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pogovio
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 16 May 2006
Posts: 721
Location: New York state
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 Posted: Sat Nov 21, 2009 7:11 pm Post subject: |
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New York --
Court Upholds Recognition of Gay Marriages in Narrow Ruling
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/court-upholds-recognit...
| Quote: | New York State’s highest court rejected unanimously a challenge by opponents of same-sex marriage to policies that recognize such unions performed in other states ... [BUT] four of the seven members of the court said they were making their decision on narrow grounds involving the specifics of each case, and not settling the broader question of whether all same-sex marriages performed in other states should be recognized.
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 24243
Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 24243
Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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pogovio
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 16 May 2006
Posts: 721
Location: New York state
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| Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 6:54 am Post subject: |
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Some Democrats Back Off Bid to Legalize Gay Marriage in New Jersey
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/nyregion/24marriage.html
| Quote: | ... Lawmakers and gay-rights advocates say they are confident they can get the measure through the General Assembly.
But Senate Democrats met to discuss the measure on Monday and — despite intense lobbying from a coalition of gay-rights advocates and other groups — did not schedule it for a vote, because they appeared unable to muster the 21 votes needed to pass it. A few Republicans have said they may support the bill, but several of the 23 Democrats have expressed reservations about it.
...
Polls show that a slight majority of voters favor gay marriage, but opponents of the measure have been aggressive in taking aim at lawmakers from both parties who have voiced support for same-sex marriage |
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
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Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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| Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 11:10 pm Post subject: |
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Virginia and Maryland Governors blast Catholic church for DC marriage equality blackmail threat
| Quote: | Virginia Governor Tim Kaine and Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley criticized the Catholic Church's threat to cut off social services in Washington D.C. if the District passes a marriage equality law.
Said Kaine: "I'm Catholic, and I think it's wrong. I don't think you take your ball and go home. I think the strategy of threatening to pull back, it doesn't seem like the church I've come up in."
Radio station WTOP, where the pair appeared, reports:
| Quote: | | Kaine, who praised the 'remarkable' work of the church, says if the Catholic Church opts to end its charitable work in the District, it would 'it would set a very bad example.' ... 'It's really not who the church has been. If you look at the church through history, the church will stand in tough situations and continue to do good,' said Kaine, who has worked as a missionary in Honduras. 'I would be very, very disappointed here or anywhere else if the Catholic Church decides 'Gosh, we don't like something that's happening in civil society, so we're going to retreat into our shell.'' Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who also is Catholic, agreed. 'I don't understand how they can possibly do this,' O'Malley said. 'I have a hard time believing that the nuns and priests who taught me about the Corporal Works of Mercy would agree that this is an appropriate response for the church,' he said. 'I think it would be very, very sad for all concerned, especially for the people who are served by the good work of the Catholic Church acting out the Gospels.' |
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
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Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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| Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 2:09 am Post subject: |
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| Hephaestion wrote: | A Moment Of Light At DC's Hate Rally
| Quote: | Now THIS will give you a smile. When the guy hired to provide the sound system for yesterday's Power Rangers For Jeebus hate rally in DC found out what his customers stood for, he donated his fee back to the gay activists counter-protesting the event and even let them use the haters' own microphone!
[...]
Our hero for the day, Chuck Fazio! Event planners, activists, party promoters: please consider giving your future business to DC Podiums. And Chuck Fazio might be the guy to hire for your Washington DC wedding. FTW! |
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Giving thanks for straight allies
| Quote: | You may recall DC Podium's Chuck Fazio, the DC-based sound engineer hired to provide the PA system at the Power Rangers For Jeebus' failed anti-hate crimes rally. Fazio earned our admiration, the ire of the wingnuts, and a gleeful profile in the Washington Post when he turned over the podium and the microphone to a group of gay activists counter-protesting at the event and donated his fee (paid by the wingnuts) back to the activists.
Today one of those student activists, JMG reader Dave Valk, writes to let us know that Fazio's actions have been championed by Meeting Tomorrow, the national company that subcontracted the job to DC Podiums. From their website:
| Quote: | By several media accounts, it was clear that the event was not merely a political rally, but a forum the organizers used to enable and encourage hateful, inflammatory language and epithets. When the press conference ended, and his service to the organization had been rendered, Meeting Tomorrow’s contractor allowed a group of gay-rights activists who were present to use his equipment to voice their opposing perspective. Meeting Tomorrow supports the contractor’s actions and denounces the inflammatory behavior of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission.
“While Meeting Tomorrow chooses to remain neutral regarding political matters, we believe that the actions of this organization crossed the line from politics into hate-mongering,” says Mark Aistrope, founder and CEO of Meeting Tomorrow. “We support the actions of DC Podiums and Chuck Fazio, and believe he was within his rights to offer his podium and audio visual services to the opposing protesters after his service obligation to this organization had been fulfilled.”
