This is Skippy in his John Deere Tractor costume. He's paralyzed, and his owner built it to fit over his doggy wheelchair.
Skippy Rocks
Friday, October 30, 2009
Gitmo and "Arguably The Greatest Interpretive Singer of the 90's" (R. Christgau)
Last night, Roseanne Cash promoted the cause on The Colbert Report, where she successfully got the host to sign a petition calling for the closing of the prison at Guantanamo Bay. Watch it:
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| We Got the Beating - Rosanne Cash | ||||
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Just the Fox, Maam
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| For Fox Sake! | ||||
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Thursday, October 29, 2009
Important News!!!
Gawker:
Though Levi Johnston's svengali Tank Jones told us last week that he was "90% sure" Levi would bare all for Playgirl, he has officially removed that pesky 10% uncertainty. Levi will be going, um, whole hog for his upcoming shoot.
While Tank had told us on more than one occasion that Levi would decide how naked he would get only on the day of the shoot, today Tank told TMZ, "Everything's gonna hang out. We're talking full johnson." We're gonna hold you to that, Tank, even though both sides have told us there is no stipulation in the contract about how much skin he will show.
CT 4 Joe
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Joe Lieberman Is a True Independent | ||||
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What To Do
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| You're Welcome - Wall Street Reform | ||||
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Pick The Right Daddy
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| The Word - You-Genics | ||||
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Help
from Andrew:
How To Help In Maine
Want to spend a few hours - wherever you are in the US - calling voters in Maine to protect marriage equality? It's as effective as any donation. The details for how to help are here. It couldn't be easier. What are you doing this weekend?
Why is this important? Because it works. Again from Andrew:
The Wages Of Misinformation
A reader writes:
This Sunday, I volunteered with Equality California and the No On 1 Campaign to make calls to Maine residents to inform them about the measure and urge them to vote (No) early if they can. There was one call in particular that I thought was interesting. I introduced myself by explaining that I volunteered for the campaign to vote No on Question 1 and the first thing the lady said to me was “look, I don’t think this stuff should be taught to 1st graders.”
Not knowing what kind of ads the opposition had been running, I assured her that the purpose of the call was only to inform her that the measure intends to overturn an equality law that is already in place. I told her that I personally feel it should be up to the parents to talk to their kids about sexuality, and that the law has no bearing on the school system, that the law is about marriage equality and nothing else. Next thing she says is, “well yeah, I think anyone should be allowed to marry the person they love. If they’re in love, who am I to say to them that they can’t marry, right?”
So this was someone who believed in marriage equality but was being harassed by those insidious ads into possibly voting against her own instincts. I hope that I’ve convinced one person not to pay any mind to them, but I do hope that others realize what the real issue at stake here is.
And Because we must stop Christian Nutballs.
And, because after 19 years, I think Dan & I deserve the same benes as you.
And, because after 19 years, I think Dan & I deserve the same benes as you.
So Lend a hand.
Scientology FTW!
"We talked about how Martian-like Patrick Bateman was, how he was looking at the world like somebody from another planet, watching what people did and trying to
work out the right way to behave. And then one day [Christian Bales, star of American Psycho] called me and he had been watching Tom Cruise on David Letterman, and he just had this very intense friendliness with nothing behind the eyes, and he was really taken with this energy. "
--- Mary Harron, Director, American Psycho.
FTW!
Think Progress:
A USA Today analysis finds that the stimulus is working and is having “a significant impact on the economy.” A survey of 33 states and Puerto Rico found that 338,000 jobs have been created or saved so far this year.
What Scientology Believes
Apparently one has to be very 'advanced' in the cult to be told these things. Really.
South Park again fights for America's Right To Know:
South Park again fights for America's Right To Know:
Consider The Target
Usually we don't approve of trashy kiss-n-tells but hey how can you not like this guy for cashing in?
Levi Johnston: ‘I have things that will hurt’ Sarah Palin
Milking fifteen minutes into a questionable career is one thing, but apparently the one man wrecking crew intent on humiliating Alaska's former governor is also a gentleman.
Claiming that Sarah Palin "joked about her son Trig's Down Syndrome, calling him her 'retarded baby'" and other things is just part of Levi Johnston's "job" now, but he won't reveal things that "could" and "will hurt her."
Johnston, who fathered a child with Palin's daughter Bristol and has since been leaking dirt about the former vice-president candidate, is now hinting that there may be even bigger scandals he's not discussing.
