265 is Disgraceful!

As of this week, an estimated 265 service members will have lost their jobs under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" since January 20.

That's when President Obama and the new Congress came to town promising change -- change they've failed to deliver, certainly with respect to repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Every day they wait to act, another service member is fired simply because of his or her sexual orientation.

We're marching to the White House this Saturday to call on President Obama to show leadership on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Even though you're not near Washington, you can join this effort by telling your friends why 265 is disgraceful -- and why we've got to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell":

http://www.sldn.org/265IsDisgraceful

Like those who drew a line in the sand 40 years ago at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, we're standing up to demand action. It's past time for these discriminatory discharges to end.

After 16 years of this nonsensical law, it's critical that President Obama and Congress act to kill "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Together, marching, we have a real opportunity to deliver a powerful message to the White House, to Congress, and to the American people -- and to let our service members know they have not been forgotten.

Tell a friend now why 265 is disgraceful:

http://www.sldn.org/265IsDisgraceful

Thank you so much for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Ben Mishkin
Grassroots Organizer
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network

P.S. On Facebook? Spread the word about Saturday's event to friends who are in the Washington area:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=109860618827

Family Values Champion Brian Blair Arrested For Beating His Family

Another gem from JMG:

Yesterday, Father's Day, former pro wrestler and current Florida politician Brian Blair, who campaigned against the Day Of Silence, silenced his two children by beating and choking them.

Blair, 52, was arrested shortly after 5 a.m. after an altercation at his family's home in the Forest Hills area of Tampa, sheriff's Deputy Larry McKinnon said. Blair and his wife, Toni, have two sons, Brett and Bradley, according to his campaign Web site. Blair, a former professional wrestler who is 6 feet tall and weighs 235 pounds, pushed his older son Brett, 17, in the chest about 4 a.m., according to an arrest report. The teen tried to walk away, but Blair grabbed him and punched him in the face with a closed fist, leaving a red mark and swelling, the arrest report said. Blair then put the 17-year-old in a choke hold, causing him to have trouble breathing, according to the report. Deputies said Blair then let go of his older son and grabbed his younger son by the throat. He punched the boy, leaving a bump on his head, the arrest report said. In the report, a deputy gave the younger son's age as 12, though Blair's campaign Web site said he is 13. Both sons identified their father as the person who attacked them, deputies said.

In addition to promoting the bullying of gay students, Blair endorsed Florida's ban on same-sex marriage and voted to ban recognition of gay Pride events. Blair doesn't want homos to impose their "social and sexual agenda upon the rest of us and especially, on our children." But he's clearly OK with imposing his hands around the throats of his own kids.

More re: Sacramento Pride

Today was nothing less than great, my son is here, and he wanted to go to the Pride Festival with me.

I have been going since I have been here, I remember when we were all afraid to go, and the “parade” lasted all of 20 minutes. Folks would meet in a park, in front of a band shell, a few speakers, drags, and go home, it felt wrong. Many of us afraid that someone would see us. Then we moved it in front of the capitol building and now it is far to big to be allowed there anymore.

Today the parade lasted well over an hour, with university bands, different groups and hundreds of people, we followed it into the festival grounds and there were thousands of folks there, with three stages and hundreds of tables/booths from travel agents to utility companies. We stopped at a bookstore on the way home, and in side I realized I still had 4 or 5 stickers (immigration rights, PFLAG, etc)... I wouldn't have taken them off anyway, anymore.

We ran into a few friends, who adored my son and he enjoyed the compliments, and was absolutely comfortable with the attention, and gracefully let people know that he was straight. Of course many of my friends were envious, that my son was there. I am grateful as well as proud.

What I find absolutely infuriating is, there we were, amongst the most kind, decent, normal, fun, sweet and diverse people imaginable, and yet for the life of me cannot understand how all 3000+ of us can be hated, scorned or feared as we are.

There were religious groups, banks and utility companies, and computer company GLBT associations there, giving out fans and stickers and literature, really wanting us to know that these corporations wanted us, respected us, and hoped we would give them their business, or in the case of the religious groups, worship with them.

Yet my religion doesn't want me, or any other GLBT in their midst, and it has aligned itself with the homophobes. I was struck by the absolute absurdity of it all.

I am more resolved than ever to fight for what is rightfully ours, no matter who, what or where we are from. Because I see the potential in my GLBT freinds, in my son and not in the Baha'i community.