Meeting Tomorrow also announced that they will work with the opposing organizations present at the rally to provide in-kind donations of audio visual equipment rentals and services for a future event. Meeting Tomorrow will also refund the money collected from the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission.
Tomorrow if you happen to give thanks for the good things in this world, be thankful for our straight allies like Chuck Fazio and supportive corporations like Meeting Tomorrow. We appreciate them. We need them. |
NOTE: From the tone of Meeting Tomorrow's statement, it sounds like the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission may have tried to cause trouble for Fazio with them. I'll follow up on that. |
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"The dignity of an animal is measured by his capacity to revolt in the face of oppression." -- Mikhail Bakunin |
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 24243
Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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| Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 2:29 am Post subject: |
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50 U.S. Catholic Dioceses Contributed To Maine Marriage Battle
| Quote: | | A report just published by the National Catholic Reporter reveals that while half of the $550K donated by the Catholic Church to Maine's marriage equality battle came from the Portland Diocese, the rest came from 50 dioceses around the country. Portland Bishop Richard Malone brought in $86,000 in one fell swoop, from that infamous second collection taken at Mass statewide. Across the nation, Catholic dioceses kicked in amounts ranging from $50,000 to as little as $150. |
details @ link
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
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Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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| Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 8:17 pm Post subject: |
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St. Louis: Activists Launch Month-Long Protest Outside Catholic Basilica
| Quote: | | The Missouri LGBT activist group Show Me No Hate has launched a month-long protest outside of the St. Louis Basilica in response to the diocese's $10,000 donation to repeal marriage equality in Maine. |
more @ link
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
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Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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| Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 8:18 pm Post subject: |
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DC Passes Marriage Equality
| Quote: | | According to a message just posted on the Twitter account of DC For Marriage, the Washington DC City Council has approved marriage equality by a vote of 11-2. This was only the first of two required votes. The final vote is expected in two weeks. Same-sex marriage is coming to the District - suck it, Bishop Harry Jackson! |
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"The dignity of an animal is measured by his capacity to revolt in the face of oppression." -- Mikhail Bakunin |
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pogovio
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 16 May 2006
Posts: 721
Location: New York state
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| Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 9:27 pm Post subject: |
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More of the story on DC:
D.C. Council votes to legalize same-sex marriage
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/01/AR2...
| Quote: | After months of debate, the council passed the bill 11 to 2. It still must take a second vote in two weeks before the measure can go to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D), who has said he will sign it.
If the bill survives a required congressional review period, the District will join New Hampshire, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and Massachusetts in allowing same-sex marriage. |
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Change
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 833
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| Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 6:57 pm Post subject: |
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New York Senate is voting on same sex marriage today, they are having a debate now, you can watch it live
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/12/01/N_Y__Marriage_Wa...
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What we've got here is failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach, so you get what we had here last week which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it. And I don't like it any more than you men. |
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Change
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 8:00 pm Post subject: |
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the bill failed, I HATE New York. It wasn't even close.
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What we've got here is failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach, so you get what we had here last week which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it. And I don't like it any more than you men. |
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ronb
mocker
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 2158
Location: Blackroof country, no gold pavement, tired starling
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| Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Yep. Democrat majority. Totally fucking worthless. |
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 24243
Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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| Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 10:16 pm Post subject: |
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Senator Duane Calls Dems' Betrayal on Marriage 'Contagious Lack of Backbone'
| Quote: | Elizabeth Benjamin at the NY Daily News reports a "pale and shaken" Tom Duane immediately following the New York marriage equality rejection. Said Senator Duane, the bill's lead sponsor:
| Quote: | | I wasn't expected to be betrayed, and so I have some justified anger. But it's just going to propel me to - I don't want to say redouble my efforts, because my efforts have been pretty strong - but I'm not going to let up. I'm angry. I'm disappointed. I am let down. I'm betrayed. But I am not going away...Unfortunately, I think there was a contagious lack of backbone that occurred here today. And I’m angry about that and sad about that, but it was contagious. Similarly, the opposite would have meant far more votes than anyone had expected but unfortunately that wasn’t the way it went today. |
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pogovio
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 16 May 2006
Posts: 721
Location: New York state
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| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:06 am Post subject: |
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I'm not disappointed in the vote in the NY Senate, because I was never deluded that gay marriage could pass in the Senate with its present composition. I AM disappointed in the response of a lot of gays and gay leaders. They lash out at the Democratic Party and at the Democrats who voted "NO", as if this is the way to success in the future.
I've written about this before, but I'll repeat it. There are some NYC districts where only a Democrat can get elected. So people like Diaz, Kruger, Monserrate, Espada, Huntley run as Democrats, but they have little allegiance to the party except for the name. In some of thoswe districts, Republicans don't even bother to run a candidate. Diaz and Kruger used to sit on the Republican side when the Republicans had the majority. Espada has at times actually run for office as a Republican. The ACLU has a high opinion of him, but I have no idea why, he's the biggest crook in the Senate.