According to Johnston, after he and Bristol broke up the Palins shut him out, and since then the battle has been escalating. In a new interview, he told CBS's Maggie Rodriguez, "When she started coming out with these things and saying things about me, it was kind of like, alright, it's time, we're going to take the gloves off, I'm going to tell a little bit of something."
"That might be true, but at the same time they threw me out," Johnston replied. "During that, that came out that Sarah didn't really like me, I knew Todd didn't like me. So they were kind of betraying me at the same time, backstabbing me, just putting on a front to me to make Sarah look good at the convention. ... I really don't care any more."
Seemed Obvious To Me
Why a "War On Fox"?
Because it makes sense:
This is classic Obama
Because it makes sense:
The White House is in fact delighted that Fox News and its merry cast of commentators exists. Nor is the White House vexed that its every pronouncement concerning Fox News solidifies Fox’s core audience; that’s actually the plan. The point is not to moderate Fox News by accusing it of being biased/not a real news organization/running or being the propoganda arm of the GOP; if anything, the point is to make it more extreme in the views it airs.
Even with Fox News’ ratings going through the roof because of its little war with Obama, the actual number of viewers is minuscule. Or to put it otherwise, 2.5 million Americans watch Fox News, which means that 297.5 million Americans don’t.
Which makes it a low-risk ideological foil for the White House. Follow: The White House says Fox News is not a real news organization and is the propaganda arm of the GOP, Fox News throws a very public shit fit about it, which gives it higher ratings and an impetus to skew even more to the right in its presentation, and go out of its way to criticize Obama even further. Meanwhile the noise is all covered by multiple other news outlets, which in aggregate reach a much larger audience, which show Fox News anchors and personalities in the middle of ideological conniptions, confirming to the general population the proposition that, indeed, Fox News is more interested in politics than news, and reinforcing the impression that Fox News and the GOP are reading off the same page. Which makes the GOP look unreasonable in an era in which its popularity isn’t, shall we say, spectacular to begin with. To what end? Well, you might have heard there’s a health care debate going on.
... What ought to make conservatives pissed off at Obama is not that he’s taking a page out of their playbook, but that he’s improved upon it. Conservatives moaned about liberal bias in the press to carve out an alternative ideological media under the guise of “balance,” but never managed to marginalize the “liberal media” in any significant way; it was just too damn big. Obama, on the other hand, is picking a fight with a small conservative entity and is essentially forcing it to do what he wants — make conservatism (and by extension the GOP) look like an extreme political position — by adding to what it needs to survive: an audience. But it’s a small-scale audience comprised of people already opposed to the president and his policies (ie., no great political loss). The conservative war on the media was Clausewitz; the Obama war on the media is Sun Tzu.
This is classic Obama
And Now ... The Motivator!
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| George W. Bush's Motivational Speech | ||||
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| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| George W. Bush Hits the Lecture Circuit | ||||
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Something For Your Halloween Party
BLOODY BRAIN SHOOTER
Channel your inner mad scientist with this Bloody Brain Shooter. Mixing acidic lime juice and Irish cream causes the cream to curdle, creating brain-like strands in the shot.
Channel your inner mad scientist with this Bloody Brain Shooter. Mixing acidic lime juice and Irish cream causes the cream to curdle, creating brain-like strands in the shot.
Ingredients:
1 1/4 oz. strawberry vodka such as Stoli1/8 oz. Rose’s lime juice
3/4 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream
Splash of grenadine
Preparation:
Chill vodka for better smoothness.Add vodka and lime juice to a shaker, shake and strain into a shot glass.
Using a straw, dip some Bailey’s Irish Cream into the shot. Once you submerge the straw into the Bailey’s put your finger on top of the straw to hold the Bailey’s in the straw.
Dip the straw tip into the vodka and slowly release your top finger. The
Bailey’s will curdle a little bit due to the lime juice and you should be able
to make strands of Bailey’s.Repeat the straw/Bailey’s process to build a “brain” in the shot glass.
Add a splash of grenadine to the concoction to add the ‘blood’ to the mix. Down the hatch as a shot. (via)
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
2010
OK Barry, I said you didn't have to do it this year.
I shouldn't have to wait too far into 2010, right?
