Saturday, September 3, 2011

Matt Zarley - WTF (Official Music Video)

Via JMG: CALIFORNIA: Newly Seated Pro-Gay Justice Likely To Hear Prop 8 Arguments


Newly seated California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu, who has expressed support for same-sex marriage, is expected to hear Prop 8 arguments next week when the issue of standing is represented to the Court. Anti-gay groups have loudly called for Goodwin to recuse himself from the case based on his past statements. That, apparently, will not be happening. And as you'd expect, the Family Research Council is ever so pissed. Fantastic.


reposted from Joe

Rick Santorum Argues With Student Over Gay Marriage

JMG Asshat Of The Day - Rep. Duncan Hunter


Rep. Duncan Hunter has failed several times in legislative attempts to thwart the repeal of DADT. Now he wants to pass a bill making it legal for straight troops to harass gay ones. SRSLY.
The draft bill prepared by Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran who served as a Marine Corps officer before being elected to Congress, does not prevent repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy by the end of September, but it would require the services to “ensure that a member of the Armed Forces under their jurisdiction is not pressured to approve of another person’s sexual conduct if that sexual conduct is contrary to the personal principles of the member.” Essentially, this would mean that military people have to accept the presence of gays in the military but they would not have to like it, said an aide familiar with the legislation.
And by "not have to like it," he means "totally free to abuse gay soldiers without fear of reprimand from superiors."


reposted from Joe

Kathy Griffin Hints Michele Bachmann's Husband, Marcus Bachmann, Is Gay

Via JMG: LONDON: Openly Gay Former Police Chief Brian Paddick Nominated For Mayor


Britain's Liberal Democrats have nominated former cop Brian Paddick as their choice for mayor of London. Until he left the force, Paddick was the highest-ranked openly gay police officer in Britain.
Tonight, Mr Paddick said: “I hope to visit every local party in London, to meet the activists whose support we rely on year after year and to raise as much money as possible for the campaign ahead. I know from personal experience how tough the GLA [Greater London Assembly] Elections are for us as a party and next year will be no exception. I promise to devote myself full-time between now and May to securing the best possible result for the Liberal Democrats and with your help, we can deliver the best result we have ever had in the history of the GLA elections.”
Paddick finished a distant third in the 2008 mayoral election. Paris, Berlin, and Houston are the biggest cities in the world with openly gay mayors currently in office.


reposted from Joe

Via AmericablogGay: Marriage, it’s not gay

John Aravosis (DC)

I find myself on the blog struggling for what word to use. Joe often prods me to change "gay" marriage to "same-sex" marriage. I'm not convinced it's much better. I've at times used "marriage equality," but I sometimes fear that it's code that non-gay people won't get. The thing is, it's quite clumsy when you try to write around the phrase "gay marriage." I'm open to suggestions, but you really need to look at a sentence the phrase is already in and then try to rewrite it.

From The New Civil Rights Movement:
There are lots of reasons I want to get married, and none of them are because I am gay. I don’t want a gay marriage. I don’t want a different kind of marriage; I want the same kind of marriage as my married neighbors have. I want a marriage with all the rights and privileges and responsibilities that everyone else who is married has. I am told there are 1,138 benefits that federally recognized marriage would bring us, and I would like those, too.

But most of all, I want to marry the man I have loved for almost 34 years – a real marriage legally recognized everywhere we go.

