Jon Stewart analyzes Mike Huckabee and gay marriage.

Always good for a laugh at the expense of the ultra conservative GOP and it's mother, The Tea Party, this video will make your day just a littel brighter...watch here:

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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Group Petitions Christian Magazine to Accept Pro-Equality Ad

From The Advocate online:

Faith in America, a pro-LGBT religious organization, is petitioning Christianity Today magazine to accept its ad encouraging parents to accept their LGBT children.


Christianity Today, a generally conservative publication, rejected the ad two weeks ago, Faith in America officials say on Change.org, where the petition is posted. The text of the ad says, “Do you have a child who is gay or lesbian? Do you fully embrace that child just as they are? Christ does. Faith and equality. Let’s end the harm from the misuse of religious teaching.” It is illustrated by the image of a cross filled with faces.

This decision is somewhat hypocritical...what else is new...in that  they readily approve ads from anti-gay organizations that expressly oppose equality and civil rights. So why not print both sides? We know the answer to that one as well.

GOP and Their Rantings About LGBT Families

Since losing the election and several of their Senate seats, topped off with the surprising victory in the four states for same sex marriage, the Tea Party flopheads have begun to forcefully attack the gay marriage issue. Tony Perkins, well known hater and President of the Family Research Council recently went on record, and outright attack, against legalizing gay marriage.

As seen here in this video posted by the Advocate, he compares "homosexuality to abortion, saying both 'run counter to natural law,'...", followed by, "I'm telling you what, I think you will create a firestorm of opposition. I think that could be the straw that broke the camel's back.When you look at a nation that is so divided along these moral and cultural issues, that you could have — you know I hate to use the word — but, I mean, a revolt. A revolution. I mean, I think you could see Americans saying, 'You know what? Enough of this.' And I think it could explode and just break this nation apart."



So it begins anew, against the obvious wishes of the populace, and at a time when the opposition could be focusing on more pressing issues...like bipartisanship in Washington...like letting women decide for themselves when it comes to their own bodies...like a lot of issues more pressing than what's already been decided.

Exit Polls and the role LGBT voters played...

ADVOCATE Magazine: Nov 8, 2012

Exit polls have a lot to say about the role LGBT issues played in the election, and on how President Obama's support for marriage equality might have resonated with the electorate.

Lesbian, gay and bisexual voters sided heavily with Obama, for example, helping to propel him to a commanding win. Exit polls conducted for The New York Times and other media outlets indicated that 5% of voters were gay, lesbian or bisexual. (Voters weren't asked whether they are transgender.) Of those, 76% voted for Obama. While that number is high, it's also a six-percentage-point increase over the 2008 election for the president.

Where marriage equality was on the ballot, exit polls offer insight into whether it helped or hurt the president. The Associated Press reports that exit polls in Maryland, where voters approved legalizing same-sex marriage, show those who sided with equality broke strongly for Obama, while those opposed joined Romney. It was Obama and marriage equality that prevailed.

The time has arrived for a change in Washington and this country. Time for equality for everyone, regardless of sexual preference, gender identity or all other labels society feels obligated to place on people. Help make those changes become a reality by becoming involved.

Invisible Parents

Watch this new video from the director who was behind the viral "Homecoming" video for the UK's Coalition For Equal Marriage.

From OUT magazine comes this message of love and acceptance for what many consider a "non-traditional" family structure. However, with the results of the recent election leaning towards acceptance of gay relationships and families comprised of same sex parents, the time is coming for at least a greater acceptance of these relationships and the children affected by them. Studies show that children raised in same sex relationships are no different than those brought up in what society considers "normal" situations.

Normal is no longer the norm, and a new generation of young people has demonstrated a higher acceptance of different forms of the traditional bastion of marriage. This video appeals to the masses of those that are still locked in the old societal norms of traditioon and of what is acceptable, or not.

Gay.net - Give This Letter to a Homophobic Parent

Just in time to remind everyone of what not only Christmas is about, but what it really means to be a Christian. I can't add anything to this article other than the perfect message it brings...

"You raised us to believe that God loves us. You told us that Jesus died to provide forgiveness for all of our sins (presumably, whether you and I define "sin" in the same way or not). One of the first songs you taught us in Sunday school was "Yes, Jesus loves me…For the Bible tells me so." And you told us that our place in Heaven was guaranteed, as long as we just believe that.

Then, somewhere along the way, you realized that we were lesbian or gay. And at whatever point we found the courage to tell you, you did an immediate 180, and now you tell us we are an abomination, and our place in Hell is guaranteed.

