A committee of more than 100 Democrats unanimously approved on
Saturday a version of their party’s platform that includes a plank
endorsing marriage equality as well as other pro-LGBT language.
The full platform committee, which consists of around 120 Democrats,
gave the OK to the manifesto following a meeting in Detroit, Mich., that
was chaired by retired Lt. Gen. Claudia Kennedy, the first woman to
reach the rank of three-star general, and Newark Mayor Cory Booker.
During the several hour long meeting, members offered views
on principles to advocate for within the party and proposed amendments
to the platform.
Language on marriage equality — which is being included in the
Democratic Party platform for the first time — was accepted without
amendment and without significant discussion.
Read the full article here
Saturday, August 11, 2012
JMG Quote Of The Day - Bristol Palin
"While I’m excited and thankful to be returning to Dancing With The Stars,
not everyone is thrilled I’m coming back. When the new contestants
participated in a panel discussion for the Television Critics
Association’s summer tour, the critics’ disdain for me was obvious.
While they asked many questions (or, really, just a few questions over
and over), only one stands out in my mind: Would I mind dancing with a
gay dance partner? [snip] In their simplistic minds, the fact that I’m a
Christian, that I believe in God’s plan for marriage, means that I must
hate gays and must hate to even be in their presence. Well, they were
right about one thing: there was hate in that media room, but the hate
was theirs, not mine." - Bristol Palin, who says she'd be happy to have a gay dance partner with no civil rights.
Labels: abstinence education, Bristol Palin, Dancing With The Stars, LGBT rights, reality shows, religion, Sarah Palin
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma August 11, 2012
The Undoing of Desire
Buddhism teaches us that desire, for all the agony and ecstasy, is no match for the truth.
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- Joan Duncan Oliver, "Drink And A Man"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through August 13th, 2012
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2 fro JMG: Ryan
ACLU Denounces Paul Ryan
The
morning the ACLU sent out a blistering denouncement of Rep. Paul Ryan's
track record on LGBT rights and civil liberties. Via press release:In response to Mitt Romney’s announcement of his vice presidential pick of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), the American Civil Liberties Union Liberty Watch 2012 campaign this morning released a brief report that reveals an appalling civil liberties record for Ryan.Read the ACLU's brief on Ryan.
The report finds that Ryan, the congressman representing Wisconsin’s 1st District, holds almost uniformly harmful views on five key civil liberties issues including a humane immigration policy, LGBT equality, reproductive rights, torture and indefinite detention and fair voting access.
The report is based on the white paper released by ACLU Liberty Watch 2012. “Paul Ryan may end up a heartbeat away from the presidency but he’ll be light years from civil liberties,” said Anthony D. Romero, ACLU executive director. “Paired with Romney’s already-abysmal record on civil liberties, Ryan’s positions only take this ticket further from the vision of our founding fathers.”
Tweet Of The Day - Mitt Romney
Reposted from Joe
Via AmericaBlog Gay:
Pope no longer opposed to condoms, kind of
Good,
but at the same time, whatever. Telegraph:After decades of fierce
opposition to the use of all contraception, the Pontiff has ended the
Church’s absolute ban on the use of condoms.He said it was acceptable to
use a prophylactic when the sole intention was to “reduce the risk
of...
Via AmericaBlog Gay:
What is Paul Ryan's position on gay rights?
Absolutely
awful. He voted once for ENDA, then turned around and voted against it
(likely when the religious right got a hold of him). That's it.
Otherwise he's been terrible on everything.Ryan is expected to be
Romney's VP choice at an announcement today in Virginia.From Paul
Schindler at...
Friday, August 10, 2012
Via BeliefNet:
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma August 10, 2012
In Dialogue with Our Desires
Although
desires can be remarkably stubborn, they share a goal—happiness—and
this can form the common ground for an effective dialogue: If a desire
doesn’t really produce happiness, it contradicts its reason for being.
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- Thanissaro Bhikkhu, "Pushing the Limits"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through August 12th, 2012
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Via America Blog Gay:
German court gives tax benefit to gay couples
CNN:Germany's
constitutional court has strengthened the rights of gay and lesbian
couples, giving them a same tax benefit as heterosexual married
couples.The ruling, which came Wednesday, comes as the country is mired
in an escalating debate on the status of homosexual partnerships.The...
Via America Blog Gay:
French Catholic church says gays are pedophiles, tries to veto marriage in France
The
Catholic church. That bastion of pedophilia, and pedophile-enablers -
to this day - now claims to be worried about the welfare of children.
That's why the Catholic church has yet to fully fess up to its role in
enabling the rape of children across the world for decades, if not
millennia.
...
My comment: "how dare they!"
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Via JMG: Democrats Release Proposed Language For Convention Marriage Equality Plank
As always, Chris Geidner has the scoop:
We support the right of all families to have equal respect, responsibilities, and protections under the law. We support marriage equality and support the movement to secure equal treatment under law for same-sex couples. We also support the freedom of churches and religious entities to decide how to administer marriage as a religious sacrament without government interference.Geidner notes that the group that created the above language is different from the one that will be voting on it at the convention. Should the plank pass out of the convention committee, it must then be voted upon by the delegates.
We oppose discriminatory federal and state constitutional amendments and other attempts to deny equal protection of the laws to committed same-sex couples who seek the same respect and responsibilities as other married couples. We support the full repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act and the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act.
