Saturday, February 20, 2010
JONAH and NARTH's Ex-Con Director/Exective Secretary Plays the Victim
This past Monday I wrote a post about the disclosure of the fact that Arthur Abba Goldberg, the co-founder of JONAH and Executive Secretary of NARTH - both purveyors of the gays can change myth - is a convicted felon who did prison time for mail and securities fraud offenses. Now that his past has caught up with him, Goldberg seems to be trying to peddle the spiel that he's the victim. The victim of the big bad gays. Since (a) I was part of the research team that connected the dots and confirmed that Goldberg had an unsavory past and (b) I have a background in municipal securities law, I find Goldberg's disingenuous crocodile tears more than a little bit disgusting. Somehow, I do not find a $2 Billion fraudulent bond deal to be a small thing. Likewise, deliberately marketing the lie that sexual orientation is a choice and can be changed for monetary and political gain is not a small thing. Ex-Gay Watch has a detailed story on Goldberg's efforts to discount his past wrongs and somehow pretend us mean gays are treating him unfairly. Here are some highlights:*
Arthur Goldberg’s damage-control campaign has begun. His strategy is to portray himself as an innocent man who made a mistake, and is now the victim of a ruthless personal attack by the purveyors of the much-feared gay agenda. Arthur A Goldberg, Executive Secretary of NARTH and a co-founder and co-director of Jewish ex-gay group JONAH, was exposed earlier this week as convicted felon Arthur Abba Goldberg, the Wall Street investor fined $100,000 and sentenced to 18 months in 1989 on three counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States of America.
*
Goldberg has yet to respond publicly to the reports. He appears, however, to have written to his fellow board members at NARTH, in a letter obtained by Ex-Gay Watch. . . . This suggests that he had not disclosed his criminal past to NARTH. This is further supported by XGW’s conversation with David Pruden, NARTH’s Vice President of Operations. While freely identifying Goldberg as Arthur Abba Goldberg, Pruden denied knowing anything of the charges made in Monday’s article. This is very concerning. Who neglects to disclose criminal convictions – especially a felony of this nature – to organizations for which they work, unless quite deliberately?
*
According to this account [by Goldberg], he pleaded guilty as a concession because it was in his own best interests, as well as the best interest of his family and the company. Yet he claims he accepted full responsibility. Which is it, Arthur? Goldberg wants to have it both ways. He holds his hands up to accept the blame, while suggesting it was only technically fraud, not morally. This is doublespeak. And it is contradicted by the reports we have from the time.
*
Essentially, Goldberg asks his fellow NARTH board members to take his word over the word of the attorney who successfully prosecuted him for fraud, the judge who found him guilty, and the court that disbarred him from practicing law in New Jersey.
*
He does go to great lengths to pin responsibility on homosexuals, however. His proven past crimes, which so far we have every reason to believe have been deliberately kept out of the public eye, are not to blame for the spotlight on him now, according to Goldberg. To demonstrate this, he resurrects the familiar myth that his gay critics are simply following the gay agenda set out by Kirk and Madsen in 1989: Of course, the strategy employed by those who wish to dig around for dirt in someone’s past . . . They stated in the book that those perceived as opponents of the gay movement were to be attacked and vilified. . . . . So, if you are able to do a character assassination of the proponents, so goes the theory, then you can kill the message they represent.
*
Finally, having absolved himself of responsibility, Goldberg portrays himself as a martyr to the cause of anti-gay activism and reparative therapy: [I] understand that there are individuals out there with myopic bigotry on the SSA issue and I need to be prepared to take my lumps for anything I have done in the past or the present, and indeed in the future. . . . Many thanks to you all for standing with me, for being there, and for maintaining the fight for accurate science, truth and justice.
*
Unfortunately, Goldberg is the norm among the professional ex-gay advocates. Truth and honesty mean nothing. It's all about making a buck off of the ignorant and uninformed and keeping the choice myth alive to harm LGBT citizens and keep them second class citizens under the civil laws. Wayne Besen also has more here at Truth Wins Out. Oh, and it's nice to know that I am a "purveyor of the much feared gay agenda."
What the Democrats and Obama Don't Get About Gay Rights
I will admit that I am an impassioned activist when it comes to gay rights and 100% equality for LGBT citizens under the civil laws. Some people do not understand why myself and others are so passionate. John Aravosis has a good explanation at America Blog that I wish President Obama and Democrats of all levels would take to heart. What's amazing is that John wrote this explanation in a piece that looks at the booing an anti-gay diatribe received at the CPAC gathering in Washington, D.C. I do not have any faith that the GOP will become gay-friendly anytime soon - Bob McDonnell's actions in Virginia speak volumes - but at least some in the party appear to be beginning to understand that a public face based on hatred is NOT something that sells with many Americans. Would that Obama could put aside his own religious based discrimination against LGBT Americans and understand why we need full civil rights under ALL of the civil laws. Here are highlights from John's post:*
[W]e're talking about our civil rights. I think a lot of straight Democrats don't get that. They see out and proud gay people, a lot of us have good jobs, nice clothes, get to travel the world (and a lot of us don't, but they don't ever meet them), so they think our civil rights battle is some kind of champagne party to us, as if we're doing it for fun because we really have everything we could ever want. Well, anyone who thinks that didn't grow up gay. They didn't grow up thinking they were a pervert. That they were sick. That they'd never find love, never get married, never have children or a family of their own - because God made them wrong. They didn't grow up thinking they'd have to kill themselves once they hit the age of 30 because they'd be single, and people would 'figure out' that they were gay, and then they'd lose all their friends and family and their job and career. And they knew they couldn't live with that.
*
That last point is important. Pick any political issue, any political constituency, and ask yourself how many of those issues, how many of those people, considered killing themselves over their issue. Not a lot, I'm guessing. Now you're starting to understand why gay civil rights advocates, why gay people, care so fervently about their "issue." It's not just an issue for us. It's our lives. That's what it's like to be gay in America.
*
. . . When all the Democrats show is political homophobia, gays get the message. Some gays and lesbians will vote for Democrats regardless of how blatantly the Obama administration and the Democratic party back away from their promises to repeal DADT, repeal DOMA, and pass ENDA. Regardless of how clear it is that the White House will appoint an openly gay cabinet member or an openly gay Supreme Court justice when hell freezes over. But I think, come November, and come many more Novembers in the future, a lot of gays and lesbians, are going to realize that we're talking about our lives, rather than our right to attend a cocktail party. And when it comes to our lives, and voting for someone who treats us with the same kind of shame every single one of us grew up with, I think you're going to see an increasing number of gay Americans distancing themselves from the Democratic party with their donations and their votes. They may not vote Republican, nor should they - they simply may not vote at all.
*
To the White House, the DNC, and our leadership in Congress: You are messing with people's lives, and we know it. And the day that an anti-gay bigot gets booed at CPAC, you all better start being very afraid.
*
That last point is important. Pick any political issue, any political constituency, and ask yourself how many of those issues, how many of those people, considered killing themselves over their issue. Not a lot, I'm guessing. Now you're starting to understand why gay civil rights advocates, why gay people, care so fervently about their "issue." It's not just an issue for us. It's our lives. That's what it's like to be gay in America.
*
. . . When all the Democrats show is political homophobia, gays get the message. Some gays and lesbians will vote for Democrats regardless of how blatantly the Obama administration and the Democratic party back away from their promises to repeal DADT, repeal DOMA, and pass ENDA. Regardless of how clear it is that the White House will appoint an openly gay cabinet member or an openly gay Supreme Court justice when hell freezes over. But I think, come November, and come many more Novembers in the future, a lot of gays and lesbians, are going to realize that we're talking about our lives, rather than our right to attend a cocktail party. And when it comes to our lives, and voting for someone who treats us with the same kind of shame every single one of us grew up with, I think you're going to see an increasing number of gay Americans distancing themselves from the Democratic party with their donations and their votes. They may not vote Republican, nor should they - they simply may not vote at all.
