More Saturday Male Beauty

Nightmares Continue for Benedict XVI

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

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

How to Become a Millionaire - Become a Pastor

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

Saturday Male Beauty

Obama, Congressional Democrats and The Pink Beltway

There are two great posts up on Pam's House Blend - one by Pam Spaulding and the other by Autumn Sandeen, both of whom I got to know at the December 2008 LGBT Blogger Summit. Neither post holds its punches and combined they are an indictment of both Barack Obama and the current Democrat leadership as well as "Gay, Inc." and our purported leaders within the so-called pink beltway. Pam correctly describes Gay,Inc.'s view of the "accomplishments" of the Obama administration an alternate universe when contrasted with reality. Indeed, Gay, Inc. comes across as nearly as delusional as the Christo-fascist base of the Republican Party. How anyone who isn't on mind altering drugs can talk about "accomplishments" in the plural when the only legislation enacted since 2008 is the Hate Crimes Bill defies belief. Oh yes, there have been changes in executive branch policies, but these are as fleeting as the moods and holder of the Presidency. These are NOT accomplishments. Especially, since they do NOTHING for LGBT Americans all across the USA.

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Those within Gay, Inc., who would praise the do nothing Obama administration seem to be only concerned about making it look like they are doing something for those they claim to represent when, truth be told, they are not. The rest of us have gained nothing from invites for cocktails at the White House and other photo ops for Obama or Joe Solmonese being named among Washington's best dressed. . Thus, in my view, besides turning off all contributions to Democrats, the LGBT community needs to turn off all contributions to Gay, Inc., until THEY deliver true accomplishments. First some highlights from Pam's post:
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But if you look at what is being circulated and tabulated inside the Beltway as "accomplishments," it's pretty obvious there is some grasping at straws to justify the foot-dragging by this administration regarding the big ticket items the community asked for action on -- ENDA, DADT, UAFA, DOMA, etc. These have languished despite speech after tired speech by the President about supporting action, but decidedly less fierce follow through -- like LBJ-style arm-twisting on the Hill. Actions have spoken louder than words.
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Is there a political problem in transparency regarding what was asked of this administration and what has been accomplished? These administrative changes do not go unnoticed. They are political maneuvers that only give you, the readers, voters and donors, additional reasons not to fully trust the motives of the organizations supposedly holding our fierce advocate's feet to the fire. Any good steward of the original list, since it was so carefully crafted, would indeed want to check off those boxes and show people the work left to be done.
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It's called goal-setting, marking milestones and acknowledging where matters fall short, people.
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Autumn is equally peeved at the non-action by our "fierce advocate" and the gutless wonders within the Congressional Democrats - a group that includes my spineless Senator Jim Webb who lacks the courage to support DADT repeal even when polls show that 56% of REPUBLICANS support repeal. Give me a freaking break Mr. Webb. Here are a few of Autumn's comments:
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Voting a record number of Democrats in the House and Senate in 2006 and 2008, and voting in a Democratic President who described himself to us as a "fierce advocate" for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community has brought us to this reality; contributing all those gAyTM campaign dollars has bought us this reality: Democrats now appear not to be promising anything on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) this congress, and that passage of ENDA may take as many as five years to accomplish.
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I've got a dumb question here: Why do we, as the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, keep doing the same thing over and over again and hope for different results?
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It will be interesting to see how our national LGBT civil rights organizations spin this bit of "reality" from Congresswoman Speier. My guess is that they'll probably ask us for more money, just like the politicians will -- our LGBT civil rights organizations will likely just say though that they need the money for lobbying. Again, expecting we in the LGBT community to do the same thing over and over again while hoping we won't notice that we're not getting any different results.

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My advice, no more money for Democrats and Gay, Inc., and possibly no votes for Democrats in November unless some promises start being kept. Enough with the meaningless - and disingenuous - speeches.

UK Doctors Declare 'Gay Cure' Therapies Harmful

One of the recent efforts of the American Christo-fascists has been to export their fraudulent "ex-gay" ministries to Europe, especially the UK. Now, doctors in the UK have joined the American Psychological Association and branded such "cure" ministries harmful. One can only hope that this move will increase the likelihood that therapists who engage in such bogus efforts may lose their licences and it may be easier for individuals harmed by such programs to sue them for negligence and malpractice. Ultimately, I'd like to see governmental social service departments start charging parents who force teens into these false and harmful ministries prosecuted for child abuse - just like those who withhold proper medical treatment from children and youths. At some point science needs to trump religious based ignorance and protect minors form what amounts to deliberate emotional and psychological harm. Here are some highlights from Pink News:
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The annual meeting of the British Medical Association has declared that therapies to 'cure' gay people of homosexuality are harmful.
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The body met in Brighton yesterday and more than two-thirds of doctors present backed a call for the Royal College of Psychiatrists and other mental health standard-setting bodies to reject the treatments and ban their use in codes of practice.
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Health departments should also investigate alleged cases of conversion therapy being funded by the NHS, the meeting agreed.
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Tom Dolphin, the proposer of the motion and the vice-chair of the BMA's junior doctors committee, said: "Sexuality is such a fundamental part of who a person is that attempts to change it just result in significant confusion, depression and even suicide. You can’t just wish away same-sex attraction no matter how inconvenient it might be."
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Earlier this year, gay journalist Patrick Strudwick published an expose of 'ex-gay' therapists and began a campaign group to persuade medical bodies to condemn the treatments. . . . Mr Strudwick told the Independent that the BMA's declaration was a "watershed moment in the struggle for gay equality".

