NEW BLOG: Where's Raman?

Blog description: "Maggie Gallagher is America's loudest voice for marriage - but she's formerly an unwed mother who has never been in seen in public with her mystery husband, Raman Srivastav. We're trying to answer one pressing question: Where's Raman?"

Tomahawk Fight Demo At NRA Convention

Pudgy middle-aged rednecks watched other pudgy middle-aged rednecks flail at each other with tomahawks during this weekend's NRA convention. They fight like in the Matrix!

Palin Jumps Into Rosen Flap

"The comments that Hilary Rosen made certainly have awakened mama grizzlies across the nation, and I know that because I got a lot of emails today — a lot of text messages from apolitical girlfriends, some who have chosen to stay home over the years. The message seems to be, why is it that some on the left choose to divide to incite with comments like that instead of just respecting women’s choices and what they want to do with the gifts that God has given them?" - Sarah Palin, speaking on Fox News.

Maggie Gallagher: Ignore Our Racism Scandal! Something Else! Over There!

She actually sits there talking about tax law and has the jaw-dropping nerve to say, "It's important that these laws be respected." Meanwhile she continues to wag her bovine middle finger in the faces of Maine's judges.

Today In Cognitive Dissonance

Islamic Terrorists Threaten Eurovision: We Will Use Chemical Weapons And Knives

Islamic terrorists have threatened to use chemical weapons against attendees and performers at the Eurovision Song Contest, which this year will be held in Azerbaijan, an almost entirely Muslim nation. The 57 year-old competition is heavily followed by gay fans, many of whom travel to the host cities every year for associated parties and nightclub events.

The Azeri terrorists, an Islamic group, have said they will target the participants of the Eurovision song contest in Azerbaijan as they are “European scum”. It has threatened the use of “knives and chemical weapons” at the contest. The terror group said in a statement yesterday “Blood of the European scum must be shed by the will of Allah.” The annual musical contest has attracted entries from 42 countries from eastern and western Europe this year, but the group said the Eurovision is “a nightmare for all Muslims.” The statement comes after a widespread crackdown by Azeri authorities on the group in preparation for the contest - 17 members were arrested and one blew up himself and a policeman in recent raids.

According to the above-linked report, additional security will be added for the contestants. Anxious to put on a good show for the world's media, the Azeri government has reportedly spent more than €500m on Eurovision-related infrastructure, included upgrading hotels, roads, the airport, and constructing a massive new arena just for the event.

RELATED: Eurovision's winner becomes the host country for the next year's event. Here's last year's final tally announcement followed by a performance by Azerbaijan's champions.

Quote Of The Day - Linda Hirshman

"Beltway pundit Hilary Rosen committed a mortal sin of American politics: She spoke the truth with a microphone on. [snip] At a recent event, Romney said he wished his wife were there to help answer a question about female voters. 'She says that she’s going across the country and talking with women, and what they’re talking about is the debt that we’re leaving the next generation and the failure of this economy to put people back to work.'

"When Ann Romney’s husband, who faces a gender gap in some polls, uses her experience and insight as a megaphone for women’s concern over fewer paid jobs, he mistakenly assumes that all women are fungible. Which was, I take it, Rosen’s original point. Although Ann Romney may be a fine spokesperson on some issues, the dirty little secret of angling for female votes is that while all women’s work, inside or outside the home, has the same worth, as Michelle Obama and Barbara Bush sweetly expressed, all women do not have the same interests. Women who work in the home do not have the same interest in the recovery of the formal job market as women who have to work for pay." - Feminist author Linda Hirshman, writing for the Washington Post.

Obama Vs Romneycare

Suh-NAP!

Morning View - First & East 72

Looking north towards Harlem.

Homophobes Are Gay, Part 4

"Really, who doesn't already know? Who among us with the slightest acumen toward self-reflection doesn't fully understand that the more you wail against something, the more violently outspoken or hateful you are against this or that perceived indiscretion, sexual proclivity, perversion, deviance, expression, delight, taste sensation, the more certain it is that said deliciousness secretly attracts you, turns you on and makes you enormously, terrifically scared?

