May 2006 Archives

Shiite death squads in Iraq are carrying out a campaign that targets gay men for murder. This so-called “sexual cleansing” is happening under the nose of the U.S. military--but American authorities in the Green Zone have refused to do anything about it.

The highly organized campaign of beatings, kidnappings and murders of Iraqi gays follows a death-to-gays fatwa issued last October by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the 77-year-old Iranian who is supreme spiritual leader of all Shia Muslims in Iraq. The fatwa, available on Sistani’s official Web site, puts it this way, “The people involved [in homosexuality] should be killed in the worst, most severe way of killing.” [...]

Tahseen, a 31-year-old photography lab technician and underground gay activist, told me by telephone from Baghdad that, “Just last week, four gay people we know of were found dead. I am afraid to leave my room and go out in the street because I will be killed.” He said that men who seem obviously gay “cannot walk in the street. My best friend was recently killed for being gay.” [...]

“We desperately need protection!” Tahseen pleaded. “But, when we go to the Americans, they laugh at us and don’t do anything.”

According to Hili, “These assaults and murders have been reported by underground gay activists in Baghdad to the Green Zone, but the Americans don’t want to upset the religious authorities, and so they do nothing and treat gay Iraqis with contempt or as an object of humor.” (source)

It makes one proud to be an American doesn’t it? It’s just like the time that our troops liberated the Nazi death camps. The Jews were freed, and the homosexuals left were further persecuted by us.

Your actions define you. This is what we are as a nation. We are there in Iraq. If someone is killed for being gay, and we know about it and do nothing but laugh and add further ridicule, we might as well just pull the trigger ourselves.

But Sen. Steve Cohen of Memphis, one of the few progressives to consistently win re-election to the state Senate, says he may have come up with a solution to passing those bills: tack the phrase ‘anti-gay’ on the titles.

“We keep trying to get a bottle bill passed that will curb littering, but the business interests stop us every year,” Cohen says. “So next year we’re going to call it the ‘Anti-gay bottle bill,’ and then dare anybody to vote against it.”

“Nobody’s going to want to face re-election when an opponent can run ads saying that an incumbent voted against a bill with ‘anti-gay’ in its name. That phrase almost makes legislation bulletproof.” [...]

“If we can take away civil rights in something called the Patriot Act, we can certainly guarantee gay rights in something with ‘anti-gay’ in its name,” Cohen says. “It’s not what it’s called that’s important, it’s what it does.”

U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is said to be interested in Cohen’s approach. (source)

An interesting idea. It may just work!

A reporter posing this comment to presidential candidate George W. Bush:

“Many say the only reason why you would be elected for President is due to the enormous power and influence of your father.”

“That notion is ridiculous! It doesn't matter how powerful the man is. He can only vote once!” - George W. Bush

The Russian people suffered greater casualties than any other country from Nazism - whose targets were not only Jews and Soviet citizens but also homosexuals. To see open fascists and Nazis parading in Moscow, and assaulting gay and lesbian people, is to trample on the memory of all those who fought against Nazism and particularly the 27 million Soviet citizens who died in the fight against fascism.

The support given by the Russian Orthodox Church, the Grand Mufti, and the Chief Rabbi to a ban on a peaceful gay pride march is reactionary and the Mayor of Moscow should uphold the right of gays and lesbians to demonstrate peacefully.

I strongly oppose the positions of both the Mayor of Moscow and the former Mayor of Warsaw, now the president of Poland, in banning gay rights marches and the support to this given by a number of religious authorities. I strongly endorse the European Parliament resolution of 18 January 2006 calling on all to ‘firmly to condemn and oppose homophobic hate speech or incitement to hatred and violence’ and to treat lesbian and gay people with ‘respect, dignity and protection.’ - Ken Livingstone, The Mayor of London, on the violence in Moscow at the first gay parade demonstration (source)

Yuri Luzhkov, the Mayor of Moscow, banned the parade saying that he was concerned about the safety of gays if the parade were to take place. And when Russian gays did defy that order and did the parade anyway, the police where there in force - not to stop the parade. They stood there and did nothing as gay members of the parade were beaten by an enraged crowd of protesters made up of religious fanatics and skinheads.

After the police felt the gays had had enough, they arrested the gays participating in the parade. The skinheads and the religious fanatics were allowed to leave.

So much for the good mayor’s intentions of protecting those at the parade. But words speak louder than actions. Here are Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov’s own words on the fact that the gay protesters wanted to lay flowers at the grave of the unknown warrior, a monument to those who died defeating Nazi Germany.

Our way of life, our morals and our tradition -- our morals are cleaner in all ways. The West has something to learn from us and should not race along in this mad licentiousness.

We may have a democratic country, but we live in an organized country and an organized city.

These gays wanted to lay flowers at the grave of the unknown warrior. This is a provocation. It is desecration of a sacred place.

These gays go there, and openly go up to the monument. It is a contamination. People burst through and of course they beat them up. - Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov (source)

Congratulations Mayor Luzhkov. You sound like a young Adolf Hitler. I’m going to repeat your words, and just substitute one word in the statement.

These Jews wanted to lay flowers at the grave of the unknown warrior. This is a provocation. It is desecration of a sacred place.

These Jews go there, and openly go up to the monument. It is a contamination. People burst through and of course they beat them up.

Some memorable quotes from a young Adolf Hitler...