Ireland's Dáil Passes Civil Partnership Bill

In yet another example of how the United States - alleged land of the free with religious freedom for all - is lagging behind an increasing number of countries around the world in how it treats its LGBT citizens, Ireland's parliament, the Dáil, has passed a civil partnership law that applies to same sex couples. Passage of the legislation is also a sound rebuke to the Roman Catholic Church. The Catholic Church's bishops, whose moral authority in Ireland has virtually collapsed, had strenuously opposed the legislation. It says a lot that Catholic Ireland by autumn will treats its LGBT citizens far better than the majority of states and the federal government in the USA where religious based discrimination continues to pervert and infect the civil laws. Kudos to Ireland. Here are some highlights from the Irish Times:

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The Bill recognising the civil partnership of same-sex couples passed all stages in the Dáil tonight without a vote. Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern said the Civil Partnership Bill would put in place a legal regime that reflected the many forms of relationships in modern Irish society. "Our society has change substantially in recent decades,’’ he said. “While marriage is more popular than ever, other forms of relationships have become increasingly common; they create some difficulties in the legal system and require in our law a measure of recognition and of protection."

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There was a protest outside Leinster House against the legislation. When the debate was concluded inside, however, there was applause from people in the public gallery.
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A number of amendments were made during the committee stages of the Bill including an increase in the period of cohabitation required to qualify for certain rights included in the legislation. The legislation is not expected to become law until the autumn.

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The Catholic bishops have come out strongly against the legislation. However, Government ministers recently dismissed claims from them that the Bill may be unconstitutional.

Friday Male Beauty

Putting Thurgood Marshall On Trial

One of the more insane things that happened so far during the confirmation hears for Elena Kagan - and there have been a number generated by the GOP and it's untethered witnesses - has been the attack made on former Justice Thurgood Marshall. Marshall - considered an icon by many - was depicted as an activist if not a radical. Marshall's son - a classmate of my late sister at UVA - has an op-ed in today's Washington Post that takes these accusations head on. The true activists and radicals are the members of the increasingly sectarian GOP, not Marshall who simply wanted the U.S. Constitution to be applied literally as written and applicable to all citizens. Once again, it is the Republicans and that party's Christianist masters that want special rights for themselves based on race, religious belief, and national origin. Here are highlights from Thurgood Marshall, Jr.'s op-ed:
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I believe that this spectacle is partly a result of my father having lived a life of consequence as a practicing attorney and as a jurist. The rhetoric serves as a reminder that President Lyndon Johnson displayed wisdom and great courage in nominating my father to the Supreme Court. Yes, he had served as solicitor general of the United States and as a federal appellate judge who authored more than 90 opinions without a single reversal, but as notable is what he did before holding those positions.
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When my father was confirmed 69 to 11, more than four decades ago, that historic act came after he worked for years in private practice drafting wills, trying murder cases and engaging in all legal issues in between; after working in the courts to bring long-overdue voting rights to the disenfranchised and to desegregate schools.
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If there is to be a new round of battles on those issues, then I suspect that the victory margin would be far greater since legions of Americans of every stripe regard the resolutions of those issues as achievements that make our union more perfect. If there is to be a new round of battles over my father's jurisprudence, his vision of the role of the courts or his belief in the 14th Amendment, then I like those odds, too.
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A debate this week about judicial activism seems to have revealed only one thing: One person's activism is another's adherence to constitutional principle. And to my ear, a progressive jurist sounds far more desirable than a regressive one.
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Justice Marshall spent much of his life striving to make the USA a more just nation. His latter day GOP critics have a totally opposite goal Their vision of this nation ought to scare the Hell out of thinking Americans.

Taliban Bob Reappoints Homophobe to Virginia Tech Board of Visitors

Taliban Bob McDonnell is continuing his quest against LGBT Virginians and has reappointed homophobic Roanoke attorney, John Rocovich to the Board of Visitors of Virginia Tech. No doubt Victoria Cobb, frigid ice queen of The Family Foundation will have an orgasm knowing that a proven gay-hater is back on the Tech governing board. During Rocovich's previous tenure in 2003, he led the board to revoke the University's prohibition against discrimination based on sexual orientation. The appointment is baffling in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Christian Legal Society v. Martinez which ruled against a "Christian" university organization that wanted to discriminate against gays. I guess as a Regent Law grad, McDonnell doesn't grasp that Virginia IS bound by U.S. Supreme Court decisions (the utterly insane, Virginia AG Ken Kookinelli suffers from a similar affliction). Here are highlights from the Washington Post which quotes my good friend Mark Board, Chairman of Equality Virginia:
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McDonnell Thursday appointed John Rocovich, chairman of a Roanoke lawfirm, to the university's governing board. Rocovich had previously served on the board under Gov. Jim Gilmore (R), during a time when the board repealed the school's policy barring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. That issue has returned to the forefront in recent months, after Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) wrote a letter to each public university, asking them to rescind such policies.
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The universities have responded by reaffirming those policies, and McDonnell issued Executive Directive No. 1, prohibiting discrimination in the state workforce.
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Mark Board, chair of the Board of Equality Virginia, said the following about Rocovich's appointment in a statement: Equality Virginia is disappointed that the Governor would look to the past in making board appointments and choose to reappoint John Rocovich to the Virginia Tech board," said Mark Board, chairman of the group in a statement today. "During Mr. Rocovich's tenure as Rector of the VA Tech Board in 2003, he led the board to revoke the University's commitment to affirmative action and to repeal the University's prohibition against discrimination based on sexual orientation. When his term expired, Governor Warner replaced him on the Board, and the new board reversed these actions. Given this past history, the Governor's decision to reappoint Mr. Rocovich to the Tech Board sends a negative message to the Hokie nation about the sincerity of the Governor's commitment to the enforcement of his executive directive #1 and his commitment to ensure Tech's GLBT employees and students are protected from discrimination.

Is Pat Robertson's Regent University in Financial Trouble?

