Evening View

(Source)

GOProud On 9/11 Anniversary

GOProud wants to step up the fight against radicalized Islam abroad, but continues to lick the jackboots of American Christianists who would gleefully put us all in prison. Brown fundamentalists: bad. White fundamentalists? Fantastic.

Florida Goes Gun Crazy

Now that the teabaggers are in charge of Florida's legislature, cities and counties are no longer allowed to enforce their local gun laws.

This year the State Legislature passed a new law that forces counties and municipalities to do away with, and stop enforcing, their own firearms and ammunition ordinances by Oct. 1. Mayors, council and commission members will risk a $5,000 fine and removal from office if they “knowingly and willfully violate” the law. Towns that enforce their ordinances risk a $100,000 fine. To comply with the law, cities and counties are poring over their gun ordinances, repealing laws and removing gun-related signs. In Palm Beach County that means removing ordinances that ban people from taking guns into county government buildings and local parks and from firing guns in some of its most urban areas. In Groveland, that means they can fire their guns into the air to celebrate. And in Lake County, firearms will soon be allowed in libraries.

Madness.

Only Frothy Mix Can Save America!

Liars For Christ™ (Part 87)

Greenpeace Vs. Obama

RALLY: September 13th In Raleigh

RELATED: Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes has pledged a $10 donation to Equality North Carolina for every "like" between now and Tuesday. Facebook page.

Gays Are Worse Than Terrorism

"In the last twenty years, fifteen to twenty years, we’ve had maybe three terrorist attacks on our soil with a little over 5,000 people regrettably losing their lives. In the same time frame, there have been hundreds of thousands who have died because of having AIDS. So which one’s the biggest threat? And you know, every day our young people, adults too, but especially our young people, are bombarded at school, in movies, in music, on TV, in the mall, in magazines, they’re bombarded with ‘homosexuality is normal and natural.’ It’s something they have to deal with every day. Fortunately we don’t have to deal with a terrorist attack every day, and that’s what I mean. It’s more dangerous, and yes I think that it’s also more dangerous because it will tear down the moral fiber of this nation." - Oklahoma state GOP Rep. Sally Kern.

Yup

(Source)

The Onion Spoofs The "WTC Cross"

Just in from The Onion.

Despite the surprising coincidence of finding a perfectly formed swastika amidst the broken girders of the Twin Towers, 9/11 memorial curators have opted not to display the symbol, choosing instead to leave it in the storage facility where it has been located for the past 10 years. "On the one hand, it's pretty miraculous that there was a precisely shaped 80-by-80-foot swastika found in the rubble of the fallen World Trade Center, but in the end, we decided not to include it in our plans for the museum," said memorial spokesman Stanley Morgenstern, adding that it would probably be seen as inappropriate. "Although you've got to admit that it is pretty incredible. Mathematically, what are the odds? It's amazing but, perhaps, not right for what we are trying to achieve with the museum." Upon hearing the news, neo-Nazi groups have complained about the exclusion, arguing that the giant swastika is "a sign from heaven" and that "9/11 affected all Americans, including those who believe in the inherent genetic superiority of the Aryan race

Oct. 11th: Utah's Pink Dot

Orthodox Rabbinical Edict: It Is Against Torah Law To Vote For David Weprin

NOM is doing an excellent job of stoking the fires of anti-gay hatred among New York's Orthodox Jews. Today several dozen Brooklyn rabbis issued a letter declaring that to vote for Assemblyman David Weprin is a violation of the Torah. Because he voted for same-sex marriage.

“Weprin’s claim that he is Orthodox makes the chillul Hashem even greater,” states the letter signed by the Flatbush rabbonim. The letter states that it is therefore Assur“ [forbidden according to Torah law] to vote for, campaign for, fund or otherwise support the campaign of NY State Assemblyman David Weprin.” The letter contains several non-Flatbush signatories, most notably Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky and Rav Simcha Bunim Cohen. Many are upset about Mr. Weprin’s vote earlier this year in Albany to legalize same gender marriage in New York state, and particularly that Mr. Weprin cited his Orthodox Jewish faith as a reason to vote for the bill. The district that Weprin and his opponent, Republican Bob Turner, are vying for covers parts of Queens and Brooklyn and has a 3-to-1 Democratic registration advantage.

