More Fear Mongering From Yes On 8

The Christianists at Yes On 8 continue their "Think! About! The! Children!" theme, this time using the example of the class of San Francisco first-graders that attended their teacher's wedding. Of course, they fail to mention that all the parents of those kids gave permission for that field trip.

Tragedy For Jennifer Hudson

The mother and brother of Oscar winner, American Idol finalist, and gay icon Jennifer Hudson were found murdered in their Chicago home yesterday.

The mother and brother of Jennifer Hudson were found shot dead Friday at a South Side home, and police were looking for a missing child who is the nephew of the singer and Oscar-winning actress. A man suspected in the deaths was in custody Friday night, but the 7-year-old boy had not been located, according to published reports.

William Balfour was being questioned, but Julian King's whereabouts were not known, law enforcement sources told the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. Balfour has not been charged. Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said investigators were talking to "a number of people in custody" but she declined to elaborate. An Amber Alert issued Friday said Balfour was a suspect in the double homicide of Darnell Donerson, 57, and Jason Hudson, 29, whose bodies were found Friday afternoon in a South Side home.

Jennifer Hudson's personal publicist, Lisa Kasteler, confirmed the deaths. "We can confirm that there is an ongoing investigation concerning the deaths of Jennifer Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and her brother, Jason Hudson," Kasteler said in a statement. "No further comment will be made and the family has asked that their privacy be respected at this difficult time."

Such a sad and horrible turn of events for Hudson, who has become a beloved icon and friend of the gay community. She has performed for massive and adoring crowds at gay pride events around the nation, perhaps most notably at this year's NYC Pier Dance, where she gleefully shared the mic with the audience on her show-stopping rendition of And I'm Telling You. Adding to the cruelty, Hudson should be celebrating her first #1 single, Spotlight, which tops the R&B chart this week.

Log Cabin Republicans Ask For Donations To Fight The Evil Gay Left

Oh, no you didn't, you Quisling bitches. It's broughten. Check out this screencap from a Log Cabin Republicans fundraising letter. (Sorry it won't embiggen here. For a larger version hit up Good As You.)

Wah, wah, wah. The iddle piddle Cabinettes got their feewings hurt because the REST of the LGBT world rightly called them the fuck out on their complicity in the Republican party's relentless campaign to deprive us of our constitutional rights. What a fee-fi-fo-fuckin' shame.

(Via - Good As You)

Apple Donates $100K To Fight Prop 8

From Apple's "Hot News" page:

No on Prop 8

October 24, 2008

Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8.

Kiss your Mac.

UPDATE: Predictably, the Freepers have started a complaint campaign against Apple. Go here and THANK Apple for doing the right thing.

McCain Worker Admits She Lied About Being Mugged By Obama Supporter

Yesterday the exec VP of Fox News said: “This incident could become a watershed event in the 11 days before the election. If Ms. Todd’s allegations are proven accurate, some voters may revisit their support for Senator Obama, not because they are racists (with due respect to Rep. John Murtha), but because they suddenly feel they do not know enough about the Democratic nominee. If the incident turns out to be a hoax, Senator McCain’s quest for the presidency is over, forever linked to race-baiting.”

Well, I guess it's over for McCain then.

Police sources tell KDKA that a campaign worker has now confessed to making up a story that a mugger attacked her and cut the letter "B" in her face after seeing her McCain bumper sticker. Ashley Todd, 20, of Texas, initially told police that she was robbed at an ATM in Bloomfield and that the suspect became enraged and started beating her after seeing her GOP sticker on her car. Police investigating the alleged attack, however, began to notice some inconsistencies in her story and administered a polygraph test. Authorities, however, declined to release the results of that test.

Investigators did say that they received photos from the ATM machine and "the photographs were verified as not being the victim making the transaction." This afternoon, a Pittsburgh police commander told KDKA Investigator Marty Griffin that Todd confessed to making up the story. The commander added that Todd will face charges; but police have not commented on what those charges will be.

It's been so very fascinating watching this story unfold on Free Republic. It was like being inside the collective hive mind of a drone colony of wingnuts. Here's how the collective saw Ashley Todd's story:

Hour One, Outrage: "Damn! Poor girl! I hope they catch the fucker and FRY HIM!"
Hour Two, Blame: "This is Obama's fault. Remember how he asked his supporters to get into everybody's face?"
Hour Three, Predictions: "This heinous and brutal mutilation is just a tiny sign of the widespread debauchery, violence, and perversion that will overtake the country when Nobama's socialist-marxist-communist-fag administration takes over. IT'S A SIGN, PEOPLE."
Hour Four, Satisfaction: "Can you believe those pigs at Kos and DU are calling this a hoax? Guess they don't like their Savage Leader calling on the brothers to give us a taste of what's coming BEFORE the election. Sorry Commies, you screwed this one up."
Hour Five, Planning: "McCain needs to get this Todd girl on the campaign trail. Her beaten and Barack-scarred face would show this country exactly the sort of ghetto filth that their Messiah will unleash on the rest of us."
Hour Six, Dismissal: "The Pittsburgh cops say they're suspicious of Todd's story. Figures that inner city cops are covering up for this gruesome attack on a poor white girl."
Hour Seven, Hope: "McCain and Palin have already called Ashley to express condolences. Let's hope the Ashley Todd ads are being made as we speak. Ashley is our Willie Horton!"
Hour Eight, Anger: "The liberal elite MSM is casting doubt on the story. Why is anybody surprised? You can bet if this was a black girl with an "M" carved in her face this would be on EVERY CHANNEL."
Hour Nine, SnopesZone: (This hour was consumed with dozens of traded theories on exactly how a person gets a backwards "B" carved into her face with little damage. People claiming to be ER doctors and plastic surgeons weigh in to SWEAR that Todd's wound's are "totally consistent" with her story.)
Hour Ten, Suspicion: "If this IS a hoax you know this girl was planted by leftists to make us look bad. What's her background? Why did she just get to town? OMG! On her MySpace she friended RON PAUL!"
CONCLUSION: "Obviously Ashley Todd was part of a very well-run campaign to discredit McCain. Congratulations are due to MoveOn for this one. Don't expect to the MSM to investigate this OBVIOUS plant by the Obamacons."

Seriously.

The hilarious photo below was created by Gawker commenter Fetys.

John McCain's Brother Called 911 To Complain About A Traffic Jam

Why does John McCain's brother hate our patriotic police officers?

Operator: 911. State your emergency.
Caller: It's not an emergency but do you know why on one side at the damn drawbridge of 95, traffic is stopped for 15 minutes and yet traffic's coming the other way?
Operator: Sir, are you calling 911 to complain about traffic? (pause)
Caller: Fuck you. (caller hangs up)

The 911 operator, apparently, unnerved by use of the 911 emergency number to complain about bad traffic, called back the phone number that placed the call. The operator reached a voice mail message that said, "Hi this is Joe McCain I can't take this message now because I'm involved in a very (inaudible) important political project... I hope on Nov. 4th we have elected John." Outraged by the operator's action, the man called 911 a second time. That conversation went as follows:

Caller: Somebody gave me this riot act about the violation of police.
Operator: Did you just call 911 in reference to this?
Caller: Yeah.
Operator: 911 is to be used for emergencies only, not just because you're sitting in traffic.

WJLA reports that the McCain campaign would not comment.

Disco Power

A nightclub in Rotterdam is using a dance floor that generates energy from the movements of the dancers.

If you felt that the atmosphere in the new hip Club Watt was somehow electric, you would be right: Watt has a new type of dance floor that harvests the energy generated by jumps and gyrations and transforms it into electricity. It is one of a handful of energy-generating floors in the world, most still experimental. With its human engineering, Watt partly powers itself: The better the music, the more people dance, the more electricity comes out of the floor.

The article notes that folks in Rotterdam have a vested interested in global warming as it would be one of the first cities inundated if sea levels rose. The company that makes the flooring is exploring expanding the concept to gyms and fitness centers.

Courage Campaign Asks Mormon Church To Stop Lying About Proposition 8

LGBT activists in California are collecting petition signatures asking the Mormon Church to stop meddling in the gay marriage issue.

The Courage Campaign contends church leaders have "intimidated" members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints into giving millions of dollars to the Yes on 8 campaign.

On Nov. 4, California voters will decide whether to approve Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage in that state.

In a Thursday news release, Courage Campaign founder Rick Jacobs says he's collecting signatures and plans to deliver a petition to a church temple in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The petition asks Monson to stop funding and advocacy for the proposition and stay out of California politics. "We fully respect your religious freedoms, but your freedoms do not include the ability to take away rights from anyone," the petition reads. The petition was posted online Thursday and was rapidly collecting signatures, Jacobs said.

Mormon leaders insist that they are not intimidating church members into contributing to Yes On 8, only "inviting" them to give money. As much as 75% of the Yes On 8 money comes from the Mormons.

I am supremely skeptical that the Courage Campaign would turn the Magic Underwear crowd around, but go here to sign their petition anyway. It can't hurt and at least YOU will feel a little better.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: The Courage Campaign demands that Rep. David Dreier come out of the closet.

The Sarah Palin Show

Television execs are looking for "the right vehicle" for Sarah Palin.

As campaign managers for Sarah Palin plot last-minute tactics to get her elected, Hollywood bigwigs are convening strategy sessions of their own. Their goal: finding the ideal on-air vehicle for the VP candidate if and when she exits politics.

Love her or hate her -- there doesn't seem to be much middle ground with Palin -- the 44-year-old hockey mom has captured the public imagination in a way no politician has since, well, Barack Obama. But as more and more polls cast doubt on the McCain-Palin ticket, producers and agents across the entertainment world are discussing possibilities for capitalizing on her fame, ranging from an Oprah-style syndicated talk show to a Sean Hannity-like perch in cable news or on radio.

"Any television person who sees the numbers when she appears on anything would say Sarah Palin would be great," said veteran morning-show producer Steve Friedman, citing the double-digit ratings gains her appearances on "Saturday Night Live" and "CBS Evening News" generated. "The passion she has on each side, love and hate, makes television people say, 'Wow, imagine the viewership.' "

In a world where Pat Buchanan and Mike Huckabee get their own shows, The Sarah Palin Show seems totally plausible.

There's Something About Mary

Christians For McCain protested Wednesday outside the national headquarters of the East Coast Media Elite. Workers peered out of their windows briefly, then went back to skewing polls and spiking stories that use the words "birth certificate." Hey, who ordered the stem-cell cappuccino? We all did!

(Photo by Amin Torres via Gothamist)

Wardrobe Malfunction

The Palins' now-famous $150K wardrobe? Some of the stores that show up on the RNC expense report can find no record of the purchases.

There are still aspects of the Republican National Committee’s shopping sprees on behalf of Gov. Sarah Palin and her family that are murky. Some of the fashion experts consulted Wednesday, for instance, about the $150,000 in purchases that appeared on Federal Election Commission records were puzzled by where all of that money had gone, given what they had seen of Ms. Palin’s wardrobe.

Consider also the $4,902.45 charge at Atelier New York, a high-end men’s store, presumably for Ms. Palin’s husband, Todd, the famous First Dude. Karlo Steel, an owner there, said he had gone through the store’s receipts for September, twice, and found no sales that matched that amount, nor any combination of sales that added up to the total. Because the store carries aggressively directional men’s wear, he caters to a small clientèle and knows most of his customers by name, as well as the history of their purchases.

"Aggressively directional men's wear"? Wazzat? Also: 47th & 7th? That's the middle of Times Square. I don't think they're selling aggressively directional men's wear at the TKTS booth or Olive Garden. Atelier is in SoHo. Curious. It's interesting that the Palin's personal shopper, Jeff Larson, also works for the GOP robocalling company responsible for those heinous Obama/Ayers calls. Is that where the money really went?

Ron Howard's Call To Action

Ron Howard goes into flashback mode with Andy Griffith and Henry Winkler in this way cute Obama endorsement. Fonzi: "She shoots moose? I thought she said she was loose! Ayyyyyy."

UNRELATED: My New Jersey grandmother used to call me Opie Taylor because I looked somewhat like him, and we lived in a Mayberry-esque North Carolina town (only with way more trailer parks). I think Opie was about five years older than me when the show was airing.

Former Bushie Endorses Obama

Former Bush administration press secretary Scott McClellan is endorsing Barack Obama.

McClellan made the endorsement during a taping of Comedian D.L. Hughley's new show that is premiering on CNN this weekend. The former Bush administration official said he wanted to support the candidate that has the best chance for changing the way Washington works and getting things done. He's the second former Bush administration figure this week to publicly back Obama, following former Secretary of State Colin Powell. McClellan caused bitterness among his former co-workers with a tell-all book that criticized Bush.

Who's next, Jenna and Babs?

Ferrell-Bush And Fey-Palin

Will Ferrell made a cameo appearance on SNL: Thursday Update last night to reprise his excellent Dubya impersonation. Not their funniest sketch, but a little Tina Fey goes a long way. Ferrell will play Dubya in a one-man Broadway show scheduled to open on February 1st.

Doggelganger

UES, Second Avenue, Thursday, 8PM

A feeble-looking elderly woman with a walker is on the sidewalk with her poodle. As I pass her, the dog barks and jumps at me excitedly, his tail wagging furiously. The dog's leash gets tangled in the old lady's walker and I stop to help her.

"Thank you very much! Wow, he really likes you."

"Oh, he probably just smells my cat."

I turn to walk away.

"No, it's because you look so much like my husband!"

Oh. Damn.

NYC Council Approves Term Limits Repeal

Late yesterday afternoon the New York City Council voted to repeal term limits, all but guaranteeing a third mayoral term for Michael Bloomberg.

After a spirited, emotional and at times raucous debate, the New York City Council voted, 29 to 22, on Thursday afternoon to extend term limits, allowing Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to seek re-election next year and undoing the result of two voter referendums that had imposed a limit of two four-year terms.

The vote was a major victory for Mayor Bloomberg — a billionaire and lifelong Democrat who was elected mayor as a Republican in 2001, won re-election in 2005, became an independent last year, and decided just weeks ago that he wished to seek a third term for himself in 2009 — and for the Council’s speaker, Christine C. Quinn. But the intense acrimony surrounding the decision left a sharply divided Council and could ultimately damage the mayor’s popularity.

The new law, which earlier on Thursday sailed through a committee vote, limits elected officials to three consecutive terms and applies to all of the city’s elected officials. It has already begun to upend municipal politics, reshaping the dynamics of next year’s races. Of the Council’s 51 members, 35 would have been barred by term limits from seeking re-election next year. On Thursday, 23 of those members voted in favor of extending term limits, and 12 voted against. .

The vote was protested by spectators inside and outside City Hall and will likely be challenged in court. Many are calling for a special spring 2009 referendum on the issue, which would cost the city millions of dollars to conduct.

Openly lesbian Speaker Christine Quinn, who was among those slated for ejection next year, lobbied heavily for the change. Ironically, Quinn became Speaker after her popular four-term predecessor, Gifford Miller, had to leave office because of the then-new term limits law.

Tawana Brawley II

McCain campaign volunteer Ashley Todd, 20, of College Station, Texas claims she was using an ATM on the "wrong side of Pittsburgh" when a Huge! Scary! Negro! mugged her. After robbing her of $60, the mugger dragged Todd to her car and became so enraged upon seeing her McCain bumper sticker that he punched her in the eye and carved the letter "B" into her cheek with a knife.

The robber is described as a dark-skinned black man, 6 feet 4 inches tall, 200 pounds with a medium build, short black hair and brown eyes. The man was wearing dark colored jeans, a black undershirt and black shoes.

The Obama-Biden campaign released a statement, commenting on the attack. The statement said, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the young woman for her to make a speedy recovery, and we hope that the person who perpetrated this crime is swiftly apprehended and brought to justice."

The McCain-Palin campaign also released a statement saying, "The McCain campaign is aware of the incident involving one of its volunteers. Out of respect, the campaign won't be commenting. The campaign also confirms that Senator McCain and Governor Palin have both spoken to the woman."

The letter B. As in "Barack." Uh, only the "B" is carved backwards, like somebody was looking into a mirror when she did it. And the cut is even and shallow, like somebody didn't want her face permanently scarred. Oh, and the attack happened just outside the range of the ATM's surveillance cameras. Also according to Ms. Todd, her attacker was only wearing jeans and a t-shirt. In the 40-degree Pittsburgh weather.

After the Drudge Report jumped on the story with a 72-point red font headline, the news quickly spread to the conservative and PUMA blogosphere. From the PUMA site HillBuzz:

Obama supporters are truly the most despicable people we’ve ever encountered - and we worked the Kerry, Gore, and 1996 Clinton campaigns. We’ve never seen any political supporters mutilate anyone’s flesh before. If you vote for Obama, you condone this behavior, and empower the thugs who commit acts of violence like this in his name. Why hasn’t Obama come out to tell his followers to stop doing this? Obama must stop his followers from mutilating the flesh of those who oppose him. [Note to regular JMG readers: Check out the first commenter on the story. Heh.]

Purely by coincidence, Tawana Ashley had just started a Twitter account and the Smoking Gun posted her last three messages. Three hours after a brutal assault and she's happily Twittering away? Surprisingly, even some of wingnuttiest McCain flacks out there are calling "fake". Michelle Malkin:

We have enough low-lifes and thugs in the world running loose and causing campaign chaos and fomenting hatred without having to make them up. I’ve been blowing the whistle on the real, left-wing rage not on the front page and in-your-face tactics throughout the election season. Hate crimes hoaxes — by anyone, of any political persuasion, and of any color — diminish us all. Either way, I hope that Todd gets the help she needs, that the whole truth comes out, and that justice is served on the perpetrator. Whoever he or she may be.

Pittsburgh cops aren't buying the story and plan to polygraph her. But get ready for Ashley Todd to become a rallying point for the GOP. There's already several thousand "outraged" comments on the Freepers threads about this. Here's the story from Fox News:

UPDATE: From Todd's MySpace page: "Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her cloths off, but its better if you do."

UPDATE II: The unraveling has begun. Todd has changed her story several times. She now claims she was sexually assaulted and knocked unconscious and doesn't recall the injuries to her face.

Yes On 8 Launches Blackmail Campaign

The lovely folks at Protect Marriage have sent letters to major corporations that have donated to No On 8 to demand a donation for themselves - or else face the wrath of an ad campaign denouncing them.

ProtectMarriage.com, the umbrella group behind a ballot initiative that would overturn the California Supreme Court decision that legalized gay marriage, sent a certified letter this week asking companies to withdraw their support of Equality California, a nonprofit organization that is helping lead the campaign against Proposition 8.

"Make a donation of a like amount to ProtectMarriage.com which will help us correct this error," reads the letter. "Were you to elect not to donate comparably, it would be a clear indication that you are in opposition to traditional marriage. ... The names of any companies and organizations that choose not to donate in like manner to ProtectMarriage.com but have given to Equality California will be published."

The letter was signed by four members of the group's executive committee: campaign chairman Ron Prentice; Edward Dolejsi, executive director of the California Catholic Conference; Mark Jansson, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and Andrew Pugno, the lawyer for ProtectMarriage.com. A donation form was attached. The letter did not say where the names would be published.

Equality California head Geoff Kors: "It's truly an outrageous attempt to extort people. They are going after our long-term funding and trying to intimidate Equality California donors from giving any more to the No on 8 campaign and from giving to Equality California ever again."

Demanding protection money seems more Sicily than Utah. Finally the Catholic Church and the Mormons are working together! Praise Jeebus Smith!

Gay Marriage = Child Prostitution

Not only does gay marriage cause rail disasters, now it causes human trafficking and child prostitution! From the Christian Newswire:

Prop 8 Marriage Protection Amendment will help hinder human trafficking of children by reinforcing the social structure of the traditional, nuclear family. Human trafficking occurs right here in America. Every year nearly 800,000 children are reported missing. Child prostitution is exponentially growing. Most hear of trafficking overseas. Now there is "reverse trafficking". Predators come to the United States to have sex with children.

Prop 8 Impact: Child prostitutes predominantly come from broken homes where girls do not have a stable two parent family. Instead they are either thrown away, run away or lured. If these children had the balance of a mother and a father the chances of them falling into the hands of the predator are drastically reduced. Reinforcing the natural, traditional family of a mother and father by Prop 8 will help build and maintain sound families protecting children. Much more will need to be done i.e. bringing moral integrity to the culture.

And here I'd only heard about all those thousands of two-parent straight families who sell their daughters into prostitution.

Oh, The Punnanity!

Burn, baby, burn. Porno inferno.

Until Sunday, the Rev. Mark Eldredge joked that his Westside church had one of the largest pornography collections in Jacksonville. Members of Christ Church Anglican discovered reel upon reel of '70s- and '80s-vintage X-rated movies recently when they took over the old Playtime Drive-In on Blanding Boulevard a few weeks ago. The Playtime showed X-rated movies in the '70s and early '80s, prompting police raids and protests, before switching to more traditional fare.

But for Eldredge and the 300-member congregation, ridding their property of the film was no joking matter. It was so serious, they built an entire service around it Sunday afternoon, complete with a ceremonial burning and a "holy hose-down" with water from a Jacksonville Fire and Rescue truck blessed by the priest.

"You guys can be a part of making this land holy," Eldredge told his flock before he used a brass candlelighter to ignite a bonfire containing unrolled reels of film. "To have a piece of property and take it from unholy to holy is awesome." As the film burned, three Jacksonville firefighters stood by. Then Eldredge blessed the water in their truck, and they cleansed the property by hosing it down.

Seriously, that stuff could have been sold to collectors and made thousands for the church to....oh, I don't know.....feed the homeless?

(Tipped by JMG reader Chris in SF)

Giuliani Launches JoinRudy2012.com

It looks like Giuliani has already given up on McCain.

Warning! Godless Homos Attack NC!

Dirty godless queers are on the march in North Carolina! And Elizabeth Dole's campaign ain't havin' it.

Via PageOneQ:

A new anti-gay offensive has been launched against Democratic North Carolina state senator and U.S. Senate candidate Kay Hagan. Campaign literature produced by the North Carolina Republican Party has been mailed to households in the state, PageOneQ has learned.

A new mailer in support of incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Dole claims that Hagan's agenda, with the help of "liberal judges," will be to advance a "radical homosexual agenda" which includes same-sex marriage, removing "Under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance, and forcing the Boy Scouts to accept gay and atheist troop leaders.

Hagan's opposition to an anti-gay amendment is the focus of the mailer. "Across America," it reads, "liberal judges are overturning state laws banning gay marriage. In North Carolina a state constitutional amendment is needed to protect traditional marriage and prevent liberal judges from imposing their gay marriage agenda on the state."

A spokesman for Dirty Godless Queers was not available for comment as he was in merger talks with Gay Nazis & Cannibals for Hagan.

Busted For Barebacking

HIV+ North Carolina gay nightclub DJ Josh Weaver, 23, is under house arrest after admitting to violating a September court order that he refrain from unprotected sex.

On Sept. 6, Q-Notes reported that Joshua Waldon Weaver, 23, who works in clubs in Raleigh and Wilmington, pleaded guilty to charges that he failed to disclose his HIV-positive status and engaged in unprotected sex with three people. Weaver was given a suspended jail sentence and placed on probation. The terms of his probation ordered Weaver to use protection when engaging in sexual activity.

About two weeks ago Weaver was arrested after Wake County Public Health officials contacted his probation officer with information that he had possibly violated court orders by having sex without a condom. Assistant District attorney Boz Zellinger told The News & Observer that health officials became aware of the DJ’s violation after he contracted another sexually transmitted disease that could have been prevented by the use of a condom.

Weaver could have faced 40 days in jail for his most recent violation, but District Court Judge Jacqueline Brewer instead sentenced him to six months of electronically-monitored house arrest. He will not be allowed to leave his father’s house except for probation-approved employment. Brewer also ordered Weaver to undergo a psychological evaluation. If Weaver breaks his probation again, he will face up to 25 days in jail and prosecutors will ask for a two-year quarantine in a state prison hospital.

(Via- Matt Comer)

Prop 8 Poll Trends

(Via - FiveThirtyEight.com)

Daily Grumble

Bah. And double bah for a "freeze warning." So much for autumn.

Gay Marriage Ad Uses GAY Person!

Finally, an actual gay person appears in a Prop 8 ad. Tim Gunn: "I've never seen anything as unattractive as the content of Proposition 8. It's simply wrong to take people's rights away!" Nice, and no points off for getting the URL wrong.

Focus On The Family: Celebrating 10 Years Of Hate

Focus On The Family, the preeminent anti-gay religious group in the nation, is "celebrating" their tenth anniversary with an "ex-gay" conference in Colorado Springs this weekend.

For a decade, Focus on the Family has delved into what it believes is the biblical truth about sexual behavior through its "Love Won Out" conferences. Focus says the conferences started a national conversation on the origins of homosexuality and have nurtured thousands of troubled families and helped hundreds of former gays and lesbians "escape the lifestyle."

But pro-gay activists and many psychology experts denounce attempts to change people's sexual orientation through religious mediation or other so-called reparative therapies. They say it causes people great harm in an attempt to fix something that isn't broken. The conservative Christian media ministry's 10th-anniversary conference is Sunday at its home base in Colorado Springs. Although the program does not track the number of people who have made the decision to become ex-gays, Focus says more than 50,000 gay people and family members have attended 52 conferences around the country in the past decade.

Presidential Dance Off

Cool, but also kinda creepy.

(Via - Wonkette)

Why McCain Shut Up On Voter Fraud

After screaming their heads off about ACORN for a week, the McCain/Palin ticket has suddenly clammed up on the topic. Keith Olbermann explains that the GOP has their own voter registration fraud situation on their hands.

(Via - Towleroad)

New Poll Shows 52% Oppose Prop 8

It's getting impossible to keep up with all the polling, but here's the latest on Prop 8 from the Public Policy Institute.

A majority of Californians still oppose a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, but the margin is narrowing so notably that the fate of Proposition 8 may hinge on the turnout for the presidential race.

A new poll released late Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California shows Prop. 8 losing 52 to 44 percent among likely voters. That eight-point margin has narrowed from the 14-point spread that PPIC polls found in August and September. Just 4 percent of likely voters remain undecided.

"The vote on Proposition 8 could get closer between now and the election, because we know that Californians are evenly divided in general on whether they favor or oppose gay marriage," said Mark Baldassare, president and CEO of the PPIC.

Conflicting data: On Tuesday the No On 8 people held a conference call with reporters to say that their own polling shows Prop 8 ahead by four points. And yesterday the Knights of Columbus released their poll which shows Prop 8 winning by nine.

Latest No On 8 Ad Features CA Superintendent Of Schools

Via No On 8:

Today, the NO on Prop 8 campaign released a tough new television ad featuring California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, who voiced his strong opposition to Prop 8 and the lies about the public education system.

“Prop 8 has nothing to do with schools or kids,” said Geoff Kors, NO on Prop 8 executive committee member. “The Prop 8 campaign continues to use scare tactics and lies to bolster their campaign. It’s despicable that children are being used for political gain.”

The television ad exposes the lies of the Prop 8 advertisements with O’Connell stating, “our schools aren’t required to teach anything about marriage.”

In fact, every education authority in the state has rejected the lies surrounding the Prop 8 campaign. The California Teachers Association and the California School Boards Association both maintain that Prop 8 has nothing to do with teaching in public schools. In addition, education leaders across the state have endorsed the NO on Prop. 8 campaign, including Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education President Monica Garcia, Davis Joint Unified School Board President Sheila Allen and San Francisco Board of Education Vice-President Kim-Shree Maufas.

Donate to No On 8 here.

Scenario Analysis

Probabilities by FiveThirtyEight.com, a site that you should be following (if you aren't already). The author is 30 year-old stats whiz Nate Silver.

Open Thread Thursday

Tell us about your commute. How do you get to work and how long does it take?

Dead Austrian Fascist's Gay Lover Comes Out - And It's His Replacement!

Wow. The dead Austrian gay Nazi/fascist story gets weirder. How is THAT possible?

Conservative Austria was in a state of shock today after the male successor to Jörg Haider admitted to having a longstanding “special relationship” with the far right leader who died dramatically in a high speed car crash earlier this month.

Stefan Petzner – the 27-year-old who recently replaced Haider as leader of the right wing Alliance for the Future of Austria and has often appeared in tears on television since his death - effectively outed himself as the deceased’s gay lover while being interviewed on an Austrian radio breakfast show.

“I had to go to him. I had to go to him,” Mr Petzner said in his highly emotional interview as he recalled how he rushed to the hospital where the dead body of 52-year-old Haider was lying after his fatal crash in early October. Admitting that he felt a “magnetic attraction” for Haider, whom he met five years ago while working as a cosmetics reporter, Mr Petzner insisted: “We had a relationship that went far beyond friendship. Jörg and I were connected by something truly special. He was the man of my life.”

He insisted that Mr Haider’s widow, Claudia did not object to his relationship: “She loved him as a woman. He loved her as a man. I loved him in a completely different and personal way. She understood that,” Mr Petzner said. However, the young man’s sister Christiane suggested in a newspaper interview that Mrs Haider had not always been so understanding. “Sometimes Claudia was jealous because Stefan would spend more time with her husband than she did.”

Clearly embarrassed by the revelations, party officials today attempted to limit the political damage and cancelled forthcoming interviews with Mr Petzner. Their attempts to prevent his radio interview being rebroadcast, however, were unsuccessful.

Haider was killed in a single-car DUI crash after being photographed drinking in a gay bar. According to the top-linked story, Haider and Petzner had a heated argument at the bar before Haider stormed out.

Caption This

Bigots Live Here

As the Prop 8 battle has turned into a tit-for-tat madness of thousands of stolen yards signs (on both sides), one San Jose lesbian couple is protesting their neighbors in unique fashion.

For the past three days, Michele and Bob Sundstrom and their five children have been painfully aware of the SUV parked in front of their house with a message painted on the rear windshield that says: "Bigots live here."

Their neighborhood near Blossom Hill Road has suddenly become the center of a political tempest over Proposition 8, the ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage. The Sundstroms said they were stunned on Sunday afternoon when two women parked a Chevrolet Suburban in front of their home and began painting slogans on the SUV to counter the family's huge "Protect Marriage Yes on 8 banner'' hanging above their garage. "Stop Bigots,'' one window read. "God Hates Haters,'' read another.

"All I see when I look at that vehicle is venom and hate,'' said Bob Sundstrom, who said he tried to speak to the women, who walked away and left the SUV behind. The drama playing out in front of Sundstroms' house on Harwood Road appears to reflect an emerging trend. Supporters and opponents report a growing lack of civility and tensions running high throughout the state as Election Day nears.

The Sundstroms called police but were told there was no crime, and nothing they could do to move the SUV — except wait. If the vehicle is not moved within 72 hours, sometime this afternoon, it can be towed.

The Sundstroms, a Mormon family, claim that they support civil unions for gays, but not the "redefinition of marriage." According to the linked story, Yes On 8 is claiming that more than 200,000 of their $2 yard signs have been stolen. No On 8 is also reporting massive thefts of yard signs.

More Prop 8 Activism From Ellen

From Ellen DeGeneres' site today:

Don't Discriminate -- No on 8!

Hey everybody. There’re only a couple weeks left before we vote. In California there’s a proposition that’s trying to take away my right to be married. And if it passes, my marriage will probably no longer be valid.

The supporters of Proposition 8 have raised more than $25 million just to discriminate against same-sex couples who want to get married. That’s a lot of money.

I can think of 25 million other uses for all that money:

- How about paying teachers more?
- What about helping those people who just lost their homes in the recent fires?
- How about buying a pony for every child in California? How much fun would that be?!

Don’t let them convince you that discrimination is okay just because they can pay for a commercial. It’s wrong. Please vote NO ON PROPOSITION 8! I’m begging you. If you vote no on Prop 8, I’ll buy you a pony.

In addition to the above, Ellen goes on a Prop 8 rant on today's show. I shudder to send you to Perez Hilton, but only he has the clip so far.

(Via - Good As You)

UPDATE: Ellen's producers have sent me the clip.

Al-Qaida Supporters Endorse McCain

No, seriously.

Al-Qaida supporters suggested in a Web site message this week they would welcome a pre-election terror attack on the U.S. as a way to usher in a McCain presidency. The message, posted Monday on the password-protected al-Hesbah Web site, said if al-Qaida wants to exhaust the United States militarily and economically, "impetuous" Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain is the better choice because he is more likely to continue the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"This requires presence of an impetuous American leader such as McCain, who pledged to continue the war till the last American soldier," the message said. "Then, al-Qaida will have to support McCain in the coming elections so that he continues the failing march of his predecessor, Bush."

SITE Intelligence Group, based in Bethesda, Md., monitors the Web site and translated the message. "If al-Qaida carries out a big operation against American interests," the message said, "this act will be support of McCain because it will push the Americans deliberately to vote for McCain so that he takes revenge for them against al-Qaida. Al-Qaida then will succeed in exhausting America till its last year in it."Mark Salter, a senior McCain adviser, said he had heard about the Web site chatter but had no immediate comment.

The message is credited to a frequent and apparently respected contributor named Muhammad Haafid. However, Haafid is not believed to have a direct affiliation with al-Qaida plans or knowledge of its operations, according to SITE.

Why does John McCain hate America?

Gays For McCain

(Via - 23/6.com)

Uh, What?

This "who's more patriotic?" crap has gotten John McCain REALLY confused. "You know, I think you may have noticed that Senator Obama's supporters have been saying some pretty nasty things about Western Pennsylvania lately. And you know, I couldn't agree with them more."

William Shatner Goes Off On Sulu

On his own YouTube channel, William Shatner goes off on George Takei for not inviting him to his wedding.

"There is such a sickness there. It's so patently obvious that there is a psychosis there. I don't know what his original thing about me was. I have no idea. I didn't read his book that was printed many years ago, but apparently I didn't let somebody have a closeup. I literally don't know him. I didn't know him very well on the series. He would come in for a day or two, as evidenced by the part he played. Then on the movies, there occasionally. I didn't know the man. But he has continued to speak badly about me for all these years. Obviously hiding his homosexuality. Talk about festering and not living the truth of your life and feeling badly about yourself and being fearful somebody would find out about this terrible terrible secret, so he thought. Finally at the age of I think 70, he decides to come out of the closet and say 'I'm gay.' Like, who cares? Be gay. Don't be gay. That's up to you George."

That's Shatner's daughter doing the interview, I think

(Via - Good As You)

UPDATE: Takei responds: "It is unfortunate that Bill was unable to join us for our wedding as he indeed was invited to attend. It is our hope that at this point he joins us in voting NO on Proposition 8, which seeks to eliminate the fundamental right for same-sex couples to marry in California." -- George Takei

$4M Raised For No On 8 In Hollywood Event

Melissa Etheridge and Mary J. Blige entertained a Hollywood crowd at the home of supermarket billionaire Ron Burkle yesterday, raising $4M to fight Proposition 8. Andy Towle has the story.

AZ: Knights Of Columbus Donate $100K To Support Proposition 102

The Knights of Columbus, a charity arm of the Catholic Church, has donated $100,000 to support Arizona's gay marriage ban.

The New Haven, Conn.-based Catholic group donated the money to Yesformarriage.com, a campaign committee that backs Proposition 102, which would add a ban on gay marriages to the Arizona Constitution. Current state law prohibits same-sex marriage but that provision is not in the constitution.

YesforMarriage has raised close to $7 million in favor of Prop. 102 with backing from conservative Christian and Mormon advocates, as well as some business leaders. Crisis Pregnancy Centers of Greater Phoenix, which offers alternative services to abortion, donated $100,000.

Some of the money has gone into television ads and English and Spanish billboards around the Phoenix area. Kyrsten Sinema, chairwoman of Arizona Together, which opposes Prop. 102, said the “yes” campaign is well funded with most of its donations coming from Mormon contributors. Still, she is optimistic voters will defeat the measure. Arizona Together has raised $600,000, she said.

So much for the KoC's motto of "Charity, Unity, Fraternity."

Donate to No On 102 here.

Palin Still Clueless About The Job

When a third-grader asked her what the VP does, Palin said:

"That's a great question, Brandon. And a vice president has a really great job because not only are they there to support the president's agenda, they're like the team member, the teammate to that president, but also they're in charge of the United State Senate. So if they want to, they can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes that will make life better for Brandon and his family and his classroom. And it's a great job, and I look forward to having that job."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid responded via his spokesman:

"Governor Palin needs to re-read - or perhaps read for the first time - the Constitution," said Reid spokesman Jim Manley. "While the Vice President presides over the Senate, he or she is not "in charge of" it. Article I says, 'The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided.' The Senate is part of a co-equal branch of the federal government."

(Via - Pam's House Blend)

Poll: "Statistical Tie" On Prop 8

Despite the headline in the above graph, there has been a (very) slight improvement in the polling for Proposition 8 since we were rocked by the news two weeks ago that the Yes On 8 side was ahead.

In June, the state legalized same-sex marriages. The next month, Proposition 8, defining marriage as between a man and a woman, was put on the ballot for November. Initial polling showed that a majority of Californians were likely to vote against Proposition 8. A Sept. 18 poll by the San Francisco-based Field Poll found the measure losing 55% to 38% among likely voters.

But now the measure is favored 48% to 45% among likely voters questioned in an Oct. 17 poll by Survey USA of Verona, N.J. The poll's margin of error, four percentage points, means the results were a statistical tie. A group leading the fight against the measure, Equality for All, said this week that one of its internal polls shows Proposition 8 leading by four percentage points. The close results of that poll, too, may suggest a dead heat as the Nov. 4 election approaches.

Donate to No On 8 here.

IMPORTANT: A poll commissioned by the Knights of Columbus, which has donated over $1M to Yes On 8, shows that we are losing by NINE points. But consider the source.

Protester Attempts To Arrest Karl Rove

Yesterday a woman attempted to arrest Karl Rove for treason as he spoke at the Mortgage Bankers Association convention in San Francisco. She didn't do a good job and Rove managed to elude her handcuffs before she was wrestled away. But stick around for the 1:20 mark of the clip where Rove actually complains about negative campaigning from the Democrats. Got that? The man behind every dirty political trick in the last ten years, complaining about dirty politics. Oh, my side.

Because Real Americans Totally Spend $150,000 On Clothes

Something must be terribly wrong with this story which claims that the RNC has spent $150,000 on clothes for Sarah "Real American" Palin. This can't possibly be true, otherwise she'd be like the worst hypocrite ever!

Sarah Palin, in a red leather jacket, waves as she steps on stage before a crowd at a baseball field in Grand Junction, Colo., on Monday. The Republican National Committee appears to have spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family since her surprise pick by John McCain in late August.

According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined $49,425.74. The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, including one $75,062.63 spree in early September. The RNC also spent $4,716.49 on hair and makeup through September after reporting no such costs in August.

Politico asked the McCain campaign for comment, explicitly noting the $150,000 in expenses for department store shopping and makeup consultation that were incurred immediately after Palin’s announcement. Pre-September reports do not include similar costs. Spokeswoman Maria Comella declined to answer specific questions about the expenditures, including whether it was necessary to spend that much and whether it amounted to one early investment in Palin or if shopping for the vice presidential nominee was ongoing.

Do Joe The Plumber and Joe Six-Pack know about this?

What We're Up Against

Multiply this crazy-eyed woman times millions.

(Via - Andrew Sullivan)

HomoQuotable - David Sedaris

"Some insist that there’s very little difference between candidate A and candidate B. Others claim that they’re with A on defense and health care but are leaning toward B when it comes to the economy.

"I look at these people and can’t quite believe that they exist. Are they professional actors? I wonder. Or are they simply laymen who want a lot of attention?

"To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”

"To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked." - David Sedaris, writing about undecided voters in New Yorker.

The Atheist Bus

An ad campaign touting atheism began running on London buses today.

The Atheist Bus Campaign launches today, Tuesday October 21. With your support, we hope to raise £5,500 to run 30 buses across the capital for four weeks with the slogan: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” Donate online now!

Professor Richard Dawkins, bestselling author of The God Delusion, is officially supporting the Atheist Bus Campaign, and has generously agreed to match all donations up to a maximum of £5,500, giving us a total of £11,000 if we reach the full amount – enough for a much bigger campaign. The British Humanist Association have kindly agreed to administer all donations.

With your help, we can brighten people’s days on the way to work, help raise awareness of atheism in the UK, and hopefully encourage more people to come out as atheists. We can also counter the religious adverts which are currently running on London buses, and help people think for themselves. As Richard Dawkins says: “This campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think - and thinking is anathema to religion.”

On their website, organizers explain that they had to insert the word "probably" into their text in order to not break British laws against offending religious people.

