Mass. Lets Out-of-State Gay Couples Marry

Mass. House Votes to Let Out-of-State Gay Couples Marry

UPDATE: MA Governor Patrick Signs Repeal of 1913 Law: Out of State Gays Clear to Marry in MA

But, will this help or hurt the long-term goal of marriage equality for gays & lesbians?
John Aravosis (AMERICABlog) makes an interesting case that it could backfire, since many Democratic and Republican politicians oppose the Federal Marriage Amendment because the DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) says that states do not have to recognize another states same-sex marriages. What happens when states are forced to deal with gay marriages from other states? Will this take away the argument some "moderates" who oppose the FMA make that it is not necessary?

Letter to Obama: "Change WE Can Believe In"

The Nation has an Open Letter to Obama from Progressives which you can sign HERE.

An Open Letter to Barack Obama

This article appeared in the August 18, 2008 edition of The Nation.
July 30, 2008

Add your name to this Open Letter calling on Barack Obama to stand firm on the principles he so compellingly articulated in the primary campaign.

Dear Senator Obama,

We write to congratulate you on the tremendous achievements of your campaign for the presidency of the United States.
Your candidacy has inspired a wave of political enthusiasm like nothing seen in this country for decades. In your speeches, you have sketched out a vision of a better future--in which the United States sheds its warlike stance around the globe and focuses on diplomacy abroad and greater equality and freedom for its citizens at home--that has thrilled voters across the political spectrum. Hundreds of thousands of young people have entered the political process for the first time, African-American voters have rallied behind you, and many of those alienated from politics-as-usual have been re-engaged.

You stand today at the head of a movement that believes deeply in the change you have claimed as the mantle of your campaign. The millions who attend your rallies, donate to your campaign and visit your website are a powerful testament to this new movement's energy and passion.

This movement is vital for two reasons: First, it will help assure your victory against John McCain in November. The long night of greed and military adventurism under the Bush Administration, which a McCain administration would continue, cannot be brought to an end a day too soon. An enthusiastic corps of volunteers and organizers will ensure that voters turn out to close the book on the Bush era on election day. Second, having helped bring you the White House, the support of this movement will make possible the changes that have been the platform of your campaign. Only a grassroots base as broad and as energized as the one that is behind you can counteract the forces of money and established power that are a dead weight on those seeking real change in American politics.

We urge you, then, to listen to the voices of the people who can lift you to the presidency and beyond.

Since your historic victory in the primary, there have been troubling signs that you are moving away from the core commitments shared by many who have supported your campaign, toward a more cautious and centrist stance--including, most notably, your vote for the FISA legislation granting telecom companies immunity from prosecution for illegal wiretapping, which angered and dismayed so many of your supporters.

We recognize that compromise is necessary in any democracy. We understand that the pressures brought to bear on those seeking the highest office are intense. But retreating from the stands that have been the signature of your campaign will weaken the movement whose vigorous backing you need in order to win and then deliver the change you have promised.

Here are key positions you have embraced that we believe are essential to sustaining this movement:

§ Withdrawal from Iraq on a fixed timetable.

§ A response to the current economic crisis that reduces the gap between the rich and the rest of us through a more progressive financial and welfare system; public investment to create jobs and repair the country's collapsing infrastructure; fair trade policies; restoration of the freedom to organize unions; and meaningful government enforcement of labor laws and regulation of industry.

§ Universal healthcare.

§ An environmental policy that transforms the economy by shifting billions of dollars from the consumption of fossil fuels to alternative energy sources, creating millions of green jobs.

§ An end to the regime of torture, abuse of civil liberties and unchecked executive power that has flourished in the Bush era.

§ A commitment to the rights of women, including the right to choose abortion and improved access to abortion and reproductive health services.

§ A commitment to improving conditions in urban communities and ending racial inequality, including disparities in education through reform of the No Child Left Behind Act and other measures.

§ An immigration system that treats humanely those attempting to enter the country and provides a path to citizenship for those already here.

§ Reform of the drug laws that incarcerate hundreds of thousands who need help, not jail.

§ Reform of the political process that reduces the influence of money and corporate lobbyists and amplifies the voices of ordinary people.

These are the changes we can believe in. In other areas--such as the use of residual forces and mercenary troops in Iraq, the escalation of the US military presence in Afghanistan, the resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the death penalty--your stated positions have consistently varied from the positions held by many of us, the "friends on the left" you addressed in recent remarks. If you win in November, we will work to support your stands when we agree with you and to challenge them when we don't. We look forward to an ongoing and constructive dialogue with you when you are elected President.

Stand firm on the principles you have so compellingly articulated, and you may succeed in bringing this country the change you've encouraged us to believe is possible.

There is a list of early signatories to this Letter on the Nation Website

Add Yours

The Commander In Chief Test

Will Americans Elect this man????

God, Gays & Guns: Obama Was Right!

Knoxville Church Shooter Was Angry Over Liberals, Gays & Work

Obama was right! Some people are turning to "gods & guns" because they are "bitter" about the economic distress they suffer as a result of right-wing (Reaganomics) policies, but they blame liberals, blacks, immigrants and gays!

Out & About: Shooter Targeted Church Because of its Support of Gays


Guess where Jim Adkisson, the 58 year old terrorist, learned to blame the gays and liberals for his problems?
O'Reilly, Savage Hannity on Accused Church Shooter's Reading List

Terrorist Opens Fire on TN Church

2 Dead, 7 Hurt in Tenn. Church Shooting
KNOXVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — A gunman opened fire at a church youth performance Sunday and killed two people, including a man who witnesses called a hero for shielding others from a shotgun blast.
Seven adults were also injured but no children were harmed at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. Church members said they dove under pews or ran from the building when the shooting started.