The gang of 4 who first threatened a year ago to vote for a Republican to lead the Senate were Diaz, Kruger, Espada, and I believe Monserrate was the 4th. The reason they gave was they wanted a promise that gay marriage would not be brought to a vote. There was more going on then (involving Latino leverage) that was not revealed, because Espada in fact supports gay marriage and voted YES. But the other 3 were sincerely motivated to go all out to stop it.
So nobody should have ever believed that the bill had a chance in the Senate this year. Now JoeMyGod says he's going to work against the Democratic NO voters in 2010. People are saying we should stop supporting the Democratic Party because of this vote. What an idiotic thing to say. Do they think they're better off with Republicvns (who voted 100% against the bill)? What's important is to keep Democrats in the majority until the Senate districts are redrawn after the census - at present the boundaries favor Republicans - Republicans have controlled the Senate since the 1930s, except I believe for one year in the 1960s. If they are redrawn more favorable to the Democrats, then maybe we can get a stronger majority, and then get the bill passed.
The key to success on marriage nationwide is getting more Democrats and younger Democrats elected. Gays have got to get past their demand for immediate gratification. Sometimes you have to work for progress, not a win. And support in the Senate for marriage has increased after Nov 2008 - that's progress. Democrats are not a monolithic party like the Republicans, and Democrats will never be 100% for gay marriage, the way Republicans are 100% against it.
I thought at one time that it was a good idea to have the vote in the Senate even if it lost. But now that I've seen the responses, I've changed my mind. I wish we had never had the vote, because the responses on both sides have been detrimental to our cause.
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TS.
Delicious schadenfreude
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 13145
Location: Toronto, ON
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| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:52 am Post subject: |
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What is the point electing Democrats if the Democrats won't stand for the things that matter? If they won't stand for equal rights, for peace, for protecting ordinary people against the elite and corporations, for the right of a woman to choose, or the rights of workers to bargain collectively? Repeating endlessly that you just have to keep voting Democratic and donating to the Democrats and refrain from publicly criticizing the Democrats until, maybe, one day, perhaps, they do the right thing is to internalize the values of the oppressors.
I give full credit to those Democrats that do stand for the right thing, people like Russ Feingold or Dennis Kucinich, or in this instance David Patterson. But I have no use for those who appropriate the banner of progress only to vote with the enemies of progress. They are traitors to the cause and should be called out as such.
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"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear." - Thomas Jefferson |
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Corey
Non-Threatening Boy
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 6:29 am Post subject: |
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| We need us some primary challenges. |
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 24243
Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 7:03 am Post subject: |
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| Corey wrote: | | We need us some primary challenges. |
Bingo! And this is exactly what a lot of Joe's readers have been saying, too.
BTW, here are clips of four speaking-to-the-motion votes from earlier today:
| Quote: | | The four Democrats below delivered the most impassioned and stirring pro-equality speeches of the day. If you didn't get to watch the proceedings live, please watch as each Senator approaches the issue from a different direction. Sen. Eric Adams, with gripping historical comparisons. Sen. Diane Savino, with great humor and pop culture references. Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson, with a heartbreaking personal story. And Sen. Eric Schneiderman, with a challenge to bring New York into the modern age. All heroes. Every one. |
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pogovio
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 16 May 2006
Posts: 721
Location: New York state
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| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 1:05 pm Post subject: |
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| TS. wrote: | What is the point electing Democrats if the Democrats won't stand for the things that matter? If they won't stand for equal rights, for peace, for protecting ordinary people against the elite and corporations, for the right of a woman to choose, or the rights of workers to bargain collectively? Repeating endlessly that you just have to keep voting Democratic and donating to the Democrats and refrain from publicly criticizing the Democrats until, maybe, one day, perhaps, they do the right thing is to internalize the values of the oppressors.
I give full credit to those Democrats that do stand for the right thing, people like Russ Feingold or Dennis Kucinich, or in this instance David Patterson. But I have no use for those who appropriate the banner of progress only to vote with the enemies of progress. They are traitors to the cause and should be called out as such. |
The point of electing Democrats is that that's where the pro-gay votes are. It's not relevant that less than 100% are pro-gay - what's relevant is that the pro-gay percentage is higher among Democrats than among Republicans. Think of Congress as a field of plants that produce red and blue flowers; a plant that produces more blue than red is a good plant; we shouldn't be so concerned about individual plants, what we want is for the field from a distance to appear blue.
Democrats who vote against our issues are not enemies of progress, and it is certainly detrimental to the cause to call them "traitors to the cause". Progress is multifaceted, and we are only one facet, the civil rights facet of this generation. It's a far more productive use of our energies to replace a Republican with a Democrat than to replace a Democrat by a different Democrat.
I feel angry and broken-hearted about recent setbacks, but those feelings don't pass any laws. They have to occupy the background, and political strategy needs to be determined by the standard of effectiveness, not emotions.
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
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TS.
