TONIGHT: Earth Hour 2011

ABC News On The Book Of Mormon

MARYLAND: Trans Bill Passes House

This afternoon the Maryland House approved its transgender rights bill by a vote of 86-52. As you might expect, the debate got ugly at times, with one House member saying, "Do we really want Klinger in charge of our daycares?" Equality Maryland reports via press release:

"Today we thank Delegates Pena-Melynk and Kelly for their tremendous leadership. We are proud of the 86 Delegates who stood up for fairness today by voting to support HB 235. All hardworking people in our state, should have a chance to earn a living and provide for themselves and their families. Nobody should have to live in fear that they can be legally fired for reasons that have nothing to do with their job skills or work performance. There is still work to do, but today, we're one step closer in seeing all transgender Marylanders are treated fairly under the law. Discrimination in jobs and housing happens a lot in Maryland and it's time we put a stop to it. Data shows that 1 in 5 transgender people in Maryland have lost a job due to discrimination and 12% have become homeless. This law is a matter of life-or-death for some Marylanders. We look to the Senate now, where we will work with proven champions Senator Jamie Raskin and Senator Rich Madaleno to see this bill through to a swift and successful passage."

The bill now moves to the Maryland Senate.

Geraldine Ferraro Dies At 75

Geraldine Ferraro, who in 1984 became the first woman to be nominated for vice president, has died of cancer at the age of 75.

Ms. Ferraro passed away today at Massachusetts General Hospital, surrounded by her loved ones. The cause of death was complications from multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that she had battled for twelve years. Ms. Ferraro was seventy-five years old. Her family said "Geraldine Anne Ferraro Zaccaro was widely known as a leader, a fighter for justice, and a tireless advocate for those without a voice. To us, she was a wife, mother, grandmother and aunt, a woman devoted to and deeply loved by her family. Her courage and generosity of spirit throughout her life waging battles big and small, public and personal, will never be forgotten and will be sorely missed."

Here is Ferraro's historic acceptance speech at the 1984 Democratic Convention.

TENNESSEE: Housing Official Says Gays Are Like Murderers and Drug Dealers

In January, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) invited public comment on proposed new rules banning discrimination against LGBT people in all its programs. That prompted Vicki Barnes, the executive director of Tennessee's Sweetwater Housing Authority to fire off a letter to HUD in which she compares gay people to murderers, cult members, prostitutes and drug dealers. According to Barnes, if HUD's proposed rules are adopted, landlords will opt out of Section 8 programs rather than "be bullied into accepting tenants who have chosen a lifestyle that goes against their moral convictions." Screen shots of Barnes' detestable letter are below.I've posted Barnes' full letter to my Scribd account. I believe we'll have a little project here, come Monday.

(Tipped by JMG reader James)

Huckabee Leads GOP 2012 Poll

Gallup reports:

Mike Huckabee tops a large list of potential GOP presidential candidates in current support for the party's 2012 nomination, with 19% of Republicans saying they are most likely to back him. This gives Huckabee a slight edge over Mitt Romney (15%). Sarah Palin is now at 12% after receiving 16% support in three prior Gallup polls. Newt Gingrich is the only other potential candidate who registers double-digit support. Sixteen percent of Republicans currently have no preference.

Haley Barbour: Amorous Gay Soldiers Are Going To Stop Us From Killing Bad Guys

Yesterday Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour became the third prospective 2012 GOP presidential candidate to promise to reinstate DADT if elected. Because gay soldiers are going to be too busy cruising other men to effectively kill the bad guys.

They did research to see what military people thought about this idea. The closest to the ground, the soldier on the ground, was the most opposed to this. And it's not necessarily over homosexuality. Its over the fact that when you're under fire and people are living and dying of split-second decisions you don't need any kind of amorous mindset that can affect saving people's lives and killing bad guys. You look at the data and it is the foot-soldier that is the person who is out there, boots on the ground, who was most against this. And it's because they live or die with this and that's who we ought to be listening to, that's who we ought to be caring about and that's why I am against it. I think it ought to be rolled back. I just don't see how you can take any other position if the person you are trying to protect is the soldier who is actually in combat.

Newt Gingrich: If Elected President I Will Slow Down The Homosexual Agenda

Major GOP personalities continue to appear on the American Family Association radio show of unrepentant racist Bryan Fischer. Yesterday it was Newt Gingrich, who vowed to "slow down" the "homosexual agenda" and force a return to Christian values if elected president. More clips from the interview are at Right Wing Watch.

Eurovision: Albania's Aurela Gaçe

Here it is in Albanian. I really liked last year's Albania entry.

Blocked

The Family Research Council is furious about my constant misquoting of them by posting verbatim screen shots of their words.

Liz Taylor Leaves Estate To AIDS Charities

Most of Elizabeth Taylor's massive fortune will go to the two AIDS charities with whom she was most famously associated.

Screen queen Elizabeth Taylor has left behind a fortune worth at least $600 million, much of which is expected to go to the AIDS charities she championed for decades. Her famous jewelry collection, valued at an eye-popping $150 million in 2002, is likely to be auctioned off with the bulk of the proceeds going to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and amfAR, the AIDS charity she helped found in 1985, according to WFLD/Fox TV Chicago. "From what I understand, she seems to have been very wise about her investments," said a financial planner who has worked with other Hollywood A-listers. At the time of her 1994 divorce from her last husband, Larry Fortensky, Taylor's net worth was estimated at $608.4 million. That figure could now be well in excess of $1 billion. During the 1990s, Taylor reportedly earned about $2 per second, or about $63 million per year. Her famed perfume, White Diamonds, earned more than $70 million last year, according to reports.

