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"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through August 27th, 2012
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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.
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
| Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Via JMG: NEW YORK: Bullied Bus Monitor Karen Klein Launches Anti-Bullying Foundation
You
may recall that over $700,000 flooded into an internet account set up
as a "vacation fund" for New York bus monitor Karen Klein after she was
seen being brutally bullied by students on a viral cell video. This is
what she's doing with some of the money: My story inspired more than 32,000 people to engage in their own act of love by donating to a fundraising campaign created by Max for my support. As you probably know, together we raised a lot more money than what I needed to go on vacation. 32,000 people around the world raised $703,873 for my behalf. It has changed my life forever. Now, I am not only going on vacation, but I am able to retire and take care of my family. You have all inspired me by your acts of love. But now it is time for me to give back and to turn your single act of kindness into my own personal movement to stop bullying in America. The Karen Klein Anti-Bullying Foundation, which I am seeding with $100,000, will be the gathering point for millions of people to support the anti-bullying movement. Together, we will change the world.(Image via Buzzfeed)
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma August 24, 2012
Stay with Your Broken Heart
To
stay with that shakiness—to stay with a broken heart, with a rumbling
stomach, with the feeling of hopelessness and wanting to get
revenge—that is the path of true awakening. Sticking with that
uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos,
learning not to panic—this is the spiritual path.
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- Pema Chödrön, "Stay with Your Broken Heart"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through August 26th, 2012
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Thursday, August 23, 2012
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma August 23, 2012
The Greater Joy
The
scriptures say that when the mind indulges in sensual objects, it
becomes agitated. This is the usual state of affairs in the world, as we
can observe. In their quest for happiness, people mistake excitement of
the mind for real happiness. They never have the chance to experience
greater joy that comes with peace and tranquility.
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- Sayadaw U Pandita, "A Perfect Balance"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through August 25th, 2012
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Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
| Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma August 22, 2012
Compassion Despite Dislike
Remember
that you don’t have to like or admire someone to feel compassion for
that person. All you have to do is wish for that person to be happy.
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- Thanissaro Bhikkhu, "Head & Heart Together"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through August 24th, 2012
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Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Via Nalanda LGBT Buddhist Cultural and Resource Center
"In the present circumstances, no one can afford to assume that someone else will solve their problems. Every individual has a responsibility to help guide our global family in the right direction. Good wishes are not sufficient; we must become actively engaged."
- His Holiness, the
Dalai Lama
Via Courage Campaign:
Today
the Republican National Committee finalized its platform concerning
marriage equality. Which platform do you want to see your elected
official stand behind?
Via JMG: NOM Launches "Brown Vs Savage" Site
NOM has launched a new website
dedicated to coverage and reactions of Brian Brown's dinner with last
week. The debate itself has not yet been released. From the site: Dan Savage is one of the most influential activists bent on redefining marriage. Millions of Americans have seen his TV show on MTV or read his syndicated column. President Obama and his wife Michelle, along with hundreds of celebrities and sports stars have participated in Savage’s “It Gets Better” anti-bullying project. But there’s another side to Dan Savage that most haven’t seen: the bully. This April, when speaking to a group of high school students in Seattle, Savage launched into a tirade against Christians and what he termed the “bull****” in the bible.” He went on to call students who attempted to leave his presentation “pansy-a**es”. Savage has a long history of obscene anti-Christian comments, and yet he continues to be celebrated as the face of the gay marriage movement.At least NOM didn't (yet) repeat the lie about that "spontaneous" staged walkout by "sobbing and horrified" students, who were put up to it by Focus On The Family.
