Via JMG: Cuomo Slams Rabbi Who Claims Sandy Was God's Revenge For Gay Marriage

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has denounced Rabbi Noson Leiter, who made news earlier this week with his claim that Hurricane Sandy was God's retribution upon the state for legalizing same-sex marriage.

“The comments made by Rabbi Noson Leiter that sought to link the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy to our state’s embrace of marriage equality are as offensive as they are ignorant,” Mr. Cuomo said. “This catastrophic storm claimed the lives of more than forty New Yorkers. This kind of hateful rhetoric has no place in our public discourse, and is particularly distasteful in times of tragedy.” Governor Cuomo went on to demand an apology from the rabbi. “Our state is proud to offer equal rights to all our citizens, and we will never tolerate the use of a tragedy like Hurricane Sandy to promote a divisive and bigoted agenda,” he said. “I call on Rabbi Leiter to apologize immediately for his hurtful comments.”

Leiter is supporting GOP state Senate candidate Neil DeCarlo, who is working (with NOM's help) to unseat Sen. Stephen Saland, one of the four Republicans who voted in favor of New York's marriage bill. GOP former Gov. George Pataki has also denounced Rabbi Leiter and has demanded that DeCarlo distance himself.

Pataki called on fellow Republican Neil DiCarlo — who is running on the Conservative Party line for a state Senate seat from the Hudson Valley — to denounce the remarks of Rabbi Noson Leiter. DiCarlo opposes gay marriage, and the orthodox rabbi made the statements in support of his third-party candidacy. “It’s simply incomprehensible that anyone could attribute the devastation and loss of life caused by Hurricane Sandy to divine retribution against the New York State legislature,” Pataki railed. “It’s like blaming America’s belief in freedom for the attacks of Sept. 11,” Pataki added. Pataki argued that because Leiter’s remarks were made in support of DiCarlo, the candidate “has a responsibility to repudiate them.” Reached by phone, DiCarlo refused to take that step when asked repeatedly. He instead questioned Pataki’s motives. “Ask Mr. Pataki why he endorsed my opponent, and why he is bringing this up two days before the election — and then I’ll answer your question,” DiCarlo said before hanging up.

Labels: 2012 elections, Andrew Cuomo, crackpots, crazy people, natural disasters, New York state, NY Senate, religion

Reposted from Joe

Via I bet this turkey can get more fans than NOM / FB:

Via JMG: Final Nate Silver Forecast

This time I used Silver's "now-cast." This is as "now" as it gets.

Labels: 2012 elections, electoral college, Nate Silver

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Final Pew Presidential Poll

Details.

Labels: 2012 elections, Pew Project, polls

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma November 5, 2012

Politics on the Path

One way to read the injunction for Right Conduct, an essential part of the Eightfold Path, is to see it as calling us—as citizens—to translate the dharma into specific acts of social responsibility. In a democratic republic, that surely means voting for those initiatives that we believe will reduce suffering and violence, ignorance and hatred—and the very divisions fueled by politics itself.

- Charles Johnson, "Accepting the Invitation"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through November 7th, 2012
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Don't Let Mitt Turn Back Time On Women

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma November 2, 2012

Nothing Happens Without a Cause

Nothing happens without a cause. Things are the way they are not because of chance or the will of a deity but because people have acted in particular ways and generated particular consequences. The world we inhabit is the product of our actions, which are themselves reflections of our minds.

- Andrew Olendzki, "Medicine for the World"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through November 4th, 2012
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Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Buddhas teachings are so simple and straightforward. If you find them complicated, it is only because you have made them so. You may think, I have a Ph.D. and have amassed all this knowledge, yet I still cant figure out how to begin practicing Dharma. The remedy is to take a good look at your own mind. - Lama Thubten Yeshe, in "Wisdom Energy" More Buddhism Quotes >>

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma November 1, 2012

Learning from Relationships

You do not learn non-attachment by disengaging and avoiding the intensity of relationships, their joy and their pain. It is easy to disguise as non-attachment what is not non-attachment at all, but your fear of attachment. When you really care about someone and you are willing to commit to that friendship, then you have fertile ground to learn about both attachment and non-attachment.

