More Saturday Male Beauty

RIP model Charles Devoe

The Sad Spectacle of John McCain and the Arc of History

There are those who have the ability to tap into the sense of changing times and then there are those who insist on closing their eyes and refusing to accept the reality of societal change. John McCain - who I enthusiastically supported when he was running for president in 2000 - has proven himself to fall into the alter category. Ironically, his wife and daughter Meghan understood the changing times, while McCain himself refused to do so and likely tarnished his image for posterity. His opposition to DADT and the expansion of equality to more citizens - and his selection of Sarah Palin, an intellectual cretin - to satisfy the most intolerant and bigoted segments of U.S. society may well be what he is remembered for above all else. Given his re-election for another 6 year term at his age, one might have thought that he'd realize that he'd likely never see another re-election campaign and give into his better muses, but such was not the case. I'm now embarrassed to say I ever though well of the man. A column in the Washington Post looks at McCain's sad spectacle in the Senate today. Here are highlights:
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It doesn't take much to set off McCain these days. Earlier in the week, he was observed in the unseemly act of publicly gloating on the Senate floor over his success in killing a massive spending bill. He's also been raising hurdles to the ratification of the Obama administration's nuclear arms treaty with Russia. At the same time, he led the opposition Saturday to repealing the ban on openly gay men and lesbians serving in the military - taking on Lieberman, who led the other side.
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McCain's statement on the floor was roughly one part argument, four parts tantrum. "So here we are about six weeks after an election that repudiated the agenda of the other side," he said, and those who would repeal don't-ask-don't-tell "are acting in direct repudiation of the message of the American people." (Actually, polls show support for repeal.)
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He bemoaned "this bizarro world that the majority leader has been carrying us in," and taunted: "Maybe it will require another election." The Arizonan suggested those who vote to repeal would have blood on their hands. "Don't think that it won't be at great cost," he said, punctuating his words by bouncing on his toes and chopping with his left hand. It will "probably," he said, "harm the battle effectiveness which is so vital to the survival of our young men and women in the military."
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On Saturday, McCain's rage was all the more striking because the general tone of the debate was tame. Republicans were mostly defensive, objecting not to the service of homosexuals in the military but to procedures and other technical matters. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) said of the repeal: "Should it be done at some point in time? Maybe so, but in the middle of a military conflict is not the time to do it." Such tactical arguments made it appear that the opponents were standing against the inevitable tide of history.
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I believe that equality and the religious freedom promised by the U. S. Constitution but long denied to LGBT Americans won out today. The forces that rail against modernity and seek to inflict on religious based discrimination on gays will continue to foment hatred, but their days are limited and soon they will join the ranks of past members of the Klu Klux Klan who are viewed with horror by later generations. Andrew Sullivan summed up well what happened today in my view:
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What the gay rights movement should, in my view, be about is not the creation of a separate, protected class of victims. It should be about enlarging the circle of human freedom so that there are no excuses left, no classes of pre-ordained victims, just individual citizens living different lives with no group-based discrimination.
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This does not deny the uniqueness of different cultures, the value of a distinct minority, the differentness of race and gender and orientation and religion and geography. It merely says that politics should be indifferent to this cacophony of voices and carnival of color. Politics should merely address those core civil inequalities that keep groups separate, alien and mutually suspicious. By removing the bar on military service and the bar on marriage, the gay rights movement is, slowly, increasingly, making America more whole and the gay rights movement obsolete. I long for that day. But I will always cherish this one.

DADT Repeal Passes the Senate - And the Christianist Go Berserk

Wow!! DADT repeal passed the Senate with a vote of 63 yes votes. In many ways, I was afraid to truly hope that repeal would pass. It seems we've had so many set backs and so many false promises. I am still a little bit stunned. However, repeal id not a done deal as yet since as SLDN has outlined (1) Obama must still sign the bill, (2) Obama and the Joint Chiefs need to sign off on certification, and (3) there is a 60 day delay o effectiveness after Obama transmits written certification to the congressional Armed Services Committees. Nonetheless, a huge obstacle has been surmounted with the Senate Vote and the vote shows that at least six Republicans understand the concept of religious freedom under the U. S. Constitution. Here are highlights from The Advocate:
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In a historic vote Saturday morning that seemed highly improbable just weeks earlier, the U.S. Senate approved a stand-alone bill to proceed on repealing the military’s 17-year-old ban on lesbians and gays serving openly in the military.
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The vote was 63-33, paving the way for a final vote on the bill Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the same piece of legislation earlier this week and sending the bill to the president's desk will only require approval from a majority of senators.
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Six Republicans joined Democrats in voting to end the ban: Sens. Scott Brown, Susan Collins, Mark Kirk, Lisa Murkowski, Olympia Snowe, and George Voinovich. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia was absent for the vote. Sen. Lieberman said from the floor that open service was not a liberal or conservative ideal, a Republican or Democratic ideal, but an American ideal. “It’s time to right a wrong and put the military in line with the best of American values,” Lieberman said.
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The White House has issued the following statement from President Obama on Saturday's Senate vote to proceed on DADT repeal: "Today, the Senate has taken an historic step toward ending a policy that undermines our national security while violating the very ideals that our brave men and women in uniform risk their lives to defend. By ending 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,' no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military, despite years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be gay. And no longer will many thousands more be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country they love.
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Despite the jubilation on the part of many, the bigots were not quiet in defeat. This from The Advocate article:
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In a final act of protest, Sen. John McCain called it “a very sad day” and imagined that a successful vote would lead to “high fives all over the liberal bastions of America.”
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“I hope that when we pass this legislation,” McCain said, “that we will understand that we are doing great damage, and we could possibly, and probably, as the commandant of the Marine Corps said … harm the battle effectiveness which is so vital to the survival of our young men and women in the military.”
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And among the Christianists, the spittle, bile and hate was off the charts. Among those spewing hate and demands for a theocratic repeal of todays DADT action are Matt Staver of Liberty Counsel, along with a coalition of anti-gay Christianist hate groups (i.e., American Family Association, Family Research Council; Liberty Counsel, Liberty Alliance Action, Vision America, The Oak Initiative, The Call to Action, Concerned Women for America, High Impact Leadership Coalition, Campaign for Working Families, Conservative Action Project, Traditional Values Coalition, and others), who today signed on to a letter vowing to force the next Congress to reverse today's repeal of DADT, American Family Association hate group radio host Byran Fischer, and of course, the Klan loving Tony Perkins of FRC. Staver ranted in part as follows:
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We promise a full mobilization of faith-based and policy organizations, veterans, and military families in the states of every Senator who voted for repeal of DADT against the advice of our service chiefs and during a time of war. Those Senators - and the Pentagon leaders responsible for this breach of trust - should understand that they will be the object of concerted political action against them."
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Fischer and Perkins had the following batshitery. First Fischer:
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"The armies of other nations have allowed gays to serve openly in the military. The reason they could afford to do this is simple: they could allow homosexuals to serve in their military because we didn’t allow them to serve in ours. They knew they could count on the strength, might, power, and cohesion of the U.S. military to intervene whenever and wherever necessary to pull their fannies out of the fire and squash the forces of tyranny wherever they raised their ugly heads around the world. "Those days are now gone. We will no longer be able to bail out these other emasculated armies because ours will now be feminized and neutered beyond repair
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And the ever hateful Perkins said this in part:*
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"Today is a tragic day for our armed forces. The American military exists for only one purpose - to fight and win wars. Yet it has now been hijacked and turned into a tool for imposing on the country a radical social agenda. This may advance the cause of reshaping social attitudes regarding human sexuality, but it will only do harm to the military's ability to fulfill its mission.
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I expect we will see ever more lunacy from this hate merchants and modern day Pharisees. Hopefully, the insanity will open the eyes of more Americans as to the foul nature of these false Christians.