The gunman was tackled by congregants and eventually taken into police custody.

Jim D. Adkisson, 58, was charged with first-degree murder and was being held on $1 million bail, according to city spokesman Randy Kenner, who did not know if the suspect had retained an attorney. Authorities were searching Adkisson's home in the Knoxville bedroom community of Powell, Kenner said.

WBIR.COM: Attack details
The man slain was identified as Greg McKendry, 60, a longtime church member and usher. Church member Barbara Kemper told The Associated Press that McKendry "stood in the front of the gunman and took the blast to protect the rest of us."

Linda Kreager, 61, died at the University of Tennessee Medical Center a few hours after the shooting, Knoxville city spokesman Randall Kenner said.

Five people remained hospitalized, all in critical or serious condition. Two others were treated and released.

The gunman's motive is not yet known. The church, like many other Unitarian Universalist churches, promotes progressive social work, such as desegregation and fighting for the rights of women and gays. The Knoxville congregation has provided sanctuary for political refugees, fed the homeless and founded a chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, according to its website.

Kemper said the gunman shouted before he opened fire.

"It was hateful words. He was saying hateful things," she said, but refused to elaborate.

The FBI was assisting in the case in case it turns out be a hate crime, Police Chief Sterling Owen said.
----

Since this was a "liberal" (Unitarian Univerasalist) Church that helped the poor, homeless, immigrants and gays, I can just imagine the "hateful" things the gunmen said..

UPDATE:
YEP, He Was Angry Over Liberals, Gays & Work

Obama was right! Some people are turning to "gods & guns" because they are "bitter" about the economic distress they suffer as a result of right-wing (Reaganomics) policies, but they blame liberals, blacks, immigrants and gays!

Socialism and Homosex

Doug Ireland has an excellent article in Gay City News on SOCIALISM AND HOMOSEX: An Ohio State Historian Rediscovers an Important Slice of Gay History, presenting some important recent historical research on how the Socialist Party began working to decriminalize homosexuality and support laws prohibiting discrimination against gays and lesbians in the 1950s, BEFORE former Communist Harry Hay's Mattachine Society. It's an interesting look into the radical roots of gay liberation in the United States.

The Socialist Party USA went on to become the first U.S. political party to nominate a gay candidate for President (David McReynolds) in 1980.

Obama Vs. McCain's (Mainstream) Media

The MSM (mainstream media) is doing its best to "balance" Obama's trip and speeches in the Middle East and Europe by trying to cover up John McCain's gaffe's and blunders, and make it appear that McCain is catching up to Obama in the polls.

First, the media has followed the lead of John McCain and the Republican Party and make the "surge" the issue instead of the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq. The Democrats were duped by the Bush administration into supporting the "surge," and instead of cutting off funds for the Iraq occupation they went along and increased funds and troops in Iraq! Now the McCain campaign, and the media, is trying to make Obama's opposition to the surge THE issue on Iraq rather than the invasion and occupation!

And Obama has failed to respond to these attacks directly. He has failed to call the surge a FAILED policy which diverted attention and resources away from the larger "war on terrorism" and the fundamental problems with the Iraq occupation. He has allowed McCain and the media to convince the public that the surge was a success!

McCain got away with his erroneous claims that the surge was responsible for recent decreases in U.S. deaths and violence in Iraq, which were the result of a cease fire by Iraqi "insurgents" and sunni groups taking on Al Qaeda BEFORE the surge!

While Obama has been giving inspiring, intelligent speeches and meeting with foreign leaders, McCain has been aggressively attacking Obama for not supporting "the surge," and calling his Iraq position the "audacity of hopelessness".
Obama must be more aggressive! He must take on the Bush/McCain LIES about Iraq and "the surge"! Obama cannot play nice, he must FIGHT for the general election!

The media has also been pushing some recent polls (taken BEFORE Obama's trip to Europe and the Middle East) suggesting that McCain is catching up to Obama in a "tight" race. Most of these polls show a 4-6 point lead for Obama (still) while a few swing states which were leaning toward Obama are still swinging. Even these polls show that Obama is still beating John McCain and is WAY ahead in electoral votes still.

Some of the anti-Obama Clintonistas, who have been echoing the right-wing attacks on Obama verbatim, are claiming/hoping that Obama will loose to McCain so Hillary Clinton will run again in 2012. Many of them (PUMA anti-Obama women) are even supporting John McCain (who has a horrible record on women's rights!) They are pathetic!

While it is amazing that Barack Obama (a first term senator) is BEATING a more "experienced" politician like John McCain, it is also amazing because he has been in a political battle not only with McCain and the GOP, but with the Clinton campaign and bitter Clinton supporters who are now supporting McCain. Most of the racist anti-Obama attacks started with the Clinton campaign and her supporters. They continue to fan the anti-Obama racist flames and are behind many of the smears against Obama.

Politics sure makes strange bedfellows!

UPDATE: While the right-wing media have been trying to brow-beat the MSM into being more critical of Obama by accusing them of being biased toward Obama, more evidence that the right-wing meme of a "liberal media bias" is a LIE!

No "Liberal Media Bias": MSM Tougher on Obama!

The Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University, where researchers have tracked network news content for two decades, found that ABC, NBC and CBS were tougher on Obama than on Republican John McCain during the first six weeks of the general-election campaign.

You read it right: tougher on the Democrat.

During the evening news, the majority of statements from reporters and anchors on all three networks are neutral, the center found. And when network news people ventured opinions in recent weeks, 28% of the statements were positive for Obama and 72% negative.

