Since Obama is going to be the nominee for the Democrates:
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
California: Equality for All
From Equality for All:
After years of hard work we are just days away from learning whether the California Supreme Court will strike down California's discriminatory marriage laws and allow loving, same-sex couples to marry. If they do, it will be a joyous day for the millions of us who have been denied equality our entire lives.
But our joy may be short lived. Right wing organizations have submitted what appear to be enough signatures to place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that, if passed, would rip any victory from our hands.
But our joy may be short lived. Right wing organizations have submitted what appear to be enough signatures to place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that, if passed, would rip any victory from our hands.
“We cannot operate without private security firms in Iraq. If the contractors were removed, we would have to leave Iraq.”
PATRICK F. KENNEDY, the State Department's under secretary of state for management, on the decision to renew Blackwater's license, despite deaths and inquiries into the contractor's conduct
[As a military brat, I have to wonder what’s up when the US Military can stay some place if they don’t have private security firms! That is just ridiculous to me. It is the US Military for heaven’s sake.]
PATRICK F. KENNEDY, the State Department's under secretary of state for management, on the decision to renew Blackwater's license, despite deaths and inquiries into the contractor's conduct
[As a military brat, I have to wonder what’s up when the US Military can stay some place if they don’t have private security firms! That is just ridiculous to me. It is the US Military for heaven’s sake.]
Monday, May 12, 2008
Family Values Congressman Admits To Affair, Illegitimate Child
Rep. Vito Fossella of New York ran a red light, and wrecked his life. A drunk-driving arrest last week led to talk of an extramarital affair, and then finally Thursday, an admission of a child from that affair.
"My personal failings and imperfections have caused enormous pain to the people I love and I am truly sorry," said Fossella, a Republican, who lives in his Staten Island, N.Y., district with his wife and their three children.
Fossella is the only Republican member of Congress from New York City, and the paternity revelation could lead to the loss of a seat in Congress at a time when the House GOP faces the possibility of a second grim November of election setbacks.
In Congress Fossella voted in favor of a constitutional amendment that would bar same-sex marriage and against the Matthew Shepard Act which would add gay under hate crime law.
House Minority Leader John Boehner said he expected Fossella to make decisions about his future in a matter of days, not months. "I think Mr. Fossella is going to have some decisions to make over the weekend. And I would hope that, and frankly, expect that this is a decision between he, his family, and his constituents," Boehner said.
Fossella's private life came under scrutiny after he was arrested in the Virginia suburbs of Washington for allegedly driving drunk. Police said they stopped him after he drove through a red light.
When Fossella was pulled over, police said he told officers that he was going to see his daughter in the area. That prompted questions about who the daughter was.
"I have had a relationship with Laura Fay, with whom I have a 3-year-old daughter," Fossella said in his statement. It was Fay who got him out of jail after the arrest. She is a former Air Force lieutenant colonel and worked for a time as a liaison to Congress.
Police said Fossella's blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit, and he could face a mandatory five days in jail if convicted. A court appearance on the drunken driving arrest that had been planned for next week was canceled, and he is now not expected back in court until June.
Fossella said he had no immediate plans to resign. The disclosures are a crushing blow to the career of a lawmaker once seen as a potential candidate for mayor of New York City. He faced a surprisingly tough re-election challenge in 2006, and Democrats have been hoping to unseat him this year.
"While I understand that there will be many questions, including those about my political future, making any political decisions right now are furthest from my mind. Over the coming weeks and months, I will continue to do my job and I will work hard to heal the deep wounds I have caused," he said.
There was little support from leaders of his party for him to remain.
A spokeswoman for the House GOP campaign committee said only that they expect the district to continue to elect conservative-minded lawmakers. A spokeswoman for the Democratic campaign committee declined to comment.
"He's politically dead. The only thing that hasn't happened is the autopsy report hasn't been written," said Doug Muzzio, a professor of politics at Baruch College in New York. "He can say he's going to stay all he wants, but come on ..."
Fossella, 43, was elected to Congress in 1997 in a special election to replace Rep. Susan Molinari, who resigned. His socially conservative positions squared nicely with his largely Catholic district. He serves as a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Fossella's work in Congress shifted dramatically following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Hundreds of Staten Island residents died in the attacks, and Fossella became a prominent advocate for families of those killed.
As more recovery and rescue workers got sick after toiling at the ground zero site, Fossella pushed for Washington to pay for their health care - an effort that has met with short-term success, but no long-term program.