Our hero, even in death.

8,175,135 Stories In The Naked City

New York City officials are apoplectic about just-released 2010 census data which turned up a quarter-million fewer residents than expected. The new figures will mean many millions less in federal funding for everything from schools to social programs to anti-terrorism measures.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg immediately challenged the bureau’s finding, saying it shortchanged the city by as many as 225,000 people. He said it was “inconceivable” that Queens grew by only 1,343 people since 2000 and suggested that the profusion of apartments listed as vacant in places like Flushing and in a swath of southwest Brooklyn meant the census missed many hard-to-count immigrants. City demographers offered a number of explanations for the low figure, ranging from the possibility that the 2000 census had overestimated the population to the likelihood that many tenants, especially immigrants, living in overcrowded and illegally divided apartments and basement cubicles were overlooked even after aggressive efforts by census takers, civic groups and city officials to find them.

Immigration activists point out that many of the undocumented didn't want to be counted and may have purposely evaded census workers. Some other interesting NYC demographic tidbits revealed by the census:

- The Asian population now exceeds one million, a 34% increase over ten years to 13% of the population. The biggest increase was seen in Brooklyn, which in 2010 had 41% more Asians than in 2000.
- For the first time since the Civil War, the city's black population declined during the census period. Non-Hispanic blacks presently make up 23% of the city.
- Hispanics now comprise 29% of the city's population.
- Since 2000 the Bronx lost 22% of its white residents, who now make up just over 10% of the borough.
- 42% of all state residents live within the five boroughs.
- If the boroughs' populations were ranked nationally as stand-alone cities, Brooklyn and Queens would be the third and fourth largest behind Los Angeles and Chicago. Manhattan would be sixth largest, behind Houston. The Bronx would be ninth, after Phoenix.

The Red-Caped Loons Invade Brown

On Wednesday, the red-caped bagpiping Catholic loons of the Society for Defense of Tradition demonstrated at Rhode Island's Brown University, knowing that their presence would provoke the famously ultra-liberal Ivy Leaguers and provide fodder for the below clip. You can read about the students' response at the school's newspaper.

Cher, Madonna, Lindsay

Lindsay Lohan would like you to know that she is dropping her family name and will join the tiny galaxy of megastars known only by one word.

"So many of the greatest people in showbiz are known by just their first name. Look at Oprah and Beyonce. Now you can add Lindsay to that list," a family friend tells me. "And it's a way for them all to start over. No one in the family want anything to do with Lindsay's father [Michael Lohan] anymore and that includes sharing a last name."

Fortunately, California's prisons already use a handy inmate numbering system, so this change will not be problematic. Call her TAFKALL.

Quote Of The Day - Sarah Palin

"I'm through whining about a liberal press that holds particularly conservative women to a different standard, because it doesn't do any good to whine about it. Nobody ever promised life was going to be fair. And politics really isn't fair, the scrutiny, the double standards, and all that. I'm dealing with it I guess in a different way than others who want to bring more light to it and demand that Bill Maher apologize." -Sarah Palin, responding to Bill Maher calling her a "dumb twat" on his show Monday night. The National Organization of Women has denounced Maher, but Palin says, "I need NOW's defense like a fish needs a bicycle."

Mike Huckabee In Iowa: We Need Spiritual Warriors To Fight The Evil Of Gay Marriage

Even if it costs you your job (?), Jeebus commands you to be spiritual warriors against the evil homosexuals who want to destroy America through loving, legal, long-term commitments.

(Via - Right Wing Watch)

Fingered By Jeebus

On Broadway's The Book Of Mormon

The Book Of Mormon is in previews has opened and reviews are coming in.

Andrew Sullivan:

This is an almost classically traditional musical score, each song unique, but united and woven together in show-stopping finales. Their blend is of subversive material filtered through tradition and sincerity. There is no cynicism here. Yes there is General Butt-Fucking Naked. There is an African woman called Neosporin. There is a fantastic send-up of Bono; a lovely dig at Johnnie Cochrane; some rudely sodomized frogs; and a baptism that sounds like sex. But there are also moments of unexpected poignancy, as when an African woman discovers that she has in fact been deceived. It is the best thing they have ever done - musically, theatrically, comically

New York Times' Ben Brantley:

This is to all the doubters and deniers out there, the ones who say that heaven on Broadway does not exist, that it’s only some myth our ancestors dreamed up. I am here to report that a newborn, old-fashioned, pleasure-giving musical has arrived at the Eugene O’Neill Theater, the kind our grandparents told us left them walking on air if not on water. So hie thee hence, nonbelievers (and believers too), to “The Book of Mormon,” and feast upon its sweetness.

Catholic League's Bill Donohue:

It takes no guts to bash Mormons on Broadway. Real men would rip Muslims. Real men would admit they love bashing Mormons. But the critics are also mere boys. Sullivan praises the musical for its "humaneness." The Los Angeles Times boasts of its "good intentions." AP calls it a "pro-religion musical." Newsday writes that it "seems smitten" to "do good." The reaction of homosexual reviewers is always fun to read. Sullivan justifies the Mormon bashing by saying we should judge "Mormonism by Mormons." Ben Brantley of the New York Times is hot over the scene where there are a "few choice words for the God who let them [AIDS victims] wind up this way." But if we were to judge homosexuals by what they do, we would know who caused them to wind up with AIDS. That would take real guts.

Porno Pete On "Homo-fascism"

"Homo-fascism sort of depicts this intolerance from the homosexual side. You have a movement that was once widely regarded as a taboo, a sin, and a perversion now dictating to the rest of the culture what should and should not be allowed. And so we're openly using the term homo-fascism because we think it's appropriate." - Porno Pete LaBarbara, explaining to readers of the American Family Association's news site why it's now OK to compare gays to Nazis.