Network reporting also tilted against McCain, but far less dramatically, with 43% of the statements positive and 57% negative, according to the Washington-based media center."

So why does the LA Times article have the title "Study: Evidence of Liberal Bias"????

Obama Wows Berlin!

Barack Obama Gives Epic Speech to 200,000 in Berlin
"The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes, natives and immigrants, Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand."

"People of Berlin, people of the world, this is our moment. This is our time," he said.

Media Reaction

Watch full Video

Bias? Media Covers for John McCain!

It is hillarious to hear the right-wing media machine crying that the media is biased against John McCain!

John McCain has long been a media favorite. They helped create his image as a "maverick" and a "straight talking" politician, despite his pandering to the corporate elite and the extremist Republican Reich. They even provide him sprinkled donuts at press conferences.

Now the right-wing media machine is trying to intimidate the mainstream media to counter Barack Obama's well-received trip to the middle east, by providing more "balance" to their media coverage by covering every speech and townhall meeting McCain holds while Obama is meeting with foreign and military leaders and soldiers in the Middle East and Europe.

Another indication of just how in love the media is with John McCain, they actually try to cover-up his gaffes and false statements about Iraq and other "national security" issues, which he has little knowledge about!

Now, CBS Covers Up McCain Misstatements on Iraq!

McCain Gets the History of the Surge Wrong in Iraq, and CBS edits the footage!


Yet, the McCain Campaign, and their allies over at the racist Obama-hating TN Guerilla Women, claim the media has a love affair with Barak Obama?? (Funny how the McCain campaign has been copying the Hillary Campaign's anti-Obama attacks, and the pro-Hillary anti-Obama racists at TN Guerilla Women are supporting the McCain attacks on Obama!) I'm so disgusted with the TN Guerilla Women, they have become nothing more than an anti-Obama racist website regurgitating right-wing attacks on Obama. Why does TGW just admit it is now an anti-Obama, pro- John McCain blog? If these racist women are more afraid of Barack Obama than they are of President John McCain, they join the Log Cabin Republicans on my list of repulsive groups which should be shunned by all progressives who care about social justice and equality!

McCain Makes Another "Gaffe": He's Unqualified to be President!

Once again John McCain makes a "gaffe" on Iraq and the mainstream media covers up for him!

McCain Makes False Claim on Iraq Timeline

In an interview with CBS News' Katie Couric tonight, John McCain made the false assertion that the Surge brought about the so-called Anbar Awakening. Except, as MSNBC"s Keith Olbermann points out, the Surge was announced after the Awakening. Olbermann also explains that CBS News edited the gaffe out of the final interviewed that aired Tuesday night.

As Ilan Goldenberg points out on Huffington Post, this is not just another gaffe, like referring to a non-existent Iraq/Pakistan border, it is a major misunderstanding of Iraq:

"This is not controversial history. It is history that anyone trying out for Commander in Chief must understand when there are 150,000 American troops stationed in Iraq. It is an absolutely essential element to the story of the past two years. YOU CANNOT GET THIS WRONG. Moreover, what is most disturbing is that according to McCain's inaccurate version of history, military force came first and solved all of our problems. If that is the lesson he takes from the Anbar Awakening, I am afraid it is the lesson he will apply to every other crisis he faces including, for example, Iran.

This is just incredibly disturbing. I have no choice but to conclude that John McCain has simply no idea what is actually happened and happening in Iraq."

JOHN MCCAIN IS NOT QUALIFIED TO BE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF!

Democrats Revisit Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Democrats Revisit Don't Ask, Don't Tell
emocrats are convening the first congressional hearing on the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy since its enactment 15 years ago. But they acknowledge there's no chance of repealing it this year.
Indeed their only hope of success, they say, is if Democratic Sen. Barack Obama gets elected president.

"We need a new president in order to get this passed" — specifically, a President Obama, Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif., told reporters on a conference call Tuesday convened by the Human Rights Campaign and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

Obama wants to repeal "don't ask, don't tell" and will work with military leaders to get it done, his campaign website says. Republican opponent John McCain supports "don't ask, don't tell."

Tauscher's legislation to overturn the policy has 133 co-sponsors. But key Democrats including House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., support the status quo, and there are no plans to bring the bill to a vote this year.

Tauscher said she has no interest in a "show vote" that her side might lose.

Instead, the hearing Wednesday in the Armed Services Committee's military personnel panel is meant to draw attention to the issue and to the growing public sentiment in favor of gay people serving openly in the military, Tauscher said.

In a Washington Post-ABC News poll over the weekend, 75% of respondents said openly gay people should be allowed to serve, up from 62% in early 2001 and 44% in 1993.

Obama Has 46 pt Lead Among Gay Voters

Barack Obama has 46 Point Lead Among Gay Voters

Barack Obama leads John McCain among registered voters 44 percent to 35 percent, while Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate and Ralph Nader each receive 2 percent, a new Harris Interactive poll reported.
Sixteen percent of registered voters are not sure whom they will vote for.

Among LGBT adults, 60 percent favor Obama while 14 percent favor McCain.

Three percent of LGBT adults favor Barr, while 1 percent choose Nader. Six percent choose "other," while 17 percent of all LGBT voters are not yet sure which candidate to support -- comparable to the general population.

Among independents, Obama has a 12-point lead (38 percent to 26 percent), but one-quarter of independents are not sure, 4 percent would vote for Bob Barr and 3 percent for Ralph Nader.

The findings also show that 90 percent of African-Americans are voting for Obama, as are six in 10 Latinos. Whites, however, are leaning towards McCain over Obama (40 percent versus 34 percent).

