More Saturday Male Beauty

More Lies from Concerned Bitches for America

Never allowing the truth to get in the way of their agenda of working to reduce gays to quasi-criminal status and inflict their version of theocracy on the nation, the bitches (who are actually mostly men it seems) at Concerned Women for America have come up with a new round of fiction under their "Legal Studies" page that looks at the issue of gay marriage. Putting aside the fact that most of their attorneys went to non-ABA accredited religious affiliated "law schools" - which means that in most states they could not even be admitted to the bar - the facts are simply wrong or unsupported by any credible evidence. Naturally, most of the lies spewing forth use the old "choice myth" as the underlying linch pin. Here are some highlights from CWA's blather with my remarks following in italics:

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One of the key figures of the 20th Century's civil rights battles passed away. Mildred Loving, whose marriage to her husband, Richard, was a violation of Virginia's laws prohibiting interracial marriage died May 2nd. Mildred was black, Richard white. Their marriage led to the famous legal case Loving v. Virginia which found laws against interracial marriage unconstitutional. The case was decided on June 12, 1967. Modern battles over marriage have moved well beyond unchangeable characteristics like race. Now those battles focus on the choices in sexual relationships which people make. The homosexual activist movement would like Americans to believe that homosexuality is an unchangeable characteristic just like race. They are abusing the memory of people like Mildred Loving who has said that she never wanted to be a hero, she just wanted to get married but was not allowed to do so because she was born black. Radical homosexual activists want you to believe that they, too, are "born that way." The reality is otherwise.

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The first inconvenient truth omitted by the bitches at CWA is that Mildred Loving supported gay marriage rights. As did Coretta Scott King, by the way. But then again, other than Don Wildmon's American Family Association and Focus on the Family, CWA is generally one of the most dishonest and untruthful of the "Christian" family vales organizations.

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Tragically, the homosexual activists reject this reality. They insist against all the evidence that homosexuals are "born that way." And, they think nothing of discriminating against people who disagree. For example, recently Concerned Women for America (CWA) has been defending a modern hero of civil rights, Crystal Dixon. Dixon was fired from her job simply because she pointed out the reality that sexual choices are not civil rights.

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Actually, Crystal Dixon was offered a transfer to a different position where she would not be charged with enforcing the University's non-discrimination policy which includes sexual orientation, but she chose to be a martyr. But then, CWA never cares for the truth. Just disseminating untruths to further its Christianist agenda.

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Dixon noted, "As a black woman who happens to be an alumnus of the University of Toledo's Graduate School, an employee and business owner, I take great umbrage at the notion that those choosing the homosexual lifestyle are 'civil rights victims.' Here's why. I cannot wake up tomorrow and not be a black woman. I am genetically and biologically a black woman and very pleased to be so as my Creator intended. Daily, thousands of homosexuals make a life decision to leave the gay lifestyle evidenced by the growing population of PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex Gays) and Exodus International just to name a few."

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This claim of "thousands" or more typically "hundreds of thousands" has NO, NADA, ZERO documentation to back it up. In fact, these groups do NOT maintain data - probably because it would prove that their progams do not work. Instead, one sees the same old tired "ex-gays for pay" making the same untrue statements. Or at least until they "fall of the wagon" and revert back to their true sexual orientation. Think John Paulk, Michael Johnston, and a host of others who have proven to be frauds. When Robert Spitzer did a study in 2003 that has been repeatedly misquoted by Christianist organizations, he admited that he had "great difficulty" finding people who claimed to have changed their orientation from gay to straight. After searching for nearly a year and a half, Spitzer could only find 274 possibilities. Of those, half had been referred by Exodus and NARTH. Even then, That 86% of the men and 63% of the female subjects emerged from therapy still having feelings of attraction to persons of the same-sex. CWA is well aware of these inconvenient trutys, yet never lets this reality get in the way of pushing the "choice myth."

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Here, then, is the difference between the marriage battles now and those of 40 years ago. Then, marriage was fought over unchangeable, immutable characteristics - race. Today, marriage is fought over freely-made sexual choices like homosexuality and polygamy. Clearly, marriage among people of different ethnic backgrounds is a reasonable and moral decision. Marriage among people of the same sex is to abolish the meaning and purpose of marriage altogether. As we approach the anniversary of the Loving decision, it is good to remember the key to the case: race is unchangeable and immutable. Homosexuality is something that can change - and freedom is found from this sin as from all others in Jesus Christ.

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How do you know when a CWA spokesman is lying? When their lips are moving. Their goal is to mislead the ignorant and unwary and those who do not know correct/true history. I remain dumbfounded who those who profess to be Christians can knowingly lie with no remorse whatsoever.

What Doing the Right Thing Would Be

Obsidian Wings has a great analysis of what Hillary Clinton should be doing given all of the circumstances. Like me the fact that she is not doing them says a lot. Having once run for political office and lost by a razor thin margin - mostly because my opponents was dipicting me as being "Christian Right" of all things - I wonder what those who believed that bull are thinking now. Thus I know that losing hurts and is hard to deal with particularly since there is a feeling of personal rejection. However, the mature and rational thing is to face the reality and get over it. The fact that Hillary will not/cannot speaks volumes and volumes about her character - or lack there of. Here are highlights from Obsidian Wings:

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I am aware that it must be hard to face the fact that you've lost. But it became clear that she [Hillary] was not going to win the nomination months ago -- I would say after Wisconsin, but certainly after Texas. Moreover, this is not unprecedented. People lose the nomination every four years. Most of the time, they do not stay on until it is mathematically impossible for them to win; they leave when it has become clear that they will not win. They do not complain about disenfranchising all the states with later primaries, they do not threaten to keep their supporters home, and they certainly do not threaten "open civil war" if they don't get nominated for Vice President. On those rare occasions when some candidate does this in the absence of some truly monumental issue, we normally think that that candidate is a narcissistic and unprincipled person who has just shown why s/he should never, ever be President.

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There is absolutely no reason not to apply these same standards to Hillary Clinton. Right now, instead of floating demands in the press and comparing herself to abolitionists and suffragists, she could be telling her supporters that she lost fair and square; that while there was a lot of sexism in the campaign, there was racism as well, and that sexism does not explain why a candidate with literally every institutional advantage over her opponent lost the nomination. She could be reaching out to the voters who supported her in places where Obama has had trouble, and urging them to vote for him. She could, in a word, be doing the right thing: trying to earn that respect she seems to want.