"My personal failings and imperfections have caused enormous pain to the people I love and I am truly sorry," said Fossella, a Republican, who lives in his Staten Island, N.Y., district with his wife and their three children.
Fossella is the only Republican member of Congress from New York City, and the paternity revelation could lead to the loss of a seat in Congress at a time when the House GOP faces the possibility of a second grim November of election setbacks.
In Congress Fossella voted in favor of a constitutional amendment that would bar same-sex marriage and against the Matthew Shepard Act which would add gay under hate crime law.
House Minority Leader John Boehner said he expected Fossella to make decisions about his future in a matter of days, not months. "I think Mr. Fossella is going to have some decisions to make over the weekend. And I would hope that, and frankly, expect that this is a decision between he, his family, and his constituents," Boehner said.
Fossella's private life came under scrutiny after he was arrested in the Virginia suburbs of Washington for allegedly driving drunk. Police said they stopped him after he drove through a red light.
When Fossella was pulled over, police said he told officers that he was going to see his daughter in the area. That prompted questions about who the daughter was.
"I have had a relationship with Laura Fay, with whom I have a 3-year-old daughter," Fossella said in his statement. It was Fay who got him out of jail after the arrest. She is a former Air Force lieutenant colonel and worked for a time as a liaison to Congress.
Police said Fossella's blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit, and he could face a mandatory five days in jail if convicted. A court appearance on the drunken driving arrest that had been planned for next week was canceled, and he is now not expected back in court until June.
Fossella said he had no immediate plans to resign. The disclosures are a crushing blow to the career of a lawmaker once seen as a potential candidate for mayor of New York City. He faced a surprisingly tough re-election challenge in 2006, and Democrats have been hoping to unseat him this year.
"While I understand that there will be many questions, including those about my political future, making any political decisions right now are furthest from my mind. Over the coming weeks and months, I will continue to do my job and I will work hard to heal the deep wounds I have caused," he said.
There was little support from leaders of his party for him to remain.
A spokeswoman for the House GOP campaign committee said only that they expect the district to continue to elect conservative-minded lawmakers. A spokeswoman for the Democratic campaign committee declined to comment.
"He's politically dead. The only thing that hasn't happened is the autopsy report hasn't been written," said Doug Muzzio, a professor of politics at Baruch College in New York. "He can say he's going to stay all he wants, but come on ..."
Fossella, 43, was elected to Congress in 1997 in a special election to replace Rep. Susan Molinari, who resigned. His socially conservative positions squared nicely with his largely Catholic district. He serves as a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Fossella's work in Congress shifted dramatically following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Hundreds of Staten Island residents died in the attacks, and Fossella became a prominent advocate for families of those killed.
As more recovery and rescue workers got sick after toiling at the ground zero site, Fossella pushed for Washington to pay for their health care - an effort that has met with short-term success, but no long-term program.
Cynthia Nixon would marry her girlfriend
The UK Mirror sat down with "Sex and the City" star Cynthia Nixon, and she revealed she would marry her girlfriend Christine Marinoni, given the legal opportunity. The pair have been together since 2004.
"If it becomes legal I think we would," says Cynthia, who still lives in the Upper West Side neighbourhood where she was born. "It's something my girlfriend is interested in and it was not something my boyfriend ever was.
"I think that to get married to her would be a little act of rebellion. It's like if you've never had the vote and then you get it you're going to run out there and vote.
"I always avoided marriage in the past and was always very wary of it. I felt like it was potentially a trap. People sometimes want the party, the gifts and the public celebration of this big love - they're excited about that rather than about the lifetime commitment. So I always steered clear of it." Emmy-award winning Cynthia shocked everyone when she walked out on her partner of 15 years - English professor Danny Mozes - for Christine...
"I never felt like there was an unconscious part of me that woke up or came out of the closet. There wasn't a struggle or an attempt to suppress. I met this woman and I fell in love with her.
"If it becomes legal I think we would," says Cynthia, who still lives in the Upper West Side neighbourhood where she was born. "It's something my girlfriend is interested in and it was not something my boyfriend ever was.
"I think that to get married to her would be a little act of rebellion. It's like if you've never had the vote and then you get it you're going to run out there and vote.
"I always avoided marriage in the past and was always very wary of it. I felt like it was potentially a trap. People sometimes want the party, the gifts and the public celebration of this big love - they're excited about that rather than about the lifetime commitment. So I always steered clear of it." Emmy-award winning Cynthia shocked everyone when she walked out on her partner of 15 years - English professor Danny Mozes - for Christine...