Related posts on AMERICAblog Gay:

Via JMG: Chicago burbs making big bucks from hosting gay softball tournament


Lesson to the wise for other towns.  Invite gay conferences and tournaments, and make money

Elmhurst, along with St. Charles and Schaumburg, is hosting the 2011 Gay Softball World Series, organized by the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Association (NAGAA), and benefiting from the influx of visitors. 
As the largest gay sporting event in the world, 150 teams — made up mostly of players who are gay, as well as some who are bisexual and straight — qualified for the games from gay softball leagues in 41 cities across the United States and Canada.
In total, the tournament is expected to bring about $5 million to the area, according to Ted Cappas, president of the local tournament planning board.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Twitter, faster than earthquakes

JMG Quote Of The Day - Gary DeMar


Evangelist Gary DeMar explains how the gay death penalty will work once Christians achieve dominion over the United States and install a theocratic government:
"Obviously, certain sins often may escape detection. Homosexuals who practice behind closed doors are out-of-bounds for the courts, of course, unless others witness their criminal behavior. Such behavior may not be dealt with by courts in history, but will be dealt with by God, either in history (e.g., AIDS) or eternity. The law that requires the death penalty for homosexual acts effectually drives the perversion of homosexuality underground, back to the closet, to the dark realm of shameful activity."
RELATED: Check out Warren Throckmorton's just-posted list of quotes from other dominionists on the subject of the gay death penalty. He concludes: "No wonder many social conservatives are out in force trying to deny that these movements have any consequence or have any influence on Rick Perry or Michele Bachmann."


reposted from Joe

Via JMG: The Rise Of American Nazism


Florida's Pastor Mike Stahl wants to create a "national registry of known atheists." That way, good Christians can scan the list for neighbors, boycott their Satanic businesses, and otherwise harass them. Hmm, where have we heard this idea before?
Now , many (especially the atheists ) , may ask “Why do this , what’s the purpose ?” Duhhh , Mr. Atheist , for the same purpose many States put the names and photos of convicted sex offenders and other ex-felons on the I-Net – to INFORM the public ! I mean , in the City of Miramar , Florida , where I live , the population is approx. 109,000 . My family and I would sure like to know how many of those 109,000 are ADMITTED atheists ! Perhaps we may actually know some . In which case we could begin to witness to them and warn them of the dangers of atheism . Or perhaps they are radical atheists , whose hearts are as hard as Pharaoh’s , in that case , if they are business owners , we would encourage all our Christian friends , as well as the various churches and their congregations NOT to patronize them as we would only be “feeding” Satan .
Blogger PZ Myers notes that a campaign urging atheists to be more public about their identity already exists. Myers concludes:
I’m out. Pastor Mike can get to work compiling his own damn list, and he can put me right at the top of it. Would he also like me to get a tattoo, or maybe wear an armband with a big red A on it? We’re not ashamed, but many of us are rightly afraid of the cretinous thugs who follow Pastor Mike’s Jesus.
(Tipped by JMG reader Brett)


reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Scott Lively: Gays Will Use Prop 8 Tapes To Intimidate Christian Witnesses


Scott Lively, the infamous gay death penalty advocate and spokesman for God's Gentle Love, says homo-terrorists will wreak revenge upon Christian witnesses should the Prop 8 trial tapes be released.
"We have seen all across the country that the gay activist movement attempts to intimidate anyone who stands up for family values, and this just seems to be another example," decides Dr. Scott Lively of DefendtheFamily.com. "There's really no good reason for this [video footage] to be released, and I would hope that the decision would go against the release." Judge Ware has not made a ruling on the issue, but he is expected to provide a written decision at a later date. So far, he has said that "the integrity of the judicial process is affected" when one judge promises a videotape will be used only for limited purposes and a second judge decides to make the video public. "We have seen, unfortunately, a lot of intimidation of the judiciary by gay activists as well, so it will be interesting to see whether this judge stands up to the pressure or stands true to his original decision," Dr. Lively concludes.
Lively's ministry is one of the few listed as a certified hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.


reposted from Joe

Piers Morgan Confronts Rick Santorum On His Bigotry

Via JMG: Tony Perkins & The KKK (Con't)


"We believe the United States is a European country and that Americans are part of the European people. We believe that the United States derives from and is an integral part of European civilization and the European people and that the American people and government should remain European in their composition and character. We therefore oppose the massive immigration of non-European and non-Western peoples into the United States that threatens to transform our nation into a non-European majority in our lifetime. [snip]