Sane Republicans - A Truly Vanishing Breed

The Republican Party of today is increasingly hostile to much of what the party once stood for - particularly when it comes to fiscal responsibility. In addition, the party has become so craven to the most intolerant and hate-filled elements of the Christianists that attacks on the faith of others for mere political advantage and delay seem to be the norm. Attacks on Harry Reid's faith by GOP Senators Jon Kyl and Jim DeMint in response Reid's statement that he'd keep the Senate in session until January 4, 2011 (the formal end of the session) demonstrate just how cynical and nasty the GOP has become. In response to these unconscionable attacks, former GOP Congressman Joe Scarborough - with whom I don't always agree, but who is 100% on point on this issue - had the following to say:
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"It’s offensive that people would use Christianity for political leverage with an argument that is so baseless that I got to say, my breath is taken away. Do we want to start with the most obvious one about who else is not going to be home on Christmas day? Troops in Afghanistan. ... The Republican Party has the upper hand in so many ways; in these areas they need to just shut their mouth. They’re embarrassing themselves," - Joe Scarborough, in response to Jon Kyl saying Harry Reid is "disrespecting" Christians and Jim DeMint calling Reid "sacrilegious" to consider keeping the Senate in session through January 4.
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While Kyl's and Demint's comments may play well with the Kool-Aid drinking set, I suspect that they will only further alienate moderates and independents.

Far Right Hysteria as DADT Vote Approaches

While I continue to hold my breath on what will happen with the DADT vote, it is rather entertaining to watch the batshitery and hysteria roiling through the Christian Right as its spokesman and bigots-in-chief realize that their favorite tool for marketing the concept that gays are inferior may be about to fall. The flying spittle and rants and threats would be humorous but for the fact that it shows just how mentally/emotionally untethered some of the Christianists have become. Now, the hate group, Family Research Council is threatening to "endorse and fund" primary challenges to any Republicans who vote for DADT repeal. Somehow, I don't believe that support from an increasingly shrill hate group will lead to a great deal of election victories and, if some GOP incumbents are defeated in primaries, Democrats will likely be the principal beneficiaries of the efforts of the Bible beating hate merchants. Here are highlights from Right Wing Watch on FRC's hyperventilating and threats:
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Today [yesterday], The Daily Caller printed a memo written by Freedom Federation founder Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel that was distributed to his Religious Right allies laying out the ten senators they intended to target: Senators need to know that they will be held accountable for how they vote on this issue. Within the next 48 hours be sure to communicate with your constituencies that the following ten Senators in the following states must be contacted, urging them to vote against overturning DADT:
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Ben Nelson – Nebraska; Jon Tester – Montana; Kent Conrad – North Dakota; Joe Manchin – West Virginia; Jim Webb – Virginia; Claire McCaskill – Missouri; Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe – Maine; Scott Brown – Massachusetts; Lisa Murkowski – Alaska
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Family Research Council took it a step further and officially announced that they will "endorse and fund conservative primary challengers to any U.S. Senator who votes to overturn 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' during the lame-duck session":
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FRC Action PAC will work to remove any U.S. Senator who would place liberal special interests ahead of the priorities of the American people. . . . . the men and women of the Armed Forces who are engaged in fighting two wars should not be distracted by Congress using them to advance a liberal social agenda. Using the Senate’s time in the lame-duck session to pay back his liberal political base is simply absurd and demonstrates once again Senator Reid’s misplaced priorities. Members of the Senate should refuse to become accomplices in helping Harry Reid advance his agenda over the American people’s agenda,” concluded Mackey.
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Never mind that polls show that 77% of the public and even a majority of Republicans favor repeal. The Christianists continue to live in their bizarre bubble like world that doesn't countenance that their version is increasingly rejected - especially by younger voters who are opting more and more to place themselves in the "no religion" category. It will be the "godly Christians" like the shrill Pharisees at FRC and the Vatican that ultimately kill Christianity.

Saturday Male Beauty

Will Today See the Death of DADT?

