More Cruel Murders of Iraqi Gays

I continue to be disgusted that Obama and the State Department appear to be doing absolutely nothing to pressure the Iraqi government to clamp down on the wanton murder of gays in Iraq. I guess I shouldn't be surprised now that it increasingly appears that Obama doesn't want anyone prosecuted for torture based war crimes- even the authors of the memos that were utilized to justify torture for which those from other countries have been tried and convicted. Details on the sadistic manner in which gays are being killed that now are leaking out are horrifying. As with "men of God" in this country, the anti-gay clerics are proving themselves to be better described as agents of Satan. Here are some highlights from an UAE-based media network, Alarabiya, as translated at Towleroad:

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"A prominent Iraqi human rights activist says that Iraqi militia have deployed a painful form of torture against homosexuals by closing their anuses using 'Iranian gum.' ... Yina Mohammad told Alarabiya.net that, 'Iraqi militias have deployed an unprecedented form of torture against homosexuals by using a very strong glue that will close their anus.' According to her, the new substance 'is known as the American hum, which is an Iranian-manufactured glue that if applied to the skin, sticks to it and can only be removed by surgery. After they glue the anuses of homosexuals, they give them a drink that causes diarrhea. Since the anus is closed, the diarrhea causes death.

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Videos of this form of torture are being distributed on mobile cellphones in Iraq.' According to this human rights activist, for the past 3 weeks a crackdown on homosexuals has been going on based on a religious decree that demands their death; dozens have been targeted. She says that the persecution of homosexuals is not confined to the Shiite clerics. Some Sunni leaders have also declared the death penalty for sodomy on satellite channels."

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As I have noted before, I suspect that religious based hatred has caused more deaths than many forms of disease over the course of history. There are definitely times that I believe banning all religions might not be such a bad idea.

Gay Congressman Jared Polis Demands Investigation of Murder of Iraqi Gays

I have written before about the travesty occurring in Iraq where gays - and those suspected of being gay - are being rounded up and executed with apparently no action from the puppet government to stop the murders. And without a word of protest from the Obama administration I might add which seemingly has turned a blind eye to the problem (one of my many disappointments with Obama regarding LGBT issues). Now Congressman Jared Polis who is in Baghdad has demanded that the U.S Embassy in Baghdad get off its ass and investigate the matter. Prior to his trip, an Iraqi human-rights advocacy group contacted Polis and forwarded him a letter written in jail by a man who said he was beaten into confessing he was a member of the gay-rights group Iraqi-LGBT. The group said the man had been sentenced to death in a court in Karkh, Iraq and executed. (The group and the author's names are omitted for their protection.) Polis also spoke through a translator by phone to a transgender Iraqi man who said he had been arrested, beaten, and raped by Ministry of Interior security forces.

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I applaud Polis' efforts but even better yet, someone from the White House needs to tell the Iraqi government that strings come attached to the billions of dollars being poured into that country - including an end to human rights abuses against gays. As Polis' letter points out, he was most disturbed by the State Department's unwillingness to take information concerning the flagrant murder of gays from human rights groups seriously. The text of Polis' letter can be found here. The following are some highlights:

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The United States should not tolerate human rights violations of any kind, especially by a government that Americans spend billions of taxpayer dollars each year supporting. Hopefully my trip and letters to US and Iraqi officials will help bring international attention and investigation to this terrible situation and bring an end to any such offenses.

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"We will now wait and see whether the Iraqi government is serious about protecting the human rights of all Iraqis and what role our own State Department has to play in helping to protect this minority in Iraq," said Polis. "I am most disturbed by allegations that the Iraqi government itself may be involved in the persecutions. This warrants an immediate investigation from both American and Iraqi governments."

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Sadly, the Obama administration's indifference to these murders is symptomatic of the fact that all across the USA - certainly here in Virginia - gay lives carry less value than those of straights and gays are routinely abused by the government's policies and in the courts and the legal system where obtaining equal justice is often impossible.

Who's The Hottest Freshman Congressman?

On a humorous/fun note, I noticed that on Huffington Post there is a poll on who is the hottest new freshman member of Congress. Among the top five (5) that one can vote for is Glenn Nye of this area who is pictured above. I've met Glenn in person several times and yes, he is cute. Better yet, he is gay friendly and unlike his predecessor, Thelma Drake, seems open to listening to and likely supporting gay rights issues. Among the other choices are Aaron Shock from Illinois, Jim Himes of Connecticut, Tom Perriello also from Virginia and who like Glenn defeated an anti-gay voting incumbent, and lastly Jared Polis the out gay Congressman from Colorado. Here's some highlights from Huff Po:

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When members of the 111th Congress convened on January 6th, there were 65 fresh faces among them. Naturally, we've spent the last few weeks familiarizing ourselves with them, and after much voting, debating, and in-fighting -- or not -- we've made our picks for the five most adorable representatives. Take a look and cast your vote below. Then let us know if we left anyone out. Whatever the outcome, just remember: they're all winners here.

Openly Gay Jared Polis Wins Congressional Seat

Despite the depressing losses in Arkansas, Arizona, California and Florida, there were other gay victories, one of which was the election of Jared Polis (pictured at left with his partner) to Congress for the 2nd District of Colorado. Polis is the third openly gay member of the incoming Congress - the other two are Tammy Baldwin and Barney Frank. Here are some highlights from the Denver Post:

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Democrat Jared Polis defeated Republican Scott Starin in the 2nd Congressional District race Tuesday, becoming the first openly gay person from Colorado elected to Congress. The voters of our district have spoken clearly that they want change brought to Washington," Polis said. "I look forward to taking my out-of-the- box approach and creative ideas to help shake up Washington."

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Polis will replace Rep. Mark Udall as congressman for the district that stretches from Adams, Broomfield and Boulder counties in the Denver metro area up the Interstate 70 corridor into Summit and Eagle counties. Democrat Udall won a Senate seat Tuesday. An Internet entrepreneur who turned to policy work and then politics, Polis will become the third openly gay member of Congress. The others are Democratic Reps. Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.