Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Defining the Second Great Depression

If Democrats can't stand up and clearly articulate the nightmare scenario we were saved from, then the economic disaster that Republicans caused may well be the same disaster that helps them surge back into power.

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BREAKING: SHOCKING REALITY- Senator Chuck Schumer Is Planning To Exclude Gay And Lesbians From Immigration Reform Bill.

Charles Schumer, United States Senator from Ne...

By Melanie Nathan, San Francisco, February 3, 2010

Binationals and activists have been waiting patiently for Senator Chuck Schumer to introduce the enigmatic Immigration reform bill, and the LGBT binational community, whether in exile, living apart or hiding in fear, has been desperate for the answer. Will immigration reform be truly comprehensive; will it include (UAFA) a provision that will allow for LGBT Americans (citizens or lawful residents) to sponsor their spouses (Permanent Partners) for immigration to the USA?

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From JMG: Family Research Council Calls For Criminalization Of Homosexuality

Echoing the words of the American Family Association, Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council said tonight that the Supreme Court decision to overturn sodomy laws was "wrongly decided" and that homosexual behavior should be outlawed. Sprigg appeared on Chris Matthews' MSNBC show tonight to debate Aubrey Sarvis of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network about today's DADT hearings in the U.S. Senate. Sprigg also repeated FRC head Tony Perkins' claim that overturning DADT will lead to gay men raping straight soldiers.

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lifted from JMG

John McCain Caught Flip-Flopping On "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Clothing Drive

Howard Zinn's "Voices of a People's History of the United States: Second Edition (Paperback)." This is a Brilliant Companion Book to "A People's Histo


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The Late Howard Zinn
BuzzFlash.com's Review (excerpt)
A terrific companion to Zinn's "A People's History."

"The purpose of Zinn's work, Voices included, is to engage in an act of political dissidence and activism. "What is common to all of these voices," Zinn and co-editor Anthony Arnove write in the book's introduction, "is that they have mostly been shut out of the orthodox histories, the major media, the standard textbooks, the controlled culture ... to create a passive citizenry." With Voices, Zinn and Arnove seek to address that malaise, showing that the impossible--slaves rising up against their slave masters, for example--is not only possible, but has occurred repeatedly throughout the country's history. "Whenever injustices have been remedied, wars halted, women and blacks and Native Americans given their due," they write, "it has been because 'unimportant' people spoke up, organized, protested, and brought democracy alive.""

“Voices should be on every bookshelf. [It presents] the rich tradition of struggle in the United States, from the resistance to the conquest of the Americas in the era of Columbus through the protests today of soldiers and their families against the brutal invasion and occupation of Iraq.”—Arundhati Roy

“In Voices, Howard Zinn has given us our true story, the ongoing, not-so-secret narrative of race and class in America.”—Russell Banks

“Gut-wrenching.”—Jon Stewart

“To omit or to minimize these voices of resistance is to create the idea that power only rests with those who have the guns, who possess the wealth, who own the newspapers and the television stations. I want to point out that people who seem to have no power, whether working people, people of color, or women—once they organize and protest and create movements—have a voice no government can suppress.”—Howard Zinn, from the Introduction

"Voices of a People’s History of the United States is the companion volume to historian Howard Zinn’s legendary best-selling book A People’s History of the United States. This second edition introduces four new voices: Camílo Mejia, the first U.S. soldier serving in Iraq to go public with his refusal to continue fighting Bush’s war; Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in action in Iraq, and whose speeches galvanized sentiment against the occupation of Iraq; Kevin Tillman, whose brother Pat, a former NFL player, was killed in Afghanistan in a case of “friendly fire”; and twelve-year-old Evann Orleck-Jetter, who testified before a 2009 public hearing of the Joint Senate and House Judiciary Committee in Vermont in support of equal rights for gay and lesbian families.

Historian and activist Howard Zinn's visionary telling of our history is widely considered one of the most important and influential of our era. In A People’s History of the United States, A Young People’s History of the United States, Voices of a People’s History of the United States, and, in Spanish, La otra historia de los Estados Unidos, Zinn affirms the power of the people to influence the course of events. Zinn’s other books include the newly updated The Zinn Reader, Terrorism and War with Anthony Arnove, the autobiographical You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train, and the play Marx in Soho."

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Monday, February 1, 2010

FRom David Mixner: Shame on John McCain....

John-mccain Just as the President is beginning to show serious leadership and courage on DADT, Senator John McCain of Arizona has announced he will lead the change against repeal. The senator knows better and we all know that he knows better. Most likely in the "Hanoi Hilton" there were gay prisoners of war being tortured with the senator. McCain most certainly has served with men and women he knew were gay and witnessed them serving with distinction. And there is no question in my mind that the senator really doesn't believe that the morale of the United States military is so low that allowing open members of the LGBT community to serve would make this nation weak.

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Goldie Sachs

From 365gay: Pentagon starts process of lifting gay ban

Pentagon starts process of lifting gay ban
February 1st, 2010

Pentagon starts process of lifting gay ban

By The Associated Press 02.01.2010

A special investigation into how the ban can be repealed without hurting the morale or readiness of the troops is expected to be announced Tuesday.

Read more...