"I never felt like there was an unconscious part of me that woke up or came out of the closet. There wasn't a struggle or an attempt to suppress. I met this woman and I fell in love with her.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Gay Marriage Returns To Rhode Island Legislature
A House committee room was packed well into the night Wednesday in what has become an annual debate in Rhode Island over same-sex marriage.
The House Judiciary Committee is considering several bills involving same-sex couples, including one that would allow gay and lesbian couples to marry and for the first time legislation that would allow couples married in areas where it is legal to end their marriages in Rhode Island.
The House Judiciary Committee is considering several bills involving same-sex couples, including one that would allow gay and lesbian couples to marry and for the first time legislation that would allow couples married in areas where it is legal to end their marriages in Rhode Island.
For the tenth consecutive year Marriage Equality Rhode Island testified that same-sex couples need the protection of marriage equality.
What Happens When Gasoline Exceeds US$7.00 Per Gallon?
MSN MoneyBlog man Charley Blaine has a very scary thought. Extrapolating from a projection by Goldman Sachs analyst Arjun Murt, he details a few key implications of US gasoline prices exceeding 7 bucks, inside two years.
Though more welcome scenarios are also plausible, it's worth pondering the secondary impacts suggested for the 7-buck gas outcome. This goes way beyond "Should I ride the train instead."
Will there be any U.S.-based auto manufacturers left? The answer depends entirely on how fast they can transform their product lines. Chrysler is in deep trouble already. That probably means more stress for the Midwest.
Will there be any domestic airlines left? The so-called legacy airlines (American, United, Northwest, Delta and Continental) would either try to combine into one big carrier or simply disappear. They're having serious troubles surviving as it is. This means big troubles for cities where these airlines operate hubs that generate thousands of jobs like Atlanta, Cleveland, Newark, Houston, Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Memphis and Minneapolis-St. Paul.
How will big convention cities survive? Places like Las Vegas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Houston have thriving convention industries, all built around the capacity of airlines to transport conventioneers to and from the destinations relatively cheaply. Emphasis on the word "cheaply."
How will tourist destinations like Florida or Hawaii cope? Add to that places like, say, Williamstown, Mass., whose Williamstown Theater Festival is a big draw, or Ashland, Ore., home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. They're not close to major cities.
Though more welcome scenarios are also plausible, it's worth pondering the secondary impacts suggested for the 7-buck gas outcome. This goes way beyond "Should I ride the train instead."
Will there be any U.S.-based auto manufacturers left? The answer depends entirely on how fast they can transform their product lines. Chrysler is in deep trouble already. That probably means more stress for the Midwest.
Will there be any domestic airlines left? The so-called legacy airlines (American, United, Northwest, Delta and Continental) would either try to combine into one big carrier or simply disappear. They're having serious troubles surviving as it is. This means big troubles for cities where these airlines operate hubs that generate thousands of jobs like Atlanta, Cleveland, Newark, Houston, Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Memphis and Minneapolis-St. Paul.
How will big convention cities survive? Places like Las Vegas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Houston have thriving convention industries, all built around the capacity of airlines to transport conventioneers to and from the destinations relatively cheaply. Emphasis on the word "cheaply."
How will tourist destinations like Florida or Hawaii cope? Add to that places like, say, Williamstown, Mass., whose Williamstown Theater Festival is a big draw, or Ashland, Ore., home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. They're not close to major cities.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Anti-Gay Pa. Amendment Dropped
In a surprise move just hours before the Pennsylvania Senate was expected to approve a proposed constitutional amendment that would bar same-sex marriage and civil unions in the state the measure's backer pulled the bill.
Pork-Fed Poultry?
The global increase in grain prices may make the meat supply less safe. The European Union is considering a relaxation of feed bans that prohibit animal by-products being used as feed for other animals in the human food chain.The proposal would "allow pig remains to be used to feed poultry" and would be the first exception made to strict regulations enacted to respond to the BSE, or mad cow disease, crisis of a decade ago.
But the plan is facing opposition from a wide range of parties, including consumer groups, animal rights activists, and Muslim organizations. With nutritionists predicting that "there will be such a backlash from consumers that the idea would have to be dropped," some grocery outlets are already going on record as not being willing to carry the pork-fed poultry.
