More Wednesday Male Beauty

Maggie Gallagher's Worse Nightmare

A straight friend and LGBT ally sent me this video clip which I figured represented anti-gay parasite Maggie Gallagher's worse nightmare. Assuming, of course, she even believes the anti-gay crap that she's peddling to the ignorant and gullible while naturally enriching herself in the process. Sadly, Maggie, like so many of the professional Christian set make the nastiest prostitute look virtuous in comparison.

Tell Virginia's Senators - End “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” THIS YEAR!

As most readers know, repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell is very high on the legislative items that I personally want to see accomplished THIS YEAR. Living in Hampton Roads with its huge closeted military service member population, I see the damage this religious based policy of discrimination inflicts daily both in terms of friends in the military and in terms of clients who are service members yet treated like vermin by this bigoted policy. A bastardized measure to repeal DADT has passed the House of Representatives and the main obstacle to passage is the U.S. Senate - with Virginia's Senators Jim Webb and to a lesser extent Mark Warner posing a portion of that obstacle. Given this reality, I was contacted today by Alex Nicholson, Executive Director of Servicemembers United and asked to help promote that organization's effort to bring Senators Webb and Warner into line to support the DADT repeal legislation. To that end, I invite readers to go to the website Webb and Warner.org and sign the petition demanding that they vote for repeal of DADT. It is especially important that Senators Webb and Warner hear from LGBT Virginians who these men claim to represent on this issue. Personally, I've made it VERY clear to Senator Webb's office that this is a do or die issue for me - either Webb votes for DADT repeal or I will not support him for re-election. Moreover, I will actively work against his re-election. As pointed out in the previous post, I support David Mixner's agenda of not support/enabling those Democrats who betray me because in essence they are mealy mouthed cowards. Here are some highlights from WebbandWarner.org:
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The outdated and discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) law has already resulted in the abrupt firing of more than 14,000 capable men and women, as well as the voluntary departure of tens of thousands more. Such a policy violates the integrity of our military and diminishes our nation’s security. An amendment that is currently attached to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would responsibly repeal the DADT law in a way that is completely respectful of the ongoing comprehensive review process. The DADT law must go this year, and Senators Webb and Warner should support the current DADT repeal amendment to NDAA without modification.
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Senators Webb and Warner absolutely need to hear from Virginians about the repeal of the DADT law. Senator Webb, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, voted against the DADT repeal amendment in committee and is likely to vote against it again when NDAA comes to the Senate floor. Although Senator Warner has not committed to final position yet, he is under significant pressure to fall in line with Senator Webb's opposition to repealing DADT this year. Virginia has a large conservative population, even within the Democratic party, that is assumed to oppose repeal, so Senators Webb and Warner need to hear from those who want this outdated law repealed this year.
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Please sign the petition to Senators Webb and Warner here.

Five Suggestions to Force Change

Once again David Mixner has an inspired post on his blog that lays out a strategy that I believe MUST be embraced by LGBT Americans if we are ever to see full equality in this nation. I fully support David's suggestions and even forwarded them to Senator Jim Webb's communications director as a message that we are TIRED of false friends. Clearly, the LGBT community must support only those Democrats who support us and we must be prepared for some years in the wilderness if we rightly allow false "allies" to go down to electoral defeat. It seems that nothing less will get the message across to faux "friends" like Barack Obama. With me, things are basically black and white so to speak: you are either with us in more than lip service, or you're against us and you can kiss my gay ass if you think I am going to be played for a sucker any longer. Better to oppose a known foe than have the blade stuck in your back between your ribs by a false "friend." Here are highlights from David's must read post:
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This much we know: ENDA is dead for this year and if you believe Congressman Jackie Spiers, it is dead for at least five years. The repeal of DOMA has seen almost no action. We were taken out of the healthcare legislation. Most likely we will be taken out of the Immigration Reform legislation in the name of 'a greater good.' DADT is increasingly looking grim with passage of even the compromise in question. The list of bad news can go on and on.
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The only question that needs to be answered "Is this acceptable to us two years into the Obama term?" And if not, how do we change tactics or escalate our actions in order to not leave our freedom in the hands of those who have chosen not to battle for them? Here are some ideas to consider:
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1. STOP ENABLING: Anyone who has been even near a recovery program knows that the worst action a friend can take to someone who can't seem to 'get it together' is to enable them by explaining away their actions. Tough love is required from the LGBT community toward the Democratic party. No more 'understanding' why they have put us on the back burner yet one more time. No more explaining by our national organizations why with 58 Democratic Senators, a Democratic House and a liberal Democratic President we have failed after all this time to move on the 'Big Three.' No more taking a tough line rhetorically and then telling them all is forgiven by giving them money, resources and praise. We have to stop giving them permission to hurt and disappoint us time and time again.
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2. DEMAND STOP LOSS: The President has the power today to issue a 'stop-loss' order until a military report is issued and the process to officially end DADT is begun. After all, they all say it is a given that it is over so lets not destroy anyone else's lives or dreams because the political timing is not right.
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3. JUSTICE AT JUSTICE DEPARTMENT: The Department of Justice has been a hostile place for the LGBT agenda. They have spent more time fighting our rights in court than defending them. While looking for ways to intervene in Arizona, they have not even attempted to be part of the Proposition 8 case. Surely, Attorney General Eric Holder can find ways to help with the vast organization he has at his disposal. His refusing to take a stand in Maine the week before the vote was unforgivable.
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4. MAKE WAY FOR NEW WAYS: Clearly the 'pretty please lobbying' we have be doing is simply not working. Never will we have better margins in Congress than we have had the last two years and we are ending up with almost nothing. We need to embrace new groups, new ways, and new ideas. Failing institutions should be held accountable and those who are pushing for full equality should be celebrated and supported. Organizations like Get Equal and the new exciting Friend Factor offer alternative tactics to support our traditional ways of organizing and demanding full equality.
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5. PRACTICE POLITICAL TOUGH LOVE: Every two years they throw the 'we are better than the other guys' and imply that if we don't support people in the Democratic party who haven't supported us then we will be the ones responsible for any conservative victory. Bull! It is their lack of courage, inability to lead and tepid inspiration that have created their own political fate. We must no longer support anyone who is not for full equality and that includes marriage equality. No longer support political committees that give money to those who vote against us. We must seek out those candidates who do support full equality (and there are a huge number these days) and give them our support. We also must be willing to support primaries in the future against those within the Democratic party who don't support us.

Adirondack Summer

As long time readers likely know, I spent many summers in my youth at our family summer home in the Adirondack Mountains in New York State. Those summers were magical times. I have not visited the lake house in years due to scheduling and other issues. Some family members were up recently and took these - and many other - photos. The view above is sailing on Brantingham Lake. The photo below is a place we used to fish and slide down the smooth water worn rapids.
Otter Creek, Lewis County, New York

America: Less Social Mobility Than We Like to Pretend

The chart set out above via Frum Forum shows a reality that most Americans like to pretend is not the case - much of "Old Europe" now has more social mobility that the USA. The chart comes originally from Brookings Institution study, published in 2009. And with the wealth disparity growing markedly in this country, the problem will likely increase. Faux religious freedom and declining social/class mobility - not exactly what the Founders supposedly had in mind.

Wednesday Male Beauty

Early Morning Reflections - When Will It Be Time to Emigrate?

As regular readers know, I'm usually motivated to continue to fight for equality under the civil laws for LGBT Americans and others who continue to receive the short end of the stick under our less than genuine nation where the rule of law and freedom of religion are alleged to hold sway. Nonetheless, at times I truly feel that the USA is so screwed up and religious based bigotry so enshrined in the laws that it might be easier to simply get the Hell out of the USA. As more nations are voting in or having their courts mandate full equality for LGBT citizens, remaining in the USA when one is a gay American is (I know it's an extreme comparison) akin to being black and remaining in the Deep South under the Jim Crow laws rather than moving to a northern state where such laws were not on the books. Dealing with social discrimination is one thing. Being discriminated against daily by the very civil laws themselves is something far worse.

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Obviously, I and many other LGBT Americans had hoped for real change under the Obama administration - especially when combined with Democrat control of Congress. Sadly, what we got was, in my view, a spineless, lying, cynical President - yes, I know, I should have expected it - who is utterly unwilling to exercise leadership on basically any issue whatsoever. As for most Congressional Democrats, they are about as untrustworthy of "allies" as one could want to come across. On top of that, we see the main stream media - with few exceptions - never, ever taking on the talking heads of the Christian Right who could be easily shown to be lying, religious extremist, if not outright frauds. Why isn't the mainstream media going after the twice divorced Linda Lindle as a hypocrite?

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So what does one do? Stay and continue to fight the good fight like Don Quixote, or call it like it is and get the Hell out of a sick and fraudulent nation? Short term while our parents are living, the boyfriend and I will stay. After that, I really see no reason to stay in the USA. It's a sad commentary, but as I see it it is the truth. The USA seems to be on a downward spiral where religious lunacy and ignorance are insurgent and the founding principles of the country merely get lip service. The loons of the far right claim the USA is failing because of societal immorality and draw analogies to Ancient Rome. They are wrong, of course. Rome fell because it had remained militarily over extended for many, many years - sound familiar? - and exhausted itself financially. Likewise, the point came where the benefits of living under the system no longer made loyalty to Rome and its laws worth the cost and the effort. I feel that I have reached this latter point in terms of the USA.

Presbyterians Move Closer to Full Inclusion of Gays

Timothy Kincaid has a lengthy piece at Box Turtle Bulletin that looks at events transpiring at the Presbyterian Church (USA) Assembly which is meeting in Minneapolis this week. Hopefully, predictions that the Presbyterian Church will move toward accepting committed same sex couples will prove accurate. Indeed, if the Presbyterians join the United Church of Christ, the Quakers, the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the case will become even stronger that anti-gay constitutional amendments and DOMA laws are enshrining one particular religious dogma on all citizens and discriminating against gay- accepting denominations. As I have argued many times, the only real reason opponents of gay marriage can fall back upon is religious belief and I'm sorry, but that does NOT cut it in a nation that alleges that it has religious freedom for all and where one's adherence - or one's non adherence - to one set of religious beliefs is not supposed to limit one's civil rights as a citizen. The time has come for the United States of America to either admit that the nation is a fraud when it comes to religious freedom or strike down religious based anti-gay laws and state constitutional provisions. Here are highlights from Kincaid's piece:
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The Presbyterian Church (USA) is meeting in Minneapolis this week and high on the agenda is how to deal with gay and lesbian Presbyterians in committed relationships. And two decisions made so far give promise that this year may result in steps towards greater inclusion. The first action was the election of gay ally Cindy Bolbach as Moderator of the 219th General Assembly (2010).
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Additionally, the Committee on Civil Union and Marriage Issues seems to be making some astonishing adjustments to church language. For example,

1. Shall W-4.9001 be amended as follows: “Marriage is a gift God has given to all humankind for the well-being of the entire human family. Marriage is a civil contract between two people. For Christians marriage is a covenant through which two people are called to live out together before God their lives of discipleship. In a service of Christian marriage a lifelong commitment is made by between two people, publicly witnessed and acknowledged by the community of faith.” The vote was affirmative 34 to 18 with two abstentions.
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We must keep in mind that these committee decisions do not, in themselves, place gay people on an equal standing in the Presbyterian Church; there are still a number of hurdles to clear. But they are steps towards that standing and are encouraging signs of what the future holds for gay Presbyterians and gay Christians on the whole.

