Maine Marriage: Following the Money

As the same-sex marriage battle heats up in Maine, the Roman Catholic Church has stepped up its financial support to put the kibosh on marriage equality -- even as churches shut down because of dwindling membership.

Education 5X More Important Than Race with Regard to Gay Marriage Ban

A Florida political science professor and a UF graduate student are set to present findings of a study on Florida's Amendment 2, which passed last November banning same-sex marriage in the state, to the American Political Science Association meeting in Toronto.

The Gainesville Sun reports: "The study found education was about five times as important as race in determining whether a county's residents favored the ban. The results contradict claims that newly registered black voters who cast ballots for Barack Obama were a socially conservative group that can be credited with passing the ban...Controlling for political and socioeconomic factors, the study found each additional 1 percent of a county's population with bachelor's degrees correlated with a 1 percent decrease in support for the amendment. In comparison, each 1 percent increase in a county's black population led to two-tenths of a percent increase in support. 'There's a lot of evidence showing increased education leads to greater tolerance,' [professor Dan] Smith said."

Best-selling Bible to become more gender-inclusive

The top-selling Bible in North America will undergo its first revision in 25 years, modernizing the language in some sections and promising to reopen a contentious debate about changing gender terms in the sacred text.

The New International Version, the Bible of choice for conservative evangelicals, will be revised to reflect changes in English usage and advances in Biblical scholarship, it was announced Tuesday. The revision is scheduled to be completed late next year and published in 2011.

“We want to reach English speakers across the globe with a Bible that is accurate, accessible and that speaks to its readers in a language they can understand,” said Keith Danby, global president and CEO of Biblica, a Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Christian ministry that holds the NIV copyright.

But past attempts to remake the NIV for contemporary audiences in different editions have been plagued by controversies about gender language that have pitted theological conservatives against each other.

The changes did not make all men “people” or remove male references to God, but instead involved dropping gender-specific terms when translators judged that the original text didn’t intend it. So in some verses, references to “sons of God” became “children of God,” for example.

Supporters say gender-inclusive changes are more accurate and make the Bible more accessible, but critics contend they twist meaning or smack of political correctness.

Pastor Won’t Cave on D.C. Marriage Fight

Bishop Harry Jackson isn’t giving up on his campaign to stop same-sex marriage in Washington D.C. without a fight. Despite the drubbing he took this summer before the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics, Jackson released a statement Monday saying he and other opponents of marriage equality would file an initiative request with the elections board Tuesday.

Anti-domestic partner referendum makes ballot

A referendum on an expansion of Washington’s domestic partnership law for gay couples has qualified for the November ballot, election officials said Monday.

The “everything but marriage” measure broadens recognition of domestic partnerships by granting gay and lesbian couples all the remaining state-provided benefits presently extended only to married heterosexual couples.

After a month of counting petition signatures, the secretary of state’s office said that Referendum 71 had 121,486 valid signatures - nearly a thousand more than needed to advance to the general election.

But supporters of the expansion of the law asked a King County Superior Court judge on Monday to at least temporarily block the referendum from the ballot, arguing that election officials have accepted thousands of invalid petition signatures.

The new law was supposed to take effect on July 26. But the referendum campaign put it on hold, and the law can now only take effect if approved by state voters Nov. 3.

It would expand the domestic partnership law passed in 2007 that granted gay couples hospital visitation rights, the ability to authorize autopsies and organ donations, and inheritance rights when there is no will.

Lawmakers expanded that law again in 2008 to give gay domestic partners standing under laws covering probate and trusts, community property and guardianship.

The new benefits under the current measure for gay couples range from adoption and child support rights to public employment benefits - although any benefits that cost the state money, such as pensions, are delayed until 2014 because of the state’s recession-fueled budget problems.

If the referendum leads to a rejection of the law’s expansion, legislation approved in 2007 and 2008 would be retained, but it would roll back the additional rights granted in the “everything but marriage” bill.

As of this week, more than 5,800 domestic partnership registrations had been filed in Washington since the first law took effect in July 2007.

Iowa Officials Question NOM

Iowa ethics officials sent a letter to the National Organization for Marriage questioning the group about possible violations of campaign finance laws, reports the blog HRC Back Story.

Last week, NOM launched its Reclaim Iowa Project, a multiyear effort to pass a constitutional amendment that would overturn the state supreme court’s unanimous April 2009 decision legalizing same-sex marriage. NOM purchased $86,068 worth of advertisements in support of Stephen Burgmeier, a Des Moines–area state house candidate who wants to put marriage equality to a public vote.