Via Beliefnet:
| Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma
Tricycle Daily Dharma August 9, 2012
Meditation Needs Morality
If
you are not leading a morally upright life, you cannot expect to sit
down on a little pillow and find yourself secluded from sense desires,
secluded from unwholesome states of mind. If there is not sufficient
morality, there is too much to desire, too much hate or fear, too much
to worry about.
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- Leigh Brasington, "A Mind Pure, Concentrated, and Bright"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through August 11th, 2012
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Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Via JMG: HomoQuotable - Rob Halford
"Everybody
in this country has the right to say what they think and feel and what
best represents them. The people at Chick-fil-A have the absolute right
to say and do what they want. It doesn’t matter that all of these people
disagree with their opinion. The question was how would the people that
agree with what that man said do to support the company and how would
the ones against his anti-gay remarks protest. What you’re seeing here
are the elements of the American Constitution in all of their glory.
It’s a wonderful thing to see happening and talk about and the fact that
everyone is discussing the gay rights issue is great. I don’t think
that man thought too much about the business consequences of what he
said, but I think he was standing for what he believes in. I don’t agree
with him at all, but God bless the man. It’s as simple as that." -
Openly gay heavy metal star Rob Halford, speaking to Ultimate Classic Rock. (Tipped by JMG reader Greg)
Via jMG: HGTV's House Hunters To Feature Gay Couple Forced Abroad By DOMA
On next Monday's episode of House Hunters International, HGTV's flagship series will feature a gay couple forced to leave the country due to DOMA. From the show's episode guide: Ivan and Devin, built a life together in DC: they worked jobs they loved, shared their home with their beloved dog and exchanged wedding vows. But when Ivan's work visa expired, he had no other choice but to head back to his native Bogota, Colombia with his American husband, Devin, and their dog, Danger. Ivan's mother is delighted her son is back home and has extended her indefinite hospitality, but the couple agrees it's time to find their own digs. With few dog-friendly buildings, and an extensive wish-list, real estate agent, Sam Miller has his work cut out for him. But will he deliver the goods? Find out, when House Hunters International sets its sights on Bogota, Colombia.The show was filmed prior to last week's announcement that Homeland Security will now deprioritize the deportations of LGBT partners.
Via JMG: Bryan Fischer: Christians Should Kidnap The Children Of Gay And Lesbian Parents
For years here on JMG we've been following the case of Lisa Miller, the "ex-gay" woman who kidnapped her daughter
to Central America after losing several court cases that awarded
custody to her former partner. The preacher accused of facilitating that
crime is about to go on trial, prompting American Family Association
radio host Bryan Fischer to issue calls for an anti-gay "Underground
Railroad" to help shield the kidnappers of the children of gay parents.As you may recall, that "Underground Railroad" already exists in the form of the virulently anti-gay Liberty Counsel, as the kidnapped child was found living in the Nicaraguan home of the father of a Liberty Counsel employee. Over at Dead Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, students were taught that it's sometimes best to obey "God's laws" rather than "man's laws" and that "righteous kidnapping" in cases such as Lisa Miller's were justified. Those classes were taught by Liberty Counsel president Mat Staver and Lina Lindevaldsen, both of whom represented Miller in her failed custody attempts. The students were then tested on whether they'd break the law for God.
That semester’s midterm exam, obtained by Religion Dispatches, included a question based on Miller’s case asking students to describe what advice they would give her “as a friend who is a Christian lawyer.” After laying out a slanted history of the protracted legal battle, the exam asked, “Lisa needs your counsel on how to think through her legal situation and how to respond as a Christian to this difficult problem. Relying only on what we have learned thus far in class, how would you counsel Lisa?”As word broke late last year that the federal government was about to find Lisa Miller, Fischer and other anti-gay sites declared that the FBI had been infiltrated by the "gaystapo."
Students who wrote that Miller should comply with court orders received bad grades while those who wrote she should engage in civil disobedience received an A, the three students said. “People were appalled,” said one of the students, adding, “especially as lawyers-to-be, who are trained and licensed to practice the law—to disobey that law, that seemed completely counterintuitive to all of us.” Still, some knew what they needed to “regurgitate,” in order to get a good grade. “It was obvious by the substance of the class during the semester the answer that they wanted,” said one of the students. “The majority of people that I am acquainted with who did get As wrote that because it was expected of them.”
Lisa and Isabella are not free. The FBI is after them. At any time, they may be captured. At any time, Isabella may be kidnapped by the FBI and her mother arrested. America is resurrecting Sodom with a vengeance, supported by the formidable power of the State. While Christian social services in the US are losing their traditional right to help children because they refuse state orders to adopt children to homosexual couples.Fischer's tweets from yesterday (at the top of this post) have generated widespread condemnation, which is an everyday occurrence when he bloviates on any topic. But this time even some anti-gay and Christian sites are backing away from him, resulting in today's flurry of "clarifications."
I recommend reading last week's exhaustive New York Times
cover story on the kidnapping. We can only hope that after the
preacher's trial will come multiple conspiracy counts for Mat Staver and
his Liberty Counsel accomplices.
Labels: Bryan Fischer, gay families, gay parenting, hate groups, Janet Jenkins, kidnapping, LGBT rights, Liberty Counsel, Lisa Miller, Mat Staver, religion
Via Beliefnet:
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