Is it possible that Pat Robertson's ongoing lunacy and crazy/hateful statements towards gays and others beginning to catch up with Regent University - the "Christian" university and law school created to train "God's warriors" to go out into government and politics? According to the Houston Chronicle, Regent needed a financial bailout from brother Pat's CBN and has seen it's bond rating lowered by Moody's - the New York City based rating agency. While Regent has helped non-Christo-fascists by affording a means to secure graduate degrees attending part time while still working full time, the core mission of the school continues to be one that would subvert the separation of church and state. One needs only look at the actions of some of the Regent graduates in the Chimperator's regime to see that the "true believers" are a scary crowd. Some of brother Pat's recent pronouncements (Robertson remains Regent's chancellor and president) have not helped the institution's credibility. Here are some highlights from the Chronicle's story:
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Regent University is in dire financial straits, but it received help last week from the Christian Broadcasting Network, according to a report released on Wednesday by Moody's Investors Service.
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M.G. (Pat) Robertson, the influential evangelical broadcaster, founded both the network and Regent University, which was originally called CBN University. Both are located in Virginia Beach, Va., and Mr. Robertson is Regent's chancellor and president.
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The university's fiscal footing began to slide in 2006, when its bond rating was downgraded because of deficits and weak fund-raising. Regent's money problems have accelerated since then. Annual operating deficits averaged 26 percent from 2007 to 2009, according to Moody's, and its endowment draw was a whopping 11 percent in 2008, more than double the normal payout rate.
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While the balance sheet improved last year, thanks to increased tuition revenue from a growing undergraduate enrollment, Regent has a dangerously small amount of cash on hand to pay the bills.
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Moody's reports that last year the university had only $1.3-million in liquid assets, which could cover roughly six days of operating costs. But Mr. Robertson's television network came to the rescue on June 24, relaxing restrictions on a $95-million gift it made to the university in 1992.
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But the university is hardly out of the woods. The ratings agency remains negative on its outlook, and it affirmed a relatively weak Baa2 bond rating on Regent's debt. And Moody's says an improvement in Regent's rating is unlikely. "Moody's negative outlook reflects the expectations that the university will continue to experience deficit operating performance, which will continue to deplete or, at least hamper, financial resource growth," the report says.

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Not surprisingly, the Virginian Pilot has yet to report on this story in its own backyard. To both the Pilot and the Daily Press investigative reporting is an unknown concept.

Today's White House Briefing on LGBT Issues: The President Is "Very Supportive" - Not

Today my fellow Bilerico Project bloggers Jillian Weiss and Pam Spaulding attended a briefing for LGBT media with Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes. As is the norm, statements were made that President Obama is "very supportive" of LGBT rights. The problem is, unfortunately, that such statements never seem to translate into actions that help and protect average rank and file LGBT Americans and couples. Jillian's write up on the event can be found here on The Bilerico Project. Personally, I am over tiny, incremental improvements that have yet to do a damn thing for LGBT Virginians who can be fired at will, face discrimination in securing health insurance, and whose relationships receive zero legal recognitions. Talk is cheap and my standard response to calls from Democrat fundraisers is as follows:
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I intend to withhold ALL contributions to the Democratic Party and its candidates until the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is passed, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) is fully repealed, and the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is repealed -– all of which President Obama repeatedly promised to do if elected. Until such time as these promises are kept, please do NOT ask me for money!!
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But I digress. Here are some highlights from Jillian's thoughts on the meeting that included eight pro-LGBT outlets — The Advocate, AmericaBlog.com, Bilerico.com, Gay City News, Keen News Service, Metro Weekly, Pam’s House Blend, and Philadelphia Gay News:
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Let me tell you what I asked and what she answered. When my turn came, I thanked her for all the executive branch activity in support of LGBT rights, as well as their support of the hate crimes bill. But I handed her the NCTE fact sheet on ENDA and noted that the trans community has 35% unemployment, with 60% of us under $15,000 in income, 26% of us having been fired because of our gender identity, 97% having been harassed on the job, and worse in communities of color. I noted that Congressional leadership seems reluctant to drive ENDA including Rep. Speier's "within 5 years" comment. I pointed up that, as she said, the President has not shied away from the bully pulpit, and pushed the Congressional leadership on DADT in the State of the Union Address, but hasn't mentioned ENDA. I asked how he will push ENDA in the future, or will he leave it up to the reluctant leadership?
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I wanted to ask if this was the "fierce advocacy" he had mentioned, but my turn was up. I had a chance at a second question later. I asked if she could make the case for why LGBT people concerned about workplace discrimination should actively focus on the midterm elections to elect Democrats when the Democrats' support of LGBT rights is so passive -- spoken about but not acted upon. She declined to answer. Her area, she said, isn't politics. It's policy. I would have thought the two go together, . . .
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I don't feel like I walked out with any more information than I walked in with. I already knew that the President was letting the legislative branch get away with ignoring LGBT rights. I'd like to be able to say I was satisfied with these answers. I'm sure you'd like to say nice things too. But it seems we have a fundamental disagreement with the President as to what his job is. Is it to lead -- or to follow?
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Pam Spaulding's review of the briefing are not any more positive than Jillian's. Indeed, part of her blog post headline id "No News, Lots of Spin." Apparently, Obama thinks we all of us activist LGBT bloggers are a brunch of freeking idiots who will be all atwitter over a White House invite like the folks at HRC. That both Jillian and Pam have the same negative reaction ought to send off alarm bells among those who believe the Obama administration give a rat's ass about LGBT Americans. Here are highlights from Pam's analysis:
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[I]t would have saved the WH a lot of grief if it spoke with parties other than Gay, Inc over the last year and a half. Now it can choose whether it's worthwhile to build a broader communication bridge.
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Who attended: Seventeen people were invited and nine were able to make it: Lou Chibbaro, The Washington Blade; Jen Colletta, Philadelphia Gay News; Kerry Eleveld, The Advocate; Chris Geidner, Metro Weekly; Paul Schindler, Gay City News; Jillian Weiss, The Bilerico Project; Joe Sudbay; Americablog; Lisa Keen from Keen News Service and your blogmistress.
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Summary of the meeting: Short version: Nothing new was learned, despite numerous attempts to get substantive answers about administration policy; move along to the next PHB post.
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We were told by Barnes that the ball is in Congress's court to get these done and that the White House doesn't determine when matters are considered on the Hill or go to the floor for a vote. [Familiar passing the buck, lack of ability to multitask, impotence of the President. - ed.]
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She went on to describe the President's support of DADT repeal, and an inclusive ENDA, and that members of the administration had testified on the Hill on the bill's behalf. As a follow up, Chibbaro asked whether the President would use his own influence and speak out strongly and publicly about moving ENDA.
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Barnes's answer here was curious -- she said he has continued to speak out about his support on ENDA to all sorts of audiences. I don't recall him mentioning ENDA in many speeches this year, and certainly not in front of non-LGBT audiences. I've got to go use TEH GOOGLE and check that out.
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It's unclear if there will be future meetings of this kind, or whether this was a dog and pony show to check off a box that LGBT media and the netroots have been engaged. As every move in a White House is political, not altruistic, we have to assume that both could be true.
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My final analysis: it's more of the same old tired and worthless bullshit from Obama. He talks, fails to lead and then passes the buck to Congress. Is this the change so many of us voted for? I think not.

More Thursday Male Beauty

Liner SS United States to Be Saved from Scappers

I have always love ships and with the SS United States (pictured above with its older and smaller cruising mate, the America, in the foreground in the photo above) having entered service in the year of my birth, I have always felt a connection with the ship (which was built in Newport News,which is less than 10 miles from where I sit typing this post) as crazy as that may sound, I've actually been on board back in the early 1980's when many of the ship's furniture, etc., were auctioned off in Norfolk before the United States left for a different mooring. I've also sat at the First Class Bar now found at Windmill Point, a restaurant in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, which has plaques about famous people who sat at the bar: Marilyn Monroe, Queen Elizabeth, etc. At 990 feet, the United States is not as large as some of the newest cruise ships that weigh in at more than twice the gross tonnage. But in terms of speed, the United States has never been matched - according to the nearby Mariner's Museum, the official top speed is still secret - and equal or exceeds 45 miles per hour, something amazing for an object 990 feet long and 105 feet wide. The ship is also one of the most fire proof ships ever built. Here are highlights from the Wall Street Journal concerning the ship's apparent saving from the scrap yards:
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Against the odds, a small band of ship preservationists has nosed out scrappers with an agreement to buy the historic ocean liner—and perhaps turn it into a stationary waterfront hotel or multi-use development. The S.S. United States Conservancy plans to announce Thursday a deal to buy the ship from its current owner, cruise operator NCL Group, for $3 million.
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The scrappers are at bay for now. But the proposed sale still must satisfy Environmental Protection Agency concerns related to toxins aboard the nearly 60-year-old steamship. If the sale goes through, it would cap quite a turnaround: The group of mainly volunteers transformed themselves into a serious bidder for a Titanic-sized vessel in just a few months as scrappers began circling their prize.
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Even if the deal goes through, the ship faces a long comeback. Its luxury fittings are long gone. The interior has been gutted to the bare metal for asbestos abatement, and exploring the ship requires flashlights to maneuver pitch-black passageways. Passenger cabins are identifiable only by marks on the floor where walls used to be.
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During the recent ship tour, conservancy board president Susan Gibbs, whose grandfather designed the vessel, described her grandmother's memories of being aboard. "The elegance, the champagne, the light and speed, the scotch-and-sodas at 10 a.m.," she said. "What a majestic symbol this ship was."
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Joseph Rota, who served on the ship's crew as a young man, stopped in what used to be the first-class observation lounge and recalled a chat with Prince Rainier of Monaco in the mid-1950s. "Sitting right there," Mr. Rota said, pointing to the spot. The prince was traveling for a meeting with actress Grace Kelly, his future wife, Mr. Rota said.
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I hope the preservationists are successful. The world has lost so many of the fabulous liners of old which have a certain class and cache that the newer behemoths just cannot match. More on the SS United States can be found here.

