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Mensagem para Naw-Ruz desde Brasil

O Ano Novo já veio

“Sabeis em que ciclo fostes criados e em que era da história humana existis? Esta é a era da Abençoada Perfeição e este o tempo do Máximo Nome! Este é o século da Manifestação, a era do Sol dos Horizontes e da bela primavera de Sua Santidade, o Eterno!

A Terra está em movimento e crescimento; as montanhas, as colinas e as planícies estão verdes e esplendorosas; as benesses estão florindo; a misericórdia é universal; a chuva caí das nuvens da generosidade; o Sol brilha resplandecente; a lua cheia ornamenta o horizonte do éter; a grande onda oceânica está em plenitude com as águas de todo corrégo pequeno; as dádivas se sucedem; os favores são intermináveis; e a brisa refrescante está soprando, trazendo o frescor perfumado das florações. Tesouro inexaurível encontra-se nas mãos do Rei dos Reis! Levantai as bordas de vossas vestes para receber suas riquezas.

Se não sois felizes e alegres nesta estação do ano, por qual outra esperareis?

Este é o tempo de crescimento; a época de reunião alegre e festiva! Tomai em vossas mãos a taça do Testamento; pulai e dançai com êxtase na procissão triunfal do Convênio! Depositai vossa confiança na generosidade eterna, voltai-vos para a presença de Deus, que é generoso; pedi ajuda do Reino de Abhá; buscai confirmação do Mundo Supremo; volvei vossa visão para o horizonte da riqueza eterna; e implorai pela ajuda da Fonte da Misericórdia!

Logo vereis os amigos atingindo seu destino longamente esperado e armando suas tendas, enquanto estamos apenas no primeiro dia da jornada.

Este período de tempo é a Era Prometida, a reunião da raça humana para o “Dia da Ressureição”, e agora é o grande “Dia do Julgamento”. Logo o mundo inteiro, como na primavera, mudará toda a sua aparecência. A mudança e a queda das folhas de outono já ocorreram; a frieza do inverno terminou. O novo ano já veio e a primavera espiritual está presente. A terra obscura está se tornando um jardim verdejante; os desertos e as montanhas estão enfeitados com flores vermelhas; da aridez dos desertos surgem espessos gramados como guardiões diante de formosos ciprestes e das árvores plenas de jasmins; enquanto os pássaros cantam em meio a roseirais perfumados como anjos do céus, anunciando as boas novas do aparecimento daquela tão esperada primavera espiritual, e a doce música de suas vozes fazem com que se movam e balance a essência de todas as coisas.”

'Abdu'l-Bahá

From JMG: HomoQuotable - Michael Kirby

"Openness about sexuality helps to destroy the foundation for prejudice and discrimination. One day there will be a big parliamentary apology to gay people for the oppression that was forced on them and the inequalities that were maintained in the law well beyond their use-by date. Just like the delayed 2008 apology to the Aboriginal people of our country.

"I also do not doubt that, in a comparatively short time, Australia will move towards same-sex civil unions and gay marriage. No one has satisfactorily explained how my 40-year loving relationship with my partner Johan in any way affects (still less undermines) heterosexual marriage. If Australians are now more homophobic than racist, as some recent public opinion polls suggest, this is because Australians have lacked good leadership on this issue." - Former Australian High Court Justice Michael Kirby, from a book of essays about justice issues just distributed to high schools and universities. Kirby came out as gay in 1999 during his 13-year tenure on the High Court, which is Australia's version of the U.S. Supreme Court.

(Tipped by JMG reader Arthur)reposted from JMG

Enough is Enough

From Belirico: A New Queer Order?

With yesterday's explosion of activist energy, the LGBT movement may finally be shaking off its slumber and upping its game to win full LGBT equality. People in the community are mad as gay hell and not going to take it any more.

The day began with an ENDA-focused blog swarm and a HRC sponsored rally calling for repeal of DADT and continued with Dan Choi, Robin McGehee, and Jim Pietrangelo being arrested outside of the White House while protesting DADT and ten activists being arrested demanding that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi move ENDA to the House floor for a vote.

Continue reading "A New Queer Order?" »

From JMG: The Dutch Are PISSED At Gen. Sheehan

Led by Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, the Dutch government today blasted retired U.S. Gen. John Sheehan over his claim that gay Dutch soldiers caused the Bosnian genocide.

"The remarks were outrageous, wrong and beneath contempt," Balkenende told a news conference. The Dutch Defense Ministry called Sheehan's claims "absolute nonsense" and added that gay Dutch soldiers routinely cooperate with the U.S. military in the NATO mission in Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen called the claim "the bizarre private opinion of someone without an official function". Renee Jones-Bos, the Dutch ambassador to the United States, said in a statement, "I couldn't disagree more" with Sheehan, adding there was no evidence of his claims in the extensive record of research on Srebrenica. Military unions were equally angry. Dutch news agency ANP quoted the head of the military union AFMP as saying Sheehan's comments were "out of the realm of fiction", while the head of the gay soldiers' group SHK called his comments "the ridiculous convulsion of a loner".