Secretary Of The Army: Military Ready To Lift Ban On Openly Gay Service
In an interview with the Army Times published Sunday, Secretary of the Army John McHugh indicated that the army would be ready to lift the ban on gays serving openly if both Congress and President Obama decided to repeal "don't ask, don't tell." The ending of the policy has come to seem more likely in recent weeks, with Obama reaffirming his campaign pledge to do so in a speech at the annual dinner of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay civil rights advocacy group. "We should not be punishing patriotic Americans who have stepped forward to serve the country," Obama said, though he did not offer a timetable regarding when such action might be taken.
McHugh speculated that gays might be allowed to serve in some units but not others, while also stressing that no such plans had been discussed. More importantly, he told the Army Times there was no reason to believe major disruption would ensue in the army if the ban was lifted.
"Anytime you have a broad-based policy change, there are challenges to that," he said. "The Army has a big history of taking on similar issues, [with] predictions of doom and gloom that did not play out."
What More Need Be Said?
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| The Word - Don't Ask Don't Tell | ||||
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Monday, October 26, 2009
The Face Of Today's GOP
RNC keeps racist pics on Facebook for nearly a week
Perhaps no one noticed. Perhaps no one cared. But hours after a liberal news forum brought attention to a series of controversial photos on the Republican National Committee's Facebook page, the photos were finally taken down.
Among them was a picture of President Barack Obama eating fried chicken, subtitled with a call to prohibit interracial marriage. The photo's caption read: "Miscegenation is a CRIME against American Values. Repeal Loving v. Virginia."
Miscegenation refers to the "marriage or cohabitation between a man and woman of different races." Loving v. Virginia was a landmark Supreme Court case that, in 1967, struck down all of the US's laws against interracial marriage.
The above photo appeared on the GOP's Facebook profile as late as Monday.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Looking Forward
As Healthcare Reform heads to it's final months, we gear up to deal with the issues the gay folks voted for:
'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' hearing in November
Posted: October 23rd, 2009 03:54 PM ET
From CNN's Lauren Kornreich
Carl Levin's spokeswoman confirmed the Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing next month on the controversial 'don't ask, don't tell' policy.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing next month on the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy banning gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military, committee chairman Carl Levin's spokeswoman confirmed Friday.The precise date for the November hearing hasn't been set yet, said Levin spokeswoman Tara Andringa.
The Michigan senator, who supports ending that policy, made the announcement after a Friday event marking the passage of a bill that extends hate crimes protection to victims assaulted because of their sexual orientation. "My hope is that we are going to find a way to repeal 'don't ask, don't tell," Levin said, according to AFP. The Armed Services Committee had previously announced it would debate the policy sometime this fall.
President Obama has faced criticism from the gay community for not moving forward quickly to repeal the policy. Earlier this month, at a fundraiser for a gay rights organization, he pledged to end the practice of discharging members of the military because of their sexual orientation, but did not give a timeline for when that might happen.
"We should not be punishing patriotic Americans who have stepped forward to serve this country," Obama told the Human Rights Campaign on October 11. "I'm working with the Pentagon, its leadership and the members of the House and Senate on ending this policy, legislation that has been introduced in the House to make this happen
The Old Face Of Gay Antipathy
A Sullivan reader reports.
I wanted to call your attention to a letter sent out this week by the office of the Archbishop here on Guam. Recently, the Guam legislature, led by an openly gay senator, B.J. Cruz (himself a self-admitted victim of Catholic clergy abuse), introduced proposed legislation, Bill 185, that would recognize same-sex domestic partnerships. In response, the Archdiocese put out this letter (pdf).
Though it leaves me speechless and mortified, it's fascinating to see the main lines of argument distilled down into their inglorious essence. It's all here: the denial of sex for pleasure, the "condemnation" of a child raised by same-sex parents, the "promiscuity" angle, and of course the "end of Western Civilization." But I found the penultimate paragraph truly arresting:
"Islamic fundamentalists clearly understand the damage that homosexual behavior inflicts on a culture. This is why they repress such behavior by death...It may be brutal at times, but any culture that is able to produce wave after wave of suicide bombers...is a culture that at least knows how to value self sacrifice."
The mind reels. I can't help but recall that picture you've posted of those Iranian boys, twisting in the wind. Hanged for being gay.
Reading the words from the Guam Archdiocese, one sees the sick confluence of it all. Two very different faiths, but a common desire to claw their way back--no matter what it takes or who it destroys--into the Dark Ages.