Witnesses Against Kagan Include Head Of Conspiracy-Mad Law Firm

One has to wonder what the Hell the GOP is trying to do in terms of some of the utter loonies that have been called as opposition witnesses against Elana Kagan's nomination to the U. S. Supreme Court. I have commented before on Klan loving Tony Perkins' testimony against Kagan. Another utter crazy is William J. Olson, Esq. (pictured at left) of William J. Olson, P.C. -- a law firm that is heavily involved in all sorts of conservative cause celebres, from the standard-issue, to the totally bonkers - and which includes Herbert Titus, the founding dean of Pat Robertson's Regent Law School and father of Troy A. Titus, a Regent Law graduate, just sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for real estate and wire fraud. Huffington Post looks at the insanity of this GOP witnesses insanity. Here are some highlights:
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Of particular interest is one witness who will be testifying against Kagan, William J. Olson, Esq. of William J. Olson, P.C. -- a law firm that is heavily involved in all sorts of conservative cause celebres, from the standard-issue, to the totally bonkers.
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Olson's lent his services to a pair of high-profile cases in the past year. His firm has filed amicus briefs in the Citizens United case as well as the recently decided Supreme Court case that overturned Chicago's gun ban. Olson's firm has also taken up the quixotic Tea Party cause to recall New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez. From there, however, things take a turn for the outlandish. Highlights include:
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The Search For Fort Knox Gold! An organization called the Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee (GATA) is worried that the U.S. Government has been secretly flooding the market with gold from Fort Knox in order to keep it's value low. Well, Olson's firm has taken up the cause:
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Jesus Will Cure Your Cancer With Food Supplements! Olson's co-counsel, John S. Miles, took up the cause of Daniel Chapter One, a Christian Ministry that ran afoul of the FTC for running advertisements for miracle cancer cures "with Web headlines like 'Brain Tumor Gone!' and on a two-hour weekday Internet radio program filled with virulent attacks on contemporary medicine." In response to the appeal, FTC lawyer Elizabeth K, Nach said the First Amendment does not apply to commercial speech that is deceptive.
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You Just Knew There Would Be Some Birther Junk Up In The Mix! Another one of Olson's co-counsel's, Herb Titus, shows up on this article on the birther-mad website WorldNetDaily: A one-time vice presidential candidate who is considered an expert on the U.S. Constitution says it is up the electors from the 50 states to make certain President-elect Barack Obama is a natural-born U.S. citizen before they cast votes for him in the Electoral College Dec. 15.
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"If they do their duty, they would make sure that if they cast a vote for Mr. Obama, that Mr. Obama is a natural-born citizen," Herb Titus, the Constitution Party's running mate to Howard Phillips in 1996, told WND today.
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As a former Republican from a family of Republicans, I can only wonder what's in the water that these members of the GOP are drinking? Or does one now need to be certifiably insane to be a modern day Republican? Oh, and for the record, I have serious doubts about Kagan and I assisted the FBI in Troy Titus' prosecution.

Housing Numbers Grim - Thousands Entitiled to Loan Modifications Not Receiving Relief

As one who began chanting the "it's all about housing" mantra back in the summer of 2007, it seems that neither President Obama or members of Congress are on the ball when it comes to making sure that bailed out lenders are passing benefits along to homeowners who are underwater or who have suffered job losses or other economic set backs. As noted before, dealing with lenders endeavoring to assist distressed homeowners, the predominant adjective to describe the Home Affordable Modification Program, also known as HAMP, is utter incompetence if not out right fraud. I suspect most 6th graders would prove themselves more competent than most lender employees allegedly assisting home owners. And the consequences of the failed HAMP program is that the number of foreclosures is continuing to set records. All of which fuel a continuing downward spiral in home values - which sets the stage for yet more distressed homeowners and more foreclosures. First some highlights from Huffington Post and the failure to deliver on homeowner relief even though the lenders have been bailed out themselves:
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Potentially "thousands" of troubled homeowners were denied opportunities to lower their monthly mortgage payments under the Obama administration's signature foreclosure-prevention plan due to servicer errors and inadequate oversight by the Treasury Department, a government audit has found.
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Mortgage servicers failed to comply with basic guidelines, used different criteria to evaluate borrowers, recorded error rates up to six times their established thresholds, and couldn't provide evidence that potentially eligible homeowners had been solicited for the administration's Home Affordable Modification Program, also known as HAMP.
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The errors are partly due to Treasury's failure to issue specific guidelines for servicers to follow, and the administration's lack of quality-control standards. Because servicers aren't required to adhere to the same set of standards, there's a risk that firms aren't identifying practices "that may lead to inequitable treatment of borrowers or harm taxpayers through greater potential for fraud or waste," according to a Thursday report by the Government Accountability Office.
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But even if servicers were fraudulently modifying loans or improperly denying modifications to distressed homeowners, Treasury "has yet to establish specific consequences or penalties for noncompliance," the GAO notes. The department has yet to fine any servicers for noncompliance, according to the report.
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Last Thursday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing to examine "the overall effectiveness of processes put in place by loan servicers as they implement HAMP and any other loan modification programs that help homeowners avoid foreclosures," according to the panel's announcement. Not a single question was asked about the GAO's troubling findings, according to a transcript of the hearing.
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And what is the result of this incompetence? Home sales that have fallen off a cliff and foreclosures constituting over 30% of all home "sales." Talking about change and promising competence means nothing unless the words are followed by real, substantive action. Here are highlights from CNN Money on the real world in the real estate market:
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According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), pending home sales fell a whopping 30% in May. Their index, which measures signed sales contracts but not closed sales, plunged to 77.6 from 110.9 in April. It's even off 15.9% from a year ago when the nation was barely emerging from the recession.
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"The pending home sales report is a disaster," said Mike Larson, a real estate analyst for Weiss Research. "Sales fell off a cliff after the tax credit expired. It's the biggest monthly decline ever and the index is at its lowest level since NAR began tracking it in 2001."
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As CNN Money also reported, prices at foreclosure sales are falling at about 70% of full price - thus setting the stage for falling comparables for those seeking to sell their homes and causing prices to fall and resulting in more and more homeowners who owe far more than their homes are now worth:
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Foreclosures accounted for a third of all sales -- and sold at a nearly 30% discount -- during the first three months of 2010.
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According to a new report from RealtyTrac, the marketer of foreclosed properties, 31% of all sales were foreclosures. And homebuyers purchasing those properties paid a whopping 27% less, on average, compared to sales of non-distressed homes.

