Appalachian Trail - Update 8/9/08

UPDATED: I just got back from dinner with my youngest daughter (who often forgets to relay information) who said my son spoke briefly to my ex-wife two days go. He said the weather had been terrible with much rain and temperatures in the 40's. He and a cohort had actually made it into town - she did not remember the town's name - and bought some more fleece to stay warmer. He thinks he should be done in a week and a half maximum.
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I have not heard from my son since the last post around July 30th. He's on the home stretch, but the terrain is arduous and apparently the weather is not good. Thus, I was non-plussed to get this e-mail today:

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Hello Michael, I found your blog when I was googling everything Appalachian Trail. My boyfriend is on the trail and is in Maine, he is pretty miserable with the constant rain, cold temp, flooding and lack of bridges. Is your son Bad Idea still on the trail or did he finish or leave? I hear it's so bad in Maine people are just quitting with only 200 miles left to go. My guy wishes he could quit but won't let himself do it. He's has about 160 miles left to go. It's just crazy.

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Checking the Appalachian Trail Journals here, it shows Bad Idea, my son, is still hiking. "Highlife," one of his compatriots for at least part of the trip has headed home per this entry in his trail journal (a photo my son labeled Highlife is posted abve):

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After hiking for way too long ive decided to head on homeI mean I had my thru hike and the weather was much better . So thats it. I had a great time. Thanks to my Mom , crazybear (nobo07) , dethmarch( wva-me wva-ga07), blueskies (nobo07),loredo (nobo07) , trapper 08 , Shiloh, certain, and many many more. highlife wva-me wva-ga 07 wva-rangeley 08 -High Life

More Saturday Male Beauty

Conservatives' Links to Africans Questioned by Black U.S. Bishops

In yet another interesting twist to the ongoing soap opera within the Anglican Communion, black Episcopal Bishops have come out questioning the motives of the "conservatives" within the Episcopal Church who are suddenly seeking alliances with black African bishops as they seek to break away from the Episcopal Church. In this area, some of these conservatives are the same folks who have belonged to private clubs which excluded blacks until relatively recently and who typically only interacted with blacks they hired as domestic help. Yes, it is difficult for me to push the word "hypocrites" from my consciousness. One of these local "Godly Christians" is a former law partner of mine who chastises me about being gay because of phrases in the Bible, yet is divorced and remarried yet conveniently ignores the biblical prohibitions against divorce. He gets quite peevish when I respond by telling him he's an ongoing adulterer per the literal words of the New Testament of the Bible. But I digress. Here are some highlights from the Washington Post"

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CANTERBURY, England -- For five years, conservative Episcopalians eager to escape their liberal U.S. church have been building ties with African Anglicans half a world away. But they have few connections with black Americans in their own back yard, said black Episcopal bishops.
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It's something that I like to point out," said Bishop Eugene T. Sutton, the first black Episcopal bishop in Maryland, "the historical anomaly of dioceses that have nothing to do with the black community going all the way to Africa to make these relationships." Moreover, Sutton and other black bishops at the meeting said the use of Scripture to reject homosexuality in the Anglican Communion evokes previous eras' biblically based arguments in support of slavery and racism.

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In the small discussion groups that formed the backbone of the conference, some black Episcopal bishops said they have framed their support for gay rights within the context of a long struggle to include blacks and women in the church and in society at large. "As a person who knows what it means to be oppressed, I refuse to allow my brothers and sisters in the faith to be discriminated against," said Suffragan Bishop Gayle E. Harris of Massachusetts.

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"They're looking for black faces to give them legitimacy," Sutton said of U.S. conservatives, "because they can't find them at home." Harris said that the bonds between Africans and U.S. conservatives are a "political expediency" and that "connections made for the time being will not last across the huge gulf of understanding" between the groups.

Court Rejects Christianist Challenge to Proposition 8 Ballot Summary

As I previously posted, the enemies of gay marriage in California are apoplectic that California Attorney General Jerry Brown's,office re-wrote the summary of Proposition 8 for the November ballot to correctly describe the amendment initiative as eliminating the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry. Such an accurate description of the consequences of passage of Proposition is too much for the disingenuous Christianists who prefer to use vague description and euphemisms so that the uninformed can be more easily duped into voting the way the Christianists want without often realizing the full consequences. Yesterday a California Court ruled in favor of Brown's summary and the Christianists are shrieking like a cat with its tail caught in a meat grinder saying they will appeal the ruling.

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I continually find it ironic that those who claim to be such devout Christians are among the most dishonest and disingenuous people one is likely to ever meet. The push to pass Virginia's "Marriage Amendment" to amend the Virginia Constitution's Bill of Rights to LIMIT rights is a perfect example of false advertising by these modern day Pharisees. All of the Christianist blather was about stopping gay marriage in Virginia leaving out the inconvenient fact that ALL couples, gay or straight, would be impacted. Since the amendment's passage, many unmarried heterosexual couples - particularly the senior citizen set where re-marriage can result in the loss of medical coverage and/or retirement benefits - have learned to their horror that are total legal strangers to one another and that full sets of legal documentation - often costing more than some can afford - are required to protect their relationships. Duplicity is the one consistent hallmark of the Christianists. Here are highlights from the Los Angeles Times:

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A Sacramento judge on Friday said state officials do not have to rewrite the ballot summary describing Proposition 8, the gay marriage ban voters will consider in November. The ruling is a setback for the initiative's supporters, who say the title and summary written by Attorney General Jerry Brown are argumentative and could prejudice voters.