The Jews are a Cancer on the breast of Germany - Adolf Hitler

Why does the world shed crocodile’s tears over the richly merited fate of a small Jewish minority? ... I ask Roosevelt, I ask the American people: Are you prepared to receive in your midst these well-poisoners of the German people and the universal spirit of Christianity? We would willingly give everyone of them a free steamer-ticket and a thousand-mark note for travelling expenses, if we could get rid of them. - Adolf Hitler

For us, this is not a problem you can turn a blind eye to-one to be solved by small concessions. For us, it is a problem of whether our nation can ever recover its health, whether the Jewish spirit can ever really be eradicated. Don’t be misled into thinking you can fight a disease without killing the carrier, without destroying the bacillus. Don’t think you can fight racial tuberculosis without taking care to rid the nation of the carrier of that racial tuberculosis. This Jewish contamination will not subside, this poisoning of the nation will not end, until the carrier himself, the Jew, has been banished from our midst. - Adolf Hitler

Get the point? The real burning question is this: Mayor Luzhkov, what would you really want to do to homosexuals if you had unquestionable power?

I think we all know the answer to that question. Suddenly, my desire to visit Russia has totally lost it’s appeal. I was naive. I thought they were further along than this, and I didn’t realize that the Mayor of Moscow was in spirit, a Nazi.

“While we recognize that there is a high incidence of homophobia and related persecution in Fiji. . . we also recognize that it is incumbent on the queer community to stand up and be present in the face of unjustified persecution.” (source)

WRONG!

That quote was from Out Takes, New Zealand’s national LGBT film festival, who is now being criticized for offering a chance to win a five day holiday to Fiji as a way to boost membership.

Fiji... sounds nice doesn’t it? In Fiji, you can enjoy nice warm weather beautiful beaches and romantic get aways. But wait, THERE’S MORE!!!

If you go there with your same-sex partner, you can also be....

1) Imprisoned. Get caught in a sexual act (however they define that there - could just be a kiss), and you have a chance to win up to 14 years in prison with hard labor.

2) It’s one of the most homophobic regions around.

3) You could be murdered. As the source states, “In 2001 John Scott, the head of the Fiji Red Cross, and his New Zealand partner Greg Scrivener were murdered.”

4) Fiji also bars all people with HIV or AIDS.

For Out Takes to say that “it is incumbent on the queer community to stand up and be present in the face of unjustified persecution”, is pure crap and is false advertisement. They are advertising a vacation, and they should say in that advertisement that in addition to winning the vacation that will be paid for, you might also be imprisoned or killed, if you let your guard down.

Some vacation. And Out Takes is a queer organization. It is irresponsible for them to do this. Sometimes, I think we are our own worst enemy.

And to think that just a few weeks ago I told Kent that I was interested in visiting Russia. No more. They can have it.

In case you didn’t know, gay marriage and flag burning are the most important issues facing our country today, according to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

I love what one commenter had to say about this....

“I’m sorry Dr. Frist, but flag burning and gay marriage are like treating hangnails on a patient who is bleeding to death.”

Having a church music director who also led a gay men’s chorus did not sit well with some parishioners at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Roeland Park. So they asked the pastor to remove Joe Nadeau from his church post. [...] He says he was asked to leave because he denied the pastor’s request to stop leading the Heartland Men’s Chorus, to say he would be celibate, and state that he agreed with church teaching that homosexuality is a disorder. [...]

“I’ve done nothing illegal, nothing immoral,” said Nadeau, who takes the national stage soon as musical director for the closing ceremonies in July of the Gay Games in Chicago. “I’ve kept my private life separate from my work at the church.” [...]

Nadeau, 36, came to Kansas City eight years ago to lead the Heartland Men’s Chorus. [...] He said he told the pastor, the Rev. Donald Cullen, that he led the Heartland Men’s Chorus, saying he shouldn’t be hired if that posed a problem. He was hired. (source)

It’s too bad that he can’t sue. He has no protections in Kansas, and religious organizations have long been protected from laws prohibiting discrimination. It’s too bad though. This man kept the fact that he was also director of a gay men’s choir completely separate from being music director at a Catholic Church. And, he even told them prior to his employment that he was directing the gay men’s choir, and they hired him anyway.

I could understand it if he was open about it and they didn’t know he was gay to begin with.

Here’s a bit more on it from another source.

In January, the St. Agnes Catholic Church hierarchy summoned Nadeau into a closed-door meeting, he said. Monsignor Gary Applegate told Nadeau that to continue as music director, he needed to resign from Kansas City’s Heartland Men’s Chorus, take a vow of celibacy and acknowledge that homosexuality was a disorder, Nadeau said.

“Science and psychology have taught us that homosexuality isn’t a disorder,” said Nadeau. “If I had agreed to that, I would have felt like I was being very dishonest with myself. And I think there are a lot of parishioners who feel the same way.”

Officials with St. Agnes refused interview requests, and the Archdiocese of Kansas City said it would not discuss personnel issues. (source)

Anyway you slice this, it’s messed up.

As the nation observes the sacrifices of those in the military this Memorial Day, hundreds of gay and lesbian veterans are remembering LGBT fallen comrades.

It is impossible to make even a guess at the number of gays who have served their country in uniform since the American Revolution, but what is known is that openly gay officers have routinely been drummed out of the service. Even “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” the legislation signed by President Clinton that was to removed the military’s right to capriciously investigate the private lives of those in the military is a failure. (source)

I don’t want to make a political statement about Memorial Day. Everyone knows how I feel about gay military members who are forced to conceal their sexual orientation or face discharge. In the end, on the battle field, none of that matters, and to a dead soldier, alive or dead, it doesn’t matter.

I look forward to the day that news articles such as this one will not be published because that will mean that the military has learned that it really doesn’t matter the preferences of a person in this area. That has nothing to do with how they do their job. I think it’s sad that, as the military is ready and willing to discharge these soldiers, it is also ready to forget that when these soldiers signed up, they also signed up for all the dangers involved in military service. And that’s a tragedy. And, that is why I’m making this post. It is largely forgotten that they served and were discharged, or that they were killed on the battlefield.

I honor them. I honor their courage - extreme courage to serve; they have two enemies - one they may encounter on the battlefield, and the U.S. Military. The enemy on the battlefield who would like to kill them, or the U.S. Military who will either send them off to war knowing full well that they are gay, only later to kick them out when they are no longer needed - or just kick them out and be done with it if they weren’t able to lie well enough. This is what they face, and I honestly don’t know why they do it, other than the love they have for their country.