Delicious schadenfreude
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 13145
Location: Toronto, ON
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| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 4:49 pm Post subject: |
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| pogovio wrote: | | TS. wrote: | What is the point electing Democrats if the Democrats won't stand for the things that matter? If they won't stand for equal rights, for peace, for protecting ordinary people against the elite and corporations, for the right of a woman to choose, or the rights of workers to bargain collectively? Repeating endlessly that you just have to keep voting Democratic and donating to the Democrats and refrain from publicly criticizing the Democrats until, maybe, one day, perhaps, they do the right thing is to internalize the values of the oppressors.
I give full credit to those Democrats that do stand for the right thing, people like Russ Feingold or Dennis Kucinich, or in this instance David Patterson. But I have no use for those who appropriate the banner of progress only to vote with the enemies of progress. They are traitors to the cause and should be called out as such. |
The point of electing Democrats is that that's where the pro-gay votes are. It's not relevant that less than 100% are pro-gay - what's relevant is that the pro-gay percentage is higher among Democrats than among Republicans. Think of Congress as a field of plants that produce red and blue flowers; a plant that produces more blue than red is a good plant; we shouldn't be so concerned about individual plants, what we want is for the field from a distance to appear blue.
Democrats who vote against our issues are not enemies of progress, and it is certainly detrimental to the cause to call them "traitors to the cause". Progress is multifaceted, and we are only one facet, the civil rights facet of this generation. It's a far more productive use of our energies to replace a Republican with a Democrat than to replace a Democrat by a different Democrat.
I feel angry and broken-hearted about recent setbacks, but those feelings don't pass any laws. They have to occupy the background, and political strategy needs to be determined by the standard of effectiveness, not emotions. |
Let me give you a perspective from outside of America. Congress, right now, is a field that appears blue from the distance. Democrats hold super-majorities in both chambers of Congress. And yet, the Democrats appear incapable of passing even moderate healthcare reforms. They are unwilling to pass legislation to strip away federal discrimination. They have stalled out efforts correct the imbalances in the National Labour Relations Act. They cannot get themselves together to pass even inadequate climate change targets.
The American left puts its faith in an institution that for many years has actively opposed what you are working for - the Democratic Party. When they are in opposition the Democrats are afraid to use what power they have to stop bad legislation. I can count on one hand the number of times I can recall the Democrats in the Senate threatening to filibuster Republican legislation during the Bush years. And yet now they face a Republican Party perfectly willing to do the same. With limited exceptions, the Democratic Party seems to be composed of either those who are spineless, or those who are heartless. Electing them does you no good because they aren't willing to push hard for the agenda of the groups that support them.
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"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear." - Thomas Jefferson |
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
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Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:01 pm Post subject: |
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Catholics LOVE Senator Ruben Diaz (D)
Deacon Keith Fournier:
| Quote: | | Senator Diaz is being pilloried in their activist blogosphere. He is being accused of being a “homophobe” (even though he has two brothers who are homosexuals) and, you guessed it, a “hatemonger”. |
Yaa, 'coz, y'know, queer folks never have asshole hate-mongering homophobes in their family. Just ask Phyllis Schaffly's queer son.
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"The dignity of an animal is measured by his capacity to revolt in the face of oppression." -- Mikhail Bakunin |
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:03 pm Post subject: |
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NY Senator Carl Kruger, Who Cast Anti-Gay NY Marriage Equality Vote, is Questioned About His Sexuality
| Quote: | Towleroad's Corey Johnson and former Senate Democratic staffer Allen Roskoff let Senator Carl Kruger have it at the state house yesterday. Elizabeth Benjamin at NY Daily News has the story:
| Quote: | After voting "no" on the gay marriage bill yesterday, Sen. Carl Kruger exited the Senate chamber and walked straight into the buzzsaw that was Allen Roskoff and Corey Johnson.
The two outspoken gay advocates stunned onlookers by heckling the Brooklyn Democrat, publicly calling his sexuality into question and threatening to support a primary candidate against him in 2010.
I reached the duo, who arrived in Albany Tuesday night in time to see the Assembly pass the marriage bill for the third time since 2007, as they were en route home to New York City. Roskoff proudly confirmed he and Johnson "told Carl off."
| Quote: | "We screamed at him," Roskoff said, before launching into a litany of unsubstantiated accusations regarding the unmarried senator's personal life.
"We really let him have it. We made it clear to him that he didn't hear the end of it. Right outside the Senate chamber. He wouldn't answer our questions." |
Witnesses said Kruger did not respond to Roskoff and Johnson. Kruger aide Jason Koppel said the senator "doesn't talk about his personal life," and deemed the allegations "not even worthy of comment."
Roskoff, a former Senate Democratic staffer who is now president of the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, compared Kruger to Councilman Vincent Gentile, a former senator from Bay Ridge who has faced questions about his sexuality and was accused of sexual harassment in 2004 by his male chief of staff. Gentile has insisted he is not gay.
