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Friday, August 31, 2012
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
Via JMG: "Ex-Gay" Ban Heads To Gov. Jerry Brown
California's bill to ban "ex-gay" therapy for minors has cleared its final hurdle before heading to the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown.
The state Senate on Thursday sent the governor a bill that would prohibit so-called sexual-conversion therapy for minors, aimed at changing their orientation from gay to straight. Sen. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) proposed the measure based on concern by medical groups involving psychologists and psychiatrists that the therapy is not based on sound scientific principles. "The entire house of medicine has rejected this phony and sham therapy. It really is junk science,’’ Lieu told his fellow Senators. "The American Psychiatric Assn. says it poses great risk to individuals including feelings of guilt, self-hatred, shame. Some people commit suicide having gone through this.’’ The bill was approved with a 22-12 party line vote, with Republicans objecting to the state telling parents and teenagers what kind of therapy they can pursue.The bill is vigorously opposed by PFOX, NARTH, the Catholic Church, and other hate groups that enjoy brainwashing and torturing gay children.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Via JMG: USMC Commandant: I'm Not Seeing Any Problems Since The Repeal Of DADT
The
Commandant of the Marine Corps says that he's not heard of any problems
related to the repeal of DADT. Michael Lavers reports at the Washington Blade: “I don’t think there is a problem,” said Commandant Gen. James Amos during a National Press Club luncheon in downtown Washington. “I don’t see it. I don’t hear about it.” [snip] “We obey orders,” said Amos. “We do that better than anybody does and we have.” He again noted that he doesn’t “even get a question” about openly gay and lesbian servicemembers from subordinates and other Marines. “I don’t hear anything,” said Amos. “I’m not seeing anything at all, so I’m very pleased with how it’s turned out. I’m very proud of the Marines."RELATED: You may recall that Amos was the most strident opponent of the repeal out of all the heads of the military branches. In December 2010 he even claimed that openly gay soldiers would cause Marines to lose their legs.
"When your life hangs on a line, on the intuitive behavior of the young man ... who sits to your right and your left, you don't want anything distracting you," Amos told reporters at the Pentagon. "I don't want to lose any Marines to distraction. I don't want to have any Marines that I'm visiting at Bethesda (hospital) with no legs," he said. He added that "mistakes and inattention or distractions cost Marines' lives. That's the currency of this fight."
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma August 30, 2012
Nothing Lacking
What
is this? This is just your life. So you do your part, and the rest is
clear. It is clear because there has never been anything lacking,
despite any beliefs you might have, despite any ideas you might have.
There has never been anything lacking.
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- Elihu Genmyo Smith, "Do Your Best"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through September 1st, 2012
For full access at any time, become a Tricycle Community Supporting or Sustaining Member
For full access at any time, become a Tricycle Community Supporting or Sustaining Member
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Via AmericaBlog Gay:
Dad wears skirt to show support for 5 y.o. son who likes to wear dresses
Chris
thinks this story is adorable. I'm actually a bit conflicted. Read the
snippet first, then let's discuss. Gawker:"My five year old son likes
to wear dresses," says German dad Nils Pickert.Back when he lived in
West Berlin, it was certainly a conversation-starter, but not much
more...
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma August 29, 2012
Buddhism is Having Fun
The
frustrating thing about our life is that there is no control over our
emotions. That’s why there’s no fun. The whole purpose of Buddhism is to
have fun, isn’t it? And in order to have fun you have to have control.
If someone else has control over you, that’s it: there’s no fun.
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- Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, "Do Nothing"
Via Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche:
"The first two, the inner arms, have palms joined at the heart, holding a sky-blue, wish fulfilling jewel. This symbolizes that in whatever way Chenrezig manifests to benefit beings, the quality of Chenrezig's mind is never separate from the all pervasive, non referential state of dharmakaya (primordial wisdom).
"The four arms and hands signify the four immeasurables: immeasurable loving kindness, immeasurable compassion, immeasurable joy, and immeasurable equanimity. Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Boundless Compassion, is the very embodiment and realization of the four immeasurables. The four immeasurables are the vehicles through which Chenrezig benefits beings; therefore, Chenrezig has four arms.
