First "Moral" Waivers, Now Obesity Waivers, But Still No Gays

The U.S. military continues to struggle to achieve recruiting goals and having already increased the use of moral waivers to allow convicted felons to join the military, now the standards are being relaxed to allow those who are over the weight/obesity standards to enlist. Of course, LGBT Americans are still off limits regardless of who law abiding and physically fit they are so that Christianists and nut cases like Elaine Donnelly can feel superior. The excuse for the newest round off waivers is that Americans are getting more over weight rather than admit that fewer good recruits want to enlist due to the Iraq War debacle. It's pretty pathetic actually. Yet we continue to hear that there will be no immediate action to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell by the Obama administration even though DADT daily forces out qualified service members. Here are highlights from the Christian Science Monitor:

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The waistlines of America's youth are expanding, shrinking the pool of those eligible to join the US military. But an Army program is giving overweight enlistees a second chance – and helping the military with its own expansion. The recently-introduced waiver program allows enlistees who don't qualify for the military because of their weight a chance to shape up after joining. So far, the program has helped the Army make its recruiting goals in what remains a tight recruiting market.

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"We support any service who comes up with a scientifically defensible way of expanding the market [of recruits]," says Curtis Gilroy, director of accessions policy for the Pentagon. Such waivers had been studied for years but the program wasn't implemented until fiscal 2007, when it admitted about 1,500 individuals through the program (just a small slice of about 80,000 recruits).

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The Army has struggled the most with recruiting. Although it has met its active-duty goals in recent years, it has had to issue other waivers and let in more high school dropouts in order to do so. At the same time, the military is expanding through next year. The Marine Corps, which is not using the weight waiver, is growing to 202,000 and the Army will reach its "end-strength" goal of 547,000 this year. Many experts would like to see the military grow even larger to meet demands.

More Monday Male Beauty

Israel PR Disaster Continues to Mount

On Saturday night I detailed how the boyfriend and I found ourselves in the midst of an anti-Israel demonstration while in New York City. The photo at bottom shows what we stepped out into when we exited the show we had gone to see earlier in the day. I continue to believe that regardless of its objectives, Israel has likely set itself up for a PR disaster in terms of the ongoing assault in the Gaza Strip. The destruction and deaths being wrought on Palestians (as seen in the photo above of the legs of the body of one of three Palestinian siblings killed by an Israeli tank shell from Andrew Sullivan) seems to far out weigh the losses suffered by Israel and I fear will further undermine support for Israel and been seen as validating Palestinian grievances. Here are some highlights from the Daily News about the demonstration:

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Chanting "Free Palestine," thousands of Palestinian supporters demonstrated in Times Square Saturday to protest Israel's punishing military offensive in Gaza. The wave of protesters stretched across three blocks, dwarfing the dozens of boisterous supporters of Israel assembled across Seventh Ave.

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"What's happening in Gaza is something that shouldn't be tolerated anywhere in the world," said Bassal Omar, 29, an American-born Palestinian from the Bronx. "It's a humanitarian crisis, and it's just going to get worse."

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Apparently some supporters of Israel are catching on and becoming appalled by the deaths of Palestinian children as evidenced by these comments from J Street:

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Israel has a special place in each of our hearts. But we recognize that neither Israelis nor Palestinians have a monopoly on right or wrong. While there is nothing "right" in raining rockets on Israeli families or dispatching suicide bombers, there is nothing "right" in punishing a million and a half already-suffering Gazans for the actions of the extremists among them.

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And there is nothing to be gained from debating which injustice is greater or came first. What's needed now is immediate action to stop the violence before it spirals out of control. The United States, the Quartet, and the world community must not wait - as they did in the Israel-Lebanon crisis of 2006 - for weeks to pass and hundreds or thousands more to die before intervening.

2009 Gay Rights Over All

It's funny how even as I have the continuing feeling that Barack Obama has perhaps played LGBT Americans for suckers, the Christianist wingnuts are foaming at the mouth as to how Obama will further "the gay agenda" and make "homosexuality a civil right." One such diatribe comes from uber-conservative talk radio host and writer Roger Hegdecock at Wing Nut Daily. According to Hedgecock, we gays want our rights to "prevail over everyone else's civil rights." Of course, it is standard fare for the Kool-Aid drinking GOP base to obsess over what other people do in the privacy of their homes and bedrooms. Here are some column highlights:

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If Barack Obama successfully translates his campaign rhetoric into law, 2009 will be the year homosexuality becomes a civil right. During the campaign, Obama said the issue of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) rights "is about who we are as Americans"

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At Change.gov, under the heading "civil rights," Obama promises legal protection for "gender identity" and "gender expression"; expansion of "hate crime" statutes and homosexual adoption rights, repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, and repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" rule for military service. Labeling homosexual behavior a civil right apparently trumps majority rule at the ballot box too.