The letter from the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board to NOM executive director Brian Brown, dated August 27, warns NOM that it will need to register as a political action committee if people make donations of more than $750 for “express advocacy activities.” It also clarifies that NOM will need to disclose its donors, in spite of the organization’s reported promise of anonymity to contributors.

“The independent expenditure process in Iowa is not a vehicle to shield political contributions,” says the letter.

NOM is also being questioned about its activities in Maine, where it provides support to Stand for Marriage Maine, the group that succeeded in placing a referendum on the new marriage equality law on the November ballot.

California AIDS Clearinghouse Closes

The state of California is in a massive budget crisis – so big that even the millions of dollars that gay marriage tourism would have brought into the state wouldn’t have solved it.

In the middle of the panic, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has used a line-item veto to cut more than $52 million in HIV programs from the State budget – cuts beyond the agreement with the state legislature.

The California AIDS Clearinghouse had to abruptly shut its doors last week after receiving word that its funding – all of it – had been eliminated.

The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center ran the California AIDS Clearinghouse for 15 years, working with hundreds of nonprofit organizations to help provide education, testing, counseling, medical services, and condom distribution.

Anti-Gay SC Lt. Governor Andre Bauer is Gay

Activist Mike Rogers, who was featured in Kirby Dick's movie Outrage and is known for exposing hypocritical closeted politicians, told Michelangelo Signorile today on Signorile's Sirius OutQ radio show that South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer is a closeted gay man.

Writes Rogers on his blog:

"I have confirmed and spoken to four individuals who I have no doubt are telling me the truth. These men have been hit on by Bauer, with one of them telling me it happened at least five times since Bauer's election in 2003. To a varying degree I have met with and believe the sources. And, as you'll recall, I have that 100% record. This was still not enough for me to report on him. Then another call came in and I met with the source while he was visiting DC recently. 'He's gay,' the source told me. 'How do you know?' I asked. 'Because I've had sex with him on two separate occasions.' That too, was not enough for me to report on without confirmation from others. I was led on a path to chatting with acquaintances of the source and two former employees of Bauer who served on his staff between 2004 and 2007. They reported to me that on on a total of three occasions Bauer spent hours alone with men hotel rooms. Each of them explained that the visits were with younger men who were not on the staff of the Lt. Governor nor had any official reason to be with him. The two men each confirmed that they had not known each other who saw this and each described similar circumstances under with these interactions occurred. One of them confirmed that he was told by the Lt. governor's visitor had a sexual encounter with Bauer. The combination of the reports and the first hand experiences were what I need to maintain my 100% record of being right in my reporting on this site."

Adds Rogers: "The bachelor is a right wing Christian conservative. He's done everything from defend the state issuing "I believe" license plates (complete with a cross on them) to defending the right of schools to use corporal punishment. In the presidential election he supported Mike Huckabee."

Should Governor Mark Sanford, who is under fire for an extramarital affair, leave office, Bauer is set to take his place as governor. Sanford continues to be under pressure from lawmakers and colleagues to resign.

Methodist Minister Comes Out to His Congregation as Transgender

Reverend David Weekley of the Epworth United Methodist Church in southeast Portland, Oregon, took a big step on Sunday:

"Just months after telling his own children that he was not their biological father, Weekley, who is in his late-50s, came out to his congregation of 221 members. Standing behind his pulpit, Weekley began his usual worship service. About halfway through, he paused to share a personal message he called 'My Book Report.' He told them that in 1984, just nine years after undergoing extensive sex-reassignment surgeries, he was ordained by the Methodist Church without telling anyone of his original gender at birth. Following his story, the congregation, who had remained silent throughout his talk, broke into thunderous applause. Church members then proclaimed their support for their pastor.' It doesn’t change him; he’s still Reverend David, and that’s what counts,' says congregation member Robbie Tsuboi, who has been attending Epworth since 1964."

Weekley has been married to his wife Deborah for 13 years and has served as a clergyman for 27.

Vermont Same-Sex Weddings Off to Slow Start

Same-sex marriage will be legal in Vermont beginning Tuesday, but few couples have taken out licenses in advance, the Associated Press reports.

City and town clerks have issued just a handful of marriage licenses to same-sex couples, making the situation a far cry from the rush to take out civil union licenses when those became available to same-sex couples in 2000.

In Burlington, Vermont's largest city, only three same-sex couples have taken out marriage licenses. In Rutland the number is four. Some other cities, including Manchester, Brattleboro, and Montpelier, the state capital, report that they have issued no licenses to same-sex couples so far.
"I expect that after September 1, it's going to pick up," said Vermont secretary of state Deborah Markowitz.