The most fundamentalist among you claim that you reject your children because you take the whole Bible literally. But that is not true -- and it’s time for you to just get honest about that. If you are aware of the content of the Bible you must know that there is much in there that you do not take literally. How can you not know that? How can you not admit that? You must, at some point, have read where Jesus said that in order to follow Him, one must hate mother, father, sister, brother. (Luke 14:26) But not one of you feels any less a Christian because you love your family. Clearly, scripture must be interpreted in a broader context than its literal words.  It amazes me that you still claim to take it all literally."...

NOTE: this is from SheWired.com. It's written by Reverend Marilyn Bowens, former attorney and professor of Constitutional Law who is a dually ordained minister of the Metropolitan Community Church and The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries. She is also a lesbian.

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GOP State Representative Beats Mentally Disabled Son, Kicks Him In Ribs Outside Restaurant

Wow...another Republican finds a sensible way to eliminate autism and disabled people (even family).  Just kick them, beat them, humiliate them in public. Works every time...except this time. What is wrong with people *my non-political discrimination language* when they beat their disabled kids.

Oh wait, I forgot! Republicans do endorse inequality for all except fellow rich ones, favor humiliation and jail for those who are too poor or unable to defend themselves, and definitely don't like other people interfering with their "Christian" family values. Values strictly based, of course, upon the literal translation of some Bible they alone possess and not generally available to the public. One that does allow discrimination, bullying, the raising of the rich to super elite status, and of course, does not in any way provide for ANY accountability for their actions.

As the saying goes, "Balls to the walls boys!" Time to kick these bullying, bible-thumping assholes to the curb! Times...they are a changing...and we the poor, oppressed, bullied, disabled and unequal will not take this twisted style of management any longer.

Disclaimer:
*small print*    Please note: If I have offended anyone, please feel free to leave a comment telling me so I can block your ass from doing so in the future. No comment (the 5th - remember? It used to be a constitutional right until the GOP came along and stripped it away for the lower class.)

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Government and Law Enforcement Twist Google’s Arm For Data, Google Complies | Addicting Info

One by one the Constitutional freedoms Americans supposedly "enjoy" are being eroded slowly away without most people even knowing it. In this Google issued Transparency Report, Google was requested by the government, courts, local and state police to erase from its database:

Everything from videos of police brutality, to information supposedly pertaining to national security were among the requests.  The report also states one request from American authorities was to remove a video it believed to be critical of the government.

Separately, the report declares American law enforcement requested data from Google on 11,057 different users or accounts.  Google said it complied with 4,700 of those requests. Almost all of this data sharing was done without a warrant.

 (from Addictinginfo.org)

Google complied with the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986, enacted by the United States Congress to extend government restrictions on wire taps from telephone calls to include transmissions of electronic data by computer.

The ECPA has been met with criticism through the years including its failure to protect all communications and consumer records. Under the ECPA it is relatively easy for a governmental agency to demand service providers hand over consumer data that has been stored on servers. All that is required of the agency is a written statement certifying that the information is relevant to an investigation of foreign counterintelligence with no judicial review required. It also increased the list of crimes that can justify the use of surveillance as well as the number of judicial members who can authorize such surveillance. Data can be obtained without a warrant on traffic and calling patterns of an individual or group allowing an agency to gain valuable intelligence and possibly invade privacy without coming under fire because the actual content of the communication is left untouched. While workplace communications are in theory protected an employer must simply give notice or a supervisor must feel that the employee’s actions are not in the company’s “interest” to gain access to communiqué. This means that with minimal assumptions an employer can monitor communications within the company. The ongoing debate is where to limit the government’s power to see into civilian lives while balancing the need to curb national threats. The ECPA falls directly in the middle of this debate both sides wanting revisions and clarifications made by the courts and legislation.   



You might want to consider what you say online with any computer entity, send over the line, or even think of commenting on.

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The Federal Court Tells Florida’s Governor Scott To Go Pee In His Own Cup. Law Found Unconstitutional | Addicting Info

Here's one that sort'a '"slipped" by most of us. Florida Governor Rick Scott and his Republican cronies have been stopped by Federal Court Judges from drug testing only those who apply for, or are on welfare assistance (known as TANF), citing that:

“Though the State speaks in generalities about the ‘public health risk, as well as the crime risk, associated with drugs’ being ‘beyond dispute,’ it provides no concrete evidence that those risks are any more present in TANF applicants than in the greater population,” Scriven wrote in her ruling against Florida’s government. “It is not enough to simply recite a governmental interest without any evidence of a concrete threat that would be mitigated through drug testing.”