Family Research Council Turns Exodus App Flap Into Fundraising Opportunity

The Family Research Council is seizing upon the media furor about Exodus International's iPhone app in order to launch a new fundraising campaign. Because Christians are being silenced. Again! From today's FRC email blast:

A story in the news this week proves once again what we've been saying for years. Liberals want to silence pro-family conservatives like you and me. In a stunning decision, Apple withered under pressure from homosexual activists and censored an application that offers help to people struggling with homosexuality. The app for ex-gays was created by Exodus International--and before this week, it had a 4+ rating from the iTunes store. Exodus is another victim of the growing campaign to silence Christianity in America. As a reader of my emails, you know that the Southern Poverty Law Center falsely labeled FRC a "hate group" for standing for biblical norms regarding sexuality. Liberal activists use this label and demand that media outlets censor FRC staff and research.

We are honored to serve on these frontlines, but we need your help. Please help us stand for marriage and healthy human sexuality with your gift today.

Apple's censorship has nothing to do with "tolerance." This is about silencing anything and anyone who challenges homosexuality. Americans need to wake up and realize that religious liberty is heading in the same direction as Exodus's app-extinction! In this environment, it doesn't matter what the facts are. If they contradict the homosexual agenda, the Left will do everything it can to muzzle them. The radical Left demands that we hand over control of our nation, our families, our children, and our freedoms to them. They demand big government intervention in every area of life. They rewrite history to hide our Christian heritage. To all of this, Family Research Council says, "No Surrender!"

Those homofacists are also trying to close down Chick-Fil-A! Send more money! Right now!

Big Freedia - Y'all Get Back Now

Big Freedia is the most popular artist in the New Orleans-based dance craze called Sissy Bounce, which was explored last summer in a lengthy New York Times Magazine profile. "Bouncing" typically involves turning your back on your partner and shaking your ass as violently as possible. My back hurts just watching all the clips on YouTube.

Gingrich Flip-Flops On Libya

No matter what the president does, Gingrich is against it.

MARYLAND: Trans Rights Bill Advances

This morning a Maryland House committee voted 15-8 to advance its Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination Act to the full chamber. Equality Maryland reports via press release:

House Bill 235 would add gender identity to the state's anti-discrimination laws in the area of employment, housing, and credit. The subcommittee approved a few non-substantive amendments which the lead sponsor, Equality Maryland, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force all found them to be relatively inconsequential. They committee also modified the definition of gender identity within the bill. This definition will provide protection both for a person's gender identity, as well as the way in which they express their gender in terms of presentation. Equality Maryland worked with the subcommittee and committee to ensure that both areas would be covered under the bill's definition.

The bill is strongly opposed by the usual bigots. Maryland residents, please contact your House Delegate and request their support.

CALIFORNIA: Target Sues Gay Group

Saying that they are annoying the customers, Target has filed suit against an LGBT group that has been gathering marriage petitions outside its San Diego locations.

Target says that the gay group’s activists regularly canvass outside eight San Diego stores and refuse to leave when asked. The retailer says it receives around a dozen complaints every day from shoppers angry at the campaigners. But Canvass For A Cause, which asks people to sign gay marriage petitions, claim Target wants to silence it because it is against gay rights. Director Tres Watson told AP: “It’s very David vs Goliath. We understand they’re the Goliath in the room. They’ve got all money in world to get us to stop talking about gay marriage.” He added that volunteers are trained to be polite and professional and that shopping centres have been recognised as public places where freedom of speech is protected.

The court case begins today.

RELATED: Despite an ongoing boycott by some gay consumers and the collapse of an exclusive deal with Lady Gaga over the company's political donations, openly gay GLAAD honoree Ricky Martin performed this week for Target executives.

Westboro's Sites Still Hacked

Infosec Island notes that Westboro Baptist Church's dozens of websites remain offline more than one month after the initial attack by the famed hacker Jester.

The sustained DoS attacks which began on February 21st represent a duration record for the hacktivist who is best known for his regular attacks on militant Jihadi websites as well as for an attack on the WikiLeaks website in late November of 2010 that forced the organization to shuffle Internet hosting providers. The Jester uses a DoS tool he calls XerXeS to perform an application level attack which can be performed by a single low-spec machine with relatively few packets, whereas traditional TCP-based DoS attacks require multiple machines. The XerXeS tool has been employed to disable multiple WBC websites in a relentless campaign to hamper the church's continued use of the Internet to broadcast hate speech.

The hackers group Anonymous, which is apparently not involved, says that Westboro's initial claim of a pending attack by them was a publicity hoax.

(Tipped by JMG reader Jay)

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #71

1959's Suddenly, Last Summer starring Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn and Montgomery Clift.

Canada To Help LGBT Refugees

In a partnership with an LGBT group, Canada has announced a landmark asylum program to assist LGBT refugees fleeing persecution in their home countries.

Through the project, Citizenship and Immigration Canada will work with the Rainbow Refugee Committee to share the cost of sponsoring gay, lesbian, transgender, transsexual and bisexual refugees overseas to Canada. The department will provide $100,000 in assistance to cover three months of income support for the refugees upon their arrival here, while the Rainbow committee will offer orientation services, accommodation, food and other basic needs. “These funds are a welcome first step in response to the crisis facing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people around the globe, at a time when 77 countries continue to criminalize homosexuality and five prescribe the death penalty,” said Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada, the country’s largest LGBT human rights organization.

Worst Ad Placement Ever

(Source)

Fred Phelps' Son Talks To Joy Behar

Last night Joy Behar spoke to Fred Phelps' estranged son about Westboro and Elizabeth Taylor.