RELATED: A Siena poll released today shows Weprin trailing Bob Turner by six points, a huge reversal from earlier polls.

Obama's Job Speech In 35 Seconds

(Tipped by JMG reader Osman)

Domestic Partners For Fort Lauderdale

Yesterday Fort Lauderdale's mayor and city commission unanimously authorized domestic partner benefits for LGBT city employees. All city perks currently offered to the legal spouses of city employees will be available.

A Quick Note About Sock-Puppeting

As some of you are already aware, I've begun banning the accounts of commenters who use the "hide comment history" function. While that feature is arguably useful to those who don't want JMG readers to see which other JS-Kit supported sites they visit, recent rampant sock-puppeting has forced this action.

To The Elderly: Don't Yell At Paul Ryan

Clip description:

As Congressman Paul Ryan cracked a joke about him, Tom Nielsen found himself face down on the floor being handcuffed by police. The 71-year-old retired plumber from Kenosha was thrown to the ground, placed in handcuffs, and arrested for trespassing and resisting arrest after objecting to Ryan's plans to gut Social Security and Medicare during his congressman's only public appearance scheduled during the August recess -- a $15 Rotary Club luncheon in West Allis on Tuesday.

Facebook Status Of The Day

(Source)

Baptism By Notm Ormon

JMG reader Victor tips us to this Mormon-mocking website, which will baptize anybody whose name you submit. And send you a certificate too.

Proxy baptism, also called vicarious baptism, or baptism for the dead, is the practice of baptizing a person, acting as another person’s proxy, on behalf of another. Got that? We baptize Joe from accounting, who’s acting as say, George Washington’s proxy, and this somehow counts. While almost every major religion decries this practice, we find it a necessity to ensure that every person has the opportunity to accept our gospel, like it or not. It’s not weird at all.

Please don't submit MY name. I'm still trying to get the Catholic Church to debaptize me.

Bloomberg On "Credible Threat" To NYC

Weprin Vs. Turner: New Attack Ad

The Myth Of Global Warming (Con't)

One scientist says he is "gob-smacked" by the extent of the breakup of a Greenland glacier in just the last two years.

Located in north west Greenland, the Petermann Glacier accounts for 6% of the area of the Greenland ice sheet, said Dr Hubbard. It terminates as a floating tongue of ice, measuring around 43 miles (70km) long by 12 miles (20km) wide, the largest of its kind in the northern hemisphere. At its thickest the glacier is 3,280ft (1000m) high. "Although I knew what to expect in terms of ice loss from satellite imagery, I was still completely unprepared for the gob-smacking scale of the break-up, which rendered me speechless," said Dr Hubbard. "It was incredible to see. This glacier is huge, 20km across and 1000m high. "It's like looking into the Grand Canyon full of ice and coming back two years later to find it's full of water."

NOM Continues Attacks On Weprin

Good As You's Jeremy Hooper reports that NOM is mailing three different attack fliers to households in the district of former Rep. Anthony Weiner. NOM hopes to make Assemblyman David Weprin, an Orthodox Jew, the first example in their statewide campaign to punish all lawmakers who support civil rights. The above flier has been sent to Jewish neighborhoods in Brooklyn. ("OUR Torah, NOM?) The election is this Tuesday.

Sept. 21st: A Day With HIV In America

More information here.

Asshat Of The Day - James Forrester

"At least 20 years is taken off a homosexual's life, if they practice homosexuality, due to the increased death rate from AIDS, and hepatitis, and all of the other related factors to that. That doesn't seem to discourage them from practicing this unhealthy lifestyle. I'm trying to talk with them. And I've got a few homosexual patients, and I treat them just the same as anybody else. I love them. Perhaps even more, because I know they're going to die at least 20 years earlier. We need to reach out to them and try to get them to change their lifestyle back to the normal lifestyle which we can accept. It's a new day in Raleigh. This could really make a mark on society as we know it." - North Carolina GOP state Rep. James Forrester, marriage ban sponsor, who received a standing ovation from a town hall audience after delivering the above lies.

Satan Runs The Senate

"When I walk from the House side to the Senate side, I cross the middle line of the Capitol, I can feel a different principality because they have jurisdictions over different things. And there are principalities that sit over different government entities that cause them to think really goofy and you can’t get prayers through, they get delayed twenty-one days because the principalities are up there fighting in the Heavenlies. Because we’re not fighting flesh and blood." - Rick Perry's BFF David Barton, saying that "demonic forces" run portions of the federal government. (But not those, apparently, that have a GOP majority.)