Judge Scriven

A group calling itself “The People of Texas” has also been circulating a petition to present to Governor Perry upon his return to the state–said petition demanding drug testing of welfare recipients. It would be easy to say that there is a fox on the hen house as Republican governed states have generally placed the same laws up for consideration. Supposedly this will eliminate those people who are living off the taxpayers. A rather hypocritical statement considering the current OWS movement and how the richest of Americans and corporations (which are really people) don't pay any taxes.


A recent chart shows that of the Congressional Republican representatives, slightly over 50% of them are considered as included in the 1% that control the wealth in this country.

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Occupy Wall Street's Battle Against American-Style Authoritarianism

After reading the article several times, I think that, in general speak, the author is on target. I believe that over many years, even before Reagonomics pulled the rug out from under us without the people realizing it, we have been fed a stream of capitalistic 'logic' that has led us, much like the sheep mentioned, into a false sense that all is well. 

Meanwhile our individual freedoms were gradually replaced by the rules of the ruling class with the thought that we shouldn't question such changes as everything we do is necessary for 'our protection', and that we should not question this self-authorized authority. When you take a look at the policies of the last 4-5 administrations you can see the pattern of 'dumbing-down' of America by the false media-controlled "truths" shoved down the throats of the people by the ruling class. Unable to distinguish between real and fake because of lack of education, control of information, and upper class "secrets", we have been slowly reduced to the point of being that herd of sheep, ready to accept anything told to us. 

The OWS movement is something that has sprung out of the realization that individual freedom no longer exists, the Constitution can be applied as necessary by those who rule against those who don't understand, and that the current political system is evidence that the system is not only broken, but is the cause. So much of this is evidenced daily by the reaction of the police in each state to the OWS movement (e.g. using violence against peaceful protesting, the Republicans motto - "NO" - to anything involving social and financial reform), the reaction of the political machine as it changes reasoning and direction daily according to the corruption of power and the controlling hand of the super rich, and the disassociation of thought in so many comments on so many blogs and social networks left by people of a generation that were fed capitalistic dreams while their freedoms and bank accounts were being slowly, patiently drawn down behind their backs. The next generation seems to be unwilling to accept this, thankfully, and is now fighting against this broken system, but as the article mentions, is not forging ahead with a slogan or single sign, but as a "movement" that will hopefully change the entire system and bring back the capability, and ability, for a free-thinking people to bring socialism and capitalism together to function for the good of all. 

That's my opinion only...agree or disagree, but only time is going to tell, and most of us that are commenting seem to be from the baby boomer generation. One I suspect won't be around long enough to see the final outcome of this new change. History does have a tendency to repeat itself.

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Adrian Smith demoted for not backing gay marriage after criticising new law on Facebook | Mail Online

Sometimes I believe that a cause, protest, even the "right" for equality of same-sex marriage can go a little too far. Don't get me wrong, I believe that equality is needed for all of us and has to come about soon. And it is in many ways with same-sex marriage legal now in six states and civil unions in a few others.  But sometimes, in our zealous fight to win, we have collateral casualties that shouldn't be.

I believe this is the case with Adrian Smith, a Christian and employee of the Trafford Housing Trust, living in the UK, who placed a somewhat inocuous statement on his personal FaceBook page stating his belief that, "allowing gay weddings in churches was ‘an equality too far’." His statement and page were only viewable by his friends and not the general public, but apparently one of his co-workers complained, asking : "‘Does this mean you don’t approve?’ The following evening after work, Mr Smith, who attends an evangelical church in Bolton, responded: ‘No, not really. I don’t understand why people who have no faith and don’t believe in Christ would want to get hitched in church.‘The Bible is quite specific that marriage is for men and women. If the State wants to offer civil marriages to the same sex then that is up to the State; but the State shouldn’t impose its rules on places of faith and conscience.’

Recent legislation proposed in the UK would allow gay ceremonies to be held in churches and other religious places.

Adrian Smith

Lawyers for Mr Smith, whom friends describe as affable and non-confrontational, say his comments were merely expressing an ‘honest belief’ based on his Christian faith.

I believe that this is a fair expression of his personal beliefs and a violation of his civil rights . Unfortunately, his life has been affected by this as his employer suspended him, then  demoted him to money support adviser, handling rent collection. His pay was reduced from £35,000 to £21,396 a year, phased in over a year, and he was given a final written warning.

The question remains thus: can we sometimes, in our fight for equality, go too far and create the very same situation for people for which we are fighting for?

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N.J GOP Mayor, Caught With His Pants Down, Denies Rentboy Took Photos :: EDGE on the Net

This is allegedly the mayor of Medford, N.J

It never fails...even though this Republican has never ranted and raved with his fellow closeted GOP friends about gay-hate, or tried to pass any bills about restricting same-sex marriage, another Republican has found himself the center of a Rentboy controversy. What is even more interesting is that the local paper, The Burlington County Times, tried to cover this up, they eventually had to print the story as a result of the ongoing release of information by the "crackpot and someone who is pissed off at me in some way."

Must have been someone who was really pissed...and where did this picture come from BTW?

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Anti-Gay Teacher’s Students Allege Classroom Homophobia :: EDGE Philadelphia

A NJ teacher posted anti-gay rhetoric on her  FaceBook page in possible violation of school policy, yet to be decided. We know how that's going to turn out. But what's worse is that she is teaching and preaching in a public classroom that "being gay is a 'sin' that 'breeds like cancer', ..." Over a hundred comments have been posted supporting and criticizing her for crossing the line. Almost every one of them tries to defend their position in one way or another. The problem is that the whole issue was missed here; these students are at the stage in their lives when they are most impressionable, need the most love and attention, and need the support of parents, teachers and other people of influence.

For this teacher to "preach" her own "Christian" ideology in a classroom or online is not Freedom of Speech but a clear form of hate and violation of the Constitution regarding separation of Church and State. She should be dismissed from her position immediately. These same so-called teachers are contributing to the death of hundreds of teenagers, gay and straight, who are struggling with a lot of issues, but haven't developed mentally enough to know how to sort out the right and wrong of these people and their "teachings."

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Like We Said...No Accountability for Politicians

I've said way back from the  beginning that people, that includes parents and politicians, must be made accountable for their actions concerning bullying and bearing false witness. DADT was finally out the door on September 20th of this year, and the sky hasn't fallen yet. But tell that to Sen. McCain, who vehemently said that soldiers would leave in droves, the army would fall apart at the seams, and it would bring about such disaster within the armed forces that we would no longer be recognized as a world military to be reckoned with.

(About.com-Political Humor)

Well Sen. McCain, where are the deserters? Why is the military still functioning the same as it did before the repeal? Why are you not being held accountable for all the lies, threats and false statements you made preceding the repeal?

From the Washington Post, this thought:

"The political world just doesn’t seem to operate this way. McCain will continue to enjoy his standing as a leading voice on military affairs because the establishment says so.

If ridiculous predictions had any bearing on credibility, conservative Republicans would never be able to utter a word about economic policy in public again without being laughed at. We’re talking about a group of folks who said Reagan’s tax increases would be a disaster, Clinton’s agenda would cause an economic collapse, Bush’s policies would work wonders, and Obama’s agenda would make the 2008 crash even worse."

I guess that accountability depends upon which side of the fence you happen to be on at the moment.

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The Rich Say the Funniest Things: Laughing Until You Die of Hunger | BuzzFlash.org

PAUL BUCHHEIT FOR BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT

Great satire of the "rich" who "say the darndest things", as Art Linkletter used to say. 
Here's an excerpt:

Taxes, while usually not funny, bring out the best in corporate
spokespeople. Like Anne Eisele of General Electric, which paid no taxes
from 2008 to 2010: "G.E. is committed to acting with integrity in relation
to our tax obligations...GE did not pay US federal taxes last year because
we did not owe any." And Ken Cohen of Exxon Mobil, which paid 2% in taxes
from 2008 to 2010: "Any claim we don't pay taxes is absurd...ExxonMobil is
a leading U.S. taxpayer." And John Watson of Chevron, part of an industry
with the lowest federal tax rate: "The oil and gas industry pays its fair
share in taxes" And Paul Ryan on Boeing, which paid no U.S. taxes on over
$4 billion of income in 2010: "Their tax rate is extremely high, far
higher than their competitors.

Vote on a Bill Repealing DOMA

The Senate Judiciary Committee next month will hold a mark-up and vote on a bill repealing the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman, committee chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said Friday.

His announcement sets up a collision course for the Senate and House over the issue of gay marriage. House Republicans this month tripled to $1.5 million the amount they’re authorized to spend on legal fees to defend the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, a response to President Barack Obama’s decision to stop fighting lawsuits seeking to end it.

“The march for equality continues, and now is the time to ensure equality for gay and lesbian Americans who are lawfully married,” said Leahy, one of 29 co-sponsors of the Respect for Marriage Act. The bill “would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which prevents thousands of American families from being protected by laws that help secure other American families. This is part of the nation’s continuing fight for civil rights for all Americans.”

The Judiciary Committee held the first congressional hearing on efforts to repeal DOMA, shortly after Obama announced his support for the Respect for Marriage Act. The legislation, authored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), is expected to be approved by the committee given that all 10 Democratic members are backing it.

US House group files motion in gay marriage suit - KiiiTV3.com South Texas, Corpus Christi, Coastal Bend

Posted: Oct 15, 2011 4:56 PM EDT  
Updated: Oct 15, 2011 7:26 PM EDT  
By SUDHIN THANAWALA
Associated Press 

It's getting confusing when it comes to whether the White House is defending or supporting DOMA. This is the case they apparently have based the order not to defend DOMA on, yet it seems to be being enforced in many circumstances. Hopefully this case will produce some sort of direction when it comes to DOMA and lead to its repeal, allowing those who have married (same-sex) to be recognized in every state.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Gays and lesbians are not entitled to the same heightened legal protection and scrutiny against discrimination as racial minorities and women in part because they are far from politically powerless and have ample ability to influence lawmakers, lawyers for a U.S. House of Representatives group said in a federal court filing.

The filing Friday in San Francisco's U.S. District Court comes in a lesbian federal employee's lawsuit that claims the government wrongly denied health insurance coverage to her same-sex spouse. Karen Golinski says the law under which her spouse was denied benefits - the Defense of Marriage Act - violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equal protection.

Golinski's case has received support from the Obama administration. In a brief filed in July that urged the court to find DOMA unconstitutional, the administration argued that it reflected Congressional hostility to gays and targeted an immutable characteristic - sexual orientation - that has nothing to do with someone's ability to contribute to society.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press

Michael Bloomberg tells Occupy Wall Street protesters to lay off banks - Mackenzie Weinger - POLITICO.com

It seems as though New York's corporate sponsored Mayor is not liking how the people are going against his wishes. Since he is one of "them" on Wall Street, and made a lot of his millions there and through his large handouts from them, he's now stuck in a bad place.  As politicians typically do, he is twisting the truth into more lies about how well his Wall Street cronies create so many jobs.  It's a little early for April Fool's Day Mayor!

This isn't just  small protest happening in "his" city, it's all across the country, growing, and now forming into a real movement. Too late Mayor...call your dogs off (the $4.9 million,  JP Morgan sponsored NYPD.)

Jurors Say Brandon McInerney Deserves Leniency Because Larry King was the Bully |Gay News|Gay Blog Towleroad

WTF! Are these jurors on the medicinal (but illegal in the eyes of the Feds) marijuana? McInerney shoots King in the back of the head twice, in class, with all his classmates watching in horror and King is the bully? Where does this stuff come from? Forget that last question...we all know the answer, duh! Homophobic, closet cases with an anti-gay agenda. What was I thinking?

The L.A. Times adds:

One juror, identified only as Lisa S. because she did not want her whole name used, said many jurors came to believe that King was bullying McInerney by making unwanted sexual advances. "This wasn't about him being gay,'' she said. "This was about bullying. There was a ton of evidence that Larry was acting inappropriately with other kids at school, and they didn't do anything to stop him."

As for the new case, she added: "It was overcharged and an abuse of power, and I don't think a new jury will see it any different."

 I for one hope that a new jury will see through all this B***S*** and convict him for the murderer he is. Take out all the gay issues, etc., this was a pre-meditated murder, open and shut!

Daily Kos: House Republicans ignore jobs bill while tripling funding for defense of anti-gay legislation

Once again the House Republicans are showing their true colors. They have voted to increase their legal defense of DOMA by one (1) million dollars to a firm of attorneys (probably friends) and refuse to discuss the creation of jobs in America. This is out and out war on the LGBTQ community, an outright illogical move, and shows the true side of what the GOP is all about. Misdirection, lies, ignorance, and lack of care about the 98% of Americans that need help the most.

Apparently they don't read the media they so love to control that is saying that America is in trouble economically and every other way. They would rather divert money to fighting a dead battle and their rich cronies while demanding cuts from social services to the needy to pay for it.

Once again I say to the people, WAKE UP! If you don't get involved soon the rights you think you have will not exist any longer and we will be ruled by a small group of people who will command when you live and when you die!