Is There a Link Between Homosexuality and Catholic Church Sex Abuse?

The enemies of gay rights both in the Catholic Church hierarchy and Sycophant organizations like the Catholic League - not to mention our enemies in the "family values organizations - have tried to repeatedly blame the Catholic Church's massive sex abuse scandal on gays in the priesthood. Too often, the media does not challenge them on this lie. Now CNN has a story by Dr. James Cantor, a professor at the Universit y of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, who has been conducting research on the causes of pedophilia for the past 10 years. His answer is a resounding NO, THERE IS NO LINK. Not that legitimate medical and mental health facts make a difference to those who seek to wrongfully denigrate gays at every opportunity. While Cantor likewise says there is no direct connection between celibacy and pedophilia, the Church environment does seem to attrack a disproportionate number of men who have psycho-sexual issues. Here are some highlights:
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Scientists use the word pedophilia to refer to the sexual preference for children before puberty (usually, before age 11), and the word hebephilia, to refer to the sexual preference for children at puberty (usually, ages 11 to 14).
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Although there have been claims that child molestation is a result of homosexuality (or of celibacy), there is absolutely no basis in science for either conclusion. The scientific evidence instead suggests that pedophilia and hebephilia are caused by atypical brain development occurring near or before birth.*
MRI research has found very large differences in brain structure between men who have a sexual preference for children and those who have a sexual preference for adults. These differences were detected as regions of low density in brain tissue called white matter. White matter is what connects the various parts of the brain, enabling it to function as a whole. The white matter that is affected in pedophilia and hebephilia is the white matter that connects the parts of the brain that respond to sexual images. (Specifically, these regions were the superior occipitofrontal fasciculus and the arcuate fasciculus.)
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There does not exist any evidence that gay men share this feature of decreased white matter. In fact, there is some evidence that gay men have areas of more white matter than straight men, in at least some parts of the brain (called the corpus callosum).
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Also demonstrating that gay men have no more of a sexual interest in children than do straight men are studies that have measured sexual responses directly: There exists a test, called a phallometric test, in which a man is shown images of adults and children, both male and female, while he wears a device on his penis to detect even very small changes in blood volume. . . .
When regular gay men and regular straight men (not offenders) are tested, gay men respond to images of children in exactly the same way that straight men do: very little.
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Although it is reasonable to question why the Catholic priesthood appears to include so many pedophilic or hebephilic men, there is no scientific evidence that homosexuality is the answer, nor that fostering discrimination against gay men could be a solution.

More Saturday Male Beauty

It's Time for LGBT Leaders to Play Hardball

On the drive up to Charlottesville we listened to OutQ Radio and caught a rebroadcast of the Michelangelo Signorile show with the "town hall meeting" of six LGBT activist/leaders in the context of the need to forceably push for the repeal of DADT and the White House's constant games and efforts to manipulate and use LGBT Americans. The show was informative and certainly reinforced some of my views - including the worthlessness and double speak that seems to be the norm at HRC. I increasingly wonder if some of the so-called leaders of the LGBT movement ever want us to achieve full equality under the civil laws given their preference of kissing the asses of politicians and enjoying "access" to power - not that it does the rest of us any good. As usual, Pam Spaulding did a great job speaking on behalf of those of us who are simply fed up with Obama's broken campaign promises and the willingness of some in LGBT leadership positions to throw the rest of us under the bus rather than ruffle any feathers. In states like Virginia, LGBT citizens are virtually unprotected from religious based anti-ga discrimination. Our only hope is for action at the federal level. Action that is not going to take place if our self-styled leaders continue to sit on their hands or simper over politicians at cocktail parties. On her blog today, Pam talks about the growing disconnect between a number of LGBT organizyations and the grass roots of our community. Here are some highlights:
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The grassroots GetEqual actions and the online citizen activism, like it or not, is changing the game in DC -- and the powers that be don't like it one bit. The accidental activists, 15-minute activists, the first-time activists and the online turned offline activists have had it. All are tired of the promises, tired of the lies, tired of the focus on midterms, tired of WH arrogance, and beyond tired of the complacency/incompetence/cowardice and focus on fighting for dollars from the same pool of donors, while leaving the mission behind.
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I don't even know that there's a word to describe the level of fatigue and outrage watching some of our purported community leaders being jerked around, co-opted, demeaned, diluted and diminished by the largest LGBT organization, HRC, that sucks the air and dollars out of the room without conscience, . . . Maybe words don't matter in the rarefied bubble of power politics, I can tell you that that sh*t won't go unchallenged any more.
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Replacing the leadership in our orgs won't matter if the replacement, elected by the same out-of-touch boards is filled with the same level of contempt for the community it serves, putting the almighty dollar, the expense account and lack of actual ability to place themselves in the shoes of the LGBTs without privilege, and without rights.
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Let's go to part of the reason this administration and our orgs are shaken up (I've heard this countless times since I've been in DC over the last two days, people are tired, tired, tired of the bullsh*t). Many tactics have merit, many tactics have a place. The current ones haven't worked so stirring the pot is not an evil.

The New and Improved Look - and It's Waterproof

Since the severe Northeaster storm last November 12th I have mentioned a number of times our ordeal and the flooding of the first floor of our home. Now, at long last the repairs are completed and we have things almost fully back in place. As such I wanted to share a few photos of the new and improved look of the place. What's amazing is that everything from the chair rail down is water proof and cannot absorb water should the place ever flood again. We are please with how it all turned out and look forward to finally being able to have guests over once again.

Charlottesville Weekend

The boyfriend and I - and our dog Bandit - are headed to Charlottesville this morning and posting may be reduced until our return tomorrow night. We are going to visit my mom and also help my sister and her husband on a project. The boyfriend - a/k/a Martha Stewart - is always a plus to have around when doing home renovations. I hope readers have a great weekend. The photo above is of the downtown mall which has interesting shops and restaurants not to mention street vendors.