North Carolina Marriage Poll

While a slim majority of polled residents say they would vote against North Carolina's pending marriage ban, 61% also say same-sex marriage should remain illegal.

63% of Democrats and 52% of independents would reject the amendment, and even a 47% plurality of Republicans would. Only 37% of them would vote for it. Mirroring an Elon University poll, 61% of African Americans would vote against the amendment. They would be joined by 78% of those under the age of 30 and majorities of every age group, including those over 65, 71% of whom are against gay marriage. Part of the reason for this opposition to both same-sex marriage and an amendment banning it could be that North Carolina voters are in favor of gay couples receiving the same legal rights as married couples do.

When given the option of civil unions, 29% want them, and a quarter still favor full marriage rights, for 54% in support of legal equality, similar to the 55% who oppose the amendment. That includes 63% of independents and 68% of Democrats. “It’s pretty simple: North Carolinians don’t support gay marriage but they also don’t think this constitutional amendment is necessary,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “And they also think this particular proposal goes too far by targeting civil unions, which many voters in the state support.”

Did Rick Perry Execute An Innocent Man?

Even though 41 inmates have been exonerated by DNA evidence since he took office, Rick Perry says he has no trouble sleeping.

Atheists Never....

Clickety-click. (Tipped by JMG reader Jake)

SCOTLAND: Archbishop Of Glasgow Denounces Marriage Equality

"In a proposed consultation regarding the redefinition of civil partnerships, we are talking not of human rights or of civil liberties, nor of legal or fiscal equalities, but of redefining a particular relationship to give it a meaning it doesn’t possess. We would use a word which carries huge significance, and render it meaningless in respect of one of its essential attributes, its capacity to create a natural family. I mean, of course, marriage. That 60 per cent of the population, according to one poll, is of a mind to accept that change may suggest to some a liberal society, but to others a foolish one." - Mario Conti, Archbishop of Glasgow.

REWIND: Obama's Job Speech

Tweet Of The Day - Sen. Barbara Mikulski

Britain Modifies Gay Blood Ban

Gay men who have not had sex in the last year may now donate blood in Britain.

The change comes into force in England, Wales and Scotland on November 7th. Northern Ireland has not yet decided whether it will relax the rules. But gay rights campaigners said gay men would still be treated unfairly under the new rules, as heterosexuals engaged in higher risk sexual activity are not subject to the same restrictions. The ban was put in place in the 1980s after the AIDS crisis, as gay and bisexual men have higher rates of HIV. Currently, any man who has ever had protected or unprotected oral or anal sex with another man cannot donate blood.

Bonjour, Girl!

"Bitches, I can hear you."

Last Night's Debate In 45 Seconds

Photo Of The Day - Gareth Thomas

(Via - Towleroad)

I Want To Go To There

SPOOF: Ad Agencies Take On Religion

An Australian television show asked ad agencies how they would promote a hypothetical campaign to outlaw all religions.

(Source)

Michigan GOP Gov. Rick Snyder Caps Welfare Eligibility At 48 Months

Beginning October 1st, many Michigan residents who have been on welfare for more than 48 months will face homelessness and starvation. Because GOP Gov. Rick Snyder has signed a bill to that effect.

Gov. Rick Snyder on Tuesday signed into law a stricter, four-year lifetime limit on cash welfare benefits, prompting advocates for the poor to warn that tens of thousands of residents will find themselves without cash assistance on Oct. 1. Michigan's first-year Republican chief executive said the state will offer exemptions to the limit for those with a disability who can't work, those who care for a disabled spouse or child and those who are 65 or older and don't qualify for Social Security benefits or receive very low benefits. Some recipients who are the victims of domestic violence also may be temporarily exempted. "We are returning cash assistance to its original intent as a transitional program to help families while they work toward self-sufficiency," Snyder said in a statement. He noted that the state still will help the poor by offering food stamps, health care coverage through Medicaid, child care and emergency services.

Michigan is currently ranked 48th in employment rates. What, exactly, are people supposed to do?