Bryan Fischer: Muslims Have No Rights

"Islam has no fundamental First Amendment claims, for the simple reason that it was not written to protect the religion of Islam. Islam is entitled only to the religious liberty we extend to it out of courtesy. While there certainly ought to be a presumption of religious liberty for non-Christian religious traditions in America, the Founders were not writing a suicide pact when they wrote the First Amendment. Our government has no obligation to allow a treasonous ideology to receive special protections in America, but this is exactly what the Democrats are trying to do right now with Islam. From a constitutional point of view, Muslims have no First Amendment right to build mosques in America. They have that privilege at the moment, but it is a privilege that can be revoked if, as is in fact the case, Islam is a totalitarian ideology dedicated to the destruction of the United States." - American Family Association spokesman Bryan Fischer, who regularly hosts the approving leaders of the GOP on his radio show.

PhoboQuotable - Victoria Jackson

"The line has been crossed. Actors play murderers, robbers and gossips, but the gay lifestyle is always glorified. The other sins always seem to be punished or redeemed, but TV shows never show the downside to homosexuality: the loneliness, shame, broken families and marriages, diseases. The shame does not come from "society" but from God. So, even if the gays get everyone in the world to accept their behavior as 'normal,' there will still be shame, because it goes against God. Unless sin numbs their soul and their heart turns to stone, they will hear the still, small voice of God saying, 'I have a better way.' I was asked to do a lesbian kiss in a show once, and I said no. But, I'm guilty of being part of a few movies that may have been a bad influence on young people. I'm very sorry to anyone I led away from God." - Victoria Jackson, in yet another rambling, deranged, Scripture-laden piece for World Net Daily.

Jesus Hates The Minimum Wage

Unsurprisingly, capital gains and estate taxes are also unbiblical.

OMG

Newly added to the Oxford English Dictionary:

For the March 2011 release of OED Online, we have selected for publication a number of noteworthy initialisms—abbreviations consisting of the initial letters of a name or expression. Some of these—such as OMG [OMG int. (and n.) and adj.]: ‘Oh my God’ (or sometimes ‘gosh’, ‘goodness’, etc.) and LOL [LOL int. and n./2]: ‘laughing out loud’—are strongly associated with the language of electronic communications (email, texting, social networks, blogs, and so on). They join other entries of this sort: IMHO (‘in my humble opinion’) [IMHO at I n./1], TMI (‘too much information’) [TMI at T n.], and BFF (‘best friends forever’) [BFF at B n.], among others. [snip] As such usage indicates, many people would consider these recent coinages, from the last 10 or 20 years, and associate them with a younger generation conversant with all forms of digital communications. As is often the case, OED’s research has revealed some unexpected historical perspectives: our first quotation for OMG is from a personal letter from 1917; the letters LOL had a previous life, starting in 1960, denoting an elderly woman (or ‘little old lady’; see LOL n./1); and the entry for FYI [FYI phr., adj., and n.], for example, shows it originated in the language of memoranda in 1941.

Eurovision 2011: Armenia's Emmy

Eurodisco cheese! Boom, boom, chaka, chaka.

Anthony Weiner Hints Run For NYC Mayor

Yesterday firebrand Rep. Anthony Weiner made it all but official that he intends to run for mayor of New York City in 2013. Weiner ran for mayor in 2009 but dropped out early after Michael Bloomberg announced his intent to pursue a third term.

"I have a passing interest in the management of New York," Weiner said in one of his many asides during a much-hyped speech about health care reform - a favorite of liberals. "Hey, newsflash, I'm interested," added Weiner, who ran in 2005 and was chased away by Mayor Bloomberg's bankroll in 2009. "It would be exceedingly coy of me, especially in this town, to present that I'm not interested in being mayor," he added.

It's expected that both Clintons will be powerful allies in Weiner's campaign. Last summer Bill Clinton officiated at Weiner's wedding to Hillary's top aide, Huma Abedin. Weiner's strongest challenger will likely be openly gay City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who herself might be mayor today had her boss not decided that term limits were only for the little people.

RELATED: Bloomberg spent a record-shattering $102M of his own money in 2009, an eye-bugging $174 per vote, but still only won by five points despite the relatively pitiful $8M spent by his Democratic opponent. That's how pissed people were about his upending of term limits.

Playwright Lanford Wilson Dies At 73

Pulitzer Prize-winning openly gay playwright Lanford Wilson died of pneumonia yesterday at the age of 73. Wilson is considered to have been one of the primary figures in the creation of New York's vibrant Off Broadway theater movement.

Mr. Wilson's work was first seen in such bohemian, downtown dens as Caffe Cino and Cafe LaMaMa E.T.C. His youthful colleagues included writers Sam Shepard, Leonard Melfi and Jean Claude van Itallie. In 1969, he became a founding member of the Circle Repertory Company, which became an influential Off-Broadway hothouse of talent during the 1970s. There, many of his most significant works debuted, including The Hot l Baltimore and Talley's Folly. Mr. Wilson won the Pulitzer Prize for the latter, the central and most famous play in his Talley Trilogy, which tracked the adventures of several generations of the same Missouri clan.

Wilson's Burn This is one of the best plays I've ever seen. And the short-lived 1975 TV version of Hot l Baltimore, which featured one of television's first gay couples, was fantastic despite its reputation as Norman Lear's only sitcom "failure."