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In his 8-page ruling, the judge said the title and summary is an "accurate statement" of the proposition by saying it would eliminate the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry. "The court is not willing to fashion a rule that would require the Attorney General to engage in useless nominalization," Frawley wrote.

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Brown wrote a new title and summary after the measure qualified. He said he did so to reflect the state Supreme Court ruling in May that overturned California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage. The new summary says the proposition would "eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry." Brown responded to Friday's decision by saying the court properly dismissed a lawsuit that "was more about politics than the law." The initiative's supporters said they would appeal.

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Supporters of Proposition 8 also had asked Frawley to order state officials to modify arguments against the measure that will appear in voter pamphlets, including one saying the initiative will not affect school instruction. He denied that request.

Saturday Male Beauty

Top CIA Official: Order to Forge Iraq-9/11 Letter Came From White House

I truly believe that some day most Americans will be horrified by what we will learn went on in the Bush/Cheney regime both in terms of outright lawlessness and conduct worthy of the Nazis or Bolsheviks. Emperor Palpatine Cheney - who will never come back from the "dark side" - has consistently shown an utter contempt for the U. S. Constitution, international treaties and the rule of law. Both he and the Chimperator I believe are guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors meriting impeachment, not to mention possible war crimes likely meriting execution should all the truth ever come out. Their regime will be a nasty stain on America's image for many years to come. It is imperative that the truth be exposed - something that will not happen under a McCain presidency - so that history will know the level of evil that has been a hallmark of this regime. Here are highlights from RawStory that look at the deliberate fabrication of a document that was used to take the country to war based on lies. Thousands of Americans and Iraqis have died because of the disgusting dishonesty of Bush and Cheney:

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A forged letter linking Saddam Hussein to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks was ordered on White House stationery and probably came from the office of Vice President Dick Cheney, according to a new transcript of a conversation with the Central Intelligence Agency's former Deputy Chief of Clandestine Operations Robert Richer.

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On Tuesday, the White House released a statement on Richer's behalf. In it, Richer declared, "I never received direction from George Tenet or anyone else in my chain of command to fabricate a document ... as outlined in Mr. Suskind's book." The denial, however, directly contradicts Richer's own remarks in the transcript.

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"But he didn't say that specifically," Richer added. "I would naturally--I would probably stand on my, basically, my reputation and say it came from the vice president." "But there wasn't anything in the writing that you remember saying the vice president," Suskind continued. "Nope," Richer said. "It just had the White House stationery." "Exactly right."

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The bogus memo claimed that 9/11 hijacker Mohammed Atta had received training in Baghdad but also discussed the arrival of a "shipment" from Niger, which the Administration claimed had supplied Iraq with yellowcake uranium -- based on yet another forged document whose source remains uncertain.

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Today, The American Conservative also published a report saying that the forgery was actually produced by then-Defense Undersecretary Douglas Feith's Office of Special Plans, citing an unnamed intelligence source. The source reportedly added that Suskind’s overall claim “is correct."

A Gay Wedding Celebration

Yesterday evening two of my best friends in the world, Martin and Christopher, had their long delayed wedding reception/celebration at Tower Hill located in Cape Charles on Virginia's Easter Shore. Photos of the house which dates from 1746 are posted below. They were married hastily last year in Canada so that Christopher's mother Cissi could be at their wedding given her failing health and losing battle to leukemia. Sadly, she lost her battle on August 25, 2007, and the world lost one of the greatest ladies I have ever known. In the wake of her death and with the demands of starting their architecture firm, Equal Spaces, P. C., the time wasn't right for such a celebration. It all came together last night, however, in the form of a wonderful event held at Tower Hill overlooking the scenic creek that flows out into the Chesapeake Bay. Cissi was most certainly at the event last night in spirit and in the form of large prints of photos taken at the wedding ceremony in Niagara Falls last summer. I wish Martin and Christopher every happiness and much success in life. They have been invaluable friends to me in my journey to self-acceptance.

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One interesting aside is that among the guests were a couple that used to be my neighbors in my closet/married phase of my life. Their sons in fact were among my son's good friends and I even had drafted the construction contract for when they built their home. I also knew the wife's brother who was a local banker. I recently re-connected with him through Glee.com and discovered that he too had come out of the closet not too many years back. We had a great time talking and catching up on things and what our respective children were doing. Needless to say they are gay supportive.

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All in all, it was a wonderful evening attended by many other friends and the families of the wedding couple. For me, it underscored the beauty of true love and commitment.

More Friday Male Beauty

2 'Gay' Corporals Walk Into a Bar

That's the title of an op-ed over at the Christianist run WingNut Daily (a/k/a World Net Daily) authored by reported former gay porn star/gay escort Matt Sanchez (pictured at center in the picture at right which I edited to make it SFW) who is/was a Marine and currently a darling of the truly fruit loops crowd among the fundies. At this point, it hard to tell who is/are the bigger prostitute(s) - Sanchez, whose "work" can be seen here (Caution very NSFW) or the folks at Wingnut Daily.

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I'm not quite sure why Wingnut Daily is now resorting to columns by someone who appeared in such memorable "art films" as Jawbreaker, Donkey Dick, Glory Holes Of Fame 3, and Touched by an Anal: Four Hours of Heavenly Anal Action, other than maybe they realize that trotting out the same old tired ex-gays for pay is becoming boring even for the most unbalanced of their readers. Of course, another explanation may be that there are so many tortured closet cases amongst the Christianist crowd - think Robert Knight, Peter LaBarbera, etc. - that Sanchez titillates their inner gay and thus boosts Wingnut Daily's readership.