Like so many, I feel that I've been on an emotional roller coaster with the DADT repeal saga with moods ranging from near despair to hopeful optimism. Hopefully, the Senate will vote for repeal today and DADT and its enshrinement of religious based discrimination will be headed to the trash heap of history. Frankly, I can't fully bring myself to hope too much for success since we've seen so many games and disingenuous moves by Senate Republicans who continue to ignore the will of the majority of Americans and instead kiss the asses of the Pharisee-like Christianists. As noted before, the end of DADT will have a huge subconscious impact on communities such as Hampton Roads where the secrecy created by and bigotry supported by DADT has so often spilled over into the private sector. The Washington Post has coverage that suggests repeal will indeed happen. I hope it's accurate. Here are highlights:
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Gay rights activists, congressional aides and supportive lawmakers are anticipating a successful vote this weekend to end the military's "don't ask, don't tell" law.
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But for Stacey Vasquez and David Hall, discharged by the military for violating the law, the tumultuous - and protracted - political fight regarding gays in the military is about much more than policy and procedure. "It's not just a vote. This is my life," Vasquez said Friday at a Capitol Hill news conference. "This is what I was called to do; it's what I want to do; it's what I'm inspired to do." Vasquez, a 12-year Army veteran, said former colleagues call every day asking when she can reenlist.
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Hall, a 36-year-old Air Force veteran, has been fighting to end the ban since his discharge in 2001. "It seems like it's going on forever. But you know, we are so close," he said Friday.
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A key procedural vote is scheduled for Saturday. Lieberman and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) are sponsoring the bill to end "don't ask, don't tell" that passed the House this week. Supporters expect a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate now that Collins and three other Republicans - Scott Brown (Mass.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Olympia J. Snowe (Maine) - are expected to vote with 57 members of the Senate Democratic caucus.
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[C]onservative activists are also trying to sway wavering Republicans. There is no reason to rush passage of radical, irreversible legislation, particularly when commitments were made to do so only after full debate" of the Pentagon's recent report on how to end the ban, said Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, a group opposed to ending the law.
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Obviously, it's not surprising that Elaine Donnelly is hysterically opposing repeal: if DADT is repealed, her organization will no longer have a reason to exist and - oh, the horrors - Ms. Donnelly will have to get a real job or become a stay at home wife (where the Bible says she should be anyways per the Bible beaters' reading of the Bible). It's far past time that opportunistic parasites like Donnelly who want to subvert religious freedom be sent into retirement.

Neo-Nazi Gets Life Sentance for Murder of Gay Teen

As noted in a prior post, Pope Benedict XVI has claimed from the perspective of the bizarre and perverted alternate universe in which the man apparently lives, that Christians are the most persecuted people on earth. Tell that to the family of Kristofer King (pictured at right) who was murdered at the age of 17, for merely being gay. His murderer, Neo-Nazi, John Ditullio, no doubt believed that murdering King was perfectly fine if he had listen to the anti-gay bile that pours from the Vatican and other self-anointed fonts of godly-Christian ism such as hate group leader Tony Perkins. Fortunately, it took the jury at Ditullio's trial only 30 minutes to render a life sentence without parole for King's murder and Ditullio's attack on Patricia Wells - who Ditullio attacked because Wells was friends with a black man. Sadly, Ditullio is the product of the hate and bigotry that is fueled by anti-gay religious leaders and groups such as Family Research Council that cannot abide anyone who they deem to be "other." Here are highlights from WTSP-TV10:
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After less than 30 minutes of deliberations, a jury recommended life in prison to the man found guilty of killing a gay teen and stabbing a woman in New Port Richey. The judge followed the jury's recommendation and on Thursday sentenced John Ditullio, 24, to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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Prosecutors say he broke into a mobile home in New Port Richey of 2006 and fatally stabbed Kristofer King, 17, because he was gay, and injured Patricia Wells because she was friends with a black man. Wells was in court for the penalty phase Thursday. She said didn't sleep at home after the jury handed down the guilty verdict Wednesday night. "I got a hotel," she said. "I'm still scared. I'm scared of retaliation."
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Ditullio's sister and grandmother also took the stand to say that Ditullio is "very kind" and artistic. Ditullio's attorneys plan to appeal the guilty verdict. They have 30 days to file their appeal.
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Given FRC's Tony Perkins' past affiliations with white supremacy groups, he likely views Ditullio as twice martyred. I believe that fundamentalist religions of every creed, Catholic, Muslim, Christian, and all the rest, are one of the great evils in the world today. They clearly help set the stage for hate, murder and bigotry.

Please Vote for DADT Repeal in Online Survey

The Virginian Pilot is running an online poll on DADT repeal and the fundies are voting against repeal in droves - no doubt, The Family Foundation, which has a pernicious network across the state, has its theocratic minions voting to continue religious based discrimination - in the hope of intimidating Senators Warner and Webb. Please go to the poll here and vote for repeal.

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DADT repeal is hugely important, particularly in areas like Hampton Roads that have huge numbers of military service members. DADT is an insult to religious freedom and needs to be thrown on the garbage heap of history.