Shithead Makes Chris Matthews Identify American Talibans
And brings the wrath of Republican Icon's spawn
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
A Little Empathy
but not much ....
Before closing with the same adam Sewer quote that I used, Andrew deals with Pat Bukkkanan
A Gay Irish-Catholic Immigrant from England understands this country so much better than paleocons.
Before closing with the same adam Sewer quote that I used, Andrew deals with Pat Bukkkanan
This is what he means by "tradition." America - once uniformly white - is now, for him and those he speaks for, bewilderingly multicultural and multi-confessional. Hence the anxiety. Hence the panic. Hence, in some ways, the confluence of fear and paranoia among the 20 percent of Americans who seem to feel this way and see the federal government in some way as the enabler of this destruction.But this axiom, while useful as a myth, has a problem. It is untrue.
From its very beginning, after all, America was a profoundly black country as well.
It struck me almost at once, if only in the music I heard all around me - and then in so many other linguistic, cultural, rhetorical, spiritual ways: white Americans do not realize how black they are. Even their whiteness is partly scavenged from the fear of - and attraction to - its opposite. Even something as stereotypically white as American Catholicism, I discovered to my amazement, was also black from the very start. (Yes, those Maryland slaves. If you've never been to a Gospel Mass in an ancient black Catholic parish, try it some time.)
From the beginning, in its very marrow, this country was forged out of that racial and cultural interaction. It fought a brutalizing, bloody, defining civil war over that interaction. Any European student of Tocqueville swiftly opens his eyes at the three races that defined America in the classic text. Has Buchanan read Tocqueville? And that's why it seems so odd to me that the election of the son of a white mother and a black father is seen as somehow a threat to American identity for some, when, in fact, Obama is the final iteration of the American identity - the oldest one and the deepest one. This newness is, in fact, ancient - or as ancient as America can be. The very names - Ann Dunham and Barack Obama. Is not their union in some ways a faint echo of the union that actually made this country what it is?
That some cannot see Buchanan's cartoon as a travesty of history remains America's tragedy of self-forgetting.
A Gay Irish-Catholic Immigrant from England understands this country so much better than paleocons.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The Limits Of Empathy
Pat Buchanan has written one of those 'voice-of-the white-supremecist' columns again.
Steve Benen
Adam Sewer lays it out
GT12 would just to add, as we always do when speaking to Pat's issues, Fuck You Pat. Fuck You Very Very Very much
Steve Benen
PAT BUCHANAN'S IDEA OF A VICTIM.... When it comes to Pat Buchanan and racial, ethnic, and diversity issues, it's not exactly a secret that the conservative pundit has some, shall we say, issues. With this his history in mind, it wasn't exactly a shock to see him characterize "white working-class voters" as victims in his latest column.
As Buchanan sees it, "white working-class voters" just can't catch a break anymore. For example, have you heard that public schools no longer endorse and promote Christianity? I know; it's shocking. Did you realize that white working-class voters' Christian faith is "mocked in movies and on TV"? I don't know what channel Buchanan is watching, but the Baseless Victimization Channel isn't part of my cable package. Did you know that "illegal aliens" are routinely "rewarded with free educations and health care"? Sounds like a pretty sweet deal.
Wrapping up, Buchanan suggests white working-class voters no longer recognize the country around them.
America was once their country. They sense they are losing it. And they are right.
Just last week, MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski said Buchanan was her favorite guest "because he says what we are all thinking."
Adam Sewer lays it out
Black Americans have shed blood in every American war since the Revolution. This country, even the very Capitol building in which today's legislators now demand to see the birth certificate of the first black president, was built on the sweat and sinew of slaves. Before we were people in the eyes of the law, before we had the right to vote, before we had a black president, we were here, helping make this country as it is today. We are as American as it gets. And frankly, the time of people who think otherwise is passing. If that's the country Buchanan wants to hold onto, well, he's right, he is losing it.Good riddance.
GT12 would just to add, as we always do when speaking to Pat's issues, Fuck You Pat. Fuck You Very Very Very much
Monday, October 19, 2009
Bespoke
Stephen Davis wrote that in the Stones, Mick wants to be Keith and everybody else wants to be Charlie (the only member known to have punched Mick). And why not?Today Mr. G Baker sends us this:
One rocker never misses a fashion beat
Michael Jabri-PickettThe man can deliver the fashion goods as well as a steady beat; he is the only rock musician who dresses well. At any given time, he looks like he could have had tea with the Queen, gone to a restaurant with his wife and daughter or just walked off stage with his Rolling Stones mates.