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I sure the thought of someone like Sanchez "embedded" with our troops must have Elaine Donnelly on the verge of the vapors or an orgasm or both. These people are truly living in some bizarre alternative universe.

McInerney Pleads Not Guilty to Murder of Larry King

I often have a hard time stomaching criminal defense attorneys and truly believe that I could not in good conscience represent someone who is clearly guilty of the crime - e.g., Brandon McInerney who shot Lawrence King in the back of the head twice in a clearly premeditated act in front of a room of fellow students. Nonetheless, his defense attorney, William "Willy" Quest, is alleging that manslaughter is the appropriate charge, not murder. How he can make such a claim defies belief and leaves me incredulous but for the fact that Quest is apparently a typical defense attorney - it's always someone else's fault, not his client's fault. A reading of the California Penal Code reveals what bullshit Quest is shoveling. Here's the definition of manslaughter:

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192. Manslaughter is the unlawful killing of a human being without malice. It is of three kinds:

(a) Voluntary--upon a sudden quarrel or heat of passion.

(b) Involuntary--in the commission of an unlawful act, notamounting to felony; or in the commission of a lawful act which mightproduce death, in an unlawful manner, or without due caution andcircumspection. This subdivision shall not apply to acts committed inthe driving of a vehicle.

(c) Vehicular--

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Obviously, McInerney's action in killing Larry King does NOT fit in any of these categories. In contrast the statutory provisions on murder are directly on point:

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187. (a) Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being, or a fetus, with malice aforethought.

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188. Such malice may be express or implied. It is express when there is manifested a deliberate intention unlawfully to take away the life of a fellow creature. It is implied, when no considerable provocation appears, or when the circumstances attending the killing show an abandoned and malignant heart. When it is shown that the killing resulted from the intentional doing of an act with express or implied malice as defined above, no other mental state need be shown to establish the mental state of malice aforethought.

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I hate to say it, but the undercurrent throughout Quest's disingenuous blather is that it's the gay boy's fault that he's dead or it's the school administration's fault. The truth is that actions have consequences. Sometimes severe consequences. Brandon McInerney did something vile and hateful and he did it with premeditation. He sowed the seeds of his potentially spending the rest of his life in prison. Is it sad in some ways? Perhaps, but it's even sadder that Larry King was deprived of his life which had just as much value as that as some straight athlete on whom it'd be harder for in my opinion a sleazy attorney like Quest to try to lay blame. In my view, it is very important that McInerney not get off. A clear message needs to be sent that a gay life has just as much value as anyone else's life. Sadly, too often those who murder gays get off with the equivalent of a slap on the wrist. Here are some highlights from the Ventura County Star:

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The 14-year-old boy accused of killing eighth-grader Larry King pleaded not guilty Thursday to premeditated murder and a hate crime, charges his attorney said could mean dying in prison unless the youth can be tried on the lesser charge of manslaughter. "This is essentially a death sentence for Brandon McInerney," defense attorney William "Willy" Quest said after entering a plea of not guilty for his client.

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The slain boy's father, Greg King, declined comment on the plea Thursday afternoon, but he said he supports the district attorney's decision to try McInerney for first-degree murder as an adult. "He went into a classroom in front of other students and shot my son in the back of the head twice," King said. He suggested that the boy's age does not merit lighter treatment. "My son his dead," he said. "For his age to be taken into consideration — he didn't take my son's age into consideration."

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Quest said the shooting was a tragedy, but suggested that sending McInernery to prison for life only compounds it. He has blamed educators at E.O. Green for failing to defuse growing tension leading up to the shooting. "This is not a complicated case, who did it and the manner of death," he said. "The issue is Brandon's age and what was going on at E.O. Green School."

Friday Male Beauty

Incorrigible Angel - Part 3

I spoke with my incorrigible angel late last night - we talk at a late hour every night and have missed talking daily perhaps only once or twice since late March - and he remains as selfless as ever. He's a very private individual, so suffice it to say I cannot divulge any details of his circumstances other than to say that he is undergoing arduous trails and tribulations currently. Nonetheless, when we speak his first concerns are about me: how am I doing, am I OK, did I have a good day, whether or not a new love interest in my life called me that day (of late the answer to that latter question is yes!).

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Most individuals confronted with what he's going through would be totally self-absorbed, but not my incorrigible angel who cracks risque jokes and engages in outrageous commentary just to make me break out laughing out loud. I usually endeavor to return the silliness and I suspect anyone over hearing our conversations without hearing both sides of the conversation and knowing all the circumstances might think us crazy or obscene. When I get him laughing out loud, it is such music to my ears. There is so little I can do for him at the moment other than to give him my heart and assurances that "I won't let go, I promise to never let go." Never ever. However long these current trials may be, I will be there for him - and for someone else very special who has angelic traits herself - as he is for me.

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Close friendship is always something special, but in my incorrigible angel, I have found and invaluable friendship that appeared one day in my life outwardly from out of nowhere (he'd say it's because he's my guardian angel sent to watch over me). He sees my better self, understands my heart, touches me daily, and extends constant love and encouragement no matter what. He's a loving and caring friend/observer who has added much to my life yet remains ever self-depreciating and far too humble. Would that he could see his better self as I see him. I tell him that any good he sees in me is merely a reflection of the good in him. He has added magic to my life and I'm sure the lives of all with whom he's come in contact even if he cannot see it. He is a most special and wonderful person. I love my incorrigible angel now and always.