The results of this Harris Poll were complied from 2,690 U.S. adults surveyed online July 3-11 by Harris Interactive. (The Advocate)

Iraqi Prime Minister Backs Obama's Plan!

More bad news for John McCain!
Iraqi PM Backs Obama Iraq Troop Exit Plan

McCain Advisor: "We're F*cked!"

Obama was right all along, and now John McCain is following Obama's lead on getting the focus back on Afghanistan.

McCain Campaign Frustrated with Obama's Trip

McCain Gaffe: Iran/Pakistan Border?

Now who is more trustworthy on "national security" ??

And Obama is getting a pretty good reception from the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq:

Majority of Californians Back Marriage Rights

Good News from CA! According to a new Field Poll survey, a Majority of Californians Back Marriage Rights for Gay Couples.

The Field Poll survey firm found 51 percent of voters oppose the measure, which proposes an amendment to the state's constitution recognizing marriage as only between a man and woman, while 42 percent were in favor.

Californians will vote on the initiative, which requires a simple majority to become law, while casting ballots in November's presidential and congressional elections.

The survey results follow a decision Wednesday by the state's high court to permit the measure, Proposition 8, to appear on the ballot.

Harold Ford Jr. Heckled at Netroots Nation Conference

Harold Ford Jr. Heckled at Netroots Nation

HFJ, the leader of the DLC (the Republican wing of the Democratic Party) was heckled at the Netroots Nation conference in Austin during a discussion of FISA, Obama and the Democratic Party. The loudest response came when HFJ praised his former colleagues at the right-wing Fox News network, where he served as a pundit.

He also explained to the conference that sometimes "Democrats" have to take positions that a lot of Democrats don't like to win elections in conservative elections. Ford lost a race for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee in which he ran a campaign that embraced many conservative positions, especially against gay marriage.

Apparently, Harold Ford thinks homophobia is politically expedient!

For another conference participant's observation of the "debate" between Markos and HFJ, see The Debate That Wasn't

See my Stop Harold Ford Jr. Webpage for more on HFJ's conservative record.

Rachel Maddow: MSNBC's New Star?

The New York Times has a great article on MSNBC's Rising Star Rachel Maddow, the liberal, openly lesbian, Air America Radio host is on the networks "top list" for her own show! She has been a regular "political analyst" with MSNBC and has been a frequent guest and fill-on host on Keith Obermann's Countdown

Move Over Chris Matthews!

Congress Rating Plunges!

Congress Ratings Plunge in Gallup Poll

Congressional approval ratings have sunk to their lowest point in three decades according to latest Gallup Poll!
According to the poll, 14% approve of the job Congress is doing. That's HALF Bush's 28% job approval.
The political analysts blame the economy, the Democratic leaders blame Bush...
None of them even mention the main reason: The Democrats have FAILED to stand up the the most unpopular President in modern history! They failed to stop the war, they failed to impeach Bush and Cheney or even hold them accountable for their crimes: illegal war, war crimes, illegal torture, wiretapping, abuses of the judicial system for political gain, outing CIA agent Valerie Plame etc. etc. etc.
The Democratic Party is pathetic! Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi should step down or be replaced!

John McCain Back Stabs Gay Republicans (Again)

John McCain tells the New York Times that he opposes adoption by gays:

Mr. McCain, who with his wife, Cindy, has an adopted daughter, said flatly that he opposed allowing gay couples to adopt. “I think that we’ve proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don’t believe in gay adoption,” he said.

Not to fear, according to the Log Cabin Republicans, John McCain and the Republican Party support the right of gays to have private retirements accounts if the Democrats would only join the GOP in destroying the Social Security system and turning it over to Wall Street.

Apparently, the Log Cabin Republicans agree with John McCain, that Social Security is a "Disgrace"!

The LCR ignores the fact that Barack Obama and the Democratic Party support giving gay and lesbian couples the same federal benefits, including Social Security, as married couples. It's part of their deceptive "education" of the LGBT community on John McCain:

"While we respect those who believe that only traditional "scorecard" LGBT issues such as hate crimes and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) should matter to gay people, we disagree. The vast majority of LGBT Americans are not one-issue voters. Like all Americans, gays and lesbians have wide-ranging concerns—from foreign policy to the environment to soaring gas prices to the size of the federal government and more.

McCain's positions on these and many issues will attract independents, including gays and lesbians. Sen. McCain supports taking an aggressive posture against totalitarian regimes—regimes that threaten, imprison, and kill gay and lesbian people. By contrast, Sen. Obama has received harsh criticism (and even some skepticism from his fellow Democrats) for indicating he would meet with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad without conditions.

Additionally, Sen. McCain's philosophy on other issues will attract gay and lesbian voters. He supports measures that will benefit gay and lesbian business people. His views on the proper role and scope of the federal government, as well as taxes and spending, energy and the environment may also have wide appeal. He also supports social security reform that may provide for private retirement accounts, which will directly benefit non-married LGBT Americans."

Will the LCR still endorse John McCain now that he has endorsed the anti-gay Proposition 8 in California, opposes gay adoption,, opposes allowing gays to serve in the U.S. military, and opposes non-discrimination legislation covering gays and lesbians? Or are these just minor "single-issues" that gay Republicans don't care about?

See HRC Report on the REAL John McCain: A Record Opposing the Interests of GLBT Americans

SEE ALSO:
McCain Blasted for Opposing Gay Adoption

Can Progressives Unite Behind Obama?