Friday Male Beauty

The False Gospel of the GOP

For a political party that claims to be the champion of family values and intense supporter of Christianity - and therefore, one would assume of the Gospel message - the Republican Party has a strange and perverted version of the Gospel. Christ spoke of assisting the sick, the poor, the hungry, the homeless, and the less fortunate, yet these are the very people that Republicans hold in active contempt. Indeed, given their option, the Republicans would do away with all social programs that support those whom the Gospel directs be taken care of. And instead, the GOP aligns itself with those who are either immensely wealthy or who act as the Pharisees so roundly condemned by Christ. The disingenuousness and hypocrisy is absolutely shocking, yet too often the media fails to call out the falsely pious and make them explain their utterly perverted approach to the religion they claim to worship. A column in the Washington Post asks the question: In a time of economic turmoil and record poverty levels, are tax cuts for the wealthy moral? Obviously, the answer in my view is no, it's not moral. But it is fully in keeping with a religious tradition now largely known for its contempt - if not open hatred - of others rather than its love and acts of compassion. Here are some column highlights:
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Some politicians argue that religious values should be reflected in the public square. Should this faith-based view of politics be applied to the economy? Jesus said, "Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."
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Are tax cuts for the rich immoral? Not always. Certainly, when the government enjoys a big surplus, having captured more of taxpayers' dollars than it needs to pay its bills, an across-the-board tax cut to all Americans is one of the best, and most morally justifiable, public policy options.
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When the country's facing a big deficit, however, as we are today, it's a different story. That's when difficult choices have to be made. And that's when one's faith, it seems to me, must come into play.
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For Christians, especially, the message is clear. Read the New Testament. Jesus paid special attention to the poor and expected his followers to do the same - even to the point of shedding all their worldly possessions to help the poor. That same theme of helping the less fortunate permeates both the Old Testament and the Quran.
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In light of that clear moral imperative, those who would burden our grandchildren with paying for tax cuts for today's millionaires - or demand tax cuts for the wealthiest of Americans as a price for helping the poor and unemployed - either ignore the teachings of their faith or are deliberately throwing faith and morality out the window.

Air Force Officer Vows to Violate Orders if DADT Repealed

In yet further proof that the military needs to shed itself of Christian extremists who think they and their beliefs are above the law, a whack job in the Air Force - one Force Lt. Col. Stacy L. Maxey - has publicly vowed via a letter in Stars and Stripes to disregard military regulations if DADT is repealed. Apparently, Maxey only feels good about himself when he can treat others with hate and contempt. His ass needs to be court martialed and he needs to be booted from the military, hopefully with a loss of retirement pay and ideally some jail time uf he carries through on his threat. We hear whining from the far right about Muslims and gays in the military, but in my view, these radical, hate filled Christians pose a huge danger to the military and are clearly NOT living up to their oaths to support and defend the Constitution. This nation is NOT a religious theocracy, even though that's what folks like Maxey want it to be. I'd also question what major psychological problems is Maxey harboring if the thought of gays sends him so far over the edge? Is he another closet case like Robert Knight? Here are highlights from Huffington Post:
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Saying that his "commitment to [his] God supersedes [his] commitment to the DOD," Air Force Lt. Col. Stacy L. Maxey has publicly vowed to violate military regulations and his oath to the U.S. Constitution if DADT is repealed. In a letter published by Stars and Stripes, Lt. Col. Maxey claims that it would be hypocritical that he would "be free to express myself if I'm a homosexual, but not if I'm a Christian." . . .
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Here are highlights from Maxey's letter:
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DOD officials plan to tell servicemembers who have a problem with those living a homosexual lifestyle to "learn to deal with it," but they are prepared to counsel and/or slap Christians with paperwork if someone feels "offended" by our witness? Wearing sexual lifestyle choices on your sleeve is OK, but not your faith?
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Here's the truth: I will continue to witness to who I want, when I want and where I want. My commitment to my God supersedes my commitment to the DOD and, if officials are upset about that, then I guess they can "learn to deal with it."
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The Huffington Post piece continues with this, with which I fully agree:

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Upon being emailed Lt. Col. Maxey's Stars and Stripes letter this morning, MRFF founder and president Mikey Weinstein issued the following statement: "Lt. Col. Stacy L. Maxey is the quintessentially perfect example of a poisonous Poster Child of the vast legion of fundamentalist Christian proselytizing-oppressors operating with unfettered access in today's U.S. armed forces. He and his illegitimate ilk of pernicious spiritual predators must be stopped now and very publicly! Thus, MRFF demands that the United States Air Force immediately and forthwith subject Lt. Col. Maxey to the most severe punishment possible for his disgustingly brazen and incontrovertibly insubordinate screed which is clearly violative of the Uniform Code of Military Justice as well as his sworn oath to the United States Constitution."
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As is always the case with far right Christians. it is ALWAYS about the "rights" superceding the rights of everyone else.

More Thursday Male Beauty

Breaking: Reid Files Cloture on DADT- Vote Scheduled for Saturday.

Many of us in Hampton Roads with its thousands of gays in the military have been fretfully waiting to see what will happen to the stand alone DADT repeal bill in the Senate now that the House has passed the measure by a wide measure. Now, Harry Reid has filed for cloture - the process to kill filibuster attempts - and has said a vote will occur on Saturday. The Christianists will be going berserk, so it is important that U.S. readers call their senators and reaffirm that DADT repeal must be passed. Here are highlights first from from Pam's House Blend and then Politico:
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Movement on DADT repeal is in the air and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid not long ago filed cloture on the stand-alone DADT repeal bill passed on Wednesday by the House and the DREAM Act. The cloture vote will be held on Saturday.
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And here's the Politico quote:
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REID: I'm going to file cloture tonight on the DREAM Act, we're going to have a vote on that Saturday morning fairly early. We're going to have a cloture vote tonight on Don't Ask, Don't Tell- oh, not a cloture vote, I'm going to file cloture on it tonight. Those will be sequenced for Saturday, whenever we get to them. Following that, I was told by a number of Republican Senators that they need 6 or 7 days to offer amendment on the START treaty.
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While repeal of DADT will not result in thousands of openly gay members of the military in this area overnight, it will radically change the atmosphere which all too often has spilled into the private business sector as well. Moreover, repeal of DADT will deprive the Christianists of a huge symbolic tool in their quest to marginalize and stigmatize LGBT Americans. I pray that the repeal vote goes forward and is successful.