Thursday Male Beauty

50th Catholic Parish is Closing in Cleveland

While pumping millions into anti-gay initiatives around the country, the Roman Catholic Church is allowing historic parishes to close and immigrant built churches to be sold and/or demolished. It's all part and parcel of the Church hierarchy's handiwork in driving away members by demonstrating utter moral bankruptcy in the form of the sex abuse scandal, rejecting modernity, and clinging to long ago debunked "science" and "natural law" doctrines dating back to the 1200's. Personally, as a former Catholic, the institutional church deserves to die because of all the evil it has done in terms of engendering anti-gay hatred, generating self-loathing by and groundless guilt on the part of I suspect a huge majority of Catholics, and causing interference in democratic government that should not be based on the religious views of some to the detriment of other citizens. It is also curious that the parishes that often are targeted for closing are either old ethnic parishes or those who stray from far right Church orthodoxy. In the feudal system based Church it's obvious that the laity - the equivalent of the Medieval serfs - have no power. It is also telling that the bishop needs a police escort when visiting parishes. The Washington Post looks at this phenomenon in Cleveland, but the same trend is happening across the USA - even as the Church invests in anti-gay and anti-religious freedom initiatives. Here are some highlights:
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CLEVELAND -- A bell tolled solemnly as a man read the names of the fallen churches like a list of dearly departed saints. St. Hedwig's, recently sold to a drug rehabilitation agency. St. Andrew's, demolished months ago.
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Now joining them is St. Emeric's, an old Hungarian parish, where about 100 parishioners gathered Wednesday to say goodbye. The church is the last of 50 parishes to close its doors, ending a massive downsizing of mostly older, ethnic parishes decreed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland because of falling attendance, a priest shortage and financial problems.
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Roman Catholic dioceses across the country have been struggling for years to maintain aging churches amid declining parishioners and financial problems exacerbated by the clergy sex abuse scandal. In Boston, dozens of parishes have been closed or consolidated in recent years.
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Before entering St. Emeric's for the last time, the faithful gathered outside to sing Hungarian hymns and criticize Bishop Richard Lennon, who has overseen the closings. "We have done all in our power to keep our churches open," said Bob Kloos, vice president of Endangered Catholics, a local group that has tried to fight the closings. "And we witness the unacceptable loss of yet another vibrant, ethnic treasure."
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The churches primarily serving Cleveland's ethnic groups, which include the Polish, Hungarians and Slovenians, claim that they are being unfairly targeted by the diocese. Amid rising anger from parishioners, [Bishop] Lennon has canceled plans for some farewell Masses and warned congregations not to set up "renegade" churches. When the bishop does attend Mass, he generally is escorted by police officers.
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The fates of shuttered churches are slowly emerging. In Akron, St. Hedwig Church was sold to a drug rehabilitation agency for $399,000. Once past debts are paid, the money from the sale will follow St. Hedwig's parishioners to the nearby parishes they have joined, Tayek said. Twenty-one church buildings are currently for up sale, worth a total of about $10 million. Others are still in limbo. Fourteen churches, including St. Emeric Church, are waiting for the Vatican to rule on their appeals to stay open. Until then, the diocese must maintain the empty buildings and cannot put them on the market.
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Clearly, had the hierarchy done its job and not allowed the sex abuse of children and youths go on for decades and decades, the billions of dollars paid out to abuse victims could have maintained parishes like St. Emeric's. Too bad more of the laity haven't figured this out and demanded the ouster of bishops, cardinals - and yes, Popes - guilty of criminal conspiracy and malfeasance.

ACLU Issues Travel Warnings to Arizona

I continue to maintain that bigotry and intolerance is not good for tourism and/or attracting progressive businesses. Now, in what can only be a tourism disaster, Arizona is the subject of travel warnings by 28 affiliates of the ACLU who are warning of potential unwarranted arrests under Arizona's new anti-Hispanic immigration law. The affiliates are also offering information that can be downloaded and printed which advises those who may be improperly arrested for "looking" like illegals as to how to protect their rights. Perhaps to make up for lost tourism the Arizona tourism board can start marketing to the Klan and other white supremacist groups since the new immigration law - which is already being challenged in five court suits - is clearly racist in its intent. Here are some highlights from the Washington Post:
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PHOENIX -- The nation's top civil liberties group on Wednesday issued travel alerts for Arizona, saying the state's new law cracking down on illegal immigrants could lead to racial profiling and warrantless arrests.
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American Civil Liberties Union affiliates in Arizona, New Mexico and 26 other states put out the warnings in advance of the Fourth of July weekend. The Arizona chapter has received reports that law enforcement officers are already targeting some people even though the law doesn't take effect until July 29, its executive director said.
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The Arizona law requires police, while enforcing other laws, to question a person's immigration status if officers have a reasonable suspicion that the person is in the country illegally. It also makes it a state crime for legal immigrants to not carry their immigration documents, . . .
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[T]he ACLU still believes that officers will inappropriately target minorities. "We have a long history of racial profiling in this state, and this is basically going to really exacerbate that problem," said Alessandra Soler Meetze, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona. The ACLU's warnings were accompanied by a "bust card" that citizens or non-citizens can print out or download to their mobile phone instructing them about their rights during encounters with police.
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Besides ACLU affiliates in Arizona and New Mexico, chapters in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming issued the alerts.
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Welcome to Amerika!

More Wednesday Male Beauty

Might Christian Legal Society v. Martinez Doom Prop 8?

As several bloggers have picked up here and here, Theodore Boutrous, plaintiffs' counsel in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, has written a letter to Judge Walker advising him of the Supreme Court's decision in Christian Legal Society v. Martinez handed down earlier this week and encouraged Judge Walker to consider it in his decision whether to find Proposition 8 to be in violation of the US Constitution. A portion of the letter is set out in the image above. The complete letter can be found here. The pertinent parts of the letter are as follows:
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In Christian Legal Society, the Supreme Court definitively held that sexual orientation is not merely behavioral, but rather, that gay and lesbian individuals are an identifiable class.
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This confirms that a majority of the Court now adheres to Justice O’Connor’s view in Lawrence, where she concluded that “the conduct targeted by [the Texas anti-sodomy] law is conduct that is closely correlated with being homosexual” and that, “[u]nder such circumstances, [the] law is targeted at more than conduct” and “is instead directed toward gay persons as a class,” id. at 583 (O’Connor, J., concurring in judgment)
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The Court’s holding arose in response to Christian Legal Society’s argument that it was not discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation, but rather because gay and lesbian individuals refused to acknowledge that their conduct was morally wrong. The Court rejected that argument, holding that there is no distinction between gay and lesbian individuals and their conduct.
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Obviously, if Boutrous' analysis is correct and is accepted by Judge Walker, the prospect that Proposition 8 - and other anti-gay statutes and constitutional amendments - will survive and not be struck down would seem greatly reduced. Should Proposition 8 be struck down in reliance in part of Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, the irony is that the Christianist will have helped set the stage for their own defeat.