"We also oppose all efforts to mix the races of mankind, to promote non-white races over the European-American people through so-called “affirmative action” and similar measures, to destroy or denigrate the European-American heritage, including the heritage of the Southern people, and to force the integration of the races." - From the Statement of Principles of the Council of Conservative Citizens, the white supremacist group before whom Tony Perkins has spoken twice.


reposted from Joe

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Scholars at Risk (SAR) calls for letters on behalf of Mr. Ramin Zibaei of Iran

Action Alert





        




Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

 
Scholars at Risk (SAR) calls for letters on behalf of
Mr. Ramin Zibaei of Iran
August 30, 2011
Scholars at Risk (SAR) is gravely concerned about Mr. Ramin Zibaei, a scholar of psychology and dean at the Baha’i Institute of Higher Education in Tehran, who has been arrested and detained for several months.  SAR asks for letters, faxes and emails urging the appropriate authorities intervene by reexamining his case and, pending his earliest release, by ensuring his well-being, including access to family, legal representation of his choosing and medical treatment.

Scholars at Risk is an international network of over 260 universities and colleges in 33 countries dedicated to protecting the human rights of scholars around the world and to raising awareness, understanding of, and respect for the principles of academic freedom and its constituent freedoms of expression, opinion, thought, association and travel. In cases like Mr. Zibaei's involving alleged infringement of these freedoms, SAR investigates hoping to clarify and resolve matters favorably.
Background
Scholars at Risk has learned that Mr. Ramin Zibaei was one of over a dozen staff and faculty members of the Baha’i Institute of Higher Education (BIHE) arrested in late May. He has been held since. Mr. Zibaei completed a Master’s level program in psychology at BIHE and has taught extensively at the institute over the past 8 years, holding positions as member of the psychology department and dean of social science faculty. Scholars at Risk understands that since his arrest Mr. Zibaei has not been permitted to receive regular visits from his family and has not been granted access to legal counsel, in apparent disregard of international standards of due process, fair trial and detention as guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is signatory. 

The suddenness of Mr. Zibaei’s arrest and the lack of any clear basis for his detention raise grave concerns about the ability of intellectuals and scholars to safely work in Iran. Taking into account reported arrests of several additional Baha’i scholars in May—and the reported arrests of scholars following the June 2009 election—Mr. Zibaei’s detention suggest a wider attempt to exclude Baha’i individuals from the higher education community within Iran and more broadly to intimidate intellectuals and to limit academic freedom in Iran.  Scholars at Risk finds this suggestion particularly distressing and unfortunate, given Iran’s rich intellectual history and traditional support for the values of scholarship and free inquiry.

Scholars at Risk therefore joins with many national and international academic associations, human rights organizations and individual scholars in respectfully urging authorities to ensure that Iran’s obligations under international law are upheld with regard to Mr. Zibaei, his colleagues at the Baha’i Institute of Higher Education (BIHE) and other intellectuals in Iran. Scholars at Risk respectfully implores authorities to reexamine Mr. Zibaei's case and, pending his earliest release, to guarantee his well-being and to ensure that he is granted access to family, legal representation of his choosing, and medical treatment.
Take Action
Scholars at Risk invites letters, emails and faxes be sent:

-respectfully urging authorities to ensure that Iran’s obligations under international law are upheld with regard to Mr. Zibaei, his colleagues at the Baha’i Institute of Higher Education (BIHE) and other intellectuals in Iran; and

-respectfully urging authorities to reexamine Mr. Zibaei's case and, pending his earliest release, to guarantee his well-being and to ensure that he is granted access to family, legal representation of his choosing, and medical treatment.