"Case after case, priest after priest, GOP senator after megachurch pastor after spittle-flecked Tea Party zealot -- all suddenly caught pants down in a bathroom stall, in a leather bar, gay chat room, in a Grindr hookup app, living out their real and honest selves even as they rail and oppose and thump their Bibles everywhere else. Hypocrisy, thy name is homophobe.

"Which is, essentially, exactly what the study found. One's level of homophobia lies, quite frequently, in direct proportion to one's own brutally closeted desire for homosexual sex. Result: self-denial, self hatred, wailing and thrashing and Prop 8-ing against an unfair world." - San Francisco Chronicle columnist Mark Morford, writing about the just-released study on the cause of homophobia.

Read the full essay.

Titanic: The Untold Gay Story

There were a lot of our people on that ship, sez this guy.

(Via Boy Culture)

Sprung

Stem Cells Vs. HIV

Interesting news out of UCLA:

Expanding on previous research providing proof-of-principle that human stem cells can be genetically engineered into HIV-fighting cells, a team of UCLA researchers has now demonstrated that these cells can actually attack HIV-infected cells in a living organism. [snip] In a series of tests on the mice's peripheral blood, plasma and organs conducted two weeks and six weeks after introducing the engineered cells, the researchers found that the number of CD4 "helper" T cells — which become depleted as a result of HIV infection — increased, while levels of HIV in the blood decreased. CD4 cells are white blood cells that are an important component of the immune system, helping to fight off infections. These results indicated that the engineered cells were capable of developing and migrating to the organs to fight infection there.

HACKED: Brian Brown's Twitter Account

Here we go again. This time the hack seems limited to Brian Brown's Twitter account. NOM's blog and Facebook are unaffected at this writing.

UPDATE: It appears this post has been noticed.

Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

"The attack on DOMA just intensified with eight couples filing suit in Nevada. Meanwhile, President Obama weighs in on an anti-gay Constitutional amendment, and signature-gathering efforts are off to a very slow start."

One Million Moms Against Urban Outfitters

There are LESBIANS! In the CATALOG!

Dear Joe: WARNING! The April 2012 catalog from Urban Outfitters has begun arriving in home mailboxes the last couple of days. On page two of this catalog is a picture of two women kissing in a face holding embrace! The ad and catalog are clearly geared toward teenagers. Before your child has a chance to read the newest Urban Outfitters catalog call to unsubscribe from their mailing list at 1-800-282-2200, and then throw it away. When you call be sure to let them know why you are unsubscribing. Tell them you will also no longer shop at their stores if you hear this type of advertising continues. The content is offensive and inappropriate for a teen who is the company's target customer.

OMM is demanding that an apology be mailed to every home that received the photo of those filthy face-scissoring sisters.

UPDATE: JMG reader Jeni sends in the horrifying photo.

Brian Brown: The HRC Has Committed A Watergate-Like Crime Against NOM

Brian Brown today continued his campaign of accusations against the Human Rights Campaign, claiming that outgoing executive director and Obama campaign co-chair Joe Solomonese is party to the "felony" of publishing a "confidential" tax return. Brown claims that NOM's lawyers contacted the HRC yesterday, resulting in the tax forms being "quietly removed" from HRC's site.

"They now realize that they have done something tremendously wrong here or they would not have removed the references," NOM President Brian Brown said today. "A felony has been committed and the Treasury Department must investigate who within the IRS has committed it, and whether people with the Obama Administration or the HRC are co-conspirators in the criminal release of our confidential tax return. We demand that federal authorities immediately launch an investigation into this crime. This is not a routine leak of some obscure document. We're talking about someone in the Obama Administration's IRS releasing to a group headed by President Obama's national co-chair the private tax return containing confidential donor information of their main opponent. This is reminiscent of Watergate, and the American people are entitled to know the truth of what has occurred."

Brown, should it not be glaringly obvious, is flailing about wildly, hoping desperately to redirect media attention away from NOM's race-baiting scandal AND their campaign to incite anti-gay violence in foreign countries. Don't fall for it.