I hope that everyone has a safe Memorial Day. And remember, it’s not just another holiday that we don’t have to work. I think it is very sad that, dare I say most Americans look at this holiday in that light. They never stop to think of those who have given their lives so that they have the luxury of thinking of this day as just a day off.

When I was coming up, it was a dangerous world and you knew exactly who they were. It was us versus them and it was clear who them was. Today we are not so sure who the they are, but we know they're there. - George W. Bush

Toward the end of a subdued, 50-minute news conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair — dubbed by some The Lame Duck Summit — Bush uncharacteristically did not hesitate when asked about mistakes he had made since the March 2003 invasion.

“Saying ‘bring it on’”, he said, in reference to an ill-advised taunt to Iraqi insurgents in the summer of 2003.

“The kind of tough talk, you know, that sent the wrong signal to people. You know, I learned some lessons about expressing myself in maybe a little more sophisticated manner ... ‘wanted dead or alive,’ that kind of talk.”

He also said the U.S. has been paying for the 2004 Abu Ghraib prison scandal “for a long period of time.” (source)

It just simply amazes me that to this day, President Bush still does not understand human nature and basic logic.

This is the problem in a nutshell. Countries resent having the hell bombed out of their land and having their economy destroyed, and having their country invaded by foreign troops, and having innocent members of their society killed, when their country had nothing to do with what happened to our country on September 11, 2001! Why are we so surprised at the outcome of this?

Honestly, it’s like having some troops enter your home, shoot two of your family members, and then turn around and wonder why you are so pissed at them. Are we really that stupid?

And did it ever occur to Bush that Abu Ghraib might have happened because of his “kind of tough talk”? Nothing happens in a vacuum. When you have a President saying this, that’s kind of a green light to the troops, wouldn’t you think? Not to mention that half the time Donald Rumsfeld talks about “the insurgents”, he’s actually talking about everyday ordinary Iraqi citizens who are not insurgents. He confuses both of them and talks about them interchangeably, just like they are one and the same. To Rumsfeld, I honestly think they are.

But what do we expect from this administration? The President after all, seems to be able to break or bend just about anything in the Constitution that he likes.

“We haven’t gotten to the point yet where the new government is sitting down with our commanders to come up with a joint way forward. However, having said that, this is a new chapter in our relationship. In other words, we’re now able to take a new assessment about the needs necessary for the Iraqis.” - George W. Bush (source)

Well, it’s not like we’ve been there for over three years with over 2400 of our service members dead without a plan for success of this mission, is it?

He is the most worthless excuse for a President in my memory. Nixon wasn’t this bad. He ignores laws when it suits his needs. He has no regard for our guys in Iraq and the harm he has put them in. They are merely his political pawns, and this war was just for Daddy!

A few days ago I watched “Baghdad ER”. I can’t find the words to describe this documentary, other than such trite words as “disturbing” and “raw”. I cried through much of it. And afterwards, I said to myself, “Our President should watch this.” I was thoroughly pissed.

People sometimes ask me if, because of my criticism of this President, if I support our troops. My answer is, “Yes, I support our troops. And if you supported them, you’d start using the word ‘impeachment’ right about now.”

Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we. - George W. Bush

There are some really strange people in the world. OK... some would probably think that I’m a bit “off” as well, but there is at least a logic to what I do.

I came home from work tonight, and noticed something weird. All over the front of our home, someone had scattered paper plates. I figured that since it was the day that the garbage is picked up, someone didn’t secure their garbage as well as they should, and it blew over into our lawn. This is where the wildflowers are planted, in front of our house.

So, I went to pick up the paper plates and all over the area, someone had placed plastic forks and plastic knives (sharp points sticking up into the air) into the soil. There must have been one hundred of them.

So, as I’m picking these up, my neighbor is going out to pick up his mail, stands there, and just looks at me like I’m nuts. I ignore him.

But I’m left wondering, why would anyone do such a weird thing? What was the point? Maybe just to freak me out?

Well, they succeeded.

Now that Republicans face another difficult election year, the proposed blockade on gay marriage has gained political currency once again.

Six states -- Idaho, South Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin -- plan state referendums against homosexual marriage this fall.

A seventh state, Alabama, will conduct a referendum in June. Up to seven more states may hold referendums, according to the Human Rights Campaign, a homosexual rights group.

The Senate Judiciary Committee last week endorsed the constitutional amendment against gay unions drafted by U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo. (source)

Yes, I know... I said I would write less about marriage. I know everyone is sick of hearing about it. I guess I won’t say much about it. I’m sick of hearing about it and I’m really sick about the whole issue.

But the larger issue for me, the one that I just honestly don’t understand is a basic one. I can understand how some people don’t like us that much. But, I guess I never really thought that most of the country just downright hate us. So, I guess my issue is this...

The marriage issue aside, What is feeding this hate? Why does the United States hate us so much? See, I don’t understand that, because I’ve done nothing to anyone and, as far as I know, neither has the other gay people I know.

So, as I ponder this question that seems to have no resolution for me, I will try my best not to internalize this and take it too personally. And by Christmas time, I guess at least six more states will have it written into their state constitutions a total ban on our relationships. I say that because they aren’t just banning marriage. They are also banning any arrangement that “simulates” marriage. That’s “civil unions” folks.

Or should I just shut up, take my lumps, and be thankful that they didn’t go that one step further by stating in law that we can’t own property together, or stay together, or send us to a concentration camp (yes, I’m told that some want to do that)?

We can own property together, technically. But if civil unions are banned, will even a will hold up in court? Many say it will. Perhaps they want to believe it will. I’m left uneasy by this.