Saturday Male Beauty

Arizona Governor Signs Hateful Immigration Law

For some time one of the undercurrents of the Republican Party - besides fomenting anti-gay hatred - has been a constant anti-immigrant drumbeat. The GOP is increasingly a party that caters solely to white, heterosexual Christianists that conflate religion with the civil laws. Arizona now gives a preview of what the whites only GOP would like to take nationwide. As I have noted before, the irony is that so many of these GOP adherents wear their Christianity on their sleeve and constantly congratulate themselves on their godliness, yet all the while acting in a hateful and totally un-Christian manner towards the hosts of people they dislike: blacks, Hispanics, gays, non-Christians, etc., etc. As I have written before, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (pictured above) is a religious nutcase and opponent of gay rights and belongs to the Missouri Synod branch of the Lutheran Church which is 180 degrees in the opposite direction from the tolerant - and in my view truly Christian - ELCA. The law's enactment has horrified civil rights groups and will no doubt end up in litigation. Here are some highlights from the Washington Post:
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Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law Friday the most restrictive immigration bill in the country, setting the stage for a showdown with the Obama administration and reigniting a divisive national debate less than seven months before congressional midterm elections.
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Even before it was signed, President Obama criticized the Arizona law, which requires police to question anyone who appears to be in the country illegally. Obama called the effort "misguided" and directed the Justice Department to monitor its implementation, warning that it could violate citizens' civil rights. Immediate legal challenges were expected from outside groups.
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With the stroke of a pen, Brewer unleashed the passions of activists and politicians on both sides of the issue. Hispanics across the country, a key political bloc, promised an energetic push to elect Democrats in November. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), an advocate of immigration reform, issued a statement describing the law as "harsh."
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Under Arizona's new law, to take effect in 90 days, it will be a state crime to be in the country illegally, and legal immigrants will be required to carry paperwork proving their status. Arizona police will generally be required to question anyone they "reasonably suspect" of being undocumented -- a provision that critics argue will lead to widespread racial profiling, but that supporters insist will give authorities the flexibility to enforce existing immigration laws.
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The law could also have diplomatic and economic repercussions. The Mexican Senate voted unanimously to urge Brewer to veto the bill, saying it could lead to persecution and harassment of Hispanics, and the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed great concern and said the measure could harm cross-border relations "for generations."
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E. J. Dionne has a biting op-ed in the Washington Post that is also worth a read. Here is a snippet:
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It is nothing short of astonishing that Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer Friday signed a bill that could make it dangerous just to look Hispanic.
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The need to carry proper ‘papers’ falls squarely on Arizona's Latino population -- including those born and raised in the Grand Canyon State. The bill invites racial profiling and ignores the fact that Latinos are an intrinsic part of Arizona's history and its future. Arizona's senators should know that.

Kentucky Supreme Court: No State Funding for Baptist University

In a decision that I believe was correctly decided, the Kentucky Supreme Court has ruled that an $11 million legislative appropriation to a Southern Baptist Convention affiliated university violated the state's constitution. The university in question, University of the Cumberlands, has a history of discrimination against those not adhering to its religious dogma and had previously expelled a gay student for posting comments about his sexual orientation and dating life on the Internet. As I have argued many times on this blog, if an institution wants to accept public funds, then it must leave aside its religious based discrimination against those of other faiths and other sexual orientations. They simply do not get to have their cake and eat it too. No citizen should be required in help fund an institution that discriminates against them. Perhaps Richard Land and the SBC could take some of monies used to demonize gays and oppose gay rights and fund the pharmacy school. Here are some details from Cincinnati.com:

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The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a Baptist university can't keep $11 million awarded by state lawmakers some four years ago to open a pharmacy school. . . A trial court judge had ruled in 2008 that the appropriation to the private, church-affiliated university violates the state constitution. The university's attorneys appealed directly to the supreme court, skipping the court of appeals, in hopes of expediting a decision.
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Justice Lisabeth Abramson, writing for the majority, said the appropriations violated two sections of the state constitution. "If Kentucky needs to expand the opportunities for pharmacy school education within the commonwealth, the Kentucky General Assembly may most certainly address that pressing public need, but not by appropriating public funds to an educational institution that is religiously affiliated," Abramson wrote.
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Abramson also said the scholarship program "is precisely the type of special privilege and favoritism" that the constitution condemns. Daphne Baird, spokeswoman for the university, said the decision is a death knell for the proposed pharmacy school.

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Franklin County Special Circuit Judge Roger Crittenden had held in the initial ruling that the state appropriation violated a constitutional prohibition against public education money being spent on any "church, sectarian or denominational school."
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The gay-rights group Kentucky Fairness Alliance filed the lawsuit in 2006 after the University of the Cumberlands expelled a gay student for posting comments about his sexual orientation and dating life on the Internet. Attorneys for the organization tried using the expulsion to bolster their arguments in the lawsuit that the school shouldn't receive funding from Kentucky taxpayers.
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American Civil Liberties Union attorney Bill Sharp said Kentucky's constitution contains broader protections against public funding for private, church-affiliated schools than does the U.S. Constitution. Sharp said it appears some state lawmakers want to overlook those protections, which, he said, made the outcome of the lawsuit "extremely important."

Friday Male Beauty

Obama AWOL on ‘Don’t Ask’ Repeal; Call Your Senators

In a follow up to yesterday's post on DADT, Chris Johnson at DC Agenda has a story that looks further at President Obama's insincerity towards LGBT Americans. It is not a pretty picture and it is hard not to believe the worse about Obama's actions. Time and time again we hear verbal assurances and pretty speeches, but when it comes time for leadership or action Obama becomes invisible. He has proven himself in too many ways to be just another slick politician who says what he sees as expedient at a particular moment in time with no apparent intention of truly following through. Chris' article also again identifies moderate Senators who need to hear from their LGBT constituents - one is Jim Webb of Virginia. I encourage readers to contact their Senators and Representatives and make it clear that repeal of DADT and passage of ENDA are non-negotiable and the price required for continued LGBT support. Here is contact information:

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Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) (202) 224-5623
Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) (202) 224-4543
Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) (202) 224-3954
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) (202) 224-6551
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) (202) 224-5274
Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) (202) 224-4024
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In close elections, our votes could well define who wins - do they really want us to stay home this November? Our votes could make the difference potentially for Congressman Glenn Nye's re-election bid. To date, Nye has done nothing for LGBT voters in his District. Here are some story highlights from Chris' story:
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As activists and lobbyists continue to press for repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” some are losing patience with President Obama and moderate Democrats in Congress. Obama was heckled at a fundraiser on Monday and a group of six former LGBT service members chained themselves to the White House fence this week to protest what they view as slow progress in overturning the law.
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Meanwhile, the Human Rights Campaign and other advocates are working to push six key senators to support repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” this year. Moderate senators from six states — Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Virginia and West Virginia — are the targets of HRC’s grassroots campaign. The renewed push to win their support comes as the Senate Armed Services Committee is poised to tackle the issue May 26 when it takes up the Defense authorization bill.
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One such senator waiting for the study results is Jim Webb (D-Va.). Asked by DC Agenda on Tuesday whether he favors repeal, Webb emphasized his support for the review currently underway. “I think what Secretary Gates and Adm. Mullen proposed in terms of the study is very important,” Webb said. “We need to understand that. I support the approach that they’re taking. It’s responsible.”
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Pressed on how he would vote on an amendment during the defense authorization markup, Webb reiterated his support for the working group and replied, “I think we need to honor the process that Secretary Gates and Adm. Mullen have put in motion.”
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“With these swing vote senators, they’re not going to make up their minds until the last minute, and [then only if they] absolutely have to,” he said. “If they’re not forced to take the vote, I don’t think they’re going to take the risk of coming out one way or the other.”
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One factor that would be seen as a tremendous boon — and perhaps even essential — to moving key senators to support repeal is an explicit endorsement from President Obama to attach an end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to the upcoming Defense authorization bill.

Growing Catholic Church Defections in Germany

Despite the Vatican's disingenuous and clumsy damage control efforts, the sex abuse scandal continues to rage across much of Europe and embarrassingly for Papa Ratzi, a growing number of Catholics in Germany appear to be leaving the Church. Meanwhile, a German bishop has submitted his resignation over allegations of physical beatings of children over the years. The Church hierarchy just doesn't grasp the fact that people are past believing the pronouncements of those who have shown themselves to be liars and morally bankrupt. Only dramatic and drastic changes - something not often associated with the Catholic Church - are likely to stem the exodus of disgusted and shocked Church members who have come to realize that they have allowed their lives to be controlled - and often warped - by those deserving of no respect or allegiance. Here are highlights from the New York Times on the ongoing PR disaster in Europe:
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BERLIN — A German bishop accused of beating children decades ago when he was a priest has tendered his resignation to Pope Benedict XVI, the diocese in Augsburg said Thursday, the latest jolt to the Roman Catholic Church in Germany as it grapples with a swirling sexual abuse scandal.
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The accused man, Bishop Walter Mixa, was one of the church’s most prominent and outspoken conservatives in Germany, and he aggressively defended himself for weeks against charges of physically abusing children in a Bavarian orphanage. Accusations have also surfaced of financial irregularities at the orphanage’s foundation.
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Opinion surveys here show that the abuse cases and how they were handled by the church have severely damaged the church’s credibility. Municipalities have reported a rising number of Catholics leaving the church since the scandal began. The Augsburg diocese said Thursday that Bishop Mixa had stepped down to prevent further damage to the church and to make a new start possible.
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The central focus of the church scandal in Germany has been sexual abuse, but corporal punishment in church-run institutions has also attracted public attention. Benedict’s brother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger, apologized in March for slapping children during his tenure as the director of a choir in the Bavarian city of Regensburg, where he worked from 1964 to 1994. In another measure of the scandal’s toll, the Vatican announced Thursday that the pope had accepted the resignation of Bishop James Moriarty of Kildare and Leighlin in Ireland.
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The pope has yet to address the scandal in Germany, which has not reached the same scale as the number of abuse cases in Ireland but has nonetheless damaged the church’s reputation and appears to be sapping the ranks of the faithful.
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The irony is that Benedict XVI wanted to preside over a resurgence of religion in Europe and instead, he is presiding over a self-inflicted suicide of the Catholic Church. Combined with his unpopular reactionary theology, it is a toxic mix.

More Thursday Male Beauty

More Betrayal by Obama on DADT Repeal?

It seems that every time that I begin to feel remotely hopefully that Barack Obama has perhaps not just been cynically using LGBT Americans, yet more information surfaces that makes me feel that I was duped back in the 2008 campaign. It also makes part of me feel like staying home on election day this coming November because Obama and the Congressional Democrats are for the most part - excuse my French - LIARS. Candidly, I will find it hard to go out and vote for Democrats if ENDA is not passed this year. Ditto for a repeal of DADT. While Obama plays games and tries to sucker LGBT citizens for votes and campaign contributions, real lives are being damaged and destroyed by employment discrimination and ended careers under DADT. Kerry Eleveld at The Advocate has a new disquieting story. Here are some highlights:
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As LGBT activists grow more desperate to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” before the midterm elections, a picture is emerging of a divided White House where President Barack Obama’s own words are sometimes odds with the message his administration is sending about repeal.
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Early in the year, multiple sources say some administration officials counseled the president against acting on the military’s gay ban in 2010. Still, Obama included his intention to end the policy in his State of the Union address, saying, “This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law…”
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Yet just days after the January 27 speech, White House officials convened a meeting on February 1 with LGBT advocates in which they said the policy would not be included in the president’s recommendations for this year's Department of Defense authorization bill, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the meeting.
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“It was a definitive shut-down from [Jim] Messina,” said a source, who was present at the meeting and agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity, referring to the White House deputy chief of staff. “He said it would not be going into the president’s Defense authorization budget proposal.” The news was a blow to activists since the Defense funding bill is the best legislative vehicle for including a measure to overturn the policy. “It almost seemed like the bar on the hurdle got raised two or three times higher,” said the source. The White House declined to comment on the meeting.
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“We have 12 to 13 firm votes for repeal,” said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. Lobbyists say they are concentrating their efforts in the committee on Democrats Robert Byrd of West Virginia, Evan Bayh of Indiana, Bill Nelson of Florida, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, and Jim Webb of Virginia along with Republican Scott Brown of Massachusetts. Sarvis said he believes some senators are looking for a game-changer, which could come in the form of repeal language that honors the Pentagon’s working group process while still legislatively locking down an end to the policy in 2010.
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President Obama could boost repeal efforts by stating his desire to see the measure passed this year but, more importantly, by getting personally involved with lobbying senators.
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If Obama doesn't become personally engaged, then it looks like LGBT Americans were played for suckers. If repeal does not happen this year and the GOP gains strength in Congress in the mid-term elections, then things will not bode well for repeal anytime soon. I and others will be watching closely and in my case, how and if I vote will hinge on what Obama and Congressional Democrats deliver BEFORE November, 2010. If they want my vote, they'd best get their asses in gear and deliver. They have already lost my financial support.