PLEASE WRITE TO:

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
c/o H.E. Mr. Mohammad Khazaee
Ambassador of Iran to the United States
Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
662 Third Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, NY 10017, USA
Email to: iran@un.int
Fax to: +1 (212) 867-7086

COPIES TO:

Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Sadeqh Larijani
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh
(Office of the Head of the Judiciary)
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave. (south of Serah-e Jomhouri)
Tehran 1316814737
Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: larijani@dadgostary-tehran.ir or info@dadgostary-tehran.ir

The Honorable Hillary Clinton
United States Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520 USA

Bahai International Community
United Nations Office
866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 120
New York, NY 10017 USA
Fax: +1 212-803-2566
Email: nyc@bic.org

The Honorable _________
Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to [YOUR COUNTRY]
[POSTAL ADDRESS]
[FAX]
[EMAIL]
(See http://www.mfa.gov.ir/cms/cms/Tehran/en/Missions/ for a list of Iranian embassies worldwide.)

The Honorable _________
Ambassador of [YOUR COUNTRY] to the Islamic Republic of Iran
[POSTAL ADDRESS]
[FAX]
[EMAIL]

Scholars at Risk
New York University
194 Mercer St., 4th floor
New York, NY 10012  USA
Fax: +1 212 995-4402
scholarsatrisk@nyu.edu

To view a model letter of appeal, as well as a copy of SAR's letter, please visit: http://scholarsatrisk.nyu.edu/Education-Advocacy/Alerts-Scholars-in-Prison.php.
 
 
This Action Alert was posted by the AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program on behalf of Scholars at Risk. SRHRL has not independently verified its contents.
 
Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program
American Association for the Advancement of Science
1200 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005
Tel: 202 326 6600  Fax: 202 289 4950
Web:
srhrl.aaas.org   Email: srhrl@aaas.org

Via JMG: FLORIDA: Students Of "Cesspool" Teacher Share His Homophobic Comments


After being suspended for posting anti-gay comments on his Facebook page, last week Florida teacher Jerry Buell was reinstated when the KKK threatened to picket the local school board in his defense. The defiant Buell said that he did not intend to change his teaching philosophy, which includes speaking "as if Lake County had hired Jesus Christ himself." 
 
Today Equality Florida shares some examples of Buell's in-class comments as reported by former students.
Brian Blaise, an honors student who graduated in 2003, described the day Mr. Buell offered his disturbing take on the issue of gays serving in the military: "I looked up when he said he supported gays in the military, stunned by the answer. He immediately followed that comment with the statement that we should then put them on the front lines, and pull back," Blaise said. Another of his students recounted Mr. Buell invoking the quote "A pig in a tuxedo is still a pig" to declare his disdain for recognizing gay relationships.
Got that? "Jesus Christ himself" is telling public school students that setting up gay soldiers to be murdered would be a hilarious thing to do. Christian Love.

TAKE ACTION: Send an email to the Lake County School Board and demand that they expand anti-bullying and non-discrimination policies to include LGBT students.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: The source for the KKK aspect of this story, Orlando's WFTV-ABC, has edited their original story to remove this claim. No explanation has yet been provided for this change.


reposted from Joe

Via JMG: The Return Of Ratty Hairpiece Woman


Focus On The Family's Ratty Hairpiece Woman (Candi Cushman) goes on and on about the "indoctrination" of students by groups such as GLSEN. Let those kids grow up to be the violent Christian bullies that God meant them to be!




reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Possibly Good News On Prop 8


Via Zack Ford at Think Progress:
Goodwin Liu’s nomination to the Ninth Circuit Court may have been derailed by Senate Republicans, but his nomination to California’s Supreme Court is right on track. The Commission on Judicial Appointments will consider Liu’s appointment Wednesday, but the State Bar’s Commission on Judicial Nominations has already given him its highest rating: “exceptionally well-qualified.” It’s expected that, if confirmed, Liu — who has previously spoken out for marriage equality — will be seated in time for next week’s hearing on proponents’ standing in the Prop 8 case.

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Tony Perkins & The KKK


I've blogged many times about Tony Perkins' ties to the KKK. Today Equality California picks up on Perkins' racist past in a clip about his attempt to undo California's LGBT education bill. Watch this!




reposted from Joe