*
To the White House, the DNC, and our leadership in Congress: You are messing with people's lives, and we know it. And the day that an anti-gay bigot gets booed at CPAC, you all better start being very afraid.
Bob McDonnell Wants to Close What Once was Virginia's Lone Blacks-Only Park.
Virginians continue to reap what they sowed by electing faux moderate Bob McDonnell as Governor of Virginia. In addition to the hugely publicized elimination of employment protections for gay state employees in his new Executive Order (it is virtually all over the Internet), McDonnell has also tipped his hand as to the latent racism so prevalent in Virginia's GOP establishment and party base. How so? McDonnell has targeted for closure a state park which was once the only state park which allowed blacks to visit - even though other parks have had lower attendance and this park remains hugely popular with black Virginians. Sadly, McDonnell's move mirrors the undercurrent of racism that I believe prevails within the national GOP where blacks and Hispanics and other minorities are not deemed "real Americans." McDonnell has been in office less than two months and his actions so far bode for a very bleak four years for Virginia. Voters across the USA need to watch what happens in Virginia under McDonnell because it is a harbinger of what the national GOP would like to inflict on the nation as a whole. Here are highlights from the Virginian Pilot.*
One of the five state parks Gov. Bob McDonnell wants to close to save money has a singular distinction in Virginia history - it contains what once was the state's lone blacks-only park. And growing awareness of that fact has caused some legislators to call for rejecting that aspect of the governor's recommendation in efforts to narrow a $2.2 billion state budget shortfall.
*
"It's going to be problematic for that to get passed," Norfolk Democratic Del. Kenny Alexander said of the proposal to shutter Twin Lakes State Park in Prince Edward County. Alexander, chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus, said he expects his group to include the park in a statement it plans to issue next week about budget priorities.
*
[I]n 1950. . . state officials established Prince Edward State Park for Negroes in response to a lawsuit from a black citizen who had been denied admission to another state park. Venerated civil rights attorney Oliver W. Hill Sr. spearheaded that lawsuit, . . . To this day, Twin Lakes remains popular among African American visitors, many of whom hold family reunions there, explained local historian Lacy Ward Jr., director of the Robert Russa Moton Museum in nearby Farmville.
*
While more than one-third of Virginia's 35 state parks had fewer visitors than Twin Lakes' 102,000 last year and the park's nearly $2.4 million economic impact is greater than some others, . . . McDonnell administration officials say the selected parks were included in the proposed budget cuts based on "objective criteria."
*
Virginia has a long and sordid history of discrimination - something that Bob McDonnell seems intent on continuing under his regime. Virginia is for Lovers as long as they are white, straight, and preferably evangelical Christians and far right Roman Catholics. The rest of us are more or less not welcome.
*
"It's going to be problematic for that to get passed," Norfolk Democratic Del. Kenny Alexander said of the proposal to shutter Twin Lakes State Park in Prince Edward County. Alexander, chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus, said he expects his group to include the park in a statement it plans to issue next week about budget priorities.
*
[I]n 1950. . . state officials established Prince Edward State Park for Negroes in response to a lawsuit from a black citizen who had been denied admission to another state park. Venerated civil rights attorney Oliver W. Hill Sr. spearheaded that lawsuit, . . . To this day, Twin Lakes remains popular among African American visitors, many of whom hold family reunions there, explained local historian Lacy Ward Jr., director of the Robert Russa Moton Museum in nearby Farmville.
*
While more than one-third of Virginia's 35 state parks had fewer visitors than Twin Lakes' 102,000 last year and the park's nearly $2.4 million economic impact is greater than some others, . . . McDonnell administration officials say the selected parks were included in the proposed budget cuts based on "objective criteria."
*
Virginia has a long and sordid history of discrimination - something that Bob McDonnell seems intent on continuing under his regime. Virginia is for Lovers as long as they are white, straight, and preferably evangelical Christians and far right Roman Catholics. The rest of us are more or less not welcome.
The Outright Craziness of Homophobes Who Would Kill Their Child
As readers know, I am the father of three children - two daughter and a son. I prize them beyond anything in the world and even in my darkest moments consider them the most important accomplishment of my life. In my view, one ought to be willing to lay down their life for their child. Thus, I am always dumbstruck by parents who disown their own children because the child turns out to be gay. Indeed, I know several individuals who have been written off in this manner and I have seen the scars it leaves. Even worse, however, are the parents who proudly boast that they would kill their gay child -typically they are the very same people who wear their religion on their sleeve and view themselves in a self-congratulatory manner. One such deeply disturbed and un-Christian individual is Ugandan MP, Otto Odonga (pictured above left). This nutcase declared that he'd kill his son if he were to learn that his son was gay. That mindset is not only sick, but evil. And behind that evil - as is too often the case - is religious belief. Here are some highlights from Xtra.ca:*
At a human rights forum held Friday morning in Kampala, a Ugandan Member of Parliament said he would kill his son if he discovered he was gay. The MP, Otto Odonga, was immediately denounced by the forum's keynote speaker, Makau Mutua.
*
"I am baffled by the kind of hatred you spew against gay people," Mutua said, "including your desire to be a hangman. Would you apply to be a hangman if the person to be hanged were your son?" When Odonga nodded yes, Mutua said, "There is something deeply wrong with you."
*
The forum, titled Human Rights and Sexual Orientation, made it clear that many Ugandans do not yet believe that homos are entitled to human rights. The country's MPs are getting set to debate a law that would impose the death penalty on people who engage in gay sex more than once.
*
"Human rights are not sacrosanct," Odonga said. "Private parts do not belong in the anus. We will not accept this kind of deviant behaviour in our society." Another MP, Christopher Kibanzanga, angrily spoke out against the "vice" of homosexuality. He asked, "Who are bisexuals? What do they do? Has it just been imported into Africa?"
*
Mutua, the chair of Kenya's Human Rights Commission, tore into the MPs as if he was a judge passing sentence onto criminals. "It's important that we all try to expose ourselves to knowledge, to keep on growing," Mutua said. "People who express extremist views are, in my view, always the ones who have read the least."
*
The Harvard-educated lawyer went on to liken the MPs' arguments against human rights to comments made by slave owners in the American Civil War. "The kind of speech you made against gay people was the kind of speech that white segregationists were making all over America. Those arguments are classic. They have been reproduced in every era by every segment of society. You didn't invent them."
*
Mutua went on to say he believes that countries like Canada would be justified in holding back on foreign aid if MPs pass the anti-gay bill. "There are consequences to being a member of the international community," he said.
*
As I have stated before, in my view, far right and fundamentalist Christianity requires ignorance and bigotry to thrive. Hence why the Catholic Church and other anti-gay denominations are expanding in Africa while wither in the educated areas of the world.
At a human rights forum held Friday morning in Kampala, a Ugandan Member of Parliament said he would kill his son if he discovered he was gay. The MP, Otto Odonga, was immediately denounced by the forum's keynote speaker, Makau Mutua.
*
"I am baffled by the kind of hatred you spew against gay people," Mutua said, "including your desire to be a hangman. Would you apply to be a hangman if the person to be hanged were your son?" When Odonga nodded yes, Mutua said, "There is something deeply wrong with you."
*
The forum, titled Human Rights and Sexual Orientation, made it clear that many Ugandans do not yet believe that homos are entitled to human rights. The country's MPs are getting set to debate a law that would impose the death penalty on people who engage in gay sex more than once.
