Monday, March 26, 2012
Via JMG: Herman Cain, WTF? (Part Two)
Via JMG: U.S. Customs To Recognize Gay Families
Homeland Security today announced a proposed rule change that will allow gay families to go through U.S. Customs together. Zack Ford notes at Think Progress: "Before, married same-sex couples had to go through customs separately because the policy referred to married couples, and thus fell under the purview of the Defense of Marriage Act." Yet another advance from the Obama administration.Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma March 26, 2012
Facing Challenges and Obstacles
When challenges or obstacles arise for us, we don’t have to get so intimidated; we can say, 'Yes, it’s an obstacle, but it is not intrinsically bad; it’s not going to destroy me.' To create a relationship with the obstacle, learn about it, and finally overcome it is going to be a helpful thing to do. It gives us a chance to cultivate wisdom and skillful means. It gives us confidence. We cannot eliminate all of the challenges or obstacles in life—our own or anyone else’s. We can only learn to rise to the occasion and face them. |
- Dzigar Kongtrul, “Old Relationships, New Possibilities”
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma March 25, 2012
An Innocent Mind
What can be described is the known, and the freedom from the known can come into being only when there is a dying every day to the known, to the hurts, the flatteries, to all the images you have made, to all your experiences— dying every day so that the brain cells themselves become fresh, young, innocent. |
- Jiddu Krishnamurti, “A Still Mind”
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
Saturday, March 24, 2012
JMG Photo Of The Day - Afghanistan Pride Flag
Just posted to the Wipeout Homophobia page of Facebook with the caption: "hubbie in afghanistan raising a gay pride flag." I'm still in meetings at the journalists conference in Houston, so I'm hoping my flying monkeys can track down the back story behind this photo. (Tipped by JMG reader David)
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma March 24, 2012
The View From Above
Things simply happen—we do our rituals, we travel about, we bear children, live among them, and die. We can’t change these facts, but if we cultivate awareness that everyone, everywhere has similar experiences of life and death, it can take the urgency out of our responses, opening a space for equanimity to arise. |
- Manjusura, “The View From Above”
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
Via AmericaBlogGay:
Adviser 1: So the gays are pushing hard on this gay marriage thing.
Advier 2: EEEK! [runs from room].
Adviser 3: Who are they gonna vote for, Romney?
Adviser 4: Uh, yeah.
I'm not voting for Romney. But a sizable minority of gays will. Remember that while only 23% of gays voted for Bush in 2004, 27% voted for McCain because he seemed vaguely more pro-gay. Fast forward to 2012. Romney is FAR more pro-gay than John McCain - well, to be precise, Romney WAS far more pro-gay than John McCain, back when he was pro-choice, pro- the health care mandate, etc. And it won't be a stretch for some gay voters, and some independents straight and gay, to say "oh Romney, he's just pretending to be a conservative, we know he's really liberal in his heart." After all, isn't that the message that everyone says about Romney, left and right?
So I think it benefits the President to come out for marriage equality for a variety of reasons.
Obama’s top political advisers have held serious discussions with leading Democrats about the upsides and downsides of coming out for gay marriage before the fall election, a Democratic strategist who has discussed these matters directly with Obama's campaign inner circle tells me.
This does not mean that it will happen, and there are plenty of reasons to assume it won’t. Indeed, it would be political malpractice if Obama’s top advisers didn’t discuss every permutation and possibility, no matter how far fetched. However, the fact that it has been discussed seriously at high levels means it’s not out of the question.
Those advisers are convinced that Obama will make this call based on his gut, and ultimately without regard to the fine-grained political analysis of the situation, the source says.
If this were just about the President's gut, then he'd already be announcing his support. After all, he was for gay marriage all the way back in 1996. The only plausible reason for his change is because he decided to run for national office. So this isn't about his gut. It's about whether his gut overrules his political calculus. And, as Joe and I have argued many a time, even the political calculus argues in favor of the President coming out again for marriage equality.
After all, the Republicans already say that the President is in favor of gay marriage. That's what they're going to tell black voters, southern voters, blue collar voters and all the rest. Why not own it and make it a positive?
Friday, March 23, 2012
Via JMG: NOM's Starbucks Boycott: Day One
On the first full official day of NOM's boycott, yesterday Starbucks' stock price Via JMG: Freedom To Marry Launches New Drive
Via press release: Today Freedom to Marry announced the Win More States Fund to raise at least $3 million dollars, every penny of which will be spent directly on the work of winning in five 2012 marriage battleground states: Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Washington. “Winning marriage at the ballot in even one state will take away the last desperate talking-point our opponents use to disparage the gains we are making across the country,” said Evan Wolfson, founder and President of Freedom to Marry, the campaign to win marriage nationwide. “In each of our battleground states, Freedom to Marry is taking a lead role alongside local families and leaders, adding talent and resources on the frontlines to do the critical work necessary to win.”With five states on the 2012 ballot, it's almost a rerun of 2004. This time, however, three of the state battles can end in legalization.
Via JMG: Finland Considers Gay Marriage
The government of Finland has begun debating a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage. Considered one of the most conservative Nordic nations, there is already a relationship register in the country for same-sex couples, which has been in place since 2002. The new amendment would end the separation between heterosexual marriages and same-sex partnerships and allow all couples to share a surname and adopt children. The amendment would have no bearing on religious groups, and would only redefine civil marriages. The Finnish Parliament have now sent the initiative to the Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, where its passage is uncertain. The draft amendment was signed by 76 of the 200 members of Parliament, with more lawmakers including Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen expected to vote for it, Reuters reports.Norway and Sweden have already legalized gay marriage.
Via JMG: RUSSIA: St. Petersburg Authorities Threaten To Arrest Madonna
Earlier this week Madonna vowed to break St. Petersburg's new "don't say gay" law during her coming concert. Today the bill's author declared that he will be at the venue and will charge Madonna, should she break the new law against promoting homosexuality.The law, which took effect March 11, in part prohibits “the propaganda of homosexuality and pedophilia among minors.” Gay rights activists say it would criminalize even reading, writing or speaking about gay, lesbian, or transgender people. Violations can carry hefty fines, ranging from about $170 for individuals up to $16,700 or organizations and businesses. The bill’s author, city assemblyman Vitaly Milanov, says he wants Madonna charged under the new law if she speaks out against it during her concert. He said he was willing to attend the show “to control its moral content.” “I’m ready to personally suffer a couple of hours of her concert,” he told the Russian Interfax news agency.Some Russian LGBT activists have denounced Madonna's refusal to cancel. Famed activist Nikolai Aleksev:"“The law will stay in force, Madonna will leave and the Russian LGBT community will be humiliated even more." Other gay groups say they welcome any attention Madonna can bring to their plight.
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma March 23, 2012
Constant Vigilance
The crucial point is to maintain constant vigilance over and awareness of our mental state so that, at the moment that afflictive emotions rise up, they will not trigger a chain of deluded thoughts. Thus, we neither let desire overwhelm our mind, nor do we repress it while leaving it intact in a hidden corner of the mind. We simply become free from its alienating power. |
- Matthieu Ricard, “Working with Desire”
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
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