Just my thoughts. I’m going to have some herbal tea now and think nice thoughts, like what I will be doing this summer in my garden, and what I will cook for Kent this weekend when he comes home, and the unquestioning love that I get from my cats. These are the things that matter to me. These are the things I can control.

That is, until the law tells me that I no longer have control over even that. Maybe the ban on gay marriage is just the first step. I know, you think I’m just being paranoid now. They said that about the Jews in Nazi German as well just before they were rounded up and sent to the death camps.

OKLAHOMA CITY - A federal judge struck down a 2-year-old law that prohibits Oklahoma from recognizing adoptions by same-sex couples from other states and countries.

U.S. District Judge Robin Cauthron ruled Friday the measure violated due process rights under the U.S. Constitution because it attempted to break up families without considering the parents’ fitness or the children’s best interests.

Gay-rights organization Lambda Legal had challenged the law on behalf of three same-sex couples.

“Gay and lesbian parents in Oklahoma can now breathe a collective sigh of relief because their relationships with their children are no longer threatened by the state of Oklahoma,” said Ken Upton, an attorney in Lambda Legal’s Dallas office.

It’s a beautiful summer day here. The sky is clear and no rain in sight. That’s a big issue here. It has been raining here pretty much every day for the last week. We are all sick of it. The rivers are overflowing. Aside from that, it’s hard to be cheery when day after day is cloudy and gray. Now I know how people in The Matrix felt.

And on this beautiful summer day, I noticed in the news that the Oklahoma gay adoption ban has been struck down by a federal judge because it violated due process rights under the U.S. Constitution. According to the article, the law specifically bans the adoptions that have been accepted and put in place from another state, from being recognized in Oklahoma.

For example, if the State of Rhode Island granted you and your partner adoption of a child, if you moved to Oklahoma, that adoption would not be recognized. The federal court ruled that that action violated due process because it does not take into account the best interests of ... anyone - the parents, or the child. I’m not sure if Oklahoma has a law forbidding gay couples from adopting. I believe Florida is the only state at this point in time that does, but other states are working on it as well.

So, for the other states out there thinking of doing this, you might want to think again. This ruling has now become legal precedence and will surely be referenced when you try to pull this in your state.

The article ended with this:

“It’s another case of an activist court trying to legislate from the bench,” said Republican Rep. Thad Balkman. “It’s unfortunate that a single judge is trying to rewrite the law.” (source)

For those out there who don’t like the ruling of this case, get used to it. I don’t know about the majority of you, but my patience is wearing very thin with people who pull the “activist judge” card every damn time they don’t get their way.

The judges are interpreting the U. S. Constitution. THAT IS THEIR JOB. It’s not their fault that you legislators put laws on the books left and right that can not pass constitutional muster. And when you don’t like what the Constitution has to say, you bitch and moan about it, accusing an “activist judge” for the ruling. I notice that you never directly attack the Constitution itself, other than our President and Congress bringing up placing a discriminatory amendment into the Constitution.

I often say to myself, “Thank God for the Constitution”, because if it wasn’t for that document, many of us “less desirables” would have met the gallows or prison long ago.

You all have a nice day. Kent is on his way to Washington, D.C. for a week of meetings. He leaves right after our breakfast at Monet’s Table at 9:00. I may go out to Mashapaug Pond today to Rock Point (I think my favorite place in Connecticut), and just relax and think about life.

“This is all being done by the Republican majority in an effort to appeal to right-wing nuts in the Republican Party ahead of the upcoming mid-term elections. Ignore all of the pressing issues facing the country, and instead go grovel at the feet of the lunatic fringe. Senator Frist should be very proud of himself. That’s leadership.” - CNN's Jack Cafferty, who yesterday railed against Sen. Frist for bringing this amendment forward (source)

You have to love the sarcasm.

I received the following email today.

The Voice of Equality - Be Counted!

As you're well aware, there continues to be an ongoing heated debate about the issue of same-sex marriage rights in America.

In fact, on June 5, 2006 the senates is scheduled once again to vote on a proposed Amendment to the United States Constitution, which would literally ban same-sex couples from marriage.

With the recent launch of our new magazine, RainbowWeddingNetwork would like to know your thoughts on this very important subject!

Take the poll, if you’d like.

It takes a real man to confess Jesus as Lord and savior. I’m not talking about no faggot or no sissy. Wait a minute! Let the real men come on down here and take a bow … all the real men. I’m talking about the straight men. - Bishop Alfred A. Owens Jr., pastor of Greater Mount Calvary Church in Northeast D.C. (source)

But don’t take my word for it. Listen to the audio sermon for yourself.

This is a letter I sent to Senator Bill Frist today. Feel free to send your own letter. It doesn’t take long and who knows, it may just get him to think a bit about what he is doing. It’s easy, just go here.

Dear Senator Frist:

You have stated the Senate will vote on the Federal Marriage Amendment during the week of June 5th. I urge you to reconsider this decision. This divisive and unnecessary amendment, would undermine the Constitution and has overwhelmingly failed each time the Senate has voted on it. The last thing the American people want is Congress reaching into a family’s private life.

The Senate should be working on real issues – not writing discrimination into the Constitution.

Senator Frist, I try to judge people on the content of their character. That character dictates the actions that they take. Will your actions breed bigotry, prejudice and division?

Our country faces monumental problems. Allowing committed gay couples to be married is NOT ONE OF THOSE PROBLEMS. Instead of introducing legislation that will instill fear and division, this is a time that our country needs strong leaders who will unify us. Dear Senator, we have more in common than we have in differences. If you will open your eyes, you will see that.

My partner and I have been together for 31 years. We are law abiding, tax-paying citizens of the United States. I want to ask you just one basic question. It’s not difficult, I promise.

How does giving my partner and I access to marriage effect your marriage, or any other heterosexual marriage?