*
"Human rights are not sacrosanct," Odonga said. "Private parts do not belong in the anus. We will not accept this kind of deviant behaviour in our society." Another MP, Christopher Kibanzanga, angrily spoke out against the "vice" of homosexuality. He asked, "Who are bisexuals? What do they do? Has it just been imported into Africa?"
*
Mutua, the chair of Kenya's Human Rights Commission, tore into the MPs as if he was a judge passing sentence onto criminals. "It's important that we all try to expose ourselves to knowledge, to keep on growing," Mutua said. "People who express extremist views are, in my view, always the ones who have read the least."
*
The Harvard-educated lawyer went on to liken the MPs' arguments against human rights to comments made by slave owners in the American Civil War. "The kind of speech you made against gay people was the kind of speech that white segregationists were making all over America. Those arguments are classic. They have been reproduced in every era by every segment of society. You didn't invent them."
*
Mutua went on to say he believes that countries like Canada would be justified in holding back on foreign aid if MPs pass the anti-gay bill. "There are consequences to being a member of the international community," he said.
*
As I have stated before, in my view, far right and fundamentalist Christianity requires ignorance and bigotry to thrive. Hence why the Catholic Church and other anti-gay denominations are expanding in Africa while wither in the educated areas of the world.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Elaine Donnelly's Anti-Gay Blather
Click image to enlarge.I mentioned yesterday how Elaine Donnelly and other freepers at the CPAC coven meeting were getting their panties in a wad over proposals to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell - a clear example of religious based discrimination being codified into law. The chart set out above gives a flow chart of Ms. Donnelly's lunatic premises on what a repeal of DADT would mean. Sadly, she cannot grasp that not everyone is obsessed with gay sex as she is. Moreover, why is she so convinced that a gay service member is going to waste his/her time hitting on a disinterested straight person? Ms. Donnelly needs to get some serious therapy NOW.
More Real Estate Distress Looms
While the residential real estate market continues to languish and there is little activity outside of lower priced first time buyer homes, a new disaster is in the offing: the collapse of the commercial real estate market. This next round of economic pain arises from a combination of overbuilding in some areas and the failure of banks to make loans even to credit worthy borrowers. As I have been arguing for over two years, unless and until real estate recovers, there will be no overall recovery of the economy. And a key to a recover is that the banks who have been bailed out, dolled out bonuses for themselves, and ceased lending start making loans again. Businesses cannot expand or take on new facilities when they are forced to operate solely out of cash flow and cannot secure financing for capital improvements - something I've had to do for years now. Otherwise, the downward spiral of values and foreclosures will continue. The Washington Post has a story that looks at this coming disaster. Here are some highlights:*
A mortgage crisis like the one that has devastated homeowners is enveloping the nation's office and retail buildings, and few places are likely to be hit as hard as Washington. The foreclosure wave is likely to swamp many smaller community banks across the country, and many well-known properties, including Washington's Mayflower Hotel and the Boulevard at the Capital Centre in Largo, are at risk, industry analysts say.
*
The new round of financial pain, which some had anticipated but hoped to avoid, now seems all but certain. "There's been an enormous bubble in commercial real estate, and it has to come down," said Elizabeth Warren, chairman of the Congressional Oversight Panel, the watchdog created by Congress to monitor the financial bailout. "There will be significant bankruptcies among developers and significant failures among community banks."
*
Unlike the largest banks, such as Citigroup and Wachovia, that got into so much trouble early on, the community banks in general fared better in the residential mortgage crisis. But their turn is coming: Not only did community banks issue a higher proportion of commercial loans, but they also have held on to them rather than sell them to other investors.
A mortgage crisis like the one that has devastated homeowners is enveloping the nation's office and retail buildings, and few places are likely to be hit as hard as Washington. The foreclosure wave is likely to swamp many smaller community banks across the country, and many well-known properties, including Washington's Mayflower Hotel and the Boulevard at the Capital Centre in Largo, are at risk, industry analysts say.
*
The new round of financial pain, which some had anticipated but hoped to avoid, now seems all but certain. "There's been an enormous bubble in commercial real estate, and it has to come down," said Elizabeth Warren, chairman of the Congressional Oversight Panel, the watchdog created by Congress to monitor the financial bailout. "There will be significant bankruptcies among developers and significant failures among community banks."
*
Unlike the largest banks, such as Citigroup and Wachovia, that got into so much trouble early on, the community banks in general fared better in the residential mortgage crisis. But their turn is coming: Not only did community banks issue a higher proportion of commercial loans, but they also have held on to them rather than sell them to other investors.
*
Nearly 3,000 community banks -- 40 percent of the banking system -- have a high proportion of commercial real estate loans relative to their capital, said Warren, whose committee issued a report on commercial real estate last week. "Every dollar they lose in commercial real estate is a dollar they can't use for small businesses," she said.
*
The threat is especially acute in the District, the firm said, where the catalogue of troubled commercial real estate properties has grown tenfold since April. Moreover, the region has $7.3 billion in commercial properties that are underwater -- worth less than the mortgages on them -- according to CoStar.
*
Nationwide, at least $1.4 trillion in commercial real estate debt is expected to roll over during the next three years. Warren said that half of commercial real estate mortgages will be underwater by the beginning of 2011. A fifth of residential mortgages are underwater now, she said.
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Things do not bode well and meanwhile we have a Congress that cannot get anything done. The GOP obstructs everything and the Democrats lack the spine to act. It's not a cheerful picture.
Nearly 3,000 community banks -- 40 percent of the banking system -- have a high proportion of commercial real estate loans relative to their capital, said Warren, whose committee issued a report on commercial real estate last week. "Every dollar they lose in commercial real estate is a dollar they can't use for small businesses," she said.
*
The threat is especially acute in the District, the firm said, where the catalogue of troubled commercial real estate properties has grown tenfold since April. Moreover, the region has $7.3 billion in commercial properties that are underwater -- worth less than the mortgages on them -- according to CoStar.
*
Nationwide, at least $1.4 trillion in commercial real estate debt is expected to roll over during the next three years. Warren said that half of commercial real estate mortgages will be underwater by the beginning of 2011. A fifth of residential mortgages are underwater now, she said.
*
Things do not bode well and meanwhile we have a Congress that cannot get anything done. The GOP obstructs everything and the Democrats lack the spine to act. It's not a cheerful picture.
Bob McDonnell's Message: Virginia is Not Open for Business - UPDATE
On Wednesday I wrote about GOP Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's removal of supposed employment non-discrimination protections for gay state employees and the negative message that has been sent to citizens and businesses about the climate in Virginia. McDonnell deludes himself if he believes his actions are not being watched literally worldwide. Using one of my Google search agents the last two days alone have revealed a plethora of news stories from around the globe on McDonnell's bigotry. McDonnell may be winning points with the Christianists at The Family Foundation, but he has made a mockery of Thomas Jefferson's Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. That statute , while still a part of the Code of Virginia, is ignored time and time again by religious zealots in this state who feel that freedom of religion means that they get to impose their beliefs on all citizens.*
McDonnell claims that he wants to be a jobs governor, but the message he has sent is that unless you are white, conservative Christian, and straight, Virginia is NOT the place for you or your business.
Evan Lysacek Seizes the Gold for U.S.A.
Evan Lysacek delivered an amazing long program in the men's figure skating long program finals last night and ended a 22 year drought in gold medals in the men's sport for the USA. Also skating beautifully was Johnny Weir, who in my opinion and some of the commentators (including former gold medalist Scott Hamilton) was underscored by the always less than objective figure skating judges. Homophobes deride figure skating and act like it's a sissy sport, yet it takes far more skill and athletic talent than say being a football tackle where one need not have mental abilities much above that of a draft animal. I am very happy for Lysacek and hope Weir is happy with his performance which was more mistake free than some who fell yet placed above him. I hope that Lysacek and Weir inspire others boys and men who love skating to ignore the homophobes and follow their dreams Here are highlights from the Los Angeles Times:*
Evan Lysacek's coach, Frank Carroll, had one major hope for his skater going into Thursday's Olympic free skate final. "I want him to grab this opportunity and make it something special," Carroll said, "because so few skaters have this chance."