Army Birther Convicted on All Counts

I continually wonder how some of the far right came to be as crazy and untethered from reality. At the top of the list - okay, right behind some of the looniest fundamentalist Christians -are the birthers who, despite all of the evidence, continue to insist that Barack Obama, a/k/a the Liar-in-Chief, is not a native born citizen of the United States. They apparently failed geography and American history since Obama's birth in Hawaii makes him a U. S. citizen much more firmly than John McSenile who was born in the former Panama Canal Zone. One such Kool-Aid drinking birther is Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin, an Army physician (I don't believe I'd want him treating me if he's this nuts), who refused to follow orders based upon his insistence that Obama had failed to prove his Constitutional eligibility to serve as commander-in-chief. Fortunately, the court martial which took up Lakin's case was not amused and convicted Lakin on all charges. Here are highlights from Wing Nut Daily, which will likely try to make Lakin a hero/martyr:
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Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin apologized today for forcing the Army to court-martial him in hopes of compelling President Barack Obama to prove his Constitutional eligibility to serve as commander-in-chief.
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Convicted on all four charges against him, Lakin told his court-martial panel he is through disobeying orders and would resume his military career if the Army would let him.
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Note this comment from a birther blogger:
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I am angry about this," said court-martial observer Dr. Catherine Vandemoer, a well-known blogger on eligibility issues who traveled from North Dakota to support Lakin. "The system has failed," Vandemoer told WND. "They crushed him, and the questions about Obama's eligibility have still not been answered."

Flying Into Key West

Fellow Bilerico Project contributor, Father Tony, a/k/a Tony Adams, is vacationing in Key West - a wonderful place that the boyfriend introduced me to back in January, 2009. In fact, we will be visiting Key West again next month (it will be my 4th visit and the boyfriend's 29th). For those who have never visited Key West and felt the excitement of arriving in this sun kissed, gay accepting, and live and let live minded city, the video below (via Joe By God)filmed by Tony's partner offers a glimpse of the city's natural beauty.

Pope Claims Christians Are Most Persecuted Group

Proving once again that he lives in some warped parallel universe, Pope Benedict XVI, a/k/a God's Rottweiler, a/k/a the Nazi Pope, a/k/a Papa Ratzi, has come out with the ludicrous claim that Christians are the most persecuted of any group on the planet. Somehow, Papa Ratzi - maybe because he's lost somewhere in the 13th century - manages to ignore the fact that in much of the world and certainly in the USA and Europe, its the CHRISTIANS who are the persecutors. They are anything but the victims - indeed they demonize gays, Hispanics, non-Christians, and anyone else who does look and believe like they do. My advice to Benedict XVI and his sycophants - come outside of the bubble of the Vatican and the circle of ass kissing subordinates and take a look at the real world. In my view, Ratzinger's statement lends further proof that the man is (a) senile, (b) crazy, (c) out of touch with reality, or (d) all of the foregoing. Here are highlights from MSNBC on Benedict's latest batshitery:
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Pope Benedict XVI singled out Christians as the religious group that suffers from the most persecution on Thursday, denouncing lack of freedom of worship as an "intolerable" threat to world security.
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"Sadly, the year now ending has again been marked by persecution, discrimination, terrible acts of violence and religious intolerance," Benedict lamented in the message for World Peace Day, celebrated by the church on Jan. 1, but traditionally released in advance
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"At present, Christians are the religious group which suffers most from persecution on account of its faith," the pontiff asserted, and cited Christian communities suffering from violence and intolerance particularly in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Holy Land.
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He blasted what he called "more sophisticated forms of hostility to religion, which, in Western countries, occasionally find expression in a denial of history and the rejection of religious symbols which reflect the identity and the culture of the majority of its citizens." Benedict has been continuing a campaign launched by his predecessor, the late John Paul II, to reinvigorate Europe's "Christian roots."

Ken Cuccinelli, Eric Cantor and GOP Congressmen Support Hate Groups

I noted yesterday how Family Research Council and other groups registered as anti-gay hate groups and not yet registered hate groups were starting a campaign to recruit organizations and politicians to "stand in solidarity" with the organizations named by the Southern Poverty Law Center ("SPLC"). Remember, to be registered as a hate group by SPLC, it takes much more than merely stating religious beliefs. To be registered, a group and/or its spokesman/woman must disseminate known falsehoods and seek to slander and denigrate an entire segment of the population. Collectively, as noted by Right Wing Watch, the SPLC anti-hate groups have advocated or disseminated information supporting the following things:

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1. Gays should be exported from the country;
2. The federal government must be overthrown if it allows gay marriage;
3. "Moral perverts" need to be kept out of the military;
4. There is nothing "conservative" about "one man violently cramming his penis into another man’s lower intestine and calling it 'love'";
5. Homosexual behavior ought to be outlawed;
6. Gay sex ought to carry criminal penalties;
7. Gays ought to be prohibited from serving in public office;
8. Gay sex is domestic terrorism;
9. "Hitler recruited around him homosexuals to make up his Stormtroopers ... [because] homosexual soldiers basically had no limits [to] the savagery and brutality they were willing to inflict."

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Pretty strong stuff and certainly far beyond mere statements of religious belief. So who do you think has signed on "in solidarity" with such statements? Not surprisingly, a veritable who's who of the extremist religious right, including a The Family Foundation here in Virginia and Virginia's , in my view, mentally disturbed Attorney General, Ken "Kookinelli" Cuccinelli and Virginia Congressman Eric Cantor who, although Jewish, can never seem to kiss enough Christian Right ass. Also standing in solidarity are a number of Focus on the Family affiliates and the following Republicans:

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Senator David Vitter - (R-LA)
Senator Roger Wicker - (R-MS)
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann - (R-MN)
Speaker-designate John Boehner - (R-OH)
U.S. House of Representatives