More Tuesday Male Beauty

Add Hawaii to the List Of States Where We Won't Spend Our Money

UPDATED: I'm working to confirm it, but it seems Linda Lindle is another true hypocrite when it comes to marriage - she's been divorced supposedly TWICE. So much for the sanctity of marriage and applying the Bible as something other than a chinese combination menu when applied to herself.

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Apparently, Hawaii GOP Governor Linda Lingle puts her own beliefs ahead of the will of the state legislature and the majority of the Hawaiian public which polls showed support civil unions for same sex couples. Lindle's hubris reminds me of that of the delusional Chimperator, George Bush, who allowed his religious lunacy and sense of "I know best" lead the USA into the continuing nightmare in Iraq. Few things are more dangerous than politicians who believe that their religious beliefs should be imposed on all. In any event, I suspect that the Hawaii tourism business will not be happy if LGBT Americans take their travel dollars to other destinations in protest (we certainly will not be booking to travel to Hawaii). Again, I wish the LGBT community would make better use of its communal purchasing power to punish states and locales that demonstrate their hostility to full civil law equality for LGBT citizens. Hawaii News Now has highlights on high priestess - I mean Governor Lindle's disturbing veto:
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle announced Tuesday afternoon that she is vetoing a bill to allow civil unions. The veto of the bill, passed by the Hawaii legislature in April, appears to make the prospects for legal civil unions dead for at least another year in Hawaii. House Speaker Calvin Say indicated on Friday that the House would not hold a special session to override Lingle's vetoes, dooming any chance of the governor's decision to be overturned.
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Lindle says she opposes same sex marriage and says that civil unions will lead to gay marriage. Ms. Lindle, you're a bigot and like so many homophobes, and, assuming there is an afterlife, I hope you have one Hell of a shock on Judgment Day when your bigotry is held up in your face. You obviously have forgotten the rule of do unto others as you would have done unto you.

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As for the LGBT community, take a moment and contact the Hawaii Tourism Authority and let the folks know that thanks to Governor Lindle, you'll be traveling elsewhere. Here is some contact information:
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Phone: 1-800-GoHawaii or 1-800-464-2924
- Email: infooff@hvcb.org
- Website: http://www.gohawaii.com/

To send a message to Ms. Lindle, go here.

Priest Used Parish Money For Hotels, Male Escorts

My, my! It seems the George "Rentboy" Rekers is not the only one who does not practice the anti-gay mantra that he preaches. Or the only closeted homophobe who likes to hire rent boys. As the Hartford Courant is reporting, Rev. Kevin J. Gray (pictured at left), an apparently well-known Roman Catholic priest, has been arrested for embezzling $1.475 million from his parish over the last 6 to 7 years. And what were some of these stolen monies used for? To hire male escorts, of course. Admittedly, I guess stealing and hiring rent boys is preferable to raping children, but the hypocrisy factor is still over the top. We have to also wonder how that much money could be misappropriated and no one noticed. It's mind boggling, but all too typical of those who make careers preaching one thing and doing something very different. Here are highlights from the Courant:
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A well-known Roman Catholic priest who stole $1.3 million from the Sacred Heart parish over seven years said he "had grown to hate being a priest" because the Archdiocese had given him the "worst church assignments" where he would "have to fix problems made by the previous priests," according to his arrest warrant.
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The Rev. Kevin J. Gray, 64, was charged with first-degree larceny. Police said he used church funds to pay for hotels, restaurant meals, clothing and male escorts. . . . Gray told police that he is gay and has a problem with the church's stance on homosexuality, the affidavit states.
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Gray said he started taking money once he was transferred to Sacred Heart in 2003 "because he felt the church owed it to him," the affidavit states. Gray wrote checks to himself, paid off his American Express bills, allowed two men to have credit cards in their names on his account and paid for various other expenses — including tuition to Harvard and rent in New York City for a man he met in Central Park — using the church's Webster Bank account, the document states.
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Gray stated that he would order male escorts from Campus Escorts in New York. He said he would have the escorts meet him in hotel rooms he had rented. Since May 24, 2003, $655,936.48 worth of checks from the church funds were cashed by American Express to pay for charges to Gray's account, the affidavit states. Charges to Gray's account between May 2003 and March 2010 included $205,679.78 to restaurants in New York, Boston and Connecticut, . . .
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Gray opened credit card accounts in the names of Manuel Paque, a man Gray met at a male strip bar, and Islagar Labrada, a man Gray met through an escort service, on Gray's own account.
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Between June 2003 and May 2010, Gray also used the American Express to rack up $80,612.24 in charges at clothing stores such as Brooks Brothers, Barney's and Armani, the affidavit states. He charged $19,450.11 to jewelry stores, including Tiffany, and spent $22,259.71 on Apple computers, furniture and electronics.
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In addition, Gray acquired more than $200,000 by signing an agreement with Wireless Capital Partners, LLC, out of Santa Monica, Calif. The warrant states that the church found out about the agreement when the company called them, asking about extending their lease.

More Gutless Christianist Attacks

This past January I took my former UVA law school classmate, Congressman Randy Forbes, to task for his shameless pandering to the lunatic Christian Right and his brief efforts to torpedo the District of Columbia's approval of a law authorizing same sex marriages which have since begun to take place. Now, albeit it belatedly, a cowardly supporter of Mr. Forbes' attempt to subvert the separation of church and state, has launched a personal attack on us and, indeed, all LGBT Americans. Did this individual disclose his identity? Of course not! He/she set up a Goggle profile and then blocked it from being viewed by the public. Therefore - as I have stated before - this coward's comments have not been published.

