A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
NSFW: Justin Sayre explains "The New Hanky Code" at The Meeting*
Publicado em 09/04/2014
The Chairman of the International
Order of Sodomites discusses the latest in the gay color spectrum. Taped
live in March at Joe's Pub.
Every month hosts The Meeting* to educate the membership on the latest in political news and social trends.
Video by Martian Entertainment
www.InternationalOrderofSodomites.com
Every month hosts The Meeting* to educate the membership on the latest in political news and social trends.
Video by Martian Entertainment
www.InternationalOrderofSodomites.com
Via Daily Dharma
Even the Smallest Glimpse
| April 10, 2014
Even the smallest glimpse of freedom
heightens our awareness of the pain we have created by our ego-fixation.
Seeing the contrast is what inspires us to go forward on the path. In
particular, each time we sit on the cushion and meditate, we relax and
let go a little bit more. The notion we’ve held onto—that if we don’t
keep up our ego-momentum something bad is going to happen—dissolves bit
by bit.
—Judy Lief, “Letting Go”
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Via JMG: Saudi Police Arrest 35 Men At "Gay Party"
Gay Star News reports:
Saudi Arabia police have arrested 35 people and accused them of being gay. The men, allegedly dressed in women’s clothes, were arrested at a beach resort in the western city of Jeddah. According to local reports, neighbors contacted the religious police complaining of the loud music being played at the party. The police took the arrested men to the station and kept the dresses and music equipment until an investigation is complete. LGBTI rights in Saudi Arabia are non-existent. Homosexuality is taboo and punished with jail, flogging, chemical castration or even death.Saudi Arabia is one of ten nations where homosexuals acts are punishable by the death penalty.
JMG Quote Of The Day - Hank Aaron
"A lot of things have happened in this country, but we have so far to go. There's not a whole lot that has changed. We can talk about baseball. Talk about politics. Sure, this country has a black president, but when you look at a black president, President Obama is left with his foot stuck in the mud from all of the Republicans with the way he's treated. We have moved in the right direction, and there have been improvements, but we still have a long ways to go in the country. The bigger difference is that back then they had hoods. Now they have neckties and starched shirts." - Baseball legend Hank Aaron, 80, speaking yesterday on the 40th anniversary of his having broken Babe Ruth's all-time home run record. Aaron is being attacked for the above comments over on Breitbart.
RELATED: As Aaron approached Babe Ruth's record late in the 1973 season, he had received so many death threats that the editor of the Atlanta Journal quietly had an obituary written.
Via JMG: Mississippi And Alabama Sex Education Programs Claim That Gay Sex Is Illegal
The New Republic reports:
Reposted from Joe Jervis
Mississippi’s sex-ed curriculum is not notable for its progressive nature. But one thing you can’t say about the Magnolia State is that it follows the advice of some conservative parents who want schools to totally ignore homosexuality. In fact, state law mandates that the subject be discussed, at least briefly: Students are to be told that homosexual activity is illegal. Mississippi, whose governor just signed a noxious anti-gay bill, is not the only state with such a clause in its sex ed curriculum. Neighboring Alabama requires that instructors teach that “homosexuality is not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public and that homosexual conduct is a criminal offense." In fact, the Supreme Court rendered all state laws against gay sex unenforceable in 2003, when it struck down an anti-sodomy law in Texas.(Tipped by JMG reader Jake)
Simplicity
| April 9, 2014
I dream of simplicity, but I'm as far
from it as ever. That is my practice, how to be in the world and remain
simple. One day perhaps I'll accept the fact that I am never going to
find the simple life. Maybe the first step toward simplicity will be to
accept that my life will never be simple even if I go live in a cave and
subsist on green nettles like Milarepa.
—Peter Matthiessen, "Emptying the Bell"
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Thich Nhat Hanh: On Homosexuality
Thich Nhat Hanh: On Homosexuality
Thich Nhat Hanh, the noted Zen monk, poet, teacher who is the inspiration behind Deer Park Monastery and the Plum Village tradition, shares these words about the Buddhadharma’s view of “homosexuality” in the latest book, ANSWERS FROM THE HEART.
excerpt from Thay’s new book Answers from the Heart
Q. What is the Buddhist view of homosexuality?
A.
The spirit of Buddhism is inclusiveness. Looking deeply into the nature
of a cloud, we see the cosmos. A flower is a flower, but if we look
deeply into it, we see the cosmos. Everything has a place. The base-the
foundation of everything-is the same. When you look at the ocean, you
see different kinds of waves, many sizes and shapes, but all the waves
have water as their foundation and substance. If you are born gay or
lesbian, your ground of being in the same as mine. We are different, but
we share the same ground of being. The Protestant theologian Paul Tillich
said that God is the ground of being. You should be yourself. If God
has created me as a rose, then I should accept myself as a rose. If you
are a lesbian, then be a lesbian. Looking deeply into your nature, you
will see yourself as you truly are. You will be able to touch the ground
of your being and find peace.