The backbone of the world’s greatest band sits on his throne, as he has for almost 50 years, surveying the antics of the Glimmer Twins with a contented and even amused look – and a seemingly effortless way about him. The godfather of the drum kit has consistently looked good no matter what styles were in vogue. Today, at 68, he has aged almost as well as his wardrobe.
Watts carries himself with a quiet dignity. His tight, colourful T-shirts and well-tailored trousers suit his personality. His wardrobe does not look out of place on a rock ’n’ roll icon who is also a grandfather. While Mick Jagger prances around the stage in tights, showing off his midriff, and Keith Richards strikes the same angry pose he has for more than 40 years (think of the signature skull ring he wears), Watts remains calm. His fashion choices keep him energised. It may only be fashion, but I like it.
I mean, we can't all walk around with fishing tackle tied to our head
Excellent Dude
Slowly, we move in the right direction
Justice Dept. To Stop Pursuit Of Medical Marijuana Use
WASHINGTON — People who use marijuana for medical purposes and those who distribute it should not face federal prosecution, provided they act according to state law, the Justice Department said on Monday in a directive with political and legal implications.
In a memorandum to federal prosecutors in the 14 states that allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes, the department said it was committed to the “efficient and rational use” of its resources and that going after individuals who were in “clear and unambiguous compliance” with state laws did not meet that standard.
At the same time, the department emphasized that it would continue to pursue those who use the concept of medical marijuana as a ruse for drug trafficking. “Marijuana distribution in the United States remains the single largest source of revenue for the Mexican cartels,” the department said in pledging that prosecuting the makers and sellers of illegal drugs, including marijuana, would remain a “core priority.”
The Justice Department policy statement, foreshadowed since shortly after President Obama took office, was laid out on Monday in an announcement by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., who made public a memo from David W. Ogden, the deputy attorney general, to the United States attorneys in the affected states, most notably California.
The announcement formalizes the Obama administration’s departure from the policies of former President George W. Bush, under whose administration federal agents raided medical marijuana distributors that violated federal statutes, even if the distributors appeared to be complying with state laws.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Dad, 83, accused of opening fire on drumming son
I think that we've all felt this way..
Sent from Express News
SAN ANTONIO - San Antonio police are investigating the wounding of a man after his elderly father allegedly opened fire when the victim refused to stop drumming. Police said the son, in his 50s, suffered a non-life threatening head wound early Friday while at the home the men share. Police said his 83-year-old father was detained on an aggravated assault charge.
Police said the son, who was grazed in the head, ran down the block to call for help.
The Associated Press
Friday, October 16, 2009
This Is All You Need This Weekend
" try to argue that morality and altruism and empathy are unique markers of a divine hand in our origin.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
My Dad Would've Appreciated This
Dad was quite the Hockey fan ... he would've preferred though if this had been done in a Red Wings uniform
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Oh Look, It's Not Just The Grown-Ups
I do so hate Florida.
Five teenagers were charged with aggravated battery Tuesday for dousing a 15-year-old with rubbing alcohol and setting him on fire because he stopped someone from stealing his father's bicycle, authorities said. The teenager suffered burns on 80 percent of his body.
The teens had tried to steal the father's bicycle because the teenager they lit ablaze allegedly owed them $40 for a video game.
Michael Brewer was hospitalized with burns on more than three-quarters of his body after the attack at a Deerfield Beach apartment complex Monday. Most of his hair was burned off. After escaping his attackers, he jumped into a nearby pool.
Florida's Broward County sheriff's office said in a news release that 15-year-olds Matthew Bent, Denver Jarvis, Steven Shelton and Jesus Mendez and 13-year-old Jeremy Jarvis were charged with aggravated battery. Mendez was also charged with attempted second-degree murder because authorities say he flicked the lighter. The two Jarvis brothers are pictured above right.
Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti said that even after they were arrested, some of the teens showed little remorse.
Where's The Fox?
