Ousted GOP Head Likely to Defy Party

Former Republican Party of Virginia chairman Jeff Frederick who was ousted from the top RPV slot over the weekend is the gift that keeps on giving. Not one to go quietly, the Washington Post is reporting that Frederick is making noises that he will stand for re-election for the chairmanship at the Party convention in May. Personally, nothing would make me happier than seeing the RPV tearing itself apart in a civil war that could act as a sea anchor of Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell's effort to be elected as governor in November, 2009. From my days as a member of RPV, there is some merit to Frederick's complaint that some within the Party think that they rule the sand box and should be allowed to dictate to the rank and file members how to think and how to vote. On the other hand, Frederick is part of the loony far right element in the party that has turned the GOP into a quasi-religious party - something that caused me to leave the GOP nearly a decade ago. Here are some highlights on the ongoing intra-party fight:

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Ousted Virginia Republican leader Jeffrey M. Frederick said Monday he will probably run for party chairman again in May, setting up another clash with the GOP's gubernatorial nominee, Robert F. McDonnell, as Republicans struggle to unite for the November election.

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Frederick, 33, a conservative delegate from Prince William County, acknowledged that his pursuit of the party chairmanship could distract from McDonnell's campaign. But Frederick blamed McDonnell and other Republican elected officials for intervening. "What they need to figure out is, they are not the party," Frederick said. "I'm sick of things being run from the top down."

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The State Central Committee is expected to select Pat Mullins, Louisa County's Republican chairman, or Alexandra Liddy Bourne of Fairfax, an unsuccessful House candidate, as the party leader May 2. But party rules require the election of a chairman four weeks later at the Republican state convention May 30. There, 8,000 to 10,000 activists are expected to gather in Richmond to unite behind McDonnell.

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Frederick would not comment on whether he is considering an alternative post, such as a third-party bid for governor or other elected office.

The Red Cross Torture Report: What It Means

The International Committee of the Red Cross released a report which can be viewed here that is the subject of a review by the New York Book Review. The report sets out the findings of the International Committee of the Red Cross on the Treatment of Fourteen "High Value Detainees" in CIA Custody. The report is not pretty and it underscores the lawlessness of the Bush/Cheney regime and documents that the Chimperator, Emperor Palpatine Cheney and/or their minions authorized torture techniques once used by the Nazi regime and in the gulags of the former USSR. In reading the report what continued to strike me is that this type of conduct is something condemned by the Gospel message and yet it is the Christianists who to this day continue to back Bush/Cheney and all the crimes that were perpetrated. I can only conclude that despite the self-anointment of these people, they are Christian in name only. Here are some highlights:

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Cheney's story is made not of facts but of the myths that replace them when facts remain secret: myths that are fueled by allusions to a dark world of secrets that cannot be revealed. . . . . To keep the country safe "the gloves had to come off." What precisely were those "gloves" that had to be removed? Laws that forbid torture, that outlaw wiretapping and surveillance without permission of the courts, that limit the president's power to order secret operations and to wage war exactly as he sees fit.

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Working through the forty-three pages of the International Committee of the Red Cross's report, one finds a strikingly detailed account of horrors inflicted on fourteen "high-value detainees" over a period of weeks and months—horrors that Red Cross officials conclude, quite unequivocally, "constituted torture." It is hard not to reflect how officials concerned about protecting the country arrived at this particular "alternative set of procedures," and how they convinced themselves, with the help of attorneys in the White House and in the Department of Justice, that these "procedures" were legal.

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The effort began early in the days after the September 11 attacks. . . . on February 7, 2002, President Bush signed a memorandum stating that the Third Geneva Convention in effect didn't apply to prisoners in the "War on Terror." This decision cleared the way for the adaptation of SERE techniques to interrogation of prisoners in the "War on Terror."

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[I]n interviewing the fourteen "high-value detainees," who had been imprisoned secretly in the "black sites" anywhere from "16 months to almost four and a half years," the Red Cross experts were listening to descriptions of techniques applied to them that had been originally designed to be illegal "under the rules listed in the 1949 Geneva Conventions." And then the Red Cross investigators, as members of the body designated by the Geneva Conventions to supervise treatment of prisoners of war and to judge that treatment's legality, were called on to pronounce whether or not the techniques conformed to the conventions in the first place. In this judgment, they are, not surprisingly, unequivocal: The allegations of ill-treatment of the detainees indicate that, in many cases, the ill-treatment to which they were subjected while held in the CIA program, either singly or in combination, constituted torture.

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They are also illegal under the Convention Against Torture of 1984, to which the United States is a signatory, and illegal under the War Crimes Act of 1996 (though the Military Commissions Act of 2006 makes an attempt to shield those who applied the "alternative set of procedures" from legal consequences under this law). What is more, as the report concludes, The totality of the circumstances in which the fourteen were held effectively amounted to an arbitrary deprivation of liberty and enforced disappearance, in contravention of international law.

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In short, the report is damning and I for one believe that those who ordered torture that violated international law and which constituted war crimes need to be held accountable and tried for their crimes - and that includes Bush and Cheney. The latter is sadly unlikely to happen, but by not holding these individuals liable under international law undercuts the message that was sent at the end of World War II when both Nazi and Japanese officials were tried and punished for war crimes.

More Tuesday Male Beauty

Christian Bigots Apoplexy Over Marriage Advances

All too predictably the Christianists and professional Christian set are beside themselves in the wake of the Iowa ruling on Friday and today's votes in Vermont and Washington, D.C. What is amazing is just how hate filled some of these alleged Christians are when it comes to vilifying LGBT Americans. To these folks we are definitely less than human and they truly do not care what type of violence their messages of hate may incite. Perhaps the most vile remarks were made by radio bigot Michael Savage who said the following:

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"So there are the vermin now celebrating twisted perverse marriage in the middle of America. It's a victory for perversion in my opinion. You want me to tell you what makes me sick? When I see two puffy white males kissing each other, I wanna puke. When I see two women kissing each other, on the lips, as lovers, I wanna vomit. Why? It's unnatural. It's against all of the laws of mankind. It's against all the laws of humankind. It is suicide for a society to embrace such behavior."