The Dutch commander that supposedly informed Sheehan about those weak gay soldiers has not come forward, if he exists at all.

via JMG

From JMG: Today On Ellen DeGeneres: Constance McMillen Gets $30K Scholarship

Mississippi teen Constance McMillen will appear on today's episode of Ellen where she'll be awarded a $30K scholarship in recognition of her activism on behalf of gay youth. McMillen's school board canceled her prom several weeks ago rather than allow her to attend with her girlfriend. Since then she's appeared on countless media outlets talking about discrimination against LGBT youth. The scholarship fund was raised by the readers and owner of Tonic.com. Here's a clip from today's show.

via JMG

Dear Daniel, Repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" requires strong, decisive actions from our President and Congress, which means that our community and allies must put the pressure on and keep it on. This week, the message from our community was clear: the time for repeal is here, and we hold our leaders accountable for delivering it. Earlier this week, General David Petraeus, the Commander responsible for our operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, declared that the time has come to consider changing Don't Ask, Don't Tell. In addition, two accomplished veterans, Major Michael Almy and Lieutenant Junior Grade Jenny Kopfstein, provided the Senate Armed Service Committee with compelling testimony about how Don't Ask, Don't Tell failed them. Unfortunately, however, we were appalled by the committee testimony of former NATO commander General John J. Sheehan. General Sheehan, who only spent 3 of his 35 years of service under Don't Ask, Don't Tell, made the baseless claim that the presence of openly lesbian and gay service members in the Dutch army led to the massacre of Muslims in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica in 1995. This groundless claim was not only an insult to a U.S. ally, but also a disservice to our national debate on a serious policy issue. We can make good laws and policies with truth; lies have no place in lawmaking. Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), Chairman of the Committee and a supporter of repeal, rejected General Sheehan's assertions and fought back against his baseless claims during the hearing. The Dutch ambassador to the U.S. also set the record straight and gave openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) service members the respect that they deserve by saying, "I take pride in the fact that lesbians and gays have served openly and with distinction in the Dutch military forces." Health care reform is at the top of Congress's agenda this week, as lawmakers consider the Senate-passed version of reform. HRC has been lobbying for important health care protections for our community, and saw them included in the House bill passed last fall. We are deeply disappointed that the House, in taking up the Senate-passed bill this week in the reconciliation process, will leave these important provisions –like ending the unfair taxation on domestic partner benefits— behind. Like all communities, we expect Congress to make the system better for us. We work as hard and contribute as much as every other American, but we face severe disparities in health care. While we believe the health reform bill will help all Americans, including LGBT people, and should pass, we will not stop pushing Congress for the policies that we need. HRC partners with civil rights organizations to promote matters of social justice that reach beyond the LGBT community. A free and just society does not happen when communities are isolated from one another. We are all interdependent, and no one group can achieve our goals alone. Every community is stronger when their neighbors have equal rights. As LGBT Americans work for equal rights, we rely upon our allies to stand with us and make change happen. At the same time, we commit to promote the wellbeing of all communities. This Sunday, March 21st, the Human Rights Campaign staff, members and volunteers will rally side by side with our many coalition partners in support of comprehensive immigration reform. March for America will bring together tens of thousands including labor unions, religious organizations, non-profit and non-governmental organizations, as well as activists, families and individuals, immigrants and U.S. nationals alike. Please join the HRC family as we unite with other civil rights organizations linked to our common struggle for equality with the immigrant community. Our partnerships for equality also include a census project. Starting next week, HRC steering committees and volunteers will be working to promote Census participation in Latino/a communities through community assistance forums, canvassing efforts, social networking sites and other online media. This Census marks the first time that the Census Bureau will be recognizing both same-sex married and unmarried couples. To learn more, please visit www.ourfamiliescount.org and check out this YouTube video featuring the faces and voices of a diverse group of LGBT people. Also see HRC Backstory for more. Sincerely, Joe Solmonese President, Human Rights Campaign

Joe Conason | Right Wing Gone Wild

Joe Conason, Truthout: "Demagogues often prosper under the rules of democracy, intimidating the moderate and preying on the weak-minded. But in a healthy society, such figures cannot cross a final threshold of decency without jeopardizing their own status - and today's right-wing nihilists seem to be on the verge of doing just that."

Read the Article

From Huffington

Rob Smith: Did Dan Choi Jump the Shark, or Has the Gay Community Forgotten What Real Activism Is?

People keep wondering who's going to be the Martin Luther King of the gay rights movement, and that I still don't know, but I think yesterday's actions may have put us one step closer to finding our Malcolm X.