Like many other progressives on the left, I have been concerned about Barack Obama moving to the "center" for the general election. I don't think he has "flip-flopped" as some suggest, except in the case of his vote for the new FISA (the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act) Bill. I think progressives are making a mistake if they drop their support for Obama based on that one vote. Obama is trying to avoid the political pitfalls that seem to always entrap Democratic candidates. He opposed the Supreme Court decision that the death penalty is too severe for child rapists and he supported the decision that overturned the D.C. ban on handguns and declared the right of U.S. citizens to own handguns. In the past, liberal Democrats have fumbled badly on these questions (i.e., Dukakis' cold answer to a question about the death penalty if his wife was murered was turned into being weak on crime). There is no way a Democrat could win a general election and oppose the death penalty for child rapists. Imagine the GOP attack ads on that, or if Obama voted against revising FISA and there is a terrorist attack?

Obama's support of "faith-based" programs is not a "move to the right"! Obama was an activist and organizer in "faith-based" programs in Chicago. That is where he acquired his liberal perspective on helping the poor. His program is not like Bush's. Obama recognizes the separation of church & state and prohibits discrimination based on religion or against gays and lesbians. And it is not limited to churches. His program will include secular organizations as well as gay-supportive organizations and churches.

Progressives and anti-Obama feminist Hillary Clinton supporters have to look at the bigger picture--Barack Obama is far more progressive than John McCain! Our choice is between those two candidates, only one of the THEM will win the general election. Progressives should have learned from 2000 that wasting their vote on a left-wing third party candidate does MORE harm to the progressive movement.

Theda Skocpol has a message to all of you anti-Obama progressives and Obama-hating Clintonites:
CAN PROGRESSIVES UNITE?
See Also Norman Solomon: Obama and the Progressive Base

Are Republicans Really this Stupid?

Are People (Republicans) Really This Stupid??

Today at work I got into a political discussion (which we aren’t supposed to have) with a woman (a WOMAN) who couldn’t understand why the American people did not support the war because the soldiers support it and we should too. I tried to explain that MILITARY polls and surveys shows that military soldiers overwhelmingly opposed the war now, like the general public, and disapprove of George Bush. Furthermore, over 1,000 of our soldiers in Iraq have committed SUICIDE. She responded that maybe they enlisted “to get a free ride” !!!
I could not believe people could be so blindly supportive of Bush that they would even dismiss the opposition of the troops they claim to support.

She laughed when I said the Iraq War was illegal and Bush LIED (misled) congress and the country into it. (He didn’t Know.. She said)
He KNEW! He knew Iraq didn’t pose a “clear and present” danger to the U.S.! He KNEW Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11!
Bush KNEW that Iraq had NO TIES to Al Qeda!
Bush has committed IMPEACHABLE CRIMES! (Iraq, illegal torture, wiretapping, etc..)
How can people still not KNOW these facts!

This same person is racist. She wants to move from her house because of the “neighborhood” (i.e. Blacks).
She thinks all poor people are lazy and are popping out babies to get welfare checks.
Rich people deserve to be rich, poor people are just too lazy, etc.
She thinks labor unions are evil, and Wal-Mart is a great company to work for..
She thinks Bush is a better president than Bill Clinton, who she hates...

Is this the “typical” Republican today?
And why is it that most of the SUV’s I see with “W” and Bush/Cheney stickers driven by WOMEN?

Sorry I had to vent... I just don’t understand how people could be this stupid.

The Week that Should have Ended John McCain's Campaign

This should have been THE WEEK THAT SHOULD HAVE ENDED MCCAIN'S PRESIDENTIAL HOPES!

John McCain: 61 Flip Flops and Counting

Here's a partial list of John McCains 61 Flip-Flops

While the media focus on every claim of Obama flip-flops, they are ignoring the McCain Flip-Flop Express!

McCain/GOP Have Double Democratic Cash!

Here's why Barack Obama should NOT be wasting his time helping Hillary Clinton pay off her $20 million debt!

Republicans Have Double Democratic Cash

McCain is sitting on $97 milllion!

The McCain campaign and Republican Party have nearly $95 million cash on hand combined for use in the presidential race, campaign manager Rick Davis said Thursday. He said the McCain camp had more than $27 million, and the Republican National Committee has more than $67 million.
And, they're planning on $400 million -- including the $85 million from the public finance system:
Davis said he hopes the campaign and party will be able to raise an additional $95 million by the end of the summer. Including the matching funds, he estimated the campaign would have a total $400 million budget through Election Day.

As pointed out on AmericaBlog, McCain and the GOP are a huge financial advantage over Obama and the Democratic party.

Thanks to Hillary Clinton, the RNC and McCain got a head start on raising money for the general election, and now she wants Obama to help pay her debts instead of raising money to beat John McCain????

Arkansas Cage Fight Turns Gay

Arkansas Cage Fight Turns Gay, Crowd Goes Crazy

Crowds in Arkansas came for the lure of cage fighting and $1 beer, but police say what they got instead was men ripping each others' clothes off and kissing _ a stunt suspected of being orchestrated by Sacha Baron Cohen of "Borat" fame.

"We had a contract for cage fighting. We were deceived," said Dwight Duncan, president and CEO of Four States Fair Grounds in Texarkana, where the first of two Arkansas fights raised suspicions last month.

Matt Labov, a Los Angeles-based publicist for Baron Cohen, said he had no comment Monday about the faked fights. One of Baron Cohen's movies is due out next year.

The day after the June 5 Texarkana bout, Fort Smith's convention center hosted "Blue Collar Brawlin.'" Fort Smith police Sgt. Adam Holland said organizers told him a character named "Straight Dave" would goad a planted audience member into the ring for a fight.

The two men would then wrestle, rip away some of their clothes and share a brief kiss reminiscent of one between Baron Cohen and Will Ferrell in the film "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."

Producers said "there would be a romantic embrace," Holland said. "They said it was kind of to essentially make fun, poke fun at wrestling _ two guys rolling around on the floor, all sweaty."

