Via JMG: Boehner Triples DOMA Legal Budget

House Speaker John Boenher has tripled the allocation to defend DOMA to a possible $1.5M.

A modified contract between the General Counsel to the House of Representatives and former Solicitor General Paul Clement of Bancroft PLLC sets a cap of $750,000 which can be raised up to $1.5 million. "It is absolutely unconscionable that Speaker Boehner is tripling the cost for his legal boondoggle to defend the indefensible Defense of Marriage Act," Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, said in a statement. "At a time when Americans are hurting and job creation should be the top priority, it just shows how out of touch House Republicans have become that they would spend up to $1.5 million dollars to defend discrimination in our country," Hammill continued.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler reacts via press release:

“In the current climate of Republican-sponsored deficit hysteria, draconian spending cuts, and an ongoing recession in which Americans are still awaiting congressional leadership on jobs and mortgage relief, it is shocking and supremely hypocritical for Republican Leadership to spend additional taxpayer dollars on the unwarranted, unconstitutional and unnecessary defense of DOMA. It seems that the only jobs program the House is creating is one for high-priced lawyers to defend an unconscionable law.

Freedom To Marry's Evan Wolfson:

“At a time when Americans are struggling through one of the worst economies in our nation's history, it is shameful that House Republicans are now tripling the spending of tax dollars - including those of gay and lesbian Americans - to defend a discriminatory anti-gay law that makes it even harder for committed gay and lesbian couples to take care of and protect their loved ones. The so-called Defense of Marriage Act is indefensible, and wasting tax dollars on perpetuating discrimination is unconscionable.”

Labels: Congress, DOMA, Evan Wolfson, GOP, Jerry Nadler, LGBT rights, U.S. House

reposted from Joe

GlobalPost Presents Series on Gay Rights Fight

Dick Cheney Endorses DADT Repeal

Via JMG: ILLINOIS: Tea Party Marriage Defender Busted For Soliciting Prostitute

Last year when the news broke that Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) had cheated on his wife, Chicago Tea Party president Steve Stevlic went on a Twitter-fueled crusade to denounce the congressman for destroying the sanctity of his marriage. You all KNOW what comes next, right?

TeaCon was supposed to be the culmination of all the work that Chicago Tea Party Director Stevan Stevlic put into building the party. But Stevlic, of Cicero, ended up skipping the event Saturday after news broke about his arrest for soliciting a prostitute more than a year ago. Stevan Stevlic, then 36, was arrested June 25, 2010, in the 1600 block of South Kilbourn for misdemeanor solicitation of prostitution, a police source confirmed to the Sun-Times Saturday. The arrest was first reported on the website Gawker, which said the charges were dropped after Stevlic agreed to participate in a rehab program.

Stevlic has now locked his Twitter feed so nobody can screencap all that moral outrage directed at Rep. Jackson. (Tipped by JMG reader Rich)

Labels: hypocrisy, prostitution, sanctity of marriage, Tea Party

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Marriage: According To The Bible

(NSFW source)

Labels: marriage equality, religion, superstition

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Rachel Maddow Vs. Bryan Fischer

As I've noted here many times, most of the major GOP presidential candidates will appear at this year's Values Voter Summit, an event put on by the Family Research Council, an SPLC-certified hate group. Last week it was learned that American Family Association spokesbigot Bryan Fischer will immediately follow Mitt Romney on the convention's stage. In the clip below, Rachel Maddow picks up the story.

Start the clip at 3:00.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Labels: AFA, Bryan Fischer, Family Reseach Council, GOP, hate groups, Mitt Romney, Values Voters Summit

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: SCOTUS: Humanitarian Faith Groups Can Discriminate In Hiring Practices

The Supreme Court today refused to hear the appeal of a lower court's ruling that faith-based humanitarian organizations may legally refuse to hire those outside of their religion. The suit had been brought on behalf of several former employees of the massive Virgina-based evangelical group World Vision.

In August, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that World Vision could legally discriminate in hiring based on religious affiliation. The court, upholding a lower court ruling on a discrimination suit, said World Vision qualifies as a faith-based humanitarian organization and is exempt from the Civil Rights Act. The U.S. Supreme Court Monday affirmed that appeals court decision by refusing to hear the case. “Our Christian faith has been the foundation of our work since the organization was established in 1950, and our hiring policy is vital to the integrity of our mission to serve the poor as followers of Jesus Christ,” said Richard Stearns, World Vision U.S. president, in a statement.

World Vision is an international relief agency with annual donations of over $2 billion. They have been accused of deceptive practices regarding their aid to poor children in foreign countries.

Labels: employment, religion, Supreme Court

reposted from Joe

Via Pedantic Political Ponderings:

Praise: President Obama at the Human Rights Commission last night

Last night, President Obama spoke at the Human Rights Commission.  The video begins with a speech by outgoing head of the HRC Joe Solmonese.  Mr. Obama begins to speak at about 9:55 into the video.

Here are a few lines that caught my ear:

Every single American:  gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, every single American deserves to be treated equally in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of our society.  It's a pretty simple proposition.

The President is, of course, correct.  Equality is called for in the Founding Documents of the United States of America.  It is a simple concept, but will not be a simple achievement.