Labels: bigotry, Brian Brown, Catholic Church, Dan Savage, evil, hate groups, NOM, religion, Vatican
Via JMG: Tweeted Out By Matt Barber
Two from Gay Politics Report:
- Republicans poised to reaffirm opposition to marriage equality
Republican Party subcommittees have reportedly approved party platform language that criticizes the Obama administration's decision not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, and supports a "constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman." The language still must be approved by the full GOP committee today, and by delegates at the GOP convention in Tampa next week. BuzzFeed (8/20)
-
GOP platform addresses LGBT community, group says: Certain
language included in the Republican Party's national platform is meant
to signal the party's support for LGBT Americans, according to R. Clarke
Cooper, the director of Log Cabin Republicans. A GOP delegate who
supports marriage equality proposed the language "We embrace the
principle that all Americans have the right to be treated with dignity
and respect," Cooper said. Metro Weekly (Washington, D.C.)/Poliglot
(8/20)
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
| Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma August 21, 2012
Refraining from Harm
To
realize truly that there is only this nature, with no 'other' outside
us, is to naturally want to refrain from causing harm, just as we
refrain from doing harm to one of our own limbs or eyes.
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- Bodhin Kjolhede, "Pain, Passion, and the Precepts"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through August 23rd, 2012
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Monday, August 20, 2012
Via JMG: T-Mobile Endorses Marriage
Washington state based mobile phone giant T-Mobile today endorsed marriage equality. HRC has the good news: The Bellevue-based wireless carrier joins REI, Microsoft, Starbucks and a growing list of other employers in supporting the efforts of Washington United for Marriage. “Our support of this issue is a reflection of our culture, how we do business, and our belief in the fair and equitable treatment of all employees,” said Jim Alling, interim chief executive officer and chief operating officer. HRC applauds T-Mobile for this positive step on its journey toward LGBT inclusion. More than 4,800 T-Mobile employees live and work in Washington state, according to the company.RELATED: T-Mobile is the U.S. subsidiary of Germany's Deutsche Telekom. Last year a sale of the company to AT&T was thwarted after fierce resistance from the U.S. federal government.
Via JMG: Michelangelo Signore To FRC President Tony Perkins: Let's Talk About Hate
Michelangelo Signorile has penned an open letter to Family Research Council president Tony Perkins and invited him to a debate on his SiriuxXM show. An excerpt: Perhaps you recall that in July 2008, a man armed with a shotgun went on a shooting rampage inside a church in Knoxville. The Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, like many Christian churches and denominations across the country, is welcoming of LGBT people. The gunman killed two people and severely wounded several others. Police said that the killer's motive was to target gays and liberals. "This isn't a church, it's a cult," the killer wrote in a four-page letter he had left behind. "They embrace every pervert that comes down the pike.... [T]he only way we can rid ourselves of this evil is kill them in the streets, kill them where they gather."Read the full letter.
I wouldn't claim, as you did with regard to the SPLC, that the FRC gave that killer a "license to shoot." No one knows what's inside the mind of a premeditated killer. But I would ask: Where do people like this killer get the distortions and ugly mischaracterizations that convince them that gay people are evil? More so, where do others who wouldn't engage in gun violence but who do harm to LGBT people in other ways -- firing them from their jobs, throwing them out of their homes, bullying them in schools -- get their misinformation about gay people? They get it from a wide array of sources that contribute to a culture that demonizes LGBT people. And you and the Family Research Council are among those who feed into that culture.
Via JMG: Matt Nathanson - Modern Love
Lots of cute gay couples and scenes of the city from San Francisco pop-rocker Matt Nathanson.
(Tipped by JMG reader William)
Labels: pop music, San Francisco
Reposted from Joe
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma August 20, 2012
Aligning with the Cosmic Order
Buddhist
practice, in its traditional context, is to align oneself more and more
deeply with the cosmic order. Transcendence occurs when that coming
into alignment is complete.
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- Linda Heuman, "What's at Stake as the Dharma Goes Modern?"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through August 22nd, 2012
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Sunday, August 19, 2012
JMG Billboards Of The Day
The above two billboards will be positioned near each of the convention sites in Tampa and Charlotte. World Net Daily's commenters are ever so pissed,
but they have exactly zero to say about the thousands and thousands of
Christian billboards that promise eternal damnation in an unending lake
of fire.