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Sadly, it's yet another example of the homo-haters lacking the courage to stand behind their convictions. Just like what happened in Washington State and the R-71 petition signers who took their case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court only to be shot down in flames. Among the rants posted by this individual calling himself "Robert" is the demand that mob majority rule be the law of the land. I can just imagine his/her changed perspective as and when whites become a minority in the USA. I suspect that we'll see a very different song and dance when that day comes.

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The other statement that shows that this commenter is a Bible thumper is his statement that "morality standards are actually put in place by God, The Head of All principalties and power." The question is, of course, whose God are we talking about. The white, minority and gay hating God of say Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention, or instead the God of Bishops Gene Robinson and John Shelby Spong? The verbal diarrhea goes on at some length and clearly indicates that "Robert" believes that the religious views of one group - not a very Christian acting one at that - are to be imposed upon all citizens.

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If Robert now typifies Randy Forbes' supporters, I can only wonder when Randy was secreted away and had a "Stepford Wife" remake done on him. As for "Robert," if you want your comments published, grow some balls and do not hide behind anonymity.

Tuesday Male Beauty

When Will Latinos Use Their Electoral Clout?

With the GOP seemingly seeking to alienate everyone other than the white, uneducated, conservative Christian vote, one has to wonder why Latinos have not made a larger effort to get out to the polls and push back against the thinly disguised racism that is increasingly a main thread of the GOP platform. Moreover, with the new GOP backed immigration law enacted in Arizona, many Latinos in that state must feel like they are living in the bad old Soviet Union or Nazi Germany where one needed to carry identification papers at all times. While immigration is not the sole issue of concern for Latinos, just maybe Arizona's racist law will be the lever to prompt more Hispanics to get involved in the political process. CNN looks at the phenomenon and provides some analysis of this voter segment that the Democrats - like every other minority group - have failed to seek to win over with real legislative action. Here are some highlights:
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Each election cycle is dubbed "the year" -- a time when Latinos will show up at the polls in droves and transform the political landscape. President Obama's renewed push last week for immigration reform has brought with it fresh expectations for the Latino vote in November's midterm elections. The issue is considered one of symbolic and substantive importance for the community. Four out of five undocumented immigrants are from Mexico or another part of Latin America, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.
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While voter turnout among the Latino community has risen in recent years, the adage that there's "strength in numbers" has yet to manifest itself. "Hispanics are not punching at their weight," said Mark Hugo Lopez, associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center. "Their share of voters doesn't quite match their share in the general population."
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But if mobilization efforts change that, the group could be a key voice in November. A study from the pro-immigration reform group America's Voice suggests that Latinos could play a key role in 37 congressional races.
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"Going into 2010 and 2012, there is a big question mark on Latino behavior," he said. "Latinos have suffered so badly from the economic depression. Latinos are very angry about the immigration debate, and we're getting killed in home foreclosures." At 15.8 percent of the population, Latinos constitute the largest minority group in the United States.
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[I]n the months since Arizona passed an immigration law that critics say could lead to racial profiling, more recent surveys have indicated that the issue has risen to the top for Latinos. A survey commissioned by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials indicates that the immigration debate has made Latinos more likely to vote in November.
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[S]ources said it was politically crucial for the president to give such a speech to put pressure on Republicans and reassure angry Latino voters that Democrats haven't forgotten about this issue. . . . Gonzalez said the Obama administration is supported by Latinos, but the community also is expecting something in return for its vote.
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"Latino voters are not like independents who go back and forth. ... They don't swing Republican. They get mad and stay home," he said. And unless the party in power delivers on immigration reform, Gonzalez said that going into 2010, "If I was the Democrats, I would be very concerned."
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And there's the rub. Like the LGBT community and other groups, Latinos expect something concrete in exchange for their votes and political support. And unfortunately, that's where Obama is once again a no-starter. More than nice speeches are needed. Will Obama and the Congressional Democrats deliver before it's too late in November? I for one am not holding my breath.

Message to the GOP: Stop Punishing the Unemployed

I know a number of individuals who lost their jobs in connection with the on going economic meltdown and who after months of job seeking are still unemployed. Now they either have losted their unemployment benefits or are faced with their unemployment benefits ceasing. Why? Because the GOP has repeatedly killed the extension of unemployment benefits citing the need for fiscal responsibility and fighting the deficit. Pork for pet projects and throwing billions of dollars (and thousands of US lives) down the toilet in Iraq and Afghanistan doesn't count and isn't even on the table for discussion. Truth be told, Republicans seem to care nothing about the unemployed and seem to have a mindset that anyone unemployed is in that status through their own fault. As for the Christianists in the GOP base, they conveniently ignore the Gospel message to help the poor and feed the hungry. Instead they chant a no tax mantra and prefer to leave the unemployed to wither and die. Thus, the "party of family values" cares nothing about financially desperate families - nor do self-congratulatory, self-anointed Christians who care only about themselves. Paul Krugman has a column in Sunday's New York Times that properly takes the GOP to task for its hypocritical and heartless mindset. Here are some highlights:
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There was a time when everyone took it for granted that unemployment insurance, which normally terminates after 26 weeks, would be extended in times of persistent joblessness. It was, most people agreed, the decent thing to do.
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But that was then. Today, American workers face the worst job market since the Great Depression, with five job seekers for every job opening, with the average spell of unemployment now at 35 weeks. Yet the Senate went home for the holiday weekend without extending benefits. How was that possible?
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The answer is that we’re facing a coalition of the heartless, the clueless and the confused. Nothing can be done about the first group, and probably not much about the second. But maybe it’s possible to clear up some of the confusion.
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By the heartless, I mean Republicans who have made the cynical calculation that blocking anything President Obama tries to do — including, or perhaps especially, anything that might alleviate the nation’s economic pain — improves their chances in the midterm elections. Don’t pretend to be shocked: you know they’re out there, and make up a large share of the G.O.P. caucus.
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By the clueless I mean people like Sharron Angle, the Republican candidate for senator from Nevada, who has repeatedly insisted that the unemployed are deliberately choosing to stay jobless, so that they can keep collecting benefits. . .One doubts, however, that any amount of evidence could change Ms. Angle’s view of the world — and there are, unfortunately, a lot of people in our political class just like her.
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[A]s you may have noticed, right now the economy isn’t booming — again, there are five unemployed workers for every job opening. Cutting off benefits to the unemployed will make them even more desperate for work — but they can’t take jobs that aren’t there.
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[A]id to the unemployed creates jobs quickly — while allowing that aid to lapse, which is what is happening right now, is a recipe for even weaker job growth, not in the distant future but over the next few months.
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is there any chance that these arguments will get through? Not, I fear, to Republicans: “It is difficult to get a man to understand something,” said Upton Sinclair, “when his salary” — or, in this case, his hope of retaking Congress — “depends upon his not understanding it.” But there are also centrist Democrats who have bought into the arguments against helping the unemployed. It’s up to them to step back, realize that they have been misled — and do the right thing by passing extended benefits.