The EU's Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said that it could "only support it if we were fully satisfied that appropriate and effective testing had taken place to control the use of such proteins in poultry feed."
NY High Court Refuses Gay Marriage Case
The Court of Appeals, the highest court in New York State, Tuesday declined to hear a case challenging an appeals court ruling that found the marriages of same-sex couples married in jurisdictions where they are legal must be recognized in New York.
[Yea!]
[Yea!]
Michigan high court says gay partners can't get health benefits
The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that governments and state universities can't offer health insurance to the partners of gay workers.
The court ruled 5-2 Wednesday that Michigan's 2004 ban against gay marriage also blocks domestic-partner policies affecting the partners of gay employees at the University of Michigan and other public-sector employers.The decision affirms a Court of Appeals ruling.
Up to 20 public universities, community colleges, school districts and local governments in Michigan have benefits policies covering at least 375 gay couples. Some of the plans began as far back as the early 1990s.
Busy Night on Tuesday
“We have seen that it's possible to overcome the politics of division and distraction.”
BARACK OBAMA, U.S. Presidential hopeful, after his wide victory over rival Democrat Hillary Clinton in the North Carolina primary
[I do like that he is trying to get away from politics as usual.]
Even with winner Indiana, things aren’t so good for Hillary: Former Sen. George McGovern, who backed Hillary Rodham Clinton, is urging her to drop out of the Democratic presidential race.
McGovern said Wednesday he has decided to endorse Barack Obama.
After watching the returns from the North Carolina and Indiana primaries Tuesday night, McGovern says it's virtually impossible for Clinton to win the nomination.
McGovern says he is calling former President Clinton to tell him of the decision and adds that he remains close friends with the Clintons.
I think McCain was glad the news coverage was on Barack and Hillary.
As the battle over Indiana progressed between Sens Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton late Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, a set of depressing polls numbers were finalized for John McCain.
In the GOP primaries in North Carolina and Indiana, the basically uncontested Republican nominee did not gain more than 80 percent of the vote.
In Indiana, McCain earned the backing of 78 percent of Republican primary voters, with exited candidates Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney gaining 10 percent and five percent respectively. Congressman Ron Paul, who is still in the race, has received seven percent of the vote.
The numbers were even worse in North Carolina, where McCain won 74 percent of the vote, with Huckabee earning 12 percent, Paul earning seven percent, and four percent of Republican primary goers simply voting "no preference."
[Sucks for McCain!]
BARACK OBAMA, U.S. Presidential hopeful, after his wide victory over rival Democrat Hillary Clinton in the North Carolina primary
[I do like that he is trying to get away from politics as usual.]
Even with winner Indiana, things aren’t so good for Hillary: Former Sen. George McGovern, who backed Hillary Rodham Clinton, is urging her to drop out of the Democratic presidential race.McGovern said Wednesday he has decided to endorse Barack Obama.
After watching the returns from the North Carolina and Indiana primaries Tuesday night, McGovern says it's virtually impossible for Clinton to win the nomination.
McGovern says he is calling former President Clinton to tell him of the decision and adds that he remains close friends with the Clintons.
I think McCain was glad the news coverage was on Barack and Hillary. As the battle over Indiana progressed between Sens Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton late Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, a set of depressing polls numbers were finalized for John McCain.
In the GOP primaries in North Carolina and Indiana, the basically uncontested Republican nominee did not gain more than 80 percent of the vote.
In Indiana, McCain earned the backing of 78 percent of Republican primary voters, with exited candidates Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney gaining 10 percent and five percent respectively. Congressman Ron Paul, who is still in the race, has received seven percent of the vote.
The numbers were even worse in North Carolina, where McCain won 74 percent of the vote, with Huckabee earning 12 percent, Paul earning seven percent, and four percent of Republican primary goers simply voting "no preference."
[Sucks for McCain!]
The Olympics
“We're not saying athletes can't express their views, but not at Games venues.”
International Olympic Committee spokeswoman GISELLE DAVIES on the group's intent to keep the August Beijing Games free of protest and politics
[I love the Olympics, but this is going to be, politically, an interesting games!]
International Olympic Committee spokeswoman GISELLE DAVIES on the group's intent to keep the August Beijing Games free of protest and politics
[I love the Olympics, but this is going to be, politically, an interesting games!]
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
The Girls - Moving into the Coop
Sean and I made our last run (okay, we thought it was our last run) to Home Depot for supplies for the chicken coop.
The wood for the roosts are up and the nesting boxes almost complete. The sides of the coop also went up (picture later).