I would like an answer to that question – a sincere answer well thought out without the baggage of politics. Because you see, I am not a political person. I am just an average Joe on the street who is trying to pursue happiness and protect my family with the protections that come with marriage. I deserve an answer to that question that is truthful without political baggage.

If you really want to “protect marriage”, the legislation you should be introducing would be to make it more difficult to enter into a divorce. Divorce rates are above 50% now and the last time I checked, not one homosexual couple has done one thing to make that statistic a reality.

It’s time for you to stop this effort of division. It’s time for you, Congress, and our President to look at the real problems facing this country. It’s time for all of you to take a close look at the content of your character.

Otherwise, come November, the voters will do it for you. I promise.

Sincerely,

Bill Cannon
Coventry, Connecticut

And today, a Senate committee approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. This will allow the measure to be debated in the full Senate. There was an interesting exchange between Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and Senator Russ Feingold, D-WI.

WASHINGTON -- A Senate committee Thursday approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, not without a shouting match that ended when one Democrat strode out and the Republican chairman bid him “good riddance.”

“I don’t need to be lectured by you. You are no more a protector of the Constitution than am I,” Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., shouted after Sen. Russ Feingold declared his opposition to the amendment, his affinity for the Constitution and his intention to leave the meeting.

“If you want to leave, good riddance,” Specter finished.

“I’ve enjoyed your lecture, too, Mr. Chairman,” replied Feingold, D-Wis., who is considering a run for president in 2008. “See ya.”

Amid increasing partisan tension over President Bush’s judicial nominees and domestic wiretapping, the panel voted along party lines to send the constitutional amendment -- which would prohibit states from recognizing same-sex marriages -- to the full Senate, where it stands little chance of passing. (source)

Which prompted me to send this short note to Senator Specter, via his website:

Your comments today....

“I don’t need to be lectured by you. You are no more a protector of the Constitution than am I. If you want to leave, good riddance.”

All I can say is this... Your behavior today was childish and totally disgusting. We expect more from our elected officials - much more.

PLEASE GROW UP! ALL OF YOU!!!

You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test. - George W. Bush

ATLANTA -- A judge on Tuesday struck down Georgia’s ban on same-sex marriage, saying a measure overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2004 violated a rule that limits ballot questions to a single subject.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Constance C. Russell said the state’s voters must first decide whether same-sex relationships should have any legal status before they can be asked whether to ban same-sex marriages.

“People who believe marriages between men and women should have a unique and privileged place in our society may also believe that same-sex relationships should have some place -- although not marriage,” she wrote.

The single-subject rule in the state constitution “protects the right of those people to hold both views and reflect both judgments by their vote,” the judge said. (source)

It’s kind of nice to see one of the constitutional marriage amendments put in place by voters was struck down by a judge. Georgia’s amendment making it illegal for gay couples to be legally married has been given the ax by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Constance C. Russell.

We’ll see how it all places out as the State of Georgia appeals the ruling. One way or another, I have faith in the people of Georgia to make sure that gays never see marriage.

ATLANTA - Georgia will appeal a judge’s ruling that struck down its voter-approved ban on gay marriage, and the governor said Wednesday he will call a special legislative session if the state Supreme Court doesn’t rule on the issue soon.

“I think the people spoke overwhelmingly. I think the people of Georgia knew exactly what they were voting for,” Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue said.

The constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage was approved by 76 percent of the state’s voters in November 2004. On Tuesday, however, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Constance C. Russell ruled the measure violated the Georgia Constitution’s single-subject rules for ballot questions. (source)

NAMPA (AP) -- After twice being rejected by the Nampa Public Library Board, a Nampa man has asked the Nampa City Council to remove “The Joy of Sex” and “The Joy of Gay Sex” from library shelves.

The council on Monday took no action, but told Randy Jackson and about 15 of his supporters that the Library Board will reconsider.

“We have a lot of kids in there,” said Nampa Mayor Tom Dale. “We need to have a safe place for them.” (source)

As if a library book would attack the kids...

I looked at the Joy of Gay Sex once and thought it was redundant. It failed to stimulate me mentally so other forms of stimulation just didn’t seem worth the trouble. Maybe I’m over analyzing it.

As for the library, it was probably in the “reference” section and would be invaluable for those in society who need a good “getting started” guide. Isn’t that what libraries are for, the sharing and distribution of information... in all its forms?

I received this in my email today... (NOTICE!! Do NOT read if you are easily offended!!). This is the kind of stuff I get all the time.

You will have to click below to expand the email. But I'm left wondering, why on earth would they be sending this to me, when all I really want right now in life is to enjoy espresso, and watch my fuchsias bloom?

Anyway, after we go out and work our hearts out, after you go out and help us turn out the vote, after we’ve convinced the good Americans to vote, and while they’re at it, pull that old George W. lever, if I’m the one, when I put my hand on the Bible, when I put my hand on the Bible, that day when they swear us in, when I put my hand on the Bible, I will swear to not—to uphold the laws of the land. - George W. Bush

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld assured members of Congress on Wednesday that the use of thousands of National Guard troops along the U.S. border with Mexico will not degrade their ability to perform other missions. He said it would sharpen their skills.

“The up to 6,000 Guardsmen and women proposed for this effort represent less than 2 percent of the total National Guard force of some 400,000, and for the most part they will be deployed during their two or three week active duty training period,” he told the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee.

“As such this will not only not adversely affect America’s ability to conduct the war on terror or respond to other domestic emergencies, it will actually provide useful real-life training for the members of the National Guard,” he added. (source) Emphasis my own

Bullshit! Am I allowed to say “bullshit” after using Forbes as a source?

Learning how to build a fence on our border is going to do nothing to add to the “real-life training” of the National Guard. Let’s be honest. They are being used for cheap labor. This is not what the National Guard is for. They are not fence builders. It’s just one more way that this administration is wearing down our military to exhaustion.