'Abdu'l-Bahá said,

Be kind to all people, love humanity,
consider all mankind as your relations
and servants of the most high God.
Strive day and night
that animosity and contention may pass away
from the hearts of men,
that all religions shall become reconciled
and the nations love each other,
so that no racial, religious or political prejudice may remain
and the world of humanity behold God
as the beginning and end of all existence.
God has created all, and all return to God.
Therefore love humanity with all your heart and soul.
If you meet a poor man, assist him;
if you see the sick, heal him;
reassure the affrighted one,
render the cowardly noble and courageous,
educate the ignorant, associate with the stranger.
Emulate God.
Consider how kindly, how lovingly He deals with all,
and follow His example.
You must treat people in accordance with the divine precepts
-in other words, treat them as kindly as God treats them,
for this is the greatest attainment possible
for the world of humanity.

The Promulgation of Universal Peace by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 291.

Me thinks thou dost.. pt 2

Rachel Maddow: GOP Senator Ensign's "Affair" Problems Are Serious

I would NEVER allow my self to be cured by anything less than a 100% Long Fibered Cotton, Pre-washed and Pre-shrunk, 600 gr/m2

Overseer & Prophetess Mckinney casting out the homosexual spirit

Casting out the Homosexual spirit continued

Thanks to Steve M in NZ for this who wisely says "And they say homosexuality can't be cured... "

But I would NEVER allow my self to be cured by anything less than a 100% Long Fibered Cotton, Pre-washed and Pre-shrunk, 600 gr/m2, preferably Egyptian cotton.

Bil Browning sent a message to the members of The Bilerico Project.

Subject: Shock & Awe in the LGBT Blogosphere

This week was absolutely full of LGBT news that reminds you of the war in Iraq. From the shock of Indiana Equality opposing ENDA and calling it "segregation" to the awe of Obama's domestic partnership memo, it seemed like we were being led into something shady by our leaders, eh? Here's the best posts from this week:

Anyone satisfied with half a loaf?
Filed by: Alex Blaze
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.bilerico.com/2009/06/anyone_satisfied_with_half_a_loaf.php

Indiana Equality opposes ENDA: Calls it "segregation"
Filed by: Bil Browning
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.bilerico.com/2009/06/indiana_equality_opposes_enda_calls_it_s.php

Friday
Another Brutal Murder
Filed by: Tobi Hill-Meyer
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.bilerico.com/2009/06/another_brutal_murder.php

Passing (Or Not) at the Pool
Filed by: Paige Schilt
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.bilerico.com/2009/06/passing_or_not_at_the_pool.php

Hate Violence Report Sites the Changing Face of Crime
Filed by: Keri Renault (B-DC)
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://dc.bilerico.com/2009/06/ncavp_hate_violence_report_sites_the_cha.php

Thursday
And We Are Not Saved: The Opposition To ENDA From The Left Is Mistaken
Filed by: Dr. Jillian T. Weiss
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.bilerico.com/2009/06/and_we_are_not_saved.php

AMERICAblog, interrupted
Filed by: Alex Blaze
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.bilerico.com/2009/06/americablog_interrupted.php

Wednesday
Tyler is 'Divorcing' the 'Abusive' Democratic Party
Filed by: Karen Ocamb
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.bilerico.com/2009/06/tyler_is_divorcing_the_abusive_democrati.php

Speaking Washington's Language: Money and Media
Filed by: Waymon Hudson
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.bilerico.com/2009/06/speaking_washingtons_language_money_and.php

Tuesday
He's Not Your Daddy, or: Obama and the Personal Politics of Gay Marriage
Filed by: Yasmin Nair
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.bilerico.com/2009/06/hes_not_your_daddy.php

Recap: DC marriage equality twists and turns
Filed by: Michael Crawford
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.bilerico.com/2009/06/recap_dc_marriage_equality_twists_and_tu.php

Monday
Cleve Jones Responds: 10 Reasons Why a March Isn't a Bad Idea
Filed by: Guest Blogger Cleve Jones
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.bilerico.com/2009/06/cleve_jones_responds_10_reasons_why_a_ma.php

Gay dad gets a good ruling from the Georgia Supreme Court
Filed by: Nancy Polikoff
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.bilerico.com/2009/06/gay_dad_gets_a_good_ruling_from_the_geor.php

Transgender Comics: Closetspace
Filed by: Austin Crowder (B-IN)
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://indiana.bilerico.com/2009/06/transgender_comics_closetspace.php

Sunday
Was Jesus Gay? The Detective Story Continues
Filed by: Patricia Nell Warren
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.bilerico.com/2009/06/was_jesus_gay_the_detective_story.php

GLBT Peeps, If You Want Your Rights, Fly This Flag
Filed by: Monica Roberts
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.bilerico.com/2009/06/glbt_peeps_if_you_want_your_rights_fly_t.php

End This Sneaky Way To Rig Elections
Filed by: Nadine Smith (B-FL)
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://florida.bilerico.com/2009/06/end_this_sneaky_way_to_rig_elections.php

A Grand day out - At the Sacramento Pride Festival

My son Spencer is the greatest, M is in Brasil and so he joined me at the 2009 Sacramento Pride Festival. It is amazing, 20 years ago I remember being nervous bout attending a tiny little get to gether inthe park. We aren't 3.5 million, but by golly we were a couple of thousand! Viva!