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Instead, she's throwing tantrums, making demands that she has no right to make, and threatening civil war.

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I can't imagine a better demonstration of why she should not be President or Vice President. Nor can I imagine a better demonstration of why some of us who are committed feminists are not happy with her as our standard-bearer. She lost. It happens. If she were an adult or a professional, she would deal with it. Apparently, she is neither.

Saturday Male Beauty

Success of Jim Webb’s GI Bill Has GOP Foes Looking for Cover

One of those GOP members of Congress who is running for cover is Virginia 2nd District Congresswoman, Thelam Drake. I know Thelma personally and find her to be a wonderful person. Moreover, of the Virginia Beach delegation that I warned about Ed Schrock's "problem" some eight months before he was outed by Mike Rogers, Thelma is the only one that has ever apologized for not listening to me and for treating me harsh. Virginia Attorney General "Taliban Bob" Robert McDonnell (who wants to be Governor) acts if he never knew about Schrock's Mega Phone ads and/or that he just quietly sat on the information. Politically, however, my path and Thelma's diverged some years back and not just because of the Schrock matter. Sadly, she has voted in lock step with the Chimperator far, far too often and her failure to support Jim Webb's bill is a case in point. In terms of gay rights, she's been no friend whatsoever - in part, no doubt since she has bat sh*t crazy Pat Robertson as one of her constituents. Nonetheless, I suspect that her challenger, Glenn Nye, will wrap this vote around Thelma's neck very tightly. It's one thing to say you support the troops, it's another thing to actual vote to support the troops through programs like what Jim Webb is pushing. Here are some highlights from the Virginian Pilot on Thelma's search for cover:

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Just how hot an issue is the GI Bill this election year? Consider this: Hours after the Senate gave a rousing bipartisan endorsement Thursday to Virginia Sen. Jim Webb’s proposal to dramatically expand college aid to veterans, scores of House Republicans who’d voted against it a week earlier scrambled for political cover.

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Veterans’ issues are particularly sensitive for Drake, whose Hampton Roads district is home to nearly 100,000 veterans and who is the only local member of Congress to face a serious challenge this year. She co-sponsored Webb’s bill in the House and spent much of last week trying to explain her initial vote against it. On Monday, Drake told reporters that her vote was influenced by Bush’s veto threat. On Wednesday, she said that her real objection was to domestic spending items that had been added to what was supposed to be a bill funding military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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“She’s got to come up with a better explanation,” said Quentin Kidd, a political scientist at Christopher Newport University in Newport News. In a veteran-heavy district, the initial vote “is potentially very troubling for her.” Kidd said that because Webb, a fellow Virginian, is leading the GI bill fight and his plan has the backing of Virginia’s other senator, Republican John Warner, “I think a lot of people in uniform wonder” about Drake’s position.

The Clinton Implosion

It's been interesting reading the various reactions to Hillary, a/k/a Akasha's, assassination comment. None have been positive, but sadly most do not think she was trying to do what Pam Spaulding is calling blowing a dog whistle, nor do they for the most part say what needs to be said: that Hillary needs to get out NOW and that she given unqualified categorical proof that she is unfit for office - in fact, any office in my view.

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I would add that while Pam Spaulding doesn't think that Akasha is signalling all nutcase racists with the hope that someone will take Obama out, I'm sorry to say that I DO think that's Akasha hope - whether conscious or subconscious. She is so utterly obsessed with the mindset that the presidency is hers, that no rules of any kind apply at this point. In my opinion, the Clintons are NOT nice people. Actually, they have never been nice people behind the phony veneer they put on. It's about them and only them and they will resort to anything that aids in their ruthless quest for power. As the saying goes, power corrupts and these two individuals are thoroughly corrupt. Keith Olbermann in his special comment last night summed it all up correctly. Here are highlights (the full special comment can be seen below):

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She actually said those words. **Those** words, Senator? You actually invoked the nightmare of political assassination. You actually invoked the spectre of an inspirational leader, at the seeming moment of triumph, for himself and a battered nation yearning to breathe free, silenced forever. You actually used the word "assassination" in the middle of a campaign with a loud undertone of racial hatred -- and **gender** hatred -- and **political** hatred.

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The politics of this nation is steeped enough in blood, Senator Clinton, you cannot and must not invoke that imagery! Anywhere! At any time! And to not appreciate, immediately -- to **still** not appreciate tonight -- just **what** you have done... is to reveal an incomprehension of the America you seek to lead. This, Senator, is too much. Because a senator -- a politician -- a **person** -- who can let hang in mid-air the prospect that she might just be sticking around in part, just in case the other guy gets shot -- has no business being, and no capacity **to** be, the President of the United States.

Final Friday Male Beauty

Hillary Clinton's Bizarre Assassination Statement/Threat

I surely hope that Barack Obama has VERY good security now that Hillary Clinton has raised the possibility of assassination as a further reason for her to refuse to drop out of the primary contest against Obama. Worse yet, this is not the first time she's raised this issue. Is Hillary trying to encourage someone to take Obama out - or does she have plans of her own? Personally, I would put absolutely nothing past the Clintons. Absolutely nothing. Here's highlights from Time magazine:

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Though she has now apologized for that very strange and tasteless comment to the Argus-Leader, this was not the first time she's said it. This from her interview with TIME Managing Editor Richard Stengel, published March 6:

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TIME: Can you envision a point at which--if the race stays this close--Democratic Party elders would step in and say, "This is now hurting the party and whoever will be the nominee in the fall"?

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CLINTON: No, I really can't. I think people have short memories. Primary contests used to last a lot longer. We all remember the great tragedy of Bobby Kennedy being assassinated in June in L.A. My husband didn't wrap up the nomination in 1992 until June. Having a primary contest go through June is nothing particularly unusual.

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The leadership of the Democratic Party and the uncommitted superdelegates need to wake up to the fact that Hillary is becoming downright scary and is proving repeatedly that she is not fit for the presidency. They need to end this travesty NOW and commit for Obama.

Know Your Enemies: Who is the Alliance Defense Fund?

A leading opponent to gay marriage - actually, any legal rights or protections for gays in general -is the Alliance Defense Fund. It is also one of the the leading proponents for the passage of a constitutional amendment in California to over rule last week's decision of the California Supreme Court allowing gay marriage. Since I believe it is always important to know precisely who your enemies are, it is useful to highlight just who/what the Alliance Defense Fund is. To put it mildly, it and its affilaites/allies constitute a pantheon of extreme anti-gay Christianist organizations. Be assured that they will be pouring money into California to push for passage of the amendment and will be disseminating all kinds of wild, deliberately untrue information. The LGBT community should not underestimate how deceitful and vile these groups can be. Here is a listing of these organizations from the ADF web site:

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Policy Organizations (Note: many are affiliates of daddy Dobson's exceedingly anti-gay Focus on the Family)

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Alliance for Marriage
American Family Association
Attorneys Resource Council of the Louisiana Family Forum
California Family Council
Center for Arizona Policy
Center for Decency
Christian Civic League of Maine
Citizens for Community Values
Concerned Women for America
Family First
The Family Foundation
Family Research Council
Family Research Institute of Wisconsin
Freemarket Foundation
Georgia Family Council
Hawaii Family Forum
Heritage Foundation
Illinois Family Institute
Indiana Covenant Legal Center of the Indiana Family Institute
Iowa Family Policy Center
Mackinac Center for Public Policy
Massachusetts Family Institute
Michigan Family Forum
Minnesota Family Council
Mississippi Family Council
Morality in Media
New Jersey Family Policy Council
New York Family Policy Council
North Carolina Family Policy Council
Ohio Round Table
Pennsylvania Family Institute
Rocky Mountain Family Policy Council

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Educational (sadly, Catholic University is anvolve, something that is no surprise under the Nazi Pope, Benedict XV):
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Catholic University of America
Center for Reclaiming America
The Claremont Institute
The Foundation for American Christian Education
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
Intelligent Design Network
National Right to Life
Regent Law School
Trinity Law School
WallBuilders

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Ministries (using that term loosely, of course):

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Campus Crusade for Christ
Christ@Work
Christian Service Missions
Coral Ridge Ministries
Crown Ministries
Exodus Faith Ministries
Focus on the Family
Generation X-cel
Institute in Basic Life Principles
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
National Religious Broadcasters
Toward Tradition

EU Told Turkey Should Be Required To End Abuses Against Gays

Human Rights Watch has made what I believe is a sound argument that Turkey should be required to adopt the standards of the European Convention on Human Rights, which include protections for LGBT citizens, as a pre-condition to Turkey's admission to the European Union. I would go further and like to see the EU threaten explusion of current Eastern European members - e.g., Poland - that continue to discriminate against LGBT citizens and/or turn a blind eye at the mistreatment of gays.

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Inasmuch as the objective of the EU is the development of a single market through a standardized system of laws which apply in all member states and to guarantee the freedom of movement of people, goods, services and capital, member nations should not be allowed to reject aspects of the EU standards they don't like. This is especially true if citizens of one member nation travels to another member nations where they should have the same rights and non-discrimination protections. Countries with a history of anti-gay bigotry need to be forced to choose between the benefits of EU membership versus clinging to their old prejudices. Here are highlights from 365gay.com:

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(London) An international human rights group has told the European Union that Turkey should not be allowed to join until it guarantees it has ended abuses against its LGBT community. A 123-page report released Thursday by Human Rights Watch details Turkish harassment and brutality throughout the country.

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Turkish law offers no express protections for LGBT people’s universal human rights. In 2005, the country reviewed some of its laws to bar discrimination, a move meant to show Turkey’s commitment to European Union standards. However, Turkey has yet to adopt a comprehensive antidiscrimination law that conforms to EU standards, Human Right Watch said.

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"In the complex path toward European Union accession, this report points to an area where little or nothing has changed," said Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Program at HRW. "The EU must fully incorporate issues of sexual orientation and gender identity when considering Turkey’s application for membership.

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The report, "We Need a Law for Liberation’: Gender, Sexuality, and Human Rights in a Changing Turkey," documents what HRW calls a long and continuing history of violence and abuse based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

More Friday Male Beauty

Profiling the War Dead

With the rampant anti-immigrant and anti-nonwhite hysteria sweeping around within the GOP base, an article in the Los Angeles Times that examines the war dead from California shows how nasty and obscene this anti-immigrant bigotry truly is when exposed to the light of day. While wearing their religion on their sleeves and touting intolerant hate-based "family values," the Christianist who make up the core of today's Republican Party are hypocrites and anything but true Christians. As the article illustrates, more than ten percent (10%) of California's war dead were immigrants who obviously were not here to steal the jobs of whites or subvert America. Rather they came to strive for a better life and paid the ultimate price out of their devotion to this country. It is most sad that these young people gave their lives for a nation that the Christianists believe belongs only to them. Both these Christianists through their war mongering and mindless support of the Chimperator and the Chimperator himself have a great deal of blood on their hands. Here are a few highlights:

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Nearly 500 Californians have lost their lives in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. At least 58 were immigrants; more than 160 were parents and left behind more than 300 children. One descended from two presidents; another was a Guatemalan street orphan taken in by a U.S. family as a teenager. A database of California's war dead will be available Sunday at latimes.com.

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At age 7, Victor H. Toledo-Pulido was smuggled from Mexico through rugged mountains into California. He and another soldier were killed in May 2007 when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle southeast of Baghdad. "They judge us, and they say we just come to take their jobs and positions, but we also make sacrifices. Victor worked since he was little, in the fields and in restaurants," his mother, Maria Gaspar, said after the 22-year-old was killed. "He was Mexican, but he thought like an American. And he gave his life for this country."

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Dozens more were the children of immigrants, including Bunny Long, 22, a Marine lance corporal whose parents came from Cambodia, where the Khmer Rouge imprisoned them for four years in a labor camp."This is our home," Sim Long said after his son was killed in March 2006 by a suicide car bomber in Fallouja, west of Baghdad. "I'm very proud that Bunny was able to give back to his country. Our country."

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No high school has lost more young men -- six -- than Buchanan High in the Central Valley town of Clovis. Another Clovis soldier killed in Iraq went to Clovis High. The city's population is about 83,000. The median age of those killed was 23. There were 402 casualties under age 30. Fifteen were older than 40.

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The bulk of The Times' analysis is based on original reporting compiled since late 2001, including more than 420 obituaries written by Times staff writers. The findings were used to create a database that includes information including the service member's high school, marital status, number of children and place of burial. It also notes, when known, that a person was born outside of the U.S. or was a first-generation American.

Misplaced Jewish Mistrust of Obama - They Need to Look at McCain Supporters

While I understand that the support of Israel is an important issue to many Jewish voters, I truly cannot understand why some Jews are afraid of Obama's commitment to Israel. The New York Times, in fact has an article on this matter. Unfortunately, many of these skeptics are probably falling for the crazy untruths that are being circulating on the Internet by far right groups. Personally, I believe they have much more to worry about from John McCain who, although he is now trying to distance himself from them, has snuggled up to Christianist nutcases who see Israel solely as a means of starting Armageddon which would leave all but a small percentage of Jews slaughtered.

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As I have told many of my Jewish friends, with friends like Messrs. Hagee, Rod Parsley, Pat Robertson, who needs an enemy? People need to remember that McCain sought these people out and wanted their endorsements. Hagee's recently revealed commments on Hitler and the Nazis shows all too clearly that these folks in actuality care nothing about Jews or Israel. From my exposure to the far right base in the GOP, Hagee's views are anything but unique - he merely is foolish enough to have said them publicly and on video tape. For those who somehow missed it, here's what Hagee had to say:

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Jews are not "spiritually alive". . . Hitler and the Nazis were sent by God, to chase Jews back to the land of Israel. Because that's where God intends them to be. So, the Holocaust was a gruesomely inefficient system of divine "persuasion", and Hitler and the Nazis were doing "God's work".

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And the Bible says - Jeremiah righty? - “they shall hunt them from every mountain and from every hill and out of the holes of the rocks”, meaning: there's no place to hide. And that will be offensive to some people. Well, dear heart, be offended: I didn't write it. Jeremiah wrote it. It was the truth and it is the truth. How did it happen? Because God allowed it to happen. Why did it happen? Because God said, “my top priority for the Jewish people is to get them to come BACK to the land of Israel”. Today Israel is back in the land and they are at Ezekiel 37 and 8. They are physically alive but they're not spiritually alive. Now how is God going to cause the Jewish people to come SPIRITUALLY alive and say, “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, He is God”?"

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As indicated by Hagee himself, to back up this lunacy, Hagee cites Jeremiah 16, and implies that God caused the Holocaust because of Jewish "iniquity" and "sin", and for filling God's "inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable idols." Moreover, as Bruce Wilson at Talk to Action reports:

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Two days ago I discovered that, according to John Hagee's own written words in Hagee's "Prophecy Study Bible", members of John Hagee's Christians United For Israel routinely sing, at their "Night To Honor Israel" events, a joyful-sounding song which, in scriptural terms, refers to Israel's coming, expected invasion and devastation. Building on my last discovery, of a John Hagee sermon in which John Hagee claims God sent Hitler and the Nazis, to chase Europe's Jews towards Palestine, and that Jews have dead (or non-living, inert) souls (see YouTube video towards the end of this post), this new finding helps solidify my case that Pastor John Hagee, who also has given a sermon espousing a crypto anti-Semitic conspiracy theory - of "international financial power brokers based in Europe", is an anti-Semite of the first magnitude.

Friday Male Beauty

Edilson Nascimento from Brazil

The Superdelegates Need to Do Their Job - NOW!

Both Arrianna Huffington and John Aravoisis at America Blog are rightfully demanding that the uncommitted supwerdelegates grow some balls and act now in order to put an end to Hillary's loopy, ego driven refusal to drop out of the primary contest. John has a list of all of these spineless whimps who are enabling Hillary to rip the Democratic Party apart. Perhaps folks need to start a campaign urging them to get off their asses and act. Their refusal makes one wonder if Hillary has a dossier on these folks and is threatening retribution if the "betray" her. Candidly, give some of the Clintons' previous sleazy conduct, there is little that I'd put past the. Here are highlights of Arriana's thoughts:

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The dust refuses to settle on the Democratic race. Hillary Clinton wants to cloud the issue with talk of Zimbabwe, Gore 2000, slavery, the civil rights movement, and fuzzy-math-derived popular vote totals. The media steadfastly refuse to clear things up by sticking to the facts, preferring to keep the horse race going. So let's see if we can put the focus on those with the power to bring to an end this political equivalent of a 50s horror movie (The Campaign That Just Won't Die!): the superdelegates.

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But there is nothing that is going to happen in Puerto Rico or South Dakota or Montana that is going to convince Hillary Clinton to leave the race. Her argument isn't about pledged delegates, which is what is at stake in these remaining primaries. Her argument is about Florida and Michigan and convincing the superdelegates to overturn the pledged delegate majority Obama has won.

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So it's time for the uncommitted superdelegates to stop their dithering, come out of hiding, hop off the fence, endorse Obama and officially bring this nominating process to an end. The Democratic leadership -- starting with Pelosi, Reid, and Dean -- should begin working behind the scenes to get all uncommitted supers to immediately commit. Let Puerto Rico, South Dakota, and Montana have their say, but start bringing the curtain down now. So it's up to the superdelegates to accelerate the bitter end.

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Here are John's comments and a list of the gutless wonders:

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If the Superdelegates aren't going to do their job, then we're going to make them do their job. Here are the holdouts whose cowardice is responsible for jeopardizing our shot at the White House in November.

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Representatives

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Bud Cramer (AL)

Gabrielle Giffords (AZ)

Nancy Pelosi (CA)

Jerry McNerney (CA)Mike Honda (CA)

Sam Farr (CA)

Jim Costa (CA)

Bob Filner (CA)

Susan Davis (CA)

Mark Udall (CO)

John Salazar (CO)

Jim Marshall (GA)

Rahm Emanuel (IL)

Nancy Boyda (KS)

Dennis Moore (KS)

William Jefferson (LA)

Charlie Melancon (LA)

Don Cazayoux (LA)

Rep. Michael Michaud (ME)

John Sarbanes (MD)

Steny Hoyer (MD)

Chris Van Hollen (MD)

John Olver (MA)

Niki Tsongas (MA)

John Tierney (MA)

Edward Markey (MA)

Collin Peterson (MN)

Gene Taylor (MS)

Rep. Travis Childers (MS)

Rep. Rush Holt (NJ)

Rep. Bob Etheridge (NC)

Rep. Mike McIntyre (NC)

Rep. Tom Udall (NM)

Charlie Wilson (OH)

Marcia Kaptur (OH)

Rep. Zack Space (OH)

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (OH)

Rep. Dan Boren (OK)

Bob Brady (PA)

Jason Altmire (PA)

Tim Holden (PA)

Rep. Mike Doyle (PA)

John Spratt (SC)

Rep. Jim Clyburn (SC)

Lincoln Davis (TN)

Bart Gordon (TN)

Nick Lampson (TX)

Jim Matheson (UT)

Alan Mollohan (WV)*

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Distinguished PartyLeaders

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Jimmy Carter (GA)

Al Gore (TN)

Fmr. Senator and Majority Leader George Mitchell (NY)

Fmr. DNC Chair Bob Strauss (TX)

SenatorsKen Salazar (CO)

Joe Biden (DE)

Tom Carper (DE)

Tom Harkin (IA)

Mary Landrieu (LA)

Ben Cardin (MD)

Carl Levin (MI)

Max Baucus (MT)

Jon Tester (MT)

Harry Reid (NV)

Frank Lautenberg (NJ)

Sherrod Brown (OH)

Ron Wyden (OR)

Jack Reed (RI)

Jim Webb (VA)

Herb Kohl (WI)

GovernorsBill Ritter (CO)

Steve Beshear (KY)

Brian Schweitzer (MT)

John Lynch (NH)

Phil Bredeson (TN)

Joe Manchin (WV)

Add-OnsTerry Goddard (AZ)

Jay Nixon (MO)

Rusty McAllister (NV)

Jerry Lee (TN)

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37 Unnamed Add-Ons, including 2 from Michigan DNC Members

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Joe Turnham (AL)

Nancy Worley (AL)

Don Bivens (AZ)

Lottie Shackleford (AR)

Art Torres (CA)

Hon. Carole Migden (CA)

Bob Mulholland (CA)

Christine Pelosi (CA)

Robert Rankin (CA)

Steve Ybarra (CA)

John Perez (CA)

Pat Waak (CO)

Nancy DiNardo (CT)

Donna Brazile (DC)

Christine Warnke (DC)

John Daniello (DE)

Harriet Smith-Windsor (DE)

Richard Ray (GA)

Ben Pangelinan (GU)

Chair - Vacant (HI)

Vice-Chair - Vacant (HI)

Edward Smith (IL)

Vacant (IL)

Helen Knetzer (KS)

Jennifer Moore (KY)

Nathan Smith (KY)

Chris Whittington (LA)

Claude "Buddy" Leach (LA)

Elsie Burkhalter (LA)

Sam Spencer (ME)

Jennifer DeChant (ME)

Hon. Heather Mizeur (MD)

Susan Turnbull (MD)

John Sweeney (MD)

Belkis Leong-Hong (MD)

Debra Kozikowski (MA)

James Roosevelt Jr (MA)

Carnelia Pettis Fondren (MS)

John Temporiti (MO)

Yolanda Wheat (MO)

Leila Medley (MO)

Hon. Robin Carnahan (MO)

Hon. Maria Chappelle-Nadal (MO)

Dennis McDonald (MT)

Margarett Campbell (MT)

Sam Lieberman (NV)

Hon. Yvonne Gates (NV)

Hon. Catherine Cortez Masto (NV)

Philip D. Murphy (NJ)

Raymond Buckley (NH)

Irene Stein (NY)

Ralph Dawson (NY)

David Parker (NC)

Muriel Offerman (NC)

Carol Peterson (NC)

David Strauss (ND)

Hon. Chris Redfern (OH)

Ronald Malone (OH)

Patricia Moss (OH)

Hon. Joyce Beatty (OH)

Ivan Holmes (OK)

Jim Frasier (OK)

Jay Parmley (OK)

Meredith Woods-Smith (OR)

Frank Dixon (OR)

Jenny Greenleaf (OR)

Wayne Kinney (OR)

Gail Rasmussen (OR)

Hon. Bill Bradbury (OR)

Eliseo Roques-Arroyo (PR)

Hon. Gilda Cobb-Hunter (SC)

Cheryl Chapman (SD)Gray Sasser (TN)

Dr. Inez Crutchfield (TN)

Boyd Richie (TX)

David Hardt (TX)

Denise Johnson (TX)

Betty Richie (TX)

Linda Chavez -Thompson (TX)

Helen Langan (UT)

Jim Leaman (VA)

C Richard Cranwell (VA)

Hon. Alexis Herman (VA)

Jerome Wiley Segovia (VA)

Howard Dean (VT)

Eileen Macoll (WA)

Ed Cote (WA)

Sharon Mast (WA)

David McDonald (WA)

Nick Casey Jr. (WV)

Alice Germond (WV)

Paula Zellner (WI)

Nancy Drummond (WY)

Cynthia Nunley (WY)

Marylyn Stapleton (VI)

Final Thursday Male Beauty

A Christianist Invented Overview of the "Homosexual Agenda"

The fundies at Alliance Defense Fund are continuing to run around in hysteria in the wake of the California Supreme Court gay marriage ruling a week ago. Among the things they are whining about is the Homosexual Agenda of "Same-Sex Rights,” State Court Mandates for Same-Sex “Marriage,” and "Special Class Status" as well as other tactics to subvert the nation. Here is some of the drivel they are disseminating to fellow Kool-Aid drinkers:

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Efforts to normalize homosexual behavior represent one of the greatest current threats to family values. This chart shows how advocates of homosexual behavior are striving to reach their goals. The left side shows their strategies. The right side shows the intended results of their actions.

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As active as I am in gay rights matters, it a wonder I have never been given my copy of the manual containing the "Homosexual Agenda." These folks are truly unhinged. For those not in the know, ADF was founded in 1994 by more than 30 evangelical "Christian ministry leaders," which includes a virtual who's who of Christianist nut cases: Dr. Bill Bright (Campus Crusade for Christ), Larry Burkett (Crown Financial Ministries), Dr. James Dobson (Focus on the Family), Dr. D. James Kennedy (Coral Ridge Ministries), and Marlin Maddoux (International Christian Media).