Hillbillies outrank Homos
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Queer and Loathing in D.C. | ||||
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What Does One Do
Looking at the above web announcement (and doooooo visit this website. ALL OF IT), Wonkette asks
Reassuringly, Raw Story describes the Church as being a '14-member parish'
How does a human being become this insane? Imagine how hard you would have to work, mentally, for your whole life, training yourself to be as insane as fucking possible about everything, every object you see, every interaction you have, to the point where you would plan or attend this church’s Halloween book burning non-ironically, agreeing with each aspect of this itinerary on earnest grounds, actually believing that this event would result in some sort of pure, positive good, and then telling people in public, on the publicly available Internet, about this event. Try to imagine for yourself a hypothetical psychological path that would lead you to this sort of existence. “Clinical psychosis” won’t even get you halfway.
Reassuringly, Raw Story describes the Church as being a '14-member parish'
Seriously, Isn't Scalia Supposed To Be Smart
Perhaps it's 'smart' in the 1918 Woodrow Wilson White-America-Is-The-Only-Culture-I-Can-Think-Of sorta way.
When I read about this last week I do confess that my head did blow up ...
When I read about this last week I do confess that my head did blow up ...
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| The Word - Symbol-Minded | ||||
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Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Cue The Goat-Fucker Umbrage
Jon Stewart makes the case for never watching TV News again.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| CNN Leaves It There | ||||
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NY top court to consider gay marriage benefits
Sent from Express News
ALBANY, N.Y. - New York's top court is set to hear arguments against providing government benefits to same sex couples married in Canada or other jurisdictions where such marriages are legal.
ALBANY, N.Y. - New York's top court is set to hear arguments against providing government benefits to same sex couples married in Canada or other jurisdictions where such marriages are legal.
The state Department of Civil Service extended health insurance benefits to those spouses of state and local government workers in 2007. A year earlier, Westchester County agencies granted similar recognition and benefits.
The Associated Press
Big vote for health overhaul in Senate committee
Sent from Express News
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's plan to remake the nation's health care system is about to take its biggest step yet toward becoming reality.
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's plan to remake the nation's health care system is about to take its biggest step yet toward becoming reality.
The pivotal Senate Finance Committee was poised to approve sweeping legislation Tuesday requiring nearly all Americans to purchase insurance and ushering in a host of other changes to the nation's $2.5 trillion medical system.
By ERICA WERNER Associated Press Writer
Monday, October 12, 2009
Imagine
p. 6 - “…their overall rates of violent crime – such as murder, aggravated assault, and rape – are among the lowest on earth. Yet the majority of Danes and Swedes do not believe that God is “up there,” keeping diligent tabs on their behavior… In fact, most Danes and Swedes don’t even believe in the very notion of “sin.” Almost nobody in Denmark and Sweden believes that the Bible is divine in origin. And the rate of weekly church attendance in these Nordic nations is the lowest on earth…”
p. 10 – "When they say they are “Christian” they are just referring to a cultural heritage and history. When asked what it means to be Christian, they said 'being kind to others, taking care of the poor and sick, and being a good and moral person.' They almost never mentioned God, Jesus, or the Bible in their explanation of Christian identity. When I specifically asked these Nordic Christians if they believed that Jesus was the Son of God or the Messiah, they nearly always said no – usually without hesitation. Did they believe that Jesus was born of a virgin or that he rose from the grave? Such queries were usually met with genuine laughter – as through the mere asking was rather silly.”
More Here
Just Cause It's Healthcare Season Doesn't Mean That You Can Neglect Your Duties
Another March on Washington for issues that shouldn't even require fighting for.
Folks. We Need Constant Pressure On The President and Congress to repeal DADT and DOMA.
And we need that pressure now, so that Gay People's rights, rights our President promised to be 'a fierce advocate' for are not pushed back in the closet even after our financial meltdown and health insurance crisis are 'solved'
AND WE NEED YOU STRAIGHTS NOW MORE THAN EVER. Your voice shows Washington that our concerns are everybody's.
So ...
Servicemembers Legal Defense Fund is leading the fight against DADT.
Go There. Send E-mails. Give Money. Find People to harrass.
Find Your Congressman Here.
Find Your Senator Here.
Write the White House Here.
Twitterers can also use @whitehouse.
And Write write write write.
Friday, October 09, 2009
Happy Birthday, Oh Cause of All My Problems
"Jesus was all right, but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me. "
Christ, he was beautiful
Where We Are
NATO SECRETARY GENERAL ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN
I warmly congratulate President Obama on winning the Nobel Peace Prize. President Obama has made extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples.