FRIDAY: Blowoff NYC @ Highline Ballroom

Blowoff will bust its sweaty, furry self into Chelsea's Highline Ballroom this Friday. Doors open at 11:30pm. Advance tickets here. This party will probably sell out.

Gay Zombies Want Brains Of Children

"Any day of the week starting in January, children as young as kindergarten will be told that a homosexual, a bisexual, or even a cross-dresser or someone who has had healthy body parts in a sex-change operation cut off -- that this is a positive role model. They're not going to be told that it's unhealthy. They're not going to be told [whether it's] natural or a matter of environment. They won't be told it. So, there's no critical thinking. This is basically the gay activists kidnapping the brains of the kids, and the parents have no say whatsoever." - Randy Thomasson, head of Save California.

Crazy Eyes: Please Send Money

Octopriest

It took me a second. (Source)

Found On Craigslist M4M

(Source)

Paulites Freep MSNBC Debate Poll

The dependable fans of whackadoodle Ron Paul freeped the fuck out of MSNBC's poll on last night's debate winner.

Federal Court To NOM: Get Lost

NOM has lost yet another attempt to evade Maine's campaign finance law after a federal appeals court refused to hear their case.

The appeal came after a 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston a month ago rejected the National Organization for Marriage's challenge to Maine's political action committee laws, and upheld Maine's law requiring disclosure of independent expenditures in candidate elections. In a decision Wednesday, the court denied NOM's request for a rehearing. NOM was the primary donor in 2009 to Stand for Marriage Maine, a political action committee that helped repeal Maine's same-sex marriage law. Other legal issues between NOM and the state of Maine, including one dealing with disclosure of donors, remain unsettled.

25 Things About Anderson Cooper

Matthew Rettenmund suggests secret #26.

Death Penalty Is A GOP Crowd Pleaser

Buzzfeed notes: "Rick Perry being the most prolific practitioner of capital punishment in the United States received spontaneous and rapturous applause at the Republican presidential primary debate. They weren't applauding Rick Perry's response, mind you, but Brian Williams simply stating the Texas governor's record of sending 234 people to their death. Your modern GOP, ladies and gentleman."

Christian Group: We May Hate Gays But At Least We Aren't Executing Them

"Liberal activists in America deride churches for upholding traditional marriage but seem mostly silent when Islamist regimes execute homosexuals and adulterers. Enshrining parts of Shari’a into Western legal codes, as the Archbishop of Canterbury has suggested, or accommodating it by social custom, opens a door to manifold dangers that churches and human rights organizations cannot ignore.

"Multiculturalism and political correctness sometimes argue for accommodating Sharia in the West. But Christians and others concerned about human rights must defend Western legal traditions of equality before the law. Liberal activists so quick to accuse traditional Christians of homophobia and Islamophobia might give a little more attention to how the Islamic Republic of Iran treats its people." - Faith McDonnell, spokesperson for the Institute of Religion & Democracy, responding to news of gays executed in Iran.

RELATED: In January the IRD slammed the U.S. State Department for working to prevent the abuse and executions of LGBT people in foreign countries. Everybody got that? If the United States tries to help foreign gays, that is anti-Christian meddling in the affairs of sovereign nations. But if the IRD can propagandize the very murders the State Department is working to stop? WAHOO. What filthy, transparent, hypocritical motherfuckers.

ALSO FUCKING RELATED: It should be noted that America, too, executes its homosexuals. Only we mostly do it at the hands (and baseball bats) of self-identified Christian civilians.

GOP Candidate Graph

Rick Perry in blue, Santorum in, heh, brown. (Source)

Schweddy Balls Ice Cream

It exists.

NOM Sinks $75K Into Weiner Race

NOM is spending $75,000 in support of Bob Turner, the GOP candidate hoping to replace Rep. Anthony Weiner. NOM doesn't necessarily like Turner, he's just not David Weprin, the state assemblyman who voted to approve same-sex marriage.

The organization disclosed in a filing with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday that it spent $26,000 on direct-mail advertising in opposition to Mr. Weprin, who voted in favor of the marriage bill, and $19,000 in support of his Republican opponent, Bob Turner, who opposes same-sex marriage. Brian S. Brown, the president of the National Organization for Marriage, said in a telephone interview that the group planned to spend more money, about $30,000, on automated phone calls, additional mailings and get-out-the-vote efforts before the election, scheduled for Tuesday. “David Weprin made a terrible mistake when he voted for same-sex marriage,” Mr. Brown said, “and I think his community is going to hold him accountable.”

Support David Weprin.

Barney Frank - It Gets Better

Social Security: Perry Vs. Romney

While most pundits awarded last night's debate win to Rick Perry, some predicted that his "Ponzi scheme" claim about Social Security will haunt him for a long time.

Open Thread Thurday

What's for dinner? Share your latest favorite recipes.

NORTH CAROLINA: FRC Launches Anti-Gay Marriage Radio Campaign

The Family Research Council, an SPLC-certified hate group whose president once gave $82,000 to the Ku Klux Klan, has launched an anti-gay marriage radio campaign in North Carolina, where a constitutional ban will be voted on this Tuesday. Twelve different versions of the ad, each with the endorsement of a different local GOP official, are being broadcast.

Marriage is at risk in our state. Our laws defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman could be overturned. Marriage between one man and one woman benefits families in society so we must preserve the marriage laws in our state Constitution. On September 12, the North Carolina Legislature will vote on putting a marriage amendment to a vote of the people. Powerful voices in our state capitol are threatening your right to vote on marriage. Take a stand for marriage. Call [your representative] and ask [them] to vote yes to the marriage amendment. It’s not about party, it’s about marriage. And on September 12, join us for a rally supporting marriage at11 a.m.in front of the legislative building in Raleigh. Bring a sign and take a stand for marriage.

VIDEO: At a press conference apparently meant to ridicule homosexuals, one local elected official held up a lock and a key to demonstrate the "essential inability" of gay people to "consummate a marriage."

Tick Tock....

Recent timeline here. (Via - Dan Savage)

Trevor Project: Talk To Me

Pat Condell - In Superstition We Trust

Tweet Of The Day - Alec Baldwin

Some folks on Twitter are not happy with Baldwin using the word "queen" in this disparaging fashion. I'm not bothered by it though, especially coming from one of the community's best known allies. Nobody would be troubled in the slightest if this diss came from a gay man, I think we can give the same pass to our friends. (In this, and some, but definitely not all situations.)

Federal Appeals Court: Arizona Can't Revoke Gay Domestic Partner Benefits

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Arizona may not revoke domestic partner insurance benefits for gay employees of the state. For now, Gov. Jan Brewer can suck it.

In a unanimous opinion, the three-judge panel agreed the state is not obligated to provide health insurance for its workers or their families. "But when a state chooses to provide such benefits, it may not do so in an arbitrary or discriminatory manner that adversely affects particular groups that may be unpopular," Judge Mary Schroeder wrote for the court. She noted there is no other way for gay workers to get those benefits in Arizona, with a state constitutional amendment barring same-sex nuptials. Tuesday's ruling does not end the efforts by lawmakers and Gov. Jan Brewer to curtail the benefits. Instead, it simply requires the state to continue providing coverage until there is a full trial on whether the law is unconstitutional. "It seems apparent that the court's real motivation here is for the legalization of gay marriage," said Brewer press aide Matthew Benson. "The governor stands with the majority of Arizona who overwhelmingly in 2008 defined marriage as between one man and one woman."

Arizona began offering domestic partners benefits in 2008 at the order of then-Gov. Janet Napolitano.

David Barton: If You Vote In Support Of Gay Rights, God Will Curse You

"I will tell you where this becomes very significant politically, it Romans 1:27-32, the scripture says not only does God not approve homosexuality, it says He does not approve those who do approve of homosexuality. So I’ve got a ballot, I’ve got a vote, I vote for somebody that approves homosexuality, God doesn’t approve me if I approve those who approve homosexuality. The Bible is so good about helping us know how to vote, because what you said is exactly right. The reason homosexuality will kill the blessing and I’ll tell you why, if I support someone who supports homosexuality, it will kill the blessing on me whether I’m a homosexual or not." - Dominionist David Barton, speaking on Christian television.

Chaz Bono: I'm Not Contagious

IRELAND: Rory's Story For Marriage

(Tipped by JMG reader Gerard)

Quote Of The Day - John M. Oldham

"The American Psychiatric Association (APA) recognizes gender identity disorder (GID) as a psychiatric disorder that involves significant distress or impairment in functioning. The APA supports access to appropriate diagnosis and treatment for persons with GID and recognizes that the decision to undergo gender transition is a deeply personal one. The APA opposes all forms of discrimination against persons with GID. There is no evidence that viewing a television game show with a transgender contestant would induce Gender Identity Disorder in young people." - APA president John M. Oldham, responding to the outrageous claims of Fox News' Dr. Keith Ablow.

Young Professionals - 20 Seconds

The Way Of The Mister

Here's a satiric take on the "ex-gay" industry, from the same folks who brought you the amusing Mr. Deity web series. "Doubletree claims to have helped hundreds of men and women escape from their strictly heterosexual lifestyles, or as he calls it, 'monosexuality.'"

Shannon Minter On The Prop 8 Hearing

"I was concerned by the tenor of many of the justices' questions today. The court has a responsibility to enforce the California Constitution, which gives elected state officials--not private initiative sponsors--the authority to decide whether to appeal a federal court decision invalidating a state law. Both conservative and progressive elected officials have occasionally exercised that discretion in the past by choosing not to expend state resources to defend invalidated measures. Permitting special interest groups to usurp that decision-making authority would dramatically change the current law and take a giant step down the road of turning California into a mobocracy.

"I was disappointed that, with some notable exceptions, too many of the court's questions today did not address the specific legal questions before them, but rather seemed to glorify the initiative process in the abstract and to abdicate a searching examination of the California Constitution in favor of emotional appeals to 'the people.' The initiative process is already frequently misused to target vulnerable groups, due in part to the Court's past reluctance to enforce any meaningful limits on the process, even when those limits are mandated by the California Constitution. I sincerely hope the Court does not compound that mistake by now giving initiative proponents an unprecedented new power to step outside of their proper legislative role and usurp the power that our Constitution gives only to elected state officials in the executive branch." - Shannon Minter, Legal Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights.

Democrat Leads For Weiner's Seat

For the special election to replace Rep. Anthony Weiner, New York Assemblyman David Weprin (above left) has opened up an eight-point polling lead over NOM-backed Bob Turner, who also has the support of Orthodox Jews who say Weprin has betrayed them.

The GSG survey also found Weprin's numbers improved when respondents were "informed" of his endorsement by the NYT. (I'm not sure if voters were "informed" about any other endorsements.) Crowed Josh Schwerin of the DCCC: “This poll confirms what we always knew, voters are rejecting Bob Turner’s radical agenda of cutting Medicare and Social Security and leaving 9/11 volunteers out in the cold, while protecting tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires. New Yorkers prefer David Weprin’s plan to grow the economy and protect Medicare and Social Security to Bob Turner’s extremism.”

RELATED: JMG reader David writes to note that he has received robo-text messages claiming that Weprin "defied Jewish law" by voting for same-sex marriage. The text came from Americans In Contact PAC, whose most recent failure was their support of Jane Corwin for NY-26. The special election is this Tuesday.

REWIND: Yesterday's Prop 8 Hearing

Bloomberg: Stop Saying "Ground Zero"

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants the media to stop referring to the site of the former World Trade Center as "Ground Zero."

"We will never forget the devastation of the area that came to be known as 'Ground Zero' — never," Bloomberg said as he heralded lower Manhattan's recovery from 9/11 at an Association for a Better New York breakfast. "But now, the time has come for us to call those 16 acres what they are: The World Trade Center and the National September 11th Memorial and Museum." Far from the smoking pile of rubble that filled the area in the fall of 2001 — or the languishing construction pit in the years that followed — the World Trade Center now holds two rising skyscrapers and an eight-acre memorial set to open this Sunday, on the 10th anniversary of the attacks, Bloomberg said.

Every single time I get stopped by tourists, they want to know how to get to Ground Zero. That name won't be going away soon.

No No No No No

Gizmodo's Sam Biddle takes a dim view of a new smartphone app that offers the use of your home bathroom to people that you have friended on Facebook.

The crew behind CLOO, who apparently think putting a sassy salsa soundtrack to their demo video somehow makes the notion of a stranger coming in off the street and taking a shit in your bathroom (or doing Christ only knows what else) more palatable, are incorrect in their assumption. Unless I need spare dollars to feed the worst heroin addiction mankind has ever known, or am conducting a social experiment to see how many times I can be strangled to death, I don't want strangers in my apartment using my bathroom. I don't want strangers in my apartment baking cakes. I don't want strangers in my apartment reading to me as I fall asleep. I don't want strangers in my apartment.