HomoQuotable - Tom Ford

"A man should never wear shorts in the city. Flip-flops and shorts in the city are never appropriate. Shorts should only be worn on the tennis court or on the beach." - Tom Ford, from his Five Easy Lessons On How To Be A Gentleman. I do agree on the flip-flops. But c'mon, summer in New York City without shorts? Try waiting for the 6 train on a murderously hot platform some July afternoon and we'll see how fast you cave, Mr. Ford.

Victoria Jackson On The Little Mermaid

Fake Victoria Jackson, that is.

(Via - Good As You)

Wrestling Champion Hudson Taylor Speaks About His Anti-Homopobia Campaign

NOM Denounces Catholic Marriage Poll

Today NOM screams that the above "LGBT-funded poll falsely claims that most Catholics support same-sex marriage" and links to a story on CatholicVote.org.

Who is driving the numbers behind the headline: “Catholic support same-sex marriage”? Catholics who are almost never in the pews. And yet, when it comes to the headlines, Catholics who can’t even trouble themselves to get to Mass with any sort of regularity are lumped in with faithful Catholics who actually try to follow the teachings of the Church. This disparity is revealing, however: it reveals the contradiction between being a faithful Catholic and signing on to the LGBT agenda to redefine marriage. After all, the Catholics who are most serious about the LGBT agenda are typically the Catholics who are the least serious about their faith. [snip]

First, this much-circulated poll was paid for by Arcus – who we know about – and the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. fund, which separately paid PRRI to “help develop religious education strategies supporting gay equality” in 2009. In the same year, the same Haas Jr. fund paid PRRI to survey Presbyterians on LGBT issues. In other words, PRRI provides polling to help gay-rights groups figure out how to better push their agenda among various faith communities. And yet, despite these multiple cash infusions from LGBT-groups like Arcus and its ilk, and despite the clear bent of this polling towards growing support for the LGBT agenda among faith groups, PRRI is still described as a “non-profit, nonpartisan, independent organization.” Really?

Elizabeth Taylor's Funeral Is Today

Perhaps to thwart the Westboro Baptist Church, who yesterday vowed to picket her funeral, Elizabeth Taylor will be buried today at the famed Forest Lawn Memorial Park, the final resting place of many Hollywood stars. I just checked the Twitter feed of Margie Phelps, who doesn't yet seem to be aware of the speedy service. Story developing...

UPDATE: E! Online reports that the private service took place under tight security and without "unwelcome interruptions," although Westboro may get another shot during an upcoming "more expansive" memorial service. Taylor was interred in Forest Lawn's Great Mausoleum near Michael Jackson. Tomorrow night Broadway's marquees will go dark for one minute at 8PM in Taylor's honor.

MARYLAND: Appeals Court Makes It Easier To Fake Referendum Signatures

In a ruling that is already being celebrated by NOM, by a 5-2 decision the Maryland Court of Appeals has ruled that election officials may no longer contest illegible signatures on referendum petitions.

The Court of Appeals this week released its reasoning behind last fall’s decision on a Montgomery County ambulance fee referendum. The court decision will affect political efforts statewide, and signature-gatherers said it will make their task easier. Everything from local questions to a referendum on gay marriage, if such a measure passes the legislature, could feel the impact. Elections officials in Montgomery had rejected thousands of signatures on petitions last year because of the way voters signed their names. The elections officials blocked a referendum seeking to undo a newly passed fee for ambulance service, and that decision was upheld by a Montgomery circuit court judge. But in September, the Court of Appeals reversed the lower court and ordered the referendum placed on the ballot. It didn’t say why, until Tuesday.

Scribble any signature you like. As long as the printed name matches that of a registered voter, the petition will be counted. GOP activists are quoted in the above-linked article as saying they are "thrilled" with the ruling. Why wouldn't they be?

Leonard Pitts On Majority Rule

"We are gathered here today to look a gift horse in the mouth. It seems a majority of the American people now favor allowing gay men and lesbians to wed. That majority, according to a Washington Post survey released last week, is slender, just 51 percent. But even at that, it represents a significant increase from just five years ago, when only 36 percent of Americans approved. [snip]

"But lurking at the edge of celebration there is, for me, at least, a nagging, impatient vexation. That vexation is based in what is arguably an esoteric question: In extolling the fact that the majority now approves same-sex marriage, do we not also tacitly accept the notion that the majority has the right to judge? [snip]

"That’s the pebble in the shoe, the popcorn hull between the teeth, that nags at the conscience when one reads polls tracking how many of us approve of other people’s lives and decisions. It’s all well and good that 51 percent of us support the right of gay men and lesbians to tell it to the judge, but really, what hubris makes us think we have a right to say yea or nay in the first place?" - Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Leonard Pitts, writing for the Miami Herald.

(Tipped by JMG reader Will)

In Case Of Kissing Marines...

In a scare piece headlined "Military Indoctrinated On Gays Kissing," today's Washington Times notes the below scenario as laid out in a Marine Corps guideline to the repeal of DADT.

“Situation,” it begins. “You are the Executive Officer of your unit. While shopping at the local mall over the weekend, you observe two junior male Marines in appropriate civilian attire assigned to your unit kissing and hugging in the food court. “Issue: Standards of Conduct. Is this within standards of personal and professional conduct?” The answer to Marines: “If the observed behavior crosses acceptable boundaries as defined in the standards of conduct for your unit and the Marine Corps, then an appropriate correction should be made. Your assessment should be made without regard to sexual orientation.”

The comments on the above-linked article are pretty much what you'd expect.

Fred Karger Talks About His Candidacy

Yesterday Karger filed the paperwork to become the first openly gay GOP candidate for president.

Email Overload

I guess it's about time for my annual plea for forgiveness regarding my lousy email habits. I am very appreciative of all of your news tips and personal messages and I totally suck for not being able to get back to everybody. (Including on Facebook!) But this here website thingy, for now, is a one-man show. I'm pedaling as fast as I can!