When civil unions, which carry many of the rights and responsibilities of marriage, became available to gay couples July 1, 2000, clerks' offices did land-office business. There were 1,704 civil unions established in the next six months, with 405 coming in the first month. Couples from other states represented 78% of them.

"Of course, we were the first state, so that made the draw much bigger," Manchester town clerk Linda Spence told the AP. Spence said that while she has yet to issue any marriage licenses to same-sex couples, she has heard from three couples who want them, including two who obtained civil union licenses from her. "It makes me feel good," she said. One of those couples is from Australia, she added.

One reason for the slow start for marriage licenses, according to the AP, may be the gap between the state's adoption of a marriage equality law -- in April -- and the September 1 effective date, and the fact that the gap covered the busiest season for weddings. Also, with marriage becoming available to same-sex couples in other states in the past few years, there was less of a pent-up demand than there was when the civil union law took effect.

Still, couples and the businesses that cater to weddings are making plans. Two men from Whitehall, N.Y., are planning to be married at midnight Monday at the Moose Meadow Lodge in Duxbury. And in honor of gay couples, Vermont-based Ben and Jerry's is renaming its Chubby Hubby flavor Hubby Hubby for the month of September.

A Wish

First Solar to Build 250MW & 300MW Solar Farms in California, Enough to Power 170,000 Homes

First Solar is one of the leaders in thin film solar power, and it just sealed a deal with California's SoCal Edison for two solar power projects totalling 550 megawatts of capacity: "The projects in the California counties of Riverside and San Bernardino would provide enough power to supply 170,000 homes when completed in 2015, the companies said."

“Baptism is coming out the closet for Christ. It says publicly:"I'm not ashamed of loving Him." God has no secret agents.”

A tweet by RICK WARREN, mega church pastor and author of The Purpose-Driven Life, who has been criticized by gays for opposing same-sex marriage

13 Love Stories

China's High Speed Rail Will Leave U.S. in the Dust

While it attempts to kick-start its struggling auto industry, the U.S. is talking about building a high-speed rail network with an initial $8 billion in stimulus funds. Meanwhile, China is investing over $300 billion in high-speed rail through 2020, in a bid to speed ahead of the rest of the world's train systems.

Together

Airline Gas-tronome

Take a tour of some of the, um, most interesting Airline Food From Around the World. It's tempting to take to the air just to try these epicurean delights. Click to board your flight...

Scandinavian Airlines "Raw salted salmon and rye bread with chocolate cake as a dessert."

Austrian Airlines "some green olives, and half a hard boiled egg. Past that, I don't know. But at least they get some delicious Trinkwasser to wash it down with."

Turkish Airlines "Beefaroni, hard to go wrong. Some sort of chocolate desert, veggies."

"Taiwanese food on China Airlines. Chicken with a side of tripe"

JALways Airlines "Mystery pink substance, and some Sakai"

Iceland Air "Brown lumps of meat, a brownie, fish salad, a roll and some Icelandic butter."

Control Your Living Room By Dragging, Dropping, Swiping a Surface Table

CRISTAL is a research project that moves the universal remote to a Microsoft Surface-type table with incredibly intuitive gestures. Want to watch a movie? Drag the cover to your TV. It even lets you trace a path for your Roomba.

The awkwardly-acronymed CRISTAL, which stands for ""Control of Remotely Interfaced Systems using Touch-based Actions in Living spaces," uses a camera to take an overhead shot of your living room setup, and you designate the compatible parts: TV, speakers, digital photo frame, HTPC, Roomba. Then you simply touch, swipe, drag and drop to control the room. Your digital media collection shows up as almost a Cover Flow-type design, and can be dragged either to the speakers or TV, or just examined more closely on the Surface-type screen itself. I love that you can watch a preview right there on the table, or quickly toss it to the TV to output it.

Iowa Panel Supports Marriage Equality, Opposes Anti-Gay Amendment

The Iowa Civil Rights Commission, a seven-member bipartisan panel whose duty is "to enforce state and federal statutes that prohibit discrimination in employment, public accommodations, housing, education and credit by investigating and litigating civil rights complaints," voted unanimously yesterday that it would formally oppose any effort to overturn any constitutional amendment that would overturn the state's same-sex marriage law.

The panel also voted to formally support the decision of the Iowa Supreme Court in allowing same-sex couples to marry.

Said Republican commissioner Rick Morain to the Des Moines Register: "I don't think we're saying that there can't be a constitutional amendment raised. I mean, that's under the constitution. My personal feeling is that if that kind of amendment were adopted, it would clash with Article 1 of the constitution, which is the Iowa Bill of Rights."