Mittens Tweets From The NRA Convention

Fran Drescher For U.S. Senate?

Sen. Sheffield, will you yield to the gentlewoman from Queens? Apparently, she's not kidding.

Homocon Vs Hilary Rosen

Former GOProud board member Tammy Bruce appeared on Fox News to attack fellow lesbian Hilary Rosen. Talking the opposing view point is lesser known lesbian pundit Sally Kohn. I supposed it's mildly interesting to see two out lesbians talking about a third on any national news channel, much less Fox News.

FRC's Values Voters 2012: A Who's Who Of Hate Groups & Anti-Gay Douchebags

Embiggen the images or go here to see who's on the slate for this year's Family Research Council Hato-O-Rama.

End Times Survival Map

Let Jesus Love You provides the above and many other desktop images for use as End Times wallpaper. Surf the apocalypse, y'all. (Via Christian Nightmares)

Photo Of The Day - Bay Bridge Octo-Strike

JMG reader Craig points us to this amazing amateur shot of San Francisco's Bay Bridge getting hammered by eight lightning bolts. I can only recall hearing thunder one time during my six cold foggy years in San Francisco. It was so unusual, the papers mentioned it the next day.

Madonna Goes Pop: Jean Paul Gaultier Launches Madge-Inspired Diet Coke Ads

Sorry fan boys, the bottles are sold only in Europe.

Forty Years Of Cabaret

#CoryBookerStories

It Gets Bigger

Naughty language within.

Headline Of The Day

Details.

NOM Is Looking For REAL Christians To Run For Office In New Hampshire

After suffering the humiliation of a massively lopsided loss in the New Hampshire legislature, NOM is advertising for REAL Christians who'd like to replace those hundreds of heathen Republicans who flipped Maggie and Brian their middle fingers.

Mayor, LGBT Ally, Firefighting Hero

Not only is Newark Mayor Cory Booker an outspoken ally in the battle for LGBT equality, he's now being hailed as a firefighting hero.

Booker arrived home last night to discover his next-door neighbor's house on fire, and rescued a young woman trapped upstairs by carrying her through the flames, suffering second-degree burns in the process. The mayor's security team discovered the fire and pounded on the door to alert residents, when an elderly woman said that her daughter was trapped upstairs. At first Rodriguez would not let Booker into the burning house. "He basically told me, 'This woman is going to die if we don't help her,' and what can I say to that?," Rodriguez said. "I let him go and without thinking twice, he just ran into the flames and rescued this young lady." Booker said that as he jumped through the kitchen on the second floor, "I actually wasn't thinking. When I got there and couldn't find her in all the smoke, looked behind me and saw the kitchen really erupting with flames all over the ceiling, that's when I had very clear thoughts that I'm not going to get out of this place alive and got ... very religious.

Booker issued a nonchalant tweet from his own ambulance.

Quote Of The Day - Michael Bloomberg

"These laws are vigilantism masquerading as self-defense, and getting 25 states to pass them is one of the best con jobs the NRA’s leaders have ever pulled off. They don’t give a damn whether innocent people are shot and killed. And they don’t give a damn about the integrity of the American justice system. They want to create a nation where disputes are settled by guns instead of gavels, and where suspects are shot by civilians instead of arrested by police. These laws destabilize our justice system, they degrade our society, and they destroy innocent lives. We can’t be silent — and we can’t let them stand." - NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, speaking against the NRA yesterday.

Remixed: TED 2012

(Via - Andrew Sullivan)

London Transit: No Anti-Gay Ads Ever

London's metro transit agency took to their official Twitter account yesterday to reassure the public that they will never run anti-gay ads. The about-to-launch campaign was also squashed by Mayor Boris Johnson.

Inside The Second Avenue Subway

I probably write about the Second Avenue Subway too much, but it IS one of the largest public works projects in our lifetime and it's happening literally under my feet on the Upper East Side. Today JMG reader David tips us to an in-depth Village Voice examination of the project.

Although the first phase of the Second Avenue subway—an extension of Q service to 96th Street—won't open to commuters before 2016, last month marked a significant step in the construction: the completion of the tunnels between the eventual 96th Street and 72nd Street stations. (Three subsequent phases, proposed to extend the Q to 125th Street and add a new line—the T—spanning 125th Street to Hanover Square in Lower Manhattan, have yet to receive funding.) Where for 470 million years there had been rock, there are now two 20-foot diameter, butter-smooth concrete tubes—a giant, mile-long double-barrel shotgun buried 100 feet below the Upper East Side.

They say that section of the tunnel is completed, yet this here desk I'm writing to you from still trembles every day precisely at 5:30pm from the blasting. Lots of very cool images in the clip below.

Victoria Jackson: Only Communists And Fascists Believe In Climate Change

"This is the opposite of capitalism. It is the opposite of free enterprise and what made America the greatest nation in the world. This bill would be supported by the occupiers, Valerie Jarett, Van Jones, Obama, Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Castro, Communists, Fascists, Socialists, whatever you want to call it, it’s the government taking over. It’s the government picking the winners and losers. Even though it looks pretty on the outside it’s the way our country is being destroyed right now." - Victoria Jackson, speaking in opposition to a proposed alternative energy bill in Florida.

Activism: Beyond The Gay White Male

Child Stars Against Kirk Cameron

Best line is at 2:00. I literally snorked.

(Tipped by JMG reader Fritz)

Concerned Women Are Concernstiped About Ann Romney And Hilary Rosen

"Just when we thought the left couldn’t get more insensitive and condescending toward conservative women and derisive of the concept of motherhood, the Democrats’ narrative about a supposed GOP 'war on women' gets exposed to reveal the long-standing, patronizing, and extremely abusive feminist 'war on conservative women.' All it takes is a quick look at all the magazine features about 'women of the year' or 'outstanding women' to discover that the media elites and leftist women in politics and punditry have zero knowledge of the accomplishments of conservative women; nor do they understand or appreciate the contributions to society and the future of the nation by those women who 'choose' to nurture and raise their own children." - Concerned Women spokeshrew Janet Crouse.

Romney Campaign Buys "Rosen" Ads

Yesterday the Romney campaign jumped on the Hilary Rosen flap by buying the above Google ad which will appear with searches on Rosen's name.

Maggie Responds To Fred Karger

"We are still married and living together. He's a very private person. They just make up all kind of stuff about me," she said. It doesn't really matter. I could be divorced and I still could not be for gay marriage. I don't really see that it's relevant. It is a fact — I am in fact married. I've only been married once. I am not about to get a divorce." - Maggie Gallagher, telling Buzzfeed that she's still with Raman Srivastav, the man nobody in the world seems to have ever seen or met.

Maggie Gallagher: NOM Will Punish New York's Gay-Friendly Legislators

Here's the video to the quote from earlier this week.

San Diego To Get Harvey Milk Street?

San Diego's city council is considering a request to rename a street in its very gay Hillcrest neighborhood after Harvey Milk.

San Diego Pride leaders are hoping to rename the street by May 22, which is the Harvey Milk Day celebration. "Not only does the street run into the LBGT center, this is where the pride parade begins, where the community gathers, where there's a new pride pole project being proposed," San Diego Pride Executive Director Dwayne Crenshaw said. If the street name changes, the 17 properties on the street will have to change mailing addresses and local maps will have to be edited for visitors. "The name change will only apply to two city blocks of Blaine Street two city blocks, but will make a big change in history," Crenshaw said.

Ricky Martin Performs Evita Song

FRC Cheers Employment Order Fail

Brian Brown: The IRS Leaked Our Return

"The American people are entitled to know how a confidential tax return containing private donor information filed exclusively with the Internal Revenue Service has been given to our political opponents whose leader also happens to be co-chairing President Obama's reelection committee. It is shocking that a political ally of President Obama's would come to possess and then publicly release a confidential tax return that came directly from the Internal Revenue Service. We demand to know who is responsible for this criminal act and what the Administration is going to do to get to the bottom of it." - NOM president Brian Brown, claiming the somebody inside the IRS leaked their return.