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Speaking of "puffy white males," I guess Savage must have been looking at his own image in a nearby mirror. Not far behind Savage was the ever reliable Klan loving Tony Perkins from Family Research Council who likewise denigrated gays and anyone who would treat us as citizens deserving equal civil rights. Here is a sampling of the loving words from this professional Christian who relies on promoting anti-gay hate for his livelihood:

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"Same-sex 'marriage' is a movement driven by wealthy homosexual activists and a liberal elite determined to destroy not only the institution of marriage, but democracy as well. Time and again, we see when citizens have the opportunity to vote at the ballot box, they consistently opt to support traditional marriage," said Perkins.

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"The vote today by the D.C. City Council was a direct affront to the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The radical Left wants to destroy the traditional union of one man and one woman across the country and they will not rest until they do so.

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Then there are the remarks of the ever anti-gay columnist, Cal Thomas, who likewise slammed gay Americans but who at least recognized the fact that professional Christians like Tony Perkins, James Dobson, Peter LaBarbera, et al, who denigrate gays for a living ought to be doing more to support heterosexual married couples. Here are some highlights"

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One must hand it to the gay rights movement. They have taken advantage of a morally exhausted nation that tolerates so many things that used to be intolerable—from abortion, to easy divorce, to pornography. And they have attacked American traditions at their strongest points, from the military, to pressuring Disney to allow “gay days” at their amusement parks, to marriage.

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The problem with the Iowa Court ruling is that it vitiates a standard that defined marriage as between two people of the opposite sex, which was God’s idea, not government’s (see Genesis 2:24), while failing to substitute a new standard. . . . As Iowa and other courts continue to dismantle the foundations of our nation without the approval of its citizens (each time the public gets an opportunity to vote on marriage, it votes to uphold the male-female version), they have an obligation to say where they intend to take us. What is the new standard for human relationships? Or do we make this up as we go, bowing to whatever pressure group makes the most noise?

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To those on the political and religious right who are intent on continuing the battle to preserve “traditional marriage” in a nation that is rapidly discarding its traditions, I would ask this question: What poses a greater threat to our remaining moral underpinnings? Is it two homosexuals living together, or is it the number of heterosexuals who are divorcing and the increasing number of children born to unmarried women, now at nearly 40 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?

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Most of those who are disturbed about same-sex marriage are not as exercised about preserving heterosexual marriage. That’s because it doesn’t raise money and won’t get them on TV. Some preachers would rather demonize gays than oppose heterosexuals who violate their vows by divorcing, often causing harm to their children.

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The battle over same-sex marriage is on the way to being lost. For conservatives who still have faith in the political system to reverse the momentum, you are—to recall Harold Hill—“closing your eyes to a situation you do not wish to acknowledge.”

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Since we LGBT citizens are being depicted as vermin, destroyers of society, and those seeking to destroy democracy by these Godly folk, I can only wonder how soon it will be before we see the next news story of a some gay - or perceived gay - citizen murdered by someone who feels that God supports the murder of gays and that that person (or all of us) deserve to die.

Marriage Advances in Vermont and D.C.

To the delight of LGBT Americans the Vermont Legislature this morning voted to override Governor Jim Douglas' veto and made Vermont the first state to legislatively grant gays and lesbians full marriage rights equal to those of heterosexual couples. I applaud the action although I confess I was more than a bit worried that the 100 required votes in the Vermont House might fall short. With modern medical and mental health experts affirming that one's sexual orientation is immutable and not a choice, nothing less than full marriage affords LGBT couples equality under the CIVIL marriage laws. The reality is that there is no reason to bar same sex marriage other than religious based bigotry - something that has no place in the civil laws as noted by the Iowa Supreme Court this past Friday. Here are some highlights from the Burlington Free Press:

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Vermont has become the fourth state to legalize gay marriage — and the first to do so with a legislature’s vote. The Legislature voted Tuesday to override Gov. Jim Douglas’ veto of a bill allowing gays and lesbians to marry. The vote was 23-5 to override in the state Senate and 100-49 to override in the House. Under Vermont law, two-thirds of each chamber had to vote for override.

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Tuesday morning's legislative action came less than a day after Douglas issued a veto message saying the bill would not improve the lot of gay and lesbian couples because it still would not provide them rights under federal and other states' laws.Gov. Jim Douglas, who vetoed legislation, said, "I prepared myself for this outcome and predicted it. The outcome was not unexpected."He had called the issue of gay marriage a distraction during a time when economic and budget issues were more important.

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House Speaker Shap Smith's announcement of the vote brought an outburst of jubilation from some of the hundreds packed into the gallery and the lobby outside the House chamber, despite the speaker's admonishment against such displays. The true jubilation didn't start until everyone gathered downstairs where they congratulated legislative leaders who championed the cause.

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Adding to the day's amazing results was the vote of the Washington, D.C., Council to recognize marriages that are legitimate in the states in which they were performed. The District already provides domestic partnerships for its LGBT couples, but today's vote will now cause relocated gay married couples as married. With Congress having the final say - since D.C. does not afford its citizens full self rule as would be the case in any of the 50 states - the vote will likely cause Republicans and Christianists to exert efforts to override the Council vote. Here are some highlights from the Washington Post:

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The D.C. Council voted today to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states, on the same day that Vermont became the fourth state to legalize same-sex unions. Domestic partnerships are already legal in the nation's capital. But today's vote, billed as an important milestone in gay rights, explicitly recognizes relocated gay married couples as married.

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The initial vote was 12-0. The unanimous vote sets the stage for future debate on legalizing same-sex marriage in the District and a clash with Congress, which approves the city's laws under Home Rule. The council is expected to take a final vote on the legislation next month.