- Judy Lief, "Tying the Knot"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through November 3rd, 2012
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JMG HomoQuotable - Jeff Whitty

"I spent most of the day with no idea what was happening anywhere beyond a few blocks of my East Village apartment. I had no cellular service or old-fashioned battery-powered radio available. Only late in the day did I find scant wireless Internet access outside a hospital where people were crammed shoulder-to-shoulder. The wireless finally shut down, too, and my phone battery was running low. Rumors abounded on the street -- power would be on in a few hours, in three days, in a week. No clue on water, hot or cold. I peeked into underground parking garages in my complex: the cars appeared to be floating. Alongside many others I scoured shadowy delis with my flashlight, looking for water and food that could keep for unknown amounts of days. All of the battery-powered AM/FM radios had been bought up.

"I had no idea if the power outage was widespread to millions or just in the East Village. Nobody seemed to have a clear idea what was happening anywhere else. But throughout the day I felt a connection that reminded me of 9/11 and the summer night in 2003 when New York City went dark for 24 hours. New Yorkers are awesome. Nobody was an asshole. Nobody was sketchy. People helped each other and shared the misery together. I talked and joked with people in my building I'd only passed before with maybe a 'hello.' In the attached article you'll see a photo of a deli with its awning yanked down by the winds. I passed by it this morning and saw a lot of merchandise available within easy reach through a broken window. I passed by that deli again hours later and nobody had taken anything. New Yorkers." - Avenue Q playwright and Tony winner Jeff Whitty, writing on his Facebook page.

RELATED: Whitty's latest show, Bring It On: The Musical, is now playing at the St. James Theater.

Labels: Broadway, HomoQuotable, Jeff Whitty, NYC

 

Reposted from Joe

Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Speak not harshly to anyone. Those thus addressed will retort. Painful, indeed, is vindictive speech. Blows in exchange may bruise you. If, like a cracked gong, you silence yourself, you have already attained Nibbana: no vindictiveness will be found in you. - Dhammapada 133-134 More Buddhism Quotes >>

Via JMG: Brad Pitt Donates $100K To Marriage

Brad Pitt has donated $100,000 to the Human Rights Campaign's marriage equality fund.   They report via press release:

“Brad Pitt’s partnership with HRC in this closing week delivers vital resources into these campaigns and we’re proud to be working with him as we show that fundamental fairness will win at the ballot box,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “With his commitment, Brad joins HRC in a tremendous coalition of religious leaders, business leaders, labor groups, civil rights organizations and everyday, fair-minded Americans supporting marriage for gay and lesbian couples.” “It's unbelievable to me that people's lives and relationships are literally being voted on in a matter of days,” said Pitt in an email today to HRC members and supporters. “If you're like me, you don't want to have to ask yourself on the day after the election, what else could I have done?”

Labels: Brad Pitt, HRC, straight allies

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma October 31, 2012

Accepting Uncertainty

Uncertainty, when accepted, sheds a bright light on the power of intention. That is what you can count on: not the outcome, but the motivation you bring, the vision you hold, the compass setting you choose to follow.

- Joanna Macy, "The Greatest Danger"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through November 2nd, 2012
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Via JMG: New Polls From Nate Silver

Source.

Labels: 2012 elections, Nate Silver, polls

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Supreme Court Sets The Date To Review Prop 8 And DOMA Cases: November 20th

Breaking news from AFER:

The U.S. Supreme Court has announced that it will consider whether to grant review in AFER’s federal constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8.  The Justices will meet to discuss our case, along with several challenges to the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), at their private Conference scheduled for Tuesday, November 20. The Court is expected to either:

• Grant review of our Prop. 8 challenge, at which point AFER’s legal team, led by distinguished attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies, will submit written briefs and present oral arguments by April 2013. A final decision on Prop. 8 and marriage equality is expected by June 2013.
• Deny review, making permanent the landmark federal appeals court ruling that found Prop. 8 UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Marriage equality will be restored in California.