Final Thursday Male Beauty

Obama: Eliminate Discrimination Against LGBT families

I continue to be dumbfounded by gays who continue to support John McCain and/or the GOP in general. Why not convert to Judaism and then join the American Nazi Party? It makes about the same amount of sense. Yes, there once was a day when the Republican Party had many moderates, but now it's clearly the far right element that is dictating policy. John McCain's shameless pandering to that group underscores this reality. One need only consider McCain's announced support for the anti-gay Constitutional amendment in Arizona or his views on gay adoption to figure out that the man is no friend of LGBT citizens. Yes, I was once a Republican, but when the Party started to go over to the "dark side" and became controlled by Christianists, I resigned from the Party and have since done all I can to see it lose at the polls. In contrast Barack Obama -while not as supportive of full gay marriage rights as I would like - still comes out strong for increased equality for LGBT citizens and their families.

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On Wednesday, July 23 Jennifer Chrisler, Executive Director of Family Equality Council, issued identical letters to Sens. McCain and Obama, outlining the vast array of family types in this country and asking both candidates to explain how their administrations would work to recognize, respect, protect and celebrate all loving families in the US. Here are highlights from a statement issued in response to Jennifer's questions:

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The desire to build a life with a loved one, to provide for a family and to have children who will grow and thrive — these are desires that all people share, regardless of race, sex, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity.

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But we also have to do more to support and strengthen LGBT families. Because equality in relationship, family, and adoption rights is not some abstract principle; it’s about whether millions of LGBT Americans can finally live lives marked by dignity and freedom. That’s why we have to repeal laws like the Defense of Marriage Act. That’s why we have to eliminate discrimination against LGBT families. And that’s why we have to extend equal treatment in our family and adoption laws. I’ll be a president that stands up for American families – all of them.

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The contrast with John McCain's anti-gay sentiments straight out of the Christian Right's play book could not be more striking. Why would any LGBT citizen want to vote for McCain?

Fundie Frensy Increasing

Earlier today I posted about the new Time magazine poll which put those accepting gay marriage as tied with those who oppose it. I also conjectured that the wingnuts would be getting increasingly hysterical. Via Pam's House Blend an e-mail put out by the so-called National Organization for Marriage proves my point. Not only is the rhetoric getting increasingly loony, but through out the e-mail are numerous disingenuous calls for money donations. I guess Brian S. Brown, Executive Director (pictured at left) of the group realizes his days of living off the donations of the sheeple may be drawing to a close and that getting every possible dollar now is crucial to the continuation of his life style. If the fundies lose the fight for marriage in California, the "goose that lays the golden eggs - i.e., shaking down the simple minded for money to protect them from the "threat to marriage" - may be gone and a significant amount of cash flow may disappear from the fundie coffers. That will hurt many of them far more than any change to the marriage laws. Here are a few highlights from the e-mail:

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The next 90 days will determine the future of marriage in our nation. With now less than 90 days remaining before the November 4 elections, the future of marriage hangs in the balance, not only in California, but in the rest of the nation as well . . . . "if we lose in California, "it will open the floodgates for same-sex marriage in all the other states." Already, we see new threats emerging in other states, and the pressures will only increase if we fail to save marriage in California.

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With gay marriage advocates and their willing accomplices in the courts, "live and let live" is a one-way street. For years, opponents of a federal marriage amendment have assured us that there is no need for an amendment -- because "marriage is an issue best left to the states," and besides, the Defense of Marriage Act already protects states from being forced to recognize same-sex marriages. But now, as soon as same-sex couples from across the country start flocking to California and Massachusetts for marriage licenses, we start hearing how "absurd" and "discriminatory" it is to have same-sex marriages recognized in some states but not in others.

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If Congress were to repeal DOMA next year, we would quickly see litigation over whether, for example, Indiana is required to recognize a same-sex marriage from Massachusetts. By the time the case reached the Supreme Court two years later, we would be facing the possibility of nationalized same-sex marriage, much as the Supreme Court set national abortion policy in 1973.

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We are in the midst of the biggest fight for marriage our nation has ever seen. But we are confident that with God's help we will prevail. Thank you for standing with us in your prayers, financial contributions, and volunteer efforts. These next 90 days are critical. Thank you for whatever you can do to help.

More Thursday Male Beauty

New Time Poll: Gay Marriage Gaining Support

A new Time magazine poll shows those for and those against gay marriage to now be evenly split. It also shows that 58% of respondents are AGAINST amending the U. S. Constitution to bar gay marriage. Obviously, this information will merely increase the hysterical efforts of the far right Christianists to do all they can to throw up bars to gay marriage since it is clear that time is NOT on their side, particularly with younger voters supporting marriage equality for gays by a significant margin. Thus we can expect all kinds of shrill warnings and dire predictions of the end of civilization form Daddy Dobson, Tony Perkins and similar demagogues who make a living demonizing gays, immigrants and other who are not white evangelical Christians. What will these gay haters do to shake down money and live off the gullible without working a real job once gay marriage is widespread around the country? Here's a breakdown of the poll results insofar as they apply to the issue of gay marriage:

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Do you favor or oppose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would ban same-sex couples from getting married? All respondents:

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Favor 35%

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Oppose 58%

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No answer/don't know 7%

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Should gay and lesbian couples be allowed to marry, giving them full legal rights of married couples, or not? All respondents:

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Should be allowed 47%

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Should not 47%

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No answer/don't know 6%

Rowan Williams Prostitutes Himself for "Unity"

One outcome of the Lambeth Conference is that it has become increasingly clear that Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has thrown gays under the bus in order to maintain "unity" within the Anglican Communion and keep homophobic bishops (predominantly from Africa where an ignorant, uneducated population allows them to be anti-gay demagogues) from bolting from the Communion. Had denominations in the USA employed that mentality during the 1850's and 1860's I suspect slavery would have continued for far longer and the Civil War might have been averted or delayed in occurring. Unity for the sake of unity and at the price of doing what's morally wrong is no victory. Sometimes doing the right thing is not universally popular and some may take there toys and walk away. Better in my view to be right than go with the herd in the wrong direction. Moreover, Rowan Williams isn't even being consistent with his past writings. I believe that the Bishop of Washington, D.C., has the better understanding of what's right. Here are some highlights from the [London] Timesonline concerning Williams' sell out of gays:

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Rowan Williams believes that gay sexual relationships can “reflect the love of God” in a way that is comparable to marriage, The Times has learnt. Gay partnerships pose the same ethical questions as those between men and women, and the key issue for Christians is that they are faithful and lifelong, he believes. Dr Williams is known to be personally liberal on the issue but the strength of his views, revealed in private correspondence shown to The Times, will astonish his critics.

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As Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Williams recommitted the Anglican Communion to its orthodox position that homosexual practice is incompatible with Scripture at the Lambeth Conference, which closed on Sunday. However, in an exchange of letters with an evangelical Christian, written eight years ago when he was Archbishop of Wales, he described his belief that biblical passages criticising homosexual sex were not aimed at people who were gay by nature.

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He wrote: “I concluded that an active sexual relationship between two people of the same sex might therefore reflect the love of God in a way comparable to marriage, if and only if it had about it the same character of absolute covenanted faithfulness.” Dr Williams described his view as his “definitive conclusion” reached after 20 years of study and prayer.

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Liberals have been bitterly disappointed that a man whom they regarded as chosen to advance their agenda has instead abided by the traditionalist consensus of the majority.
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In contrast to Williams' mealy mouth sell out of gay Christians, here are highlights from Timesonline of what John Chane, Bishop of Washington, D.C. (pictured above), has to say concerning the reactionary homophobes like Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria (who I view as anything but a Christian except in name) who are pushing an anti-gay jihad:

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A leading Anglican bishop has condemned conservatives as "demonic" for using his church as a punch bag. The Bishop of Washington, the Right Rev John Chane, a leading liberal in the Episcopal Church in the United States, accused conservatives of leading the church in a "dangerous" direction. Bishop Chane, whose diocese covers the American capital, said: "I think it's really very dangerous when someone stands up and says, 'I have the way and I have the truth and I know how to interpret holy scripture and you are following what is the right way.' "I think it's really very, very dangerous and I think it's demonic ... the Episcopal Church has been demonised.

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Peter Akinola, the Nigerian primate, who is among those boycotting Lambeth, told the BBC: "Gafcon is a rescue mission - it is our duty to rescue whatever is left of the church from error, from all those, whoever they are, who have chosen to mutilate, to distort and to even deny the Gospel and to preach something different from what we know."

Thursday Male Beauty

California AG: Proposition 8 Not Retroactive

I am a day or two behind on this story, but believe that it is important in that if the legal reasoning holds up - and I believe it is sound - then there will be married gays in California no matter the out come of the vote on Proposition 0 in November. Thus, the Christianists horror of gay marriage being referenced in school, especially government classes, will be guaranteed. What am I talking about? the fact that California Attorney General, Jerry Brown, poked a big hole in the Christianists' balloon with the release of an opinion that concludes that marriages performed before November 4th would continue to be valid even if Proposition 8 were to pass. Thus, thousands of same-sex marriages would continue to exist. This is for two reasons: (1) most legislation is effective from the date of passage and (2) under the U.S. Constitution there are bans against abrogation the right of contracts and ex-post facto laws. Here are highlights from the San Francisco Chronicle on Brown's opinion Also note how the corrupt and hypocritical Catholic Church is supporting Prop. 8 rather than focusing on cleaning its own disgusting dirty linen):

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If voters approve a November ballot measure banning same-sex marriages in California, thousands of gay and lesbian weddings conducted since the state Supreme Court legalized the unions on May 15 will probably remain valid, Attorney General Jerry Brown said Monday. . . . Brown's position is significant because his office will represent the state in lawsuits over Prop. 8's validity and meaning if it passes.

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Brown's office said in a court filing Monday that he believes the ballot measure would not invalidate existing marriages. "I believe that marriages that have been entered into subsequent to the (May 15) Supreme Court opinion will be recognized by the California Supreme Court," Brown told The Chronicle. Noting that Prop. 8 is silent about retroactivity, he said, "I would think the court, in looking at the underlying equities, would most probably conclude that upholding the marriages performed in that interval (before the election) would be a just result."

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Brown defended his ballot language as neutral and accurate Monday, while opponents of Prop. 8 pressed their challenge to a section of the Yes on 8 argument. That argument declares that teachers will be required to tell students as early as kindergarten that "gay marriage is OK" unless the ballot measure passes, a claim that the No on 8 campaign calls baseless.

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n another development Monday, the California Catholic Conference, representing Catholic bishops, endorsed Prop. 8, declaring that "same-sex unions are not the same as opposite-sex unions" and that only a relationship that can produce children should be called marriage.

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I guess per the Catholic Church all marriages of childless couples need to be voided.

Vancouver, BC Pride

This past Sunday the Gay Pride Parade took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, a city that I truly loved when visiting with my son. What is amazing is the size of the turnout - 530,000 according to the Vancouver Sun. That number is equal to 1/3 of the entire population of the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. If that many gays and gay supporters turned out down here, Pat Robertson would probably either go catatonic or launch into a full blown conniption fit. This area remains such a backwater in terms of diversity and acceptance of those who are different, The Ghent area of Norfolk where I live is the exception to the norm here. Here are highlights from the Sun's coverage:

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VANCOUVER - The 30th annual Pride Parade "broke a lot of records," the president of the Vancouver Pride Society said, as nearly 530,000 people came out to the West End on Sunday. . . . . "There are more families, kids and tourists," he said. "I'm proud of the support this community is receiving."

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He [the president of the Pride Society] said he was very happy that 100,000 participated in the beach festival, while 7,000 people were in the parade itself. The procession included 164 parade entries, representing more than 200 organizations and businesses.

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During the parade, screams praising one of the grand marshals, Sahran Abeysundara, made the Sri Lankan break into tears, Boychuk said. "In his country you can go to jail for being gay," Boychuk said. "Be proud to be Canadian. I am."

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I'd be proud to be a Canadian too - I just need to find employment and/or a nice guy from BC to marry me. We stayed in a hotel during our visit not too far from the intersection pictured in the photo above. Below is a photo of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island where the ferries from the mainland arrive from Vancouver. My son and I sailed into that harbor on our wonderful trip to BC.

Alliance Defense Fund Sues Governor of New York

The incessant gad flies at the Alliance Defense Fund ("ADF"), an organization founded by a who's who of Christianist wingnut leaders is now suing New York's Governor Patterson challenging his executive order mandating that all state offices recognize out-of-state same-sex unions. Rather than apply large amounts of money to help the poor and needy, ADF blows through money litigating any development that might grant gays equal rights under the civil laws. Despite the drivel espoused about "protecting marriage," ADF's real goal is to do all it can to perpetuate legal discrimination against LGBT citizens. If ADF was truly worried about protecting marriage, it would instigate programs to mitigate the divorce rate among evangelical Christians who have the highest divorce rate of any group and utterly ignore the Bible's prohibition on divorce. Apparently, literal interpretations of the Bible only are proper when applied to gays. Here are highlights from the New York Sun:

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A pivotal case in the debate over gay marriage in New York is set to begin tomorrow in state Supreme Court, where a Christian legal group from Arizona will face off against representatives of the governor's office in the first direct legal challenge to Governor Paterson's executive order mandating that all state offices recognize out-of-state same-sex unions.

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The Alliance Defense Fund is suing Mr. Paterson, citing an online dictionary's definition of the word "marriage," and claiming that legal recognition of such marriages "will undermine the democratic process and force taxpayer dollars to fund benefits for same-sex couples."

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In May, Mr. Paterson issued the executive order directing state agencies to "ensure that terms such as 'spouse,' 'husband,' and 'wife' are construed in a manner that encompasses legal same-sex marriages." In the suit, the Alliance Defense Fund says the order was an illegal breach of the separation of powers, in that Mr. Paterson did not consult the Legislature about revising the legal status of those terms before issuing the order.

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A string of recent court decisions are on the governor's office's side, especially when it comes to provision of benefits. In the past two years, the Alliance Defense Fund has tried unsuccessfully to challenge the state comptroller's office, a Westchester county executive, and the state Department of Civil Services on their policies of recognizing gay marriage for services such as accidental death benefits.

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One cannot help but wonder what kind of warped and repressed psycho sexual issues plague the ADF crowd to make them so hysterical at the mere thought of same sex love. These people are seriously fucked up.

More Wednesday Male Beauty

Resurgent Taliban

A new story at Yahoo News shows just how badly the Chimperator's so-called war on terror has failed. Billions and Billions of dollars later, with over 4,000 Americans dead, and tens of thousands horrifically injured, and much of Iraq destroyed, the Taliban is resurgent and the Iraq War has greatly increased the numbers of Muslims worldwide who hate the United States. Heck of a job, Chimpy!! A war crimes trial and execution would not begin to undo the nightmare that the Chimperator and his equally delusional minions have produced. Bush - and Cheney too - physically sicken me. Meanwhile the cretin has no concept of the damage his idiocy and hubris has wrought. He cannot leave office soon enough for me. Here are some story highlights of the growing mess in Afghanistan:

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KABUL, Afghanistan - As the two women hunkered down in the dark, enveloped in blue burqas, they thought the gun-toting Taliban might free them despite accusations they had run a prostitution ring for a U.S. base. Soon after, the militants shot them dead. The recent execution of the two women, witnessed in central Ghazni province by an Afghan journalist who contributes to The Associated Press, reflects the Taliban's resurgent presence in Afghanistan and their growing ability to dispense an extreme version of Islamic justice.

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[A]s the insurgency in Afghanistan turns more violent, the Taliban have once again gained control of significant parts of the country where the weak U.S.-backed central government has little authority. One sign of this comeback is the spread of a shadow justice system, with anecdotal reports of the militants' setting up "courts" and meting out harsh punishments.

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Many reports about Taliban justice come from the southern provinces, where the insurgency is strongest. There are signs, however, that the militants are spreading their tentacles further, and even outside Afghanistan. Taliban-style punishments have become commonplace in the border regions of neighboring Pakistan, where Islamic extremists now hold considerable sway. In June, militants executed two people they accused of spying for the U.S. in front of thousands of cheering supporters in Bajur, a Pakistani tribal region.

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The first thing the Taliban do when they come into an area is to set up courts, said Ahmed Rashid, a journalist and author who has written extensively on the militants.

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Equally upsetting is the fact that the Chimperators strongest domestic supporters are Christianists who want something akin to the Taliban's replacement of civi law with religious law.

Hey, ‘Wrinkly, White-Haired Guy’

John McCain's campaign may have thought it funny when they made an anti-Obama ad using images of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears , but Paris - of whom I am hardly a fan - seems to have one-upped McCain with her own ad (watch it here) and McCain has ultimately become the but of his own joke. Even Paris' mother who is a McCain contributor has derided McCain's ad which obviously did nothing to address the critical issues facing the nation. Here are highlights from CNSNews.com, hardly a liberal news outlet:

Washington (AP) - Attention, America: Paris has spoken. Paris Hilton, the blonde, doe-eyed celebrity thrust into the presidential campaign in an ad by Republican candidate John McCain, issued a tart rebuttal Tuesday, albeit in a scantily clad, tongue-in-cheek kind of way.

Hilton initially shied away from the debate over the ad and its effectiveness. But she responded Tuesday with a spoof on the comedy Web site Funny or Die."Hey America, I'm Paris Hilton and I'm a celebrity, too. Only I'm not from the olden days and I'm not promising change like that other guy. I'm just hot," Hilton said, speaking as she reclined in a pool chair in a revealing bathing suit and a pair of pumps. "But then that wrinkly, white-haired guy used me in his campaign ad, which I guess means I'm running for president. So thanks for the endorsement white-haired dude."

Hilton's mother, who with her husband donated $4,600 to McCain's campaign earlier in the year, has said McCain's ad is "a complete waste of the country's time and attention at the very moment when millions of people are losing their homes and their jobs."

Hilton's rebuttal includes plenty of humor at McCain's expense.An announcer calls him "the oldest celebrity in the world, like super-old, old enough to remember when dancing was a sin and beer was served in a bucket," and asks, "but is he ready to lead?" Hilton's spoof also intersperses images of McCain and Yoda from Star Wars and the cast of television's "The Golden Girls."

Kudos to Paris for giving McCain a bit of his own medicine. I suspect that before it's over, her ad will have more viewers than McCain's.

Wednesday Male Beauty

Anti-Gay Bigotry of Don't Ask, Don't Tell Has High Price

On July 23, 2008, militant gay-haters like the delusional Elaine Donnelly testified as to why gays should be drummed out of the military before the House Armed Services Committee. Meanwhile, it has come out via the Christian Science Monitor that the military is paying $150,000 in retention bonuses to keep linguists who are fluent in Arabic from retiring from the military. Based on that figure, the military has spent perhaps in the neighborhood of $9,000,000 to retain linguists replacing the gay Arabic linguists forced out of the military due to Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Thus, homophobia on the part of those like Ms. Donnelly is costing the taxpayers plenty. I hope Ms. Donnelly's orgasmic thrill over denigrating gays and seeking to keep gays less than full citizens is worth the price. Personally, I don't think it comes anywhere near close and believe Congress should tell Ms. Donnelly to go get herself a new sex toy. Maybe Ms. Donnelly's bogus organization can make a financial donation to reimburse the rest of us taxpayers for the money being needlessly thrown away. Here are some highlights from the story:

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Washington - The Army may begin paying a retention bonus of as much as $150,000 to Arabic speaking soldiers in reflection of how critical it has become for the US military to retain native language and cultural know-how in its ranks. . . . After the invasion of Iraq and the insurgency that followed, the US military recognized its dearth of linguistic competence in the country it had just toppled, and it scrambled to identify Arabic and other linguists.

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The military's conventional language training program, the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif., could not churn out enough American soldiers proficient in Arabic, Kurdish, Dari, Pashtu, and Farsi, and the military quickly turned to private contractors to fill the gap. Numerous programs have sprouted up, including one at Fort Lewis, Wash., where soldiers are given a 10-month immersion program in language and culture.

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Army personnel officials want to put the 09 Lima retention program on par with Army Special Forces, which would mean paying those linguists as much as $150,000 each to stay in the service.

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Interesting that Arabic speaking linguists are deemed critical, yet one's sexual orientation trumps all else. Here are some highlights from Steve Rall's column at Huffington Post that takes a further look at the stupidity of DADT:

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The Army is taking almost every step imaginable -- from six-figure bonuses to civilian interpreters in the warzone to recruitment campaigns targeting Arab-American communities -- to beef up its language capability. Every step, that is, except one. Army officials have yet to tell Congress to dump the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law that has resulted in the dismissal of more than 5 dozen Arabic speakers who were otherwise qualified and ready to serve.