An elaborate array of mounted and handheld video cameras caught the crowd of 1,600's reaction as the two men "went right up to the line" of the city's morality laws, Holland said. The two men stripped down to their underwear, kissed and rubbed on each other, the sergeant said.

The audience, as well as local fighters drawn to take part in the show, became enraged. "It set the crowd off lobbing beers," Holland said. "They had beers in plastic cups. Those things can get some distance on them actually."

Holland said it took officers about 45 minutes to clear the convention center, as the two actors sprinted away through a specially set-aside tunnel.

Those in attendance were told by several signs on display that they'd be filmed, Holland said, and signed waivers before the event. Convention center sales director Karin Hobbs declined to name the event's sponsor Monday.

Baron Cohen became a national celebrity after his 2006 hit movie "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," in which he played a bumbling reporter from the Central Asia nation.

News of the faked cage fights comes as Baron Cohen is in production of a movie titled "Bruno," named after the gay Austrian fashion reporter he developed for "Da Ali G Show." Baron Cohen, in the guise of Bruno, often interviewed hapless subjects in the South.

If the cage match visits came from Baron Cohen, it wouldn't be the first time Arkansas fell for a practical joke. In 2000, then-Gov. Mike Huckabee fell for a prank and congratulated Canada for preserving its icebound Parliament, calling it a "national igloo."
------

So, these people LOVE watching men fight but get violently angry if two men kiss? That would be the real meaning of the term "homophobia" I guess, an "irrational fear and hatred of homosexuality"!
BRUNO should be a funny movie, like Borat, exposing the stupidity of the American people.

McCain Advisor: It's only a "Mental Recession"

McCain Advisor, Phil Graham, says stop whinnig, its Only a "Mental Recession"

Former Sen. Phil Gramm, a key economic adviser to McCain, told the Washington Times that worries about the sluggish US economy sinking into a recession were just in everybody's head.

"You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession," he said, noting that growth has held up at about 1 percent despite all the publicity over losing jobs to India, China, illegal immigration, housing and credit problems and record oil prices. "We may have a recession; we haven't had one yet."

See Also:
"Foreclosure Phil Gramm": How John McCain's Economic Advisor Helped Engineer the Mortgage Crisis

Obama Tells Army Times He Supports Allowing Gays to Serve

In an in depth interview with Army Times, Barack Obama Reiterates his Support for Gays to Serve in the Military:

Obama also spoke of rocking the boat. In what seems certain to be one of his more controversial proposals for the military, Obama said he wants to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military.

Equity and fairness are part of the reason for lifting the ban on acknowledged homosexuals serving in the military, Obama said, but there are practical reasons, too — like getting “all hands on deck” when the nation needs people in uniform. “If we can’t field enough Arab linguists, we shouldn’t be preventing an Arab linguist from serving his or her country because of what they do in private,” he said, referring to the 2006 discharge of about 60 linguists for violating the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on service by homosexuals.

“I want to make sure that we are doing it in a thoughtful and principled way. But I do believe that at a time when we are short-handed, that everybody who is willing to lay down their lives on behalf of the United States and can do so effectively, can perform critical functions, should have the opportunity to do so.”

Asked how he would deal with opposition from within the Pentagon, Obama smiled and said: “Well, I’m a pretty persuasive guy.” But he acknowledged that pushing such a legal change through Congress would be more challenging. “We have to distinguish whether there are functional barriers to doing this and are people prepared for the political heat.”

Fox Attacks Michelle Obama/Hires Clinton Advisors

The Faux News Channel continues its right-wing attacks on Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, often borrowing the same attacks used by the Clinton campaign against them. Maybe that is why Fox News is hiring so many former Clinton advisors, who praise Fox as "fair and balanced"!

Fox Smears Michelle Obama

Study: Gays in Military Don't Threaten Morale

Study: Gays in Military Don't Threaten Morale

As Gomer Pile would say, "Surprise, Surprise Surprise!"
Congress should repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy because the presence of gays in the military is unlikely to undermine the ability to fight and win, according to a new study released by a California-based research center.
The study was conducted by four retired military officers, including the three-star Air Force lieutenant general who in early 1993 was tasked with implementing President Clinton's policy that the military stop questioning recruits on their sexual orientation.

"Evidence shows that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly is unlikely to pose any significant risk to morale, good order, discipline or cohesion," the officers states.

To support its contention, the panel points to the British and Israeli militaries, where it says gay people serve openly without hurting the effectiveness of combat operations.

Undermining unit cohesion was a determining factor when Congress passed the 1993 law, intended to keep the military from asking recruits their sexual orientation. In turn, service members can't say they are gay or bisexual, engage in homosexual activity or marry a member of the same sex.

The study was sponsored by the Michael D. Palm Center at the University of California at Santa Barbara, which said it picked the panel members to portray a bipartisan representation of the different service branches. According to its website, the Palm Center "is committed to keeping researchers, journalists and the general public informed of the latest developments in the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy debate."

Two of the officers have endorsed Democratic candidates since leaving the military — Army Lt. Gen. Robert Gard, who supports Barack Obama, and Marine Corps Gen. Hugh Aitken, who backed Clinton in 1996.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Minter Alexander, a Republican, was assigned in 1993 to a high-level panel established by the Defense Department to examine the issue of gays in the military. At one point, he signed an order that prohibited the military from asking a recruit's sexual orientation.

Alexander said at the time he was simply trying to carry out the president's orders and not take a position. But he now believes the law should be repealed because it assumes the existence of gays in the military is disruptive to units even though cultural attitudes are changing.