Lunatics in State Government - Kool-Aid Drinkers Ascendant in Arizona

Bob McDonnell and Ken Kookinelli must have shipped some of the Kool-Aid they got from Victoria Cobb of The Family Foundation and Pat Robertson to members of the Arizona GOP. Bills that have championed by GOP members of the Arizona legislature sound like something the Cooch would dream up in the midst of a wet dream about birthers and anti-immigrant bigots. A reader in San Diego sent me a link to the lunacy which seeks to force Barack Obama to produce a birth certificate and in a separate bill allow those suspected of being illegal immigrants to be arrested and questioned at will by police. This latter bill takes racial profiling to new levels and the potential for abuse is off the charts. Personally, I see these developments further undescore the racism that is becoming more and more a de facto part of the GOP platform. If you are not white, heterosexual and Christian, you are not welcome in the GOP - or the USA. The Cafferty File at CNN looks at the craziness in Arizona. Here are highlights:
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What is up with Arizona? Within a matter of days, state lawmakers have passed two controversial measures that are sparking a national debate. First - there's the so-called birther bill, which passed the Arizona house. It's meant to clarify the birthplace of a potential president - and would require Pres. Obama to show his birth certificate in order to be on Arizona's ballot if he runs for re-election in 2012. The same would go for any candidate who hopes to be on the state's ballot. This all goes back to the "birther" movement... and those conspiracy theories about the Hawaiian-born Mr. Obama.
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[T]he Arizona Senate passed the immigration bill earlier this week. It would allow police to arrest people who can't prove they're in the country legally. Police in this country traditionally don't stop people for no reason and ask "to see their papers."
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Critics say these two measures taken together are turning Arizona into "the laughingstock of the nation." It's a title that used to belong to Florida. Even a former Bush press secretary is critical... Dana Perino says although stronger enforcement is needed when it comes to illegal immigration, this measure goes too far... and she says the so-called birther measure should be rescinded.

Police Fail to File Report on Lesbian Attacked in Anti-Gay Hate Crime

UPDATE: Shane has information on some new developments here at QueerTwoCents.

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Sadly, Virginia and the USA don't have a monopoly on homophobes in government office or the police force. Alberta, Canada also seems to have its own problem with bigots. I was first tipped off to this story early this morning by Shane at QueerTwoCents, but was not able to write about it until this evening because I had to get out this morning for a CLE seminar. Now, the story has received wider coverage and it illustrates the danger of public officials and public employees being allowed to let their personal beliefs - be they religious based or otherwise - trump the civil rights of other citizens. We here in the USA - at least we in Virginia - think of Canada at time as a nirvana since LGBT citizens have so many more legal rights and protections. Even in progressive countries homophobes and religious based hate have not been eliminated. Here are some highlights from Shane's post:
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Disturbing news out of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada... early Saturday morning, April 17th, Shannon Barry was brutally attacked after she and five friends were harassed by four men hurling homophobic slurs ("dykes" and "faggots") at them.
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Shannon and her friends tried to avoid confrontation with the men but they were pursued. At one point, Shannon fell to the ground which is when her attacker kicked her face so violently that she was knocked unconscious for five minutes. She suffered a crushed left eye socket, broken jaw and facial nerve damage. Shannon underwent surgery to implant two plates in her face. She is still in hospital.
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Fortunately for Shannon, ambulance services arrived immediately after her friends called 911. Police, however, did not arrive until 30 minutes later. A CBC news investigation reveals that the officer on the scene failed to follow standard departmental procedures as incredulously, he did NOT file a crime report, . . . . As of Wednesday April 21st, police have not responded to the CBC's interview requests.
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CBC.com has further details on the crime and the indifferent approach taken by the Edmonton police department. Here are more highlights:
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CBC News has learned the investigating officer did not file a report. He also did not call in the dog team or Air 1, the police helicopter, in an attempt to track the four young men. That is standard procedure for such a serious crime, according to one veteran of the Edmonton force, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He also said department policy requires officers to file reports on the same day, especially in a case involving a serious incident, such as an aggravated assault and potential hate crime.
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With no report filed, police would have nothing to work with if someone called in an anonymous tip to Crimestoppers, the veteran officer said. CBC News asked for interviews with Insp. Terry Rocchio, commander of the division responsible for the area where the attack occurred, and Edmonton police Chief Mike Boyd. Neither had responded Wednesday.
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Barry blames the attack on a mistaken belief that hate against gay people is no longer an issue. "I think in this day and age, we've become complacent and passive about educating the young to accept people's differences," she said, touching her swollen, bruised face. "Everyone's under the assumption that we're past all that, but it's right here. It's happening to people that you know, that I know and love, all the time."

Thursday Male Beauty

Bob McDonnell's Transgender Former Brother-in-Law Speaks Out Against Him

UPDATE: Also helping to get this story out across Virginia is Kevin Clay at GayRVA.com who has some added details. I greatly appreciate the efforts of everyone who is helping keep McDonnell's feet to the fire on LGBT issues.
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I had heard rumors during last year's campaign that Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell had a transgender relative, but was never able to confirm it and, therefore, never wrote about it. Well, yesterday at an Equality Virginia organized protest, McDonnell's former brother-in-law, who is transgendered, was one of several speakers at a rally outside the Capitol pushing for a state law to provide protections for workers based on sexual orientation. According to a source at EV McDonnell and his staff were caught blind sided by Robyn Deane's decision to go public. Obviously, given McDonnell's close hand observation and experience of what LGBT citizens go through - Deane was married to Maureen McDonnell's sister for 17 years - makes his extreme callousness towards gay Virginians all the more reprehensible. Both the Richmond Times Dispatch and the Washington Post are reporting on this development. Here are highlights from the Post story:
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Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's former brother-in-law, who is transgendered, was one of several speakers at a rally outside the Capitol today pushing for a state law to provide protections for workers based on sexual orientation.
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Robyn Deane said she decided to go public today to offer her former brother-in-law help in coming around on his views on gay rights issues. "I believe Bob is in a unique position,'' she said in an interview. "I want to help him." Deane, 55, of Richmond, was married to First Lady Maureen McDonnell's younger sister, Ellen, for 17 years. The couple divorced 1999 and has three children, ages 26, 22 and 19.
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They urged legislators to "Don't Hate/Legislate," asking that lawmakers change write legal protections for gay residents into state code. Some held signs that read "Equality is Good."
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As the Times Dispatch notes, yesterday was apparently the first time Deane publicly mentioned her tie to the state’s first family in a political forum. One has to wonder what McDonnell did to keep Deane out of public view during the campaign last year. Obviously, the wingnuts might not have been too happy about the story.