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During hearings on the State Department's 2008 budget request, [Congressman Gary] Ackerman noted that Secretary Rice repeatedly emphasized the importance of recruiting qualified language experts to work in the agency. Remembering that the armed forces have fired more than 300 language experts (including those 5 dozen fluent in Arabic), Ackerman wondered, "Can we marry up those two -- or maybe that's the wrong word -- can we have some kind of union of those two issues?"

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"Well, it seems that the military has gone around and fired a whole bunch of people who speak foreign languages -- Farsi and Arabic, etc.," Ackerman said. "For some reason, the military seems more afraid of gay people than they are against terrorists, but they're very brave with the terrorists. ... If the terrorists ever got a hold of this information, they'd get a platoon of lesbians to chase us out of Baghdad."

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"This absurdity can't continue," Ackerman later wrote in an August '07 Newsday op-ed. "The 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy is not only wasteful and inefficient, it's unfair and un-American. In the middle of a war we are throwing out good people who have volunteered to put their lives on the line for their country."

More Tuesday Male Beauty

The Insidious "Choice Myth"

A new op-ed editorial in the Ventura County Star, entitled "14-year-old Brandon McInerney: Ventura County's Sacrificial Lamb," concerning the murder of Larry King underscores why defeating the myth disseminated by Christianists that sexual orientation is a "choice" is ever so critical to the furtherance of LGBT rights and putting an end to opinions implied from this editorial. The anti-gay organizations that keep the choice myth alive know exactly what they are doing and they do it precisely so that LGBT individuals can be blamed for their orientation and thus held accountable/blamed for whatever evil or act of violence that befalls them. While the author, Michael Mehas (pictured at left) a Ventura attorney who has previously written a book based on a juvenile murder case, never says it, the undercurrent of the editorial is that Larry King somehow asked to be murdered by choosing to be different and not conforming.

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True, it's always easy to try to make excuses for juveniles, but at 14, Brandon McInerney knew full well that bringing a gun to school and putting two bullets into the back of Larry King's head was wrong. His action of bringing the gun to school shows on its face that the killing was premeditated, a requirement for a first degree murder charge in most jurisdictions. King's killing was no sudden act of passion that occurred without some careful planning by MsInerney. Here are highlights from Mehas' op-ed which in my view tries to shift blame to Larry King for his own murder (or anyone else other than McInerney):

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Because of the way the prosecutor charged the case, Brandon's age, domestic circumstances and the situation of Larry King's sexual advances become irrelevant to Brandon's case. There will now be no reason to consider the fact the defendant was so young when the crime was committed, that if he were 19 days younger, he would be legally unfit to be tried as an adult. There will be no mitigating circumstances to consider. The court may never hear the facts regarding how Brandon appeared crazed by his victim, a teenager himself who was admittedly gay, who teased and taunted Brandon, which humiliated the 14-year-old in front of his fellow students. There were reports that Larry's behavior had caused problems with other boys as well.

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Instead of counseling the victim about his behavior, and Brandon, too, witnesses claim school officials appeared more intent on nurturing Larry as he explored his sexuality. They allowed him to come to school wearing feminine makeup and accessories and they downplayed the turmoil that his behavior was causing on campus.

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Brandon is going to stand trial in adult court, and he is going to pay severely for what he did. Though considered too young to buy alcohol or cigarettes, sign rental agreements or vote, he will be held to the same degree of culpability as an adult, and face adult penalties, and he will go to prison for the rest of his life.

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Trying Brandon as an adult does not serve us in terms of bringing justice to the issue. What would bring justice was if Brandon were given the chance to mature and learn socially acceptable behavior. But, if he must be charged in an adult court, then levy him with charges that would allow a judge to consider his age, his personal-life situation and the circumstances surrounding his crime. These mitigating circumstances are certainly more relevant than the Ventura County district attorney considers them to be.

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Mehas is clearly more concerned with the rights and sensibilities of the murderer rather than the victim who will have no chance to mature or do anything else thanks to Brandon's homophobia and bigotry. One reason I could never be a defense defense attorney is that I could not in good conscience try to defend someone I deemed guilty. Some attorneys give the appearance of having no conscience whatsoever.

Did Bush White House Ordered Document Forgery?

Personally, I put nothing past the Chimperator and Emperor Palpatine Cheney. To them whatever their ill-conceived end may be, their desire for it justifies anything necessary to reach that end. Truth, honesty, integrity, decency mean nothing and we have seen the results of their disgusting handiwork. Now, a new book maintains that a key document utilized in the false justification for invading Iraq was forged at the order of the White House. That it is all too easy to believe that such an action is possible is a testament to how low Bush/Cheney have brought the reputation and world view of the USA. Here are some highlights from Politico:

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A new book by the author Ron Suskind claims that the White House ordered the CIA to forge a back-dated, handwritten letter from the head of Iraqi intelligence to Saddam Hussein.Suskind writes in “The Way of the World,” to be published Tuesday, that the alleged forgery – adamantly denied by the White House – was designed to portray a false link between Hussein’s regime and al Qaeda as a justification for the Iraq war.

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he author also claims that the Bush administration had information from a top Iraqi intelligence official “that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq – intelligence they received in plenty of time to stop an invasion.”

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“The White House had concocted a fake letter from Habbush to Saddam, backdated to July 1, 2001,” Suskind writes. “It said that 9/11 ringleader Mohammad Atta had actually trained for his mission in Iraq – thus showing, finally, that there was an operational link between Saddam and al Qaeda, something the Vice President’s Office had been pressing CIA to prove since 9/11 as a justification to invade Iraq. There is no link.”