Protecting Religious Beliefs

Pat Robertson, host of The 700 Club

In his latest campaign to convince conservative Christians that LGBTs will be the death of America, he pushes forth this blatant lie: There are no federal hate crime protections for religious beliefs.

Says Robertson: "You know, there’s a law – what about a law that says it’s a federal crime to attack somebody because of his religious beliefs? Not a chance!"

Except, as Crooks & Liars points out, the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act includes that very category: "OFFENSES INVOLVING ACTUAL OR PERCEIVED RELIGION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY, OR DISABILITY."

Obama signs HIV/AIDS bill extension; implements lifting of AIDS travel ban

President Barack Obama signed an extension of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS bill this morning.

The legislation provides care, treatment and support services to nearly half a million people, most of whom are low-income.

Obama also announced that the Department of Health and Human services has finally crafted a new regulation spelling the end to the HIV Travel and Immigration Ban. The regulation goes into effect in January.

“We often speak as if AIDS is going on somewhere else. Often overlooked is that we face a serious HIV/AIDS epidemic of our own,” Obama said prior to the signing. He noted that early on, AIDS was considered a “gay disease, and those who had it were viewed with suspicion.”

This is the fourth re-authorization of the Ryan White bill, and Obama said it was the first time that the bill was not controversial or divisive, and passed with bi-partisian support.

There are 1.1 million living with HIV/AIDs in the United States; more than 56,000 cases are added each year. Obama noted that gay men, though they comprise 2 to 3 percent of the population, make up about half of all new cases, and that African-Americans make up almost half.

Obama said he hoped the lifting of the travel ban would help end the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS. He also said that he and his wife Michelle would be getting a second AIDS test soon.

Pope to meet Anglican chief

The Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI will meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury next month in the leaders’ first encounter since the Catholic church moved to make it easier for disenchanted Anglicans to convert to Catholicism.

Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said in a telephone interview Friday evening that Archbishop Rowan Williams was already due to visit Rome for ceremonies at a pontifical university to honor a late cardinal who worked for Christian unity.

Taking advantage of the archbishop’s presence in Rome, Benedict will receive Williams on Nov. 21 at the Vatican.

The Vatican’s recent move to ease Anglican conversions came as some Anglicans are upset by their church’s allowing openly gay clergy and blessing same-sex unions.

Happy Halloween

Day Light Savings – November 1

George W. Bush

"I'm Confident I Made The Right Decisions As President"

Call 'Em Out: Sarah Palin

Fruit Bats Found to Practice Oral Sex

"New research published in the online journal PLoS ONE demonstrates for the first time that a non-human adult animal species regularly engages in oral sex behavior. While the behavior has been seen in juvenile animals before(both heterosexual and homosexual bonobos), this is the first time it has been observed in adult animals...The field research, which was conducted in Guangzhou City, China, reveals that in the case of the greater short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus sphinx) female species-on-male species oral sex now has been documented as a regular occurrence. Scientists observed that in instances where oral sex was performed, copulation time increased."
No male-on-male behavior has been observed among the bats.

Obama Signs Hate Crimes

President Barack Obama Wednesday signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act as part of the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act.

“After more than a decade of opposition and delay, we’ve passed inclusive hate-crimes legislation that protects people based on what they look like, who they love, how they pray, or who they are,” Obama said, addressing the crowd. “I promised Judy Shepard when she saw me in the Oval Office that this day would come.”

Obama went on to thank Sen. Edward Kennedy for his dedication to seeing that the bill was passed. Before leaving, he kissed Judy Shepard on the cheek and shook hands with her husband, Dennis, and son, Logan.

Because the hate-crimes measure was attached a defense bill, the signing was an unusual mix of defense officials and advocates for the hate-crimes legislation.

Alongside Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Adm. Mike Mullen, and the chairmen of the respective Armed Services Committees, Sen. Carl Levin and Rep. Ike Skelton, stood LGBT elected officials and the family members of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. (his sisters Betty Byrd Boatner and Louvon Harris), for whom the hate-crimes measure is named.

President Obama will host a reception in the East Room of the White House beginning about 5 p.m. to commemorate the enactment of the hate-crimes law. Guests will include Atty. Gen. Eric Holder and a broad spectrum of civil rights leaders, including LGBT advocates.

The president is expected to make brief remarks about 6:05 p.m.

Obama Remarks on Passage Of Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act

Amazing DC Council Hearing on Gay Marriage Bill

"Demons!"

One of Bishop Harry Jackson's disciples apparently got the final slot in yesterday's testimony before the D.C. Council on marriage equality, and took the opportunity to sermonize the chamber on God, reproduction, Sodom and Gomorrah, the devil, same-sex unions and slavery, and morality.

According to blogger Michael Crawford, the breakdown of testimony heard yesterday was 81 for equality, 15 against, and 8 no-shows.

Hearings are scheduled to continue on November 2 for the remaining 169 people.



[Wow, all I have to say is "Wow!"]

MAINE BIGOTS CLAIM THEY 'WANT TO BE TOLERANT OF GAYS' IN NEW AD

[Really, that is so nice of them to be tolerant but still take rights away! Tolerant, but only a little, I guess.

The infant being blessed by a pastor so it won't be gay

Maine Gov. Endorses Protecting Equality

Maine governor John Baldacci announced his endorsement of marriage equality in a message to those opposing the ballot measure to repeal same-sex marriage rights this November.

"In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions," he said at a campaign event Tuesday.

"I came to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage."Baldacci, who signed legislation to establish marriage equality in the spring, reiterated that the law would not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs.

"Instead," he said, "it reaffirms the separation of church and sate."State senator Chris Rector, who couldn't attend the press conference for No on 1's get-out-the-vote effort on Tuesday, issued a statement saying he voted for the marriage equality bill because "I came to believe that it was the right thing to do for the state of Maine."

AFA: Hate-Crimes Bill Is Un-American

The American Family Association, a self-proclaimed pro-family advocacy organization, on Monday criticized the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act as “simply un-American” and encouraged its members to contact Congress members who supported the legislation.

"The law created by this bill is exceedingly dangerous and represents a huge step toward normalizing homosexual and transsexual behavior in this country,” said AFA president Tim Wildmon in a press release.

"It creates a kind of caste system in law enforcement, where the perverse thing is that people who engage in non-normative sexual behavior will have more legal protection than heterosexuals,” added Wildmon. “This kind of inequality before the law is simply un-American.”

Bryan Fischer, the AFA's director of issues analysis, also critiqued the bill, which amends the 1969 federal hate-crimes law to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.

"Despite the protests of homosexual activists, this is a communist-style law against politically-incorrect thoughts, since there are enhanced criminal penalties that aren't based on what somebody did but on what they were thinking at the time,” said Fisher.

The AFA sent out an action alert on Tuesday to its 2.6 million-member network. The alert informs members how their representatives voted on the bill and urges them to contact Congress members who supported the legislation.

“We must let every senator who voted for the ‘hate crimes’ bill know that his vote will not be forgotten when he stands for re-election,” reads the alert.

Britain's Gay Blood Ban Under Review

A lifetime ban on blood donations by gay and bisexual men in the United Kingdom is currently under review and could be lifted in 2010. The government's Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues, and Organs (SaBTO) is holding a public consultation meeting in London today as part of that process.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - Don't Ask Don't Tell
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N.Y. Gay Marriage Vote November 10?

New York governor David Paterson on Sunday called for state legislators to meet in a special session on November 10, during which time senators may vote on a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. Sine the regular session ended amid a senate power struggle in June, the prospective extraordinary session will address budget issues and unfinished business, according to WCBS-TV.

“The special session is expected to include a possible vote by the senate to give final legislative approval to a same-sex marriage bill,” reported WCBS-TV. “Paterson has predicted the bill will be passed and signed into law in coming weeks.”

Paterson made the prediction on Thursday in a speech to the Empire State Pride Agenda, where he said he would put the marriage equality bill on the legislative calendar during the special session.

The assembly passed the marriage equality bill this spring for the second time, but the closely divided state senate has yet to take a vote on the bill.

Obama to Sign Matthew Shepard Bill

President Barack Obama is expected to sign into law the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act on Wednesday, sources from the White House have confirmed to Advocate.com.

The legislation would expand the current federal hate-crimes law to include victims who were targeted because of sexual orientation or gender identity. It is attached to the 2010 Department of Defense Authorization bill. The House approved the stand-alone hate-crimes legislation in July, and then re-approved the amended version of the bill on October 8. The Senate passed the legislation on Thursday.

Attorney General: Repeal DOMA, DADT

U.S. attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr. told a University of Maine crowd on Friday that the Obama administration will work to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” and the Defense of Marriage Act.

“The president has indicated that we will take the necessary steps to repeal both DOMA and 'don’t ask, don’t tell,'” said Holder, according to the university’s paper, The Maine Campus. “He’s quite sincere in his desire to do that. It will happen with the help of Congress.”

Judge: Prop 8 Sponsors Must Hand Over Documents Immediately

Backers of California's Proposition 8 must immediately hand over documents to those pursuing them in federal court, Judge Vaughn Walker ruled on Friday:

"The sponsors had sought to keep the documents while challenging the order to turn them over in an appeals court. But in a ruling late Friday, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker of San Francisco said backers of Proposition 8 had failed to show that disclosing internal memos and e-mails would violate their freedom of speech or subject them to harassment. He said they had refused to identify any documents that needed special protection and noted that he could order their opponents to keep any sensitive material confidential. 'It simply does not appear likely that (Prop. 8's) proponents will prevail on the merits of their appeal,' Walker said. He said he doubts that a federal appeals court even has jurisdiction to consider the dispute at this early stage of the case....The lawsuit by two same-sex couples, a gay rights organization and the city of San Francisco contends Prop. 8 violated the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equality by discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender. Walker has scheduled a trial in January. Plaintiffs in the suit said documents from the Yes on 8 campaign might help them prove that the ballot measure was motivated by anti-gay bias, which would increase their chances of overturning it."

Scientology Dropped Over Prop. 8

Academy Award–winning Crash director Paul Haggis has left the Church of Scientology after 35 years, citing the San Diego branch’s support for Proposition 8 as one of his main reasons.

Haggis explained his departure in a heated letter directed at Tommy Davis, the current national spokesman for Scientology, according to Movieline.

The letter was published on the blog of ex-Scientologist Marty Rathbun. "The church’s refusal to denounce the actions of these bigots, hypocrites and homophobes is cowardly,” writes Haggis. “I can think of no other word. Silence is consent, Tommy. I refuse to consent.”

Congress extends hate crime protections to gays

Physical attacks on people based on their sexual orientation will join the list of federal hate crimes in a major expansion of the civil rights-era law Congress approved Thursday and sent to President Barack Obama.

A priority of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., that had been on the congressional agenda for a decade, the measure expands current law to include crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. The measure is named for Matthew Shepard, the gay Wyoming college student murdered 11 years ago.

To assure its passage after years of frustrated efforts, Democratic supporters attached the measure to a must-pass $680 billion defense policy bill the Senate approved 68-29. The House passed the defense bill earlier this month.

Many Republicans, normally staunch supporters of defense bills, voted against the bill because of the hate crimes provision. All the no votes were Republicans except for Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., who supported the hate crimes provision but opposes what he says is the open-ended military commitment in Afghanistan.

Paterson says gay marriage bill will pass in NY

New York Gov. David Paterson said Thursday that he expects to sign a same-sex marriage bill into law in the coming weeks.

Paterson said he expects the state Senate to give the measure final legislative approval in weeks ahead and then he will sign it, making New York the seventh state to legalize same-sex marriage. Paterson can’t force the Senate to take up the bill and admitted to reporters he can’t guarantee its approval, but he says he’s now confident it will pass, as advocates and sponsors of the bill in Albany have been quietly working to build support.

The bill was blocked by a summer coup in the Senate in the final days of the regular session in June. The Democrat-led Assembly has already passed the measure.

Paterson’s statements Thursday came at the fall dinner in Manhattan of the influential gay rights group Empire State Pride Agenda. He said New York will have marriage equality “as a result of a law we will pass in the New York Senate, already passed in the Assembly, and will be signed by the governor, just in the next few weeks.”

The 1,200 people at the dinner cheered Paterson’s remarks.

“No longer in New York” will same-sex couples have to worry about insurance coverage, being allowed to visit each other hospitals, or whether they will be guaranteed the same rights as other married couples under law, he said.

Paterson said he’s spoken to advocates lobbying senators and “they believe if I put the bill on the calendar, it will pass. … I believe it will pass.”

Anti-Gays Release Homophobic Emails and Video in R-71 Battle

Protect Marriage Washington is busy sending out homophobic emails and posting videos full of falsehoods regarding Referendum 71.

"Could this be the final battle? Are the homosexuals finally going to take control of our culture and push their depraved lifestyle on our children and families? ... Passed last spring in the legislature, SB5688 would strip away the protections of traditional marriage that were ensured with the passage of DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) just a few short years ago... Do you realize what is going on here? Consider the following: In 1970, (on the heels of a 'free love' 60's radical culture) sodomy laws were repealed in Washington State, with government turning a blind eye to a behavior commonly considered perversion - and still the case with a majority of Americans..."

It then goes on about NAMBLA and the 'protected class status' of gays.

Below, Protect Marriage Washington has posted the video , full of lies, on its website.



And , the latest ad from the "Approve R-71" side.

HPV vaccine for males

Approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in boys and men ages 9 to 26 last week, yesterday the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices said it would recommend the three-injection, $130 treatment for males. Note the CDC did not "urge" the medical community to do so — something it did with females.

We like the sound of this! Especially because, with an estimated 250,000 annual new cases of genital warts among men, and a prevention success rate of 89 percent, we might finally get some traction in keeping HPV from spreading .

But there are critics. Namely, from inside the vaccine community, who say that while genital warts are a pain, they aren't life threatening, and aren't worth such a costly vaccination.