward to hearing more from you as the House debates this issue.

An on-going job of a Representative in Congress is to help constituents solve problems with federal agencies, access services, and get their questions answered promptly. On my website, I offer a detailed guide to the services my office can provide to you as a constituent. I also encourage you to subscribe to the Washington Update, my email newsletter which contains information on local events, my work in Washington , and even lets you weigh in on important issues through online polls. Visit me online at http://schiff.house.gov to subscribe. Please know that you can always reach me at (626) 304-2727 or via my website if I can ever be of additional assistance.

Thank you again for your thoughts. I hope you will continue to share your views and ideas with me.

Sincerely,
Adam B. Schiff

Massachusetts Says Same-Sex Couples From New Mexico Can Marry

Gay couples from New Mexico can marry in Massachusetts because their home state has not explicitly banned same-sex marriage, according to Massachusetts records officials. New Mexico joins Rhode Island as the only states whose gay residents are allowed to marry in Massachusetts, the only state that allows same-sex marriage.

In a July 18 notice, city and town clerks were instructed by Stanley Nyberg, Massachusetts’ Registrar of Vital Records, to give marriage licenses to gay couples from New Mexico. "Effective immediately, Intentions to Marry completed by same sex couples who seek licenses to marry in Massachusetts may be accepted," the notice read. "Under applicable Massachusetts law ..., New Mexico’s laws do not prohibit marriage between parties."

In February, two measures that would have banned same-sex marriage in New Mexico were killed when a House committee tabled them.

Rhode Island has not decided whether to recognize gay marriages from Massachusetts, though the state’s attorney general recommends they should.

The marriages of more than 170 couples from New York were deemed valid because they got married in Massachusetts prior to a New York appeals court ruling in 2006 that banned same-sex marriages.

Massachusetts began marrying same-sex couples in 2004. Gov. Mitt Romney then prohibited out-of-state couples from marrying in the state, citing a 1913 law that bars Massachusetts from marrying couples who would be prevented from marrying in their home states.

In March 2006, the state’s highest court ruled that gay couples from other states could not marry in Massachusetts if their home state expressly prohibited gay marriage.

Anglican Rift Widens

When leaders of the worldwide Anglican Church meet next year for their once-a-decade meeting bishops representing almost half of the denomination's 77-million members will be absent.

The steering committee for the Global South Primates, made up of churches mainly in the developing world and the most conservative in the worldwide Anglican Communion, said this week its bishops will boycott the meeting because the American wing of the faith, the Episcopal Church, is allowed to participate.

Conservative Anglicans have been at war with the US Church since the elevation of Gene Robinson in 2003. Robinson is in a committed relationship with another man and is the first and only openly gay bishop in the Anglican Church.

Overseas conservatives have formed two U.S. missions and installed bishops in some breakaway Episcopal parishes to challenge the liberal-leaning Episcopal Church on its home turf. The missions violate an Anglican tradition that church leaders, called primates, only minister to churches within their own territories.

In an effort to quell the growing dissatisfaction by by both sides in the debate, the titular leader of the faith, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, disinvited both Robinson and the illegally installed bishops from the conference. He later relented somewhat, allowing Robinson to attend but only as an observer.

Nevertheless, the Global South bishops say they will not attend the conclave.

In an interview published Monday, Archbishop of York John Sentamu, a close ally of Williams and a leading church conservative in England, said Global South bishops who boycott the meeting will effectively be expelling themselves from the communion.

"Anglicanism has its roots through Canterbury,'' Sentamu told The Daily Telegraph of London. "If you sever that link you are severing yourself from the communion. There is no doubt about it.''

Anglican Rift Widens

Greenbox turns carbon dioxide into biofuel

With the billions of dollars being pumped into research every year, is it possible that the auto-emissions problem could have been solved by a trio of fisherman in Wales? It's possible. Three fishing buddies (who also happen to be organic chemists and engineers) have developed what they call the "Greenbox," a device that basically neutralizes harmful emissions when attached to a vehicle.