If
you’re a victim of discrimination, then your way to emancipation is not
simply by crying out against injustice. Injustice cannot be repaired by
recognition alone, but by your capacity to touch the ground of your
being. Discrimination, intolerance, and suppression stem from lack of
knowledge and lack of understanding. If you’re capable of touching the
ground of your being, you can be released from the suffering that has
been created in you through discrimination and oppression.
Someone
who discriminates against you, because of your race or the color of your
skin or your sexual orientation, is ignorant. He doesn’t know his own
ground of being. He doesn’t realize that we all share the same ground of
being; that is why he can discriminate against you.
Someone
who discriminates against others and causes them to suffer is someone
who is not happy with himself. Once you’ve touched the depth and the
nature of your ground of being, you’ll be equipped with the kind of
understanding that can give rise to compassion and tolerance, and you
will be capable of forgiving even those who discriminate against you.
Don’t believe that relief or justice will come through society alone.
True emancipation lies in your capacity to look deeply.
When you
suffer because of discrimination, there’s always an urge to speak out.
But even if you spend a thousand years speaking out, your suffering
won’t be relieved. Only through deep understanding and liberation from
ignorance can you be liberated from your suffering.
When you
break through to the truth, compassion springs up like a stream of
water. With that compassion, you can embrace even the people who have
persecuted you. When you’re motivated by desire to help those who are
victims of ignorance, only then are you free from your suffering and
feelings of violation. Don’t wait for things to change around you. You
have to practice liberating yourself. Then you will be equipped with the
power of compassion and understanding, the only kind of power that can
help transform an environment full of injustice and discrimination. You
have to become such a person-one who can embody tolerance,
understanding, and compassion. You transform yourself into an instrument
for social change and change in the collective consciousness of
mankind.
Thich Nhat Hanh, Answers from the Heart: Practical Responses To Life’s Burning Questions (Berkeley: Parallax Press, 2009), 119-122.
Via Sangha Virtual - Thich Nhat Hanh - Brasil
Qual é a visão budista sobre a homossexualidade?
Pergunta: Qual é a
visão budista sobre a homossexualidade?
Thich Nhat Hanh: O espírito do Budismo é a inclusividade.
Olhando profundamente a natureza de uma nuvem, vemos o cosmos. Uma flor é uma
flor, mas se olharmos profundamente para ela, veremos o cosmos. Tudo tem um
lugar. A base, o fundamento de tudo, é o mesmo. Quando você olha para o oceano,
você vê diferentes tipos de ondas, muitos tamanhos e formas, mas todas as ondas
têm a água como seu fundamento e substância.
Se você nasceu gay ou lésbica, o fundamento
do ser é o mesmo que o meu. Nós somos diferentes, mas compartilhamos o mesmo
fundamento do ser. O teólogo protestante Paul Tillich disse que Deus é o
fundamento do ser. Você deve ser você mesmo. Se Deus me criou como uma rosa,
então eu deveria me aceitar como uma rosa. Se você é lésbica, então, seja
lésbica. Olhando profundamente em sua natureza, você vai ver-se como você
realmente é. Você será capaz de tocar o solo do seu ser e encontrar a paz.
Alguém que discrimina contra vocês, por causa
de sua raça ou a cor de sua pele ou sua orientação sexual, é ignorante. Ele não
conhece o seu próprio fundamento do ser. Ele não percebe que todos partilham a
mesma base do ser, é por isso que ele pode discriminá-lo. Alguém que discrimina
os outros e faz com que eles sofram é alguém que não está feliz consigo mesmo.
Uma vez que você tocou a profundidade e a natureza do seu fundamento do ser,
você vai ser equipado com o tipo de entendimento que pode dar origem a
compaixão e tolerância, e você será capaz de perdoar até mesmo aqueles que o discriminam.
Não acredite que o alívio ou a justiça virá através de sociedade por si só.
Verdadeira emancipação reside na sua capacidade de olhar profundamente. Quando
você sofre por causa da discriminação, há sempre uma vontade de falar. Mas
mesmo se você passar mil anos falando, o seu sofrimento não será aliviado.
Somente através da compreensão profunda e libertação da ignorância você pode
ser libertado de seu sofrimento.
