Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Via JMG: IRELAND: Government Releases Wording Of Referendum On Same-Sex Marriage


The Irish government today published the text of the national referendum on same-sex marriage, which will be held in May. Voters will be asked if they agree or disagree with this: "Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex." More from RTE News:
Fianna Fáil Justice Spokesperson Niall Collins said his party was happy to support the referendum and welcomed the wording, saying it was clear and concise. The Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and Marriage Equality have said the publication was "historic". GLEN Chair Kieran Rose said: "Today we move a step closer to full inclusion in our Constitution for lesbian and gay couples." ICCL Director Mr Mark Kelly added: "The proposed amendment would update the Constitution to say that any two people can marry, regardless of their sex." Marriage Equality Chair Grainne Healy said: "We look forward to a positive campaign for the referendum, which focuses on the value of marriage to everyone in Irish society and explains why marriage matters to lesbian and gay couples."
While polls indicate strong support for the referendum's passage, activists are urging caution. Via the Irish Times:
Campaigners on both sides cite the 2012 children’s referendum as proof that polls can be a poor guide. In that case, the polls at one stage showed 80 per cent in favour but, despite a poorly funded No campaign whose most prominent faces were a former MEP (Kathy Sinnott) and a newspaper columnist (John Waters), the Yes vote on polling day was only 58 per cent. I think this will be a very tight referendum,” says Brian Sheehan of the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (Glen). “I think Irish people rightly take constitutional change very seriously. We know that from every other referendum. Despite the strong support in the polls, we know we’ll need every single possible vote on the day in order to win the referendum.” On this, both sides agree. “I’ll put it this way,” says the columnist David Quinn, who heads the Iona Institute, a Catholic advocacy group that opposes same- sex marriage. “It’s beatable with a really good campaign but on the other hand it could also pass by 20 or 30 points.”
RELATED: Last week Northern Ireland saw its first same-sex marriage lawsuit.


Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: LBT's Get First SOTU Mention




Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: CHILE: Civil Unions Near Final Hurdle



Last night Chile's Chamber of Deputies overwhelmingly approved a civil unions bill with a vote of 86-23.  Two weeks ago the Chilean Senate approved the bill with a 28-6 vote after which anti-gay protesters had to be forcibly ejected from the gallery. The bill must now return to the Senate for another vote as the Deputies last night approved an amendment regarding parental rights. The bill also appears to legalize the recognition of foreign same-sex marriages, unless Google Translate is deceiving me. Readers?

UPDATE: JMG reader Douglas clarifies: "The bill does appear to recognize foreign marriages, but it is not clear at what level they will be recognized; it sounds like such marriages will only be given the same status as Civil Unions in Chile (with whatever restrictions might apply)."
 

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: NOM Busted Again For Fake Photo


 
JMG reader Gary points out the above photoshop fakery seen yesterday on NOM's Facebook page. You may recall that NOM has been busted for faking massive crowds in the past, perhaps most notably when they used an image from an Obama rally in St. Louis in a post which implied that tens of thousands attended an anti-gay rally in New Hampshire. As we all know, NOM's hate marches on the Supreme Court have been hilarious failures.


Reposted from Joe Jervis

Gay Couples Tribute - It gets better!



Flor do Dia - Flor del Día - Flower of the Day - 21/01/2015


“A jornada rumo à morada sagrada pode ser descrita como um trânsito do falso para o real, da falsa ideia de quem somos para aquilo que somos de fato. Porém, esse trânsito não é fácil, pois é preciso abrir mão dessa falsa identidade, o que, para o ego, é o mesmo que morrer.”
Acesse o Satsang completo: bit.ly/1Cf8hRR

“El camino hacia la morada sagrada puede ser descripto como un tránsito de lo falso hacia lo real, de la falsa idea de quienes somos hacia aquello que somos realmente. Sin embargo, este tránsito no es fácil, ya que es necesario renunciar a esta falsa identidad, lo que, para el ego, es lo mismo que morir.”

“The journey back to the sacred dwelling place can be described as a transition from the false to the real. We move from the false idea of who we are to that which we truly are. This transition is not easy, but it is necessary to let go of this false identity, which, for the ego, is death itself.”


The Economy of Salvation | January 21, 2015

Vital to Buddhist doctrine is the conviction that all people, regardless of social position, are capable of becoming enlightened, of becoming buddhas. Poverty and the stress it entails, however, can be real barriers to spiritual development. The Buddha recognized that becoming free of worries about our material welfare enables us to develop our potentials.

- Alex Caring-Lobel, "The Economy of Salvation"