The shots here are of the parade before we went into the Festival grounds... enjoy!

You have your Revolution-Do something with it.

Courtesy of Pam's House Blend

Quote of the Day

From Everybody Means Somebody

Both these sentiments are echoed in our own times by Bahá’u'lláh:

O Children of Men! Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of holiness from the tree of wondrous glory.

(The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Arabic No. 68)

and

O SON OF SPIRIT! The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbour. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.

(Ibid: Arabic No. 2)

If only most of us could live according to those two principles the world would be transformed. How many times must they be repeated before we get the point?

Thank you Everybody Means Somebody!

SF City Attorney Files Amicus Brief On Behalf Of Federal Marriage Suit

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera has filed the first amicus brief in support of Ted Olson and David Boies' federal marriage suit.

"The constitutional challenge to Proposition 8 in federal court persuasively argues that the measure's only conceivable purpose was to withhold honor and respect from the relationships of same-sex couples, and to do so to them alone," Herrera said. "This kind of discrimination against lesbians and gay men as a class has been remedied before in our federal jurisprudence -- in Romer v. Evans, in Lawrence v. Texas, and in other cases. The plaintiffs here make a compelling case for the federal courts to ensure that justice is done in California, and I am pleased to offer San Francisco's expertise to support their efforts." Herrera's brief additionally supports the plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction, which if granted would immediately require local governments in California to resume issuing civil marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Two days ago California Attorney General Jerry Brown said that Prop 8 be kept legal until the federal suit is resolved.

DOJ To Meet With GLAD, Lambda Legal, Others Over DOMA Challenges

Courtesy of JMG for this:

More reaction from the Obama administration. The DOJ has agreed to meet next week with Lambda Legal, Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) and other LGBT orgs to "hash out how to proceed with pending DOMA cases." Via Greg Sargent:

The Obama Justice Department has reached out to major gay rights organizations and scheduled a private meeting for next week with the groups, in an apparent effort to smooth over tensions in the wake of the controversy over the administration’s defense in court of the Defense of Marriage Act. Tracy Russo, a spokesperson for Justice, confirmed the meeting to me, after I posted below that top gay rights lawyers were miffed that administration lawyers had rebuffed their requests to meet and discuss ongoing litigation involving DOMA. At the meeting — which hasn’t been announced and is expected to include leading gay rights groups like GLAD and Lambda Legal — both sides are expected to hash out how to proceed with pending DOMA cases.

Keep up the pressure, it's working.

Who Could Vote for Hate?

Who Could Vote for Hate? Why, the Fundamentalists and the GOP Right Wing, of Course. -- A BuzzFlash News Analysis

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS
by Christine Bowman

Congress and AG Eric Holder are Standing Up To Hate. Fundamentalists and GOP Disingenuously Ask, 'Hate? What Hate?'

Hate crimes are up -- especially against gays and Latinos. "There has been a documented rise in these threats of violence" which have been "stoked by extreme political rhetoric... sensationalism and irresponsibility that we've seen on talk-show radio and other forms of communication, like the Internet," Wade Henderson, head of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, reports.

A new and broader hate-crime bill that should help address the issue passed in the House in late April [vote summary here], and it is slated to be taken up by the Senate before August. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) introduced the bill, and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Arlen Specter (D-PA) are cosponsors. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) called hate crimes "a unique brand of evil" that distresses entire communities.

Paraphrasing a summary by the Human Rights Campaign, the bill would give the Department of Justice (DOJ) the power to investigate and prosecute bias-motivated violence when the perpetrator selected the victim because of their actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It would also let the DOJ aid state and local jurisdictions or take the lead in investigations and prosecutions of bias-motivated, violent crimes resulting in death or serious bodily injury. Finally, the bill would provide for grants to help state and local communities combat violent crimes committed by juveniles, train law enforcement officers or assist in investigations and prosecutions.