Obama Locked Out Of White House

Wingnut sites are having a field day with this video of the president returning from South America to find several White House doors locked.

Rep. Trent Franks: Obama May Bring Nuclear Terrorism Upon The United States

"For the first time in my life, when Barack Obama became elected, for the first time in my life, I am actually afraid that America may diminish to a point where it's just unrecognizable. Not just on the economic front, but where he puts people on the Supreme Court that have no fealty or loyalty to the Constitution and weakening our country to the extent that we may see nuclear terrorism, not in our childrens' generation, but in ours, in the near future. And any one of those could destabilize our country to the extent that it would not be the great beacon of freedom for the planet." - Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), speaking on the American Family Association's radio show, where Frothy Mix was sitting in for usual host Tony Perkins.

Dan Savage On Gayle King Show

Yesterday Dan Savage appeared on the Gayle King Show to talk about bullying and the It Gets Better book. Savage points out that straight kids are often the victims of anti-gay bullying.

COLORADO: Civil Unions Passes Senate

As expected, today the Colorado state Senate approved its civil unions bill by a vote of 23-12. Via press release from One Colorado:

"Today is a tremendous victory for gay and lesbian couples across the state—and for all fair-minded Coloradans,” said Brad Clark, Executive Director of One Colorado, a statewide LGBT advocacy organization. “We look forward to working with House Republican leadership who have promised a fair hearing. Issues of significant importance with overwhelming public support like civil unions deserve a full and fair hearing with an up-or-down vote by the entire House.”

The bill now moves to the state House where its lead sponsor is Rep. Mark Ferrandino (pictured), who predicts that the bill will pass in the full House IF it gets out of the committee where Republicans may attempt to sink it.

Wife Of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas Joins Wingnut Site As Reporter

Virginia Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has been hired by The Daily Caller as a reporter.

"We are thrilled to have Ginni Thomas join The Daily Caller as a special correspondent to interview both established and emerging leaders about the serious questions facing our country," said Neil Patel, publisher and CEO of The Daily Caller. "Ginni is always upbeat, she has an unbelievable amount of energy and enthusiasm and she knows our political system as well as anyone in Washington. We could not imagine a better person to take on this role."

A longtime Tea Party activist, Thomas' political activities have prompted calls for her husband to recuse himself from some cases.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand For NY Marriage

SAN FRANCISCO: Now With Fewer Kids

NOM president Brian Brown is gleefully tweeting out the link to a story about the declining number of children living in San Francisco. Because them there evil homofascists are chasing all the families away. It certainly can't be because San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the nation, can it?

Families that remain in The City are bucking the trend that has plagued San Francisco for years as the number of children — defined as people up to 17 years old — has dropped from 181,532 in 1960 to 107,524 today, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau figures. The 2000 census counted 112,802 youths. The decrease is disappointing news for city officials, who have attempted to counter the family-flight trend by creating more affordable housing, improving schools and cutting costs, such as a college savings account for kindergarten enrollees.

Quote Of The Day - Camille Paglia

"To me, Elizabeth Taylor's importance as an actress was that she represented a kind of womanliness that is now completely impossible to find on the U.S. or U.K. screen. It was rooted in hormonal reality -- the vitality of nature. She was single-handedly a living rebuke to postmodernism and post-structuralism, which maintain that gender is merely a social construct. Let me give you an example. Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are All Right is a truly wonderful film, but Julianne Moore and Annette Bening -- who is fabulous in it and should have won the Oscar for her portrayal of a prototypical contemporary American career woman -- were painfully scrawny to look at on the screen. This is the standard starvation look that is now projected by Hollywood women stars -- a skeletal, Pilates-honed, anorexic silhouette, which has nothing to do with females as most of the world understands them. There's something almost android about the depictions of women currently being projected by Hollywood." - Camille Paglia, writing for Salon.

MONTANA: Anti-Gay Rights Bill Fails

Tea Party-backed GOP Rep. Kristen Hansen's attempt to overturn all LGBT rights laws in Montana has been sent back to committee in the state Senate, probably never to be heard from again.

The Senate Local Government Committee passed House Bill 516 last week. But the bill was returned to the committee Tuesday and chairman Sen. Jon Sonju says it is doubtful the measure will go to the Senate floor. Sonju says he moved the measure back to committee because it doesn't have the support of Senate leaders. The proposal, carried by Republican Rep. Kristin Hansen, drew lengthy testimony during its hearings in the House and Senate. Supporters said the bill would overturn an unconstitutional ordinance that infringes on the state's authority.

Missoula, the only Montana town with LGBT protections and the primary target of Hansen's bill, is safe for now.

IOWA: Crazy Eyes Praises Anti-Gay Haters

Prospective GOP presidential candidate Rep. Michele "Crazy Eyes" Bachmann showed up in Iowa yesterday to praise the anti-gay activists who unseated the "black-robed masters" in the state Supreme Court.

Bachmann, speaking to a group of home school advocates, credited conservatives with sending a “shot across the bow” to judges throughout the country. “You said enough is enough and sent them packing, and I’m very proud of what you’ve done,” she said, repeatedly calling judges “black-robed masters.” “It’s very rare that a judge does not go back to office.”

Bachmann promised the crowd that she would be back, presumably to campaign for president, and noted: "I’m an Iowan, for those who don’t know it. These are my roots. I’m not just an Iowan, I’m an Iowegian. For those of you who don’t know it, that means I’m an Iowan and 100% Norwegian."