Why I Moderate Comments

As happens from time to time, I have been asked by an anonymous poster - they are always the ones asking the question - as to why do I moderate comments on this blog? The asnwer is pretty simple. I do it for a couple of reasons.

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The first is that because this is a gay theme oriented blog, from time to time I receive extremely hateful, vicious and nasty comments from anti-gay religious kooks. I have no desire to (a) provide a platform for the rantings of these folks, or (b) expose my regular readers to such vile trash. Let these religious nutcases set up their own blog. Bloger is free, afterall.

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The second reason is that often I do not publish comments from anonymous commenters. My view is that if someone lacks the courage to identify themselves either via an e-mail address or a link to their blog that can be seen by me and/or other readers, then I have the option of rejecting their comment. If you want to debate me or challenge my views, then have the guts to identify yourself. If you don't have the courage and integrity to do so, then I may reject your comments if I so decide. It's that simple. This is MY blog.

More Thursday Male Beauty

Two Men Obtain Marriage License in Newport News, Participate in Marriage Ceremony in Norfolk

The Virginian Pilot is reporting that two men were married by a Norfolk marriage commissioner based on a marriage license secured in neighboring Newport News. No doubt Virginia Attorney General Robert "Taliban Bob" McDonnell and Pat Robertson will be most displeased. I suspect that a way will be found to charge the men with something to make an example of them. Here are story highlights:

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Two men who obtained a marriage license in Newport News participated in a marriage ceremony before a commissioner in Norfolk, the clerk of the Newport News court said Thursday. One of the men appeared to be a woman, and gave his name as the bride when they filled out the application in March, said Court Clerk Rex Davis. Deputies grew suspicious of the man’s gender when he returned to the courthouse on May 12 to change his name, Davis said.

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Davis said the marriage is not valid in Virginia, which bans same-sex marriage by state law and the state’s constitution. Davis said the case was referred to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office and the police to determine whether the men had broken a law by providing false information on the marriage certificate.

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Like Gambain president, Jammeh, McDonnell and those like him in Virginia see the state as theirs and to hell with the rights and beliefs of other residents.

Gambian President Plans to Kill Off All Homosexuals

One reader chided me for my harsh comments yesterday on Christianist high school principal, Eddie Walker, but the mindset that all must conform to one religious belief system is one of the gravest threats to the world today, whether such believers are Muslim fundamentalists or their Christianist counterparts. Just how extreme these views can be is illustrated by recent pronouncements by Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh (pictured at left), who wants to introduce legislation that would make Iran's anti-gay laws look mild. Note the references to "his country." What about all of the citizen? Here are highlights from Afrik.com :

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Gambian President Yahya Jammeh says he will “cut off the head” of any homosexual caught in his country. Jammeh also ordered any hotel or motel housing homosexuals to close down, adding that owners of such facilities would also be in trouble. He said the Gambia was a country of believers, indicating that no sinful and immoral act as homosexual would be tolerated in the country.

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He warned all homosexuals in the country to leave, noting that a legislation “stricter than those in Iran ” concerning the vice would be introduced soon. President Jammeh said he was bent on making the Gambia one of the best countries to live in.

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It would seem to me that an important first step in making Gambia "one of the best countries to live in" would to be the removal of of Jammeh from office.

Thursday Male Beauty

The Holy Guide to Coital Positions

The Roman Catholic Church's crazy obsession with forbidding almost all things sexual is not a recent development and one cannot help but wonder whether this obsession would have been so overpowering had the Church not been peopled for centuries by supposedly celibate men (the 1500's were full of Popes taking on young boy toys). What one cannot have often becomes a subject of obsession and repressed desire. I continue to believe that if the Church had had married clergy, not only would priests and high clerics have had more of a clue on common sense counseling of parishioners, but perhaps this constant obsession with sex would never have arisen. This article on The Smart Set from Drexel University would almost be humorous were it not for the fact that many people were no doubt punished because of the sexual obsessions and hang ups of the clergy. These clerics had real problems and sound like they had some very serious psychological issues. Here are some highlights:

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Somehow the human race survived the Middle Ages, no mean feat when you consider how much literature was out there condemning sex. Church thinkers like Saint Jerome announced that carnal relations were “filthy” even within the bounds of holy matrimony: “The wise man should love his wife with cool discretion,” Jerome opined, “not with hot desire… Nothing is nastier than to love your own wife as if she were your mistress.”

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In fact, this attitude eventually led the Church to legislate on the most intimate details of married life: In 1215, the cleric Johannes Teutonicus was the first to announce that there was only one “natural” coital position — what we today call “the missionary position,” a term that was coined in the 1960s — which was also optimal for conception. Attempting any other position was a mortal sin, Johannes opined, involving exotic and unnecessary forms of stimulation.

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Alexander of Hales railed against coitus retro, the rear-entry position, as a mortal sin, for it was coupling “in the manner of brutes.” St. Albert the Great [pictured above] discussed in detail four other forbidden positions: lateral (side by side), seated, standing, and anal sex. (Curiously, sodomy at this time was considered no worse if performed with a boy than a woman; it was not until 1533 in England that male-on-male “buggery” became a criminal offense).

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The handbooks listed recommended penance of bread, water, and abstinence for exotic congress. A consensus on the punishments included the following:

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Dorsal sex (woman on top): three years

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Lateral, seated, standing: 40 days

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Coitus retro — rear entry: 40 days

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Mutual masturbation: 30 days

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Inter-femural sex — ejaculation between the legs: 40 days

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Coitus in terga — anal sex: three years (with an adult); two years (with a boy); seven years (habitual); 10 years (with a cleric)

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Kudos to Bob Felton at Civil Commotion for finding the link to this bat sh**tery (to use Pam Spaulding's term).