George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, and Khan have one thing in common - they each keep missing the target! What is the target? Border security is not it. This president has had six years to deal with the “border problem” and has done nothing. It was not until the protests in California and other places that this dire emergency of the Mexican/American border became an issue. Outside of politics, it’s no more an issue now than it was four years ago.

Don’t get me wrong. I think we do have a problem with our borders. We have a general problem in this country with basic security and our borders are just one component of that. Building a fence on the border is like sticking your finger into a hole in the dam to keep it from leaking. Soon, another hole will appear. You can’t keep up with it. If this fence is built, it will soon be compromised in one way or another.

Instead of putting our fingers in the hole in the dam, what we should be doing, assuming we really want to do something about this problem, is to attack the source of the problem. The source is the supply for what Mexican workers would call “good jobs”. The source of what supplies those “good jobs” are all the employers who turn a blind eye to the fact that these people have no valid proof of citizenship, a temporary ID, Visa, or any other type of identification. In other words, the employers know they are illegal.

It’s a win-win situation. The Mexican worker benefits because he/she can make much more money working here than in Mexico. The employers make much more because they can pay these people less for these “good jobs”, that not many American workers would take. They don’t even have to offer them anything like health care, etc. In fact, they don’t even have to pay them the “minimum wage”. And if the worker complains, he would be turned in and deported. He would lose everything. It’s a form of blackmail really. That is what is feeding this.

So as people such as the Minute Men and the Border Patrol (and soon our National Guard) stands guard to keep the unwanteds out of the United States, we are busy punishing people trying to get into this country to have a better life, while we do nothing to the employers hiring these people.

And what do we hear from Washington on this? Just lip service (not that that’s a bad thing from this administration and Congress) - nothing substantial - just another lame day in Washington filled with bureaucrats trying to justify their righteous existence.

Meanwhile, nothing has changed. This immigration issue is the “gay marriage” issue of 2006. It seems like we always have to have one group or another to pick on. Last time it was gays - this time it is immigrant workers. I guess I am supposed to gain comfort from feeling like they found some other group to scapegoat for what is wrong with America today.

“I don't think it should be used as a campaign tool, obviously. It requires a lot of sensitivity to just talk about the issue - a lot of sensitivity.

“I certainly don't know what conversations have gone on between Karl and anybody up on the Hill, but you know, what I can say is look, amending the Constitution with this amendment, this piece of legislation, is a bad piece of legislation. It is writing discrimination into the Constitution, and, as I say, it is fundamentally wrong.” - Laura Bush, on “Fox News Sunday” (source)

And no... my latest addiction is NOT Vicodin! Yes, I had fun Friday with my little flirtatious fling with Vicodin, but the honeymoon is over I’m afraid. I’m feeling pretty much pain free from the oral surgery, so the Vicodin has been placed in the back of my medicine cabinet to be used for another life emergency that may happen another day. Moving on...

Espresso anyone? It seems that my tastes are changing as I get older. Is that normal? On the other hand, what is normal anymore?

I blame France for this! When I was there, it became a tradition to have espresso in the mornings. Actually, any time was good! So I got into the habit of having espresso. Of course, I was running around the city a lot, so it took a lot of energy to do that. When I would start running out of energy, I would keep my eye out for an espresso bar. There was never one too far away. The French also enjoy a nice cigar with their espresso. And sometimes, will even follow their espresso with Champagne.

This actually happened to me when I went to the Rodin Museum. Just down the street was a small pub. It also had tables outside, which was very typical for most of the restaurants in Paris. I went in to get an espresso. While I was there, some friend came in who apparently knew the owner. Suddenly, it was another round of espresso’s for everyone, including me!

After the espresso was served, they brought out Champagne with very large flutes. They poured a round for everyone, including me. We all toasted and while I took a sip of mine (it was 10 in the morning after all), they all downed theirs. Then, they collectively looked at me in an inquisitive and slightly disapproving way like only the French can do, as though I thought there was something wrong with my Champagne because I didn’t chug it down. So, I did. They applauded and filled the flutes up again! We did it again... And then a third time!

I then realized that I had to make a choice. I could either stay and get royally toasted on Champagne with these Frenchmen, or I could leave and stay on schedule. I excused myself, left the restaurant, and when I stepped outside on the curb, the effect of all that Champagne hit me. My first thought, “Where the hell am I?!??”, followed by, “Bill, get a grip!”. I got my bearings, and went to the Rodin Museum. I suppose, being the emotional sap that I am, the images had a more profound effect on me, with the help of the Champagne I’m sure.

After the museum, I went back to the same restaurant for another espresso, but alas, the party was over. I got another espresso, but the jovial mood of the place and moved somewhere else. Such is life in Paris.

Fast forward... after I got home to Connecticut, I kept wanting my espresso. Somehow, even though we have good coffee, something was just missing. So last weekend, we went to Williams-Sonoma to pick up an espresso machine.

I’m in heaven!!!

This very week in 1989, there were protests in East Berlin and in Leipzig. By the end of that year, every communist dictatorship in Central America had collapsed. - George W. Bush

I took yesterday off because it was scheduled that I was to go in for oral surgery on my front tooth (it has affectionately come to be known as “# 8”). I arrived, and, as luck would have it, the oral surgeon that my dentist sent me to decided to put off the surgery because he wasn’t sure what would temporarily replace to tooth. My dentist had the replacement, but apparently there are a variety of different options available these days. I didn’t know what to tell him.

I had a follow up appointment with my dentist yesterday afternoon, who called the oral surgeon and cleared everything up. As luck would have it, I was able to get into see the oral surgeon this morning at 7:00am. It was wild. The put me on nitrous oxide, followed by a “relaxing shot”. I don’t know what was in that shot, but it was wonderful. I could fly. Then, they started an IV drip that put me out for the surgery.

Before I knew it, I was in a recovery room and waking up. Kent was there which was comforting. We stayed for 20 minutes while my head cleared. I was really hungry. We went to breakfast, and now I’m home resting. Kent went to work, and it is raining like hell outside. But it’s a nice day to take it easy for recovery.