Photo Of The Day

A shrine to Elizabeth Taylor has sprung up in the West Hollywood gay bar The Abbey, where Taylor was known to drop in. This weekend the bar will donate proceeds from sales of their Blue Velvet martini to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.

(Via - TMZ)

More On The Crystal Cathedral Flap

Last week California's Crystal Cathedral demanded that its choir sign an anti-gay statement, leading to turmoil within the family of Pastor Robert Schuller, the church's relatively gay-friendly founder, who has now denounced the statement. Cue Peter LaBarbera: "If the biblical model for sex in marriage is now too controversial for major pastors like Robert Schuller, we are really in a precipitous fall towards moral oblivion." Yesterday an anti-gay member of Crystal Cathedral tangled with SiruisFM's Michelangelo Signorile. Clip below.

O'Donnell On Catholics & Gays

Last night MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell ripped on Archbishop Timothy Dolan and Glenn Beck for their dumbassery in the face of the latest poll showing that the majority of America's lay Catholics do support LGBT rights and same-sex marriage.

Barry Manilow On Liz Taylor's' AIDS Work

Barry Manilow has never come out (as far I can know), but in last night's interview about Elizabeth Taylor he acknowledged that "I had lost half of my phone book" to AIDS. Manilow revealed that Taylor was so grateful that he agreed to perform at her first AIDS fundraiser that she sent him a pot of gardenias every year on his birthday.

Tony Perkins Rides The Waambulance

"Liberals are on a crusade to end bullying--when the biggest bullies are the ones in their own movement! Decisions like Apple's are rooted in the same anti-Christian prejudice that's led to the Left's persecution of donors, businesses, voters, churches, and even students. What do you call 146,000 people ganging up on a company because they don't like someone else's point of view? Bullies! They have to resort to intimidation because they know the rest of the country isn't with them. They also know that if they had to debate conservatives out in the open on issues like marriage and morality, they'd lose! If you're an iTunes user, contact Apple and tell them that squashing free speech is bad for business. Ask them to show real tolerance and reinstate the Exodus app!" - Family Research Council head bully Tony Perkins, via press release.

Cindy Jacobs: I Have Mobilized 500,000 Christian Intercessors For 2012 Election

So she says, from the podium of Sarah Palin's church.

Open Thread Thursday

Really bad jokes, let's have 'em.

(Suggested by JMG reader David)

Eurovision 2011: Georgia's Eldrine

Complete with unnecessary rap interlude.

COLORADO: Civil Unions Bill Advances

Colorado's civil unions bill advanced today in the state Senate where it is expected to be approved upon its third and final reading. One Colorado writes us to caution that the real battle will be in the state House, where the GOP holds a slight majority and may attempt to stall the bill in committee.

House Republican leadership has promised a fair hearing, and we look forward to working with them throughout the legislative process. It's critical that matters of great importance like civil unions be debated in the open. Issues like civil unions which have tremendous public support---including 72% of Coloradans and 61% of Republicans in the state---should be given an up-or-down vote by the entire House so that citizens may see where their representatives stand on this critical matter.

The bill should clear its final Senate hurdle this week.

World Net Daily Is Thrilled With Trump's New Status As Birther Spokesdouche

Google Goes Gaga

If you're down for an hourlong interview with Lady Gaga, here it is as hosted by Google.

Citizenship Test

Newsweek gave a thousand Americans the same citizenship test given to immigrants and 38% failed. USA! USA!

They’re the sort of scores that drive high-school history teachers to drink. When NEWSWEEK recently asked 1,000 U.S. citizens to take America’s official citizenship test, 29 percent couldn’t name the vice president. Seventy-three percent couldn’t correctly say why we fought the Cold War. Forty-four percent were unable to define the Bill of Rights. And 6 percent couldn’t even circle Independence Day on a calendar.

You can answer ten sample questions from the test here. Or maybe you can't.

amfAR's Tribute To Elizabeth Taylor

Westboro To Picket Liz Taylor's Funeral

CALIFORNIA: Ninth Circuit Court Denies Request To Resume Same-Sex Marriages

Today the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the request to vacate their stay on the overturn of Proposition 8 and allow the resumption of same-sex marriages in California.

Federal Judge Vaughn Walker ruled last year that Proposition 8 was unconstitutional and ordered that same-sex weddings be allowed to resume. That decision was appealed to the Ninth Circuit, where the case is tied up on a legal question the panel asked the California Supreme Court to rule upon: Do Prop. 8 sponsors have legal standing to defend the law in court when the state will not. The order [to deny] was filed by judges Stephen R. Reinhardt, Michael Daly Hawkins and N. Randy Smith.

SAN FRANCISCO: Victory Fund Endorses Supervisor Bevan Dufty For Mayor

Openly gay San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty has picked up the endorsement of the Victory Fund in his bid to become mayor. That's a critical development for Dufty, who faces a mayoral field cluttered with almost two dozen declared candidates. SF Weekly reports:

The Victory Fund's endorsement signals a huge shift for Dufty's campaign, political consultants said. The group is known for its fund-raising prowess and it has a strong national donor network that helped Annise Parker get elected as the first openly gay mayor in Houston, Texas. And if it can help Houston elect a gay mayor, than San Francisco should be a no-brainer. "He can raise significant money from that community," said Jim Ross, a local campaign consultant. "This is really good." Ross pointed out that Dufty remains one of the most popular politicians, and comes from the largest voting district, which puts him in a strong position. More importantly, he can now access money from LGBT communities across the nation, which will help him make a comeback in this race.

San Francisco's mayor will be chosen by a ranked-choice method: "Under ranked-choice voting, voters list their first, second and third choices. If no candidate wins more than half the vote, last-place candidates are eliminated and second- and third-place votes from those ballots are redistributed until someone wins a majority." Confusing!

