Via JMG: FRC's Prayer Of The Day

As the FRC's hate fest continues in Washington DC, they've posted the below prayer request for God to stop LGBT rights in America.

The dedicated Christian staff at FRC does not hate homosexuals. Indeed, by publishing Biblical and scientific truth, our aim is redemptive. We pray for those caught in this destructive lifestyle for their liberty. We labor to advance public policy that strengthens faith, family and freedom, and physical, moral and spiritual safety for our children.

Please pray that God will give FRC and our friends courage ceaselessly to proclaim truth as it pertains to marriage and human sexuality. May God grant us favor in fashioning public policy that fosters marriage and human sexuality that reflects God's wisdom and righteousness! (Dt 17:18; Ps 5:11; Is 10:1; Mt 19:3 ff; Eph 5:22-33; Titus 1:8 ff; Heb 13:4; Jude 7)

(Via Good As You)

Labels: FRC, hate groups, LGBT rights, religion

Reposted from Joe

Maddow On Gay Obama Claims

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

JMG Photo Of The Day:

Matt Stopera has the caption: "Ricky Watson of Littleton, Colorado wipes tears from his eyes after he thanked U.S. President Barack Obama for repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' at a campaign rally in Golden, Colorado. Watson was kicked out of the Air Force 25 years ago for being gay."

Labels: Barack Obama, Colorado, DADT, military

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: SF's Gold's Gyms Keep Their Word

From an October 2010 JMG post:

San Francisco's four Gold's Gyms announced on Facebook today that they will be ending their franchise agreement with the company in response to the news that CEO Robert Rowling had donated millions to Karl Rove's anti-gay American Crossroads PAC. The locally-owned Gold's still have almost two years on their contract, but have vowed to "match every dollar" in their remaining franchise fees with "equal or greater" donations to LGBT causes.

As you can see by the above photo, those four gyms have kept their word. As I wrote two years ago: "THAT, my buff kittens, is how you run a business." (Tipped by JMG reader Aaron)

 

Labels: exercise, good work, Karl Rove, San Francisco

Reposted from Joe

Via FB:

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 16, 2012

Do Less, Accomplish More

We are born with all the wisdom, playfulness, and imagination we need; we just sometimes need a reminder to return to our senses and get out of our own way. Let go of whatever fears, assumptions, distractions, resistance, and busyness may be hampering you. Allow yourself to think and feel and live that way.

- Marc Lesser, "Do Less, Accomplish More"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through September 18th, 2012
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 16, 2012

Do Less, Accomplish More

We are born with all the wisdom, playfulness, and imagination we need; we just sometimes need a reminder to return to our senses and get out of our own way. Let go of whatever fears, assumptions, distractions, resistance, and busyness may be hampering you. Allow yourself to think and feel and live that way.

- Marc Lesser, "Do Less, Accomplish More"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through September 18th, 2012
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 15, 2012

Letting Go of Getting

The first thing to let go of is trying to "get" love, and instead to give it. That's the secret of the spiritual path.

- Ayya Khema, "What Love Is"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through September 17th, 2012
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Via Beyond The Veil where the Angels Ascend / FB:

Via JMG: WeHo Installs Rainbow Crosswalks

Details.

Labels: gayborhoods, LGBT culture, West Hollywood

Reposted from Joe

Dalai Lama tells his Facebook friends that religion “is no longer adequate”

George Dvorsky, io9: This past Monday, people who have the Dalai Lama as a Facebook friend found this little gem in their newsfeed.

All the world’s major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness can and do promote inner values. But the reality of the world today is that grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate. This is why I am increasingly convinced that the time has come to find a way of thinking about spirituality and ethics beyond religion altogether.

The Dalai Lama’s advice sounds startling familiar — one that echos the sentiment put forth by outspoken…

Read the original article »

Via Vida Rz / Adyashanti's photo / FB:

We are the one who are causing our suffering, and it’s we alone who can the find the way out.

Most addicts let go of their addiction when they’ve really seen that there’s no possibility of being happy and being an addict…So when does an addict actually stop? They tend to quit when they hit bottom, when they’ve seen the wisdom of absolutely no escape, that nothing’s going to work except facing themselves and their situation where they are.

…truthfully almost all of us are addicts and the deepest thing we’re addicted to, our drug of choice, is actually suffering. The very thing we want to be without is the thing we’re addicted to, and that’s suffering. ~ Adyashanti

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 13, 2012

No Quick Answers

Religion should not be giving you explanations or quick answers, which is what we kind of expect—we type something into Google and up comes the answer. Instead, religion should help you to live with questions for which there are no answers, like cruelty and pain and suffering and death, capitalism and injustice. It should teach us to live with these questions so that whatever horror or sorrow or dukkha is going on out there, you can live with it creatively, not turn your back to it.