I’m in moderate pain because of swelling and sutures, but I’m on extra strength Vicodin, which in addition to reducing the pain to practically nothing, is sending me on a trip that is not an unpleasant one. My body is saying, “Don’t you think one more of those would be better?” But, my mind is telling me, “No. Try not to take it if you don’t have too.” And I’m reminded of all the celebrities that have fought Vicodin addiction. Apparently, it’s not fun.

I was thinking about a few things though. Last night, I saw something on LOGO about the history of the AIDS epidemic, and one thing that was said got me to thinking. The comment was something like, “Without the AIDS epidemic, we wouldn’t today be talking about equality and gay marriage for gay people.”

I never thought about it that way, but AIDS has had a huge impact on our visibility today. A few examples....

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Saying that more role models could help alleviate the social estrangement and high suicide rates of gay and lesbian students, the California Senate voted Thursday to teach the historical contributions of homosexuals in the United States.

If approved by the state Assembly and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the measure, the first of its kind nationwide, could once again stake out California in the vanguard on gay rights. California’s Legislature last year became the first to authorize gay marriage, but Schwarzenegger vetoed the measure. Schwarzenegger has not taken a public position on the textbook bill.

California is a huge portion of the textbook market, where it often sets trends, and many publishers put out a specific edition for the state that others can also use. (source)

And this....

BERKELEY, Calif. - A company that was sued by a pair of gay skaters who alleged they were harassed for holding hands has agreed to hold monthly gay-straight skate nights, to sign an anti-discrimination pledge and to contribute $5,000 to two gay groups as part of a legal settlement.

As part of the settlement announced late Wednesday, the skaters, John Manzon-Santos and Alan Lessik, also will get free admission for one year to the weekly “pairs preferred” skating sessions Berkeley Iceland plans to offer. East Bay Iceland, which owns the Berkeley rink and two others, also agreed to post placards advertising its efforts to promote diversity and to require its workers to undergo sensitivity training. (source)

And this...

SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich called Thursday for a review of a gay man’s discharge from the Illinois Air National Guard but wouldn’t say whether he believes the man was treated unfairly. (source)

And this...

But U.S. law intentionally and cruelly forced me to choose: either live with Rik outside of America, or live in America without Rik. The strangely named “Defense of Marriage Act,” a federal law passed in 1996, specifies that Rik cannot be my family for immigration purposes.

He cannot live in the United States, unless he were to enter into a fake marriage with a woman, or pretend to take a job he doesn’t plan to take. Of course, he won’t do either of those things. And fortunately, Holland welcomes us.

THE CURE FOR my problem is the Uniting American Families Act, introduced by Congressman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.). This law would humanely and simply add “permanent partners” to “spouses” in the Immigration & Nationality Act. (source)

And this...

(Dearborn, Michigan) An attempt by a Ford shareholder to force the automaker to drop protections for LGBT workers from its human resources regulations was swiftly defeated on Thursday.

Shareholders at the company’s annual meeting in Dearborn voted 95 percent to reject the proposal. (Source)

And this...

(Nashville, Tennessee) A Nashville gay man is suing the city and a number of police officers after he was arrested in what what he claims was a sting targeting gay men in a popular Internet chat room.

The man is identified in court papers only as John Doe. The federal lawsuit alleges that he agreed to meet a man in person with whom he had been chatting with on the Web site Gay.com.

But when he arrived at the agree upon location he was met by Nashville police. (source)

And this...

LGBT advocates rallied Wednesday near the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky., after the school said it would allow a gay student it expelled over his sexuality to finish his coursework and receive final grades.

Jason Johnson, a 20-year-old sophomore, was expelled April 6 after discussing his sexual orientation on Myspace.com. The dean’s list student suddenly received all F’s on his transcript when he was expelled.

“This will preserve my academic record,” he told the Lexington Herald-Leader. (source)

The point that I’m trying to make is that just five years ago, all of these stories would not have been stories at all (except in a very negative way in The Advocate). You would never have read about them. The student kicked out of a school, religious or not, for being gay would have been totally ignored because it was a private religious school. And if it did make headlines, it would have been portrayed as something “he deserved”. Now, it is portrayed as being an unacceptable act of bigotry.

The bill in California to teach students about the contributions of homosexuals in the United States is a first of it’s kind. Granted, it may not make it into law and the Governor of California could still veto the bill, but simply being introduced is a victory and certainly a sign of the changing times.

It’s been known for years that the U.S. immigration laws do not recognize gay families. If your life partner is a foreign citizen, you will have a problem staying together in this country. Before moving to Connecticut, Kent was offered a job in a small conservative town (based on the town having 11 Baptist churches) in Canada. He didn’t accept the job because one of the problems that we would have faced was the reality that I would eventually have to leave Canada, because at that time Canada would not have recognized our relationship. We would either face a long distance relationship for years, or end up splitting up. It didn’t take us long to decide that we didn’t want to deal with that. This is old news. What is new is that more light is being shed upon the law because people are increasingly starting to understand how unfair and cruel the immigration laws are.

And even in Tennessee, a very conservative state, the Nashville Police Department is facing a federal lawsuit stating that the police specifically targeted gay men in their sting operation. This is like the “good ole days” when the police used to raid gay bars and arrest the patrons. Then, the men were charged, fined, and their names were published in their local newspapers, effectively outting them. Now, the arrests are being made, and the police department is being sued for their actions, because they aren’t also arresting straight men for the same thing.

In other words, slowly but surely, people are starting to realize just how unfair many things are.

But what do I know? I’m flying high on Vicodin and have no idea what I’m talking about. Cheers!

Saturday, May 13, 2006 - 7:32 AM
I wanted to add to this one short statement, now that I’m totally in sober mind. These accomplishments may have come about because of the exposure that AIDS as brought to our community, but we have paid for this with the lives of our friends and lovers.