The Rosen Flap In 100 Seconds

Today's Message From GOProud

White House President Secretary Grilled About Rejection Of Employment Order

Think Progress notes that among the unseen questioners are reporters from gay print outlets Metro Weekly and the Washington Blade. They really do try to back Carney into a corner.

(Via Igor Volsky)

Congratulations, Maggie Gallagher!

Top Conservative Site Free Republic Vows: We Will Never Support Mitt Romney

"FR will never support the abortionist, homosexualist, socialist, mandate loving, constitution trampling liar Mitt Romney. In case you haven't noticed, a TEA Party rebellion is on and Free Republic signed on years ago. There is no turning back. No more crap from the GOP-e!! They've screwed us for the last time!! Karl Rove and Mitt Romney, et al, loathe conservatism and loathe the tea party and took it upon themselves to use their money and connections to destroy nearly every one of our conservative tea party candidates while pushing their big government RINOS.

"That makes them the enemy. I will not reward that betrayal by giving them my support or my vote. FR is and will remain a pro-life, pro-limited government conservative site!! We are beholden to NO ONE!! We bow to no kings!! We bow to NO RINOS!! I'd rather fight and die like a man than bend over and be screwed by a RINO!! I refuse to kiss Karl Rove or Mitt Romney's rings!! They can kiss my rosy red ass instead!! FUMR!! FUGOP!! Long live the rebellion!! Hope my message is clear." - Free Republic founder Jim Robinson, telling Romney supporters to get off his site.

OK Go - White Knuckles

Got 3D glasses handy? Me either.

Fred Karger Demands: Maggie Gallagher, Where Is This Mysterious Never-Seen Husband You Claim To Have?

"I was on Thomas Roberts’ show MSNBC with the founder of the National Organization for Marriage, Maggie Gallagher. We were on MSNBC so she could try and defend the treasure trove of 'confidential' NOM documents that had just been uncovered as a result of the 2009 investigation that I got launched against NOM in Maine.

"Maggie and I were in separate studios although we met afterwards for this photo and a chance to visit. I asked Maggie if she was still living in New York, and she told me that she moved to Washington, DC nearly three years ago. What about her husband Roman Srivastav? She allegedly married this East Indian man 19 years ago after living as an unwed mother for 11 years. No one has ever seen Maggie with Raman. Wonder if they really did get married? If so, maybe so he could get a green card?

"For the past 15 years Maggie has written books, columns and talked to anyone who would listen about the necessity of kids having a mother and a father (even though she didn’t follow her own advice for over a decade). According to WikiAnswers only 9.3% of American women don’t wear a wedding ring, a pretty small number. Certainly this national champion of marriage whose twitter name is @MaggieMarriage would wear a wedding ring if she was really married.

"I first became suspicious when you spoke in Rhode Island two years ago at NOM’s 'Celebrate Marriage & Family Day.' If ever there was a day to appear with your husband that was it. I even scoured Google images, not one photo of you and Raman. NOM’s Brian Brown is all over Google. There are lots of photos of Brian with his wife and family.

"I smell a rat, Maggie. Put up, or Shut up. Let’s see your marriage license, Maggie. Better yet, let’s see your husband!" - GOP presidential candidate Fred Karger, via press release.

Headline Of The Day

Talking Points Memo reports:

For the first time in history, the United States has issued an indictment in hate crime case involving a crime against an individual based on their sexual orientation, the Justice Department said Thursday. A federal grand jury in London, Ky., returned a three-count indictment charging David Jason Jenkins, 37, and Anthony Ray Jenkins, 20, for kidnapping and assaulting Kevin Pennington, and for conspiring with each other and with other unnamed individuals to commit the kidnapping. The indictment charges the men with committing a hate crime in violation of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expanded federal jurisdiction to include certain assaults motivated by someone’s sexual orientation.

Is the distinction here that this is the first such federal indictment?