RELATED: Longtime SF Mayor Gavin Newsom resigned in January to take office as California Lt. Governor. City Administrator Edwin Lee was then appointed as Newsom's interim replacement. Lee is not running to keep the job.

UNRELATED: In 2008 I was seated next to Bevan Dufty for the San Francisco premiere screening of Milk. And all I could think was how strange it was to be watching a movie about a murdered gay politician while sitting next to the gay politician who now held that same office.

Tweet Of The Day - Tony Perkins

Strange New Ad From Mercedes

JMG reader Davide writes to note that Italian activists don't care for this strange new ad from Mercedes-Benz in which a woman chances upon a some rough-looking gay characters in a roadside diner.

Openly Gay Gadfly Fred Karger Files For GOP 2012 Presidential Nomination

Today Fred Karger will officially file his candidacy for the GOP 2012 presidential nomination, becoming the first Republican to do so. Oh, he's also the first-ever openly gay GOP candidate to run for president. Mother Jones reports:

Karger has already made many swings through Iowa and New Hampshire, laying the groundwork for his campaign in those key primary states. He's run TV ads and met with dozens of young Republican activists to rally the troops. Today's FEC filing simply makes his candidacy official. It also, no doubt, will make it harder for Republicans to keep him out of candidate forums and debates during the campaign, which some have been trying to do. While Karger met this week with officials at the RNC, including chairman Reince Priebus, in what he called a warm meeting, other members of the GOP establishment have not been so welcoming of his historic candidacy. As we reported earlier this month, RNC members in Iowa and a key organizer with Ralph Reed's Faith and Freedom Coalition have not only threatened to keep Karger out of the race but also intentionally shut him out of a March 7 presidential forum in Des Moines organized by Reed's group. Karger responded by filing a complaint against RNC member and Iowa Faith and Freedom organizer Steve Scheffler as well as his organization for violating federal election laws by discriminating against Karger because he's gay. Karger's official candidate status now will only help his complaint.

Karger made his name in 2008 by launching boycotts of corporations that made donations in support of Proposition 8. He's been instrumental in the numerous lawsuits filed against NOM for failing to disclose the names of their backers.

POLL: Majority Of Lay Catholics Support LGBT Rights And Same-Sex Marriage

In what may come as a shocker to the Vatican and Archbishop Timothy Dolan, a just-released poll shows that a slim majority of America's lay Catholics now support same-sex marriage and LGBT rights.

Overall, the survey found 53 percent of Catholics supported the idea of same-sex marriage, while the general public is evenly divided on the issue. Fifty-six percent of Catholics did not believe sexual relations between two adults of the same gender constituted a sin, compared to 46 percent of the general population. Sixty percent of Catholics favored adoption rights for same-sex couples, 49 percent think gays should be allowed to be ordained as clergy, and 73 percent believe they should have legal protections in the workplace – all higher percentages than found in the general population, PRRI said. There was a powerful generation gap found in the survey, with Catholics under 35 much more liberal than those 65 and older. The influx of Hispanic Catholics into the U.S. church in recent years did not skew the results, as the young newcomers were divided between liberal and conservative views of homosexuality.

A sample comment from Free Republic: "The majority of Catholics aren’t Christians either - by the standards of the Holy Bible. Among many things they do that are against God’s Word (the Pope just recently used a Hindu prayer), Catholics engage in witchcraft (praying to dead saints and statues). They also worship Mary instead of CHRIST as the mediator between man and God."

Archbishop Timothy Dolan: I Have No Right To Play Shortstop For The Yankees And Gays Have No Right To Get Married

Pole Dancing For Jesus

RELATED: In Kansas, the American Family Association is working to "protect state citizens from sexually oriented businesses" because it's a lie that titty bars "keep strippers off of welfare." Or something.

Walmart Changes "Gay" Review Policy

"I apologize that this situation has been created. It was a systemic oversight, in which ‘gay’ was on a list of filtered words. Certainly it makes absolute sense for you to include this word in your review. This is a no-brainer for us." - Walmart spokesman Ravi Jariwala, responding to JMG reader and It Gets Better contributor Mark King, who on Monday had his book review flagged as "profane" because he included the word "gay."

King notes that Walmart has also issued the below statement.

Recently it was brought to our attention that Mark King was unable to complete a review of the book “It Gets Better” on Walmart.com. We regret that a filter did not allow his review of the book to post and we quickly worked to resolve this technical issue. We reached out to Mark directly to discuss the issue and, as an extra measure, we have reviewed the system to ensure that it will allow the use of all appropriate words related to sexual orientation and gender identity.

Mark King concludes: "There is probably no national retail chain with as problematic a reputation as Walmart, and I can only imagine the topics that other advocates would have wanted me to broach with these corporate representatives. But I had one issue, one specific complaint that I asked to be addressed. And on this day, on this issue, Walmart did right by the LGBT community. Now, everybody go buy It Gets Better."

Well done, Mark! And thanks to all the JMG readers who also reached out to Walmart.

INDIANA: Marriage Ban Advances

Last month the Indiana House voted to insert a ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions into the state constitution. This morning an Indiana Senate committee voted 7-3 to advance their version of the bill to the full chamber, where it has already passed five times.

The vote was along party lines, with Democrats against. Indiana state law already limits marriage to between one man and one woman, but supporters want the language inserted into the state Constitution so judges can’t overturn the law in the future. The proposed language specifically says “only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Indiana. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized.” The second sentence effectively would ban legislators from enacting civil unions in the future.

The legislature will have to approve the bill a second time by 2014 in order to get it on that year's ballot, the earliest voters would see it.