A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Republican Party Won't Budge on Marriage Equality: Aug 27 Marriage News Watch
Major news in the Prop 8 case, with new briefs filed with the US Supreme Court. Another survey shows a majority of Americans support the freedom to marry, so why is the Republican party turning its back on relationship recognition? And challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act were already on the fast track, but now that track could get even faster.
AFER online: http://afer.org
AFER on Facebook: http://facebook.com/AFER
AFER on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AFER
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma August 28, 2012
Transforming Obstacles
Every
meditator has challenges. Rather then taking the obstacles as problems
or as unfortunate distractions, a more useful attitude is to patiently
and contentedly learn the skills and insights that can transform them
into stepping stones along the path of practice.
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- Gil Fronsdal, "Evaluate Your Meditation"
Monday, August 27, 2012
Via JMG: GOP Platform: Obama Adminstration Supports Overseas Homosexual Agenda
Again we see (probably) the hand of Tony Perkins in the GOP party platform, this time in its foreign policy section. Think Progress quotes from a leaked copy:
The effectiveness of our foreign aid has been limited by the cultural agenda of the current Administration, attempting to impose on foreign countries, especially the peoples of Africa, legalized abortion and the homosexual rights agenda. At the same time, faith-based groups — the sector that has had the best track record in promoting lasting development — have been excluded from grants because they will not conform to the administration’s social agenda. We will reverse this tragic course, encourage more involvement by the most effective aid organizations, and trust developing peoples to build their future from the ground up.Lest we forget, Perkins denounced Obama for expressing opposition to Uganda's plan to start executing homosexuals. That's the real "homosexual agenda" of the Republican party.
Via JMG: The Top Male Couples Of Fantasy Fiction
After Elton has launched a tournament to pick the hottest of the 32 male-male TV couples that dominate the world of fantasy "slash" erotica. The elders of the genre, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, are pitted against their modern day counterparts from the latest edition of Star Trek.
Via JMG: Judge Orders Prop 8 Case Closed
Interesting turn of events reported by Chris Geidner:
The trial court judge in California who has taken over hearing the federal court case challenging Proposition 8, the state's amendment limiting marriages to one man and one woman, ordered the case closed today — which would allow same-sex couples to marry in California. The order comes despite the fact that proponents of Proposition 8 have requested the Supreme Court to review the case because, Judge James Ware wrote today, all requests to stay the judgment in the case have been denied. The proponents made no request of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court to stay the case pending resolution by the Supreme Court.What happens next is unclear. Could same-sex marriages resume in California before the Supreme Court even decides whether to hear the appeal of its overturn?
UPDATE: AFER spokesman Matt Baume tells me by email that today's "case closed" ruling was just "administrative housekeeping" and that we're still on standby regarding whether SCOTUS will hear the case. As you were...
Via JMG: CALIFORNIA: San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore "Father Of Prop 8" Cordileone Busted For Drunk Driving
The brand new Archbishop of San Francisco, Salvatore Cordileone, has been arrested for drunk driving. Cordileone is widely considered the "father of Proposition 8."
Police in San Diego say Bishop Salvatore Cordileone was arrested over the weekend for driving under the influence. Police say it happened in San Diego's College District just before 12:30 Saturday morning. Bishop Cordileone is currently bishop of Oakland -- a post he's held since 2009. Last month Pope Benedict chose Bishop Cordileone to become archbishop of San Francisco -- replacing retiring Archbishop George Niederaur. He's scheduled to assume the new post in October.I'll have the delicious mug shot ASAP. (Tipped by JMG reader Mark)
Labels: alcohol, California, Catholic Church, Catholics, cults, drunk driving, Proposition 8, San Francisco
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma August 27, 2012
Getting a Sense of Humor
Fortunately,
getting a sense of humor doesn’t come with a price tag. It simply
requires understanding that everything we experience is universal; all
the humiliations and hijinks are a part of life; each and every one of
us gets to slip on the banana peel. So pick yourself up, brush yourself
off, and laugh about it, for crying out loud.
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- Josh Korda, "Now What?"
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma August 26, 2012
Nothing Born, Nothing Dying
From
the intrinsic standpoint—one of body, of Buddha-nature—non-killing
means that there is nothing being born and nothing dying. The very
notions of 'birth' and 'death' are extra. Life does not divide up into
things to be killed or not killed; it is just this one body, constantly
changing.
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- Bernard Glassman, "Precept Study: Ethics in Action"
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Via JMG: Hate Group Hypocrisy Of The Day
Remember all the screams about yard signs and chikin graffiti? According to the American Family Association, vandalism is totally OK when it's their side doing it.
AFA was recently contacted by a Home Depot employee who says the boycott of Home Depot is being effective. "We have customers who come into our store and confront our store managers over the HD's support of Gay pride. The AFA is having an effect on HD." She also shared that many employees disagree with the company's pro-gay-marriage stand. In June, a "Gay Pride Month" poster (photo right) was put up in her breakroom. "HD is as committed as ever to the changing of laws in favor of same sex marriage. They had absolutely no empathy for those employees who voiced offense with the display. This was mandated by corporate directive. Therefore the display was torn down at least 2 times."Freepers are thrilled.
Via JMG: Tyler Clementi's Mother: I've Changed
The mother of Tyler Clementi, the gay Rutgers student who leaped to his death from the George Washington Bridge, says she's riddled with self-blame but has come to a new understanding about her son's sexuality.
“I think some people think that sexual orientation can be changed or prayed over,” she said now, in her kitchen. “But I know sexual orientation is not up for negotiation. I don’t think my children need to be changed. I think that what needed changing is attitudes, or myself, or maybe some other people I know.” She decided she could no longer attend her church, because doing so would suggest she supported its teachings against homosexuality.Read the full sad article.
And she took strength from reading the Bible as she reconsidered her views. “At this point I think Jesus is more about reconciliation and love,” she said. “He spoke more about divorce than homosexuality, but you can be divorced and join a church more than you can be gay and join churches.” What has troubled her most is the thought that Tyler believed she had rejected him.
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma August 25, 2012
Being Careful with Thoughts
People
are often careless about the thoughts they give rise to, assuming that
once they forget about a thought, that thought is finished. This is not
true. Once you give rise to a thought, it keeps functioning, and
eventually its consequences return to you.
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- Daehaeng Kun Sunim, "Thinking Big"
Friday, August 24, 2012
Via JMG: Record 470 Openly LGBT Delegates To Attend Democratic Convention
At least 470 delegates at the Democratic Convention will be openly LGBT. Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade:
The upcoming Democratic National Convention is set to have a record number of openly LGBT delegates, although goals for some states aren’t being met, according to new data from the National Stonewall Democrats. The organization as of Wednesday evening identified at least 470 openly LGBT delegates that are set to attend the convention, but more data is expected to become public at a later time. A total of 5,963 delegates are set to come to Charlotte, N.C.., for the event during the week of Sept. 3. Having 470 delegates exceeds the goal of 418 delegates at the convention and is already higher than numbers from 2008, when 277 delegates participated.California leads the pack with 74 LGBT delegates. States sending only one: Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming. Several states are sending LGBT delegates for the first time ever.
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