More Monday Male Beauty

Fighting For Gay Rights in Nepal - Sunil Pant

As the USA continues to lag behind other parts of the world in its treatment of LGBT citizens, one of the interesting stories of gay rights around the world is that of what is happening in Nepal - the tiny nation nestled in the Himalayas. Leading the charge for change is Sunil Pant (pictured at right), Nepal’s first openly gay parliamentarian and the man leading the gay rights revolution in Nepal and setting an example in Asia. Much to my amazement some months back Pant asked to be MY Facebook friend. Once again demonstrating how blogging can bring about some unique contacts. Sunil is a testimony to the fact that one person can make a difference. As I have written before, Nepal wants to become a gay honeymoon destination. Here are some highlights from CNN:
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The United States made headlines this June when it announced that the passports of transgender individuals will reflect their changed genders. But those in and around Nepal will remember that the Nepali authorities issued similar "third gender" identification cards back in 2007. And leading this charge for gay rights in Asia is Nepal's first openly gay Parliamentarian, Sunil Pant.
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In the center of Kathmandu is the popular Ratna Park and in the evenings in the late 1990s, that was where the city's LGBT community would quietly meet. Within one month, Pant met thousands of Nepal’s sexual minorities. Pant shared what he learned about the Stonewall Movement, about South Africa's legalization of gay marriage, and the open environment in which gays live in other parts of the world. At the same time, people shared with Pant the fear, intimidation, abuse, and violence they experienced at home in Nepal.
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Pant and his friends began to organize. They held the first training of its kind in Nepal addressing condom usage for gay men, sexual health, and human rights. When one transgender member of the training committed suicide after being beaten and discovered by her brother, Pant became determined to document and campaign on behalf of such individuals. In 2001, Pant started the Blue Diamond Society (BDS), a thriving resource, advocacy, and community center for Nepal's LGBT community.
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2006 saw the rise of populist movements in Nepal and it was then that Pant presented the government with an agenda to protect the rights of LGBT individuals. In 2007 he took the government to court demanding equal rights; they ruled in favor of Pant, agreed to issue third gender identification cards, and sanctioned the formation of a committee to research the societal effects of same-sex marriage. As Pant puts it, the committee wanted to ensure that "the sky would not fall" if Nepal were to legalize gay marriage.
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Pant says his policies are moving fast, the media is supportive, and gay individuals are more open about their sexuality now. "Government policies don't change, but individual ministers do," and that is where Pant sees possibilities for progress. "We have the same politicians and people expect miracles to happen," says Pant, who is now leading a broad-based youth activist movement in Nepal.
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And like Nepal, Pant believes the United States should move toward same-sex marriage laws on a federal level and not let individual states decide on matters of marriage.

Teachers’ Union Shuns Obama Aides at Convention

In yet another possible sign that Barack Obama's lack of change "change" administration is really pissing off those who put him in office, now the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers have given Obama's representatives the cold shoulder at the annual convention. Like gays and Hispanics, teachers have heard a lot of speeches yet seen little or no action - even as state budget cuts are threatening to force teachers - rather than higher paid and often worthless central office administrators - out of jobs. Does anyone in the White House "get it" yet? It would seem not. And again, none of this bodes well for the November mid-terms where numerous portions of the Democrat base are faced with the realization that giving control of Congress and the White House to the Democrats has brought either nothing at all or watered down half measures compared to all the now broken campaign promises. The only possible saving factor for the Democrats is that the GOP seems Hell bent to become even more extreme and crazy. Here are highlights from the New York Times:
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[I]n a sign of the Obama administration’s strained relations with two of its most powerful political allies, no federal official was scheduled to speak at either convention this month, partly because union officials feared that administration speakers would face heckling.
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The largest union’s meeting opened here on Saturday to a drumbeat of heated rhetoric, with several speakers calling for Mr. Duncan’s resignation, hooting delegates voting for a resolution criticizing federal programs for “undermining public education,” and the union’s president summing up 18 months of Obama education policies by saying, “This is not the change I hoped for.”
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“Today our members face the most anti-educator, anti-union, anti-student environment I have ever experienced,” Dennis Van Roekel, president of the union, the National Education Association, told thousands of members gathered at the convention center here.
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Better relations are important to the administration. Mr. Van Roekel’s association, with more than three million members, says it spent $50 million in 2008 to help elect the president and more than 50 candidates for Congress and governors’ offices, most of them Democrats. The American Federation of Teachers, with 1.4 million members, also spent millions of dollars to help elect Mr. Obama and other candidates in 2008.
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“If the teachers sit on their hands this fall, it would be a disaster for Obama and the Democrats,” said Richard D. Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation who has studied the teachers’ unions.
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[M]any state and local teachers’ union leaders have expressed ambivalent views on the Obama administration. “We have to recognize that with Obama we have a voice in the decision-making, they listen to us,” said Earl Wiman, president of the Tennessee Education Association. But he added, “Mostly what we’ve seen out of this administration is a top-down, put-your-thumb-on-somebody kind of philosophy, and it’s aroused more frustration around federal education policy than I’ve ever seen.”
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For me, it has become increasingly clear that while Obama may have been effective legislator, a leader he is not. He prefers following rather than leading and that, unfortunately, is NOT what so many Americans voted for in 2008.