Majority Leader-elect Eric Cantor - (R-VA)
Congressman John Fleming, M.D. - (R-LA)
Congressman Trent Franks - (R-AZ)
Congressman Louie Gohmert - (R-TX)
Congressman Jeb Henserling - (R-TX)
Congressman Jim Jordan - (R-OH)
Congressman Steve King - (R-IA)
Congressman Donald Manzullo - (R-IL)
Congressman Kevin McCarthy - (R-CA)
Congressman-elect Alan Nunnelee - (R-MS)
Congressman Mike Pence - (R-IN)
Congressman Joe Pitts - (R-PA)
Congressman Peter Roskam - (R-IL)
Congressman Steve Scalise - (R-LA)
Congressman Lamar Smith - (R-TX)
tives Congressman Fred Upton - (R-MI)
Senator Jim DeMint - Senator
Virginia Ken Cuccinelli - Attorney General
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Yes, the list includes the ever teary eyed Mr. Boehner among those members of Congress who don't give a rat's ass about the U.S. Constitution's guaranty of freedom of religion for ALL citizens, not just a certain brand of Kool-Aid drinking Christians. As such, ALL of the signatories ought to resign from office because they clearly are not supporting and upholding the U. S. Constitution.
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It would be nice to see main stream media news anchors and commentators asking these elected officials on camera why and how they justify supporting hate groups. Maybe Tom Brokaw will give it a try since he seems to want to give a free pass to groups like FRC.

Thursday Male Beauty

The Continuing Fool's Errand in Afghanistan

True to form, the military leadership struts and blathers about success in Afghanistan. The true facts on the ground demonstrate that such pronouncements are overly optimistic or perhaps even down right false - particularly when Afghanistan's corrupt president says he'd pick the Taliban if he had to pick between the Taliban, the USA and the international coalition forces. But our generals - an most in the GOP - have never seen a war that they don't love and in which they won't try to claim they're winning no matter the objective facts. George Will has a column in the Washington Post that ponders whether or not the Taliban may be about to pull off an equivalent of the 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam which will underscore the madness of continuing the debacle of squandered treasure and needlessly lost American lives. American hubris continues to make the military leadership believe they can do what no one has done before, including the Soviets and their 10 year nightmare which helped set the stage for the fall of the Soviet government. Here are highlights from Will's column:
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Once when the French statesman Duc de Richelieu (1766-1822) was planning a military campaign, an officer placed a finger on a map, saying: "We shall cross the river at this point." Richelieu replied: "Excellent, sir, but your finger is not a bridge."
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The difference between planning and accomplishing in war is on many minds as the Obama administration reviews progress, such as it has been, in Afghanistan in the 54 weeks since the president simultaneously announced the surge and a July 2011 beginning of "the transfer of our forces out of Afghanistan."
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Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005, was recently asked (on ABC's "This Week") to assess progress there. He responded with minimalist optimism: There has been "localized improvement" in "certain areas."
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[T]he fundamental questions are: Can Afghan security forces become competent while the Afghan government remains riddled with, indeed defined by, corruption? If they cannot, can America successfully combat corruption and the Taliban, simultaneously?
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The Taliban is culturally primitive, so any sign of tactical sophistication is unsettling. Although it is unlikely that the Taliban leadership has as nuanced an understanding of the importance and dynamics of American public opinion in wartime as North Vietnam's leadership did, Taliban leaders surely know that North Vietnam won the Vietnam War not in Vietnam but in America.
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Might the Taliban's tactics, techniques and procedures (in military argot, TTP) make possible a spike in violence in some way comparable to Tet in its impact on American opinion?
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Twenty-three months from now, Obama will have been reelected, or not. The outcome depends partly on whether the party's left, which provides a disproportionate portion of the party's energy, is energized. On Election Day 2012, what already is America's longest war will be in its 12th year.
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Whatever one thinks of the current strategy in this war, Obama is prosecuting it with a vigor that indicates a refusal to allow political calculations to condition national security policy. This presidential virtue could imperil his presidency.

John Boehner's Misplaced Tears

I've come to believe that to be a Republican nowadays, one has to have a very misplaced sense of Christ's Gospel message (assuming one is Christian, of course) and a huge helping on callousness towards one's fellow man. Among the examples of this phenomenon are the GOP efforts to kill health care reform that would give more Americans access to preventive health care, make cuts in social programs that aid the poor, homeless and hungry, and perhaps kill Medicare and Social Security as well. And instead of such programs, the GOP offers tax cuts to the rich and an increasing wealth disparity in this country that now looks like something out of the bad old days of Central and South American banana republics. So much for the Gospel message of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and selling all that one has and giving it to the needy. Yet, it is precisely these cold, callous and utterly uncaring Republicans who love to wrap themselves and religion and describe themselves as champions of "family values" - but apparently only for rich and heterosexual families and children.

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Then there's cry baby John Boehner who seems to me to appear increasingly mentally disturbed. He crys at the drop of a pin, yet champions programs that do the opposite of what he claims to want for every Americans. I don't get it. Neither does Gail Collins in a New York Times op-ed. Here are some highlights:
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We’ve had to adjust to so many strange developments lately. I’m sure we’ll get used to having a speaker of the House who weeps a lot. That would be John Boehner, the new guy.
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Boehner is a gravel-voiced Ohioan who wears snazzy suits and hangs out a lot with lobbyists. One of the few cheery prospects the new year holds for Democrats is his upcoming demonization, since there is no such thing in 21st-century America as a loveable leader of the House of Representatives. Unless America is totally won over by the idea of a Sobbing Speaker.
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The American Dream has had such a bad year. During the campaign, it was tossed around by billionaire candidates who insisted on telling groups of underprivileged children that they, too, could someday own a mega-yacht or run a slimy but extremely profitable health care corporation. Now, John Boehner is blaming the Dream for making him howl like an abandoned puppy. It’s what my friend Rebecca Traister calls “Boehner doing Masterpiece Theater on the hard life of John Boehner.”
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Boehner is opposed to extending unemployment benefits for the jobless, and he wants to kill off the law that guarantees health coverage to all Americans. So you know when he starts weeping when his wife says she’s “real proud” of him, it’s not a sign of softness.
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Then this year, he voted against providing money to take care of our fellow citizens who became ill while doing rescue and reclamation work at ground zero after the terrorist attack. Twice.
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Boehner and his horrible Christianist supporters truly are the Pharisees of the Bible brought back to life in our times. They talk alot about God and piety, but then do the exact opposite of what Jesus would do. Frankly, it makes me sick and feel the word "hypocrites" on my lips.