It works by trapping the offending chemicals before they manage to get out the exhaust pipe. The box is removed when full, basically whenever the car is filled up, and replaced with a fresh one. It's then sent to a bioreactor, full of carbon dioxide in its inert state, to be fed to algae and converted into biodiesel. That diesel can then be pumped right back into vehicles. It sounds like a pretty amazing system, and tests have shown it working at 85-95% efficiency. The fishing buddies are in talks with companies such as Toyota and GM, so hopefully we'll see something like this become a widespread reality sooner rather than later.

Ireland To Legalize Gay Civil Partnerships

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern announced Wednesday that his government will bring in legislation giving same-sex couples the same rights as married pairs.

The legislation would be similar to Britain's civil partnership law that gives gay and lesbian couples all of the rights of marriage except the name.

Ahern said he would push through the legislation "as soon as possible".

"This Government is committed to providing a more supportive and secure legal environment for same-sex couples," he said.

Support the State Children's Health Insurance Program

For the last decade, the State Children's Health Insurance Program has provided low-income children with health care coverage. The Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2007 would extend that program and could cover up to 4.1 million kids by 2012 who would otherwise be uninsured. The current program is set to expire at the end of September, so it's crucial that Congress act now.

President Bush, however, has decided to place narrow ideology ahead of our children's health, and has already threatened to veto the legislation. "My concern is," he said, "that when you expand eligibility...you're really beginning to open up an avenue for people to switch from private insurance to the government." But the Senate can send a strong message to the President and his fellow ideologues about health care by passing this bill.

This is the first battle in the fight to bring affordable health care to this country. Our friends at the Service Employees International Union are taking the lead to gather 1 million signatures to let Congress know that kids should come first and we want to be a strong part of that message. There is a petition you can sign at www.truemajority.org

Dear Member of Congress,

We need to fix our broken healthcare system and ensure quality, affordable healthcare for every man, woman and child in America. Let's start with our children.

There are 9 million uninsured children in America. They have no access to regular checkups, their parents struggle to afford doctors' visits when they are sick, and they often go without care.

I urge you to support full funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), to provide coverage to millions of uninsured children and bring America closer to quality, affordable healthcare for all.

Vermont commission to study legality of gay marriage

The state's top two Democrats in the Legislature announced Wednesday that they have formed a new commission to study the possibility of making it legal for gays and lesbians to get married.

The announcement outside of Burlington's City Hall by House Speaker Gaye Symington of Jericho and Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin comes seven years after Vermont made history by approving civil unions for same-sex couples.

Symington and Shumlin said the commission, chaired by former state representative Tom Little, would study state law and gather input from Vermonters before making a recommendation on the issue in April 2008.

The two Democratic leaders both said they felt it was time for the state to have the gay marriage discussion and believed that it would not be as divisive as the legislative battle over civil unions in Montpelier in 2000.

"It's time to ask if it is in Vermont's best interest to retain separate legal status for gay couples," Symington said. At his weekly press conference Wednesday, Gov. James Douglas said he is satisfied that the state's civil union legislation, which was signed into law by his predecessor, former Gov. Howard Dean, supplies gay and lesbian couples with the same rights allowed to heterosexual couples.

The governor added that he is worried the gay marriage debate would be as divisive as the civil union one seven years ago."

I don't think it is in the state's best interest to have this divisive topic revisited," Douglas said.

Adrain - 7 months

So, they are trying to get Adrian to crawl... and he is having nothing to do with it. He doesn't like being on his stomach and doesn’t want to crawl. When my brother puts a toy just out of Adrian’s reach, Adrian doesn’t go for it… he just yells. I love it. I didn't crawl either... I just went to walking. The kid is going to take after me.

Protein reverses Alzheimer's disease in mice

Scientists have successfully tested a treatment in mice that stops the progression of Alzheimer's and even sends the disease into reverse.

It will be several years before the experimental treatment can be used on humans but one advantage is that it works at a very early stage. It is hoped the breakthrough could one day enable doctors to stop the disease in its tracks before patients suffer the worst effects.

The treatment is a protein, specifically designed for the job, based on the three-dimensional structure of two other proteins involved in the progression of the disease. It works by sticking to one of these proteins so that it cannot bind with the other - a step that triggers a succession of biochemical events that lead to the death of the nerve cell and ultimately to the patient's symptoms.