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For example, in the November election, voters in California adopted Proposition 8, a state constitutional amendment which defines "marriage" as the traditional union of one man and one woman. However, after the voters had spoken, homosexual activists started a statewide witch hunt, targeting the Mormon church, getting prominent supporters of traditional marriage fired and boycotting businesses whose owners had contributed to the "YES on 8" campaign. A skillful media campaign painted the voting majority bigots and the homosexual campaign to suppress democracy a defense of basic civil rights.

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Labeling homosexuality a "civil right" also seems to trump everyone else's civil rights. Just as illegal aliens seem to have more "rights" than citizens do, homosexuals claim their "civil rights" prevail over everyone else's civil rights.
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You don't need a weather man to know which way this wind is blowing. Current political commentary is largely focused on the transition from a market economy to socialism. The transition from civil rights for all to privileged rights for the small but politically powerful homosexual left is just as important a "change you can believe in."

New DNC Chair No Real Friend to Gay Rights

UPDATED: Ironically - or perhaps not - HRC is singing Tim Kaine's praises even though when contacted by my client for help, HRC did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, not wanting to "upset" Governor Kaine who I guess might not attend HRC parties if "upset." Kaine is cited by HRC for helping turn Virginia Blue even though in reality it is (1) Virginia's changing demographics, (2) the horrific track record of the Chimperator's regime, and (3) Obama's ground game that won the day. Once again, HRC is out of touch with reality. Yet another reason to NOT renew my HRC membership - at least not until it gets new leadership that doesn't focus on being a lap dog for elected officials.

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The Virginian Pilot and many other news outlets are reporting that Virginia Governor, Timothy Kaine will be the next Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. I am less than enthused by Kaine's selection. Why one might ask? Because when examined closely, Kaine is weak on gay rights and may represent yet another case like Barack Obama throwing gays under the bus after cynically courting our votes and soliciting our money as evidenced by the selection of Christianist Rick Warren to give the inaugural invocation. At least with Warren, his appearance will be short lived and he will not be influencing Democratic Party policy. My prediction is that Kaine will do absolutely nothing to further LGBT equality as DNC chair. Zero. Nada.

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On the surface, Kaine can claim to be "gay friendly" - at least when compared to say Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell who tows the line with Daddy Dobson's Virginia affiliate, The Family Foundation, and has to date not found a piece of anti-gay legislation he cannot willingly embrace. Kaine did sign Executive Order 1 (2006) purporting to protect gay state employees upon taking office, thereby extending the policy of incoming U.S. Senator Mark Warner who Kaine succeeded as governor. But in terms of making sure that the Executive Order is enforced in a competent and timely manner, Kaine has been 100% missing in action. Moreover, the alleged investigation by the governmental department supposedly charged with enforcing the Executive Order of a complaint filed by a client against the Virginia Museum of Natural History has by the agency's own prior statements already taken 440+ days longer than it should have. And still no determination is in sight. I've even speculated that Kaine wants to drag the matter out long enough so that he can be out of office when a decision is rendered and thus avoid a show down with Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell who has issued a non-binding opinion that the Order exceeded Kaine's authority as governor.

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Save and except for the theoretical protections afforded LGBT state employees under Executive Order 1 (2006), LGBT Virginians have ZERO employment non-discrimination protections. That's right. Zero protection from being summarily fired due to their sexual orientation. Sadly, Kaine's execution of Executive Order 1(2006) appears in retrospect to have been window dressing he never planned to have enforced based on a recent mealy mouthed letter from Kaine's office. The Executive Order was apparently a mere crumb thrown for show to the LGBT Virginians who helped get him elected. It is beyond troubling to me that someone with such a weak commitment to LGBT rights and equality is now DNC chairman. Maybe we should stop giving our hard earned money to such cynical and disingenuous politicians.

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NOTE: I have documentation on all of the above statements.

Monday Male Beauty

Irish Cardinal Pledges Abuse House Cleaning

In what on its face may be an unprecedented move, Irish Catholic Cardinal Sean Brady (at left) is pledging to perhaps finally do something to remove members of the Irish Church hierarchy who have failed to protect children from predator priests. This might even involve removing Bishop John Magee of the Diocese of Cloyne who has been shown to have abysmally failed to act to protect minors from sexual abuse. While it would be nice to believe that Brady's motivations are the right ones, it's likely that the real reason for the pledge is motivated by a desire to stop the Catholic Church's free fall in public opinion in Ireland. Time will tell if the long overdue steps to remove members of the hierarchy who enabled and/or covered up abuse will get removed from their positions. Here are some highlights from the Irish Independent:

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THE days of Bishop John Magee as head of the Cloyne diocese appeared to be numbered last night after a dramatic pledge by the leader of the Irish Catholic Church to eradicate clerical child sex abuse. In a strongly-worded statement, Cardinal Sean Brady pledged a root-and-branch reform of all 26 dioceses, as he desperately sought to restore public confidence in the Church's ability to protect children.