Evan Lysacek's coach, Frank Carroll, had one major hope for his skater going into Thursday's Olympic free skate final. "I want him to grab this opportunity and make it something special," Carroll said, "because so few skaters have this chance."
*
Lysacek did all that and more at the Pacific Coliseum. Shaking off the suffocating pressure of the moment -- which actually lasted four minutes, 30 seconds -- Lysacek delivered a brilliant, career-best performance to become the first U.S. man to win the Olympic skating gold medal since Brian Boitano in 1988.
*
"I can't even put into words right now how I'm feeling," said Lysacek, the 24-year-old from the Chicago suburb of Naperville, who lives and trains in Los Angeles. "This is the greatest night of my life." . . . Johnny Weir of the United States was sixth (238.87), with teammate Jeremy Abbott ninth at 218.96.
*
The Olympics are so inspiring. From watching the skating events, both my daughters are going to start skating again, although not at a competitive level. As a parent, it's a proud moment to see your child win an event, so I can hardly imaging who Lysacek's family is feeling right now.
Lysacek did all that and more at the Pacific Coliseum. Shaking off the suffocating pressure of the moment -- which actually lasted four minutes, 30 seconds -- Lysacek delivered a brilliant, career-best performance to become the first U.S. man to win the Olympic skating gold medal since Brian Boitano in 1988.
*
"I can't even put into words right now how I'm feeling," said Lysacek, the 24-year-old from the Chicago suburb of Naperville, who lives and trains in Los Angeles. "This is the greatest night of my life." . . . Johnny Weir of the United States was sixth (238.87), with teammate Jeremy Abbott ninth at 218.96.
*
The Olympics are so inspiring. From watching the skating events, both my daughters are going to start skating again, although not at a competitive level. As a parent, it's a proud moment to see your child win an event, so I can hardly imaging who Lysacek's family is feeling right now.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wingnuts at CPAC Hold Press Conference Supporting DADT
It was only a matter of time before self-anointed wingnut priestess Elaine Donnelly showed her delusional face in the wake of recent Congressional hearings on the possible repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. Donnelly apparently lives to keep LGBT citizens subject to legal discrimination by their own government and breaks out into near orgasms at the thought of gay or lesbian service members showering with their straight counterparts. Frankly, Donnelly's obsession on the issue - she even stated that Emperor Palpatine Cheney's statement in support of ending DADT was wrong - makes me wonder what psychological issues she's unsuccessfully dealing with. I think that perhaps she secretly lusts for some hot same sex action and as a result of her religious based sense of guilt transfers her own resulting self-hatred to normal gays and lesbians who are not afflicted with the sad results of religious brainwashing. Perhaps some in depth therapy and heavy drugs would do Ms. Donnelly some good. *
According to HRC, Donnelly will be joined at the CPAC wingnut conclave were other dedicated professional homophobes such as Tom Minnery, Vice President, Public Policy, Focus on the Family, Tony Perkins, President, Family Research Council, David Keene of the American Service Union, Penny Nance of the Concerned Women for America. CPAC also promises more hate spouting from also promise leaders from the Eagle Forum, Let Freedom Ring, the American Family Association and the Traditional Values Coalition. Here are some highlights from News Channel 8:
*
Hundreds of thousands of conservatives poured into Washington this week for CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference. With the Obama administration trying to overturn don't ask, don't tell this year, there's been a lot of talk about the policy's future.
*
"I respect Mr. Cheney for many reasons, but I'm not aware that he is aware of the full range of consequences that the repeal of this law would have on our military," said Elaine Donnelly of the Center for Military Readiness. When it comes to the policy, many conservatives agree to disagree not just with Cheney, but also the top Pentagon brass, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen. "And our message is not so fast," added Donnelly. "There needs to be a lot of questions asked before we pass an LGBT law for the military."
*
Donnelly disagrees with Cheney even though she has ZERO military experience herself.
*
Hundreds of thousands of conservatives poured into Washington this week for CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference. With the Obama administration trying to overturn don't ask, don't tell this year, there's been a lot of talk about the policy's future.
*
"I respect Mr. Cheney for many reasons, but I'm not aware that he is aware of the full range of consequences that the repeal of this law would have on our military," said Elaine Donnelly of the Center for Military Readiness. When it comes to the policy, many conservatives agree to disagree not just with Cheney, but also the top Pentagon brass, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen. "And our message is not so fast," added Donnelly. "There needs to be a lot of questions asked before we pass an LGBT law for the military."
*
Donnelly disagrees with Cheney even though she has ZERO military experience herself.
Obama Again Throws Gays Under the Bus on Same-Sex Marriage
The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that Barack Obama has thrown LGBT Americans under the bus in terms of marriage equality. Like members of the Christianist hate machine, Obama apparently cannot separate his religious beliefs from the civil laws. Using Obama's extremely flawed reasoning, those who believe the Bible authorizes slavery have every right to push for the re-enslavement of blacks. It boils down to the same thing in essence: religion trumping civil law equality. Hence, Obama is no better than these these racists - at least if personal religious beliefs are allowed to trump the civil laws. I suspect we now know for certain why LGBT positive legislation is languishing under the Obama administration and why Obama likes to fraternize with anti-gay bigots like Rick Warren. Here are highlights from the Chronicle:*
President Obama says he opposes same-sex marriage for religious reasons. Fourteen years ago, however, while a churchgoing Christian and a state legislative candidate, he endorsed the right of gays and lesbians to marry. Sponsors of Proposition 8, California's ban on same-sex marriage, cited Obama's current position in their 2008 campaign and have quoted him in their defense of the measure during a federal court trial in San Francisco.
*
What has received much less attention is Obama's reversal of the position he once held backing same-sex marriage - the position still held by the church he attended for most of his adult life. Obama's reference to his religious convictions about marriage also contrasts with the position of the denomination with which he has been most closely associated, the United Church of Christ.
*
In 2005, the United Church of Christ's governing General Synod passed a resolution endorsing "equal marriage rights for couples regardless of gender." The church, with 1.1 million members, is the largest U.S. denomination to support same-sex marriage.
*
At the federal court trial of a lawsuit challenging Prop. 8, lawyers for the measure's sponsors have cited Obama's opposition to same-sex marriage as evidence that people who favor a traditional view of marriage are not necessarily prejudiced against gays and lesbians.
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Legally, the distinction is crucial - if Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, who is hearing the case without a jury, decides that discrimination was the main motivation behind Prop. 8, he could overturn the measure without having to decide whether gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry.
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Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, dismissed the president's shifting stance as "pure politics." "When he was running for office in Chicago and wanted strong support from the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community, he made it clear he supported full equality," Kors said. "Since he has continued to seek higher office, he has changed his position for the worse. "It's especially appalling that he is citing his religious beliefs as grounds for his public government position on the civil marriage issue because he knows better," Kors said.
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Personally, I will know better than to trust Obama in the future. I find it most galling that my CIVIL legal rights are subjected to the religious beliefs of others who make a mockery of the United States Constitution. Once again, I have to wonder whether or not a world without religion might not be a better place.
What's Wrong With American Coservatives?