AFER adds: "The Court is expected to release an Order List with its decisions on cases it has granted or denied review from its November 20 Conference by Monday, November 26."

Labels: AFER, DOMA, Proposition 8, Supreme Court

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma October 29, 2012

Loving Attention

When we are fully present and able to pay attention in a sustained way to our experience we can begin to see directly, uncolored by our ideas and concepts. Placing our trust more in loving attention and less in analyzing the story can allow space for a new way of holding the question.

- Narayan Liebenson Grady, "Questioning the Question"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through October 31st, 2012
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Via Occupy Borders (Bi National couples unite) / FB:

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma October 28, 2012

Unfailing Altruism

The practitioner’s mind is likened to a mountain that the winds can’t shake; he’s neither tormented by the difficulties he may come across nor elated by his successes. But that equanimity is neither apathy nor indifference. It’s accompanied by inner jubilation, and by an openness of mind expressed as unfailing altruism.

- Matthieu Ricard, "One Blood, Two Lineages"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through October 30th, 2012
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Via The Page With No / FB:

Via JMG: GALLUP: Gays May Swing The Election

An interesting note from Gallup:

A new Gallup Report finds that 71% of LGBT Americans who are registered voters support President Obama for reelection, while 22% support Governor Mitt Romney. From June to September, non-LGBT registered voters preferred Romney to Obama by one percentage point, 47% to 46%. However, when LGBT voters are added to electorate, Obama moves slightly ahead of Romney (47% to 45%). These findings suggest that the highly Democratic vote of the LGBT population could be enough to swing a very close election toward Obama. The findings are based on more than 120,000 interviews of adults in the US, which represents the largest representative sample of LGBT men and women ever collected.

Labels: 2012 elections, Barack Obama, Gallup

Reposted from Joe

Via FB:

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma October 27, 2012

Great Questioning, Great Awakening

The most important part of the practice is for the question to remain alive and for your whole body and mind to become a question. In Zen they say that you have to ask with the pores of your skin and the marrow of your bones. A Zen saying points out: Great questioning, great awakening; little questioning, little awakening; no questioning, no awakening.

- Martine Batchelor, "What is This?"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through October 29th, 2012
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JMG Headline Of The Week:

Details!

Labels: LGBT rights, Obama administration, SCOTUS

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma October 26, 2012

Calm and Radiant Balance

Equanimity takes interest in whatever is occurring simply because it is occurring. Equanimity does not include the aversive states of indifference, boredom, coldness, or hesitation. It is an expression of calm, radiant balance that takes whatever comes in stride.

- Shaila Catherine, "Equanimity in Every Bite"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through October 28th, 2012
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Via Beware of Images:

Via JMG: HomoQuotable - Doug Wright

"I wish my moderate Republican friends would simply be honest. They all say they’re voting for Romney because of his economic policies (tenuous and ill-formed as they are), and that they disagree with him on gay rights. Fine. Then look me in the eye, speak with a level clear voice, and say, 'My taxes and take-home pay mean more than your fundamental civil rights, the sanctity of your marriage, your right to visit an ailing spouse in the hospital, your dignity as a citizen of this country, your healthcare, your right to inherit, the mental welfare and emotional well-being of your youth, and your very personhood.' It’s like voting for George Wallace during the Civil Rights movements, and apologizing for his racism. You’re still complicit. You’re still perpetuating anti-gay legislation and cultural homophobia. You don’t get to walk away clean, because you say you 'disagree' with your candidate on these issues." - Pulitzer and Tony winning playwright Doug Wright, in a message now going viral on Facebook.