Monday Male Beauty

Recognition of Gay Relationships in Europe

With yesterday's 4th of July celebrations here in the USA there was much self-congratulations among Americans that they live in the "land of the free" and a nation with religious freedom for all. Of course, truth be told, such is not the case. As the map above demonstrates, more and more of "Old Europe" is out stripping the USA in granting legal equality to all of its citizens in terms of marriage and quasi-marriage rights. On the map, green equates to marriage and red equates to other legal recognition of same sex couples. And meanwhile Christianists and Mormons continue to strive to turn the U. S. Constitution upside down and create an established form of religion.

More Holy Crimes - Catholic Church in Australia

Joe Jervis has a column, "This Week in Holy Crimes," on his blog, Joe By God, that is always a disturbing yet enlightening read since it exposes the hypocrisy and sexual crimes of self-laudatory "men of God." The crimes are not limited to Catholic priests - although they are always well represented - and includes Baptist pastors, evangelical pastors and even rabbis. To me, it proves that those who obsess about sex in their preaching need more help than their listeners in the pews. The stories are also frequently shocking because they make it clear that denomination authorities often knew that crimes against children and youth were occurring yet they did absolutely nothing to stop it. I guess they were too busy condemning gays, preaching against abortion, or counting their weekly haul of money from the sheeple. A case in point where turning a blind eye to crimes against children comes from Australia and involves all too typically a Catholic predator priest. All of the students knew the monster was a predator yet he was allowed to continue molesting children for decades. Here are highlights from the Sydney Morning Herald:
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When Catholic priest John Sidney Denham walked through the playground of the NSW school he taught at 35 years ago, boys would call out "bums to the wall, Denham's on the crawl". The 67-year-old was jailed for almost 20 years on Friday for his "sadistic", indecent and sexual assault of boys as young as five.
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Judge Helen Syme said the offences often involved "significant planning". They took place between 1968 and 1986 when Denham worked as a teacher at St Pius X High School at Adamstown near Newcastle, and also at Charlestown and Taree, where he worked as parish assistant priest. It wasn't until August 2008 that Denham was charged.
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Thirty-nine men claim they were molested by Denham when they were boys, with the offences including multiple counts of indecent assault and also buggery. In one case, in 1979 at St Pius, a 13-year-old boy was called out of his classroom and taken to Denham's office where he was raped. He was eventually allowed back to class, with the priest handing him a $10 note as he left.
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The mother of another victim, who cannot be identified, said the Catholic Church should be held accountable for the abuse. "He was a horrendous man, really horrendous," she said, blaming other staff at the school for allowing the abuse to continue, including the then principal. "He knew about it... I can't believe I sent my children to a school like that."

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Pope BenedictXVI says that gays are inherently disordered. I'm sorry, but I'd say he's got it backwards. It's he and those like him in the Church who are the ones who are disordered. And many of them ought to be behind bars.

Why Many Gay Couples (and I) Want Marriage Rights

Putting aside the 1,000 plus civil law benefits that attach to marriage under state and federal law, there's another reason that I believe same sex couples want legal marriage rights: to officially mark their relationships. The boyfriend and I have done all the legal paperwork required in a backward state like Virginia to address making medical and financial decisions and to cover inheritance issues. Nonetheless, to the world as a whole, our relationship is still that of legal strangers and I for one want fully legal legitimacy. Part of this is because I believe most couples want their love and relationships recognized. For me, it is also because I know that the only real reason that Christianists and Mormons oppose same sex marriage is because their goal is to de-legitimize gay couples and keep us legally inferior. Indeed, they want to de-legitimize our very humanity. Oh yes, they cite the few lines from the Bible to justify their bigotry, but their total disregard for countless other Bible passages illuminates their disingenuousness. We know quite a few couples who have gone and married in gay friendly states even though their marriages are not recognized in Bible beating Virginia. View it either as a form of protest or and act of affirming your love and relationship. Either way, it's something we may well do sometime soon.

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Yesterday's New York Times ran an article on Mitchell Gold and Tim Scofield's marriage in Iowa. Like the weddings of other gay friends, this marriage struck a cord with me since I met Gold back in 2008 at the LGBT Blogger Summit and have communicated with him since from time to time. I want to congratulate Mitchell and Tim on their marriage and hope they enjoy much happiness together. Here are some Times highlights:
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WHEN Mitchell Gold, now 59, arrived in Manhattan in 1974, he “was young, fresh out of college and closeted,” he recalled. He took a job selling pillows at Bloomingdale’s, and remembered going out with women and usually finding that “the waiter was more interesting, or her brother.”
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In the fall of 2006, while he was in Manhattan for an auction of rare stamps, a friend invited him out for cocktails with a group that included Mr. Gold, who was dressed in a black shirt and blue jeans. (In his wardrobe, blue jeans are as ubiquitous as yellow cabs on Fifth Avenue.) Mr. Scofield was awestruck. “I was too shy to look into his eyes,” he recalled.
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By then, Mr. Gold had broken up with Mr. Williams and expected to be single for the rest of his life. “I’d had one big love and I didn’t think I could find another,” he said.
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But in Mr. Scofield, he sensed a possibility. He liked his “winsome” quality, and the fact that he seemed knowledgeable about everything from paper-making techniques to the latest legislation on gay marriage. “He was as adorable as can be, but he also had depth,” Mr. Gold said. “It was nice for me to just sit and listen and not have to be the one selling and talking.”
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Some people would never date a smoker; Mr. Gold said he could never date a clumsy conversationalist. He soon discovered that Mr. Scofield can make conversation with anyone at a party, out of almost nothing, like a chef making a great meal out of leftovers.
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On June 19, they were married at the Des Moines Art Center in a wedding that was in some ways a celebration of Iowa, one of five states that permit same-sex marriages. As 92 guests, including Mr. Williams, watched, the couple said their vows before Judge Robert B. Hanson of Iowa’s Fifth Judicial District, whose 2007 ruling helped open the door to same-sex marriages in that state.
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From now on, they will be known as Mr. Gold and Mr. Gold, or the Golds. “I’m changing my name,” Mr. Scofield said. “My grandfather’s name was Goldberg. It’s almost like going back to my roots, in a way. I think it’s very interesting that women are becoming more liberated and keeping their names, whereas gay men are becoming more traditional and changing their names.”
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Again, congratulations to Mitchell and Tim!!!