On many occasions I have noted how the USA is lagging behind other nations - even some once considered to be parts of the developing world - when it comes to freedom and equality for all citizens. Worse yet, in the context of viewing citizens as an asset and providing across the board minimum health care the USA lags far behind many countries. It is a continuing disgrace and makes a mockery of the lofty principles set forth in the nation's founding documents. Andrew Sullivan has an interesting take on how dramatically American conservatives are falling behind their counterparts in the United Kingdom. Indeed, many British conservatives appear to be flaming liberals compared to their U.S. counterparts. In my opinion, the increasingly reactionary trend among American conservatives is frightening, particularly the worship of ignorance [think Sarah Palin] and devolution of control of the GOP to the lunatic fringe and Christianists. Here are some highlights from Andrew's point on analysis: *
I just learned a pretty staggering fact. If the Tories win the next election in Britain by just a one vote majority, there will likely be 15 openly gay Conservative MPs in the next Parliament. . . . In the US, there are no openly gay Republican representatives or Senators - fewer than in the past. The closet cases, like Larry Craig, are just sad shells of human beings, or being hounded out by homophobic primary campaigns, like Charlie Crist. Heck, the British Tories are far ahead of gay inclusion than the American Democrats - and support military service and full legal equality in relationships. And they sure have more courage in making the case.
*
Remind me why I moved to the land of the free? To lose freedoms? To watch conservatism calcify into anti-gay bigotry as one of its binding principles? To see a newly elected and allegedly moderate governor of Virginia actually rescind previous protections for gay people employed by state government - so that the gay people who work for their own government must live in constant fear of being fired solely for being gay? The GOP is going backward so fast it's giving this Tory whiplash.
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British Tories believe that including gay people in the British Conservative Party, supporting their commitments to one another, and celebrating their service to their country in the military are essentially conservative ideas and are integral to the Tory plans to win the coming British election.
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As I have said before, once the boyfriend's parents and my mother are no longer living, we are likely to leave Virginia for a more gay friendly locale. Increasingly, I wonder whether or not such a move will also include leaving the USA.
I just learned a pretty staggering fact. If the Tories win the next election in Britain by just a one vote majority, there will likely be 15 openly gay Conservative MPs in the next Parliament. . . . In the US, there are no openly gay Republican representatives or Senators - fewer than in the past. The closet cases, like Larry Craig, are just sad shells of human beings, or being hounded out by homophobic primary campaigns, like Charlie Crist. Heck, the British Tories are far ahead of gay inclusion than the American Democrats - and support military service and full legal equality in relationships. And they sure have more courage in making the case.
*
Remind me why I moved to the land of the free? To lose freedoms? To watch conservatism calcify into anti-gay bigotry as one of its binding principles? To see a newly elected and allegedly moderate governor of Virginia actually rescind previous protections for gay people employed by state government - so that the gay people who work for their own government must live in constant fear of being fired solely for being gay? The GOP is going backward so fast it's giving this Tory whiplash.
*
British Tories believe that including gay people in the British Conservative Party, supporting their commitments to one another, and celebrating their service to their country in the military are essentially conservative ideas and are integral to the Tory plans to win the coming British election.
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As I have said before, once the boyfriend's parents and my mother are no longer living, we are likely to leave Virginia for a more gay friendly locale. Increasingly, I wonder whether or not such a move will also include leaving the USA.
Bob McDonnell's Vicious Budget Priorities
Some say that Bob McDonnell is a rising star of the GOP. If so, people need to take a close look at his proposed budget cuts which demonstrate a low priority towards everyday citizens, particularly the poor and those at the bottom of the economic food chain. The budget cuts are very much in keeping with the mindset of The Family Foundation and other far right elements in the Republican Party of Virginia that all too often seem to believe that one is down trodden, it is because one deserves such misfortune. Indeed, these self-congratulatory Christianists seem to take a decidedly un-Christian view of others be they black, gay, Hispanic, or non-Christian. It may be a very long four years under McDonnell's administration. The Virginian Pilot has details of McDonnell's proposed cuts and the reaction from those who work with society's down trodden elements. There seems to be little compassionate conservatism. Moreover, while McDonnell claims to want to create jobs and attract business, he utterly ignores what social atmosphere attracts the "creative class." Here are highlights:*
After reviewing his [McDonnell's] proposal to pare $2.2 billion from the budget, some human-service advocates question the governor's intentions. McDonnell's suggestions show "an absolute disregard in investments for our future, while... his spending demonstrates an appetite for more corporate takeover in Richmond," said Doug Smith, executive director of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy.
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Smith takes exception to cuts McDonnell recommended for school meals, homeless people, juvenile crime prevention, and a state insurance program for low-income children and pregnant women. By proposing those cuts while asking the legislature to approve tens of millions in funding to attract business to Virginia with incentives and tax credits, "Bob McDonnell is choosing business over people in this budget," Smith argued.
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Trish O'Brien, executive director of a human services organization called CHIP/Healthy Families in Chesapeake, said that if legislators approve the proposed cuts, she will lose half of her staff members, who check on 3,000 children in at-risk families throughout Chesapeake.
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Some programs that would be slashed or eliminated would save relatively little money. For example, a teen pregnancy prevention program in Norfolk, Portsmouth, and five other areas would be ended to save $900,000.
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State Sen. Janet Howell, D-Fairfax County, said McDonnell's proposed reductions slice "the heart and soul" out of state government. Particularly upsetting to state Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, is the possible cut to a school meals program. "To even put school lunches on the table has got to be the most insensitive thought of the session, because that school lunch is the only decent meal some of these kids are going to get in a day's time," Lucas said.
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The cuts to social services, mental health services and health insurance programs would fray the safety net of a growing number of Hampton Roads residents, according to Betty Wade Coyle, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Hampton Roads. "It's scaling back direct services to children and to the most vulnerable citizens in the community."
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Maureen Hollowell, who advocates for disabled people through the Norfolk-based Endependence Center, said 6,000 disabled and elderly people who receive services through a "consumer directed" program that allows them to hire their own personal care assistants would lose their funding under the governor's proposals.
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Many of us tried to warn that Bob McDonnell is no moderate, but few would listen. I hope voters take a good look at the GOP's priorities when it comes to viewing citizens as basically disposable goods. WWJD??
After reviewing his [McDonnell's] proposal to pare $2.2 billion from the budget, some human-service advocates question the governor's intentions. McDonnell's suggestions show "an absolute disregard in investments for our future, while... his spending demonstrates an appetite for more corporate takeover in Richmond," said Doug Smith, executive director of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy.
*
Smith takes exception to cuts McDonnell recommended for school meals, homeless people, juvenile crime prevention, and a state insurance program for low-income children and pregnant women. By proposing those cuts while asking the legislature to approve tens of millions in funding to attract business to Virginia with incentives and tax credits, "Bob McDonnell is choosing business over people in this budget," Smith argued.
*
Trish O'Brien, executive director of a human services organization called CHIP/Healthy Families in Chesapeake, said that if legislators approve the proposed cuts, she will lose half of her staff members, who check on 3,000 children in at-risk families throughout Chesapeake.
*
Some programs that would be slashed or eliminated would save relatively little money. For example, a teen pregnancy prevention program in Norfolk, Portsmouth, and five other areas would be ended to save $900,000.
*
State Sen. Janet Howell, D-Fairfax County, said McDonnell's proposed reductions slice "the heart and soul" out of state government. Particularly upsetting to state Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, is the possible cut to a school meals program. "To even put school lunches on the table has got to be the most insensitive thought of the session, because that school lunch is the only decent meal some of these kids are going to get in a day's time," Lucas said.
*
The cuts to social services, mental health services and health insurance programs would fray the safety net of a growing number of Hampton Roads residents, according to Betty Wade Coyle, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Hampton Roads. "It's scaling back direct services to children and to the most vulnerable citizens in the community."