- Karen Armstrong, "Compassion Restored"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through September 15th, 2012
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Via GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders) / FB:

Via Vida Rz & Pema Chodron's photo / FB:

REJOICING GENERATES GOOD WILL
 

"The next time you go out in the world, you might try this practice: directing your attention to people—in their cars, on the sidewalk, talking on their cell phones—just wish for them all to be happy and well. Without knowing anything about them, they can become very real, by regarding each of them personally and rejoicing in the comforts and pleasures that come their way. Each of us has this soft spot: a capacity for love and tenderness. But if we don’t encourage it, we can get pretty stubborn about remaining sour."
(From No Time To Lose by Pema Chödrön)

Via JMG: Lambda Legal Recaps Prop 8

Lambda Legal president Jon Davidson has issued an explanation of what might happen when the Supreme Court decides whether or not to rule on Proposition 8.

The Perry case is set for consideration at the justices’ conference on September 24, and the Court could announce as early as September 25 whether it is hearing the case. However, it is possible that the Court may wait to decide whether or not to hear Perry until it decides whether or not to hear any of the challenges to Section 3 of DOMA. So, we may not hear about Perry until October 9. It could even be later than that, if the Supreme Court decides it wants more time to decide what to do. If the Court announces that it will not hear the Perry case, it will be very exciting news for same-sex couples in California!
But the timing for what happens next is a little bit complicated: The Ninth Circuit's merits opinion in Perry of February 7, 2012, stated that "the stay pending appeal issued by this Court on August 16, 2010, remains in effect pending issuance of the mandate." (A "mandate" is the appellate court's order sending the case back to the District Court.) The Ninth Circuit's June 5, 2012, order denying rehearing en banc then said, that "the mandate is stayed for ninety days pending the filing of a petition for certiorari with the Supreme Court. If such a petition is filed, the stay shall continue until final disposition by the Supreme Court." In other words, it is the mandate that is stayed until final disposition of the Supreme Court. Once the Supreme Court either denies certiorari (that is, declines to hear the case) or accepts the case and ultimately decides it, then the mandate can issue. It is once the mandate issues that the stay of the injunction is lifted.

Read Davidson's full analysis.

Labels: California, Lambda Legal, Proposition 8, SCOTUS

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Barney Frank Vs Homocons, Part 2

Metro Weekly's Justin Snow has the latest round of quotes.

Rep. Barney Frank:

"I am not surprised that members of the Log Cabin Republicans are offended by my comparing them to Uncle Tom. They are no more offended than I am by their campaigning in the name of LGBT rights to elect the candidate and party who diametrically oppose our rights against a President who has forcefully and effectively supported our rights. That is the first reason for my admittedly very harsh criticism. This election is clearly one in which there is an extremely stark contrast between the two parties on LGBT rights. The Democratic President and platform fully embrace all of the legal issues we are seeking to resolve in favor of equality. The Republican candidate for President and the platform on which he runs vehemently oppose us in all cases. On the face of this, for a group of largely LGBT people to work for our strong opponent against our greatest ally is a betrayal of any supposed commitment to our legal equality."

Log Cabin head R. Clarke Cooper:

"Congressman Frank, of all people, should understand the importance of perseverance when working within a party to achieve change - after all, it was not so long ago his party was indifferent at best when it came to respecting gay families. Leaders committed to LGBT equality know that every victory our community has achieved has required bipartisan advocacy and bipartisan votes, and winning support from Republicans will only be more important in the days ahead. Come January, Republicans will maintain a majority in the House and likely secure a majority in the Senate. Without Log Cabin Republicans working with fellow conservatives, LGBT Americans would be left without a credible voice within the GOP. Barney Frank's denial of Log Cabin Republicans success, particularly on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repeal and the freedom to marry in New York, is sad but unsurprising. It is time for him to pass on the baton to leaders better suited to a world where equality is not a partisan issue."

GOProud head Jimmy LaSalvia:

"I don't give two shits what that asshole thinks about GOProud. We don't represent him. We represent gay conservatives and our allies. I'll just be glad to see him out of office because his policies have hurt our country," LaSalvia told Metro Weekly, describing Frank as an "embarrassment to the gay community."

Hit the Metro Weekly link for the much longer statement by Rep. Barney Frank.

Labels: Barney Frank, GOProud, homocons, Jimmy LaSalvia, Log Cabin Republicans, Quislings, R. Clark Cooper

reposted from Joe

Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	The everyday life of people is like clouds and water, but clouds and water are free while people are not. If they would get to be as free as clouds and water, where would people's compulsive mundane routines arise? - Dogen, "Rational Zen" More Buddhism Quotes >>

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 12, 2012

Practicing With Loss

We are all going to suffer our losses. How we deal with these losses is what makes all the difference. For it is not what happens to us that determines our character, our experience, our karma, and our destiny, but how we relate to what happens.

- Lama Surya Das, "Practicing With Loss"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through September 14th, 2012
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