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Council member David A. Catania (I-At Large), who is also gay, predicted it was only a matter of time before the council also takes up a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the District. "It's no secret that I have been working on legislation that would take us further," he said. "This is the march toward human rights and equality. This is not the march toward special rights. This is the equality march and that march is coming here."

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Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), who has been chipping away at barriers for same-sex couples for years, said he saw the legislation as one that is in keeping with the city's laws. "Some are saying it's an important step. I am saying it's a simple step," said Mendelson, who authored the legislation.

Tuesday Male Beauty

Catholic Church Embraces Testing to ID Gay Priests

Rather than focus on identifying bishops and cardinals who enabled or covered up for sexual predator priests who preyed on minors, the Catholic Church in Melbourne, Australia, is Hell bent to ID possible gay priests. Not, of course, because these priests have necessarily committed any improprieties, but rather merely because they are gay. Never mind the fact that most pedophiles are straight males. Likewise, never mind the Church's bizarre obsession with sex and the role of women as evil temptresses. No, rather than accept scientific and mental health knowledge about homosexuality the Church in Melbourne intends to rush off on a witch hunt married to its 12th century view of nature and human sexuality. Here are some highlights from the Herald Sun:

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Under the guidelines, potential priests who "appear" to be gay must be banned. The head of the Vatican committee that made the recommendations has made it clear celibate gays should also be banned because homosexuality is ‘‘a type of deviation’’.

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Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby spokeswoman Hayley Conway said the church was sending a ‘‘dangerous and offensive’’ message about sexuality. ‘‘They seem to be moving backwards in a lot of ways which is really unfortunate . . . especially for those who are Catholic and out, and there are a lot of them already struggling,’’ she said.

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‘‘If the plan is to root out pedophilia or child molestation, targeting people with homosexual tendencies isn’t the way to go about it.’’ Outspoken Catholic priest Father Bob Maguire said the document ‘‘flies in the face of secular society’s sense of fairness and justice’’. ‘‘The point is not to what gender you are attracted, but how you manage that attraction,’’ he said.

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One can only wonder as to who will decide which priests "appear gay." Of course, from what I've seen of the Prada Pope who always keeps his handsome and much younger personal secretary nearby (see photo above), I'd speculate that Benedict XVI might fail the test of not "appearing gay."

More Deaths Due to an Ongoing Message of Hate

Just as the homophobia that is constantly marketed by professional Christians can be seen to has a direct tie to hate crimes against gays, the message of paranoia and hatred towards liberals put out by the likes of the NRA and the faux news folks at Fox News likewise has proven to lead directly to violence. A case in point of this latter phenomenon is the tragic murder of three Pittsburgh police officers by an apparent skinhead member who believed the message that whites are under assault and that there is a conspiracy to take away guns from law abiding citizens. It is note worthy, of course, that the shooter, Richard Poplawski 9at left), used an assault weapon - not exactly the type of weapon a law abiding citizen would need for hunting or to "protect his home." The common message behind all such violence is that those who are different are a threaten and that they deserve to die. And it is usually "God fearing" Americans who market the message and usually inflict violence on others. Not exactly what Jesus would do, but then these folks have utterly perverted the Gospel message. Here are details from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Poplawski's rampage:

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Accused cop-killer Richard Poplawski spent hours posting racist messages on an extremist right-wing Web site, decrying blacks and Latinos and warning of forthcoming economic collapse fueled by the "Zionist occupation" of America, an expert in political extremism has determined. Earlier, he had praised the "AK" rifle as his ideal weapon.

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An account kept on Stormfront, a gathering place for racial extremists and others from the far-right show Mr. Poplawski's increasing belief in a coming economic and political collapse in the days leading up to the time of the deadly standoff in which he is charged with killing three Pittsburgh police officers.

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Details of Mr. Poplawski's extreme racial and political views came to light today when the top researcher at the Anti-Defamation League delved into his postings at Stormfront, a white supremacist Web site run by a former Ku Klux Klan leader in Florida.

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On March 13, according to the site, Mr. Poplawski wrote a lengthy post predicting economic collapse, engineered by a Jewish conspiracy. "The federal government, mainstream media, and banking system in these United States are strongly under the influence of -- if not completely controlled by -- Zionist interest," the post declares. "An economic collapse of the financial system is inevitable, bringing with it some degree of civil unrest if not outright balkanization of the continental US, civil/revolutionary/racial war . . . This collapse is likely engineered by the elite Jewish powers that be in order to make for a power and asset grab."

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"When the police and the military attempt to come for the guns, which they're going to do, it's not going to go well." He also complained that his views were being conflated with extremists that recruit people with legitimate concerns reflected on his own site and program.

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Mr. Pitcavage today said Mr. Poplawski's comments bear out a growing concern by extremist-watchers in the wake of the election of President Barack Obama.
"We've been concerned about the possibility of an upsurge in right-wing extremist violence due to two possibilities: the vitriolic reaction of the extreme right to the election of Barack Obama and the severe economic recession that the country is in," he said.

More Monday Male Beauty

Click image to enlarge

Member of Focus on the Family Evangelical Ministry Arrested in Sex Sting

Nothing is more satisfying than exposing Christianist hypocrisy and the arrest of one of Daddy Dobson's minions (pictured at left) for soliciting sex with a girl he believed to be under the age of 15 years old is just too sweet to pass up. After all, Dobson and Focus on the Family would have the world believe that all deviant and/or predatory sex is due to gays or - the horrors - male to female transgender citizens. Of course, most sex crimes are committed by straight males, but Dobson and his band of santimonious hate merchants never let the truth get in the way of their agenda to denigrate LGBT Americans. Here are some highlights from the Colorado Independent:

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Do you like older guys?” a 42-year-old Colorado Springs man who listed his employer as evangelical ministry Focus on the Family asked 11 minutes after initiating contact in an Internet chat room with a girl he believed to be younger than 15, according to an arrest affidavit released Monday by the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office.