Conservatives Stand Together for Anti-Gay Bigotry

A new post at the Religion Dispatches looks at the manner in which the ultra far right is rallying around the hate merchants recently registered as anti-hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Among those flocking to support Klan loving Tony Perkins and Family Research Council and the Wilmons of American Family Association are leaders of the Congressional Republicans and other hate groups or those that border on crossing the line through their deliberately false and denigrating "facts" that they disseminate to uphold legalized discrimination against LGBT Americans. While many describe themselves as "family values" organizations or even charities, in truth most do little or no actual charitable work. Instead, their efforts are disproportionately focused on demonizing LGBT Americans and trying to inflict their religious beliefs on all citizens. Here are some post highlights:
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In response to the Southern Poverty Law Center's designation of 13 religious right organizations as "hate groups" because of their anti-gay rhetoric and advocacy, the Family Research Council just launched a campaign to "stand in solidarity" with those groups that received the "hate group" label (and others the SPLC labeled anti-gay) and in defense of what they call "Judeo-Christian values."
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By joining together in "solidarity" -- signatories include usual suspects Republican Reps. John Boehner, Eric Cantor, Mike Pence, and Michele Bachmann; Republican Sens. Jim DeMint, James Inhofe, and David Vitter; and probable presidential hopefuls Mike Huckabee, Tim Pawlenty, and Rick Santorum -- these groups and individuals are standing together as demonizers of homosexuality and, in some cases, supporters of criminalizing it.
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[SPLC's Mark] Potok emphasized that the SPLC's decision to place a group on the list is not about criminality or violence, but is based on whether the groups in question "demonize other groups with falsehoods" or conspiracy theories. FRC, he added, has associated gay men with pedophilia, a known falsehood.

TPM's Evan McMorris-Santoro reported that the SPLC sees little difference between FRC and the KKK: As [SPLC's Heidi] Beirich told me, there is no difference between the FRC and the KKK in the eyes of the SPLC now. Still, she said that the hate group designation doesn't mean the SPLC thinks everyone who supports the FRC "has a full understanding of what they're up to."
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Warren Throckmorton, the evangelical psychologist who has played such a significant role in raising awareness of the evangelical world's use of myth and falsehood to spread homophobia, had last month taken the religious right groups to task for their "mostly unfortunate and unhelpful" responses to the the SPLC. He called Kaminer's free speech argument a "distraction" but also wrote that attempts by the evangelical groups to claim religious persecution "miss the point."
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But even as the anti-gay groups are attempting to elicit sympathy from the SPLC's decisions, they're overplaying their hand in a big way. After all, despite the big splash that the "hate group" designation first made, it sort of fizzled and the mainstream press continues to treat the "marriage" issue as simply a dispute over the meaning of the Bible over which well-meaning people can disagree. Bringing it up again, and involving so many high-profile Republicans, invites new and probably enhanced scrutiny of the rhetoric and actions which drew the SPLC's attention in the first place. . . Though perhaps it wasn't the SPLC that did that, but rather, fittingly, the religious right's own hubris.
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Throckmorton and I had heated e-mail exchanges in the past and it has been interesting to watch him cast aside the "change myth" and adopt a more moderate approach. Whether it's because his mind has become more open or the fact that he fears for his license if he bucks APA guidelines is hard to say.

More Wednesday Male Beauty

The cover model bears a resemblance to one of my law school roommates. :)

More Coverage of Sex Abuse Lawsuits Against Knights of Columbus

UPDATED: KGBT-TV-4 has coverage as well which can be found here. I love this part of the story:

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In speaking to neighbors in the area, they told us it wasn’t unusual to see young men frequent his [Rivera's] home.

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I noted the other day that the Knights of Columbus - probably the most powerful lay organization affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church with billions of dollars of assets of its own - has been hit with two lawsuits brought by former members of the Knights' youth organization, the Columbian Squires. As was the constant thread running through the sex abuse lawsuits brought against the Catholic Church and its dioceses, these two lawsuits allege that the powers that be within the Knights knew of the sexual abuse problems and - just like the Church hierarchy - endeavored to cover it up and/or silence victims. The Washington Post and the New York Times has picked up the scent of the story and have detailed reports. It's hard not to speculate that as with the Church itself, once these suits get publicity, other victims of the Knights may come forward. Given that the Knights have thrown aside concerns for families and children proven themselves to be sycophants to the Church hierarchy, there is indeed justice to see the Knights now called to account for the same sorts of abuse of children and youths. Here are highlights from the Times coverage in regard to the cover up allegations:
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One of the victims told Knights of Columbus officials in 1986 that he had been sexually abused by Rivera, but the Knights concealed the report of abuse and intimidated the victim into not making the abuse public, one lawsuit alleges.
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"His allegations and his coming forward was basically shut down," Jeffrey Herman, attorney for the men, said outside the Knights' headquarters in New Haven as he announced the two lawsuits. "We believe that the Knights of Columbus organization was aware of what was taking place."

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"It broadens the whole issue of the sexual abuse crisis and frankly further damages the Catholic Church's reputation," said Chuck Zech, director of the Center for the Study of Church Management at Villanova University.
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John Doe, who lives in Kansas, said Rivera plied him with whisky, marijuana, pornography and a white pill that he said would help him relax. He said when he hesitated to give Rivera a massage, Rivera pulled out a small handgun and placed it on the ground.
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Rivera sexually abused John Doe for six years on overnight trips for local and national events of the Squires, his lawsuit alleges. The man said if he told anyone, Rivera said he would kill his family or cut off a body part and send it to his mother, according to the lawsuit. Rivera also "shared" the boy with another adult leader of the Squires in another city who sexually abused him, the lawsuit alleges.
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The man also claimed the Knights of Columbus tried to trick him last year into signing papers that would have prevented him from suing for damages over the alleged abuse.
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The the morally bankrupt leadership of the Knights stood by and supported the priestly abusers and those who shuffled predator priest from parish to parish and never once demanded accountability from bishops, cardinals or the Pope. Instead, they joined the chorus blaming abuse on gays. Now the Knights may be about to reap what they deserve for their callous disregard for victims of sexual abuse.