Most cases of Alzheimer's develop in those aged 65 or over - affecting about one in 20. But by 85 nearly half will have the disease.

"This is the worst it's ever been for veterans, and it's only going to get worse."


Attorney GORDON P. ERSPAMER who filed a class-action lawsuit against Veteran Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson Monday for denying mental health treatment and disability pay to Iraq war veterans

Anti-Gay Group Drops Plan To Put Marriage Issue On 2010 Ballot

An umbrella organization that has fought for four years to end same-sex marriage in Massachusetts has given up on plans to put the issue to voters in 2010.

VoteOnMarriage was thwarted last month in its bid to get a proposed amendment banning gay marriage on the ballot in 2008. The organization had collected enough signatures to advance the amendment and it passed the first of a two stage legislature approval process last January. But when it came up for a second vote last month it failed to get the necessary 50 votes in a joint session of the House and Senate.

VoteOnMarriage had collected 170,000 signatures but the failure of the measure to advance in the legislature meant the group back at square one having to collect signatures all over again.

The organization, a collection of conservative groups, evangelicals and the Roman Catholic Church, said it will now focus on 2012.

In the meantime, said spokesperson Kris Mineau, it will work to defeat lawmakers who voted against the amendment. Mineau said members of the House and Senate who did not support putting the amendment to voters would be targeted in 2008. "This campaign is far from over, believe me. Some of these legislators will go away, but we will not."

In 2003, the Supreme Judicial Court barred the state from denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples, the first same-sex marriages were conducted the following year.
Since then more than 10,000 same-sex couples have married in Massachusetts.
LGBT civil rights group MassEquality said that the decision not to try to get an amendment on the 2010 ballot showed support was "weak and dwindling."

"The handwriting is on the wall," he told the Globe.

"Starbucks shouldn't be here. Why bring something so Western to an ancient place like this?"


An Australian tourist named JUSTIN on the closing of a Starbucks in Bejing's Forbidden City

Exxon Mobil tops $500 billion

Exxon Mobil Corp. became the first publicly traded company valued above half a trillion dollars.

Shares of Exxon Mobil rose 2.7 percent pushing the market capitalization of the Irving-based company to $504.9 billion — more than the annual economic output of Argentina, Finland and Kazakhstan combined. A 40 percent gain in the past 12 months made Exxon Mobil 26 percent bigger than General Electric Co., the next largest U.S. company.

A bottleneck in U.S. refining capacity also helped earnings for integrated companies such as Exxon Mobil that produce, process and market petroleum.

[and Bush keeps giving the oil companies tax breaks]

Black pastor upset with Sen. Edwards over gay rights and religious bigotry

“Summertime seems to be appealing to them.”

Homeland Security Secretary MICHAEL CHERTOFF on his "gut feeling" that a terrorist attack within the next two months is likely

“Yeah, the 'gut feeling' has been described as 'breaking news.' Actually, a 'gut feeling' would be closer to 'breaking wind.'”

MSNBC host KEITH OLBERMANN attacking the Homeland Security Secretary's prediction of a "summertime" terror strike, saying it's just a way to distract the media from embarrassing stories about the administration

Senator opposed to gay marriage favors paid-for sex

"I'm a conservative who opposes radically redefining marriage, the most important social institution in human history," Vitter, a Republican in the U.S. Senate, wrote in a letter last year to The Times-Picayune in New Orleans.

That self-created image, a political winner here since 1991, took a serious tumble Monday with the revelation that Vitter's phone number was among those kept by the so-called D.C. Madam, who is accused of running a prostitution ring.

Republican Senator David Vitter has been forced to admit he used the escort services of Deborah Jane Palfrey, the "DC madam" who is accused of providing call girls to Washington's elite.

Senator Vitter strongly opposes gay rights and is a 'family values' stalwart.

In 2005 he compared same-sex marriage to hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which devestated his home state of Louisiana. "It's the crossroads where Katrina meets Rita. I always knew I was against same-sex unions," he said.

Senator Vitter said in a statement today that God had forgiven him for his sins, along with his wife.

Ms Palfrey claims the services she provided were erotic roleplay and not sex, and therefore she is innocent.