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Turns out the “teenager” was really an investigator with the district attorney’s office, as Juan Alberto Ovalle discovered the next afternoon when he was arrested on two felony counts in Lakewood after arranging to meet the girl for sex, according to the affidavit.

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Ovalle, who narrated a popular audio version of the Bible in Spanish and worked as a radio producer for the Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family, is being held in the Jefferson County Jail on a $25,000 bond. He faces felony charges of attempted sexual assault on a child and Internet luring, the district attorney’s office said.

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After asking whether her mom was at home, Ovalle asked for her address and phone number and said he would soon be on his way, according to the affidavit. Ovalle told the girl to describe what she liked to do when she had sex and then wrote, “I like all my face to get wet.” . . . Minutes later, Ovalle called the number provided by the investigator and spoke with an official who continued portraying the teenage girl, the affidavit says. He told her he was on his way and wanted to have sex with her, describing various sexual acts in graphic language, according to court documents.

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Curious what an evangelical voice artist might want to do with a teenage girl? Here’s a hint: It doesn’t involve the missionary position. Read the complete Juan Alberto Ovalle arrest affidavit here. Warning: It’s not for the squeamish.

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One can only hope that some enterprising member of the media will contact Dobson for a statement on what his employees are up to when not flim flamming the gullible.

Iowa Decency

With my traveling over the weekend - after the Equality Virginia event the boyfriend and I continued up to Charlottesville to visit some of my family who live there - I missed the opportunity to fully pursue some of my book marked news sights and failed to see the New York Times editorial on the Iowa gay marriage decison until this evening. The editorial notes Iowa's history of being progressive in matters concerning civil rights and also underscores the Court's finding that religion should not be allowed to exclude civil legal rights. The editorial is in sharp contrast to a reader column posted on the Des Moines Register that tries to rehash the same religious/natural law agruments the Iowa Supreme Court rejected. Here are some higlights from the NYT editorial:

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Like the state’s earlier landmark civil rights cases — striking down slavery in 1839, for example, and segregation in 1868 and 1873 — the ruling on gay marriage by Iowa’s Supreme Court is a refreshing message of fairness and common sense from the nation’s heartland. A unanimous decision by the seven-member court on Friday approved marriage for couples of the same sex and brought the nation a step closer toward realizing its promise of equality and justice.

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The new decision says marriage is a civil contract and should not be defined by religious doctrine or views. “We are firmly convinced the exclusion of gay and lesbian people from the institution of civil marriage does not substantially further an important governmental objective,” wrote Justice Mark Cady, a Republican appointee. “The legislature has excluded a historically disfavored class of persons from a supremely important civil institution without a constitutionally sufficient justification.”

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The immediate impact of Iowa’s ruling was to make the failure to respect gay people’s freedom to marry, by courts and legislatures in states like New York, seem all the more shameful.

In contrast, the author of the Des Moines Register piece shows a total disdain for equality under the CIVIL laws as well as a total inability to separate religious belief from the civil laws - precisely the trait that the Iowa Supreme Court rejected:

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In other words, the formation of a bodily union between two persons requires sexual complementarity between the two persons. Only a mated pair of one man and one woman can sexually complement one another; therefore, only that ordering can form a bodily union.

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As a result, an understanding of marriage in line with reason is a marriage between one man and one woman. Our state should enshrine this principle into law because, in the words of St. Thomas Aquinas, “Law is given for the purpose of directing human acts; as far as human acts conduce to virtue, so far does law make men good.”

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Many supporters of traditional marriage act out of religious conviction. This is entirely appropriate because there are reasons why many great religions, including Christianity, teach that marriage ought to be between one man and one woman.

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I would also question whether the author of the Register opinion piece has ever truly been in love. True love and "complimentarity" - in my view - are something that occurs on a soul to soul basis with the body only providing the outer shell of the soul.

The End of Christian America?

Jon Meacham has a new in Newsweek on the state of Christianity and religion in the USA will likely send the professional Christians into hyperventilation even though I believe that it is they and those like them who have helped undermine the status of Christianity both in this country and other nations. True, the influx of immigrants of other faiths has helped reduce the overall percentage of the nation's population that identifies as Christian. But the even larger impact is from the growing segment of the population that has no religion. When the picture of Christians one sees in the media is either Catholics covering up the sexual abuse of children or hate filled Christian fundamentalists who appear to hate everyone that doesn't believe and look just like them, selling the Christian message becomes an uphill endeavor. Sadly, the more accepting mainline Christian denominations which do not preach fire and brimstone and hate get little coverage in the media. Of course, neither the corrupt members of the Catholic Church hierarchy or the evangelical hate merchants like James Dobson, Tony Perkins, Don Wildmon or Richard Land can see that it is they who are destroying Christianity in the USA. Not gays, not immigrants, not Muslims, but they themselves given the horrid image they project. Here are some story highlights:

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To the surprise of liberals who fear the advent of an evangelical theocracy and to the dismay of religious conservatives who long to see their faith more fully expressed in public life, Christians are now making up a declining percentage of the American population. . . . According to the American Religious Identification Survey that got Mohler's attention, the percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 percentage points since 1990, from 86 to 76 percent. . . . the percentage of people who say they are unaffiliated with any particular faith has doubled in recent years, to 16 percent

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I think this is a good thing—good for our political culture, which, as the American Founders saw, is complex and charged enough without attempting to compel or coerce religious belief or observance. It is good for Christianity, to in that many Christians are rediscovering the virtues of a separation of church and state

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Evangelical Christians have long believed that the United States should be a nation whose political life is based upon and governed by their interpretation of biblical and theological principles. If the church believes drinking to be a sin, for instance, then the laws of the state should ban the consumption of alcohol. If the church believes the theory of evolution conflicts with a literal reading of the Book of Genesis, then the public schools should tailor their lessons accordingly. If the church believes abortion should be outlawed, then the legislatures and courts of the land should follow suit.

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But that project has failed, at least for now. In Texas, authorities have decided to side with science, not theology, in a dispute over the teaching of evolution. The terrible economic times have not led to an increase in church attendance. In Iowa last Friday, the state Supreme Court ruled against a ban on same-sex marriage, a defeat for religious conservatives.

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Religious doubt and diversity have, however, always been quintessentially American. Alexis de Tocqueville said that "the religious atmosphere of the country was the first thing that struck me on arrival in the United States," but he also discovered a "great depth of doubt and indifference" to faith. Jefferson had earlier captured the essence of the American spirit about religion when he observed that his statute for religious freedom in Virginia was "meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and the Mahometan, the Hindoo and infidel of every denomination"—and those of no faith whatever.

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"The worst fault of evangelicals in terms of politics over the last 30 years has been an incredible naiveté about politics and politicians and parties," says [Albert] Mohler. "They invested far too much hope in a political solution to what are transpolitical issues and problems.

Monday Male Beauty

The Christianist Backlash

All too predictably the Christianists who seek to destroy the U.S. Constitution and enshrine their own toxic religious belief system on all citizens are beside themselves over the ruling of the Iowa Supreme Court handed down this past Friday. In its ruling, the Court made the following statements that go to the very heart of the dispute over same sex marriage:

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"state government can have no religious views, either directly or indirectly through it's legislation," . . . . "As a result, civil marriage must be judged under our constitutional standards of equal protection and not under religious doctrines or the religious views of individuals."

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This statement is diametrically opposed to the agenda of the Christo-fascists who want all laws and all legal rights patterned on their toxic form of Christianity. They have only contempt and disdain for those with differing beliefs and - in my view - are a clear and present danger to the U.S. Constitution and freedom of religion for all. Among the blowhards of the far right condemning the Iowa decision is Tony Perkins, mouth piece of the lily white Family Research Council (pictured above). Perkins has a similar contempt for not only gays but also non-whites, immigrants, non-Christians and a host of others. He and FRC are more easily defined by who they don't hate since they hate almost everyone. Unfortunately, the media anchors and talking heads never point out this fact or challenge Perkins and those like him. Here's a sampling of Perkins' disingenuous pontificating:

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"Same-sex 'marriage' continues to be a movement driven by a liberal judicial elite determined to destroy not only the institution of marriage, but democracy as well. The casual dismissal of the facts of human biology and thousands of years of human history, simply to pander to a small band of social radicals, is bizarre and indefensible,"

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"FRC will continue to stand with those states which are seeking to pass marriage protection amendments in order to protect our most fundamental social institution from the kind of judicial activism we saw today in Iowa."

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"We urge Iowans to contact their legislators and urge them to move quickly to pass a constitutional amendment protecting marriage, joining the twenty-nine states that have already defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman in their state constitutions,"

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Another homophobic Christianist who can never keep his mouth shut is Matt Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel and dean of Liberty University's Law School (a blight on Virginia's reputation), who like Perkins couches his shrill remarks in terms of judicial tyranny but in reality seeks to have extremist Christianist beliefs imposed on all. Here are a few of Staver's untruthful remarks:

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"These activist judges are no more than proselytizing engines of social change," . . . "That's not the role of a judge. They are to be umpires merely calling the balls or strikes. They don't rewrite the definition of marriage." . . . "The judges in this case crossed the line. This is an example of the kind of judge that should never be on the bench."

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Both Perkins and Staver would prefer religious courts like something out of Iran or Saudi Arabia to impose their intolerant religious beliefs on gays and everyone else. The reality, of course, is that as soon as their religious based arguments against same sex marriage are removed, their entire screed collapses like a house of cards. But then, with the Christianists, it is ALWAYS all about them and to Hell with everyone else.

Old, Reactionary, Bigots Oppose DADT Repeal

I posted previously about Elaine Donnelly's latest effort to torpedo the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell by producing a letter signed by 1,000 relics of by gone days in the U.S. Military including retired Gen. Carl E. Mundy, Jr. (pictured at left), a former commandant of the Marine Corps, who apparently doesn't reserve his bigotry just for gays. As Victor Maldonado at Pam's House Blend reports, Mundy also seems to holds blacks in contempt. Mundy explained away the lack of African-American officers in the Marines by telling 60 Minutes:

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"in the military skills, we find that the minority officers do not shoot as well as the non-minorities. They don't swim as well. And when you give them a compass and send them across the terrain at night in a land navigation exercise, they don't do as well at that sort of thing."

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The CBS News story goes on to highlight what was apparently all too typical of the Marine Corps under Mundy who entered the Marine Corps in 1953 and retired more than a decade ago in 1995:

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(CBS) THE MARINE CORPS IN 1993 (UNDER MUNDY). When 60 Minutes first visited Marine Corps Headquarters in 1993, there seemed to be little chance for advancement up the ranks for non-whites. Today, the statistics show improvement. 60 Minutes II Correspondent Lesley Stahl reports for a "Classic" segment of 60 Minutes II.

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"If I was blond-haired and blue-eyed and 6'1' and a closet homosexual, I'd be in the air cockpit of a CH-46 aircraft right now," says Captain Marcus Hartman. He used to be a CH-46 Marine helicopter pilot. Now he's a corporate lawyer. . When I challenged that individual a few days later, he resorted to screaming at me and calling me 'boy' in front of a wardroom full of officers," says Hartman. Hartman failed two flight tests, both administered by the same white captain who called him 'boy.' Then he was told he couldn't fly again. Hartman thinks that's business as usual in the Marine Corps, where only two percent of the pilots are black. . .

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Captain Gerald Gaskins agrees with him. "In my opinion, yes, it is racism. It's institutionalized racism," says Gaskins. "There's no doubt in my mind that it's racism."Captain Gaskins said that even though one of his superior officers urged him not to talk to 60 Minutes II. He recently learned that he's being promoted to the rank of major. But he did some research and found out that most black captains don't get promoted to major while most white captains do, courtesy, he says, of an "old-boy network." "I think people want to promote their own kind, and the more you look like your leadership, the better off you do in this system," Gaskins continues.