"In the outer right hand,
Chenrezig is holding crystal beads and moving them the way we use a mala
to count mantras. This symbolizes that there is not one moment when
Chenrezig does not benefit beings. Like the steady movement of counting
the beads, Chenrezig is continuously benefiting sentient beings and
turning the wheel of enlightened activity.
"In the outer left hand, Chenrezig holds a lotus flower. This symbolizes that, in benefiting sentient beings, Chenrezig manifests in whatever forms are necessary in accordance with the mental capacities, circumstances, and aptitudes of sentient beings. For instance, if Chenrezig appeared in the form of a human among certain kinds of sentient beings, (animals, for instance), these animals might run away. For this reason, Chenrezig may appear in the form of an animal. In a similar way, Chenrezig may appear in any of the different realms, such as the hell realm or the hungry ghost realm. However Chenrezig may appear, he remains free from any of the samsaric stains of the various realms, the way a lotus flower growing in a swamp appears free of the stain of the mud. The left hand of Chenrezig, holding the flower, symbolizes that stainlessness."
Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche
"In the outer left hand, Chenrezig holds a lotus flower. This symbolizes that, in benefiting sentient beings, Chenrezig manifests in whatever forms are necessary in accordance with the mental capacities, circumstances, and aptitudes of sentient beings. For instance, if Chenrezig appeared in the form of a human among certain kinds of sentient beings, (animals, for instance), these animals might run away. For this reason, Chenrezig may appear in the form of an animal. In a similar way, Chenrezig may appear in any of the different realms, such as the hell realm or the hungry ghost realm. However Chenrezig may appear, he remains free from any of the samsaric stains of the various realms, the way a lotus flower growing in a swamp appears free of the stain of the mud. The left hand of Chenrezig, holding the flower, symbolizes that stainlessness."
Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
JMG Editorial Of The Day
From the Baltimore Sun:
The opponents [of same-sex marriage] are resorting to spurious arguments to convince voters that the law will somehow be unfair to those with objections to gay marriages because they don't want to face the real question of fairness at stake. Should the law treat people differently because of their sexual orientation? Or should everyone be treated equally? Maryland's gay marriage ordinance doesn't require anyone to violate their religious beliefs or personal conscience. As much as we hope the debate over this issue will persuade everyone in the state of the value of acceptance and tolerance, the law doesn't force anyone to change the way they think. All it does is to remove a major vestige of discrimination from state law, and that is something all Marylanders should be able to support.
Via JMG: Undercover At NOM's Anti-Gay Conference
Equality Matters reporter Carlos Maza went undercover
at a NOM conference to pose as a straight college student interested in
"defending traditional marriage." Today he has posted a lengthy
accounting of the events, seminars, and outright lies told to NOM's
young attendees.Maza's report is quite lengthy and I'll excerpt just a bit:
At noon, I sat in on a talk titled "The Truth About Same Sex Parenting Studies," led by economist Douglas Allen. I had read Allen's work through the Ruth Institute blog before - including a piece in which he wrote that same-sex relationships were more unstable, unhealthy, and promiscuous than heterosexual relationships.Read the full Equality Matters report.
Allen began his talk by attempting to debunk the enormous body of research indicating that same-sex parents can effectively raise children. He listed a number of familiar but inaccurate criticisms of modern same-sex parenting studies: sample sizes are too small, sample sizes aren't random, the studies' authors are biased, and so on.
Allen went on to claim that lesbian relationships were more likely to experience instability and dissolution because women's menstrual cycles become synchronized when they live together for a long period of time. I could barely choke back my laughter when I heard Allen's explanation. I'd been exposed a lot of terrible arguments against allowing same-sex couples to raise children, but "lesbians will menstruate at the same time" was the kind of claim I'd expect to hear from someone parodying the anti-gay position.
A few moments later, though, I wasn't laughing...
Via JMG: Log Cabin Republicans Publish Full-Page Marriage Ad In Tampa Newspaper
Good
for them! Now let's see if they endorse the man who has pledged to
inflict an anti-gay marriage amendment upon the U.S. Constitution.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"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through August 30th, 2012
For full access at any time, become a Tricycle Community Supporting or Sustaining Member
For full access at any time, become a Tricycle Community Supporting or Sustaining Member
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
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