Roskoff and Johnson were particularly angered by the fact that Kruger voted "yes" on the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act in 2002 (a measure Gentile voted against, sparking the wrath of gay groups that supported him), but refused to support marriage.
Johnson said he threatened Kruger that the gay community would support Councilman Lew Fidler in a primary challenge against him next fall, telling me: "Lew is a hero in the community. People are going to be looking for challengers, and he's someone we could really get behind." |
Kruger, of course, was one of eight Democrats who voted "no" on the New York marriage equality bill yesterday. |
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pogovio
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 16 May 2006
Posts: 721
Location: New York state
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| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 11:45 pm Post subject: |
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N.J. gay marriage proposal will be considered by Senate next week
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/12/nj_gay_marriage_proposal_w...
| Quote: | The New Jersey gay marriage proposal will be considered Monday by a Senate committee and could be posted for a full senate vote later in the week, state Sen. Ray Lesniak said today.
"On Thursday the full Senate is going to vote on marriage equality," said Lesniak, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee." And God be willing, we'll have 21 votes."
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Gay marriage losing support in New Jersey: poll
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE5AO3JH20091125
| Quote: | | The Quinnipiac University survey found 49 percent of voters oppose a law allowing same-sex couples to marry, while 46 percent support such legislation, reversing an April poll that found 49 percent supported it and 43 percent opposed it. |
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
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| Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 6:51 pm Post subject: |
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NY Senator Joseph Addabo: I voted 'no' on marriage 'coz that's what the mob demanded
| Quote: | Queens Democrat Joseph Addado, who was elected with the help of LGBT groups like the Gill Action Fund, says he had to vote "no' on marriage equality because so many calls from constituents told him to. Via Julie Bolcer at the Advocate:
| Quote: | In 2008, state campaign finance records indicate that Addaboo received $9,500, the maximum allowable contribution, from gay philanthropist Tim Gill, the backer of the Gill Action Fund. The contribution was part of the wave of support, ultimately totaling close to $1 million, that helped flipped the senate to Democratic control and install candidates who pledged to uphold pro-LGBT positions, including support for marriage equality.
On Friday, Addabbo defended himself by saying that he had never promised to vote “yes” on the bill, and that he wanted to keep his options open in order to gauge the sentiments of his constituents. “At no point did I ever say ‘yes,’” said Addabbo. “I proposed I would keep an open mind.” “It was my intention to keep an open mind and by doing so, I felt that I would get a clear indication of where my district stands on this issue,” said Addabbo, who said that he received more than 400 communications from constituents, 74% of whom opposed marriage equality. Pressed on whether he would also allow 74% of constituents to influence a vote on something absurd, such as a hypothetical proposal to deport all the Hispanics in the district, Addabbo said, “It’s apples and oranges.” |
Addabo was elected with very slim majority. He's definitely one of the ones we can oust in 2010. |
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"The dignity of an animal is measured by his capacity to revolt in the face of oppression." -- Mikhail Bakunin |
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
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| Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 7:54 pm Post subject: |
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Peripherally: No Jail For NY Sen. Hiram Monserratte
| Quote: | Local NYC news just announced that Sen. Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens) will only get three years probation for the "accidental" slashing of his girlfriend's face, an attack that resulted in 40 "accidental" stitches. He also has to perform community service and attend anger management classes.
Last month Monseratte narrowly escaped felony charges for the assault after his girlfriend recanted her emergency room statements to police. Prosecutors had requested a three month prison sentence for today's misdemeanor ruling. On Tuesday Monserrate earned the eternal enmity of the NY's progressives when he joined seven other traitorous Democrats in voting against marriage equality. NOW we have to put the pressure on the NY Senate leadership to eject Monserrate from their broken-down clown car.
Here's the surveillance video prosecutors used against him... |
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pogovio
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| Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 6:18 pm Post subject: |
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New Jersey Nears Vote on Letting Gays Marry
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/05/nyregion/05marriage.html
| Quote: | Mr. Lesniak predicted that the Judiciary Committee would pass the bill. The full Senate would probably consider the measure on Thursday, and Mr. Lesniak said the vote would be close. The Senate and the Assembly — where the bill is still in committee and no vote has been scheduled — are controlled by Democrats, but some do not support same-sex marriage, so Republican votes would be needed.
...
Still, opponents are mobilizing to block the measure. The New Jersey Catholic Conference helped deliver about 156,000 signatures asking legislators to enforce the civil union law instead of approving same-sex marriage. |
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pogovio
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| Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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Is history finally breaking toward justice on gay marriage?
This from a major conservative Republican site, Frum Forum, formerly NewMajority.com:
Why the GOP Will Thank Ted Olson
http://www.frumforum.com/why-the-gop-will-thank-ted-olson
| Quote: | ... In every one of these fights [about race, gender, etc], conservatives have been on the wrong side of history. Our natural instinct to fight against any radical change in the makeup of society can, and has blinded us to real injustices. The positions some of those we call our own have taken on these issues are quite simply indefensible. Today, hardline conservatives are dug in opposing yet another inevitable development: gay people will one day be able to wed in the eyes of the law. Victories like the one earned by conservatives in New York yesterday do little but delay the inevitable and give Democrats more ammunition to use as evidence that the Republican party is an intolerant, ignorant group of belligerent dinosaurs.