Further, the Defense Department and not Congress should be in charge of regulating sexual misconduct within the military, he said.

"Who else can better judge whether it's a threat to good order and discipline?" Alexander asked.

Navy Vice Adm. Jack Shanahan said he had no opinion on the issue when he joined the panel, having never confronted it in his 35-year military career. A self-described Republican who opposes the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war, Shanahan said he was struck by the loss of personal integrity required by individuals to carry out "don't ask, don't tell."

"Everyone was living a big lie — the homosexuals were trying to hide their sexual orientation and the commanders were looking the other way because they didn't want to disrupt operations by trying to enforce the law," he said.
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While some Republican strategists are urging John McCain to use gays in the military as a "wedge" issue in the 2008 election, they seem to be ignoring the polls which show that the public now overwhelmingly supports the right of gays and lesbians to serve in the U.S. military.

Even 73% of the U.S. military is OK with gays serving in the military!

Anti-Gay AFA Boycotts McDonalds

The anti-gay American Family Association has launched a Boycott McDonalds campaign to protest McDonald's support of the "homosexual agenda."


In other AFA stupidity news, the AFA's Christian news site One News Now had to reverse the AFA's policy of using "homosexual" instead of "gay", even in AP news stories, had to change the policy in the case of Olympic track and field star Tyson Gay.


American Family Association reverses course on 'Gays'

by PageOneQ

Is the American Family Association anti-gay... and anti-'Gay'?

OneNewsNow, the "Christian news service" covertly owned by the AFA, receives syndicated content from providers like the Associated Press and edits instances of the word "gay" to read "homosexual." Although the site is registered to the conservative, anti-gay organization, the fact is not disclosed anywhere on the site.

An article posted Sunday night about Olympic track and field star Tyson Gay was no exception.

"Tyson Homosexual easily won his semifinal for the 100 meters at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials," the article read, "and seemed to save something for the final later Sunday." The headline read "Homosexual eases into 100 final at Olympic events."

"On Saturday," it went on, "Homosexual misjudged the finish in his opening heat and had to scramble to finish fourth, then in his quarterfinal a couple of hours later, ran 9.77 to break the American record that had stood since 1999."

"Asked how he felt, Homosexual said: 'A little fatigued.'"

This morning, OneNewsNow changed its stance on 'Gays' (but not 'gays') and changed the article back to the way the AP had first written it. As late as 9:45am ET today, the online version below referenced the runner as "Tyson Homosexual"; by 10:06am ET the headline and story text had been edited to reunite Gay with his original name.

AP spokesman Jack Spokes said he could not comment without first reviewing the information first brought to him by PageOneQ. Cindy Roberts of the American Family Association said she would "take a look" at the news post. A follow-up message seeking comment on why the ownership of OneNewsNow is not disclosed on the site has not been returned.

To view the original posting, corrected version or the domain registration, click here.

Bush Stimulates Porn Sales

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Happy Independence Day: Jesse Helms is Dead!

Happy Independence Day! Jesse Helms is Dead Finally

Bigot Jesse Helms is Dead!

The right-wing, racist, homophobic, BIGOT, who celebrated the oppression of gay people and opposed AIDS funding in the U.S., is finally dead!
Even though I am an atheist, I hope there is a hell for Hitler, Jerry Falwell and Jesse Helms. I hope he is feeling the heat.
R.I.H Jesse Helms!

For More in Helms see Americablog:
Racist,, Homophobe Jesse Helms is Dead

Joe My God has some nice quotes to remember Dead Jesse:

- On threatening the life of a sitting president: "Mr. Clinton better watch out if he comes down here. He'd better have a bodyguard."

- On gays and AIDS: “It's their deliberate, disgusting, revolting conduct that is responsible for the disease”

- On equality: "I've been portrayed as a caveman by some. That's not true. I'm a conservative progressive, and that means I think all men are equal, be they slants, beaners, or niggers."

- On education: "Your tax dollars are being used to pay for grade-school classes that teach our children that cannibalism, wife-swapping and murder of infants and the elderly are acceptable behavior."

- On civil rights: "The Negro cannot count forever on the kind of restraint that's thus far left him free to clog the streets, disrupt traffic, and interfere with other men's rights."

- On journalists: "The New York Times and Washington Post are both infested with homosexuals themselves. Just about every person down there is a homosexual or lesbian."

- On the Duke University students upset by Martin Luther King's assassination: "They should ask their parents if it would be all right for their son or daughter to marry a Negro."

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See Signorile: The Truth Behind Jesse Helms and the Homo-con who Made Him an Icon

Unfortunately, Jesse Helms helped his pal Ronnie Reagan remake the Republican Party into a neo-fascist party for racist, homophobic bigots, and to some degree moved the U.S. further to the brink of fascism. Helms may be dead, but his racist, homophobic, Christo-fascism is alive and well.

Too Bad that Jesse won't live to see the First Black President

And to help celebrate the death of another Fascist on this 4th of July, here's Woody Guthrie singing the TRUE national anthem, THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND (he wrote on his guitar, "this machine kills fascists!")

(Some) Gay Republicans Waking Up to Reality

At least some Gay Republicans are waking up to Reality: The GOP is NOT the party for gays and lesbians!

Former Gay Bush Supporters Unhappy With John McCain/GOP Some Are Supporting Obama!

Members of the “Austin 12,” the group of prominent gay Republicans who famously met with George W. Bush in 2000, are not exactly rallying around John McCain.

Several members of the group told the Blade this week that they are considering voting for Barack Obama in November, while others announced tepid support for the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.

In all, three said they either would vote for Obama or are seriously considering it; three are undecided between McCain and Obama; three are backing McCain and three others declined to comment.