He has also demonstrated his strong commitment to help build peace and defend fundamental human rights, including through the atlantic alliance. This honour is well deserved.FRENCH PRESIDENT NICOLAS SARKOZY
It confirms, finally, America's return to the hearts of the people of the world... you can count on my resolute support and that of France.SOUHAYR BELHASSEN, PRESIDENT OF INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Obama is a way of encouraging him to not renege on the universal principles that he has championed.ALI AKABR JAVANFEKR, AIDE TO IRANIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD
We hope that this gives him the incentive to walk in the path of bringing justice to the world order.
We are not upset and we hope that by receiving this prize he will start taking practical steps to remove injustice in the world.SIAMAK HIRAI, SPOKESMAN FOR AFGHAN PRESIDENT HAMID KARZAI
We congratulate Obama for winning the Nobel. His hard work and his new vision on global relations, his will and efforts for creating friendly and good relations at global level and global peace make him the appropriate recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.MIKHAIL GORBACHEV, FORMER SOVIET LEADER AND NOBEL PRIZE WINNER
I am happy. What Obama did during his presidency is a big signal, he gave hope. In these hard times, people who are capable of taking responsibility, who have a vision, commitment and political will should be supported.JAN OBERG, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE TRANSNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR PEACE AND FUTURE RESEARCH
I am concerned at the drift of the prize that is invariably going to politicians who have been, or who are still, involved in warfare.
Obama has not left Iraq, he has stepped it up in Afghanistan. It is somewhat paradoxical to give it to a president who presides over the largest military arsenal in world history.MOHAMED ELBARADEI, HEAD OF THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY
There is nobody today in my view who is more deserving of that peace prize than Barack Obama. In less than a year he brought a radical change in the way we look at ourselves, in the way we look at our world. He is restoring the basic core values that every one of us should live by - dialogue, respect, democracy, due process, human rights, a security system that does not depend on nuclear weapons. His dedication to these values rekindles hope that, finally, we could have a world at peace with itself.TALIBAN SPOKESMAN ZABIHULLAH MUJAHID
We have seen no change in his strategy for peace. He has done nothing for peace in Afghanistan. He has not taken a single step for peace in Afghanistan or to make this country stable.
We condemn the award of the Nobel Peace Prize for Obama. We condemn the institute's awarding him the peace prize. We condemn this year's peace prize as unjust.ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR
I would like to congratulate President Obama on the award of the Nobel Peace Prize. In a short time he has established a new tone, creating a willingness for dialogue and I think we all should support him to make peace in this world possible. There is a lot do but a window of opportunity has been opened. His advocacy of a world free of nuclear arms is an aim we all need to make real in the next few years.JODY WILLIAMS, FORMER NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER FOR CAMPAIGN TO BAN LANDMINES
I think that it is kind of foolish to think that the Nobel Prize isn't politicised - it's not a humanitarian prize, it's a prize in recognition of change in the world to contribute to peace, sometimes its a recognitions of visions for peace. He is facing huge contradictions as well - he is going to be sending 40,000 new American troops into Afghanistan just as he receives the Nobel Peace Prize? I think that is a contradiction that needs to be seriously looked at.YUKIO HATOYAMA, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER
I am really pleased. I want to congratulate him from my heart. I've seen the world changing since President Obama took office. It was outstanding when he made the speech in Prague calling for a nuclear-free world.KHALED AL-BATSH, AN ISLAMIC JIHAD LEADER
Obama's winning the peace prize shows these prizes are political, not governed by the principles of credibility, values and morals.
Why should Obama be given a peace prize while his country owns the largest nuclear arsenal on Earth and his soldiers continue to shed innocent blood in Iraq and Afghanistan?BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER
You have already inspired so many people around the world, and I know that this award also expresses the hope that your presidency will usher in a new era of peace and reconciliation. Nowhere is such a peace needed more than in the Middle East, a region that has been long marked by terror and bloodshed.
I look forward to working closely with you in the years ahead to advance peace and to give hope to the peoples of our region who deserve to live in peace, security and dignity.SOUTH AFRICAN ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU
He's not even finished a year in his first term of office of a relatively young president. It's an award that anticipates an even greater contribution towards making our world a safer place for all.
This is our award.
The world community is thanking the American People for asserting, last November, that we once again wish to be a responsible member of the Global Village.
We need to remember that.
And we need to keep reminding him about it too.
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