Ironically, one of our own might save us before it is too late through the very process that we (and he) so very deplore: “judicial activism.” Ted Olson ... |
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pogovio
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| Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 7:20 pm Post subject: |
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A new "argument" against gay marriage (at least I haven't heard it before) -
With the tide turning toward gay marriage, the opponents will more and more try to grab onto the "rights but not the name" straw. This comes from Elizabeth Hasselbeck on "The View":
"Take men and women. Women want all the rights of men, but they're not asking to be called men,"
But there was a competent spokesman ready with the appropriate answer:
Elisabeth said "Do you think...is the word [marriage] more important than the rights?"
Portia de Rossi responded "No, of course the word isn't more important than the rights. Without the word, we don't have equal rights."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/04/portia-de-rossi-elisabeth_...
more + video at link.
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 8:08 pm Post subject: |
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Hey, Ellen doesn't marry no dumb chycks...
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pogovio
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 6:17 am Post subject: |
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The Definition Of Assholism
| Quote: | | Quote: | | Two adults who are consenting and who are like-minded and within their mental capacities should be allowed to be with each other. I think it's an outrage. |
-- Anti-marriage equality NY Sen. Hiram Monserrate, clearly oblivious to the meaning of irony, complaining that a court order prevents him from seeing the woman whose face he slashed with a broken glass.
Monserrate escaped felony charges when his girlfriend recanted her statements to police, but still received three months probation, 250 hours of community service, and one year of anger management classes. He maintains that he will retain his seat in the NY Senate. His complaint about the order of protection comes halfway through the below clip. |
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Hephaestion
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:58 pm Post subject: |
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Heterosexual NY Woman Selling Her Right to Marry on eBay
| Quote: | Jamie Frevele, a heterosexual New York woman who says she's not getting married, is selling her right to marry on eBay in support of those who can't. She writes:
| Quote: | I'm an unmarried heterosexual woman, and since I probably won't be using my right to get married, I would like to give it away. I would like to sell it to the highest bidder and donate the proceeds to an organization that supports LGBT rights since the government designed to protect all of us is picking and choosing based on what they think is icky, weird, or unkown to them.
Bid now, and you can have my super wonderful privilege and legal ability to get married as many times as you want in a classy place like the one pictured. You don't have to know the person, you don't have to like them, you don't have to think through your decision to get married or anything - you can just do it! Because you can! Come on, it's cool to get married, and think of the pictures you'll have to show people of this person that they will definitely think is so wrong for you and probably is! But heavens to BETSY, do NOT marry someone of the same gender because that would be a mockery of the institution of marriage.
And if it doesn't work out, just get divorced. Half the cool people who get married do that anyway.
I will write you up a fancy, wonderful, articulate proclamation handing over my right to get married. I have no official documentation because this is something I was born with since I was born heterosexual. Unfortunately, this is only a symbolic gesture. However, since I'm picky and difficult, it's probably something that, if a physical object, would have been considered pristine and shiny after some dusting. Your bid, on the other hand, is real, and the donation you make to an organization that supports those who have been treated as second-class citizens will be well worth it. |
Obviously, individual rights can't be purchased (and eBay will probably pull this soon anyway) but the gesture is appreciated. |
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 11:18 pm Post subject: |
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Maine Reporter Fired For Personal Email Against Marriage Equality
| Quote: | Larry Grard, an 18-year veteran of Maine's Morning Sentinel, has been fired after his employers were notified by the Human Rights Campaign that he had sent them an "in your face" email from his personal account on the morning after the vote to repeal same-sex marriage.
| Quote: | Larry Grard admits he had “a lapse in judgment.” But Grard – who’s been a reporter for thirty-five years, the last eighteen of them at the Morning Sentinel in Waterville – says the e-mail he sent from his personal account to a national gay rights group shouldn’t have been grounds for his dismissal. Grard was fired by Bill Thompson, editor of the Sentinel and its sister paper the Kennebec Journal in Augusta, shortly after the Nov. 3 election in which Maine voters repealed a same-sex marriage law approved by the Legislature. Grard said he arrived at work the morning after the vote to find an e-mailed press release from the Human Rights Campaign in Washington, D.C., that blamed the outcome of the balloting on hatred of gays.