Labels: advertising, atheism, Charlotte, Democratic convention, hypocrisy, religion, Republican convention, Tampa
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma August 19, 2012
Skillful Speech
Silence
offers us, and those around us, the spaciousness we need to speak more
skillfully. When we speak with greater skill, our true self—our
compassionate, loving self—emerges with gentle ease. So before you
speak, stop, breathe, and consider if what you are about to say will
improve upon the silence.
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- Allan Lokos, "Skillful Speech"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through August 21st, 2012
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Saturday, August 18, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
Via AmericaBlog Gay:
Guy who routinely calls us "pedophiles" wants an end to "reckless rhetoric"
I've
already posted ample evidence as to why the Family Research Council was
officially designated a hate group - it's not their policy positions
per se, it's their strategy of willfully and systematically lying in
order to defame, and discriminate against, an entire class of American
citizens -...
Two from Gay Politics Report: What’s a "hate group"?
- LGBT groups decry shooting at anti-gay organization
- Dozens of national and state LGBT organizations issued a joint statement this week condemning a shooting at the headquarters of the Family Research Council, an advocacy organization that has long opposed LGBT equality measures on religious grounds. FRC President Tony Perkins said he appreciated the statement, but added the shooter “was given a license to do that” by groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, which includes FRC on its list of hate groups. The suspect reportedly said he opposed the organization’s politics before shooting a building employee in the arm. The Washington Post/Guest Voices (8/16), Talking Points Memo/Muckraker (8/16), Washington Blade (Washington, D.C.) (8/15), Politico (Washington, D.C.) (8/17)
- What’s a "hate group"?: Right Wing Watch details why the Southern Poverty Law Center included the Family Research Council on its annual list of hate groups, explaining SPLC considers the group’s rhetoric about gays and lesbians “false and demonizing.” Right Wing Watch (8/16)
Via Gayoutdoors.org: New Brokeback Mountain Type Movie Being Filmed
Private
Life, has begun shooting. The story is a little bit Brokeback Mountain,
a little bit Boys Don't Cry. It's a short film, a fictionalized
re-telling of an actual hate crime the writer/director read about nearly
a decade ago that really terrified him. A gay couple, backpacking
through the Appalachians, was shot at eight times sniper style while
making love in a secluded mountain meadow. Check out his website, tell
all your friends and SHARE it will all your Facebook friends. >>View Website The film was written and directed by Greg Williamson, a grad student at the cinema school at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
In addition to the gay-interest theme, there is also a huge outdoors theme. Two-thirds of the story takes place out in the mountains on a backpacking trip. They have been scouting outdoor locations for months! [He’s really enjoyed being able to go on so many hikes to scout the locations.]
The film tells the story of a gay couple, struggling in their relationship, who end up forging a deeper connection while on a backpacking trip out in the great outdoors. Private Life is a story about a broken sort of person, who is scared and trying to hide from the world and how he ultimately learns that only by opening up and making himself vulnerable can he can truly begin to heal.
Greg added, “Even after coming out I spent a lot of time judging others—too gay, too effeminate, too shallow, too political or just too into escaping their troubles with drugs and alcohol and drama. Being gay is a large and complicated conversation and my place within it has never been much more than tenuous. It wasn’t until I started figuring out what this story means to me that I felt like I had anything to contribute to the conversation. To really open myself up to another person makes me feel vulnerable to them shutting me down, walking away and not returning it. It makes me feel that what I’m sharing might be judged as offensive or immoral or wrong or selfish and met with hostility, anger, rage or violence. It makes me feel vulnerable to feelings of embarrassment and humiliation and that’s really scary to me. Fear of vulnerability I think is a universal part of the human experience—a necessary instinct for survival. But there’s so much more to life than just surviving it. Making this film is a way to confront my own fears about what it means to me to come out and be vulnerable.” We will try to put together a screening in Boston once it’s complete.
Diga Não / Just say No!
Translation:
Did you learn anything about indians in School?
YES!?!?
Did it turn you into and indian?
No!?!?
...ok, so why then are these bastards thinking that teaching about homosexuality to your child with repect to gays will turn them into a homosexual?