We gather up the chicks from the brooder on the patio. They quickly outgrew the patio brooder and started jumping/flying up to the top of the heat lamps. We knew if was time for them to move out to the new coop. Plus, it was starting so smell a little - too many growing chicks in a small space.
The looked around for a while and quickly settled in to the new house. They are almost 3 and 4 weeks old now.
The two chick above are a Buff Catalana and Ameraucana.
Zena is a Barred Rock and that is Blondie flapping her wings in the back. She is an Ameraucana.
Pennsylvania Senate to Vote on Same-Sex Marriage Ban
Yesterday, a Pennsylvania Senate committee voted 18-8 to send Senate Bill 1250, which would place a measure on the ballot banning same-sex marriage, to the full Senate for a vote. The measure must be approved in two consecutive legislative sessions for it to be placed on the ballot.
Bush and Burma
First Lady Laura Bush held a rare press conference about the cyclone that struck Myanmar (Burma) that may have killed up to 50,000.
From the AFP : "US First Lady Laura Bush accused Myanmar's military rulers Monday of failing to warn their citizens in time about a killer cyclone and pressed the junta to accept US aid in the disaster's wake. 'Although they were aware of the threat, Burma's state-run media failed to issue a timely warning to citizens in the storm's path,' Bush said in an unusual appearance at the White House briefing room podium. 'It's troubling that many of the Burmese people learned of this impending disaster only when foreign outlets, such as Radio Free Asia and Voice of America, sounded the alarm,' she said. Washington calls the country Burma."
Not that Burma's military government doesn't deserve to be criticized for the treatment of its people. But then, of course, there's this:
From the Washington Post on January 2006: "In the 48 hours before Hurricane Katrina hit, the White House received detailed warnings about the storm's likely impact, including eerily prescient predictions of breached levees, massive flooding, and major losses of life and property, documents show. A 41-page assessment by the Department of Homeland Security's National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center (NISAC), was delivered by e-mail to the White House's 'situation room,' the nerve center where crises are handled, at 1:47 a.m. on Aug. 29, the day the storm hit, according to an e-mail cover sheet accompanying the document...The documents shed new light on the extent on the administration's foreknowledge about Katrina's potential for unleashing epic destruction on New Orleans and other Gulf Coast cities and towns. President Bush, in a televised interview three days after Katrina hit, suggested that the scale of the flooding in New Orleans was unexpected. 'I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees. They did anticipate a serious storm,' Bush said in a Sept. 1 interview on ABC's 'Good Morning America.'"
Laura Bush urged Myanmar to take the foreign aid to help its people. Of course, if Myanmar uses the U.S. as its example, they’ll likely refuse it.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Friday, May 2, 2008
Sean's Family Comes to Town
Sean's mother, aunt and uncle came to Los Angeles for a visit in April. Sean's mother had been out about a month before (her first time in California). This was Sean's aunt and uncle's first time to California. So, they hit many of the tourist attractions.They went to Hollywood Boulevard – to see the Stars, Mann’s Chinese Theatre and the Kodak Theatre (picture above). Charlotte and Paul took a picture with the Hollywood Sign in the background. They also saw Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive and the beach at Santa Monica.
They came to visit me at work. We walked through the backstretch at Santa Anita and then watched a few races.
Of course, what is a trip to southern California without a trip to Disneyland.
Then to Universal Studios. For Sean's mother's first visit, we went to a taping of the Jay Leno Show. For her second visit, they actually ran into Jay Leno (for real) at Univeral Studios.
They also saw Sean perform at the Alex Theatre with the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles.
Chevron Has Most Profitable First Quarter In Its History
Coming off four straight years of record earnings, Chevron Corp. cashed in on soaring oil prices to begin 2008 with the most profitable first quarter in its history.
The San Ramon-based company said Friday that it earned $5.17 billion, or $2.48 per share, during the first three months of the year, up 10 percent from $4.72 billion, or $2.18 per share, a year earlier.
The performance topped the average earnings estimate of $2.41 per share among analysts polled by Thomson Financial.
But revenue of $65.95 billion fell well below analysts' forecast of $75.64 billion.
Nevertheless, Chevron's revenue still surged 37 percent from last year's $48.23 billion.
Chevron's profit gains were more impressive than the reported number indicated because last year's results were boosted $700 million by a one time-gain.