Grard, who said he’d gotten no sleep the night before, used his own e-mail to send a response. “They said the Yes-on-1 people were haters. I’m a Christian. I take offense at that,” he said. “I e-mailed them back and said basically, ‘We’re not the ones doing the hating. You’re the ones doing the hating.’ “I sent the same message in his face he sent in mine.” Grard thought his response was anonymous, but it turned out to be anything but. One week later, he was summoned to Thompson’s office. He was told that Trevor Thomas, deputy communications director of the Human Rights Campaign, had Googled his name, discovered he was a reporter, and was demanding Grard be fired. According to Grard, Thompson said, “There’s no wiggle room.” He was immediately dismissed. |
The Morning Sentinel and its sister publication had editorialized in support of same-sex marriage. Grard's case is being championed on Free Republic and elsewhere as an example of "the vindictiveness of the gay Taliban." It appears from the story that Grard used a work computer to send the personal email. His union has filed a grievance with the paper and is awaiting a date for an arbitration hearing. |
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 1:44 pm Post subject: |
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Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce!
Springsteen advocates for marriage equality in NJ.
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 3:38 am Post subject: |
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New Jersey Marriage Vote Delayed; Assembly to Hear Bill
| Quote: | | "Here is the bottom line: the votes are not there in the Senate. And it appears as though they are there in the Assembly – to clear the both the Judiciary committee and to pass the full house. Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts is unlikely to give dates for the upcoming hearing and subsequent floor debate, but I understand it could be early January. Initially, members of the Assembly had said they would not consider gay marriage until the Senate passed the bill. That thinking seems to have now been turned on its head." |
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Hephaestion
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 9:56 pm Post subject: |
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DC joins the Equal Marriage Club
Yay! 
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 7:13 pm Post subject: |
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Benefits Bill For Partners Of Federal Employees Headed To Full Senate Vote
| Quote: | Yesterday the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee approved a bill authorizing benefits for the partners of federal employees. The bill will now go to the full Senate.
| Quote: | | The benefits would include: health care, retirement and disability plans, family, medical and emergency leave, group life insurance, long-term care insurance and access to worker’s comp. Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said he and Ranking Member Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced the bill with the purpose of bringing a measure of equality to the federal work force. “I believe this legislation is really on the right side of history, and it, in a sense, is another expression of a concept we believe in, which is equal pay for equal work, and in this case, equal benefits for equal work,” Lieberman said. Lieberman noted that federal employees and their domestic partners would have to abide by existing employment related obligations, such as conflict of interest provisions, anti-nepotism rules and financial disclosure requirements. |
Hooray! Joe Lieberman did something right! The wingnuts are already screaming that the bill is "DOMA destroying legislation" intended to be a "backdoor" (har) end-run around the anti-gay law. From the American Family Association:
| Quote: | | Peter Labarbera, executive director of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, says the Lieberman-Collins bill severely undermines the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman. "This appears to be a violation of the spirit and the law of DOMA. DOMA was intended to encourage marriage, the recognition of marriage by the federal government, and this is the repudiation of that," Labarbera contends. "This is giving marital benefits to both homosexuals and heterosexual 'shack-up' couples. It's very bad public policy for the federal government to de-incentivize people getting married...and that's exactly what this legislation would do." |
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 7:19 pm Post subject: |
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... and in the "domestic partner benefits" category:
North Carolina Politician Mocks AIDS Death Of Colleague's Son
| Quote: | Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Commissioner Bill James is under fire for mocking the AIDS death of a fellow commissioner's son during a debate on adding same-sex partner benefits.
| Quote: | | Toward the end of an emotional, two-hour debate on the topic, James leaned over to commissioner Vilma Leake and asked: "Your son was a homo, really?" Leake responded: "You're going to make me hurt you. Don't do that to me. Don't talk about my son." Leake had just finished speaking about her personal connection to the debate, including mentioning her son's 1993 death from AIDS. "To be insensitive to that is completely inappropriate," Roberts said Wednesday. "I think he does owe her an apology." But James said he won't apologize, and said he was only asking Leake to clarify an earlier comment she made about her son's death and his lifestyle. |
James first denied having made the comment, but when faced with news media clips of the exchange, he posted this insulting editorial to WSCO-TV's site.
| Quote: | Vilma is a religious hypocrite. She was married to a Bishop in the AME Zion church. A church that has historically opposed homosexuality. She used her son's 'lifestyle' and his death from HIV-AIDS to justify in public voting for benefits to allow more individuals to use tax dollars to engage in the very behavior that resulted in her son's death. It is akin to someone whose son is an alcoholic and died from the disease, using his death from drinking as justification to have the taxpayers pay for more booze. Her position was that her 'faith' demanded that she do this to support her son and his 'lifestyle' which she acknowledges killed him. Since she didn't define what 'lifestyle' she was referring to I asked her.
Asking the question is completely legitimate since she used him as the basis for explaining her public vote. Her response to me was threaten violence. This is also nothing new for Vilma as she did that on the School Board as well. Leake: "Don't make me hurt you. Don't do that to me. Don't talk to me about my son." Well, with all due respect to Ms. Leake - if she didn't want to talk about her son then why did she use his death from his 'lifestyle' contracting HIV/AIDS as the public justification for spending tax dollars to support the very behavior that killed her son. |
Despite James' assholery, the bill passed 6-3. In 2011, Mecklenburg County will become the seventh in the state to offer same-sex partner benefits to its employees. An online petition calling for the resignation of Bill James is here. |
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Hephaestion
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pogovio
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Hephaestion
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2009 3:38 am Post subject: |
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And again...