# Just say no to prejudice and intolerance
Via JMG: SPLC Condemns Tony Perkins
Via press release and posted publicly to the Southern Poverty Law Center website. From SPLC Senior Fellow Mark Potak: Yesterday’s attack on the Family Research Council and the shooting of a security guard there was a tragedy. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) deplores all violence, and our thoughts are with the wounded victim, Leo Johnson, his family and others who lived through the attack.Right on, SPLC!
For more than 40 years, the SPLC has battled against political extremism and political violence. We have argued consistently that violence is no answer to problems in a democratic society, and we have strongly criticized all those who endorse such violence, whether on the political left or the political right.
But this afternoon, FRC President Tony Perkins attacked the SPLC, saying it had encouraged and enabled the attack by labeling the FRC a “hate group.” The attacker, Floyd Corkins, “was given a license to shoot an unarmed man by organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center,” Perkins said. “I believe the Southern Poverty Law Center should be held accountable for their reckless use of terminology.”
Perkins’ accusation is outrageous. The SPLC has listed the FRC as a hate group since 2010 because it has knowingly spread false and denigrating propaganda about LGBT people — not, as some claim, because it opposes same-sex marriage. The FRC and its allies on the religious right are saying, in effect, that offering legitimate and fact-based criticism in a democratic society is tantamount to suggesting that the objects of criticism should be the targets of criminal violence.
As the SPLC made clear at the time and in hundreds of subsequent statements and press interviews, we criticize the FRC for claiming, in Perkins’ words, that pedophilia is “a homosexual problem” — an utter falsehood, as every relevant scientific authority has stated. An FRC official has said he wanted to “export homosexuals from the United States.” The same official advocated the criminalizing of homosexuality.
Perkins and his allies, seeing an opportunity to score points, are using the attack on their offices to pose a false equivalency between the SPLC’s criticisms of the FRC and the FRC’s criticisms of LGBT people. The FRC routinely pushes out demonizing claims that gay people are child molesters and worse — claims that are provably false. It should stop the demonization and affirm the dignity of all people.
Via jMG: White Supremacist Kevin Deanna Writes World Net Daily Article Supporting FRC
Failing
to mention that he himself founded a white supremacist group, former
Youth For Western Civilization president Kevin DeAnna has authored a World Net Daily article in support of the Family Research Council. In a press conference in front of the council’s Washington headquarters, Perkins thanked political opponents who expressed their condolences after the attack by a man who had been volunteering at an LGBT center. But the FRC chief challenged them “to go a step further.” He also asked organizations that condemned the violence to “call for an end to the reckless rhetoric that I believe” led to the shooting. Perkins identified the Southern Poverty Law Center as responsible for the atmosphere, stating that it gave suspected gunman Floyd Lee Corkins “a license to shoot.” When challenged by reporters, Perkins expanded on his remarks and claimed that the SPLC’s designation of the Family Research Council as a “certified hate group … marginalizes individuals and organizations letting people feel free to go and do bodily harm to innocent people who are simply working and representing folks from all across this country.”Last year a representative for Youth For Western Civilization joined a march of German nationalists and neo-Nazis.
Also represented was a small but growing nonprofit U.S. organization called Youth for Western Civilization. The group, which bills itself as "America's right-wing youth movement," bannered a photo of the Cologne rally on its website this week, accompanying an account that declared that "we will not falter nor fail in our attempt for the defense of the Western homeland." Youth for Western Civilization, which has chapters at only about 10 U.S. campuses, is just one of hundreds of conservative student organizations around the nation, far smaller than better-known college-based groups like Young Americans for Freedom and College Republicans. But its influence is bigger than its size, drawing the attention of large numbers of admirers — and critics — since it began organizing three years ago. Thanks to its discipline in advocating a small number of simply stated positions and a new-media-savvy communications strategy, YWC may be radically refreshing the template for political organizing in American higher education.The Family Research Council and neo-Nazis are birds of a feather as Tony Perkins has twice spoken before a Louisiana white supremacy group that lists an end to "race mixing" among its "statement of principles."
Labels: Family Research Council, FRC, hate groups, Nazis, religion, Tony Perkins, white supremacists, World Net Daily
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