We concur.

TEXAS: Wildfires Continue To Rage

RELATED: Texas cut the funding for its fire departments by 75% this year.

Under Gov. Rick Perry (R) this year, Texas slashed state funding for the volunteer fire departments that protect most of the state from wildfires like the ones that have recently destroyed more than 700 homes. Volunteer departments that were already facing financial strain were slated to have their funding cut from $30 million to $7 million, according to KVUE. The majority of Texas is protected by volunteer fire departments. There are 879 volunteer fire departments in Texas and only 114 paid fire departments. Another 187 departments are a combination of volunteer and paid. For that reason, aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) could be more important than ever to the state where wildfires have recently been raging.

Perry plans to ask for federal disaster relief. NOW, he needs the feds.

GOP Rep. Michael Grimm: WTC Cross Should Be A National Monument

Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY) is calling for a chunk of scrap metal found in the rubble of the World Trade Center to be made into a national monument.

A New York congressman plans to introduce legislation that would make a national monument out of the so-called World Trade Center cross. The cross consists of two intersecting steel beams that were found intact in the rubble at Ground Zero after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The cross was moved over the summer to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, but a group called American Atheists sued to block its display. The atheist group claimed the makeshift cross had become a "Christian icon," which was being included in a museum without equal representation of other religions. But Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y., said the cross is "not about Christianity" and should be given national recognition even if it's not in a museum.

The cross is "not about Christianity." OK, then.

Crazy Eyes: We Don't Need No Education

"The Constitution does not specifically enumerate nor does it give to the federal government the role and duty to superintend over education. That historically has been held by the parents and by local communities and by state government. To put that into the federal government as we saw a Department of Education in the late 1970s has eviscerated the constitutional understanding that the control of education truly lies with the parents."- Rep. Michele Bachmann, telling a South Carolina audience that if elected, she will abolish the Department of Education.

No True Scotsman Christian

Christianist dogma says that when Christians commit violent acts, they aren't real Christians. But when Muslims commit violence, they are totally representative of all 1.5 billion Muslims in the world. (Source)

At Yesterday's Prop 8 Hearing

More excellent work from prolific JMG reader Sean Chapin.

Concerned Women Are Concernstipated About The End Of Civility

"Violence is nothing new for unions. Members of the Communication Workers of America attacked a female FreedomWorks activist in February, union protestors threatened to break the neck of a Fox News reporter during a broadcast earlier this year in Wisconsin, and in September of last year, AFL-CIO leader Richard Trumka praised Nancy Pelosi for taking Obamacare and driving 'it down the Republicans’ throats and out their backsides.' The professional Left knows the day of reckoning is coming, when the American people will call them to account for what they have done to our economy and our country. Their response will be to blame you, blame your family, blame your neighbors, and blame anybody but themselves. And this is just the beginning." - Concerned Women for America CEO Penny Nance, complaining about the incivility of the left.

NOTE: Isn't a cute when a hate group calls you "perverse, diseased, and predatory," then tells you a minute later to watch your language?

Hoopy Froods: Know Where Your Towel Is

It's perfectly legal to be nude on the streets of San Francisco, provided one isn't hassling passersby or behaving lewdly. But the city does want its naturists to make one small, but important change.

While nudists roam free in tolerant San Francisco, one city lawmaker wants to require them to wear clothing in restaurants and to put a towel on public benches before sitting. Supervisor Scott Wiener said he will introduce public nudity legislation requiring nudists to adhere to “basic concepts of public health” at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting. The legislation will require nudes in public to place an item such as a towel underneath them when they sit down, and to don clothing before they enter a restaurant. The supervisor said the Castro district, one of the neighborhoods he was elected to represent, has seen an uptick in public nudity.

Attack Ad: Ron Paul Vs. Rick Perry

"America must decide who to trust: Al Gore's Texas cheerleader or the one who stood with Reagan." Ooh, kitty gotz claws!