Sunday Male Beauty

The Correlation Between Ignorance of U. S. History and the Bible Belt

		USA Residents
		On July 4th we celebrate Independence Day. From which country did the United States win its independence?
		Great Britain	Unsure	Other countries mentioned
Row %	Row %	Row %
USA Residents		74%	20%	6%
Region	Northeast	84%	10%	6%
	Midwest	74%	21%	5%
	South	68%	26%	6%
	West	75%	18%	7%
Household Income	Less than $50,000	63%	30%	7%
	$50,000 or more	86%	9%	5%
Race	White	82%	13%	5%
	Non-white	56%	35%	9%
Age	18 to 29	60%	33%	7%
	30 to 44	75%	15%	10%
	45 to 59	79%	17%	4%
	60 or older	76%	19%	4%
Age	Under 45	67%	24%	9%
	45 or older	78%	18%	4%
Gender	Men	81%	12%	7%
	Women	67%	28%	5%
July 2010 Marist Poll National Residents "N=1004 MOE +/- 3%" Totals may not add to 100 due to rounding.

Given the Thomas Jefferson quote in the immediately previous post about the need for an educated citizenry for democracy to flourish, the chart set out above is down right frightening. It's one thing not to know foreign geography - although it does make understanding world news a challenge - and something all together different not to know the basic history of one's own country. One thing I also could not help but notice is the fact that the level of ignorance in respect to accurate American history corresponds in large part directly with the geographic area withing the Bible Belt. This region - land of creationism, self-lauded patriotism, anti-gay intolerance and the Southern Baptists who constantly condemn public education - amazingly likes to pride itself on being the "real America." And the area with the best knowledge of history? Godless New England where most states now allow gay marriage. Perhaps a little less gay bashing and more serious education would do the Bible Belt some good.

Messages from the Founders

Both the Virginian Pilot and the Daily Press - and I suspect many, many other newspapers across the nation - locally are carrying the text of the Declaration of Independence as their main editorials. The Daily Press also is carrying a number of letters and statements from individuals reverently considered among the Founding Fathers. The irony is that many of the concepts espoused in these writings are rejected daily by the far right GOP base and the Christianists who would rewrite history. The most obvious part of the Declaration of Independence rejected by these self-anointed "patriots" is the following:
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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
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These false patriots who claim to revere the founding principles of this nation would have everyone believe that all are created equal so long as they are white, heterosexual, non-Hispanic, non-immigrant, and preferably conservative Christian. Hopefully, those whom these individuals would exclude from equality will be inspired today to redouble their efforts to oppose those who would destroy the founding principles of this nation. While not available online, the Daily Press provides interesting insights with letters written by the Founders. Here is a sampling of highlights:

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Benjamin Franklin in a speech to the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787: "most sects in Religion, think themselves in possession of all truth, and that wherever others differ from them, it is so far error. Steele, a Protestant, in a dedication tells the Pope that the only difference between our Churches in their opinion of the certainty of their doctrine is, the Church in Rome is infallible and the Church of England is never wrong. . . . I cannot help expressing a wish that every member of the Convention who still may have objections to it [the proposed Constitution], would with me, on this occasion, doubt a little of his own infallibility, and make manifest our unanimity, put his hand to this instrument."

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Thomas Jefferson on funding public education and teaching science on January 6, 1816 in a letter to Charles Yancey: "If the legislature would . . . forever maintain a system of primary or ward schools, and a university where might be taught, in its highest degree, every branch of science . . . . If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."

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George Washington to the United Baptist Churches in Virginia on May 10, 1789: "For you, doubtlessly, remember that I have often expressed my sentiment that every man, conducting himself as a good citizen, and being accountable to God alone for his religious pinions, ought to be protected in worshipping the Deity according to the dictates of his own conscience."

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Abigail Adams in a letter to John Adams on March 31, 1776: "And, by the way, in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire that you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not out such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. . . . . Men of sense in all ages abhor those customs which treat us [women] as the (servants) of your sex; . . ."

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It takes little analysis to realize that those who oppose equality for LGBT Americans, look down on blacks and Hispanics with contempt, and who would force all citizens to live in accordance with one set of religious beliefs are the enemies of these founding principles of this nation. We owe a duty to the Founders to never let the likes of the Christianists, the white supremacists and others like them prevail in their effort to subvert the Constitution. Hence why I will always continue to tell the truth about such people and anti-democratic religious denominations even as they continue to lie about us and the true intent of the Founders.