We have paid for these victories with our dearest blood.

And now, many of those who turned their backs on us to let us die, now feel a need to “repent” for their actions. It’s too little and too late. While there is breath left in my body, I will never forgive them.

Now they want to take advantage of the AIDS network that was built by the gay community for the support of gay men who had AIDS in the 1980’s to the present. Where the hell was their compassion then? This network of support was created because people like them could only find it in their hearts to pass condemnation against us, as our loved ones were dieing, and then turn their backs on us saying that we deserved “eternal damnation and death”. Jesus would not have done that. If they really want to get in touch with the grace of Jesus Christ, they should come to any one of the support meetings our community offers, when one of their members contracts AIDS. That person won’t be turned away and they won’t be judged.

As Wayne Besen wrote in a commentary that appeared in December in the Washington (D.C.) Blade, “If the Warrens (leaders of the conservative evangelical congregation Saddleback Church) really want to help prevent the spread of HIV, they will recognize the inherent beauty in all relationships.”

Indeed, as R. Spedale, coauthor of Gay Marriage: For Better or for Worse? said in the latest edition of The Advocate, “When we asked how being married has affected their lives, many said it made them monogamous.”

This is the true test of their character. When they start advocating for full marriage for gay partners, that will get my attention.

I have learned from mistakes I may or may not have made. - George W. Bush

What to do with Mary Cheney? On President Bush, she states...

“I think he’s a very good man,” Cheney said of Bush. “On these issues, he hasn’t caught up.” Cheney is now back in private life, working at AOL and says inside her family, she and Heather are free to be themselves in love. Sawyer asked Cheney if she and Heather planned to marry.

“Well, from my perspective? Heather and I already are married,” she said. “We have built a home and a life together. Um, I hope I get to spend the rest of my life with her. The way I look at it, is we’re just waiting for state and federal law to catch up with us.”

Two things I’d like to point out. On MANY issues, President Bush has not “caught up”, and I honestly don’t think he has the IQ to catch up.

Mary and Heather... Dears, from ANYONE’S perspective, YOU ARE NOT MARRIED! So get over it. And if you think you are, just try to go for that bereavement leave if Heather dies, or a hardship leave should she become sick for an extended period of time, or try to have access to her social security benefits after she’s gone. In fact Mary, I could keep going on... 1,500 more items are given to marriage at the federal level that you and Heather will not have.

So you just keep thinking that you are married. In the mean time, I want what you are smoking!

Cheney has had to deal with hearing hateful names about gays and lesbians from the right wing of her own party. And gay rights activists say that Cheney’s silence is just a form of hypocrisy. They even made a milk carton that said, “Mary Cheney Missing.”

She jokes about that. “That’s - ooh, God, that’s a nice picture.”

Her reply to their criticism is simple. “We each have to choose our own path,” she said. “I respect their opinion. But it is not the path that I would choose for myself.”

True enough. We each have to choose our own paths. I try to understand what it’s like for Mary. She claims to have support from her family. On the other hand, how much support can she really have, being involved in a party that has total disdain for people like her? It’s not like she can just get away from all of that since her father is second in command of that operation.

I suppose for Mary, it’s a big dilemma - to keep the relationship with her family, or sacrifice her personal integrity. In this, you can’t have both. Mary, you are not married. Accept that and move on. To make statements like, “Well, from my perspective? Heather and I already are married”, is just plain insulting. I don’t say that about Kent and myself. It’s time you embraced reality honey.

Reality 1: You will have your family’s love and support as long as you are a “nice girl” and play along. You can be lesbian, but keep your damn mouth shut about it - unless you are willing to lump those damned “gay activists” all up on one group as being bad, right up with with all the other evils of the world.

Reality 2: Never ever ask your Mom and Dad to come out in support of full marriage for you and your partner. Having your Dad say that “states should decided that” just isn’t good enough - not when the big ticket items that are given to marriage occur at the federal level. Your Dad knows this, and so do you.

I honestly just don’t understand some people. Mary Cheney is one of them.

Source information

A 14-year-old boy has been shot by Iraqi police officers for the apparent crime of being gay, the Independent of London reported.

According to his neighbors in Baghdad’s al-Dura district, Ahmed Khalil was shot at point-blank range after a scuffle with the police.

Ali Hili, an exiled gay Iraqi who is Middle East affairs spokesman for the London gay rights group OutRage! said, “According to a neighbor, who witnessed Ahmed’s execution from his bedroom window, four uniformed police officers arrived at Ahmed’s house in a four-wheel-drive police pick-up truck.”

“The neighbor saw the police drag Ahmed out of the house and shoot him at point-blank range, pumping two bullets into his head and several more bullets into the rest of his body.”

Hili claimed that Ahmed was a “victim of poverty” and apparently killed by “fundamentalist elements in the Iraqi police.”

It is believed Ahmed slept with men for money to support his poverty-stricken family. They have since fled the area. (source)

You know, since I’ve returned from Europe, I have avoided the news. I have tried to avoid it on TV and have not read newspapers to any great extent. But I can’t seem to get this story out of my mind, and I guess at this point, I’m sorry I read it. But now that I have and my mind keeps dwelling on it, I will say something about it.

I guess the real burning question in my mind is... well, there are a few.

What was it like for this child (yes, he was a child of only 14 years old), to be dragged out in front of his home and executed by none other than the police - the people who are supposed to protect citizens? The same police that WE PUT IN POWER!

Will there be more of this to come?

Will the United States do one damn thing about it?

And finally, and this is the big question, Is this what we are defending? Is this the “democracy” that we are so proud of putting in place?

Please tell me that this isn’t the best we can do, because if it is, my President, his administration, and our Congress have done a horrible disservice to our men and women in uniform, our country, and to the spirit of democracy itself.