Gay Activists Crash 'Wife Beater' Sen. Monserrate's Xmas Party
| Quote: | Some activists aren't allowing state senator Hiram Monserrate to forget the anti-gay marriage vote he stuffed in the Christmas stockings of gay and lesbian New Yorkers.
On the anniversary of Monserrate slashing his girlfriend's face, activists from The Power crashed the senator's Queens Christmas party before being escorted out.
Shouted the activists, "Hiram's a wife beater! He can get married and we can't! How can wife beaters get married and we can't? Hiram believes marriage should be between one man, one woman, and a broken bottle." |
clip @ link
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pogovio
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| Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 4:30 pm Post subject: |
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The Republican Party in recent years has defined itself (War is good, Let Big Business run wild, etc) in ways that have disillusioned a lot of young Republicans, and some older ones too. Are they approaching a point where they will not salivate on cue to the old Pavlovian buzzwords? Is Ross Douthat showing us a glimpse of the future Republican Party? We can hope ...
| Quote: | Ross Douthat, conservative op-ed columnist for the New York Times, ... became suddenly fidgety when asked to respond to a question from the audience on gay marriage. [ ... after first fumblimg] then he explained: "I am someone opposed to gay marriage who is deeply uncomfortable arguing the issue in public." Mr. Douthat indicated that he opposes gay marriage because of his religious beliefs, but that he does not like debating the issue in those terms. ...
He added that the conservative opposition to gay marriage is "a losing argument," ... "The secular arguments against gay marriage, when they aren't just based on bigotry or custom, tend to be abstract in ways that don't find purchase in American political discourse. I say, ‘Institutional support for reproduction,' you say, ‘I love my boyfriend and I want to marry him.' Who wins that debate? You win that debate." |
At n+1 Panel, the Cat Got Douthat's Tongue on Topic of of Gay Marriage (Oct, 2009)
http://www.observer.com/2009/media/n1-panel-cat-got-douthats-tongue...
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| Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 9:42 pm Post subject: |
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Anti-Gay Marriage Ads Hit D.C. Public Transportation
| Quote: | A freedom of expression battle is underway in D.C. as Stand for Marriage D.C., the most outspoken voice against D.C.'s recent legalization of marriage equality, has placed ads on the District's Metrobuses urging that citizens be allowed to vote on civil rights.
Full Equality Now DC wants the ads removed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) on the grounds that they disrespect LGBT residents.
WaPo op-ed columnist Colbert King sides with Mitch Wood, president of the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance; Arthur B. Spitzer, legal director of the ACLU of the Nation's Capital; Jeffrey D. Richardson, president of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club; Aisha C. Mills, president of Campaign for All D.C. Families; and activist Richard J. Rosendall, who believe allowing the ads demonstrates freedom of expression. |
I wrote a short note to Colbert King, wherein I congratulated him on his principled stand, and told him that I looked forward to him defending the rights of the Ku Klux Klan and the American Nazi Party to advertise on the sides of Washington Metro Transit trains and buses. Finishing with the statement, "Oh, that's right... Washington Metro would never DARE sell ad space to scumbags like them -- just scumbags like 'Stand for Marriage D.C.' But I'm sure a principled man like you would defend their right to spread hate and calumny, wouldn't you?"
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Hephaestion
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| Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 7:30 pm Post subject: |
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SCOTUS May Hear R-71 Appeal On Release Of Petition Names
| Quote: | On January 15th the U.S. Supreme Court will decide if it will hear the appeal of Protect Marriage Washington over the decision to force the release of the names of those who signed Referendum 71.
| Quote: | The court likely will announce later that day or the following Monday if it will take the R-71 petition case. If the court declines to take the case, the 9th Circuit Court’s decision will stand. If the court accepts the case, it will likely be argued in April, with a decision to be handed down by the end of June. There also is a state court injunction entered by Thurston County Superior Court Judge Richard Hicks that also prevents the release of the R-71 petitions. The case in front of Judge Hicks is stayed pending the U.S. Supreme Court’s action.
Protect Marriage Washington, which used Referendum 71 to seek a public vote on the state’s “everything but marriage” domestic partnership law, filed a lawsuit last summer with the U.S. District Court in Tacoma to block release of the R-71 petitions. U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle ruled to block the petitions’ release, but the 9th Circuit later overturned that decision and unanimously held that the state’s policy of public release does not violate First Amendment free speech. Protect Marriage Washington quickly asked the high court to review the case. |
Washington's State District Attorney's office has urged SCOTUS not to hear the appeal, saying that no First Amendment issue is at stake. Protect Marriage Washington says that retaliation against those who supported the failed amendment is likely. |
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