Às vezes, aqueles nos discriminam agem em nome de Deus, da verdade. Podemos pertencer
ao terceiro mundo, ou podemos pertencer a uma raça em particular, podemos
ser pessoas de cor, podemos ser gays ou lésbicas, e nós temos sido discriminados por milhares de anos. Então como nos libertar do
sofrimento de sermos vítimas de discriminação e opressão? No cristianismo, é dito
que Deus criou tudo, inclusive o homem, e não há uma distinção entre o criador
e a criatura. A criatura é algo criado por Deus. Quando eu olho para uma rosa, uma
tulipa, ou um crisântemo, eu sei, eu vejo, eu penso, que esta flor é uma
criação de Deus. Porque eu tenho praticado como um budista, eu sei que entre o
criador e a criatura, deve haver algum tipo de ligação, caso contrário, a criação não seria
possível. Assim, o crisântemo pode dizer que Deus é uma flor, e eu concordo,
porque deve haver o elemento "flor" em Deus, para que a flor possa se tornar
realidade. Assim, a flor tem o direito de dizer que Deus é uma flor.
A pessoa branca tem o direito de dizer que Deus é branco, e o negro também tem o
direito de dizer que Deus é negro. Na verdade, se você for para a África, vai
ver que a Virgem Maria é negra. Se você não fizer a estátua da Virgem Maria negra, não inspirará as pessoas. Porque
para os negros, "black is beautiful", de modo que uma pessoa negra
tem o direito de dizer que Deus é preto, e na verdade eu também acredito que Deus seja negro, mas Deus não
é só preto, Deus também é branco, Deus é também uma flor. Assim, quando uma
lésbica pensa em seu relacionamento com Deus, se ela pratica profundamente, ela
pode descobrir que Deus é também uma lésbica. Caso contrário, como você poderia
estar lá? Deus é uma lésbica e Deus é gay também.
Deus não é menos. Deus é lésbica, mas também gay, negro, branco, crisântemo. É porque você não
entende isso, que discrimina.
Quando você discriminar o negro ou o branco, ou a flor, ou a
lésbica, você discrimina contra Deus, que é a bondade fundamental em você. Você
cria o sofrimento ao seu redor, e você cria o sofrimento dentro de si mesmo, e
é a ilusão, a ignorância, que é a base de sua ação, a sua atitude de
discriminação.
Via Armário X: O Budismo e a homossexualidade
O Budismo e a homossexualidade
por Marco Antonio García
Nos
últimos anos o Budismo virou a religião da moda nos paises ocidentais.
São diversas revistas e livros falando sobre os benefícios da meditação,
yoga e outras praticas budistas. Mas o que o budismo pensa a cerca da homossexualidade? Como nós homossexuais
somos vistos por esta religião milenar? Estas e outras perguntas
fundamentais para se entender o budismo foram respondidas pela
Associação Brasil Soka Gakkai Internacional (http://www.bsgi.org.br/) e pela Lama Chagdud Khadro, diretora da Escola Nyingma do Budismo Vajrayana – Chagdud Gonpa (http://www.odsal-ling.org/), exclusivamente para o Armário X.
Via Salon: “Anti-Christian religious bigotry” is apparently what conservatives are now calling LGBTQ rights
Topics:
Video,
lgbtq rights,
Gay Rights,
equal marriage,
Marriage equality,
Religion,
Christianity, Life News, News
In
lamenting the demise of Arizona’s anti-LGBTQ discrimination bill and
recent victories to secure other basic protections for LGBTQ
individuals, National Organization for Marriage President Brian Brown
encouraged his fellow bigots to try to change the frame on these debates by accusing LGBTQ rights advocates of pushing “anti-Christian bigotry”:
But not every person of faith shares Brown’s bigoted paranoia.
Kansas state Rep. Louis Ruiz, a practicing Catholic, is the sponsor of a LGBTQ rights protection bill in his state. A month after his colleagues floated a proposal to enshrine anti-LGBTQ discrimination into state law, Ruiz introduced a counter measure, asking his colleagues, “What’s our message when we have these type of discriminatory bills that come out at either the federal or the state level? We’re defeating our own purpose as a country that wants to be inclusive. To me, this is a no-brainer.”
So, when [LGBTQ people and their allies] bring up discrimination, we need to turn it on its head and say, this is about anti-religious, specifically in some cases, anti-Christian religious bigotry, and there’s no place for this in this country. The discrimination is there, but right now what’s happening is the discrimination is coming from those that want to punish, repress and marginalize individuals and organizations that stand up for their religious beliefs.Referencing a New Mexico photographer who refused to shoot a gay couple’s commitment ceremony (the Supreme Court refused on Monday to hear her case, probably because of anti-Christian bigotry), Brown said, “Whether it’s being forced to photograph a ceremony that you don’t agree with, forced to create a same-sex marriage wedding cake that you don’t agree with, whatever it is, that’s a very different thing than saying this is somehow Jim Crow all over again. In fact, it’s the reverse.”
But not every person of faith shares Brown’s bigoted paranoia.
Kansas state Rep. Louis Ruiz, a practicing Catholic, is the sponsor of a LGBTQ rights protection bill in his state. A month after his colleagues floated a proposal to enshrine anti-LGBTQ discrimination into state law, Ruiz introduced a counter measure, asking his colleagues, “What’s our message when we have these type of discriminatory bills that come out at either the federal or the state level? We’re defeating our own purpose as a country that wants to be inclusive. To me, this is a no-brainer.”
Ruiz
said at the time that he believes his own faith is well protected, and
wants to see those protections extended to others: “If you look at the
bills that people are trying to pass that would permanently enshrine
open discrimination against gay and lesbian Kansans, can you think of a
better reason why we should introduce something [like this LGBTQ
anti-discrimination bill]?”
h/t Right Wing Watch
Via JMG: LBJ's Daughters: Our Father Would Likely Have Supported Same-Sex Marriage
Katie Couric interviewed Luci Baines Johnson and Lynda Bird Johnson Robb, the daughters of late President Lyndon B. Johnson, and asked them about their father's civil rights legacy in the light of the current battle for same-sex marriage.
“I think my father felt very strongly that when there was bigotry anywhere, prejudice anywhere, all of us lose out,” Johnson said. “Because it's just one more expression of hate.” For her part, Robb said she didn’t know what her father would say, because same-sex marriage was not an issue when he was in public life. “It's hard to project what Daddy would have thought about that because that wasn't an issue that had come upon the stage at that time,” Robb said. “But I know he really wanted everybody to be able to live up to the best that God gave them.” Both Robb and Johnson said they personally believe gay marriage should be allowed. “I certainly think that, if God made you a homosexual, that you should have love and affection with somebody,” Robb said. “And I would not want to deny anybody that opportunity to be happy.”This week marks the 50th anniversary of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, which some historians consider to be the crowning achievement of the LBJ administration. Watch the interview below.
Via JMG: Anti-Gay Group Targets Mozilla
Back in December, Faith Driven Consumer used the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index to create a list of pro-gay companies for Christians to boycott during their holiday shopping. Today the group issued a press release which demands that Mozilla respond to three questions.
According to pro-gay advocates, it’s theoretically acceptable for companies like Mozilla to hire Christians as long as they are never permitted to assume leadership roles. The same people who claim to support equal treatment for everyone want to deny access to employment opportunities based on personal convictions – in effect a new “glass ceiling” for a faith-driven worldview. Faith Driven Consumer reached out to Mozilla to clarify what their policy is toward faith-driven employees, asking them to respond to three specific questions:Last last month as the controversy was at its peak, Mozilla posted a statement affirming its corporate support of marriage equality. That statement also addresses the questions posed today by Faith Driven Consumer.
1. Will faith-driven employees be discriminated against and forced into the closet for their personal views on marriage? 2. Is there a “pro gay marriage” litmus test for working at Mozilla? 3. Will the next CEO be required to openly express support for gay marriage as a condition for being hired? While we wait to hear back, let’s make sure they HEAR from YOU.
Mozilla’s mission is to make the Web more open so that humanity is stronger, more inclusive and more just. This is why BOTH Mozilla Corporation and Mozilla Foundation support equality for all, including marriage equality for LGBT couples. No matter who you are or who you love, everyone deserves the same rights and to be treated equally.Faith Driven Consumer doesn't need to "wait to hear back" from Mozilla as anybody with a computer can learn their position. But that doesn't fuel the outrage machine, does it? The hypocrisy of boycotting companies for supporting marriage equality and then making this kind of demand is truly mind-numbing.
We realize that not everyone in our community or who uses our products will agree with this. But we have always maintained that as long as you are willing to respect others, and come together for our larger mission, you are welcome. Mozilla’s community is made up of people who have very diverse personal beliefs working on a common cause, which is a free and open internet. That is a very rare and special thing.
Mozilla has always worked to be a welcoming community, committed to inclusiveness and equality for all people. One voice will not limit opportunity for anyone. That was true yesterday and will be true tomorrow.
Labels: boycotts, Brendan Eich, Christianists, Faith Driven Consumer, hypocrisy, Mozilla, religion, technology
Via Daily Dharma
All Politics are Local
| April 8, 2014
Why do I consider it so crucial to
balance the outer aspects of nonviolence and compassion with the inner
support of contemplative practice? Because in the end, all politics are
local, and we cannot love life and humanity if we do not love each
other, one on one.
—Lama Surya Das, "Why Sit?"