Obama Subpoenaed in Choi Case

I love Dan Choi's daring and his refusal to be satisfied with mealy mouthed speeches that are followed by inaction. Talking to him one on one by telephone back before the National Equality March last October was a treat indeed. Now, Choi has again demonstrated that he is willing to push the envelop, if you will, and has subpoenaed Barack Obama in the criminal case he and Capt. James Pietrangelo are facing on July 14, 2010, for chaining themselves the the White House fence while demanding action on DADT repeal. I am convinced that just as civil rights advances in the 1960's took place because Martin Luther King and others refused to be non-confrontational and quietly wait for crumbs to be tossed to Black Americans, so too, the movement for LGBT rights will not succeed simply by pandering for "access" and holding no one accountable. Here are some highlights from The Advocate on this latest development:

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The lawyers for Lt. Dan Choi and Capt. James Pietrangelo II Wednesday served a subpoena to President Barack Obama seeking his testimony in their July 14 hearing in D.C. superior court.
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As part of their defense, the two men claim that they were following orders from the commander in chief himself, who as both a candidate and a sitting president requested that LGBT advocates hold him accountable and “pressure” him to deliver on his campaign promises.
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The defense summary notes, in particular, Obama’s remarks during the Human Rights Campaign dinner on October 10, 2009.
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“It’s not for me to tell you to be patient, any more than it was for others to counsel patience to African-Americans petitioning for equal rights half a century ago,” he said. “And that’s why it’s so important that you continue to speak out, that you continue to set an example, that you continue to pressure leaders — including me — and to make the case all across America.”
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The defense lawyers further claim that the president’s statements “support the contention that the Defendants were acting out of necessity, in order to prevent discrimination and greater harm to gay service members now serving.”

Wednesday Male Beauty

Doctor Treating Pregnant Women with Drug to Prevent Lesbianism

I guess something like this should have been expected, yet it is very frightening - especially since the doctor pushing (pictured at right) this treatment regime candidly doesn't (1) know if it will work and (2) doesn't know what unexpected consequences and side effects/damage it might cause. My mother took DES when pregnant with me because it supposedly reduced miscarriages. It turns out that it did no such thing, but it DID cause unusual cancers and other problems in the children of many mothers who took DES. Given this story on ending lesbianism, one has to wonder when the Christo-fascists will begin also demanding research on drugs that will make all children white, blond and blue eyed. This "research" has all the hallmarks of something out of the plot of Frankenstein. As for the parents who would take such drugs, I would propose that they probably should not be parents in the first place. Here are some highlights via Dan Savage at The Stranger:
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Pediatric endocrinologist Maria New—of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Florida International University—isn't just trying to prevent lesbianism by treating pregnant women with an experimental hormone. She's also trying to prevent the births of girls who display an "abnormal" disinterest in babies, don't want to play with girls' toys or become mothers, and whose "career preferences" are deemed to "masculine." Unbelievable:
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Pediatric endocrinologist Maria New, of Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Florida International University, and her long-time collaborator, psychologist Heino F. L. Meyer-Bahlburg, of Columbia University, have been tracing evidence for the influence of prenatal androgens in sexual orientation.... They specifically point to reasons to believe that it is prenatal androgens that have an impact on the development of sexual orientation. The authors write, "Most women were heterosexual, but the rates of bisexual and homosexual orientation were increased above controls . . . and correlated with the degree of prenatal androgenization.”
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In a paper published just this year in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, New and her colleague, pediatric endocrinologist Saroj Nimkarn of Weill Cornell Medical College, go further, constructing low interest in babies and men—and even interest in what they consider to be men’s occupations and games—as “abnormal,” and potentially preventable with prenatal dex:
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“Gender-related behaviors, namely childhood play, peer association, career and leisure time preferences in adolescence and adulthood, maternalism, aggression, and sexual orientation become masculinized in 46,XX girls and women with 21OHD deficiency [CAH]. These abnormalities have been attributed to the effects of excessive prenatal androgen levels on the sexual differentiation of the brain and later on behavior.” Nimkarn and New continue: “We anticipate that prenatal dexamethasone therapy will reduce the well-documented behavioral masculinization...”
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It seems more than a little ironic to have New, one of the first women pediatric endocrinologists and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, constructing women who go into “men’s” fields as “abnormal.” And yet it appears that New is suggesting that the “prevention” of “behavioral masculinization” is a benefit of treatment to parents with whom she speaks about prenatal dex.
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So no more Elena Kagans, no more Donna Shalalas, no more Martina Navratilovas, no more k.d. langs, no more Constance McMillens—because all women must grow up to suck dick, crank out babies, and do women's work. And the existence of adult women who are not interested in "becoming someone's wife" and "making babies" constitutes a medical emergency that requires women who are currently pregnant to be treated with an experimental hormone. Otherwise their daughters could grow up to, um, be nominated to sit on the Supreme Court, serve as cabinet secretaries, take 18 Grand Slam singles titles, win Grammies, or take their girlfriends to prom. And we can't have that.