More Saturday Male Beauty

Nightmares Continue for Benedict XVI

Earlier in the past week, Fire Dog Lake summed things up thus for the continued bomb shells hitting the Roman Catholic Church during the week before: "It’s been a bad week for Pope Benedict. From Italy to Belgium to Washington DC, courts everywhere seem to be taking a hard look at some of the activities of the Catholic church, and they’re not liking what they’re seeing." In a follow up piece, Fire Dog Lake looks at the continued stories that keep emerging and making for Adding to the free for all is the fact that now some bishops are throwing the blame for the Church's failure to purge predator priests at the feet of Benedict XVI (pictured above with his handsome and much younger personal secretary) who for 20+ years headed up the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith [CDF], formerly "The Holy Office", a/k/a the Inquisition. The Church hierarchy is truly reaping what it sowed even as the apologists for the Church try desperately to label the disclosure of new damaging facts as "anti-Catholicism." It will be interesting to see if more bishops in acts of self-preservation seek to throw the blame sex abuse cover ups squarely on Rome. Here are some highlights:
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[O]n the front page of yesterday’s New York Times. . . . the headline Church Office Failed to Act on Abuse Scandal was a nice picture of Benedict from an earlier era, with a caption that summed it up pretty well: “Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 1982. The office he led, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, had been given authority over abuse cases in 1922, documents show and canon lawyers confirm.”
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the heaviest blows to the church in this piece came not from the reporters but from Roman Catholic bishops and academics:
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Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, an outspoken auxiliary bishop emeritus from Sydney, Australia, who attended the secret meeting in 2000, said that despite numerous warnings, top Vatican officials, including Benedict, took far longer to wake up to the abuse problems than many local bishops did.

Then there’s this from Archbishop Philip Wilson, now head of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference . . . : Archbishop Wilson said in an interview that . . . he had to call Vatican officials’ attention to long-ignored papal instructions, dating from 1922, and reissued in 1962, that gave Cardinal Ratzinger’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, previously known as the Holy Office, sole responsibility for deciding cases of priests accused of particularly heinous offenses: solicitation of sex during confession, homosexuality, pedophilia and bestiality.
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(The Vatican has recently insisted that Cardinal Ratzinger’s office was responsible only for cases related to priests who solicited sex in the confessional, but the 1922 instructions plainly gave his [Ratzinger's] office jurisdiction over sexual abuse cases involving “youths of either sex” that did not involve violating the sacrament of confession.
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It’s stunning to see bishops putting themselves out there with criticisms like this. No “unnamed Vatican sources tell us . . .” or “senior Vatican officials say . . .” or “leaks from lawyers suing the Vatican revealed . . .” These are bishops, speaking on the record, lamenting the way in which then-Cardinal Ratzinger handled child abuse cases in his time at the CDF.
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If Benedict did not order the cover ups while he headed up CFD, then its obvious that such orders came from John Paul II. If such is the case, one has to wonder when Benedict XVI will throw John Paul II under the bus to save his own hide. Of course, if and when he does so, delusional efforts to canonize John Paul II will likely become dead on arrival.

How to Become a Millionaire - Become a Pastor

I have always been a bit leery of fundamentalist preachers - especially the ones who carry on about tithing and money while showing little Christian charity or humility. Obviously, in this country one need only think of Pat Robertson and other televangelists who have made their preaching into multi-million dollar empires and live like the wealthiest of Pharisees of old. It seems that this less than altruistic trait so popular with the professional Christian set in the USA has been exported now to Africa - along with homophobia and ant-gay obsessions. The Ecomomist looks at this development in East Africa where one can go from poverty to great wealth all by setting up as a pastor and fleecing the uneducated. To me, it's Christianity at its worst and is just as morally bankrupt as the Catholic Church hierarchy that lives the good life while preaching humility and sacrifice to those they live off of like parasites. Indeed, these folks make use car salesmen look ethical and paganism look attractive if this is the future of Christianity. Here are some highlights:
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AT A rally in Nairobi’s Uhuru Park on a Sunday afternoon last month, Bishop Margaret Wanjiru, parliamentarian, assistant minister for housing and one of the country’s foremost Pentecostal preachers, was passing around a paper bag for contributions from the crowd.
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Officially Pentecostals and other “charismatics” count for no more than 5% of the population. In reality, their ministers preach to about a third of the country every week. Their rise reflects an important trend across Africa. According to the World Christian Encyclopedia, about 17m Africans described themselves as born-again Christians in 1970. Today the figure has soared to more than 400m, which accounts for over a third of Africa’s population.
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Ms Wanjiru has lived the Pentecostal dream. She is from a poor family of casual labourers and eked out a life as a housemaid and toilet cleaner before working her way up to a marketing job. She then experienced a vision from God calling on her to save Africa. These days videos, CDs and other accessories can be bought from her website using credit cards or phone credit. She makes good use of Facebook, Twitter and other social media. She is not afraid to court controversy, last year baptising the boss of the Mungiki organised-crime outfit, Maina Njenga.
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[T]here is also plenty of hucksterism. You will be blessed with health and wealth by God, congregants are told, especially if you give generously. As in other parts of the world, the new churches in Kenya and Uganda provide a place for the ambitious poor to get ahead. Yet the real competitive advantage of the new churches in east Africa seems to be their willingness to tap, at least subliminally, into traditional beliefs.
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However, the new churches may not be able to translate today’s assertiveness into permanent political power. . . . Then there is the question of class. Pentecostalism cannot quite shake off its impecunious roots. The cabal of civil servants, soldiers, and businessmen who dominate the golf and social clubs of Nairobi and Kampala, the capitals of Kenya and Uganda, are mostly Anglican and Roman Catholic and are unlikely to be swayed by any casting out of demons.
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Support for the anti-homosexuality bill in the Ugandan parliament has fallen away after Mr Ssempa and other preachers accused a rival Pentecostal, Robert Kayanja, of sodomy. Mr Kayanja, coincidentally a half-brother of the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, has himself been criticised in Uganda for milking the poor to live a luxury life. And the clear anti-Muslim sentiment scares politicians who want to win the sizeable Muslim vote.