That is what is being done on the legislative side to keep America safe from ideologically-driven violence. Attorney General Eric Holder, too, is ready to fight back against crimes driven by hate. Tuesday, speaking before the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, Holder was unequivocal in his support for the bill and vowed to use the full power of the DOJ to protect all Americans. Here's part of what he said:

Over the last several weeks, we have witnessed brazen acts of violence, committed in places that many would have considered unthinkable – a sacred memorial in the nation’s capital, a recruiting station for the nation’s armed forces, and a church in the nation’s heartland. The violence in Washington, Little Rock, and Wichita reminds us of the potential threat posed by violent extremists and the tragedy that ensues when reasoned discourse is replaced by armed confrontation. ...

But neither our respect for the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech, nor our earnest hope for common ground, can justify the violence we saw in Kansas. We will not tolerate murder, or the threat of violence, masquerading as political activism. So let me be clear, the Justice Department will use every tool at its disposal to protect the rights ensured under our constitution. And we will do all that we can to deter violence against reproductive health care providers and to prosecute those who commit such violence to the fullest extent of the law. ...

The violence we have seen during the last month may seem daunting to some. But I view these tragedies as a call to action. ... Let us commit ourselves – regardless of party affiliation or political viewpoint – to the difficult work ahead: building an America in which the kind of violence we have seen these last few weeks is but a distant memory. And building an America in which all of our Nation’s citizens, in equal measure, enjoy the fruits of our founding documents. [our emphasis]

http://www.usdoj.gov/ag/speeches/2009/ag-speech-090616.html

Holder also addressed voting rights: "Our commitment to Equal Protection -- and to full participation in our nation's elections -- will not waiver." (A case now before the Supreme Court of the United States challenges Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.) He said the DOJ's Civil Rights Division "is on its way to regaining its luster."

All that is music to progressives' ears, of course. Although Obama's attorney general has disappointed many in how he has continued some cases begun under the Bush Administration, he does stand up for principles, as when he argued for the release of the torture memos in April. And he told a West Point audience, "the strength of our nation has always been our ability to correct course ..."

Do not let it be said that the right wingers do not have their principles, too. They're just different. Ashley Horne, analyst for Focus on the Family Action, enunciated the do-nothing principle: "Hate-crimes laws are unnecessary in a civil society like ours based on the rule of law. ... Democrats in Congress who are pushing this legislation forward really just have a solution looking for a problem." Yes, the right stands firmly against "the homosexual agenda," as they put it, and against reproductive freedom. The recent hate-drenched shooters had principles, too. They just lacked certain others.

Hate crimes occur at least once every hour in the United States. Can the GOP come to grips with that? Can they cut loose their radical fringe and follow the lead of the "Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act" cosponsors Snowe and Collins? "Equal Protection" -- it's for all Americans.

Note: The bill's opponents identify the following as needing to hear from citizens:

x	Blanche Lincoln D- AR	202-224-4843
x	Byron L. Dorgan D- ND	202-224-2551
x	Herb Kohl D-WI	202-224-5653
x	James Webb D- VA	202-224-4024
x	Jon Tester D- MT	202-224-2644
x	Kay Hagan D- NC	202-224-6342
x	Kent Conrad D- ND	202-224-2043
x	Mark Pryor D- AR	202-224-2353
x	Mark Warner D- VA	202-224-2023
x	Max Baucus D- MT	202-224-2651

x	Michael Bennet D- CO	202-224-5852
x	Robert C. Byrd D- WV	202-224-3954
x	Russ Feingold D-WI	202-224-5323
x	Ted Kaufman D-DE	202-224-5042
x	Thomas Carper D- DE	202-224-2441
x	Tom Udall D- NM	202-224-6621

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS

(OK, you've been warned)

Best response to all things homophobic. Viva la France! (thanks Dan)

Click here: YouTube - The GayClic Collab Against Homophobia (from France)

It's the French video response from http://www.GayClic.com readers to Stevie Bee Bishop's "Big Fat Gay Collab". Posted on the International Day Against Homophobia, May 17, 2009.

Conservatives Aren't Being Persecuted

Leonard Pitts Jr. | Conservatives Aren't Being Persecuted

http://www.truthout.org/061909O

Leonard Pitts Jr., The Miami Herald: "Modern conservatism is defined by an Alice-through-the-looking-glass incoherence: small government except when it is growing larger than ever, fiscal restraint except when we are spending like Michael Jackson in a Disney gift shop, foreign-policy pragmatism except when we are trying to transform the Middle East. Indeed, sometimes it feels as if it is no longer defined by principles at all, nor by energy and ideas, but rather, by a limitless ability to feel put upon and slighted."

Why the New iPhone Sucks