It's Time for Obama to Stop Talking and Act

Pretty speeches are fine and good, but after over a year of it, Obama - and Congressional Democrats - need to grow some balls and deliver on his campaign promises to LGBT Americans.

Wednesday Male Beauty

Tea Party Group Attacks Senator Lindsey Graham as Closet Gay

Few things are more fun than watching the far right loonies and their GOP enablers getting into a dust up and attacking each other. Now, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)- long rumored to be gay - is getting a thorough basing by wingnuts who are alleging that Graham is not doing their bidding because - gasp - he's gay and being blackmailed. I for one have no love lost for Graham who I view as an disingenuous liar on most occasions and an example of a self-hating closet case. Nonetheless, it is a sign of the lunacy of the tea party set that anyone who does not meet their level of insanity and hate/race driven politics is now subject to personal attacks and smear campaigns. The Washington Monthly reports on the latest Graham bashing (South Carolina newspapers are also talking about Graham). Here are some highlights:
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Over the weekend, an even-crazier-than-usual Tea Party event was held in Greenville, South Carolina, and it was, by one account, "probably the craziest, most violence-strewn Tea Party event so far."
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Put it this way: former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) was the keynote speaker, and he called on Americans to send President Obama "back" to Kenya. He was preceded by a Baptist preacher who said he's prepared to "suit up, get my gun, go to Washington, and do what [the military] trained me to do."
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But it was William Gheen, the head of a right-wing, anti-immigrant effort called Americans for Legal Immigration PAC, whose remarks were especially ugly. Lindsey Graham wasn't on hand for the event, but Gheen addressed the senator directly: "I'm a tolerant person. I don't care about your private life, Lindsey, but as our U.S. Senator I need to figure out why you're trying to sell out your own countrymen, and I need to make sure you being gay isn't it."
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Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC) is officially calling for US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to make his homosexual lifestyle public knowledge in the interest of political integrity and national security...
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"US Senator Lindsey Graham is gay and while many people in South Carolina and Washington DC know that, the general public and Graham's constituents do not," said William Gheen President of ALIPAC. "I personally do not care about Graham's private life, but in this situation his desire to keep this a secret may explain why he is doing a lot of political dirty work for others who have the power to reveal his secrets. Senator Graham needs to come out of the closet inside that log cabin so the public can rest assured he is not being manipulated with his secret."
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No wonder Charlie Crist is thinking of possibly running as independent given the ever increasing craziness of the GOP base.

"Christian" Broadcasting Network Joins Chorus of Anti-Enda Liars

A major draw back of living in the greater Norfolk, Virginia, area is the often toxic influence that flows from Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network ("CBN") - which perhaps might be better named Crazies Broadcasting Network - and Regent University and its law school. With these organizations objective fact and the constitutional rights of other citizens are irrelevant. It's all about the beliefs of the organizations' adherents that trump all else and which constantly interfere with the rights of others be it rational sex education programs in the public schools to employment non-discrimination protections for those other than Bible thumping fundamentalists. Like so many of the Christianist organizations, the folks at CBN seem to deem themselves as being exempt from the Commandment against lying and bearing false witness. The truth becomes whatever they want it to be in their alternate universe. Now CBN has joined in the anti-ENDA effort with other veracity challenged Christianists (e.g., Andrea Lafferty) and is actively disseminating lies in an effort to block the passage of ENDA which would bar religious based discrimination against LGBT Americans in the workplace, yet leave appropriate exemptions for churches and religious organizations as well as "mom and pop" employers with less than 15 employees. Here are samplings from CBN's latest salvo (Note first how sexual orientation is a "behavior" to these folks who reject the conclusions of legitimate medical and mental health experts, and second how gays would get "special" protections):

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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Gay rights advocates often claim that gay Americans are denied employment, fired from their jobs, or otherwise discriminated against just because they are gay. In response, advocacy groups have been pushing for a federal law to protect lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or transgendered individuals from employment discrimination. But some wonder if such a law could endanger the religious freedom Americans have enjoyed since this country was founded.
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"ENDA is in principle a good idea -- that is to say continuing protections for employees against unjustified discrimination," explained Dr. Stanley Carlson-Thies, president of the Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance. "The difficulty here is that the behavior in question is homosexuality."

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Christian retailers are not exempt. That means any Christian business with 15 or more employees would have to comply if the law was passed. Scottie Velvin and her husband have owned The Harvest Company, a Christian bookstore in Chesapeake, Va., for more than 20 years. They're following ENDA closely although they have fewer than 15 workers. They believe ENDA could influence the publishers whose books they buy and possibly future employees. "Long-term we may see some changes," Velvin told CBN News. "I'm not naive enough to think this is the end of it. Bills in the past have been altered and amended and it could very easily happen to this one."
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Also at risk, Christian para-church organizations like the humanitarian group World Vision. It has spent years in court defending its religious status. It may have to again under the religious exemption language found in ENDA.
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Nimocks [of the Alliance Defense Fund] and other conservatives believe ENDA will also impede public schools. The special protections for gay and transgendered teachers will make it extremely difficult for districts that might want to remove them from the classroom.
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Many advocates are wondering what could come next. First, it was hate crimes. Then ENDA -- followed by same-sex marriage? That's already been the pattern in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. "We know this president and the leadership of this Congress have advocated for the repeal of DOMA," Nimocks explained. "So redefining marriage at the federal level could definitely be the next step."
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Bob McDonnell claims that he wants to be a "jobs governor," but with reactionary institutions like Regent University, Liberty University and The Family Foundation holding far too much sway politically and socially in Virginia, why would a progressive business want to relocate here? Those who seek economic progress need to be asking this question. It is far past time that religious based discrimination be removed from all civil laws, both state and federal.