Monday, April 7, 2014
VIa UTNE: Free Your Mind: Practice Vipassana Meditation
After
years of heavy addiction, Chris Grosso found himself literally on his
knees, utterly lost and broken. Grasping for life, he needed to find a
new path, one that went beyond conventional religious or spiritual
doctrine—one free of bullshit. Indie Spiritualist
(Beyond Words Publishing, 2014) empowers readers to accept themselves
as they are, in all their humanity and imperfect perfection. In this
excerpt learn the basics of vipassana meditation, a simple relaxation
practice that can be done by anyone and in any setting.
While I personally practice many different types of meditation—never feeling like I have to stay within the confines of only one tradition—I typically respond with vipassana, as I’ve found it to be the most universally applicable form of meditation around. Any form of meditation that resonates with you—whether guided, mantra, movement, and so forth—will definitely be of benefit.
I adore meditation because there are countless ways to meditate, with no particular style being any better than another. It’s all about what resonates with you. You can find many free guided meditations online by searching Google or YouTube, as well as by visiting your local library. Most meditation practices are to spirituality what Bob Ross was to painting—very laid back and go with the flow. And while your practice may not provide you with happy little trees, it will over time create a greater sense of peace, clarity, and serenity in your life, and that’s sorta like happy little trees, right?
Through years of drug addiction, I did considerable damage to myself, resulting in heavy bouts of depression and anxiety. For years, I relied on antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications to keep me in a somewhat balanced state, but after cultivating a dedicated meditation practice I eventually found myself at a place where, under doctor supervision, I was able to taper off the medication and no longer needed it.
Let me make it perfectly clear, however, that there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking prescribed medication for conditions like anxiety, depression, and so forth. I recognize that they were very necessary in my life at that time, as I was very chemically off-balance. There is nothing unspiritual about taking prescribed medication when needed, because our own mental and emotional well-being must come first before we can truly help others.
Whether we are on medication or not, meditation practices will certainly help us to not only cultivate more calm in our lives, but also to handle things like stress, anxiety, and depression in gentler ways. For the benefit of those who are new to meditation, I’m providing these simple guided instructions for the practice of vipassana.
Vipassana Meditation
Besides being asked, “What’s an Indie Spiritualist?” the second most common question I’m typically asked is “What type of meditation do you practice?”While I personally practice many different types of meditation—never feeling like I have to stay within the confines of only one tradition—I typically respond with vipassana, as I’ve found it to be the most universally applicable form of meditation around. Any form of meditation that resonates with you—whether guided, mantra, movement, and so forth—will definitely be of benefit.
I adore meditation because there are countless ways to meditate, with no particular style being any better than another. It’s all about what resonates with you. You can find many free guided meditations online by searching Google or YouTube, as well as by visiting your local library. Most meditation practices are to spirituality what Bob Ross was to painting—very laid back and go with the flow. And while your practice may not provide you with happy little trees, it will over time create a greater sense of peace, clarity, and serenity in your life, and that’s sorta like happy little trees, right?
Through years of drug addiction, I did considerable damage to myself, resulting in heavy bouts of depression and anxiety. For years, I relied on antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications to keep me in a somewhat balanced state, but after cultivating a dedicated meditation practice I eventually found myself at a place where, under doctor supervision, I was able to taper off the medication and no longer needed it.
Let me make it perfectly clear, however, that there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking prescribed medication for conditions like anxiety, depression, and so forth. I recognize that they were very necessary in my life at that time, as I was very chemically off-balance. There is nothing unspiritual about taking prescribed medication when needed, because our own mental and emotional well-being must come first before we can truly help others.
Whether we are on medication or not, meditation practices will certainly help us to not only cultivate more calm in our lives, but also to handle things like stress, anxiety, and depression in gentler ways. For the benefit of those who are new to meditation, I’m providing these simple guided instructions for the practice of vipassana.
Make the jump here to read the full blog
10 Crazy Christian Quotes You May Not Have Heard
We all hear of the uber-crazy stuff that high-profile fundamentalists
Christians say. Stupid Christian quotes are gleefully reported by the
liberal media, and rightly so. For those of us who are SANE Christians,
it’s a reminder of the reasons that non-believers think all Christians
are crazy. As a member of the Christian Left, I say “let’s expose these
kooks”! Here are some quotes by fundamentalist Christians that you may
not have heard. Y’all enjoy.
- “When the temptation to masturbate is strong, yell “Stop!” to those thoughts as loudly as you can in your mind. Then recite a portion of the Bible or sing a hymn.” –Mormon Guide to Self-Control
- “We don’t have to protect the environment, the Second Coming is at hand.” –James Watt, Secretary of the Interior during the Reagan years.
- “I called to buy some meth, but I threw it away.” —Rev. Ted Haggard, when details began to emerge about his visits to a male prostitute, in 2006.