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The Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh admitted recent findings from a damning report on clerical sexual abuse in the diocese of Cloyne had "brought into question" the efforts of thousands of volunteers and trained personnel to protect children. Cardinal Brady's dramatic intervention, understood by the Irish Independent to have been issued after consultation with Pope Benedict, brings him out on the side of the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, who had threatened to withdraw co-operation from fellow bishops, including Bishop Magee.

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ast night, church sources predicted that if Bishop Magee, a former secretary to three popes, did not stand down before the Cabinet meets next Wednesday, Rome might be forced to remove him.

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Children's Minister Barry Andrews last night welcomed Cardinal Brady's statement, in particular "his specific comments in relation to Cloyne". However, abuse charity One-in-Four last night said Archbishop Brady's intervention was "too little, too late". Executive Director Maeve Lewis called on the Bishop of Cloyne to stand down and criticised Cardinal Brady for failing to comment directly on his handling of the scandal.

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The crisis takes on added significance with the imminent publication of the report of a Government Commission of Inquiry into the country's biggest diocese, Dublin. It is expected that the report will contain some shocking revelations, that could rock Church and State to their very foundations. The Vatican has, to date, not publicly commented on the controversy.

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Would that there was a similar government commission in the USA looking into the misdeeds of the Catholic Church and its hierarchy. Unless and until the Church is forced to do a much needed house cleaning, Catholics should vote with their feet and check books and not support the Church. I find it sickening that Catholics continue to fawn over such morally bankrupt Church leaders, Benedict XVI included.

New York Retrospective

The past long weekend in New York City was wonderful fun and it's a bit of a let down to be back in Tidewater Virginia with all its conservatism and backwardness on social issues, gay rights in particular. Saturday night we had dinner at a great restaurant in the West Village, Philip Marie, where we had a fabulous young aspiring actress as our waitress. Later, we went to Splash and then back by the Monster. Sunday was leisurely and then consisted of walking around China Town and Little Italy before heading to the airport.

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Besides its 100+ gay clubs, what is striking about New York in contrast to this area is the fact that gays are so much more open about who they are and that the fear factor that plagues so many gays here doesn't seem to exist. Sadly, I know a number of gay professionals and business owners in this area who live in terror of discovery, believing that all of their clients/customers would leave them if their sexual orientation became known. Some I think have allowed their fears to run amuck and make the danger far larger in their minds than what would be the reality. Nonetheless, with no state or federal employment non-discrimination protections and Don't Ask, Don't Tell still driving gays in the military underground, Virginia remains far behind the times.

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A repeal of DADT would be a good first start in changing the atmosphere here and might indirectly help get the Virginia General Assembly to come into the 21st century. Allowing blacks to serve in the military helped in many ways to dispel prejudice and if gays can serve openly as equals, it will mitigate the Christianists efforts to depict us as "other" and/or less than fully human. I will be watching to see if Obama moves to make good on his promises to the LGBT community - right now, he appears to have sold us out. Meanwhile, I guess we will just continue to muddle along.

Sunday Male Beauty

Decrying the Catholic Church's Anti-Gay Hate

Growing up Catholic, I suffered at the hands of nuns and priests who strove to indoctrinate me and others that although supposedly God was a god of love, nearly everything was a path to Hell and eternal damnation. Things sexual were, of course, the most sure fired way to go to Hell of all. And homosexuality? The worse of the worse. It's taken me years to come to recognize the falsity of so much of what the Church tried to inculcate. Interestingly, the Buffalo News has a great opinion piece written by a life long Catholic who takes the Church to task for the anti-gay jihad pressed by Benedict XVI and the other bitter old men in dresses. It is sad that an institution that could do so much good spends so much energy demonizing other people. Here are some highlights:

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Now as a grandmother, I am very grieved that the Church that was so formative for me cannot be so for my adult children and their families. I am so proud of both of my grown sons. They are men of substance, men of honor and great fathers. One of them happens to be gay. He lives in Seattle with his husband. They are raising two adopted children.

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As any grandparent will affirm, grandchildren are one of life’s greatest joys. For my husband and me, our joy is clouded. The Church that was so central to our lives now preaches against our son and his family. This is not new, it is true, but the hurt was renewed when I learned of the active participation of the Catholic bishops in favor of the California proposition banning gay marriage. This is especially disturbing, since our son was married recently in California.

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My knowledge of the social gospel tells me that there are grave evils in the world that need the moral voice of the Church. For example, poverty, the distribution of wealth, war and torture cry out for serious attention. Instead of focusing on these weighty issues in important elections, the bishops try to denigrate families like my son’s.

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I wish for him and his beautiful children the support my family experienced back in the Riverside of the ’50s. Maybe tightly knit Buffalo neighborhoods are in a rose-colored past, but the message of the gospels should be eternal. It seems to me that the Church I was raised in taught the importance of love — love for all of God’s people.