Christian Cultural Imperialism and The Phony War Against Christmas

A guest blogger post on The Bilerico Project takes up a subject that this blog has touched on frequently - the special privileges given to Christians and Christianity even though the U. S. Constitution clearly states that there shall be no established religion. No satisfied with the manner in which they steam roll over the rights of non-Christians be they Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim or some other faith, on a virtually daily basis, the uber-Christians have fabricated the totally non-existent "war on Christmas." Translated, this disingenuous construct means that if Christianists cannot force other citizens to cow tow to Christian beliefs/holidays, then the Christians are alleged to be under attack. It is total bullshit, but that means nothing to the uber-Christianists who can reliably be assumed to be lying if their lips are moving. The author of the Bilerico post is Warren J. Blumenfeld, an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Iowa State University, and author of the book, "Investigating Christian Privilege and Religious Oppression in the United States." Here are so post highlights:
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While many holidays, both religious and secular, come around this time, "Happy Holidays" is in all actuality coded language for "Merry Christmas" and "Happy (Christian) New Year." In fact, most non-Christian major holidays do not fall in December.
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In fact, what we are experiencing is a form of Christian cultural imperialism (hegemony): a promotion of the larger Christian culture, celebrations, values, beliefs.
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Examples of Christian cultural imperialism during the so-called "Holiday Season" are many: the constant and prolonged promotion of music, especially Christmas, by radio stations, and Christmas specials on TV throughout November and December each year; Christmas decorations (often hung at taxpayer expense) in the public square in cities and towns throughout the United States; the highly visible and widespread availability of Christian holiday decorations, greeting cards, food, and other items during Christian holiday seasons, the President and First Lady lighting the "National Christmas Tree" on the Ellipse behind the White House, and many other examples too numerous to list.
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Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas has organized a movement to call the season what it really is, the "Christmas Season," and he asserts that businesses who display "Happy Holidays" greetings are simply stooping to "political correctness." Jeffress has created his "Grinch List" through his website to expose businesses, who he contends are taking Christ out of Christmas.
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Simply stated, the pastor is positioning Christians as the real "victims" in the current "Happy Holidays" epoch. In his effort to purge "Happy Holidays" from modern parlance, Jeffress is attempting not only to maintain, but also to fortify Christian cultural imperialism,
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My argument, however, focuses upon a critique of the systemic (and not necessarily individualistic) structures that promote Christian privilege and hegemony within the United States (and I would argue, many other Western countries) in the expression of "Happy Holidays" in the context of the month of December, when most cultures' major holidays do not fall in the month of December on the Gregorian calendar. I argue that the systemic structures themselves promote Christian imperialism (hegemony), in which individuals are often unwilling and even unknowing conspirators.
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While the intent may certainly be well meaning and heartfelt, the impact may have the opposite effect.

House Aproves Stand Alone DADT Repeal 250 to 175; Poll 77% of Public Supports Repeal

Today the House of Representatives approved a stand alone repeal bill which would end DADT along the same lines previously passed by the House earlier this year as part of the Defense Authorization Act. The vote was 250 for repeal and 175 against with 9 not voting. The roll call on the vote can be found here. Now the measure goes to the Senate where Harry Reid says a vote will not be scheduled until next week. Not surprisingly, 165 of the no votes came from Republicans who don't give a damn about what 77% of Americans want. Nope, they're too busy sticking their noses up the hypocritical, lying asses of the Christianists. One Republican, Rep. Louie Gohmet (R-TX), apparently out to prove himself to be a total ignorant ass, regurgitated the tired lie that societies that accept homosexuality are doomed to fall, said the following on the House floor (via Think Progress):
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GOHMERT: To my friend who said that history would judge us poorly, I would submit if you would look thoroughly at history — and I’m not saying it’s cause and effect — but when militaries throughout history of the greatest nations in the world have adopted the policy that “fine for homosexuality to be overt” — you can keep it private and control your hormones fine, if you can’t, that’s fine too — they’re toward the end of their existence as a great nation.
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As we have commented before, serious historians label Mr. Gohmert's claims to be utterly untrue - or more total bullshit. The House vote reflects the will of the majority of Americans as demonstrated by a new Washington Post-ABC News Poll:
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Nearly eight in 10 Americans favor allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
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The results signal continued widespread public support for ending the military's 17-year ban on gays in the military and come as Congress prepares to vote again on legislation ending the military's "don't ask, don't tell" law.
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Overall, 77 percent of Americans say gays and lesbians who publicly disclose their sexual orientation should be able to serve in the military. That's little changed from polls over the two years, but represents the highest level of support in a Post-ABC poll. The support also cuts across partisan and ideological lines, with majorities of Democrats, Republicans, independents, liberals, conservatives and white evangelical Protestants in favor of homosexuals' serving openly.
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As for the next step for approval by the Senate, much depends on Harry Reid and when a vote is scheduled - members of the GOP are already whining about discrimination against Christians if Reid keeps the Senate in session into the Christmas weekend. Here are highlights from the Washington Post on the prospects in the Senate:
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Wednesday's vote sends the bill back to the Senate, where a vote will not occur until next week at the earliest, according to a spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.).
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Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced the new bill last week, believing it will earn broader Republican support after the Senate completes consideration of the New START Treaty and government spending. Forty-seven senators, including Reid, are cosponsoring the bill.
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Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) said Wednesday she would join Republican colleagues Scott Brown (Mass.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) in voting to end the ban if the Senate votes again on the bill.

Wednesday Male Beauty