NCLR's Kate Kendell On Prop 8 Hearing

"It would be an unthinkable blow to California’s democratic system of government if the handful of individuals who sponsored Prop 8 could make decisions for the entire state. Today’s arguments raised critical questions affecting the future of all groups who may be targeted by unconstitutional ballot initiatives, and the California Supreme Court’s decision will determine whether our state can be held hostage by special interests with no accountability to the public. We are hopeful that the Court will affirm that a handful of private citizens representing only their own narrow interests cannot usurp the role of the duly elected officials of the state of California." - National Center for Lesbian Rights head Kate Kendell, in a press release about today's Prop 8 hearing.

NOTE: I watched the entire thing. Judging by the way the justices grilled Ted Olson, I'm inclined to think they will grant standing to Protect Marriage.

Giuliani: Noun, Verb, 9/11

Salvation On Wry

Just $29.99. Includes shipping.

Minnesota State Fair Poll

(Source) (Tipped by JMG reader Daniel)

AFA: Obama Loves Homofascists

They RILLY need a new schtick.

Bloggy Votey Thingy

Here.

TODAY: Prop 8 Standing Hearing

UPDATE: Things are about to begin.

UPDATE II: California Channel is overloaded. Try ABC News' webcast.

Today the California Supreme Court will hear Protect Marriage's argument that they should have standing to defend Proposition 8. The hearing is scheduled to begin around 10am (San Francisco time) and will be carried live on the California Channel. I'll hunt around for embeddable live stream, but hang on to the above link.

Happy Birthday, Sylvester

Sylvester James would have turned 64 today.

Photo Of The Day - Prop 8 Asshats

These Protect Marriage asshats apparently survived their harrowing ordeal at the hands of violent homofascists outside of the California Supreme Court.

Economic Terrorists At Family Research Council Urge Boycott Of DWTS

"On the 13th season of Dancing with the Stars, the indoctrination is in full swing. This fall, ABC's picked its first transsexual to compete. Chaz Bono, the famous child of Sonny and Cher, may have been born a woman, but she'll be dancing as a man. And while the gay community approves, fans certainly don't. ABC's been blasted by thousands of viewers for turning a popular show into an hour-long political statement. The message boards are full of angry parents who think ABC's gone too far. One mom wrote, 'I am not about to risk the potential for on screen dialogue about sex changes and gender confusion while my 7 and 9-year old are watching. We are NOT tolerant [if tolerance means allowing] any influences to come unfiltered into our home.' I guess if 'Dancing' wants to advertise for the radical Left, they'll find out how out of step they are!" - Tony Perkins, hate group head, KKK backer, and supporter of white supremacists.

Attack Ad: Huntsman Vs. Romney

Space, Junked

In the mere 54 years since the advent of the space age, the nations of Earth have created an orbiting trash pile of more than 150,000 pieces of junk. Now, finally, comes the call for a clean-up campaign. Because it has become increasingly difficult to fly through all that crap.

The National Research Council says that the amount of space debris is past the "tipping point." Space launches will become riskier and more expensive because of the problems of avoiding debris and armoring space vehicles against the impact of unavoidable junk. The cleanup calls for a coordinated international effort by the dozen or so space-faring nations. NASA should take the lead because it has the skill to track debris ― the military space command is currently tracking 22,000 pieces 4 inches or larger ― and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has the inventive minds to devise ways of eliminating it. Besides, 30 percent of the junk is ours. But China especially should be assessed a large share of cleanup duties and costs. In 2007, despite warnings from other space nations, China, in a reckless and pointless display of its new space prowess, launched a missile to hit an obsolete weather satellite. The impact created 150,000 new pieces of space debris, 3,118 large enough to be tracked from the ground. That, combined with the collision of two satellites over Siberia in 2009, more than doubled the amount of junk in orbit.

"Harpoons, nets, tethers, magnets and even a giant dish or umbrella-shaped device" are among the suggested solutions.

Dizzy Dodging Dancing From Crazy Eyes

As is her style, Rep. Michele Bachmann twice refuses to give a direct answer when asked, "Do you believe that God sends us messages through the weather?"

NOM Expands NY Senate Campaign

A few days ago the first billboard in NOM's campaign to punish NY state senators went up in the district of GOP Sen. Roy McDonald. Today NOM launches a money drive to harass all of the senators who flipped their votes. It's unclear how many, if any, of the above senators are in districts where NOM could prevail. Sen. Carl Kruger (D) will likely not run again due that pesky corruption arrest by the FBI.