The President went on to enumerate his important achievements on that path to full equality

• The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Law
• Executive Order that hospitals that accept Medicare must allow same gender partners as visitors
• Lifting of the HIV travel ban
• Comprehensive National Strategy to fight HIV/AIDS
• Repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT)

make the jump here to read the full Pondering

Via AmericaBlogGay: Obama castigates GOP prez candidates: Commander in Chief must support gay troops

The highlight of the President's speech at the Human Rights Campaign's annual dinner was his sharp rebuke of the GOP presidential candidates for refusing to say a word while several members of the audience at the last debate booed a gay soldier. Here's that snippet, from Igor Volsky of ThinkProgress:

make the jump here to read the full story

President Obama Addresses the 15th Annual HRC National Dinner

Via AmericaBlogGay: DOD memos: Marriages can happen on ANY base

The Washington Post and a few other media outlets got the story wrong. The marriages are not only allowed on bases in states that permit gay marriage, contrary to what the Post reported. The marriages are permitted on any base anywhere, provided that state law doesn't prohibit the marriages taking place on a base, and no state law prohibits that anyway.  State law simply says, in some states, that the state won't recognize a gay marriage - they do not prohibit men and women of the cloth from conducting such marriages, and don't prohibit them from happening on a military base.  So, yes, these can happen at any base in the country.  This is good. 

Signed Chaplains Memo

Signed Facilities Memo-1

Christianity and Marriage

If Christianity shouldn't be a basis to argue against interracial marriage, then why should Christianity be a basis to argue against same-sex marriage?

"I Do" - Australian Marriage Equality [MEGA MOB]

Real Time With Bill Maher: Bill Maher PSA (HBO)

Via JMG: Thrice Married Serial Adulterer Finds Gay Marriage To Be As Temporary As His Ability To Not F%*k Women Who Aren't His Wife

Thrice Married Serial Adulterer Finds Gay Marriage To Be As Temporary As His Ability To Not F%*k Women Who Aren't His Wife

"I think this [gay marriage] is a temporary aberration that will dissipate. I think that it is just fundamentally goes against everything we know." - Newt Gingrich, who would like remind you that marriage is between one man and one woman whom you abandon riddled with cancer on her hospital bed while you fuck the shit out of your next wife whom you later cheat on while screaming with Godly moral outrage about the infidelities of the president.

Labels: divorce, hypocrisy, liars, Newt Gingrich

reposted from Joe

Via Gay Politics Report: Opposition to marriage equality drops, survey finds

More Americans now support than oppose marriage rights for same-sex couples, according to a bi-annual survey from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. Marriage equality is favored by 64% of those under 30 years old, but by only 27% of people older than 70, the survey found. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/Reuters (9/28)

Via JMG: MONTANA: Leading Anti-Gay Activist Charged With Six Felony Fraud Counts

Pastor Harris Himes (above, at the microphone), the most well-known anti-gay activist in Montana, has been charged with six felony counts of theft and fraud related to a business scheme he allegedly orchestrated with another pastor.

Ravalli County Sheriff Chris Hoffman said Harris Himes turned himself in Wednesday morning after learning that there was a warrant for his arrest. District Judge James Haynes issued bench warrants on Tuesday for Himes and James "Jeb" Bryant after attorneys for the state Office of the Commissioner of Securities and Insurance filed six felony charges against the two. The charges included theft, fraud, conspiracy to commit both, failure to register a security and failure to register as a salesman of same. According to court records, Himes and Bryant claimed to own a business, Duratherm Building Systems, and promised at least one investor a large return on his $150,000. But the investor claimed to have never received any returns or confirmation of sale, nor could he get his money back.

According to the above-linked story, Harris frequently testified and campaigned against proposed pro-gay legislation. We know him here on JMG as part of the Not In My Bathroom anti-transgender rights group.

In February of this year I posted video of Himes testifying that homosexuality was a "sin worth of death" and therefore gay people should not be allowed to rent homes in Montana. Thanks to Himes and others, Montana's state legislature then passed a bill outlawing all LGBT rights laws, at any level in the entire state.

RELATED: Himes is also the president of the far fringe-right Montana Eagle Forum and in his dual role as pastor/lawyer he performs pro bono work on behalf of the anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund. He blogs at Andrew Breitbart's Big Government site.

UNRELATED: Two nutjob anti-gay whackos taken down on the same day! I am chortling until my chortler is sore! O frabjous day, indeed!

(Tipped by JMG reader and Montana activist D. Gregory Smith, who often battled Himes. Read Smith's account of today's news.)

Labels: Alliance Defense Fund, Christianists, con men, hypocrisy, justice, LGBT rights, Montana, religion, scandal

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Ellen & Rep. Nancy Pelosi Discuss DADT And GOP Booing Of Gay Soldier

Via AmericablogGay: Bigots now claiming that civil rights impedes their religious right to oppress you

Does bigotry trump civil rights?  Should a clerk in NY state be permitted to say her religion won't permit her to sign marriage licenses for gay couples?  What if her religion isn't too thrilled about blacks marrying whites, or Jews (they did kill Christ, you know), and let's not even start with the Muslims.  And why stop there?  Fundamentalists think Catholics worship Satan.  Are we really going to force a fundamentalist clerk to sign off on a Satanic wedding? 

As far as I'm concerned, the woman should find another job.  She took a job that entails signing off on weddings.  She can't pick and choose which ones she likes and claim her religion as a defense.  Why stop there.  Why not let accountants, and doctors, and ambulance drivers, and pilots, and waitresses refuse to serve gay couples?  Where does it stop? 

Of course, the bigots want this very outcome.  They made the same argument about slavery, you know - the Bible says it's a good thing.  Yeah, we all know how that ended.  And the Mormons discriminated against blacks until the 1970s.  So what if a Mormon still believes in the traditional teachings about blacks evil spawn, can clerks refuse to marry black people now too? 

This is just another example of how the Republican party, and its spawn, are destroying civil society in America.  They're tearing this country apart, town by town.  It's very sad.