According to the paper, "August is typically a month when commissioners review policy positions and decide which legislative priorities to focus on."

Betsy McCaughey's Ideas Called "Hyperbolic... Dangerous" By Jon Stewart

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Betsy McCaughey Pt. 1
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Betsy McCaughey Extended Interview Pt. 1
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Betsy McCaughey Extended Interview Pt. 2
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

Lutherans Allow Sexually Active Gays to Join Clergy

In a vote of 559-451, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America today adopted a resolution to allow sexually active gays to join the clergy.

The resolution the 4.8 million-member church just passed revokes an earlier ban that allowed gay clery to lead churches only if they remained celibate. Star Tribune:

Delegates heeded warnings not to react as the outcome was read, but onlookers in the gallery hugged one another in celebration.

The mood shifted today as the hours of public argument wore on, with opponents coming to the microphone to try one last time to sway the 1,045 voters.

"What we are doing today is wrong," said one.

Earlier in the day, delegates voted 670-344 to defeat an amendment proposed by former Minnesota Gov. Al Quie that would have precluded the "rostering" of homosexuals as ELCA pastors.

This morning's session was extended half an hour so more people could speak. By then the debate was starting to loop. People on both sides of the issue who had spoken earlier in the week stood up and made basically the same speech all over again. When one delegate came to the mike and identified himself as a "first-time caller," a grateful cheer went up.

World-Class Runner Accused of Faking Being a Woman

A day after winning her first 800-meter world title amid a gender-test controversy, the father of South African teenager Caster Semenya dismissed speculation his daughter is not a woman.

The 18-year-old runner’s father, Jacob, told the Sowetan newspaper: "She is my little girl. ... I raised her and I have never doubted her gender. She is a woman and I can repeat that a million times."

Semenya dominated her rivals to win the 800 on Wednesday despite revelations that surfaced earlier in the day that she was undergoing a gender test. Her dramatic improvement in the 800 and 1,5000, muscular build and deep voice sparked speculation about her gender.

Lutherans move toward more open view on gays

Leaders of the country’s largest Lutheran denomination have agreed to disagree on homosexuality, endorsing an official statement on human sexuality that says there’s room in the church for differing views on an issue that’s divided other religious groups.

Delegates to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s nationwide assembly in Minneapolis on Wednesday approved a “social statement on human sexuality.” The vote was a prelude to a bigger debate Friday, when delegates will tackle a proposal that would allow individual ELCA congregations to hire people in committed same-sex relationships as clergy.

The social statement lays a theological foundation for a liberalized policy on gay clergy, and supporters of the proposal praised Wednesday’s vote. “We are encouraged and hopeful that … this will result in the church’s elimination of the current ban on ministers in same gender relationships,” said Emily Eastwood, executive director of Lutherans Concerned/North America, a group of pro-gay Lutherans.

Opponents of the social statement said it ignores clear scriptural direction that homosexuality is a sin. “We are asked to affirm a description of sexuality based on a reality that’s shaped not by Scripture but by today’s culture,” said Curtis Sorbo of Adams, N.D., a convention delegate from the ELCA’s Eastern North Dakota Synod.

ELCA officials said it shouldn’t be assumed that passage of the social statement automatically means the proposal on gay clergy will be approved. “We haven’t yet had that debate, and I would not want to conjecture that,” said the Rev. Rebecca Larson, an official in the ELCA’s headquarters in Chicago.
Still, the social statement passed a higher bar than what will be required to approve the new clergy policy. The social statement, as a foundational document for the church, needed to be approved by a two-thirds supermajority of the 1,045 convention delegates. It got exactly that, passing with 66.67 percent of the vote.

The new clergy policy needs only a simple majority to pass.

The 34-page social statement actually touches on homosexuality only briefly, and is intended as a sweeping definition of the ELCA’s approach to matters of human sexuality. It also sketches out the church’s approach to gender, friendship, marriage and children, cohabitation outside marriage, the commercialization of sexuality, and the global sex trade.

But it acknowledges what Larson described as an utter lack of consensus toward homosexuality and same-sex relationships across the ELCA’s membership. She said the statement’s drafters agreed that such differing views could be accomodated because the homosexuality issue is “not central to our faith,” Larson said.

Wednesday’s debate was interrupted briefly in the afternoon when severe storms and a possible tornado passed through downtown Minneapolis, damaging the steeple of an ELCA church across the street from the convention center. Delegates were allowed to remain in the convention hall, but a few jokes about God’s wrath proved inevitable.

“We trust that the weather is not a commentary on our work,” said the Rev. Steven Loy, who was helping oversee the convention.