Morning Reads

Public Officials and Civil Rights
The mayors of both Millville and Vineland said Monday they will no longer perform marriages of any kind in an effort to avoid the marriage of gay and lesbian couples. [...]

The mayors said their decision stems from religious beliefs.

“our refusal to perform these ceremonies is based on each of our individual beliefs, i.e., that marriage is intended to be a union between a man and a woman. At the same time, we recognize alternative lifestyles in our communities, we value the many contributions of those citizens to the community and we give every respect to their civil rights and privileges the same as for all citizens,” according to the mayors’ statement. (source)

I have mixed feelings on this. I can understand that the mayors have decided not to perform the civil unions for gay couples (recently allowed in New Jersey) because of their religious convictions. To get around civil rights violations, they have opted to perform no marriages for straight couples or civil unions for gay couples. However, they are public officials, and as public officials, shouldn’t they be required to discharge the duties of their office without religious bias? And, doesn’t this open up the possibility that all public officials could also decide to not to perform marriages or civil unions?

That would effectively kill civil unions in New Jersey. For those heterosexual couples who wanted to get married, they could still go to a church to get married.

So now, we have some mayors who have decided not to perform marriages or civil unions. And, the article states that, “The law empowers any number of public officials to perform these ceremonies and in fact, several officials have already gone on record with their willingness to do so.” That’s fine, but does that mean that gay couples now have to shop around the state to see what public servant will perform their civil union?

Doesn’t sound like equal treatment to me.

Grey’s Anatomy star to meet with “gay activists”
“Grey’s Anatomy” star Isaiah Washington, under fire for using a gay slur about a co-star, met Monday with gay rights activists who said he agreed to help educate the public about the cruelty of such language.

“He seemed very sincere in his interest in working with us in an ongoing basis,” Kevin Jennings, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. “We emphasized that this is not a one-shot deal, but an ongoing thing. He was very open to doing this.” (source)

Another Hollywood publicity stunt. What a waste of time. It’s working. This is all over the TV and the Internet. So dumb.

Other reads....
Bush will talk about our health care crisis in the State of the Union address tomorrow night. Or is that tonight? I forget (I won’t be watching as it conflicts with my As The World Turns episode time slot). He will talk only briefly I’m told about the war in Iraq. Isn’t that kind of like mopping your floors while the house is burning down around you?

Selenium Supplements Add Punch to HIV Fight
HIV patients now have a surprising and simple way to help keep their infection under control: daily doses of a mineral called selenium.

Daily selenium supplements seem to “tame” the HIV virus and strengthen the immune system, according to research published in today’s issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. [...]

Antioxidant Powers May Give Selenium Strength Against HIV. Scientists aren’t sure how selenium works to tame the virus. One theory is that selenium’s antioxidant powers enable it to repair damage to the immune system. A stronger immune system is better able to fight off viruses like HIV. (source)

I thought this was interesting. I’ve always heard that people should take Selenium for a variety of reasons. I think the problem is that Selenium can be deadly (so Kent tells me) in high doses, and many of the people pushing this don’t necessarily tell people that too much of it can be a bad thing (as in, death). Also, there are many foods that are extremely high in antioxidant, such as blueberries. Perhaps the best source of nutrients comes from everyday food, without popping pills.

Of course, HIV is a different monster all together, and if Selenium will boost the effects of medications, I would go for it, with your doctor’s approval.

Federal marriage ban is shelved
A proposed federal constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage nationwide has been shelved in light of the congressional takeover by the Democratic Party, Colorado’s Pueblo Chieftain newspaper reported.

The proposal’s sponsors, Sen. Wayne Allard and Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, both Colorado Republicans, said last week they have no plans to reintroduce their anti-gay legislation in the new Congress.

“At this time, I haven’t discussed it with anyone,” Allard told the newspaper Thursday. “If we thought there was a decent chance to bring it to the floor for debate, I would, but with the new Congress, I’m not sure we will ever have that opportunity.” (source)

I am getting a lot of satisfaction from this one. Musgrave, with all due respect, you may now go crawl back under that rock you came out from under. And take your hateful, mean-spirited soul with you.

And I’ll leave you with these thoughts. Yes, I did watch the State of the Union Address.

“As you know, you have to go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you want.” - Former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Thursday, December 9, 2004

“This is not the fight we entered in Iraq, but it is the fight we are in.” - President George W. Bush, State of the Union Address, Jan. 23, 2007