UPDATE: I've been unable to find the original posting of this quote, which as I mentioned above has been reposted to many Facebook accounts. Please email me if you find the source and I'll add the link.

UPDATE II: Twitter user DogUnderwater points out that Playbill has posted Wright's message with his permission.

Labels: FTW, gay writers, HomoQuotable, Mitt Romney

Reposted from Joe

Via One Million Strong Against Mitt Romney in 2012 / FB:

Via Sacramento Buddhist Meditation Group - Dharma Breeze:

“If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.” 

― Pema Chödrön

Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	As rain penetrates an improperly shingled roof, so passion overwhelms a confused mind. - Buddha More Buddhism Quotes >>

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma October 25, 2012

Only the Truth

The Buddha didn't talk about Buddhism. He was concerned, simply, with the truth—the truth of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering—and that, I'd submit, is a good thing for anybody to learn.

- Peter Doobinin, "Tough Lovingkindness"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through October 27th, 2012
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Via Gay Marriage USA / FB:

I'm sure many people will be able to relate to this.

 

 

Via JMG: You People Are "Unhinged" For Believing The Words Of Bay Buchanan

 

GOProud is super upset that people are taking seriously the words of their own keynote speaker Bay Buchanan, who last week said, "Governor Romney also believes, consistent with the 10th Amendment, that it should be left to states to decide whether to grant same-sex couples certain benefits, such as hospital visitation rights and the ability to adopt children."  I'd post that quote over at Twitchy, but they've banned me for my detestable habit of repeating verbatim the words of our enemies. But hey, Twitchy uses Disqus, so feel free to drop some truth over there.

Labels: GOProud, homocons, Mitt Romney, Quislings

Reposted from Joe

Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	First of all, do not predefine understanding, and do not make a principle of non-understanding. - Ying-an More Buddhism Quotes >>

Via The Platzner Post / FB:

MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS - SAME LOVE feat. MARY LAMBERT (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

Via FB:

Barney Frank on Log Cabin Republicans: Endorsing Discrimination

Via JMG: The Gates Give $500K To WA Marriage

The Gates Give $500K To WA Marriage

Bill and Melinda Gates have donated $500,000 to Washington state's campaign to uphold same-sex marriage.

The donation was announced Tuesday by Washington United for Marriage, which is working to approve Referendum 74. The donation was made on Oct. 15, but didn't publicly post online with the Public Disclosure Commission until Tuesday. Referendum 74 asks voters to either approve or reject the law allowing same-sex marriage that was passed by the Legislature earlier this year. Bill Gates had made a $100,000 contribution to the campaign earlier this year. About $11 million has been spent on the campaign so far, with a bulk of it spent by gay marriage supporters. Washington United for Marriage has far outraised its opponents, bringing in nearly $11 million compared to the more than $2 million raised so far by Preserve Marriage Washington, which opposes the law.

The most recent polling shows R-74 leading by almost 20 points.

Labels: Bill Gates, marriage equality, Microsoft, Washington state

Reposted from Joe

Via Advocate and Gay Politics Report:

• Romney camp doubles down on ending marriage equality
   
• A campaign adviser for Mitt Romney reiterated this weekend that the former governor of Massachusetts favors banning marriage equality through an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Bay Buchanan had previously suggested that Romney believed marriage was an issue best left up to individual states, causing some to wonder if the campaign was softening its position on the Federal Marriage Amendment. In response, Log Cabin Republican Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper issued a statement saying the conservative position should be to respect decisions by states to recognize married same-sex couples. Romney has signed a pledge written by the National Organization for Marriage that promises he will advocate for the FMA if he wins the White House. 