*
Maureen Hollowell, who advocates for disabled people through the Norfolk-based Endependence Center, said 6,000 disabled and elderly people who receive services through a "consumer directed" program that allows them to hire their own personal care assistants would lose their funding under the governor's proposals.
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Many of us tried to warn that Bob McDonnell is no moderate, but few would listen. I hope voters take a good look at the GOP's priorities when it comes to viewing citizens as basically disposable goods. WWJD??
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Is Repeal of DADT in Peril Due to a Leadership Vacuum at the Top?
The consequences of the continued leadership void in Washington, D.C., seem to be becoming increasingly dangerous for pro-LGBT initiatives, including the much needed repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. An abomination given to LGBT Americans by a weak willed Bill Clinton. Since taking office, President Obama has refused to take a leadership role in legislating the change that he promised throughout his campaign. Health care reform efforts have been disastrous. Now DADT is feared to be another casualty of the leaderless and spineless national Democrats. Nathaniel Frank of the Palm Center has a very direct piece at Huffington Post that looks at DADT and throws responsibility directly at Obama's feet. Interestingly enough, a new CNN poll indicates that a majority of voters do not believe that Obama deserves a second term based on his performance to date. Yes, things can change between now and 2012, but bad impressions can sometimes be difficult to reverse. Moreover, I believe Obama won election because voters hungered for an inspiring LEADER who could motivate AND DELIVER on promised changes. Sadly, we have seen a leadership vacuum. Here are highlights from Frank's alarming piece at Huffington Post:*
[D]espite the military's move to relax and soon do away with "don't ask, don't tell," repeal in Congress is in grave peril. This is so even though the much-vaunted supermajority in the senate is not necessary to repeal the current policy. As Sen. Carl Levin, the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee explained to his colleague, Sen. Joe Lieberman, an amendment to repeal the policy can be added to the must-pass Defense Authorization bill, which would turn the tables on the "no-to-everything" Republicans: the amendment would require a supermajority not to pass, but to remove, meaning that in order to keep the ban in place, the GOP would have to block the entire Pentagon spending bill, publicly undercutting the military.
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[A]s Servicemembers United has outlined in a memo, legislation for repeal does not have to wait for the study results because the issue at hand is not whether, but how, to end the ban. Legislative repeal could accommodate the Pentagon's requested timeline for further study, while locking the fact of repeal into place by the end of 2011.
So what's the hold up? President Obama has said he will work with Congress "this year" to lift the ban. (Sen. Levin could put repeal into the Chairman's mark, but it's not clear he has the incentive to do so.) But Obama has also said he'd like Congress to take the lead. Sound familiar? In an interview in 2009, Obama finally acknowledged that this very same tactic with healthcare was a mistake: . . . Sure enough, despite momentum toward repeal of the gay ban, the airwaves are beginning to fill with balderdash about openly gay service leading to a draft and, horror of horrors, government endorsement of tattoos.
So why on earth would the President take the same failed tack with reforming the gay ban? Why not put real teeth into his promise by telling the Pentagon to put repeal in the Authorization bill? Probably because this champion of a "new day" in politics continues to suffer from the Democrats' longtime aversion to taking the lead on gay rights, out of fear that culture warriors will exploit their position--never mind that Democrats lose more power by appearing bereft of principles and deliverables than by appearing to support equal treatment.
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It's also not helping that the gay community has too often given the President a pass on leading on this issue. Yes, Congress has to pass repeal to get this law off the books, but that process should begin with Obama telling the Pentagon to put repeal in the Authorization bill. And for that to happen, gay groups will need to let the White House know that the status quo is not acceptable. Bloggers this week called for the President to take the lead, but also focused their attention on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the most powerful gay rights group in the world, which has been accused of championing repeal publicly, while privately assuring the White House that it can continue to go slow.
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If President Obama is serious about lifting the ban in his first term, he should put repeal into the 2011 Defense Authorization bill. If the military brass can call for an end to the ban, and if Republicans Dick Cheney and Colin Powell can join them in supporting this step, surely Democrats and gay groups should be on the frontlines of pressing for real action.
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As readers know, I have given Obama few passes since he signaled that he was throwing LGBT Americans under the bus as far back as the Inauguration when Obama insulted LGBT Americans by having fat tub of lard, Christo-fascist Rick Warren give the invocation. But as mentioned above, I am not the only one fed up with Obama's refusal to provide the strong leadership he said he'd provide throughout the 2008 campaign. Here are highlights on the CNN poll that shows most Americans currently would not vote to return Obama to the White House:
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Do you think Barack Obama deserves to be re-elected, or not? If you're like most Americans, your answer is "No," according to a poll released on Tuesday by CNN. The perception was even worse for members of Congress nationwide -- but respondents still indicated they were likely to re-elect their current Representative. With identical numbers for all Americans as well as for just registered voters, 52 percent said the President does not deserve to be re-elected
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Whether or not respondents felt they deserved re-election, if forced to vote for a Congressional candidate today, 47 percent would pick the Republican candidate while only 45 percent would pick the Democrat. That portion of the survey had a margin of error of 3 percent.
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Obama and the Congressional Democrats were given a perhaps once in a life time opportunity to deliver on what voters wanted. They failed to deliver and the Democrats may well suffer a well deserved bloodbath in November. When is Obama going to wake the Hell up??
Misplaced Catholic Church Priorities
Victims of clerical sex abuse last night accused the Pope of “washing his hands” of the scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church in Ireland. Abuse survivors condemned the Pope Benedict XVI for not acknowledging that senior clergy covered up decades of sickening abuse.
*They said the Pontiff's unprecedented two-day summit with the 24 Irish bishops in the Vatican in Rome was “a charade” that had achieved nothing. . . . in a Vatican statement, the Pope specifically failed to acknowledge the cover-up or formally apologise for the abuse — leading to widespread condemnation from victims last night.
*The Pope also failed to sack under-fire Bishop of Galway Martin Drennan — or even formally accept the resignations of other bishops, who were criticised in the Murphy Report for their mishandling of cases of sexual abuse. The Pontiff also ignored the failure of the Papal Nuncio to co-operate with the Murphy Commission's investigation into abuse in Dublin.
*Maeve Lewis, of support group One in Four, hit back and said the Pope's response was inadequate. “It is deeply insulting to survivors to suggest they were abused due to failures of faith, rather than because sex offending priests were moved from parish to parish, and those in authority looked away while further children were sexually abused,” she said.
*Even as the Vatican found itself unable/unwilling to take justified punitive action against clerics guilty of criminal offenses or at a minimum acting as accessories to crimes, elsewhere the Catholic Church continued its anti-gay jihad and in the case of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., threw children under the bus rather than comply with the District's soon to be effective gay marriage laws. At the Vatican, Cardinal Carlo Caffarra of Bologna made the statement that public officials who recognize the separation of Church and state and openly support same-sex marriage cannot consider themselves to be Catholic. Indeed, the good cardinal said that such officials needed to be excommunicated. Here are highlights from the Boston Pilot, a leading Catholic newspaper:
*It's impossible for the Catholic faith and support for putting homosexual unions on equal footing with marriage to coexist in one's conscience -- the two contradict each other," said the note. Even more serious would be the case of a Catholic lawmaker who introduces a measure or votes in favor of a law that supports gay marriage, he said. "This is a publicly and gravely immoral act," he wrote.
*Cardinal Caffarra, who holds a number of positions in the Roman Curia including as a member of the Pontifical Council for the Family, the Pontifical Academy for Life and the Vatican's highest tribunal, known as the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature, wrote that the consequences of same-sex marriage would be "devastating."