The Need to Disseminate the Truth

Via VerveEarth I found a blog by jaisonmpaul, a young Roman Catholic Carmelite priest from India currently going to university in Australia, which contained a post about the decline of the Roman Catholic Church in the West and the need for renewal and evangelism. Not surprisingly, I felt compelled to comment - I know, what a surprise - upon some of his statements that recited the same old Kool-Aid put out by the Vatican (in my view, one of the most corrupt organizations on the planet) and other anti-gay religious groups. Jaison published my comments on his blog and posted a reply. I believe that Jaison has the best of intentions. However, the information he parroted shows the magnitude of the task we have of educating individuals to look beyond the misinformation deliberately fed to them by both the Roman Catholic Church and other Christianist denominations. The following is my further reply to Jaison that I posted on his blog:

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Jaison, I have several thoughts on your reply to my e-mail. Here they are:

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1. The Roman Catholic Church's official line is that the existence of "a few bad priests" doesn't mean the entire church is corrupt. Fortunately, some in the news media in the USA finally - after decades of deference which enabled the problem to fester - looked behind the official smoke screen. What they found was not pretty.

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Besides the work done by the Boston Globe which blew the lid off of the priest sex abuse scandal in the Boston archdiocese, the Dallas Morning News did an investigation which found that TWO-THIRDS of the bishops in the USA were involved in coverups, etc. To date, the Vatican has done NOTHING to discipline or remove these individuals. That scandal is in many ways worse than the actions of the sexual predator priests.

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These are the links to information that was turned up and published:*

http://www.dallasnews.com/cgi-bin/bi/dallas/2002/priests.cgi

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/features/DMN_2002_06_12/page1.htm

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/resources/resource-files/databases/DallasMorningNewsBishops.htm

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Until the Vatican addresses this travesty, in my opinion the Catholic Church as an institution has no moral authority to preach to anyone.

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2. I was greatly distressed to see that you posted a link to NARTH which is largely funded by Christian Right organizations for two purposes: (1) to maintain the myth that homosexuality is a "choice" which is critical element in the efforts of these organizations to block anti-discrimination (in employment, housing and other areas) and hate crimes legislation that would afford gays protection, and (2) the ex-gay ministires bring in a great deal of money.

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No LEGITIMATE mental health or medical association in the USA supports or agrees with NARTH's practises and claims. NARTH has NO - that's right ZERO - peer reviewed studies that support its claims of cures/change. The reality is that one might just as well engage the services of a witch doctor to find a cure as to enroll in a NARTH supported "ex-gay" ministry. In addition, but for hiding behind the veil of religious ministries, most of these programs would be closed down by state medical and mental health licensing regulators.*

Here's link to a story about one national profile "ex-gay" that shows the fraud being perpetrated on the unwary (BTW, the American Family Association continues to sell literature involving this guy, and yes, I am the attorney quoted in the story):

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http://www.washingtonblade.com/2003/8-8/news/national/exgay.cfm

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I would further add that I know at least a dozen gays who went through these programs and none were "cured." All, however, suffered emotional and psychological scars from the experience and two individuals I know committed suicide because they could not "change." I myself tried to change for 37 years, got married, fathered children, attend mass every day for over 7 years, etc., and it simply does NOT work. I eventual came to accept that for whatever reason, God made me gay for some unknowable purpose and I now feel called to work for justice for LGBT citizens who are made outcasts by religious denominations like the Catholic Church.

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While a definitive cause of homosexuality has not been found, most of the LEGITIMATE studies tend to support the position that it is something biological/physiological and not due to the bogus reasons cited by NARTH - e.g., poor father/son relationships (I personally know many gays who had/have wonderful relationships with their fathers, which shows the falsehood of that claim).

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3. The Gospels contain a message of love and the proper treatment of others. They also contain a harsh message for Pharisees and those who apply a legalistic approach to religion that denigrates and harms others. Despite this clear Gospel message, the Roman Catholic Church's postion on gays leads to their persecution and drives countless thousands from God. I truly believe that Jesus would condemn Benedict XVI and those like him who have become the modern day counter parts the high priests in the Gospels.

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Michael, a/k/a Michael-n-Norfolk

Final Wednesday Male Beauty

Dedicated to Principal Eddie Walker

Wingnut High School Principal Resigns Over Gay-Straight Alliance

WISTV-10 in Columbia, South Carolina is reporting that Eddie Walker, Principal of Irmo High School (pictured at left), has resigned effective June 30, 2008, because the school district is allowing a Gay-Straight Alliance to form at Irmo High School. Frankly, if Mr. Walker is such a fanatical Christianist that the mere existence of a GSA put him over the edge, both the high school and the school district will be better off without him. Perhaps he can convert to Islam and move to Iran where such closed mindedness and religious based bigotry are accepted. His intolerance towards others surely is not the type of example that should be presented to high school students who need to be learning how to live in a multicultural and religiously diverse nation and larger world.

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It is precisely bigots like Eddie Walker that create atmospheres where LGBT youths come to believe that suicide is their best option. It is also an atmosphere that progressive businesses and emplyers avoid. Last time I checked, South Carolina is not exactly an economic powerhouse. Bigotry and intolerance have a clear economic price. May God judge Mr. Walker as he judges others. I would also note that, not surprisingly, Walker is not the only bigot in the school district as evidenced by the remarks of parent, Brenda Enoch (who hopefully will be blessed with gay grandchildren). Here are some story highlights:

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IRMO, SC (WIS) - The Irmo High School Principal's announced resignation over a controversial student group is already drawing national attention. Principal Eddie Walker told WIS News 10 his resignation won't take effect until June, 2009 - the end of the 2008-2009 school year. Walker says it comes after he was asked to allow the creation of a Gay-Straight Alliance club at the school.

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Tuesday Lexington School District Five issued a statement through Director of Community Services Buddy Price. It says, "The federal law known as the Equal Access Act does not permit the school to discriminate against a club based on the club's purpose and viewpoint by not allowing it to form unless the purpose of the club is unlawful." Wednesday, the district followed up with a statement from spokesperson Michelle Foster. "Attorneys have advised the school district that prohibiting the formation of this club would most certainly result in a costly lawsuit ... The only other recourse the school district would have would be to eliminate all non-curricular clubs all together."

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"We are not putting them like, 'ugh. You know you're lepers.' But we have to stand for what our foundation of our nation was about," says parent Brenda Enoch. Enoch supports Walker's decision to resign. She feels the formation of the Gay/Straight Alliance club would lower values in schools that parents have fought hard to achieve.