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UPDATE: A little more about dex from Alice Dreger: The specific drug we're talking about, dexamethasone, is not a benign drug for pregnant women, nor for the children exposed in utero. The studies we do have on the early prenatal use of "dex" are worrisome. The number of women and children missing from the follow-up studies of this drug use is more worrisome still. This drug is unequivocally experimental and risky.
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Make no mistake: In spite of Dr. Maria New's outrageous FDA-regulation-flaunting claims that this off-label drug use "has been found safe for mother and child," it ain't been. New is a rogue pediatrician whom medical societies have been nudging (and sometimes yelling at) for years.

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This is a worrisome development that ought to be stopped. One can only wonder how many women could have their lives - and health - profoundly damaged by such experimental research by someone who apparently believes that she can play God.

Montana GOP Releases Antigay Platform

Apparently, not wanting to be outdone by the lunatics in Texas, the Montana GOP has also adopted a platform that clearly shows the anti-gay agenda of the Christianists who now comprise such a significant percentage of the party's base. They want to reinstate the sodomy laws and criminalize gays. This is something that I have always believed was part of the religious zealots agenda - along with outlawing all abortions (if a mother dies from a pregnancy, it's merely God's will, apparently), returning prayer to public schools (Christian prayer only, of course), and banning all use of contraception, even for married couples. It's an extremist agenda, but then today's GOP is a religious based, extremist party. The irony is that while these folks have conniptions over the behavior of Islamic fundamentalists, they are of the same mind set when it comes to hate and intolerance of anyone who fails to live by their fear and hate based version of Christianity. Here are some details from Box Turtle Bulletin:
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Montana’s GOP essentially says the same thing [as the Texas GOP], but displays the directness and economy of words that the folks in Big Sky country are known for:
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Homosexual Acts. We support the clear will of the people of Montana expressed by legislation to keep homosexual acts illegal.
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There’s a silver lining though. They don’t seem interested in jailing anyone who conducts a same-sex marriage ceremony. But looking at the bigger picture, those mere twenty words are still saying the same thing. They want your gay butt in jail.
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One has to wonder when these folks are going to require that women not work outside the home and be subject to criminal charges if they challenge the will of their husbands.

More Tuesday Male Beauty

Supreme Court Rules Against Anti-Gay Christian Student Group

As I mentioned in passing, the Supreme Court dealt the anti-gay Christianists a major set back in its ruling yesterday that upheld Hastings Law School's decision to bar the Christian Legal Society as a recognized student organization because of CLS's failure to comply with the school's non-discrimination policy. The case is Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, 08-1371. CLS requires that members sign a "statement of faith" and regards "unrepentant participation in or advocacy of a sexually immoral lifestyle" - read homosexuality - as being inconsistent with that faith.” Happily, Justice Ginsburg who wrote the majority opinion correctly noted it was CLS that wanted special rights compared to other organizations which complied with the non-discrimination policy. But then, hypocrisy is always the norm with Christianists who seek to depict themselves as victims even as they persecute others. ABC News has some highlights on this ruling which correctly defeated CLS's effort to make public funds underwrite its religious based discrimination. Here are some highlights:
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An ideologically split Supreme Court ruled Monday that a law school can legally deny recognition to a Christian student group that won't let gays join, with one justice saying that the First Amendment does not require a public university to validate or support the group's "discriminatory practices."
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"In requiring CLS — in common with all other student organizations — to choose between welcoming all students and forgoing the benefits of official recognition, we hold, Hastings did not transgress constitutional limitations," said Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , who wrote the 5-4 majority opinion for the court's liberals and moderate Anthony Kennedy. "CLS, it bears emphasis, seeks not parity with other organizations, but a preferential exemption from Hastings' policy."
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[T]he decision is a large setback for the Christian Legal Society, which has chapters at universities nationwide and has won similar lawsuits in other [lower] courts.
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[Justice] Kennedy said "the era of loyalty oaths is behind us." "A school quite properly may conclude that allowing an oath or belief-affirming requirement, or an outside conduct requirement, could be divisive for student relations and inconsistent with the basic concept that a view's validity should be tested through free and open discussion," Kennedy said.
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Justice John Paul Stevens was even harsher, saying while the Constitution "may protect CLS's discriminatory practices off campus, it does not require a public university to validate or support them."
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Stevens, who plans to retire this summer, added that "other groups may exclude or mistreat Jews, blacks and women — or those who do not share their contempt for Jews, blacks and women. A free society must tolerate such groups. It need not subsidize them, give them its official imprimatur, or grant them equal access to law school facilities."
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What further defeats may befall Christianists in the wake of yesterday's decision is yet to be seen. An article in The Advocate suggests that some faith based initiatives which have involved religious organizations receiving taxpayer funds yet being allowed to discriminate against other citizens/taxpayers. Here are a few highlights:
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The decision has even more important implications for LGBT rights, however. The court’s analysis strongly supports the position that when the government provides funding to private groups, it can require that the recipient agree not to discriminate against LGBT people. This is significant because for years, faith-based groups providing purely secular social services funded by government contracts or grants have maintained that they have a right to discriminate against LGBT people despite receiving public funds. The court’s decision suggests that faith-based grant recipients have no right to a special exemption from nondiscrimination requirements.
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The court’s decision will provide strong ammunition in challenges to laws that claim to regulate conduct but in fact discriminate against LGBT people, such as the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
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Monday’s decision is a serious defeat for antigay groups that have been working aggressively to establish the radical proposition that antidiscrimination laws—particularly those that include sexual orientation — violate the First Amendment. At the same time, antigay groups have mounted an aggressive propaganda campaign, falsely claiming that basic equality protections pose a threat to freedom of speech and religion. The court’s holding Monday will help put a stop to those efforts to roll back crucial antidiscrimination protections for LGBT people.