Banned Gay Dating Super Bowl Commerical - National Lampoon

FROM JMG: SF Gay Men's Chorus Well Received On Prop 8 Tour Of CA Heartland

In a front page story, today's San Francisco Chronicle notes the success of the SF Gay Men's Chorus as it tours California's central heartlands in a peace-making tour after the acrimony of Proposition 8.
They came. They sang. They wore pink cowboy hats. When the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus embarked on its Freedom Tour into the heart of Proposition 8 territory over the weekend, there were concerns. Would red-state towns like Redding and Chico turn out to see gay men in tuxedos singing "Over the Rainbow"? Would there be protests, threats or fear-mongering from Shasta County's fundamentalist community? But chorus artistic director and conductor Kathleen McGuire asked: "Who is afraid of a choir?" Make no mistake, this isn't a tour. It's a groundbreaking political action. In the upcoming months, they'll visit Bakersfield, Fresno and Tracy, all strongholds for Prop. 8, the measure that banned same-sex marriage. They hope their music will help personalize the fight for gays to marry.

It is more than a small gamble. They could face protests, fights or even worse - complete indifference. "When the tickets didn't sell at first, I thought, 'Oh God, no one is going to show up,' " said Amy Andrews, a welfare worker in Redding, who helped arrange the show at the 1,000-plus-seat Cascade Theatre. "And then tickets just took off. I have never been prouder of my hometown." Saturday's show was a sellout. So was Sunday's 450-seat event in Chico, where they received a standing ovation.
The tour resumes in May with dates in Fresno, Tracy, and Bakersfield.

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reposted from JMG

From JMG: DADT: Signorile On CNN

SiriusXM host Michelangelo Signorile appeared on CNN this weekend to talk about DADT and President Obama's recent recommitment to its overturn. Charles "the president loves terrorists more than gays" Moran of the Log Cabin Republicans appears as well.

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reposted from JMG

President Obama: stop firing gay service members immediately


By Geoff Kors

Equality California

During last night’s State of the Union Address, President Obama included a brief mention of the ongoing struggle against discrimination that the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community continues to face under his watch.

“This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. It’s the right thing to do.”

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Home Videos Channels Shows Watch this video in a new window Party of NO; Obstruction by the GOP

Sunday, January 31, 2010

From Belirico: Is Violence Inevitable In Our Fight For Equality?

Filed by: Father Tony

Before you comment on this topic, I urge you to carefully read this post at JoeMyGod.

Joe's advice is sensible. Don't say anything in a comment that you wouldn't say when writing a signed letter to a newspaper.

The specter of gay violence has been with me for many months as the advocates for gay rights have mobilized in challenging the homophobic religious bigots who would deny us equal rights. It's as if the breath of righteous indignation could any minute cause the embers to burst into flame.

I am very worried about this.

From Belirico: My Daily Spiritual Practice

Filed by: D Gregory Smith

As LGBTIQ persons, many of us feel estranged from or alienated by organized religion. We can feel hurt, misunderstood, persecuted and sometimes afraid because of religious positions, teachings and practices.

Personally, I have always made a distinction between being religious (observing a particular religion) and being spiritual (belief that you are connected to the universe somehow). I've known and read about LGBT persons who have actively shunned anything spiritual because of their negative experience with religion, and I think that's unfortunate. There seems to be an important component in the human experience that can often only be defined as "spiritual," and in that sense, I believe it's worth exploring - despite, or perhaps because of intellectual stances of agnosticism, atheism or indifference.

For me, it's not simply a question of God. It's a question of exploring and finding my place and the place of others in the workings of the universe. That can happen with or without a concept of God. In fact, I would argue that it's happening every time we work for civil rights or environmental responsibility, or simple justice....

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From JMG

You Can't Turn The Lights Off

From JMG: American Family Association Radio Host: It's Time To Imprison All Gays


American Family Association radio host Bryan Fischer has called for sending homosexuals to prison for forced reparative therapy, a move he says is sanctioned by the Bible. Below, he responds to an email from a complaining listener.
Thanks for writing me about my comments on my program regarding homosexuality. It might be worth noting that what I actually suggested is that we impose the same sanctions on those who engage in homosexual behavior as we do on those who engage in intravenous drug abuse, since both pose the same kind of risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. I'd be curious to know what you think should be done with IV drug abusers, because whatever it is, I think the same response should be made to those who engage in homosexual behavior.

If you believe that what drug abusers need is to go into an effective detox program, then we should likewise put active homosexuals through an effective reparative therapy program. Secondly, I'm afraid you're simply wrong about the Bible's perspective on the law and homosexuality. Paul lists quite explicitly in 1 Timothy 1:8-11 the actions and behaviors that are the proper concern of the law:

"Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine..."

The bottom line here is that, biblically, those "who practice homosexuality" should come under the purview of the law just as much as those who take people captive in order to sell them into slavery. You express a belief in the Scriptures, and I trust your confidence in Scripture is not selective. If you believe all Scripture is inspired, then you are compelled to accept that legal sanctions may appropriately be applied to those who engage in homosexual behavior.
In November, Fischer called for banning all Muslims from the U.S. military. In addition to his radio show for the American Family Association, Fischer is the executive director of the Idaho Family Alliance.

Remember folks, the Christianist right is not about hatred and bigotry. It's about the gentle redemptive love of Jesus, forced upon you at the barrel of a gun in prison as they beat the gay out of you.

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this heads up courtesy of JMG