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Ashlei Tate, who graduated from a high school in Glorida with a Gay/Straight Alliance club, compares banning groups like the GSA to racial segregation of the past. "Everyone has equal rights. We shouldn't discriminate from what they need to do," says Ashlei Tate. "People used to make fun of and beat up gay people, just because they were different. This is actually a program to make everyone feel that they belong."

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The following are highlights from Walker's resignation letter submitted to the school division:

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On May 14, 2008, I was instructed by email to allow the formation of a Gay/Straight Alliance Club at Irmo High School. On May 15, 2008 I told Ms. Ann Pilat to allow the formation of this club for the 2008-2009 school year. Allowing the formation of this club on our campus conflicts with my professional beliefs and religious convictions.

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The formation of this club conflicts with my professional beliefs in that we do not have other clubs at Irmo High school based on sexual orientation, sexual preference, or sexual activity. In fact our sex education curriculum is abstinence based. I feel the formation of a Gay/Straight Alliance Club at Irmo High school implies that students joining the club will have chosen to or will choose to engage in sexual activity with members of the same sex, opposite sex, or members of both sexes.

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Both Faith in America and South Carolina Equality released statements in response to Walker's resignation and the ensuing publicity. Here is a portion of Faith in America's statement:

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"It is a shame that the principal at Irmo High School in South Carolina decided to place religion-based bigotry and discrimination over his former commitment to his students and staff," said Faith In America Executive Director Brent Childers."We truly believe it is unfortunate that this principal cannot see the immense harm that is caused when a social climate of rejection, condemnation and violence is justified with misguided religious belief. To make such a choice over simply allowing gay youth a forum to meet and talk, alludes to the apparent deep-seated prejudice that must exist in the religious mindset of this person.

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This is a highlight from South Carolina Equality's statement:

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"It's unfortunate that this principal is so grossly misinformed about the intent of a GSA group. This group is forming to provide support for gay, lesbian, and straight students-a reprieve from the often hostile environment in our schools. Drew continued, "Statistics on harassment and violence for gay students are astounding. Gay students face more verbal harassment and physical violence than any group of students. In fact the conditions are often tortuous. We would never allow these conditions for any other group of students in our schools." Drew said, "Four out of five gay students report that they don't know one supportive adult at school. Principal Walker further alienates these students and causes them greater harm."

Will Someone Get a Wooden Stake and Some Silver bullets?

It surely would be nice if the uncommitted superdelegates in the Democratic Party would grow some balls and endorse Obama and end the travesty of Hillary Clinton, a/k/a, Akasha, Queen of the Damned, doing her damnedest to destroy the Democratic Party by wasting huge amounts of money, damaging Obama, and causing a civil war. Maybe my reader who suggested that perhaps she's secretly on the GOP payroll is right. I'd be lying if I said that my loathing for the woman isn't growing by the day (make that the minute). If Hillary will not grasp the reality that she has LOST, can't someone please get a wooden stake to drive through her heart while someone else unloads a round of silver bullets? Hillary is like the spoiled child who would rather destroy something rather than have anyone else have it. WTF is wrong with the superdelegates that they cannot see that Hillary's irrational obsession shows that she'd be Chimperator II if she were to gain the White House. Of course she won't - she will let John McCain have it so she can run again in 2012. Here's what Rachel Maddow had to say about Akasha:

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Tonight, Hillary Clinton signaled that as long as superdelegates stand on the sidelines, she isn't getting out of the race, and as long as she's in the race, she'll do whatever it takes to win, even if that means undermining Barack Obama's legitimacy.

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So the time has come to push her out the race, and the only people who can do it are the undeclared superdelegates. They are the ones responsible for this mess, and they are the ones who must end it.

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Andrew Sullivan seems to share my sentiments on Hillary's dangerous, power obsessed madness that clearly makes her unfit to be vice president much less president:

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How do you respond to a sociopath like this? She agreed that Michigan and Florida should be punished for moving up their primaries. Obama took his name off the ballot in deference to their agreement and the rules of the party. That he should now be punished for playing by the rules and she should be rewarded for skirting them is unconscionable.

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I think she has now made it very important that Obama not ask her to be the veep. The way she is losing is so ugly, so feckless, so riddled with narcissism and pathology that this kind of person should never be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

More Wednesday Male Beauty

Republican Congressman to Reintroduce Federal Anti-Gay Amendment

Well, it hasn't taken the Christo-fascist long too breath new life into the effort to pass an amendment to the U. S. Constitution banning same sex marriage. I can only wonder how long it will be before we find out that the likely sponsor of the proposal, Congressman Paul Broun (R-Ga), has a secret proclivity for gay sex like former Congressman Ed Schrock. It seems that it is always those who are most vocal in opposition to anything giving gays equal rights are the ones secretly longing for hot man2man sex. Either that or we can expect to find out that Broun is having an affair like soon to be former GOP Congressman, Vito J. Fossella, who fathered a love child with another woman who is not his wife. I hope gays in Mr. Broun's district keep their ears open and pass along any dirt they find to Mike Rogers or someone else who can expose his hypocrisy. These hysterical homophobes are sicko's in my view. Here are highlights from 365gay.com:

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(Washington) Republican Congressman Paul Broun (pictured) has announced plans to reintroduce an amendment to the US Constitution to bar same-sex marriage. Broun (R-Ga) said the California Supreme Court ruling recognizing same-sex marriage has made it an imperative to reign in what he called "activist judges".

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"My amendment will preserve the original intent of the drafters of the Constitution, by ensuring that no state or federal judge can take it upon themselves to suddenly discover a right to homosexual marriage within the text of the document," Broun said in a statement.

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Republicans have been trying to amend the Constitution since 2004, as a result of; the Massachusetts high court ruling that legalized gay marriage there. Despite GOP control of Congress and support from President Bush, a proposed amendment failed to garner enough votes to succeed in either 2004 or 2006. With Democrats now in control of both the House and Senate it is considered unlikely Broun's move to reintroduce the measure will even make it to committee. Still, Broun said he intends to make it a key issue in his re-election campaign. Amending the US Constitution requires approval of two-thirds of the House and Senate and then would have to be passed by three-fourths of state legislatures.

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A good analysis of why Broun's claims about the U. S. Constitution (and other Christianists like him) are bull shit can be found at here at Dispatches from the Culture Wars.