Via Gay Politics Report:

• Romney camp doubles down on ending marriage equality
   
• A campaign adviser for Mitt Romney reiterated this weekend that the former governor of Massachusetts favors banning marriage equality through an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Bay Buchanan had previously suggested that Romney believed marriage was an issue best left up to individual states, causing some to wonder if the campaign was softening its position on the Federal Marriage Amendment. In response, Log Cabin Republican Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper issued a statement saying the conservative position should be to respect decisions by states to recognize married same-sex couples. Romney has signed a pledge written by the National Organization for Marriage that promises he will advocate for the FMA if he wins the White House. Advocate.com (10/21), BuzzFeed (10/20), LGBT POV (10/20)     

Via JMG: Stonewall Democrats Denounce Log Cabin

"The Log Cabin Republicans have proven once and for all that they are not an organization aligned with the LGBT movement. They are a Republican front group bumbling their way into fooling LGBT voters that it's OK to support a party that would legislate us back into the closet. Their endorsement of Mitt Romney isn't just shameful - it's insulting.

"Mitt Romney stands for nothing positive for LGBT people. He supports a federal marriage amendment (which was a reason for Log Cabin to refuse to endorse George W. Bush in 2004). He supports McCarthy-like investigations into our community for evidence of 'harassment of Christians'. He opposes the repeal of DOMA. He opposes ENDA. He's even said things as basic as the right to visit your sick or dying loved one in the hospital is a 'privilege' and not a right. [snip]

"So there you have it - the Log Cabin Republicans, who screamed loudly and forcefully for months that liberal groups and LGBT movement posturing weren't going to affect their endorsements have instead allowed the interests of money sucking GOP insiders and the fear of a conservative performance troupe to decide their endorsement for them. It's reprehensible. Have they no decency?" - Jerame Davis, executive director of the National Stonewall Democrats, via press release.

Labels: Log Cabin Republicans, Mitt Romney, Stonewall Democrats

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma October 23, 2012

The Path to Restoration

My advice for people is to love the world they are in, in whatever way makes sense to them. It may be a devotional practice, it may be song or poetry, it may be by gardening, it may be as an activist, scientist, or community leader. The path to restoration extends from our heart to the heart of sentient beings, and that path will be different for every person.

- Paul Hawken, "The Movement With No Name"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through October 25th, 2012
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Via Anti-Republican Crusaders / FB:

JMG Billboard Of The Day

The Friendly Atheist reports that the above billboard truck has been spotted near the venue for tonight's final debate in Boca Raton.

Labels: advertising, debate watch, Mormons, religion

Reposted from Joe

Via FB:

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma October 22, 2012

Everything is Enlightened

We are enlightenment and we are delusion. We read it, we say it, but we don't believe it. The experience of realization is seeing and realizing exactly that—that everything is enlightened as it is.

- Bernie Glassman, "Yasutani Roshi: The Hardest Koan"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through October 24th, 2012
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JMG Headline Of The Day:

 

Source. (Tipped by JMG reader Aaron)

Labels: 2012 elections, Barack Obama, Nobel

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Billy Graham Places Full-Page Anti-Gay Marriage Ad In The Wall Street Journal

 

"The legacy we leave behind for our children, grandchildren, and this great nation is crucial. As I approach my 94th birthday, I realize this election could be my last. I believe it is vitally important that we cast our ballots for candidates who base their decisions on biblical principles and support the nation of Israel. I urge you to vote for those who protect the biblical definition of marriage between a man and a woman. Vote for biblical values this November 6, and pray with me that America will remain one nation under God." - Billy Graham, 93, in a full-page ad published today in the Wall Street Journal.

Labels: advertising, bigotry, Billy Graham, religion

posted by Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma October 20, 2012

Rising to the Occasion

We cannot eliminate all of the challenges or obstacles in life—our own or anyone else’s. We can only learn to rise to the occasion and face them.

- Dzigar Kongtrul, "Old Relationships, New Possibilities"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through October 22nd, 2012
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Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Trivial thoughts, insignificant thoughts, When followed they distract the mind. Not understanding those thoughts The roaming mind runs back and forth. But by understanding those thoughts One ardent and mindful restrains the mind. An awakened one has overcome them completely So they do not arise to distract the mind. - Udana More Buddhism Quotes >>