BRITAIN: Christian Hate Group To Run "Ex-Gay" Ads On London Buses

An anti-gay Christian group has booked the above campaign to run on London's buses. The Guardian reports:

The full length advert, which will appear on five different routes in the capital, is backed by the Core Issues Trust whose leader, Mike Davies, believes "homoerotic behaviour is sinful". His charity funds "reparative therapy" for gay Christians who believe that they have homosexual feelings but want to become straight. The campaign is also backed by Anglican Mainstream, an worldwide orthodox Anglican group whose supporters have equated homosexuality with alcoholism. The advert will say: "Not gay! Post-gay, ex-gay and proud. Get over it!"

Post-gay and ex-gay are terms used by Christians and some psychotherapists and psychiatrists to refer to homosexual people who have undergone spiritual or pastoral therapy and, according to an Anglican Mainstream definition, have "now left a homosexual lifestyle [and experienced] an increased emotional and sexual attraction to the opposite biological gender and possibly a reduction in or loss of same-sex attraction." The buses are due to roll out on Monday morning on some of the most popular routes. They will be seen for two weeks travelling past St Paul's Cathedral, down Oxford Street, round Trafalgar Square and through Piccadilly Circus as well as across other parts of the capital.

Gay groups have denounced the campaign, which the Guardian states will likely be investigated by the Advertising Standards Authority as being in violation of laws against inciting anti-gay hatred. Rule 4.1 of the advertising code states: "Particular care must be taken to avoid causing offence on the grounds of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age." The campaign can also be contested on the grounds of the "truthfulness and substantiation" of any advertising claim, this one being that there is a such thing as "ex-gay."

UPDATE: We already have some action on this today's above-linked Guardian story. According to the same source, London Mayor Boris Johnson is now working to block the ads from ever appearing. Johnson says: "London is one of the most tolerant cities in the world and intolerant of intolerance. It is clearly offensive to suggest that being gay is an illness that someone recovers from and I am not prepared to have that suggestion driven around London on our buses."

The Immoral Homosexual Agenda Iceberg Is Going To Sink America

(Via Right Wing Watch)

Infighting is Funny, Part 89

"First we got RINOs, now it's WHINOS, so-called conservatives who whine about being criticized by the leftist media on social issues. There's a handful of WHINOs making a stink about my participation in the upcoming April 15th rally on the Boston Common, because they're afraid my Biblical views on homosexuality will 'taint the movement'. Well I have news for these WHINOs. I haven't backed down from the liberals. I'm certainly not going to back down from you. My family's roots in this region go back to the 1600s, and my ancestors were among those who pledged 'their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor' for the cause of freedom. If this movement which takes its name from those men of true courage allows itself to be stampeded by an increasingly toothless mainstream media, it might as well give up and go home." - Hate group leader Scott Lively, complaining about the Greater Boston Tea Party. (Tipped by JMG reader Steven)

Ann Romney Fires Back

Wordpress Dominates Top 100 Blogs

Pingdom has surveyed the platforms used by Technorati's Top 100 blogs and finds that Wordpress dominates the field. That's surely of little consequence to most of you, but it's mildly interesting news to me, particularly coming on a morning during which Blogger was down for several hours. Dammit. Computer World reports:

WordPress' popularity, at least among these highly trafficked sites, has been growing. In 2009, WordPress was used by 32 of the most popular blogs, an earlier Pingdom survey found. In contrast, some of WordPress' competitors have lost their hold among the top blog spots over the past three years. Movable Type, the next most popular platform on the 2012 list, is used by only seven of the blogs in 2012, down from 12 when last surveyed. Another once-popular blogging platform, TypePad, has dropped even more dramatically in usage, from 16 sites to two, between 2009 and 2012. WordPress' newer competitors are making inroads, though they aren't as pervasive yet. Two of the top sites now use Drupal, which was introduced in 2001 but has only gained momentum in the past few years. One site on the list uses Tumblr, a blogging service introduced in 2007.

Although this here website thingy lives in an apparently increasingly ghetto corner of the blogosphere, I'm not going anywhere for now. Anyway, you might be interested in the Top 100 Blogs list. We're way down at #87.