*I guess the dear Cardinal doesn't believe being sexually abused wasn't devastating to abuse victims. Thus, the Church's position seems to be that covering up the sexual abuse of thousands of children and youth merits a slap on the wrist, but supporting gay marriage - something supported by legitimate medical and mental health experts - is grounds for excommunication. Something is seriously f*cked up in this analysis. As if anything else was needed to further confirm that the Catholic Church cares literally nothing for the welfare of children, the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., announced that it has ended its 80-year-old foster-care program in the District rather than license same-sex couples to care for children needing a stable and loving home. Here are some highlights from the Washington Post:
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The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has ended its 80-year-old foster-care program in the District rather than license same-sex couples, the first fallout from a bitter debate over the city's move to legalize same-sex marriage.
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The church and some experts said the city's measure has narrower exemptions for religious groups than other same-sex marriage laws across the country, particularly when it comes to requiring benefits for the same-sex partners of employees. City officials knew of no other faith-based groups that said their city contracts were in jeopardy.
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The Catholic Church seems Hell bent on marginalizing itself in the developed world and becoming a third world religion where ignorance and lack of education continue to leave members of the laity unable to see the failings and moral bankruptcy of the Church. Meanwhile, I hope the media will continue to shine the spotlight of day on the dark moral sickness of the Church leadership, including Benedict XVI.
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The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has ended its 80-year-old foster-care program in the District rather than license same-sex couples, the first fallout from a bitter debate over the city's move to legalize same-sex marriage.
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The church and some experts said the city's measure has narrower exemptions for religious groups than other same-sex marriage laws across the country, particularly when it comes to requiring benefits for the same-sex partners of employees. City officials knew of no other faith-based groups that said their city contracts were in jeopardy.
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The Catholic Church seems Hell bent on marginalizing itself in the developed world and becoming a third world religion where ignorance and lack of education continue to leave members of the laity unable to see the failings and moral bankruptcy of the Church. Meanwhile, I hope the media will continue to shine the spotlight of day on the dark moral sickness of the Church leadership, including Benedict XVI.
New Blog Comment Policy
It seems that on a regular basis that those who lack the courage of their own convictions like to post anonymous comments on this blog that either engage in personal attacks against me or seek to use the blog as a platform from which to put out their own opinions. Typically, theses anonymous views disagree with my views and opinions. And all the while the author(s) hide their identity. Therefore, I have taken the step of modifying the comment posting options on this blog. Going forward, to leave a comment, one will need to either have a Google account or utilize Open ID.*
I do not want to appear petulant, but asking that comment authors - especially those who seek to engage in personal attacks and/or threats - identify themselves in order to have a comment published is not asking too much.
Time for President Obama to Show Some Leadership
I and many others have vented frequently about President Obama's ongoing failure to provide leadership and make use of his bloody pulpit as President to push for the change that he promised during his campaign. His ill conceived efforts at bipartisanship with those who hate him and only seek to have him fail drives me to distraction. And don't even get me started on his broken campaign promises to LGBT Americans. Trying to build consensus and play nice make work in the Senate, but it clearly is not working for Obama as president. How many times does he need to be kicked in the teeth before he figures it out? Steven Pearlstein has a column in today's Washington Post that looks at the leadership vacuum that currently exists with Obama. Here are some highlights:*
While we're passing out the blame, however, let's not forget a heaping helping for the public. I can genuflect with the best of them before "the basic decency and wisdom of the American people," but the truth is that on many issues these days, the American people are badly confused. They want Wall Street to be reined in, but they're dead set against more regulation. They want everyone to have access to affordable health insurance, but they're wary of expanding the role of government.
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Viewed in that context, the current political disarray need not be an insurmountable problem for President Obama, but rather could represent a golden opportunity to demonstrate the leadership the country needs and craves. He will not demonstrate that leadership by running around to carefully staged events in which he tells ordinary voters what he thinks they want to hear. Nor will he demonstrate it by redoubling efforts of his PR war room to respond to every attack or piece of Republican disinformation with overwhelming rhetorical force. Rather, the real challenge is whether the president can strengthen the bond of trust between himself and the American people by having the courage to tell the hard truths and make the hard decisions, irrespective of short-term political consequences and the tut-tutting of the commentariat.
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Over the past year, Obama's singular mistake was to think he could rely on the Democratic leadership and a Democratic majority in Congress to deliver on his electoral mandate. Caught in crossfire between the House and Senate, liberals and centrists, Democratic special interests and independent voters, he wound up raising too much doubt about his most fundamental promise -- to change the way business is done in Washington. Worse still, he wound up convincing members of Congress that he needed them more than they needed him.
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It should be obvious now that the president cannot leave it to Congress to sort things out. They can't and they won't, as evidenced most recently by the Senate fiasco involving the so-called jobs bill. For the next several months, he needs to create a sense of urgency and expectation, consulting widely and privately with Republicans and Democrats and interested parties who care more about getting things done than winning the next election. . . . And then he needs to park himself in the President's Room at the Capitol, along with top aides and Cabinet members, and refuse to leave until he has put together working majorities for each proposal -- with the help of legislative leaders if possible, but without them if necessary.
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By July 4, it will be over. He will have either a legislative record that ensures continuation of a working majority in Congress or a legitimate grievance that he can take to the voters in November in search of one. Either way, he'll be in a better place politically than he is now.
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This Presidents' Day week, we celebrate the leadership of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, who confronted far worse division and dissent in their times. The reason we remember them as great presidents is that they threw off the yoke of party loyalty, defied popular opinion and used the full weight of their office to do what had to be done. They understood, or came to understand, an important truth: that only after they had demonstrated that they were willing to lead, and lead boldly, were the people willing to follow and drag Congress along with them.
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Obama, are you listening???
Andrew Sullivan Headlines Equality Virginia Commonwealth Dinner
The boyfriend and I are active supporters of Equality Virginia - Virginia's only statewide LGBT advocacy organization - and I have been on the committee for the Legends Gala held in Tidewater for the last two years, co-chairing the event the year before last. The organization's other big fundraiser is the Commonwealth Dinner held in Richmond which brings LGBT Virginians and straight allies together from across the state. We typically attend - the boyfriend has already bought tickets and friends up the street are hosting a table - and this year should be interesting since the principal guest speaker is columnist and author, Andrew Sullivan. I may not always agree with all of Andrew's views, but he's an amazing thinker and I surely would not want to have to debate him. He has long been a gay marriage supporter and in his book, Virtually Normal, I closely identified with his experience growing up Catholic. I hope readers in Virginia will make an effort to attend the Commonwealth Dinner on May 1, 2010. Tickets can be purchased here. Here are some details on the event from GayRVA:*
Last year, they packed a room at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. On Saturday, May 1, they’re sure to fill up the Marriott this time around. Equality Virginia’s Commonwealth Dinner is one of the most anticipated social events of Richmond. You can check out our post-event coverage last year here.
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This year, writer and political commentator Andrew Sullivan provides the evening’s entertainment. He’s appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher, The Chris Matthews Show, Face the Nation and maintains the popular Atlantic blog, the Daily Dish.
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Leading up to this year’s dinner, EV hosts an opening reception for their second juried art show on April 8 at the Gay Community Center of Richmond. Artwork will be available for auction the night of the dinner.
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Ticket holders also get the chance to take a private tour of the new wing of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on Sunday, May 2 as part of the museum’s grand opening weekend. Tickets are $110 per person through March 1, then go up to $135. Tickets can be purchased here. GayRVA is a media sponsor of this year’s event.