The “Austin 12” gained notoriety after meeting with Bush in Austin in April 2000, when Bush was still governor of Texas and a candidate for president.

During the meeting, the “Austin 12” urged Bush to appoint open gays to federal offices, include an openly gay speaker at the 2000 Republican National Convention and maintain President Clinton’s executive order banning discrimination against gays in the federal workforce. Bush complied with each of those requests during his presidency.

But Bush’s record, most notably his endorsement of the Federal Marriage Amendment, has soured some members of the “Austin 12” so much that they refuse to support the Republican Party’s presidential choice, even though McCain voted against the FMA in the U.S. Senate.

David Greer, who was appointed to Bush’s AIDS advisory board in 2003, left the Republican Party that same year and has been a registered Democrat since then. He said gay Republicans would never be a strong enough voice to influence the GOP and that the party is more interested in exploiting gay Republicans for political gain.

“As long as there’s a far right in the party, gay Republicans are way too small in numbers … to have any effect on the party,” he said. “We actually end up doing greater and lasting harm to the whole GLBT community.”
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That's right! It's time for the Log Cabin Republicans to STOP misleading gays and lesbians into supporting the GOP and their presidential candidates. Like George Bush, John McCain may talk to some of you, he may be nice to your faces, but he does not need your votes or your support. He needs to win over the anti-gay base of the Republican Party. That's what he is trying to do. He is meeting with anti-gay religious leaders and groups. He is promising them to appoint anti-gay judges. He is supporting anti-gay marriage amendments in Arizona and California. He opposes anti-gay discrimination legislation. He opposes allowing gays to serve in the military. John McCain is the ANTI-GAY candidate!

The LCR have been trying to "educate" the gay community about John McCain. They have LIED. They are so desperate to endorse the Republican presidential candidate, they will LIE. They have claimed that McCain is supportive of LGBT people because he voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment. Never mind that he not only supported but made TV ads for the Arizona anti-gay marriage amendment. John McCain not only opposes marriage equality, he opposed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, Hate Crimes Legislation, and supports the military's anti-gay policies.

The LCR tried to mislead gay voters by claiming that McCain won the GOP primary by OPPOSING the religious right. Wrong. He pandered to them. He called anti-gay pastors (John Hagee and Rod Parsely) his "spirital advisors" and praised them. He embraced their anti-gay extremist views. He is going out of his way now to get their support.

So it is time for the Log Cabin Republicans to face the reality that the Republican Party is NOT a party that embraces gays and lesbians. It is not a party for progressives. It is not a party that embraces diversity. It is still and will be for the distant future, an extremist, neo-fascist party that is the base of anti-gay, racist and sexist bigots.

And I'm sick of hearing gay Republicans say they are not "single-issue" voters. As if equality and social justice are just "single-issue" politics. What about racism, sexism, peace, social justice and peace. Those are not "single issues".

The only reason for any gay person to support the Republican Party is because they support militarism, anti-labor, anti-environmental, sexist and racist policies.

Why would gay Republicans want to support the candidate of THESE PEOPLE ??

Christian Conservatives Uniting Behind McCain

Make no mistake, the Republican Party IS going to use gay marriage as a wedge issue to win the 2008 election!

Transgender Murder in Memphis

Memphis Police Investigate Transgender Homicide
(Memphis 7/1/08) Memphis homicide detectives are trying to unravel the city's latest murder mystery.

A body was found steps away from a daycare, an abandoned apartment complex and a strip club in Memphis. The victim is transgendered.

The victim's body was found early Tuesday morning in the 32-hundred block of Whitebrook Plaza in southeast Memphis.

Advocates say transgendered people tend to be targets of crime.

Jonathan Cole with the Tennessee Equality Project says, "Transgendered individual are often the victims of crime mainly because we know that people are homophobic or transphobic."

This follows a recent incident in which a Memphis Police Officer Attacked a Transgendered Person.

Obama v. McCain: CA Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment

In case the Log Cabin (Uncle Tom) Republicans are still considering endorsing John McCain...
While John McCain has endorsed Prop. 8, the CA Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment, Barack Obama is firmly opposing it!

Obama Opposes Prop. 8

Barack Obama Opposes Prop 8, the anti-marriage amendment

by: Brian Leubitz

Sun Jun 29, 2008 at 19:05:08 PM PDT

In a letter to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, Sen. Barack Obama stated his opposition to the California constitutional amendment:

Dear Friends,

Thank you for the opportunity to welcome everyone to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club's Pridc Breakfast and to congratulate you on continuing a legacy of success, stretching back thirty-six years. As one of the oldest and most influential LGBT organizations in the country, you have continually rallied to support Democratic candidates and causes, and have fought tirelessly to secure equal rights and opportunities for LGBT Americans in California and throughout the country.

As the Democratic nominee for President, I am proud to join with and support the LGBT community in an effort to set our nation on a course that recognizes LGBT Americans with full equality under the law. That is why I support extending fully equal rights and benefits to same sex couples under both state and federal law. That is why I support repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, and the passage of laws to protect LGBT Americans from hate crimes and employment discrimination. And that is why I oppose the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution, and similar efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution or those of other states.

For too long. issues of LGBT rights have been exploited by those seeking to divide us. It's time to move beyond polarization and live up to our founding promise of equality by treating all our citizens with dignity and respect. This is no less than a core issue about who we are as Democrats and as Americans.

Finally, I want to congratulate all of you who have shown your love for each other by getting married these last few weeks. My thanks again to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club for allowing me to be a part of today's celebration. I look forward to working with you in the coming months and years, and I wish you all continued success.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama