Keith Olbermann's Special Comment: Sarah Palin Must Be Repudiated By Her Party

Sheriff Clarence Dupnik's Press Conference

After discussing the details of the shooting and the investigation, Sheriff Dupnik rightfully lays into the climate of violent rhetoric which surely led to today's tragedy.

Tweet Of The Day - Matt Barber

President Obama Reacts

Giffords' Surgeon: I'm Optimistic

This Is The Shooter

From an undated photo on the Arizona Daily Star: "Jared Loughner, a volunteer, stands in the background during the Tucson Festival of Books." (I cropped out the main subject of the photo.)

The Shooter Has A YouTube Channel

FLASHBACK: Giffords Warns About "Consequences" To Palin's Hit List

Sarah Palin's Rifle Crosshairs Targeted Rep. Gabrielle Giffords For Elimination

The mainstream media MUST DEMAND a response from Palin over this. I screamed my fucking head off about this map last year for just this reason.

BREAKING: Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) Shot In Head, At Least Six Others Dead In Tucson Supermarket Massacre

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) was shot in the head today at an event she was staging at a supermarket in her home district in Tucson, Arizona. Conflicting reports say that twelve others were shot. The shooter is in custody and no motive is yet known. I'll update this post as details emerge.

UPDATE: Progressive websites are already pointing out that Giffords was among the 12 members of the U.S. House targeted for defeat with Sarah Palin's now-infamous "rifle crosshairs" election map. Giffords' Tea Party opponent Jesse Kelly picked up on that and held target practice with his supporters using a "fully automatic M16."

UPDATE II: CNN is reporting that Giffords has been pronounced dead. At least six others have now been reported killed.

UPDATE III: Conflicting reports. MSNBC is now saying that Giffords in undergoing surgery and is in grave condition.

Quote Of The Day II - Mary Crangle

"There is no possible medical, nonsexual assistance that a partially naked person could possibly be rendering to another naked person in the position described." - New York state arbitrator Mary Crangle, ruling that two female high school teachers had been fucking in an empty Brooklyn classroom. The teachers claimed that one had been feeling faint from low blood sugar and the other was just, you know, making her comfortable. Both have been terminated.

Sarah Palin's Alaska Not Renewed

There will be no season two for Sarah Palin's Alaska. According to Entertainment Weekly, ratings are not necessarily the reason. Instead, it may be that the network would be forced to offer equal time to other 2012 presidential candidates should Palin follow through on her threat to run. Which seems all the more likely with this decision.

Richard Dawkins & Peter Tatchell Debate Immigrant Values In The UK

In an interesting episode of the BBC's Big Question series, famed LGBT activist Peter Tatchell and Richard Dawkins debate others on the right wing and anti-gay attitudes brought by some in Britain's burgeoning immigrant communities. Dawkins goes off beautifully at 15:00.

ATB - Twisted Love

German trance king ATB (Andre Tanneberger) is back with a new track that is very much Robert Miles meets Chicane. Derivative, but me like. ATB's first and biggest hit was 1999's 9PM (Till I Come), which sort of defined San Francisco for me that summer. It was inescapable and we grew to loathe it almost as much as Darude's Sandstorm, which played every ten minutes in every gay bar that year, usually followed by 9PM (Till I Come).

(Via - Pop In Stereo)

CANADA: Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Challenge To Hate Speech Law

In 2005 former male prostitute and Christian "ex-gay" activist Bill Whatcott, the Canadian version of James Hartline, was found to have violated Saskatchewan's hate speech law after he stuffed residential mailboxes with pamphlets describing gay men as "filthy pedophiles" and "sodomites." Last year Whatcott successfully appealed his conviction. Yesterday Canada's Supreme Court agreed to hear Whatcott's challenge to the very basis of the hate speech law, which he says violates the Canadian constitution.

Whatcott's lawyer, Tom Schuck, says what has been the traditional Christian message on appropriate sexual conduct has morphed into being characterized as hate speech. Human rights commissions should remain neutral on such moral issues, he suggests. "The problem that I have and many others in the Christian community (have), is that this law is being used to charge Christians — Christians who have a different view as to what is right and wrong on sexual behaviour and in particular same-sex sexual behaviour," Schuck said Friday in a phone interview from his office in Weyburn, Sask. "The argument is that our Constitution, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, gives all Canadians the freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of religion. And the utilization of human rights commissions to stop someone from saying that same-sex sexual activity is wrong infringes on all three of those charter rights."

After his 2005 conviction, Whatcott became a folk hero among American anti-gay activists and Christianists, who have long pointed to Canada's stringent hate speech laws as a harbinger of a coming chilling of free speech in the United States. However few have noted last year's overturn of his conviction and most continue cite the 2005 incident in their materials.

VIDEO: From the documentary, The Freedom Of Whatcott.

VIRGINIA: Wingnut Lawmaker Wants State To Issue Its Own Currency

When we last heard from nutjob Virginia legislator Bob Marshall, he was proposing a bill to ban gay people from serving in the state's National Guard. Now he wants Virginia to issue its own currency.

Marshall will ask the General Assembly to consider the idea when it convenes for its annual legislative session Jan. 12. It is a companion bill to a proposal he has already filed to establish a study committee to examine alternative currencies to that distributed by the Federal Reserve System "in the event of a major breakdown of the Federal Reserve System." Marshall said his intention is to inject competition into the national economy and force the federal government to change monetary policy he believes is leading to hyperinflation. According to his bill, "many widely recognized experts predict the inevitable destruction of the Federal Reserve System's currency through hyperinflation in the foreseeable future." His critique mirrors that of the Tea Party movement, some of whose members have called for the end of the Federal Reserve system.

Marshall plans on running for the U.S. Senate in 2012.

NEW YORK CITY: Portuguese Gay Activist Found Slain, Male Model In Custody

Noted Portuguese gay activist and fashion journalist Carlos Castro, 65, has been found dead and gruesomely mutilated in a midtown New York City hotel. Castro's traveling companion, a young model, is in police custody.

The naked body of Carlos Castro, 65, was found lying face-up in a pool of blood inside his 34th-floor room at the InterContinental New York Times Square on W. 44th St. about 7p.m., the sources said. The prominent gay activist had been bludgeoned in the head and his scrotum cut off, sources said. Several hours prior to the grisly find, Castro had a heated argument with his companion - Renato Seabra, a twentysomething Portuguese male model - sources and witnesses said. The two checked in together on Dec. 29. A female friend of the writer and producer grew concerned after she heard of the dispute and went to the swanky hotel to check on Castro, sources said. Not knowing what room her pal was in, the New Jersey woman went to the front desk. Suddenly, the tall, chiseled Seabra came through the lobby, recognized the worried woman and told her Castro "was not coming out of his room," a source said.

Guests at the hotel report having heard the pair arguing loudly earlier in the day. Police found Seabra at Bellevue Hospital, where he'd checked himself in for undisclosed reasons. Below is a Portuguese news report on the murder, followed by a clip of the suspect appearing on a Portuguese modeling competition show.

Quote Of The Day - Andrew Breitbart

"The point is to welcome people into the big tent. I'm working on getting a venue. The first annual Roy Cohn CPAC Breitbart Homocon Welcoming 80's Extravaganza. I'm thinking of DJ-ing." - Wingnut commentator Andrew Breitbart, invoking the name of the most detested self-loathing homosexual in history to describe the party he says he'll throw for GOProud at this year's CPAC.

Breitbart, who says he supports GOProud's inclusion at the event, is using the controversy to ramp up his long-running feud with World Net Daily. We thank him for making the GOProud-Roy Cohn connection.

New Yorker Cartoons, Literally

From the new site that provides literal captions to the New Yorker's famously obtuse cartoons, thereby making them actually funny.

Cindy Jacobs: God Will Destroy CA With An Earthquake If Prop 8 Is Repealed

"A pastor of a large Nazarene Church had a dream of a very large earthquake on the central coast. He shared this at the Christmas gathering for all the Santa Maria Pastors and 5 cities area. Because of the destruction and intensity of the quake he thought he should tell the Pastors so they could pray into it. Another intercessor in the area had a dream and saw a map of California. She noticed on the map how Pt. Conception juts out into the water. As she looked she saw an 8 with a circle beside it in the waters off Pt Conception. Prop 8 is a foundational covenant issue, i.e. issue of marriage, in the state. If the state supreme court does not uphold it, a covenant issue is broken with God. Judgment is looming." - Whackadoodle preacher Cindy Jacobs, who says God will split California in half if Proposition 8 is repealed.

Rosanne Barr: I'm Running For President

VIRGINIA: Leader Of Anti-Gay Episcopal Sect Fired In Pornography Scandal

Episcopal Rev. Marshall Brown, who helped 14 Virginia parishes leave the main church in protest of the elevation of openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson, has been fired by his Fairfax, Virginia parish for viewing pornography on church computers. It was Brown's Truro Church that led the continuing schism in the Episcopal Church over the ordination of gays.

Truro's rejection of what its congregants saw as a non-biblical liberal tilt in the denomination made international news. Dozens of Episcopal churches have since joined an umbrella group of religious conservatives who oppose the acceptance of same-sex relationships and the idea that non-Christian religions have equal access to God. In 2005, Truro arranged for Brown, now 57, to get treatment for an Internet addiction after he reported having a problem, according to Bishop Martyn Minns, who was Truro's rector at the time and is now bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, the umbrella group of breakaway churches.

Since the split with the mother church, Truro has been embroiled in lawsuits over the ownership of its properties, which are valued in the tens of millions of dollars. Nice work, Rev. Busyfingers! So which was it? Manhunt? Sean Cody?

Crocodile Tears

Crazy Eyes Vs. Anthony Weiner

Check out at 4:30 when Weiner gets into it with Fox News host Sean Hannity.

Tears Kill Boners

When scientists exposed men to women's tears, they expected the men to respond with sympathetic emotions. Instead, they lost interest in sex.

In several experiments, researchers found that men who sniffed drops of women’s emotional tears became less sexually aroused than when they sniffed a neutral saline solution that had been dribbled down women’s cheeks. While the studies were not large, the findings showed up in a variety of ways, including testosterone levels, skin responses, brain imaging and the men’s descriptions of their arousal. “Chemical signaling is a form of language,” said one of the researchers, Dr. Noam Sobel, a professor of neurobiology at the Weizmann Institute in Israel. “Basically what we’ve found is the chemo-signaling word for ‘no’ — or at least ‘not now.’ ”

When gay men are exposed to women's tears, they respond with offers of cocktails and shopping.

TRAILER: Lead With Love

Clip description:

LEAD WITH LOVE follows four families' experiences in learning that they have a gay or lesbian child. Created for parents who are working through this news themselves, this poignant and informative film shares real stories from parents and children, factual information from psychologists, educators, and clergy, and concrete guidance to help parents keep their children healthy and safe during this sometimes challenging time.

Watch the film online for free.

(Tipped by JMG reader Brad)

Billboard Of The Day

JMG reader Gavin snapped this billboard on Interstate 90 near Albany, New York. More about the sponsoring organization can be found here. I love it.

Steve King: If You Don't Like Your Health Care Options, Move To Another State

About Those "GetEQUAL" Comments

I've been getting quite a few emails complaining that someone purporting to represent GetEQUAL has been spamming the JMG comments with requests for donations. Last night I'm grumbled about it on Facebook, after which GetEQUAL's Robin McGehee immediately called to let me know that they are NOT behind these donation requests, which have been appearing across the LGBT blogosphere.

As it turns out, the spamming campaign is being done to discredit GetEQUAL, rather successfully so, considering how you folks have reacted. In fact, multiple sockpuppet accounts have been created on LGBT blogs wherein the same anonymous person or persons then attack GetEQUAL for daring to request donations. Pretty clever, eh?

According to numerous folks, this dumbass campaign is the work of "AndrewW", a prolific commenter recently banned on sites such as The Bilerico Project and Pam's House Blend. McGehee has tried in vain to learn of AndrewW's true identity, even offering a personal $500 reward to anybody that can out him. Some IP traces have placed AndrewW in Plano, Texas, but searches I performed on three different IP's left here on JMG turned up locations in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara. That suggests that either AndrewW has cohorts or that he is adept at spoofing IP addresses.

Jump into the comments on this post with your tips and information about this issue, including clues (and there do appear to be some) to AndrewW's identity. Regardless of what you may feel about GetEQUAL's political tactics and mission, they don't deserve this bullshit. As I told Robin McGehee last night, we here at JMG have an army of of very, very smart IT bear geeks at our disposal. Fly, my winged monkeys! Fly!

Chick-Fil-A Has Deep Anti-Gay Affiliations

Yesterday Chick-Fil-A finally addressed the news that it was sponsoring an anti-gay marriage seminar hosted by the Pennsylvania Family Institute.

"To our Facebook community: First and foremost, thanks for your patience as we made sure we gathered the facts in regards to recent postings. We have determined that one of our independent Restaurant Operators in Pennsylvania was asked to provide sandwiches to two Art of Marriage video seminars," said the restaurant. "As our fans, you know we do our best to serve our local communities, and one of the ways we do that is by providing food to schools, colleges, civic groups, businesses, places of worship, not-for-profit groups, etc. At his discretion, the local Operator agreed to simply provide a limited amount of food. Our Chick-fil-A Operators and their employees try very hard every day to go the extra mile in serving ALL of our customers with honor, dignity and respect."

That seems to be a reasonable response, right? Oh, but hang on. Good As You's dogged Jeremy Hooper has uncovered extensive ties between Chick-Fil-A's charitable arm, the WinShape Foundation, and virtually all of the major organizations fighting marriage equality, including NOM's Ruth Institute, which famously demanded that gays return the "Christian rainbow." So much for "honor, dignity and respect." Chick-Fil-A's press release is nothing by lying bullshittery. Hit the link for the evidence.

Flash Mob Wedding

In mid-December a couple staged a flash mob wedding at Boston's Prudential Center. Stick around for the vows at 4:00 when the pastor includes gay couples as those deserving of marriage and love.

Quote Of The Day - Theresa Cao

"Literally if this question of the natural born citizenship, if this question does not get answered, then I am allowing a tyrannical dictator – the spirit of the anti-Christ, the new world order system that has their plans right this second to collapse the U.S. economy, and we know their plan, the new world order system's plan is to literally destroy humanity. He [Obama] has fought it not only for two years, not only has he fought it pre-election but historically all of his connections, every single connection [has been] blacked out. It's prophesied this new world order system will devastate America and the world, and Satan's plan is to take as many people to hell with him as he can. " - Birther loon and anti-gay activist Theresa Cao, in today's fawning interview by World Net Daily.

Following Cao's arrest for disrupting the U.S. House yesterday, Speaker John Boehner said he wasn't going to question the president's eligibility for office, but that he also wasn't going to dictate what other people believe.

Catholic School District: We Don't Allow Gays And Nazis To Form Clubs

A Catholic school district in Canada says that Gay-Straight Alliance clubs are not permitted. For the same reason that Nazi clubs are not allowed. Andrea Houston reports for Xtra:

The provincial Ministry of Education thinks GSA’s are pretty important. They are encouraged as one of the best ways to fight homophobia in schools and build bridges between all students. But the Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB) takes a different view. The board feels the groups are harmful, and has issued a ban on GSA’s altogether. “We don’t have Nazi groups either,” rationalizes board chair Alice Anne LeMay. “Gay-Straight Alliances are banned because they are not within the teachings of the Catholic Church. ”Even if a student asks to start up a GSA, a wall of opposition from the principal to the education director points to a blanket board-wide policy. “If a gay student requests a Gay-Straight Alliance they would be denied,” she says flatly. “It’s not in accordance with the teachings of the church. If they wanted to have a club outside of school, fine, just not in school.”

Man, I hated those snotty kids in the Nazi Club. Such stuck-ups!

The Hipster Huckleberry Finn

"Jim was monstrous proud about it, and he got so he wouldn't hardly notice the other hipsters. Hipsters would come miles to hear Jim tell about it, and he was more looked up to than any hipster in that country. Strange hipsters would stand with their mouths open and look him all over, same as if he was a wonder. Hipsters is always talking about witches in the dark by the kitchen fire; but whenever one was talking and letting on to know all about such things, Jim would happen in and say, 'Hm! What you know 'bout witches?' and that hipster was corked up and had to take a back seat." - An excerpt from The Hipster Huckleberry Finn, which substitutes "hipster" wherever the n-word appears in the original.

(Via - Gothamist)

Major Televangelists Evade Senate Fundraising Investigation

Sen. Chuck Grassley has wrapped up his three-year investigation into the fundraising practices of major televangelists. No action will be taken by the government, mostly because the figures being investigated refused to provide financial data.

The report by Sen. Chuck Grassley questions the personal use of church-owned airplanes, luxury homes and credit cards by pastors and their families, and a lack of financial oversight. But Grassley draws no specific conclusions about whether the ministries violated IRS rules that bar excessive compensation for leaders of religious nonprofits. Two of the targeted televangelists -- Joyce Meyer and Benny Hinn -- made changes in response to the inquiry. But Kenneth Copeland Ministries, Bishop Eddie Long, Creflo Dollar Ministries and televangelists Randy and Paula White refused to provide information, while insisting they comply with IRS rules.

Stand by for announcements of God's intervention!

A Cocaine Vaccine?

Scientists are testing a vaccine that causes the body to treat cocaine like an attacking virus and thereby keep it away from the brain.

So far, the vaccine has only been tested on mice, but the results are extraordinary. Mice given the vaccine no longer exhibited any of the hyperactive signs of a cocaine high when they were next given the drug. The vaccine was created by taking just the part of the cold virus that alerts the body's immune system to its presence, and then researchers connected the signaling mechanism to a more stable version of the cocaine molecule.

Once the mice received an injection of the vaccine, they started producing anti-cocaine antibodies which targeted and destroyed any cocaine that then entered their system. Normally, cocaine does not produce an immune response, leaving it free to wreak havoc on the brain and body of whoever takes it. But the cold virus segments taught the immune system to treat cocaine like a hostile invader, offering a nearly impregnable wall of protection from the cocaine's effects.

All kinds of ethical implications are raised by this research, of course. For example, should it be legal for parents to immunize their children against the pleasurable effects of some drugs without ever knowing if that person was capable of responsible use?

Rick Sanchez TV?

MediaBistro has the low-down on what Sanchez has been doing since that whole "Jews run television" thing got him fired from CNN. Included in what's coming from Sanchez is a "public dialogue" with a NYC-based rabbi. That should be....interesting.

HomoQuotable - Gore Vidal

"She is too stupid to deserve an answer." - Gore Vidal, responding to Michele Bachmann's claim that she became a Republican after being horrified by Vidal's "trashing" of the Founding Fathers in his 1973 novel, Burr.

About Obama's New Chief Of Staff

WEST VIRGINIA: Christian Group Pushes For Ban On Same-Sex Marriage

The West Virgina Family Foundation plans to ask lawmakers to introduce a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Just as they've asked for the last six years.

West Virginia Family Foundation President Kevin McCoy stated: "The Marriage Protection Amendment will constitutionally protect marriage as only between one man and one woman, preventing activist judges from radically redefining marriage in our state. The amendment will also preserve the unique legal benefits that are provided for this sacred institution and prohibit counterfeit relationships such as homosexual 'civil unions' and 'domestic partner benefits,' which are homosexual 'marriage' by another name. "We call on the Legislature to stop obstructing the people's right to join thirty other states in constitutionally protecting the definition of marriage as only between one man and one woman."

Currently same-sex marriage is banned by statute, but not by West Virginia's constitution.

Janine Turner: Our Founding Fathers Were Clapping From Heaven Over Constitution

It turns out actress Janine Turner is kind of a nut.

Tweet Of The Day - Porno Pete

Obviously, Porno Pete is a fan of escaped mental patient Theresa Cao!

Theresa Cao: Birther, Teabagger, Christianist, Complete Raving Loon

Earlier today, Theresa Cao was arrested in the gallery of the U.S. House for screaming, "Except for Obama! Except for Obama! Help us Jesus!" after the portion of the Constitution stipulating natural-born citizenship for the U.S. presidency was read. Over at Holy Bullies, Alvin McEwen has dug up this video taken of Cao at last year's Faith2Action May Day event in DC, which called upon God to strike down the "uncircumcised Philistine" that is our evil socialist Kenyan leader. From the clip's description:

Conspiracy believing self-proclaimed Christian and Tea Party advocate, Theresa Salcedo Cao, proselytizing at the White House, proclaims Barack Obama a puppet of the secretive New World Order. She then addresses the faithful at a Christian Fundamentalist May Day 2010 Prayer Meeting at the Lincoln Memorial. Paul Blair, from Reclaiming America for Christ, holds the microphone while Theresa blows a Shofar. Next up is Janet Porter from Faith2Action, who reportedly believes in Dominion Theology, a theology that believes that society should be governed exclusively by the law of God as codified in the Bible, to the exclusion of secular law. The final moments of the film show people praying over the body of Theresa who collapsed from trance dancing to Christian Rock and Roll. The camera stops abruptly when prayer fails to revive her and the search begins for immediate medical help

Enjoy the crack-a-doodle crazy! That Ms. Cao in the angel wings.

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #65

1940's Rebecca, starring Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier.

Ted Haggard Gets A Reality Show

Disgraced pastor, rentboy patron, and accused meth-head Ted Haggard has landed a reality show.

Ted Haggard is coming to TLC. The controversial Christian evangelical is getting his own reality project on the cable network. Ted Haggard: Scandalous will air as a one-hour special on the network. The special, produced by RelativityReal and debuting Jan. 16, follows Haggard as he announces his new ministry in Colorado Springs, Colo. — the same town he left after the scandal. Naturally, if the special performs well, TLC might expand the concept into a full series.

Remember, Ted Haggard is completely heterosexual.

FRC: Pray For Supernatural Intervention Against Perverted Sexual Practices

Today the Family Research Council is asking its followers to pray for "supernatural invention" against the nation's filthy Godless homosexuals. Right Wing Watch tips us to today's entry from the FRC "Prayer Team."

America's moral decline is directly related to His people's public and private acts of disobedience that dishonor God and His eternal laws. Scripture warns that the shedding of innocent blood (e.g., abortion) and perverted sexual practices are abominations that call for Biblical judgment. America is now under such judgment. Can we find our way back? God has only one prescription. With the traditional American family in near statistical free fall, homosexual activists persist in their destructive agenda. Backslapping and self congratulation at President Obama's signing of the law to overturn DADT left Biblically informed onlookers aghast. Obama and Vice President Biden say they are rethinking their position on homosexual "marriage." Yet God's plan for marriage, family, and natural sexuality is essential to the survival of our nation.

May God's people have faith to believe that laws giving those who practice homosexuality special rights, protections and privileges can be reversed! May the Lord supernaturally intervene to do so.

Also being prayed for today is for Speaker John Boehner and the GOP to be successful in their attempt to deny health care to the nation's ill and impoverished. Glory! Praise His Name!

Best Vanity Plate Ever

Sadly, the Virginia DMV has revoked the plate.

Defense Sec. Robert Gates Outlines Three Steps To Full DADT Implemenation

Today Secretary of Defense Robert Gates outlined the three steps necessary for the full implementation of the repeal of DADT, with Admiral Mike Mullen cautioning soldiers, "Now is not, from my perspective, the time to come out."

Photo Of The Day - Solar Eclipse

The Boston Globe's Big Picture blog has a great series of photos of Tuesday's solar eclipse. The above image was taken by a telescope on a low-orbit satellite.

RELATED: The Big Picture has been named to Regator's Top Ten Blogs Of 2010. And so has this here website thingy.

Jared Polis Vs. Nutcase Steve. King

Openly gay Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) tangled today with lunatic Rep. Steve King (R-IA), who says that health care reform is unconstitutional because some babies are born in trash cans and never see a doctor. I sincerely have zero idea what that is supposed to mean.

Alexandra Billings - It Gets Better

Trans activist, actress, and cabaret singer Alexandra Billings' message to LGBT youth: "Everybody transitions. You just happen to be transitioning into the real you."

GLAAD To CNN: Stop Using Hate Groups To "Balance" Gay News Stories

GLAAD has issued a call to action, asking its supporters to write CNN to demand that representatives of hate groups no longer be used to "balance" the network's stories on LGBT rights.

As a recent example, GLAAD cites the appearance of the Family Research Council's Peter Sprigg, who was invited to counter the opinion of DADT repeal activist Alex Nicholson. Among Sprigg's many detestable remarks is his call for all homosexuals to be deported from the United States.

Nicholson's qualifications were clear. As an openly gay, former Army intelligence officer, he gave firsthand accounts of how the policy played out in the day-to-day lives of gay and lesbian service members.Sprigg's qualifications, however, came exclusively from his job at the Family Research Council. There, Sprigg has worked to advance some of the most hurtful, dangerous, and demonstrably false notions about the lives of LGBT people that our country has seen in recent years. And yet, by pairing him with Nicholson in this segment, CNN told its millions of viewers that both of these men should be seen as equally valuable to this discussion.

Is it important for the media to take these groups on? Of course it is. But that's not what CNN and other media organizations are doing when it invites these groups to take part in otherwise reasonable discussions. The media is elevating their hurtful messages and attitudes to the level of rational discourse. The media is saying that people like Alexander Nicholson, who can speak to real-life experience and firsthand facts, need to be "balanced" by people like Peter Sprigg, whose claim to fame is arguing that being gay should be outlawed. If CNN wants to interview a gay person who believes being straight should be outlawed, THEN Peter Sprigg would be an acceptable "balance."

CNN and the rest of the media are doing nothing but exposing their viewers to dangerous anti-gay rhetoric when they invite members of these anti-gay groups onto their programming. Starting in 2011, this needs to stop.

Sign GLAAD's petition to CNN here.

Birther Interrupts Constitution Reading

As Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) read the Constitution's stipulation that the president must be a natural-born citizen, a woman in the gallery of the U.S. House shouted, "Except for Obama! Except for Obama! Help us Jesus!" She was immediately removed. So much for the sanctity of our nation's most-revered document. UPDATE: Unsurprisingly, World Net Daily is ecstatic.

Johnny Weir: I'm Sexually Gay, But....

Saying that he's sick of pressure from gay websites to come out, Johnny Weir uses his forthcoming memoir to finally allow that while he's sexually gay, he'd totally marry a woman if she was right for him. And very understanding about the whole "we're not gonna fuck" thing.

GUYANA: Religious Groups Unite To Condemn LGBT Film Festival

A coalition of religious groups in the tiny South American nation of Guyana has issued a condemnation of a local LGBT film festival, calling the event a "new form of Western colonialism."

"We cannot allow the Western world to come and foist their lifestyles and thinking on to us; this will simply mean that we are just allowing a newer form of colonialism," said Inter-Religious Organization (IRO) spokesman Juan Edghill, a bishop. Christians, Hindus, Muslims and Baha'is make up the IRO. The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD), which is organizing the week-long festival, would not immediately comment on the IRO's criticism. The disagreement comes as the mostly former British colonies in the 15-nation Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have made repeated calls to scrap laws against buggery as part of efforts to reduce stigma and discrimination against groups vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. Edghill said the religious community wants gays and lesbians to have rights to health care, education and housing, but that the IRO worried youths were being exposed to unnatural sexual activities with the dissemination of material about homosexuals.

RELATED: The U.S. State Department has issued a strong caution for visitors to Guyana, where street crimes, abductions and murders by organized gangs are common.

Today In Teabagger Asshattery

Teabagger Rep. Allen West says that President Obama is a chickenshit for secretly landing Air Force One under the cover of darkness when visiting Afghanistan. The president should totally come under the same enemy fire that our brave soldiers do every day!

Daily Grumble

Today's reading of the Constitution on the floor of the U.S. House is the most asinine bit of grandstanding faux patriotism since BeckStock. From Twitter: "Just need more USA flags and 'We're Number One' foam fingers during Constitution reading to make it complete." I think they should insert the word "totally" wherever it's hilarious.

VICTORY For NYC's Homeless Kids: City Restores Funding For Ali Forney Center

Wonderful news for the homeless LGBT kids of New York City. This morning NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced that city funding to the Ali Forney Center has been completely restored!

Ali Forney Center executive director Carl Siciliano:

This is wonderful news for the homeless youth of our City, particularly for homeless LGBT youth who would be disproportionately hurt by the proposed cuts. I am profoundly grateful to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and the Council Assistant Majority Leader and Youth Services Committee Chair Lewis Fidler for their strong and dedicated leadership in seeking to have these cuts restored. Thousands of homeless youth have been protected by their compassionate leadership.

I am also deeply grateful to many members of the broader LGBT community who stood up and demanded that our most vulnerable youth be protected from these cuts. Many, many people called, wrote, and e-mailed the Mayor's office and expressed their concern and outrage. I do not think that the Mayor, in proposing the cuts, anticipated the depth of the commitment of the LGBT Community to protecting our youth who have been thrown out to the streets, and I am deeply moved by the caring that our Community revealed in fighting the cuts. I want to especially thank David Mixner, Mike Lavers and Joe Jervis for their efforts in bringing the harmfulness of the cuts to the attention of the LGBT Community.

Thanks to everybody in the JMG community for their emails to the mayor and the City Council!

Ann Coulter: Cenk Uygur Is Retarded For Attacking GOProud's Chris Barron

This might not play well with Mama Grizzly, who famously called for the firing of Rahm Emmanuel for using the word "retarded."

Quote Of The Day - John McCain

"I think I have to do everything I can to make sure that the impact on the morale, retention, recruitment and battle effectiveness of the military is minimized as much as possible. It is a law and I have to do whatever I can to help the men and women who are serving, particularly in combat, cope with this new situation. I will do everything I can to make it work." - Sen. John McCain, now saying that he will help with the implementation of the repeal of DADT.

The teabaggers are gonna totally lose their shit.

The Netflix Button

NEW JERSEY: Gov. Chris Christie Signs Sweeping Anti-Bullying Law

He waited until the very last minute, but New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie this morning signed what is being hailed as the nation's most comprehensive anti-bullying legislation. Garden State Equality exults:

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie today signed the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, which enacts a new paradigm in America to counter school bullying and provides a template for anti-bullying laws in other U.S. states. The bill passed both houses of the New Jersey legislature on November 22, 2010 – by 73 to 1 in the Assembly and 30 to 0 in the Senate. Though New Jersey and 44 other states have had anti-bullying laws, experts say those laws have been based on a vague, loophole-riddled model that gives vast discretion to local school districts to do whatever they want or don’t want, and have lacked teeth to work in the real world. The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights corrects that problem with a sweeping overhaul of New Jersey's current anti-bullying law, enacted in 2002.

“We are grateful to the prime sponsors, Assemblywomen Valerie Vainieri Huttle and Mary Pat Angelini, and Senators Barbara Buono, Diane Allen and Loretta Weinberg, for their leadership that brought Democrats and Republicans together rapidly,” said Steven Goldstein, chair of Garden State Equality. The overwhelmingly bipartisan support for this landmark legislation will give impetus to other states across America, whether they are blue or red, to adopt anti-bullying laws just like ours. The era of vagueness and loopholes in anti-bullying laws is over, and hope for our children has begun.”

The complete text of the law is here.

Elizabeth Edwards Leaves Nothing To John

The late Elizabeth Edwards completely cut her philandering husband John out of her will.

The will Elizabeth Edwards signed days before her death last month makes no mention of her estranged husband and two-time presidential candidate John Edwards. The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Thursday that Elizabeth Edwards left all her possessions to her three surviving children. Her last will and testament names as the executor of her estate her eldest child, lawyer Cate Edwards.

The will was filed six days before her death.

Boston Herald Sportswriter Comes Out

Longtime Boston Herald sportswriter Steve Buckley came out in a column published today. An excerpt:

I’ve put this off long enough. I haven’t been fair to my family, my friends or my co-workers. And I certainly haven’t been fair to myself: For too many years I’ve been on the sidelines of Boston’s gay community but not in the game — figuratively and literally, as I feel I would have had a pretty good career in the (gay) Beantown Softball League.Over the past couple of months I have discussed the coming-out process with my family and a few friends, and have had sit-downs with Herald editor-in-chief Joe Sciacca and sports editor Hank Hryniewicz, as well as with WEEI’s Glenn Ordway. They’ve been great, as have my friends and family. But during this same period, I have read sobering stories about people who came undone, killing themselves after being outed. These tragic events helped guide me to the belief that if more people are able to be honest about who they are, ultimately fewer people will feel such devastating pressure.

Bill O'Reilly Vs. American Atheists

Via Atheist Media Blog, watch Bill O'Reilly tangle with the head of the American Atheists over their billboard campaign. "You get on your knees and pray to an invisible man in the sky and you DON'T think that's a scam?" This is good.

CALIFORNIA: Palm Springs Police Chief Resigns In Wake Of Gay Slur Scandal

Less than a week after he admitted to and apologized for calling gay men "filthy motherfuckers," Palm Springs police chief David Dominguez is resigning.

"After careful consideration of the recent debates surrounding the Warm Sands Law Enforcement Operation, I believe this decision is in the best interest of my family, my health, the Department and the City," Dominguez said in a statement. "It has been a privilege to be the Chief of Police and work with the professional men, women and volunteers in the Police Department who are extremely dedicated to the community."

Dominguez has faced fierce criticism for operating public sex stings that focus on gay men.

Mitch Daniels: Deficit Doubled Under Bush Because The Dot-Com Bubble Burst

Potential 2012 GOP presidential candidate Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN) gets raked over the coals by CNN's Wolf Blitzer over the disastrous economic policies of the Bush II regime, for whom Daniels was budget director.

People's Choice Winner Neil Patrick Harris Kisses And Thanks His Partner

Gareth Thomas - It Gets Better

RHODE ISLAND: Marriage Equality Bill To Be Introduced In State House Today

Rhode Island state Rep. Arthur Handy will introduce a marriage equality bill today. Handy's bill already has 27 cosponsors.

Handy said the bill he will introduce is identical to one he introduced last year, declaring marriage to be a “legal institution recognized by the state in order to promote stable relationships and to protect individuals who are in those relationships.” It says: “Any person who otherwise meets the eligibility requirements [in law] may marry any other eligible person regardless of gender.” It also says: “No person shall marry” a long list of relatives, including a parent, grandparent, sibling or child of a sibling, and makes clear that no religious institution would be required to perform a civil marriage if it conflicted with its teachings. Within days, Rep. Jon Brien, D-Woonsocket, has promised to reintroduce legislation that would take the decision — which he termed highly personal — out of the hands of the state’s 113 legislators by requiring a public referendum.

Here we go!

Open Thread Thursday

Did you make any New Year's resolutions? How'd you do with last years?

Liberty Counsel: Tambourine-Playing Peaceniks Have Infected The Military

(Via - Right Wing Watch)

FLORIDA: Gov. Rick "Medicare Fraud" Scott Begins Tenure By Banning LGBT Rights

Florida Gov. Rick Scott, the teabagging founder and former CEO of a hospital group found guilty in the hugest Medicare scam in history, began his tenure today by issuing an executive order limiting the state's non-discrimination law to cases involving race, gender, creed, color and national origin. South Florida Gay News reports:

"Governor Scott did not even include all of the classifications listed in the Florida Civil Rights Act -- let alone sexual orientation and gender identity," said Rand Hoch. As President and founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, Hoch has become a familiar voice on behalf of equality issues in South Florida. He called Scott’s view of diversity “limited and very discouraging” according to an article by Steve Rothaus with the Miami Herald. By ignoring the categories of “handicap” or “marital status” in his new non-discrimination policy, Scott has actually managed to add discrimination to the Florida Government policies which was not previously there. Those two categories are protected by Florida Law under our Civil Rights Act and many advocacy groups have been working tirelessly to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the language as well.

RELATED: In 2002 the hospital group founded by Scott pleaded guilty to the largest Medicare fraud scheme in U.S. history, eventually paying an all-time record $2B in fines and settlements. Following a raid at his office by the feds, Scott was forced to resign, taking with him a mere $350M in stolen government money.

NEW YORK: Gov. Andrew Cuomo Off To Promising Start On LGBT Rights

The Empire State Pride Agenda notes via press release that Gov. Andrew Cuomo is off to a promising start regarding LGBT rights and today mentioned marriage equality in his first State Of The State address. Among Cuomo's first actions since assuming office are the continuance of former Gov. David Paterson's executive order protecting state employees from gender identity discrimination. Additionally, Cuomo has created a new cabinet level position, Deputy Secretary for Civil Rights, and appointed an openly gay man to the post.

Pelosi Surrenders Gavel To John Boehner

Noting that the gavel he'd selected was "larger than most," Rep. Nancy Pelosi has handed over power to Speaker John Boehner. FSM help us all.

Roberto Alomar Named To Baseball Hall Of Fame Despite HIV-Related Accusations

Superstar second baseman Roberto Alomar was elected to the Baseball Hall Of Fame today, surprising some observers who had predicted that the retired ballplayer's HIV-lawsuit peppered past would keep him from the sport's greatest honor. In October 2010, Alomar's estranged wife filed a lawsuit claiming he had unprotected sex with her even though he knows he is HIV-positive. In 2009 a former girlfriend sued Alomar on similar grounds, claiming that he told her he was raped by two Mexican men at the age of 17 after playing in a baseball game in a southwest U.S. state. The ex-girlfriend said that she stayed with him for almost three years after his 2006 positive HIV test, but that she no longer had unprotected sex with him after that. Alomar settled the girlfriend's $15M lawsuit out of court for an undisclosed amount. His wife's lawsuit is still pending. Neither woman has reported being infected and Alomar continues to avow that he is not HIV-positive. He retired from baseball in 2005, citing health issues.

Billboard Of The Day

The latest installation in the American Atheists' national billboard campaign has gone up in Huntsville, Alabama declaring that "You KNOW they're all SCAMS." The sign contains symbols for five of the world's major faiths and promotes the group's regional conference, which takes place later this month. The group's last billboard, "You KNOW it's a MYTH," went up over the holidays at the entrance to NYC's Holland Tunnel and resulted in an answering billboard from the Catholic League at the exit of the tunnel.

Doritos Pulls "Anti-Christian" Ad

The "Jesus tastes like Doritos" ad I mentioned a couple of days ago has been pulled from the Super Bowl advertising contest and Fox News is delighted.

ARGENTINA: Big Brother Producers Reveal Transman Identity Of Contestant

Andres Duque has the backstory at Blabbeando.

NEW MEXICO: AG Claims State Can Recognize Out Of State Gay Marriages

New Mexico Attorney General Gary King has issued an opinion declaring that his state can legally recognize same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions.

“While we cannot predict how a New Mexico court would rule on this issue, after review of the law in this area, it is our opinion that a same-sex marriage that is valid under the laws of the country or state where it was consummated would likewise be found valid in New Mexico,” King said. While 40 states explicitly bar gay marriage, King says that New Mexico’s law does “not explicitly address the recognition of same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions,” according to the release announcing the opinion.

Currently only New York, Rhode Island and Maryland do not perform same-sex marriages, but do recognize them from elsewhere.

The Power Of The Comma

From the amusing Jesus Needs New PR.