Bob McDonnell's Message: Virginia is Not Open for Business
Virginia's new governor, Bob McDonnell, who claims that he wants to be a jobs governor has obviously never read Richard Florida's books and articles on the "creative class" or the "gay index" which underscore how important tolerance and diversity are to attracting high tech jobs and entrepreneurs who think outside the box. Instead of working for an atmosphere that will attract such benefits to the Commonwealth of Virginia, McDonnell - as well as the GOP controlled House of Delegates - has chosen to send a loud and clear message that Virginia is not open for business if you are some "other" category from the mindset of Virginia's Christo-fascist elements. Bob McDonnell - dubbed "Taliban Bob" a few years back by a local reporter - fails to grasp that people ARE watching and that his anti-gay mindset IS noted all around the USA, not to mention the world. His message to the world? Virginia is closed for business unless you are the right kind of person: white, straight, evangelical Christian, and intolerant of others that differ from oneself. Both America Blog and Queerty are broadcasting McDonnell's closed minded bigotry across the blogosphere. First, highlights from America Blog:*
Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell has signed an executive order barring discrimination in the state workforce on grounds that include race, sex, religion and age, but not sexual orientation. The order, which McDonnell (R) signed Feb. 5, cements federal law, which prohibits discrimination on those grounds. It also follows McDonnell's long-standing position on the issue of legal protections based on sexual orientation.
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The DNC weighs in: “It says a lot about the Republican party that they would anoint as their ‘rising star’ someone who in 2010 is actually stripping away from Americans legal protections against discrimination. Bob McDonnell is proving his critics right. He said he’d focus on creating jobs, not social issues. But, one of his first acts as Governor was to make it easier for a fellow citizen to be denied a job and he did so as an adherent to a right-wing ideology that allows for such discriminatory behavior. McDonnell’s decision is just plain wrong in any context, but especially so in this economic climate.
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Queerty in turn has the following commentary:
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"Gov. McDonnell has signed a new executive order that strips former protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation for employees of the Commonwealth of Virginia, while legislation to protect those employees has died in the state’s legislature.
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To join the European Union, a country MUST provide LGBT non-discrimination protections (as must EU based companies). Thus, Virginia could not qualify for EU membership were it a sovereign nation. Does Taliban Bob really believe that he's making Virginia attractive to progressive and innovative businesses, or is he merely doing The Family Foundation's bidding? It seems the later is McDonnell's true concern.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Blog Swarm: Ask HRC To Demand Obama Work To Repeal DADT This Year
A number of bloggers have launched a "blog swarm" today to pressure the Human Rights Campaign ("HRC") into forcefully pressuring President Obama to take a leadership role in the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. As I have complained numerous times, Obama makes pretty speeches and then punts to Congress and does nothing - the health care reform debacle is but one example. We cannot allow the same thing to happen with DADT and HRC needs to stop ass kissing the President and demand action. Indeed, to date, HRC has provided political cover for Obama's do nothing approach to LGBT issues. Here are details of the blog swarm effort which I fully endorse:OUR MESSAGE TO HRC IS SIMPLE:Publicly demand that President Obama take the lead in getting DADT repealed this year.
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1) That means the President needs to state publicly that he wants Congress to repeal DADT this year; and
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2) The President needs to take the lead in working with Congress to make sure the repeal happens.
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HRC Front Desk: (202) 628-4160
TTY: (202) 216-1572
Toll-Free: (800) 777-4723
HRC Web site comment page.
General membership email at hrc: membership@hrc.org
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As Joe at Joe By God correctly notes, Obama CAN do something if he would but choose to do so (the problem to date is that he has chosen to do nothing):
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Some may say that there is little the President can do, or that this is up to Congress now. That is simply untrue. The President can send a powerful signal that he wants the repeal done this year. He can include the repeal of DADT in the Defense Budget he sends to Congress in the next few months. If the President is serious about keeping his promises to our community, now is his chance to prove it. . . . As we painfully learned last year during health care reform, nothing happens in Congress unless the President leads. And when the President doesn't lead, disaster is guaranteed.
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I urge readers to take action and contact HRC. Among the sponsoring blogs are the following:
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Joe Sudbay and John Aravosis, AMERICAblog
Pam Spaulding, Pam's House Blend
Michelangelo Signorile, Sirius OutQ & the Gist
Markos Moulitsas, DailyKos
Andy Towle, TowleRoad
Joe Jervis, Joe My GodBil Browning, Bilerico
Taylor Marsh, TaylorMarsh.com
Dan Savage, Slog
Inside the Mind of Tea Party Crazies
There is nothing wrong with being skeptical of government power and wanting facts and answers to support government courses of action. It is, however, something else entirely to allow one's self to be swept up in crazy conspiracy theories and/or covens of true believers who see immigrants, blacks gays - indeed, anyone who is different - as a threat that must be defeated. Personally, I find the tea party movement frightening because it seems to embrace any wild unfounded rumor and has a strong racist undertone. Elements within the GOP have helped unleash the tea party crowd, but I worry that its paranoia will lead to violence and other dangerous trends. Any movement that is unfettered from objective reality holds potential for danger. Here are highlights from a New York Times article that looks at the tea party phenomenon:*
The Tea Party movement has become a platform for conservative populist discontent, a force in Republican politics for revival, as it was in the Massachusetts Senate election, or for division. But it is also about the profound private transformation of people like Mrs. Stout, people who not long ago were not especially interested in politics, yet now say they are bracing for tyranny.
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These people are part of a significant undercurrent within the Tea Party movement that has less in common with the Republican Party than with the Patriot movement, a brand of politics historically associated with libertarians, militia groups, anti-immigration advocates and those who argue for the abolition of the Federal Reserve.
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Urged on by conservative commentators, waves of newly minted activists are turning to once-obscure books and Web sites and discovering a set of ideas long dismissed as the preserve of conspiracy theorists, interviews conducted across the country over several months show.
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Loose alliances like Friends for Liberty are popping up in many cities, forming hybrid entities of Tea Parties and groups rooted in the Patriot ethos. These coalitions are not content with simply making the Republican Party more conservative. They have a larger goal — a political reordering that would drastically shrink the federal government and sweep away not just Mr. Obama, but much of the Republican establishment, starting with Senator John McCain.
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In many regions, including here in the inland Northwest, tense struggles have erupted over whether the Republican apparatus will co-opt these new coalitions or vice versa. Tea Party supporters are already singling out Republican candidates who they claim have “aided and abetted” what they call the slide to tyranny.
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The ebbs and flows of the Tea Party ferment are hardly uniform. It is an amorphous, factionalized uprising with no clear leadership and no centralized structure. Not everyone flocking to the Tea Party movement is worried about dictatorship. Some have a basic aversion to big government, or Mr. Obama, or progressives in general.
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They are frequently led by political neophytes who prize independence and tell strikingly similar stories of having been awakened by the recession. Their families upended by lost jobs, foreclosed homes and depleted retirement funds, they said they wanted to know why it happened and whom to blame. That is often the point when Tea Party supporters say they began listening to Glenn Beck. . . . Many describe emerging from their research as if reborn to a new reality. Some have gone so far as to stock up on ammunition, gold and survival food in anticipation of the worst.
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It is a sprawling rebellion, but running through it is a narrative of impending tyranny. This narrative permeates Tea Party Web sites, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds and YouTube videos. It is a prominent theme of their favored media outlets and commentators, and it connects the disparate issues that preoccupy many Tea Party supporters — from the concern that the community organization Acorn is stealing elections to the belief that Mr. Obama is trying to control the Internet and restrict gun ownership.
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WorldNetDaily.com trumpets “exclusives” reporting that the Army is seeking “Internment/Resettlement” specialists. On ResistNet.com, bloggers warn that Mr. Obama is trying to convert Interpol, the international police organization, into his personal police force. They call on “fellow Patriots” to “grab their guns.”
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The article goes on for a number of pages. The bottom line is that many of these people are living in an alternate reality and that those who have whipped them into a frenzy have been irresponsible to say the least.
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