(Tipped by JMG reader Huntington)

No More Zima

Zima, the last gasp of the yuppie era, is no more.

MillerCoors LLC says goodbye to Zima. The joint venture between SABMiller's U.S. unit and Molson Coors Brewing Co. told distributors in a letter Monday that production of the malt liquor beverage was discontinued as of Oct. 10. Chief Marketing Officer Andy England says the decision was due to weakness in the "malternative" segment and declining consumer interest. He says distributors can get remaining Zima inventories most likely through December.

I'd say that Red Bull probably killed Zima more than anything.

Rachel Maddow Show Zooms To Ratings Success For MSNBC

The bigshots at MSNBC are doing backflips over the ratings that Rachel Maddow has been pulling in over her first few weeks on the job.

Rachel Maddow, a woman who does not own a television set, has done something that is virtually unheard of: she has doubled the audience for a cable news channel’s 9 p.m. hour in a matter of days.

More important for her bosses at MSNBC is that “The Rachel Maddow Show,” her left-leaning news and commentary program, has averaged a higher rating among 25- to 54-year-olds than “Larry King Live” on CNN for 13 of the 25 nights she has been host. While the average total audience of her program remains slightly smaller than that of Mr. King’s, Ms. Maddow, 35, has made MSNBC competitive in that time slot for the first time in a decade. The channel at that hour has an average viewership of 1.7 million since she started on Sept. 8, compared with 800,000 before.

Given that advertising dollars — and the reputations of networks — rise and fall on prime-time ratings, Ms. Maddow’s rise has been closely watched by media executives. “I’m pinching myself,” said Phil Griffin, the president of MSNBC, who used to caution that it “takes two or three years for a show to find its audience.” That was certainly true for Keith Olbermann, whose five-year-old “Countdown” program at 8 p.m. (which leads into Ms. Maddow’s program) now beats CNN in the 25-to-54-year-old demographic segment every evening.

Maddow's is the only news program that I record.

Two Weeks Out

Put On A Happy Face

LCR Unfazed By Palin's FMA Support

After Sarah Palin voiced support for the Federal Marriage Amendment this weekend, blogger Rod 2.0 called up the Log Cabin Republicans to see how they liked her now.

After being contacted by Rod 2.0. Log Cabin Republican President Patrick Sammon discounted Palin's influence as a potential vice president and added the gay Republicans are "glad McCain agrees with us."

We disagree with Gov. Palin on this issue, but we're glad that Sen. McCain agrees with us. The president sets the policy for the administration. Sen. McCain twice voted against the federal marriage amendment and continues to believe the states should decide this issue.

An interesting contradiction. When Palin was selected, her policy background was a bonus. When she breaks with McCain on positions, a reminder the president "sets the policy" for the administration.

Read Rod's entire post here.

Sarah Palin, Comic Book Villain

Sarah Palin made the cover of comic classic Tales From The Crypt this month as they go after her on the issue of book banning.

The cover is a jab at Palin's reported brush with banning books at the Wasilla public library during her time as mayor of the town, says Jim Salicrup, editor-in-chief of Papercutz, the publisher of the comic. The original "Tales of the Crypt" comic went under during the 1950s, as a result of pressure from congressional hearings on censoring comics. "Anything that touches on banning books and censorship we're very sensitive about at 'Tales of the Crypt,'" said Salicrup. "When there were reports that Gov. Palin - back when she was mayor of Wasilla - looked into banning books at the library, that's what caught our attention.

Insert Pithy Facebook Joke *Here*

From London:

A man has been jailed for life for stabbing his wife to death over a posting she made on the social networking site Facebook. Wayne Forrester, 34, told police he was devastated that his wife Emma, also 34, had changed her online profile to "single" days after he had moved out. The Old Bailey heard Forrester drove to her home in Croydon, south London, and attacked the mother-of-two. He stabbed her with a kitchen knife and a meat cleaver on 18 February. Forrester, who pleaded guilty to murder, was ordered to serve a minimum term of 14 years.

That "I am now single" aspect of Facebook has always seemed weird to me.

HomoQuotable - Peter Tatchell

"The US presidential election will not be free and fair, because millions of electors will either not be allowed to vote or will not have their votes properly counted. It could cost Barack Obama the White House, even if he wins most of the votes on November 4. This sensational claim is based on research by the New York Times (NYT) and BBC Newsnight, which found that in some states for every new voter registered in the last couple of months, two voters have been removed – negating Obama's massive voter registration drive. This voter purging could mean fewer people voting next month than voted in 2004.

"In Colorado, for example, which has seen a significant population increase since the last presidential election, the state has recorded a net loss of nearly 100,000 voters from its rolls since 2004. Louisiana, Michigan and Colorado are deleting registered voters from the rolls within 90 days of a federal election, which is illegal except when voters die, notify the authorities that they have moved out of state, or have been declared unfit to vote.

"This widespread electoral malpractice is independently corroborated by a Newsnight investigation by Greg Palast. He reminds us that in the 2004 presidential election, between 1.6 and three million votes were cast but never counted, according to the US Election Assistance Commission. This is easily enough votes to have changed the outcome of the poll and put John Kerry in the White House.

"Palast says that almost three million voters have already been purged from the voter rolls – mostly poor and black voters who are more likely to vote Democrat. During elections in New Mexico earlier this year, one in nine voters found that their names had disappeared from the voter rolls. In Colorado, the disenfranchisement is even greater, with 20% of voters being purged.

It has happened before. During the 2004 presidential election one in four registered Ohio voters turned up at the polling booth only to discover that their names were not on the voter roll, an exclusion rate of 25%.

"Democrat leaders are too high on their "Yes we can" hype to kick up a fuss about this massive disenfranchisement of their voters. They naively assume that Obama's poll lead will give him victory, regardless of the election bias. It might. But then, again, it might not." - UK-based LGBT activist Peter Tatchell, writing in the Guardian UK. Read the full essay, it's quite worrying.