- Our culture is superior. Our culture is superior because our religion is Christianity and that is the truth that makes men free. –Pat Buchanan
- “This Christmas I want you to do the most loving thing and I want you to buy each of your children an SKS rifle and 500 rounds of ammunition.” —A speaker at the 1995 convention of the U.S. Taxpayers Party. A few months later, Dobson endorsed their candidate for president, Howard Phillips.
- “Kids today are looking for something to die for… If you give them something to die for, they’ll go to the edge of the earth for you.” —James Dobson’s son Ryan, in 2005. His book, 2Die4 : The Dangerous Truth About Following Christ advocates “murderous war because our enemies are deadly.”
- “The right of holding slaves is clearly established in the Holy Scriptures, both by precept and example.” –R. Furman, Baptist, of South Carolina
- “Sex education classes in our public schools are promoting incest.” –Jimmy Swaggart
- “Nobody has the right to worship on this planet any other God than Jehovah. And therefore the state does not have the responsibility to defend anybody’s pseudo-right to worship an idol.” –Rev. Joseph Morecraft, Chalcedon Presbyterian Church, “Biblical Role of Civil Government” speech given 8/31/93 at Biblical Worldview and Christian Education Conference
- “When you know the LORD you have no need for masturbation.” –Brice Wellington
Via JMG: Sullivan Doubles-Down On Mozilla Flap
Yesterday Andrew Sullivan acknowledged that the resignation of Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich was not the work of gay activists but came as the result of pressure from the "techie straight left." (Ben Shapiro appears to concede that point as well.) But Sullivan remains outraged.
A civil rights movement without toleration is not a civil rights movement; it is a cultural campaign to expunge and destroy its opponents. A moral movement without mercy is not moral; it is, when push comes to shove, cruel. For a decade and half, we have fought the battle for equal dignity for gay people with sincerity, openness, toleration and reason. It appears increasingly as if we will have to fight and fight again to prevent this precious and highly successful legacy from being hijacked by a righteous, absolutely certain, and often hateful mob. We are better than this. And we must not give in to it.Sullivan says he's gotten hundreds of emails from readers who "overwhelmingly disagree" with him about the controversy.
Labels: activism, Andrew Sullivan, Brendan Eich, Firefox, LGBT rights, marriage equality, Mozilla, Proposition 8, technology
Via Tricycle
Via Daily Dharma
Pure Gold
| April 7, 2014
Free passion is radiation without a
radiator, a fluid, pervasive warmth that flows effortlessly. It is not
destructive because it is a balanced state of being and highly
intelligent. Self-consciousness inhibits this intelligent, balanced
state of being. By opening, by dropping our self-conscious grasping, we
see not only the surface of an object, but we see the whole way through.
We appreciate not in terms of sensational qualities alone, but we see
in terms of whole qualities, which are pure gold.
—Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, “Love Story”
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Via Daily Dharma:
The Only Place
| April 6, 2014
Just as we cannot live without water,
so are joy and peace essential for our inner fulfillment. We may not
even be aware that we are searching for something. It manifests only in
our restlessness as we move from here to there, trying out different
friends, different ideas, different jobs, different countries. Whatever
we attempt is a reflection of our inner thirst, which we hope to quench
in all these external ways. What we are looking for lies within us, and
if we gave out time and energy to an interior search, we would come
across it much faster, since that is the only place where it is to be
found.
—Ayya Khema, “Thirsting for Enlightenment”
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Via Daily Kos: Harvey Milk becomes the first openly #lgbt elected official on a U.S. stamp!
"Harvey Milk becomes the first openly #lgbt elected official on a U.S. stamp! A fitting honor for such an inspiring leader."
Via JMG: Quote Of The Day - Markos Moulitsas
"Would Sullivan rush to this guy's defense if it turned out he was a Grand Wizard in the KKK? Of course not. We are allowed to be intolerant of people who operate outside the bounds of civil decency. This wasn't governmental action infringing on any Constitutional rights. This was Mozilla developers saying they refused to do work with a bigot, private websites blocking access to the Firefox browser because they refused to do business with a bigot, and employees of the firm speaking up because they refused to work for a bigot. In short, it was the free market expressing itself. Eich was perfectly within his rights to stay at Mozilla, but he would then face a hostile market and eventually faced the reality that he couldn't do his job in that environment. The free market spoke, and a free market enterprise was forced to react." - Markos Moulitsas, founder of Daily Kos, writing for his site.
Labels: Brendan Eich, Daily Kos, internet, LGBT rights, Markos Moulitsas, marriage equality, Mozilla, Proposition 8, technology
Via JMG: NOM Launches Mozilla Boycott to Support a Holocaust Denier
On Thursday hate group leader Brian Brown launched a petition in support of former Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich. Late Friday afternoon he launched a boycott of Mozilla.
"When Brendon Eich made his modest contribution to support Proposition 8, Barack Obama was on the ballot as a candidate who said he believed marriage was the union of one man and one woman. Now Eich has been the target of a vicious character attack by gay activists who have forced him out of the company he has helped lead for years. This is a McCarthyesque witch hunt that makes the term 'thought police' seem modest. We urge all consumers to remove Mozilla's Firefox web browser from their computers as a sign of protest. This attack to deny Mr. Eich his livelihood for supporting true marriage is a continuation of the shameful pattern we have consistently seen from gay activists. It basically says to all those in America and around the world who believe in a view of marriage that is consistent with the teachings of their faith that they are all bigots and haters and there is no place for them in civil society. This is the totalitarian worldview we will all be under if marriage ultimately is redefined in the law."VERY FUCKING RELATED: Two years ago NOM launched their continuing boycott of Starbucks after the company issued a statement endorsing marriage equality in Washington state. Several months after the boycott started, hate group leader Tony Perkins declared to his national radio audience that NOM's boycott had cost Starbucks over $10B in stock value.
It didn’t take long for Starbucks to lose bucks over marriage. Hello, I’m Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council in Washington. In January, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said endorsing same-sex marriage would be good for business. Boy was he wrong! Siding with radical homosexuals has its price in this country. And in Starbucks case, the cost is about ten billion dollars. That’s how much the coffee giant’s lost in stock value since the campaign to Dump Starbucks got underway. In the last eight months, the company's missed sales projections and watched stocks dive from $61 to $48, for a loss of more than $10.2 billion. How many companies will fall for the lie that endorsing same-sex marriage will help business? J.C. Penney’s tried it. Target’s tried it. Now Starbucks. And every time, there’s a reason to believe that alienating millions of customers will directly affect a company’s bottom line. On the flip side, look at Chick-fil-A. They found out that supporting traditional values pays just as many cultural dividends as financial ones.From Joe:
Brian Brown and his clown car of evil are trying to sell the claim that they are super concerned about evil homofascsists destroying the livelihood of Brendan Eich, but they bragged about having caused a $10B stock loss that may have devastated the investment portfolios of uncountable retirees, families, and pension funds. So what if thousands of people who also oppose same-sex marriage suddenly saw their nest eggs dwindle? And if a dive in stock price prompted Starbucks to enact massive layoffs among straight minimum wage workers? Serves them homos right.
The truth, of course, is that NOM's boycott had nothing to do with the price of Starbucks stock and everything to do with the volatility experienced by much of the restaurant sector at that time. In early 2012 at the start of NOM's boycott, Starbucks traded at $43. It closed today at $71.55. That's a 66% increase. Other companies are probably lighting candles in the hope of a boycott from NOM.
But all that is only part of the story.
Shortly after NOM's boycott of Starbucks began in America, Brian Brown posted a gloating update in which he announced that NOM had purchased Arabic-language banner ads to promote the boycott on websites based in several Middle Eastern countries that carry the death penalty for homosexuality. His intent, obviously, was to whip up anti-gay sentiment in places where our brothers and sisters already lead lives of quiet terror at best. Perhaps he even hoped for a madman to take out the entire staff at one of those overseas Starbucks. THAT would send a message back home, huh?
REMINDER: When major national Christian groups with millions of followers call for boycotts, that is a righteous use of the free market in order to preserve morality, marriage, family, and the American way. But if a gay keyboard activist tweets a call for a boycott, THAT is homofascist intimidation, intolerance, bullying, a stifling of religious liberty, and an attempt to deny the freedom of speech. And don't you forget it.
Labels: bigotry, Brendan Eich, Brian Brown, Christianists, evil, Firefox, hate groups, hypocrisy, liars, Mozilla, NOM, Tony Perkins
Via JMG: Nate Silver Compiles Prop 8 Donations By Staffers At Major Silicon Valley Companies
Using a Los Angeles Times database of donations to the 2008 Proposition 8 campaign, stats guru Nate Silver has compiled a list of how the staffers of major Silicon Valley tech companies weighed in with their wallets.
The list includes Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Cisco Systems, Apple, Google, Sun Microsystems, eBay, Oracle, Yahoo, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Symantec. I limited the search to donors who listed California as their location. In total between these 11 companies, 83 percent of employee donations were in opposition to Proposition 8. So Eich was in a 17 percent minority relative to the top companies in Silicon Valley. However, there was quite a bit of variation from business to business. At Intel, 60 percent of employee donations were in support of Proposition 8. By contrast, at Apple, 94 percent of employee donations were made in opposition to Proposition 8. The opposition was even higher at Google, where 96 percent of employee donations were against it, including $100,000 from co-founder Sergey Brin. There isn’t much data on Mozilla. Only four Proposition 8 donors listed it as their employer: Eich, who donated in support of the measure, and three others who opposed it.Silver notes that his result does not include those who chose to donate to either side of the campaign without disclosing the name of their employers. About 12% of those in the database did not.
Labels: 2008 elections, Apple, boycotts, Brendan Eich, California, eBay, Google, Intel, LGBT rights, Mozilla, Nate Silver, Proposition 8, Silicon Valley, Yahoo
Via JMG: Carole King Surprises Beautiful Cast At Curtain Call Plea For AIDS Donations
Beautiful, the Broadway musical that tells Carole King's life story through her songs, has been running for months to record crowds and rave reviews. King had famously declined to see the show, telling Playbill in December after walking out of a reading, "I can't watch my life played out before me." She changed her mind on Thursday, choosing to attend the show during the week that Broadway casts issue curtain call pleas for donations to Equity Fights AIDS.
She finally showed up. After months of wondering whether Carole King would ever come to see the Broadway musical based on her life and comprising her music, the singer/songwriter surprised the cast and crew by attending Thursday evening’s performance of “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.” After the curtain call, as the cast was doing the annual appeal for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Ms. King ventured out on stage. “They had no idea,” she told the applauding audience. Jessie Mueller, who earned strong reviews for her portrayal of Ms. King when the show opened in January, wept, along with several other members of the cast. The charity effort became a song auction: Ms. King led the cast in “You’ve Got a Friend.” The appeal raised $30,000.
RELATED: Carole King's 1971 album Tapestry has sold over 25 million copies and is among the greatest selling albums of all time. It swept the major awards at the 1972 Grammys, taking Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Record Of The Year, and Best Pop Female Vocal. Tapestry spent 15 consecutive weeks atop the albums chart and 43 years later that remains the record for a female vocalist. The album appeared on the Billboard Top 200 for 302 weeks, another record for a female vocalist, and sixth on the all-time list for weeks on that chart. (#1 is Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon at 741 weeks.)
Via JMG: Todd Starnes On Brendan Eich
"Why not demand that those who oppose gay marriage relinquish the right to own property? Why not take away their right to vote? Why not take away their children? Why not just throw them in jail? Why not force them to work in chain gangs? Why not call for public floggings? Or better yet, let’s just strap them down on gurneys, stick a needle in their arm and rid the world of these intolerant anti-gay bigots once and for all. The road to political correctness is littered with the bodies of folks like Brendan Eich sideswiped by the tolerance and diversity bus." - Fox News reporter Todd Starnes, writing for Townhall.
Labels: Brendan Eich, crackpots, Fox News, LGBT rights, marriage equality, Mozilla, Proposition 8, Tea Party, technology, Townhall
Via Daily Dharma
The Pinch of Generosity
| April 5, 2014
When you are practicing generosity, you
should feel a little pinch when you give something away. That pinch is
your stinginess protesting. If you give away your old, worn-out coat
that you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing, that is not generosity. There
is no pinch. You are doing nothing to overcome your stinginess; you’re
just cleaning out your closet and calling it something else. Giving away
your coat might keep someone warm, but it does not address the problem
we face as spiritual practitioners: to free ourselves from
self-cherishing and self-grasping.
—Gelek Rinpoche, “Generosity (and Greed) Introduction”
Friday, April 4, 2014
Via JMG: Ben Shapiro Launches Mozilla Boycott
Tea Party shrieker Ben Shapiro has launched an OKCupid-style boycott of Mozilla on his Truth Revolt site. Because gaystapo.
REMINDER: When powerful national Christian groups with millions of members call for boycotts, that is a righteous use of the free market in order to preserve morality, marriage, family, and the American way. But when gay individuals call for a boycott, THAT is homofascist intimidation, intolerance, bullying, a stifling of religious liberty, and an attempt to deny the freedom of speech. And don't you forget it.
Reposted from Joe Jervis
REMINDER: When powerful national Christian groups with millions of members call for boycotts, that is a righteous use of the free market in order to preserve morality, marriage, family, and the American way. But when gay individuals call for a boycott, THAT is homofascist intimidation, intolerance, bullying, a stifling of religious liberty, and an attempt to deny the freedom of speech. And don't you forget it.
Labels: Ben Shapiro, boycotts, Breitbart, Christianists, crackpots, douchebaggery, Mozilla, religion, Tea Party, teabaggers
Via JMG: Mozilla: Eich Jumped, Wasn't Pushed
Mozilla's Firefox account on Twitter has 2.4M followers and they have responded to many complaints today.
Reposted from Joe Jervis
Labels: boycotts, Brendan Eich, Firefox, LGBT rights, marriage equality, Mozilla, Proposition 8, technology
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