If not for last year's windfall and unfavorable foreign-exchange rates that trimmed 3 cents per share from this year's earnings, Chevron's first-quarter profit would have been up by 31 percent, Citigroup analyst Doug Leggate estimated in a Friday research note.
Like its peers, Chevron is thriving because crude oil prices have climbed to record levels, recently flirting with $120 per barrel - almost twice as much as a year ago.
The San Ramon-based company said Friday that it earned $5.17 billion, or $2.48 per share, during the first three months of the year, up 10 percent from $4.72 billion, or $2.18 per share, a year earlier.
The performance topped the average earnings estimate of $2.41 per share among analysts polled by Thomson Financial.
But revenue of $65.95 billion fell well below analysts' forecast of $75.64 billion.
Nevertheless, Chevron's revenue still surged 37 percent from last year's $48.23 billion.
Chevron's profit gains were more impressive than the reported number indicated because last year's results were boosted $700 million by a one time-gain.
If not for last year's windfall and unfavorable foreign-exchange rates that trimmed 3 cents per share from this year's earnings, Chevron's first-quarter profit would have been up by 31 percent, Citigroup analyst Doug Leggate estimated in a Friday research note.
Like its peers, Chevron is thriving because crude oil prices have climbed to record levels, recently flirting with $120 per barrel - almost twice as much as a year ago.
What's short for sex? Leslie Jordan
Four-foot-11 actor Leslie Jordan makes the tall claim that he's "the gayest man in the world." Whether or not that's true, he may be the lustiest.In his dishy new memoir, "My Trip Down the Pink Carpet," the puckish veteran of such series as “Ally McBeal,” “Boston Legal” and Murphy Brown” unflinchingly describes his substance abuse and sex addiction. (One of the enduring mysteries of his life is waking up inside the gates of a lumberyard near West Hollywood’s gay bars, unable to remember how he got there and why "I did not have on any underpants.")
But the funniest passages concern his seemingly endless crushes on his male (and mostly straight) co-stars.
Jordan laments that he never got the chance: "There are probably a lot of things I'll go a lifetime without seeing - the Mona Lisa, the Tai Mahal, the pyramids. And I'll probably never see Billy Bob's wiener, either."
The actor - best known for his Emmy-winning role as Karen's nemesis on "Will & Grace" - stood a better chance of seeing the man parts of Robert Downey Jr. when they met in jail.
Jordan was there for DUI convictions. (He avoided getting beaten up by telling the burly Mexican inmates stories about George Lopez, his former co-star in "Ski Patrol.") For half a day, they shared a cell. Jordan later wrote Downey a letter asking him to befriend an outcast HIV-positive inmate.
Years later, the "Iron Man" star confessed, "That letter really meant a lot to me."
[Sean and I were invited to opening night - but we will be on the cruise with Nelson and Juan.]
Thursday, May 1, 2008
GENE ROBINSON SAYS 'GOD DISAPPOINTED' WITH ANGLICAN ARCHBISHOP
In an interview to be broadcast on the BBC news program Hardtalk, gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson criticizes Rowan Willimas, the Archbishop of Canterbury, for failing to confront anti-gay critics in the church, specifically, Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola, whose stance against homosexuality has been as a major cause of the rift within the church.
"I believe [Dr Williams'] unwillingness to confront Peter Akinola and others like him who've made statements that I think any reasonable person would find over the edge - I believe God is very disappointed in that."
Akinola is seen as a force in perpetuating violence against gays and lesbians. Robinson, who plans to attend events around this summer's Lambeth Conference even though he was not invited, has been speaking out about death threats against him and tells the BBC that he sometimes wears a bulletproof vest at public appearances.
Australia to offer matching rights, not marriage, to gay couples
Legislation to be introduced next month by the Rudd government will offer gay and lesbian couples a broad new set of rights.
"The federal Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, will announce today that the necessary legislation will be introduced when Parliament resumes next month for the winter sittings. The measures do not amount to gay marriage; they afford gay couples the same treatment as heterosexual de facto couples in areas such as tax, superannuation sharing and social security...other areas to be reformed include health, aged care, veterans' entitlements, workers' compensation, employment and entitlements. 'In keeping with the election commitment, the changes do not alter the marriage laws,' Mr McClelland said. 'They will make a practical difference to the everyday lives of a group of our fellow Australians who have suffered discriminations under Commonwealth laws for far too long.' All the changes would be operational by the middle of next year; most will begin as soon as legislation is passed."
The legislation is expected to pass through the Senate easily.
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