University of Virginia Department of Psychology Seeking Gay Couples for Study

I received an e-mail from Cristina Reitz-Krueger, a Doctoral Student at the University of Virginia (my Alma mater),asking me to do a post on a research project that she is working on. She is seeking engaged LGBT couples who are planning to marry or enter into a committed domestic partnership. To participate in the study, one must be: Between 20-35 years of age and you and your romantic partner must: Live in the United States at least 50% of the time; Not currently be parents; and plan to marry or have a commitment ceremony for the first time within the next 365 days. Here is the text that I was asked to publish:
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Engaged volunteers needed!
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I am looking for volunteers for a study of attitudes towards marriage and parenthood among engaged couples. The study consists of a 25-30 minute online survey. To qualify for the study, you must be 20-35 years old, live in the U.S., and plan to marry or have a commitment ceremony within the next 365 days. You and your romantic partner must not have children, and this must be the first marriage for both of you.
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You can:
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-Help a doctoral candidate;
-Increase the pool of scientific knowledge;
-Support research on marriage and families; and
-Spend some time thinking about your relationship!
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I am working with Dr. Charlotte J. Patterson, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. This study has been approved by the University of Virginia Institutional Review Board #2009025800.
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If you and/or your romantic partner are interested in participating or want further information, please email me at survey.couples@gmail.com. I will send you a link that you can use to access the study.
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I hope that readers who meet the stated criteria will help Christina out. Sadly, the boyfriend and I do not meet the age limit and I have children - although we might well get married within the next 365 days. :)

More Tuesday Male Beauty

Johnny Weir Speaks at California Gay Rights Fundraiser

Despite what his detractors may say, I love Johnny Weir - both for his figure skating talent and for his courage in being himself and telling critics to be damned. At a Equality California fundraiser, Weir came about as close to coming out as one can without making an outright declaration. Kudos to Johnny and his in your face refusal to somehow be ashamed of who he is. He's what I wish I had been able to be at a similar age except for the fact that I would not have had my children. The Advocate has more on Weir's appearance and his summation of what gays give to the world:

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Figure skating star Johnny Weir lent his celebrity to an Equality California event on Sunday in Los Angeles. At the fund-raiser, Weir thanked his family for their support and then spoke frankly about inequality:
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"Something from the Olympics that I learned is the world is a very, very ugly place. And this community, us, our people, are the people who make it fucking gorgeous. No matter how much people push down on us ... no matter how much they hate people that are different, not only the gay community, but also African-American people, Jewish people ... there's so many things that people focus on and so much what a person is and not who a person is ... If I wanted to get married tomorrow to a woman or to a man, what have you, whatever makes me happy, I'm going to try to do it and I want the freedom to do it. Everyone should have the freedom for that."
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Johnny, I hope you keep up the great work!

More DADT Protests at The White House

I am a little behind the curve on this story since we had dinner with friends from the Netherlands this evening who have been stuck in the USA due to the airline flight cancellations in Europe because of the ash cloud from the volcanic eruption in Iceland. That said, this afternoon proved newsworthy as six (6) LGBT activists - Lt. Dan Choi, Capt. Jim Pietrangelo II, Petty Officer Larry Whitt, Petty Officer Autumn Sandeen, Cadet Mara Boyd, and Airman Victor Price - chained themselves to the White House gates in protest over Barack Obama's do nothing approach to the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell which codifies religious based discrimination against gay service members. Among those who chained themselves were Dan Choi who I had the pleasure to speak with last year as well as Autumn Sandeen who writes for Pam's House Blend and who attended the LGBT Blogger Summit in 2008 with me in Washington, D.C. Today's action followed up activists heckling Obama as he spoke at a fundraiser last night for Senator Barbara Box. The White House reaction to the protests have been troubling for several. The first is Obama's pretense as to why he cannot understand why the LGBT community is not happy with him. Andrew Sullivan summed it up well on his blog this morning:
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Because, Mr President, it is not enough to be "supportive" of ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." When you have the presidency and your party controls both Houses of Congress, it's a matter of having the political will to end it. Not all gay people are HRC-fundraisers. Some are even risking their lives every day for this country, in uniform, only to be treated like second class human beings and citizens by their own government. Their own government? That means you, Mr President and Senator Boxer.
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More troubling is the fact that the Obama White House closed Lafayette Park in an apparent effort to keep the news media from reporting on what is obviously an embarrassing protests that calls out Obama for lying about his "support" for LGBT equality. I continue to believe that for all of the GOP's nastiness and dysfunctional aspects, Obama runs the risk of leading the Democrats to a debacle in November if the Democrat base is apathetic and stays home on election day. Virginia's 2009 elections ought to be a loud alarm bell to Congressional Democrats, but they and Obama act as if they are all stone deaf. Here are highlights from Pam's House Blend:
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In a move that suggests the White House is feeling the heat on its slow-motion approach toward repealing DADT, it's now resorted to trying to stop press coverage of direct actions. As Ben Smith of The Politico notes in his post "Most transparent White House ever...", closing Lafayette Park to the public during a demonstration is almost unheard of. Until now, when LGBT military veterans, including barista Autumn Sandeen, chained themselves to the White House fence today.
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Police chased reporters away from the White House and closed Lafayette Park today in response to a gay rights protest in which several service members in full uniform handcuffed themselves to the White House gate to protest "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." People who have covered the White House for years tell me that's an extremely unusual thing to do in an area that regularly features protests.
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Personally, I am about over Obama's constant games and failures to deliver on his campaign promises. At some point it is difficult not to feel that his whole campaign - especially as pitched to the LGBT community - was not much more than a calculated lie. Dan Choi summed it up as follows:
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“We are handcuffing ourselves to the White House gates once again to demand that President Obama show leadership on repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ If the President were serious about keeping his promise to repeal this year, he would put the repeal language in his Defense Authorization budget. The President gave us an order at the Human Rights Campaign dinner to keep pressure on him and we will continue to return to the White House, in larger numbers, until the President keeps his promise to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ this year."

"National Day of Prayer" Ruled Unconstitutional

In a decision that will drive the wingnuts berserk, a federal District Court has ruled that the so-called National Day O Prayer is unconstitutional and crosses the line in terms of the separation of church and state. It never ceases to amaze me how the Christianists decry government involvement in religion except for when it comes to the use of governmental power to enforce Christianist views on all or grasping for a handout of public monies that can be manipulated to further sectarianism. Kudos to U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb and her ruling that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional Thursday because the day amounts to a call for religious action. I have no problem if people want to hold religious beliefs. I do have a problem when those beliefs are forced on other citizens and/or laws are enacted or kept in place to further one specific religious belief system - anti-gay laws being a prime example. Here are highlights from WUSA9-TV:
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A federal judge in Wisconsin ruled the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional Thursday, saying the day amounts to a call for religious action.
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U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb wrote that the government can no more enact laws supporting a day of prayer than it can encourage citizens to fast during Ramadan, attend a synagogue or practice magic. "In fact, it is because the nature of prayer is so personal and can have such a powerful effect on a community that the government may not use its authority to try to influence an individual's decision whether and when to pray," Crabb wrote.
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The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Madison-based group of atheists and agnostics, filed a lawsuit against the federal government in 2008 arguing the day violated the separation of church and state.
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President Barack Obama's administration has countered that the statute simply acknowledges the role of religion in the United States. Obama issued a proclamation last year but did not hold public events with religious leaders as former President George W. Bush had done.
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Crabb wrote that her ruling shouldn't be considered a bar to any prayer days until all appeals are exhausted. U.S. Justice Department attorneys who represented the federal government in the case were reviewing the ruling Thursday afternoon, agency spokesman Charles Miller said. He declined further comment.
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The American Center for Law and Justice, which represented 31 members of Congress who joined the federal government as defendants, called Crabb's ruling flawed and promised to appeal. "It is unfortunate that this court failed to understand that a day set aside for prayer for the country represents a time-honored tradition that embraces the First Amendment, not violates it," ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow said in a statement.
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The Alliance Defense Fund, an Arizona-based group of Christian lawyers, issued a statement saying Crabb's ruling undermines American tradition dating back to the nation's birth.
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"It goes beyond mere 'acknowledgment' of religion because its sole purpose is to encourage all citizens to engage in prayer, an inherently religious exercise that serves no secular function in this context," she wrote. "In this instance, the government has taken sides on a matter that must be left to individual conscience."

Tuesday Male Beauty

Bob McDonnell's Budget Amendments Seek to Defund Public Broadcasting and Slash Mental Health Care

Apparently since PBS television specials, educational programs and public broadcast radio are not popular with the Bible thumping, gun carrying, rednecks that increasingly comprise the GOP base in Virginia, Gov. Bob McDonnell has asked the Virginia General Assembly to amend the state's budget to cut funding for public broadcasting and set spending on a trajectory to cease all state funding within four (4) years. Also included in McDonnell's budget cut targets are some medicaid mental health prescription coverage, services to emotionally disturbed children, and health care to low income Virginians - apparently examples of McDonnell's version of "compassionate conservatism. Like so many self-anointed and self-congratulatory "Godly Christians," McDonnell wears his religion on his sleeve, but when it comes time to act he kicks those who are down and out in a most decidedly un-Christian manner. As for PBS fans, They had best get on the telephone and call, write and e-mail their members of the House of Delegates and state Senators. Here are some highlights from the Richmond Times Dispatch:
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Gov. Bob McDonnell is gunning for Big Bird. The Republican's proposed revisions to Virginia's pending two-year, $83 million budget would put the state on a four-year trajectory to end aid to public radio and television stations -- long an objective of the GOP-dominated House of Delegates. McDonnell wants the General Assembly, which returns to Richmond on Wednesday to put the finishing touches on legislation passed this winter, to eliminate $592,835 for public broadcasting in the second half of the 2010-12 spending cycle.
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McDonnell, who is approaching the 100-day mark of his fledgling administration, is recommending overall spending increases of $42 million. They would be financed with reductions totaling $51 million, including nearly $10 million in cuts in services for emotionally disturbed children.

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The Senate could prove the last line of defense against McDonnell amendments. For his revisions to be included in the budget, they require majority votes in both chambers. In the smaller body -- the Senate -- that means McDonnell may have to persuade members of the Democratic majority to break ranks on issues important to the party, such as health care and education.
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McDo*nnell, however, may get the last word. Under Virginia's constitution, the govenor has an item veto that allows him to strike features he deems offensive from the budget. Overriding a veto is difficult, requiring a two-thirds vote in each body.
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Sen. R. Edward Houck, D-Spotsylvania, who is Colgan's second-in-command on the budget-writing panel, and Del. Riley E. Ingram, R-Hopewell, a member of the Appropriations Committee, are joining mental-health groups in pressing lawmakers to reject the McDonnell proposal.

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Previously, the Times Dispatch had reported that McDonnell's budget raises taxes on low income families while give the wealthy a free pass (Taliban Bob apparently sees himself as a sort of reverse Robin Hood). Here are highlights:

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The state's new budget includes a little-noticed provision that raises taxes on low-income Virginians, according to a report by a think tank chiding political leaders for favoring business over the poor.

The Commonwealth Institute said the two-year, $83 billion budget, which takes effect July 1, trims a tax break that benefits families with incomes below $49,000 and three or more children. The organization's executive director, Michael Cassidy, said yesterday that the provision represents a violation of Gov. Bob McDonnell's no-new-taxes pledge.

More Monday Male Beauty

Bleckley County High Prom Goes Smoothly

After all the bizarre and heartless things that took place in the Itawamba County school district in Mississippi to block a same sex couple from attending a high school prom, it is nice to be able to report that Bleckley County, Georgia was a study in contrasts in comparison. The Prom itself went smoothly and both school officials and most students seem to not had their heads up their ass about the matter. Derrick Martin and his date, Richard Goodman (pictured at right) made a cute couple and I am glad that the Prom turned out well for them. Sadly, Derrick Martin's parents showed far less class that the supportive parents of Constance McMillen. They threw their son out of their home because of the publicity. Were these horrid parents worried about their son or their own sensibilities. As a parent, I cannot fathom such behavior towards one's child. I hope Derrick puts it behind him in time. Here are some highlights from the Macon Telegraph:
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Bleckley County High School senior Derrick Martin made history Saturday when he arrived at his high school prom on the arm of another boy. He was the first in his hometown of Cochran — and perhaps in Georgia — to ask permission to take a same sex partner to prom and have his school allow it.
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About 7:45 p.m., couples started to arrive at the high school in a line of stretch limos, a bus, a John Deere tractor and even carriage and buggy, and afterward walked through a crowd of parents and friends who snapped photos.

When Martin, 18, and his boyfriend Richard Goodman, also 18, stepped onto a makeshift “red carpet” and their names were announced, a few parents whispered but many in the crowd gave him a loud cheer. No one yelled out in protest. “I wonder if they realize what they’ve done,” said Arturro Beeche, a San Francisco professor who flew into Georgia on Friday and drove Martin and Goodman to the prom. “Once it happens in small-town America, it will inspire so many,” he said. Security was tight with at least 15 officers stationed at the high school, and no one could enter the parking lot without a ticket.
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The move had been met with some conflict, such as talk of a separate prom. A few weeks back, a small group of students held an opposition rally in front of the town courthouse to protest. Martin’s parents also kicked him out of his home after the publicity. But a rally in support of Martin was also held in a Macon park and supporters have donated more than $5,000 for college this fall.

Joseph Milhous Ratzinger

UPDATED: The Archdiocese of Munich has reportedly issued a denial of the Spiegel story laid out below. The Archdiocese claims that former Munich Vicar General Gruber has refuted that he was told to take the blame for the re-assignment of child-abuser Fr. Hullermann during the term of Munich’s then-Archbishop Joseph Card. Ratzinger. Two notes: Despite a Google search, so far I have found no main stream media confirmation of Gruber's alleged denial. Second, the only site I have located to date is run by a Catholic priest. Therefore, absent something directly from Gruber, I am disinclined to believe the Archdiocese given the Church hierarchy's thousands of past lies and cover up efforts.

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I . have noted a number of times that it appears that the Vatican and Pope Benedict XVI learned nothing from the disastrous aftermath of the Watergate break in under Richard Nixon's administration. The crime was bad enough, but it was the cover up, the lies, the destruction of potential evidence, and the perjury under oath that ultimately took down Nixon and a number of his henchmen. That and the fact that ultimately some folks were unwilling to take the fall for their self-centered and paranoid superiors. The fact pattern seems to be truly repeating itself as more documents are made public and some individuals are now talking to protect their own names rather than that of the President, . . . I mean the Pope. One such individual is former Munich Diocese Vicar General Gerhard Gruber who is now stating that he was scapegoated and that he was not the one responsible for the reassignment of a serial child rapist. Gruber is now challenging an official Church statement that he [Gruber] acted on his own authority," a claim he says was never discussed with him. Spiegel Online has a new story that looks at Gruber's refusal to be the fall guy for Joseph Ratzinger, a/k/a Benedict XVI plus the new documents and information that show that Benedict's earlier denials of knowledge were lies. Combined with Raztinger's own signature on documents involving a serial child molester in the United States, demonstrate that Benedict XVI's credibility is now completely gone. Here are some highlights from the Spiegel story:
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Catholic Church officials assigned full responsibility for the reassignment of a known pedophilic priest to retired vicar general Gerhard Gruber who served as deputy to Joseph Ratzinger when he was archbishop. Gruber is now challenging a Church statement that he "acted on his own authority," a claim he says was never discussed with him.*
The emergency plan was hastily assembled in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising on the evening of March 11, a Thursday. The Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper had exposed the scandal surrounding pedophile priest Peter H., and the affair over sexual abuse in the church was getting dangerously close to the pope.
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Peter H., a vicar from the western German city of Essen who had molested boys on several occasions, was sent to Munich in 1980, where he was assigned to work as a pastor again. As a result, he was able to abuse even more boys. The archbishop and chairman of the diocesan council, which approved H.'s appointment, was Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI.
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Ratzinger also chaired a meeting on Jan. 15, 1980, in which the pedophile priest's living arrangements and therapy were discussed. He must have been familiar with H.'s criminal past. Because of this, the diocese has, in recent weeks, left no stone unturned in its effort to explain why the current pope could not be held accountable for H.'s continued service in his diocese.
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Gruber's friends say that the old man was only familiar with parts of the statement, that he was apparently being used as a scapegoat and that he was also under additional emotional pressure. To everyone's surprise, Gruber wrote an open letter in which he qualified the archdiocese's statement, writing that he did not sign any documents over which he had no influence. He also noted that he was "very upset" about the "manner in which the incidents were portrayed" by the archdiocese. "And the phrase 'acted on his own authority' also wasn't discussed with me," he wrote.
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Some will ask why any of the Roman Church Church hierarchy's lies and cover up efforts matter - at least for those other than abuse victims who might have been spared but for the hierarchy's actions. It matters greatly for several reasons: (1)but for the cynical and calculated cover ups, countless children and youths might have been spared damaging sexual abuse at the hands of priests; (2) the cover ups were an obstruction of justice that should have seen bishops, cardinals - and yes, Popes, criminally indicted; (3) bishops continue to tax parishes with assessments that send money up the Church hierarchy (some ultimately to Rome) to maintain the luxurious life styles of the high clergy and Pope thus taking those monies from local charitable endeavors; and (4) the Church hierarchy remains a major persecutor of LGBT citizens in many countries of the world, the USA included, and it is important that people of all faiths realize that the Church hierarchy is morally bankrupt and that its anti-gay agenda should be rejected. Dan Savage summed up some of this nicely in the following highlights:
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We expect God's representatives on earth — men who claim for themselves the power to absolve other people of their sins and who believe they have a divine right to place limits on other people's sexual and reproductive freedoms — to hold themselves to a slightly higher standard when it comes to CHILD RAPE than, say, school teachers who make no such claims.
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And if the church hadn't worked so hard to cover up the crimes committed child rapists in the priesthood — and worked so hard to enable ordained child rapists to continue raping children — we wouldn't be finding out about all the cases of children who've been raped by Catholic priests all at once. And if the church had taken action against ordained child rapists when they were exposed — by going to the police, assisting in the prosecution of these criminals, and defrocking them (rather than intimidating the victims, silencing witnesses, and subjecting the rapists to "counseling" before shuffling them off to new parishes where they could rape again does not count as "taking action")— maybe there wouldn't be quite so many cases of child rape to talk about.
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You see, the Catholic Church's cover ups made it possible for many ordained/career child rapists to prey on hundreds of children over many decades. Which is why the cover up of these crimes — which is ongoing (claims that media reports about these crimes are a part of an orchestrated anti-Catholic campaign are the next stage of the cover up)— matters.