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60 Minutes II came to Marine Corps Headquarters to find out why they consistently kick out a greater percentage of minorities than whites. At first, we were told it's because of lower scores on Scholastic Aptitude Tests. In other words, they were saying that the minority officers just aren't as smart, at least academically, as the whites.

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THE MARINE CORPS TODAY. Since 60 Minutes II left Marine Corps Headquarters, Gaskins has gone from captain, to major, to lieutenant colonel. He now says minority officers have a real chance to succeed in the Corps.As for Marcus Hartman, he graduated from Harvard Law School, and is currently practicing corporate law. But it doesn't end there. In 1994, Hartman was recruited into the Reserves, and is now Marine Reservist Major Marcus Hartman.

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I'm sorry, but it sounds like if anyone should have been forced out of the military it was Mundy. His signature on the anti-gay letter put together by Elaine Donnelly shows that in Mundy's case once a bigot, always a bigot.

Des Moines Register: Marriage Ruling May Boost Iowa Economy

As the wingnuts of the Christian Right continue to have conniption fits and vent over the unanimous ruling of the Iowa Supreme Court on Friday striking down the ban on gay marriage, some are rightly focusing on the benefits that equality under the civil laws might bring to the state's economy. Like other states that allow gay marriage, Iowa could soon find itself as a gay travel destination with increased revenues from tourism and spending on wedding related items. However, unlike Massachusetts and Connecticut which are relatively close to Canadian destinations where gay marriage is legal, Iowa will be an island in the center of the country where many who cannot afford a longer and more expensive trip out of the country or to New England can soon have marriages performed. Since it would take at least 3 years for any attempt to amend the Iowa Constitution to over rule the Supreme Court to succeed, gay marriage should have a longer life span than in California. Here are some highlights from the DesMoines Register:
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Millions of dollars in tourism and tax revenue could flow into Iowa as a result of the Iowa Supreme Court's historic decision to legalize same-sex marriage, according to a range of scholars and business people.The unanimous but controversial ruling announced Friday overturned a 10-year-old ban on same-sex marriage and made Iowa the third state where gay marriage is legal.Iowa counties will begin to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples as early as this month.

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Unlike Connecticut and Massachusetts - the other states that permit gay marriage - Iowa has no nearby competitors for same-sex couples who want to marry. Businesses could see $160 million in new wedding and tourism spending over the next three years, according to a study from researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles.
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The study predicts that 2,917 same-sex Iowa couples will wed in the three years after the marriages are allowed to proceed. In addition, nearly 55,000 out-of-state couples could come to Iowa to get married, the study found. The ruling also could attract newcomers to the state, although some cautioned that the long-term impact remains unclear.Conservative critics argued that economics should not factor into an issue they view as an attack on traditional marriage and religious liberties.

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[O]ver time, he [University of Iowa political scientist David Redlawsk] said, the ruling could create an atmosphere that attracts younger residents and the so-called "creative class." "It makes Iowa overall a more welcoming state," Redlawsk said. "That's a good thing from the standpoint of businesses who, frankly, are concerned about quality of life issues for their employees."A University of Iowa Hawkeye Poll released Friday found that 58.7 percent of Iowans under age 30 support gay marriage, and three-fourths favor some formal recognition of gay relationships.

Virginia GOP Intra-Party War Continues

It is almost humorous to watch the Republican Party of Virginia ("RVP") tear itself apart over attempting to put a fresh face on the Party in the hope of getting the anything but moderate Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell (pictured at left with George "Macaca" Allen and Fred Thompson) elected as governor in November. A huge percentage of the moderates I knew in the GOP have left Party and are now voting Democrat with no intention of returning to the GOP until the Kool-Aid drinking Christianist set is thrown from control of the Party. Despite what he may be saying currently, McDonnell is a died in the wool Christianist who thinks extreme Christianist beliefs should control the civil laws. Merely throwing nutcase Jeff Frederick out of the RVP chairman position will not turn the sow's ear GOP into a silk purse. It is also noteworthy that McDonnell has many ultra far right figures from the GOP coming into Virginia to stump for him, including exorcism believing Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee who wants the U.S. Constitution to reflect the Bible as construed by him.

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Meanwhile, Frederick is a darling of the more deranged elements within RVP and I do not see that crowd going silently into the political wilderness or learning anything from John McCain's defeat in 2008. They are utterly clueless as to just how toxic the Republican brand has become with only 9% of voters under the age of 30 having a positive view of the GOP - versus 59% of that same bracket who view the Democrats in a favorable light - and continue to live in a fantasy world where the GOP's problems arise from not being ultra-far right enough. Personally, I hope the vicious infighting continues and that the Democrat contenders will go to great lengths to maintain the Virginia Democrat Party's unity throughout the primary election effort. Here are some highlights from the Washington Post on the ouster of Jeff Frederick yesterday:

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Virginia Republicans ousted embattled party chairman Jeffrey M. Frederick on Saturday at a tense meeting that left the party bitterly divided as it heads into a crucial campaign season. . . . . But at the heart of the dispute is a struggle that is tormenting Republicans both in the state and nationally: whether to rigidly pursue an agenda dominated by conservative social issues or reach out to more moderate voters with a pledge to focus chiefly on economic concerns.

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For months, the conflict has split the party and overshadowed Republican efforts to win the governor's mansion in a campaign that is viewed by many to be a harbinger for federal midterm elections in 2010. Some of Frederick's supporters said his ouster could sap the enthusiasm of rank-and-file activists come November.

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Dozens of Frederick's supporters rallied outside a hotel west of Richmond where the committee was meeting, waving signs that said "Don't Split My Party" and "We Elected Jeff. We Want Him to Stay" and chanting "Elected, Not Selected." Frederick stood on the sidelines, watching and praying with a small group of supporters. "It's nothing but a mob lynching. That's what it is,'' said Theresa Robinson, a Republican activist from Chester.

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McDonnell and other candidates are trying to set a course for Virginia Republicans by playing down their focus on ideology and such hot-button issues as gun rights, immigration and abortion. But many of the party's rank and file agree with Frederick's contention that by abandoning conservative principles they would betray their values. "The enthusiasm of the grass roots is critical in the fall,'' said Gary C. Byler, chairman of the 2nd Congressional District Republican Committee in Hampton Roads. "We have to heal those wounds."

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Frederick said he might fight to get his job back. His opportunity will come when thousands of activists will gather next month at a state convention. The event was designed to unite the party's rank and file behind McDonnell.

Sunday Male Beauty

Gays Killed in Baghdad as Clerics Urge Clampdown

As further proof that the U.S. occupation forces in Iraq either do not have the situation under control and/or that the U.S. leadership of the occupation force cares nothing for LGBT lives, reports out of Baghdad indicate that at the urging of Islamic clerics gays are being hunted down and murdered. Meanwhile the allegedly pro-U.S. puppet government in Afghanistan is allowing sharia law to be implemented so as to strip women of legal rights and protections. Frankly, if this is how the supposedly friendly puppet regimes are operating, then it is definitely past time that the USA troops be brought home. I would argue that the ones who are "perverts" and "deviants" are the hate filled clerics and their mindless followers who apparently cannot handle the fact that like the Bible, the Koran is wrong in its alleged condemnation of gays. Here are some highlights from Reuters on the murder of gays:

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BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Two gay men were killed in Baghdad's Sadr City slum, a local official said on Saturday, and police said they had found the bodies of four more after clerics urged a crackdown on a perceived spread of homosexuality. Homosexuality is prohibited almost everywhere in the Middle East, but conditions have become especially dangerous for gays and lesbians in Iraq since the rise of religious militias after U.S.-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein six years ago.

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"Two young men were killed on Thursday. They were sexual deviants. Their tribes killed them to restore their family honor," a Sadr City official who declined to be named said. The police source who declined to be named said the bodies of four gay men were unearthed in Sadr City on March 25, each bearing a sign reading "pervert" in Arabic on their chests.

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Many young men who might have cut their hair short and grown beards when religious gangs controlled much of Iraq now dress in a more Western style as government forces take back control. Some are now accused of being gay, and residents of Sadr City say at least one coffee shop has become a gay hangout.

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A member of the slum's Sadrist office said the Mehdi Army was not involved in the killings, but said homosexuality was now more widespread since the Mehdi Army lost control of the slum.
"This (homosexuality) has spread because of the absence of the Mehdi Army, the spread of sexual films and satellite television and a lack of government surveillance," said the office's Sheikh Ibrahim al-Gharawi, a Shi'ite cleric.

Equality Virginia 20th Anniversary Dinner

The boyfriend and I traveled to Richmond yesterday for the 6th Annual Commonwealth Dinner which celebrated the 20th anniversary of Equality Virginia. The event had over 1,100 attendees and was a wonderful affair with LGBT Virginians and straight allies from all over the state. Ellen Qualls, Senior Advisor for Strategic Planning for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, was the mistress of ceremonies - with whom I hope to speak further this coming week. The dinner also honored 20 outstanding LGBT Virginians - past and present and among those honored were my former law school classmate, Clarence Cain, on whom the movie Philadelphia was based, Charles Whitebread, a former law professor from my days at UVA Law, and Claus Ihelemann, a friend from Norfolk. I will admit that I got a little veklempt when photos of Clarence and Charlie were projected on large screens in the ballroom. The lighter side of the entertainment for the evening was Leslie Jordan -a/k/a "Beverly Leslie" on "Will and Grace" and "Brother Boy" in Del Shores’ adaptation of his play "Sordid Lives" - who had the crowd laughing loudly with his storytelling.

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Also attending were some of the candidates for political office in the November, 2009, elections here in Virginia. The governor's race was represented by Brian Moran who seeks to be the Democrat candidate against the GOP's Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell. The boyfriend and I had a very good conversation with Moran and may well get involved in his campaign. The boyfriend and I also had a great conversation with Michael Signer who is seeking the nomination to be the Democrat candidate for Lieutenant Governor. Also in attendance as were campaign staff personnel for Pat Edmondson who is likewise seeking the Lieutenant Governor nomination. I hope to be speaking with all three campaigns this coming week and will be posting interview results and/or thoughts on these candidates. The Democrat Primary is on June 9, 2009. All three of these candidates are publicly taking pro-gay positions and Moran actively campaigned against the Christianist hate-based Marshal-Newman Amendment to Virginia's Constitution. I was very disappointed that Jody Wagner apparently had no one from her campaign at the event at the event.

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Candidly, I was a bit surprised when the Edmondson staff sought me out after seeing us talking with Mike Signer. To my surprise they were aware of this blog and want me to discuss the pro-gay positions that Pat Edmondson is taking. At some point I will likely endorse candidates based on who I think will be the best candidate over all and in the best position to defeat the GOP rivals come November. It is absolutely essential that Bob McDonnell NOT be elected governor since it would be tantamount to having Pat Robertson and The Family Foundation setting state policy through the Governor's Office. Based on the close race in 2005 that saw Bob McDonnell win the Attorney General race by fewer than 400 votes, LGBT Virginians could well decide who wins these races in November and we all need to get informed and get to the polls come November.

Saturday Male Beauty

Amazing Iowa - Again in the Vanguard

Like many I am still somewhat stunned but elated at the unanimous ruling from the Iowa Supreme Court yesterday which struck down the statutory ban on same sex marriage. As I wrote yesterday I was also impressed that the Court took on the issue of one set of religious beliefs shaping civil legal rights head on and firmly stated that the religious beliefs of some does not make restricting the civil rights of others acceptable. The other information that has come to light - which was unknown to me and I suspect many others all across the country is how Iowa has a proud history of being ahead of the curve in advancing the civil rights of citizens. Something that is in stark contrast to Virginia which after its explosion of brilliance under the founding fathers has been behind the curve on almost all issues involving civil rights be it segregation, interracial marriage (Loving v. Virginia), and now gay rights (the Marshall-Newman Amendment). A joint statement from Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal and Iowa House Speaker Pat Murphy underscores just how impressive Iowa's track record has been over the years. Here are highlights from that statement (in reformated form):

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Thanks to today's decision, Iowa continues to be a leader in guaranteeing all of our citizens' equal rights. The court has ruled today that when two Iowans promise to share their lives together, state law will respect that commitment, regardless of whether the couple is gay or straight. When all is said and done, we believe the only lasting question about today's events will be why it took us so long. It is a tough question to answer because treating everyone fairly is really a matter of Iowa common sense and Iowa common decency. Today, the Iowa Supreme Court has reaffirmed those Iowa values by ruling that gay and lesbian Iowans have all the same rights and responsibilities of citizenship as any other Iowan. Iowa has always been a leader in the area of civil rights.

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Slavery: In 1839, the Iowa Supreme Court rejected slavery in a decision that found that a slave named Ralph became free when he stepped on Iowa soil, 26 years before the end of the Civil War decided the issue.

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School Segregation: In 1868, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that racially segregated 'separate but equal' schools had no place in Iowa, 85 years before the U.S. Supreme Court reached the same decision.

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Segregation of Public Accomodations: In 1873, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled against racial discrimination in public accommodations, 91 years before the U.S. Supreme Court reached the same decision.

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Women Attorneys: In 1869, Iowa became the first state in the union to admit women to the practice of law.

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In the case of recognizing loving relationships between two adults, the Iowa Supreme Court is once again taking a leadership position on civil rights. Today, we congratulate the thousands of Iowans who now can express their love for each other and have it recognized by our laws.

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I for one will hence forth look at Iowa in an entirely new light and I suspect thinking, fair minded residents of Iowa will again be proud that their state - which has been right early on on so many issues - has again stepped to the forefront in upholding civil liberties for all. Would that Virginia would return to the enlightened thinking of Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and others who put reason and liberty ahead of reactionary religious dogma.

Iowa: Unanimous Opinion Upholds Gay Marriage

In a perhaps surprising - but totally correct - ruling the Iowa Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that limiting civil marriage to one man and one woman to the exclusion of same sex couples violates the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution. No doubt the fundamentalists and professional Christian set will be foaming at the mouth and convulsing on the floor while shrieking that the world is coming to an end. A full copy of the Court's 69 page opinion can be viewed here. The Court's ruling can be summarized as a finding that equal protection means what it says: equal rights under the law. The Court also looks at the real reason for opposition to gay marriage: religious belief. It states as follows:

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While unexpressed, religious sentiment most likely motivates many, if not most, opponents of same-sex civil marriage and perhaps even shapes the views of those people who may accept gay and lesbian unions but find the notion of same-sex marriage unsettling. . . . Consequently, we address the religious undercurrent propelling the same-sex marriage debate as a means to fully explain our rationale for rejecting the dual-gender requirement of the marriage statute.

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State government can have no religious views, either directly or indirectly, expressed through its legislation. . . . This proposition is the essence of the separation of church and state. As a result, civil marriage must be judged under our constitutional standards of equal protection and not under religious doctrines or the religious views of individuals. This approach does not disrespect or denigrate the religious views of many Iowans who may strongly believe in marriage as a dual-gender union, but considers, as we must, only the constitutional rights of all people, as expressed by the promise of equal protection for all.
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In the final analysis, we give respect to the views of all Iowans on the issue of same-sex marriage—religious or otherwise—by giving respect to our constitutional principles. These principles require that the state recognize both opposite-sex and same-sex civil marriage. Religious doctrine and views contrary to this principle of law are unaffected, and people can continue to associate with the religion that best reflects their views. . . . The only difference is civil marriage will now take on a new meaning that reflects a more complete understanding of equal protection of the law. This result is what our constitution requires.

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I am glad that the Court took on the religious basis head on and flatly stated what I wish more judges and legislators had the courage and honesty to do: tell the Christianists that their religious views have no place in determining the civil laws. Here are some highlights from the DesMoines Register:

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The Iowa Supreme Court this morning unanimously upheld gays’ right to marry. “The Iowa statute limiting civil marriage to a union between a man and a woman violates the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution,” the justices said in a summary of their decision.The court rules that gay marriage would be legal in three weeks, starting April 24.

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The decision makes Iowa the first Midwestern state, and the fourth nationwide, to allow same-sex marriages. Lawyers for Lambda Legal, a gay rights group that financed the court battle and represented the couples, had hoped to use a court victory to demonstrate acceptance of same-sex marriage in heartland America.

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Richard Socarides, a former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton on gay civil rights, said today’s decision could set the stage for other states. Socarides was was a senior political assistant for Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin in the early 1990s. “I think it’s significant because Iowa is considered a Midwest sate in the mainstream of American thought,” Socarides said. “Unlike states on the coasts, there’s nothing more American than Iowa. As they say during the presidential caucuses, 'As Iowa goes, so goes the nation.’”

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Senate Republican Leader Paul McKinley (R-Chariton) issued the following statement this morning in response to the Iowa Supreme Court's decision to allow gay marriage in Iowa: "The decision made by the Iowa Supreme Court today to allow gay marriage in Iowa is disappointing on many levels. . . . “I’m off the wall,” said Democratic Sen. Matt McCoy of Des Moines, who is openly gay. “I’m very pleased to be an Iowan.”Then, as he saw a stream of grim-faced activists from the Supreme Court passing through security at the Iowa Capitol, he said: “The God squad’s coming in the door now.”